Friday Q&A Time
So, after the brownies were devoured - my boss admitted to eating TWO at lunch yesterday and many others from my team (there are 12 of us) asked for the recipe for those "amazing cheesecake brownies," the questions about why I am eating this way, how it works and what exactly I'm doing came flying in from different people. Since I'm sure they aren't the only ones who are wondering, I figured I would answer some of their questions here and open the floor to any other questions readers may have.
So, here goes...
What am I doing (as far as plans)? I'm following a plan from a book I read called Trim Healthy Mama
How does it work? The gist of it... For The Hubby and I, we decided to go 30 days sugar-free, limited gluten, low-carb and alcohol free. This means no whites (potatoes, breads, etc), only plan approved sweeteners (for me I prefer Xylitol, but I know many low-carbers who like Truvia or liquid stevia) and the biggest part is separating your carbs from your fats and not eating them together in a meal. The book does the best job of explaining it, of course, but you can also check out their Facebook page and group to read testimonies and posts about the plan.
Does it actually work? Well, as of today's Friday weigh in, I've lost 7 pound and The Hubby has lost 15, so I'm leaning toward yes, but I'll be sure to keep updating you on that one!
Don't you miss breads, potatoes, etc? Funny enough, I don't! I was a McDonald's french fry addict. I would literally crave them! I've been 19 days fry free. *grins* Same with Diet Coke. I was never a huge bread eater, but we had sandwiches on sour dough bread last weekend. Plan approved in moderation.
Where do you get the foods? Are they in regular stores? That was one thing I had decided before we started. I was going to work this plan as simply as possible without the addition of a bunch of products that I can't get in a local store. Sure, there are a couple that I order, but 99% of my foods are bought at Wal-Mart or the local grocery store. I do get my xylitol from Amazon. Same with my protein powder (there are certain specifics for protein powder on plan and I'm still not 100% sure that mine is fully in the guidelines, but it is very close if not). Oh and I order my supplements online, but that's because I can get them in higher quantities for cheaper, but those aren't really part of the plan. That's just an extra step I'm taking for me.
Why are you eating like this? Because I pretty much have to at this point. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2001, during a time when very few docs knew what it was or how to handle it and in a very small town where those docs were even more clueless. I was a guinea pig for the first 4-5 years after diagnosis. I have never cycled regularly on my own. At most I would have 1-2 cycles a year from the age of 12 forward, so I had to be put on meds to control my cycle. Then meds to have kids. And now meds to control the PCOS. Even with meds, my PCOS symptoms are not entirely controlled, they are just downgraded. I was recently diagnosed with Metobolic Syndrome on top of my PCOS which leads to a double whammy as far as my body being unable to metabolize foods correctly and therefore storing a majority of it as fat. And lastly, I'm working on a hunch. I have had a horrible side pain while running that has gotten worse and worse over the past 3 years and has lead to me not really being able to run at all the last year. Docs have tested several things and physical therapists have tried working on my muscles and facia in hopes of finding a restriction they could release and solve the problem. No go. So, now my theory is that my liver is irritated and slightly enlarged (common in PCOS and not always something they catch in labs or when testing other internal issues), so when I run and my diaphram is expanding and I'm hitting the ground with impact, they are running into each other and causing pain (hence the side pain on that side). I don't get it when biking, but there's also no impact. I will sometimes feel it while just riding in a car or sitting at work for too long... could be that the liver is crowded. So... the best way to heal a liver is a healthy diet and cutting sugar and white carbs. Can't hurt to try right?? Best case is that I will be able to run again. Worst case, I won't but I'll be healthier over all.
Where do you find your recipes? The THM book and Pinterest. Plus we've been altering our regular recipes to be THM friendly. It's actually pretty easy to do!
What happens after your 30 days? We keep going, but I will enjoy a night out with my best friend the day after and have a drink and shoot darts! So, we will keep on plan, but we will also live life, which means having a date night with drinks or non-plan food maybe once a month. But I know that I will not jump back on the sugar wagon after FINALLY making my way through that detox! UGH.
Do you work out too? I haven't been on a regular basis, but that will change. For this challenge I've gotten out for a bike ride once a week. Now that we have the food portion under control, we are both stepping it up a bit. The Hubby can work out at work (each station has a workout room) and on his off days will either run, bike, swim or do P90X for his workout. My goal is 2-3x a week right now. Things will relax a bit more in the fall once the kids are back in school and on a more regimented schedule and the YMCA pool schedule will change too. Since I can't run or do anything overly cardio with impact I'm sticking with walking, biking, swimming and weights.
What does a weekly menu look like? This week it looked like this...
I know there have been more questions, but these are the most common. I really don't mind talking about it (obviously) and having people share their experiences or a recipe or whatever. I won't tell anyone, "You should do this, it's the only thing that will work" because that's totally untrue. Different things work for different people. I'm just happy to share what I'm learning or to pass along a yummy recipe if someone wants. In the end, this is MY journey. My body is different than anyone else's and some people will argue that these sweeteners aren't the best option or that bacon is unhealthy. Everyone in entitled to their own opinion. I love learning new things and the education I've gotten on food and how it effects our hormones and different organs has been almost overload, but also very intriguing. So, I'll continue eating like this. It's helping my body, I'm feeling better, I have more energy, I'm losing weight... I have no reason to stop now! If this info helps just one person who is struggling like I have, then I'd be beyond thrilled!
