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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Sugar Addiction!

I have been very busy and have not had much time to write, on the blog or otherwise.

I wanted to share an article with you all that I saw via Food Inc post on Facebook.  It is something that I have heard before, but it was interesting to see how the brain scans of people who struggle with obesity may be linked to an addiction to refined sugar, which can be STRONGER than an addiction to cocaine.  Refined sugar, extracted from its natural source and concentrated to by JUST sugar--such as sugar (also called beet sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, confectioners sugar, invert sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar, saccherose, table sugar and turbinado), high fructose corn syrup,

Natural sugar occurring in foods like fresh fruits and vegetables which are processed differently by the body due to the other compounds found in whole foods.  

As my dear fiance has agreed to attempt 4 weeks of no alcohol to break the long standing habit of having a alcoholic drinks after work every night so that a more balanced approach to enjoying alcohol in a healthier way, I will be focusing on eliminating the last of the refined sugars that are still part of my food intake.  Over the past few years I have greatly reduced the amount and frequency of sugar consumption, primarily through cutting down on processed foods, eating more whole foods, watching my carb intake (primary due to my diabetes), and indulging in sweets only occasionally (like the occasional cookie or cadbury egg or other candy).  Lately I have been taking in too much of the candy stuff, and need to reset my focus.

This article has helped me remember why it is so important to not be an unconscious eater....as when we eat or drink or put anything into our body without really thinking about it, we may be forming an addiction to those things, altering our own brain chemistry, and reducing the amount of pleasure and peace we get from life because of those alterations.  Peace is not just a state of mind separate from the body, it is a specific set of chemicals and dominate thought patterns that provide a sense of calm and peace.  It is very difficult to achieve artificially, as each of us is an individual--physically and spiritually.  While psychological and spiritual practices such as meditation, prayer, looking on the positive side of things, letting go of attachments and expectations, and developing a healthy spiritual life and positive attitude all contribute greatly to creating the right physical balance to be at peace, there are many physical things that influence how much pleasure and peace we find in life.  Amount and quality of sleep is a big one. How much you move your body (exercise, activity, physical work) also influence what hormones and chemicals are active in your body and brain.  And what you eat and drink have a direct and intense impact on what chemicals and hormones course through your body and brain.  Given that feelings like calm, peace, happiness, pleasure, and excitement (just like anger, fear, sadness, anxiety) all rely on your body releasing a specific set of neurochemicals, and that many of those neurochemcials have receptors and competent receptors in the gut, what you eat and drink has a direct and almost immediate impact on mood and emotions.  Like the article states though, when it comes to addiction--be it to cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, or refined sugar...the anticipation of the pleasure creates a chemical rush, the receiving of the substance gives what it gives, and after the substance is out of the system, the brain is LESS sensitive to those chemical that influence pleasure and joy.

SO hopefully taking a month off from all refined sugars, will help reset the brains sensitivity to the pleasure center, and IF (not when, IF) i decide to include any more refined sugars in my dietary intake, it will be in very small amounts and very low frequency.

So that is what I am thinking about and doing these days....off to clean a camp for some summer residents...good old spring cleaning...hope to do my own house soon while between seasons....

Monday, February 24, 2014

Working, activities, and all sorts of life=no time to blog

I started working at a large ski center a few weeks ago.  A temporary position at minimum wage doing kitchen help and serving customers at the food court there.  Not my dream job, but a job.  Freelance writing has slowed down with a LOT of competition for the higher priced articles, and the nursery school requires children whose parents can pay even the modest little $35 a week I charged for 5 days.  but alas, winter around here is very low income, as most jobs are seasonal and depend on the summer resorts, camp grounds, and activities.  So I needed to get some extra income rolling in, even at a low wage.  And it is fun baking, serving soup, and doing whatever needs to be done, and  having coworkers again is really nice, having been so isolated working from home and taking care of the kids these past few years.

I have a number of applications in for jobs in my original career field and hope that one or two will pan out.  I have expanded my search up to 300 miles from here, with the intent, obviously, to relocate if the job is more than a 60 miles away.I do have an interview via phone on Friday with a company 60 miles away, so if I end up making it to the job offer, I know I could commute for a while until I really had enough to move into a good house and such, which is ideal.  Preferably one that I can bring my chickens with me.  So it may mean saving up after I get debts/bills caught up, and trying to find a place to give me a house loan. finding a handicap accessible place that allows dogs AND chickens is a bit of a high hope, but nothing is impossible.  And who knows when a career oriented job will pan out SOON.

Between work, winter festivals, the kids visiting with their other parent, arranging child care now that I am working and they were off school for a week, doctor appointments, roof leaks, ceiling damage, rearranging rooms, running out of propane (!) yikes...it has been really busy, and cold, and wet.... So I have not had time to blog or food track.  My blood sugar levels have been good though, so all of this activity is good for me.

I am grateful for a job that is fun
I am thankful for income to help me keep up with my expenses and bills
I am grateful for a roof over my head, holes and all
I am grateful for electric space heaters and grill propane tanks that help us have heat and hot water even when the big tanks are empty and the furnace out of commission because of it
I am thankful that there are jobs I can apply to and thankful for the hope of a better tomorrow
I am thankful that Josiah's motorized wheelchair will be here this week
I am thankful that I currently have a home that can accommodate him and his wheelchair
I am grateful for the school's ability to transport my children to their programs
I am grateful that they are old enough to be able to handle having a babysitter
I am grateful that I have a support network that understands my kids and thier issues (the behavioral ones being the most difficult), that I am able to work even when there is an unexpected snow day or my planned sitter calls in at the last minute
I am grateful that my kids handled it well, well enough to ease my nerves about gong back to work full time
I am thankful for a healthy puppy and an old dog whose health has gotten back to normal after a scare a couple of weeks ago that we were going to lose her
I am thankful that i was able to buy fresh fruits and veggies fro the family yesterday, and the kids enjoyed grapes and strawberries with their breakfast and bananas for snack when they got home from school.
I am thankful that I know that life is good, even when circumstances are challenging, life is still good, very, very good!



Thursday, January 30, 2014

Stay on the road....Reasons for Food Tracking

I know the food tracking posts are kind of boring, but keeping a daily journal of exactly what you are eating is very helpful in really understanding two things...

First, it helps you really be conscious of what you are putting into your body...the little cookie here or the extra helping of pasta there, or the impulse buy of a Cadbury Cream Egg....those little things that we often do not really think about are then brought to the forefront.  It also helps us understand when we are not making the best food choices, and gives us the chance to evaluate WHY we are eating what we eat at the times that we are eating them.  Being conscious of what you are eating is half the battle, as life tends to be so hectic and so many different things are pulling our attention, that many of us are just not aware of what we are snacking on, especially those of us who are emotional eaters and use food to temporarily soothe stress, anger, frustration, depression, fear, or whatever else may arise.

Secondly, food tracking gives us a starting point to build a better eating plan that really reflects both your individual likes and your individual need for food at times that may not fit the norm.  Do you avoid breakfast but eat a big nighttime snack?  Changing THAT habit while changing WHAT you eat may set you up for more struggle than you bargain for.  So you can see your patterns and make small changes in WHAT you eat WHEN, like ensuring a small volume but heartier breakfast (a complete instant breakfast shake, or one egg with one slice of toast, or yogurt with oatmeal and fruit) and a big but lighter late night snack (2 -3 cups of air popped popcorn (spray with a butter spray and sprinkle on some adobo or other flavorful spice blend) and an apple).  That way you are getting something good in the morning to stimulate your metabolism and start to change the habit (heck even a slice of toast with peanut butter is better than nothing---just always make sure you have both carbs AND protein).  AND your habit of a full stomach at night does not have to disappear, it can just change into a lower calorie snack than say a piece of cake or an ice cream sundae.