So... if you have any questions about the plan or this lifestyle feel free to shoot me a message on Facebook, reply to the post, or whatever. I'll answer as best as I can!
So, here goes...
What am I doing (as far as plans)? I'm following a plan from a book I read called Trim Healthy Mama
How does it work? The gist of it... For The Hubby and I, we decided to go 30 days sugar-free, limited gluten, low-carb and alcohol free. This means no whites (potatoes, breads, etc), only plan approved sweeteners (for me I prefer Xylitol, but I know many low-carbers who like Truvia or liquid stevia) and the biggest part is separating your carbs from your fats and not eating them together in a meal. The book does the best job of explaining it, of course, but you can also check out their Facebook page and group to read testimonies and posts about the plan.
Does it actually work? Well, as of today's Friday weigh in, I've lost 7 pound and The Hubby has lost 15, so I'm leaning toward yes, but I'll be sure to keep updating you on that one!
Don't you miss breads, potatoes, etc? Funny enough, I don't! I was a McDonald's french fry addict. I would literally crave them! I've been 19 days fry free. *grins* Same with Diet Coke. I was never a huge bread eater, but we had sandwiches on sour dough bread last weekend. Plan approved in moderation.
Where do you get the foods? Are they in regular stores? That was one thing I had decided before we started. I was going to work this plan as simply as possible without the addition of a bunch of products that I can't get in a local store. Sure, there are a couple that I order, but 99% of my foods are bought at Wal-Mart or the local grocery store. I do get my xylitol from Amazon. Same with my protein powder (there are certain specifics for protein powder on plan and I'm still not 100% sure that mine is fully in the guidelines, but it is very close if not). Oh and I order my supplements online, but that's because I can get them in higher quantities for cheaper, but those aren't really part of the plan. That's just an extra step I'm taking for me.
Why are you eating like this? Because I pretty much have to at this point. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2001, during a time when very few docs knew what it was or how to handle it and in a very small town where those docs were even more clueless. I was a guinea pig for the first 4-5 years after diagnosis. I have never cycled regularly on my own. At most I would have 1-2 cycles a year from the age of 12 forward, so I had to be put on meds to control my cycle. Then meds to have kids. And now meds to control the PCOS. Even with meds, my PCOS symptoms are not entirely controlled, they are just downgraded. I was recently diagnosed with Metobolic Syndrome on top of my PCOS which leads to a double whammy as far as my body being unable to metabolize foods correctly and therefore storing a majority of it as fat. And lastly, I'm working on a hunch. I have had a horrible side pain while running that has gotten worse and worse over the past 3 years and has lead to me not really being able to run at all the last year. Docs have tested several things and physical therapists have tried working on my muscles and facia in hopes of finding a restriction they could release and solve the problem. No go. So, now my theory is that my liver is irritated and slightly enlarged (common in PCOS and not always something they catch in labs or when testing other internal issues), so when I run and my diaphram is expanding and I'm hitting the ground with impact, they are running into each other and causing pain (hence the side pain on that side). I don't get it when biking, but there's also no impact. I will sometimes feel it while just riding in a car or sitting at work for too long... could be that the liver is crowded. So... the best way to heal a liver is a healthy diet and cutting sugar and white carbs. Can't hurt to try right?? Best case is that I will be able to run again. Worst case, I won't but I'll be healthier over all.
Where do you find your recipes? The THM book and Pinterest. Plus we've been altering our regular recipes to be THM friendly. It's actually pretty easy to do!
What happens after your 30 days? We keep going, but I will enjoy a night out with my best friend the day after and have a drink and shoot darts! So, we will keep on plan, but we will also live life, which means having a date night with drinks or non-plan food maybe once a month. But I know that I will not jump back on the sugar wagon after FINALLY making my way through that detox! UGH.
Do you work out too? I haven't been on a regular basis, but that will change. For this challenge I've gotten out for a bike ride once a week. Now that we have the food portion under control, we are both stepping it up a bit. The Hubby can work out at work (each station has a workout room) and on his off days will either run, bike, swim or do P90X for his workout. My goal is 2-3x a week right now. Things will relax a bit more in the fall once the kids are back in school and on a more regimented schedule and the YMCA pool schedule will change too. Since I can't run or do anything overly cardio with impact I'm sticking with walking, biking, swimming and weights.
What does a weekly menu look like? This week it looked like this...
I know there have been more questions, but these are the most common. I really don't mind talking about it (obviously) and having people share their experiences or a recipe or whatever. I won't tell anyone, "You should do this, it's the only thing that will work" because that's totally untrue. Different things work for different people. I'm just happy to share what I'm learning or to pass along a yummy recipe if someone wants. In the end, this is MY journey. My body is different than anyone else's and some people will argue that these sweeteners aren't the best option or that bacon is unhealthy. Everyone in entitled to their own opinion. I love learning new things and the education I've gotten on food and how it effects our hormones and different organs has been almost overload, but also very intriguing. So, I'll continue eating like this. It's helping my body, I'm feeling better, I have more energy, I'm losing weight... I have no reason to stop now! If this info helps just one person who is struggling like I have, then I'd be beyond thrilled!
So... if you have any questions about the plan or this lifestyle feel free to shoot me a message on Facebook, reply to the post, or whatever. I'll answer as best as I can!
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