It is not easy to change...and changing both eating pattern habits AND what you eat at the same time can make it harder.  Baby steps.   You are not going to safely lose 80 pounds in 80 days, and if you do, the chances of keeping it off and having made true lasting changes are less likely.  It also is not going to help if you get super frustrated a week into changing your eating habits and throw the whole idea away.    A big part of the reason I share what I eat in my food tracking is because a lot of people out there are a lot like me....over 100 pounds overweight, dealing with more issues than just over eating, you don't get this heavy without underlying issues--both physical and mental/emotional.  Eating is like a drug used to self medicate an over-stressed life.  There may be an underlying challenge of neuro-chemicals being off causing clinical depression or clinical anxiety or both.  There may be underlying metabolic issues with genetic causes that are made worse by lifestyle and eating habits, like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or digestive issues.  There may be so much going on in life that taking care of yourself has just been pushed to the back burner for so long and getting back to caring for your health and your body is a hard habit to get into.

So I share my story, which is a success story, and in the end will be an amazing success story, because I don't document just my successes, I am documenting all of the fits and starts, the backsliding, the two steps forward, two steps back dance.  I document it because there are those out there who are where I was a few years ago, feeling like they want to start, but feeling like they will fail.  They need to know that it is okay to make a slow start.  It is okay to keep making the same goal and NEVER giving up even if you are not making visible progress.  Some people change their mind and it changes their life within a few months.  My mind must be complex  because I change my mind and set out to change my life and I have to do it many times in many layers, but the whole time is actually progress, because at each set back, I learn something new about myself, I gain a deeper understanding of who I am and why I do what I do, and I am able to set better goals for myself.  I am more accepting of myself NOW than I was 3 years ago when I started this blog.  I have needed the longer process because until you can accept yourself, no matter how many changes you make, you will never be happy with who you are.  NOW I am in a position where I want to get HEALTHY--not thin, not beautiful, not something external...I value WHO I am, and from this position now, I am committing, one day at a time, to making better choices.

Sure, some days I will eat less healthy, and some days I will be the poster child of the healthy eating.  And i am okay with both, because every day is a new day, and every choice is a conscious choice, which gives a totally amazing experience of life.  So yeah, some days I am going to eat a Cadbury Egg, and I am going to savor it, and I am going to do it fully aware of what I am doing and why I am doing it.  And some days I am going to eat a big helping of Kale with a nice piece of fish, and I am going to savor it and enjoy it, being fully aware of what I am doing. I might even do the two on the same day.  And i know that I have the CHOICE.  It is a CHOICE, not an impulse, not a diet, not a habit, not a restriction, not a cheat....I make my choices, I take responsibility for them, I live with them, and I am more aware of who I am....NOW, from this knowing, I can make any changes I choose to, the changes that transform my life and the lives of those around me, for no-one is an island, everything we do, affects those around us.  So I keep going, keep transforming, fast sometimes, slow sometimes, like punctuated equilibrium, it is an evolution where things remain apparently the same fora long time and then suddenly a whole bunch of changes happen at once.  Those period of quiet continuance are a time of a lot going on behind the scenes, things we can not see or are not aware of.  And when everything is lined up, and the right catalyst or stressor or change occurs, it sets off a cascade right down the line.  SO change seems to happen quickly, transformation seems easy and fast.  I am here to tell all of my readers, transformation happens, and it is those times of lining everything up--mentally, spiritually, physically, energetically--those are the times that are vital to transformation, those are the building blocks that are paving the road for transformation.  True transformation needs those times or gaining focus and awareness.  It is a time of awakening.  Do not be discouraged if you are backsliding, or not moving forward or moving forward more slowly than you want to be.  It is all part of the process, just stay on the road and you will get there, sometimes the road is windy with potholes and unexpected road work and dead ends requiring you to back track and take a different route, and sometimes it is like a highway through Illinois with a 75 mile an hour speed.  Just keep going, as long as you keep going, you will get there.

And here are my last 2 days of food tracking, with its ups and downs:
Tuesday January 28

Breakfast

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein    
Egg, fresh, whole, raw, 2 large 14411013
American Cheese, 2 slice (3/4 oz) 1581139
Bar S Premium Deli Ham 97% Fat Free (1 Serving / 1 Slice / 32 grams), 32 gram(s) 40215
Hard Rolls (includes kaiser), 1 roll (3-1/2" dia) 1673026
BREAKFAST TOTALS:509342633
BREAKFAST GOALS:315 - 40339 - 5011 - 1316 - 20

Lunch

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein    
Collards, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, 1 cup, chopped 611215
Beans, black, 0.75 cup 17031111
Onions, raw, 1 tbsp chopped 4100
American Cheese, 1 slice (3/4 oz) 79075
LUNCH TOTALS:31444821
LUNCH GOALS:315 - 40339 - 5011 - 1316 - 20

Dinner

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein    
Collards, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, 0.75 cup, chopped 46914
Potato, raw, 1 medium (2-1/4" to 3-1/4" dia.) 1473404
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbsp 2400280
Beans, black, 0.5 cup 1142008
Onions, raw, 1 tbsp chopped 4100
DINNER TOTALS:550642915
DINNER GOALS:315 - 40339 - 5011 - 1316 - 20

Snack

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein    
Croissant, 1 croissant, small 1711993
Great Value Pork Sausage Patty, 1 patty, 0.5 serving 1001103
American Cheese, 1 slice (3/4 oz) 79075
Eggs - Scrambled - 1 Large Egg, 1 serving 70156
SNACK TOTALS:419212917
SNACK GOALS:158 - 20120 - 255 - 78 - 10

Snack 2

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein    
Cadbury Creme Egg, 1 serving 1502550
Nonni's Gingerbread Macadamia Biscotti - 1 biscotti, 1 serving 1502452
SNACK 2 TOTALS:30049102
SNACK 2 GOALS:158 - 20120 - 255 - 78 - 10
CALORIESCARBSFATPROTEIN
 Totals:    2,09221110388
Your Daily Goal:    1,260 - 1,610158 - 20142 - 5463 - 81
Remaining Today:    0000
 


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and Wednesday January 29

Breakfast

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein   
Egg, fresh, whole, raw, 2 large 14411013
American Cheese, 2 slice (3/4 oz) 1581139
Half and Half Cream, 1 tbsp 20120
Regular Coffee, brewed from grounds, 10 fl oz 3000
Hard Rolls (includes kaiser), 1 roll (3-1/2" dia) 1673026
Bar S Premium Deli Ham 97% Fat Free (1 Serving / 1 Slice / 32 grams), 32 gram(s) 40215
BREAKFAST TOTALS:531342833
BREAKFAST GOALS:368 - 45546 - 5712 - 1518 - 23

Lunch

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein   
Coconut Oil, 0.5 tbsp 59070
Spinach, frozen, 2 cup 10620112
Chicken Breast (cooked), no skin, roasted, 4 ounces 1370326
Quaker Instant Oatmeal, prepared with water, 1 Packet 1001924
California Blend Vegetable (Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots), 80 gram(s) 25401
LUNCH TOTALS:427431343
LUNCH GOALS:368 - 45546 - 5712 - 1518 - 23

Dinner

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein   
Beans, Green Cut Frozen (Great Value) 2/3 cup, 1 serving 30501
Brown Rice, long grain, 0.5 cup 1082213
Chicken Breast (cooked), no skin, roasted, 2 ounces 690213
Butter, salted, 1 pat (1" sq, 1/3" high) 36040
DINNER TOTALS:24327616
DINNER GOALS:368 - 45546 - 5712 - 1518 - 23

Snack

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein   
Cottage Cheese, 2% Milkfat, 0.75 cup (not packed) 1466420
SNACK TOTALS:1466420
SNACK GOALS:184 - 22823 - 286 - 89 - 11

Snack 2

Calories           Carbs            Fat             Protein   
Yellow Mustard, 1 tsp or 1 packet 3000
BAR S JUMBO JUMBO HOT DOG, 1 serving 33092910
SNACK 2 TOTALS:33392910
SNACK 2 GOALS:184 - 22823 - 286 - 89 - 11
CALORIESCARBSFATPROTEIN
 Totals:    1,67912080123
Your Daily Goal:    1,470 - 1,820184 - 22849 - 6174 - 91
Remaining Today:    0 - 14163 - 10700