 | ||||
1. I traveled for a long weekend and stayed on the challenge. Not being able to eat nuts or a little bit of beef jerky for snacks was a little challenging, but I made it through by bringing foods that were ON Plan. Good practice- bringing my own salad, buying food to make on the trip, planning ahead, cooking for the family were all key.
2. Better Sleep quality: I finally figured out what it was about the Whole30 that allowed me to sleep better- lower carbs. For the challenge 40-60 grams, before the challenge 60-80 grams. Basically, I can limit myself to 1 fruit a day- berries, many vegetable servings and hit the 40-60 grams a day easily. On hiking days, I'll add in half an orange or some cherries. Totally do-able. Love that I get tired naturally and fall into a nice deep sleep. Awesomeness. It's valuable that I solved this mystery.
3. Stopped the night time snacking: I stopped snacking on nuts and chocolate in the evenings. It's a habit, and I think it was getting out of control. Good to rein it in, re-introduce slowly.
 |
| Fish eye effect on the Keurig |
4. I brewed more coffee at home, and took it to go. This saves money. It has nothing to do with the low carb challenge- although I appreciated having coffee on the yes list. Thank you, Corbin
4.5 Twitter: I enjoyed seeing Amy Kubal's tweets. Good to read. Glad she's an RD who gets it.
5. My weight stopped bouncing around and stabilized. After 40 years of trying to loose weight and maintain- and then finally finding what works, I do weigh in. It works for me so I do it. My slippery slope thinking has lead me to overeating very quickly in the past. The scale is a tool. I use it. Don't hate....... And remember- I'm short so the weight I maintain is a low number.
I have a natural plateau and I'm on it solidly right now. 2 month stats and 1 month stats.
In the past, here's what didn't work:
1. Using travel as an excuse to eat junk! My body does not care that I'm traveling- junk food was not a treat!
2. Sleep was less restful when I ate higher carbs- not just the gain, but dairy kept me snoring. No dairy = sounder sleep.
3. Night time snacking- this really kept me in a bad habit & kept me from losing weight or maintaining. Hands down- the hardest time of the day for me.
4. Starbucks add-ins- Sugar free flavoring, Skinny Latte's, biscotti's, egg sandwiches, oat meal with toppings, occasionally splitting a pastry. No- just no. It kept me stuck. I still enjoy an Amerciano- black, with no room and leave the rest.
5. Not facing and reversing a weight gain. I would avoid the scale, make deals with the Skinny Cow Ice Cream devil (but it's looooow in points.... I'll have half...I'll have the other.. and I've walked a lot, so another half...moooooo!) and various other ineffective methods. I could not clear the brain fog fast enough or have enough courage and strength to tackle issues that I was eating around.
That's the scoop. Over all a success. I will celebrate by looking into buying a food dehydrator so I can make my own jerky and maybe some kale chips. Usually I don't celebrate with food- but I figure a kitchen gadget might do my low carb cooking proud. :)
Hi Karen! I think I enjoy your analysis because I have found so much happiness in structure. You commented on structure on my blog. For sure, structure and consistently following a good plan has been incredibly life-changing and stress relieving. I feel in so much more control, which is a wonderful feeling.
ReplyDeleteI also weigh almost every morning, mindful of what I ate the day before so that I'm never freaked out over what I see.
:-) Marion
I hear you, Marion. This time around the routine and structure created that sense of relief. I knew that when I hit goal in 2012, I could get the routine down and still be maintaining in 2014 for my HS reunion.
DeleteHaving that sense if self efficacy has never happened. So awesome to feel the relief.
I've found what works for me too (clean eating, paleo, limiting alcohol) BUT the trouble I face now is not FINDING what works for me, but making it a lifetime way of living.... I keep veering off the path!
ReplyDeleteKeep working on it , Jeanette. You are doing awesome on it. Something about my age is helping me this time. I think the closer I get to 50 , the more I want to really live on certain terms. Also accepting that I won't be eating certain foods again became ok. The cure is better than noshing on cake. I had to cut out alcohol after my thyroid disease. So that helps a lot. Onward !
DeleteGreat! I also have a food dehydrator, and have found many others who are willing to part with theirs. Make sure you get a good one if you are planning on making jerky. That seems to be the main reason that the cheap dehydrators are tossed. They were purchased for making jerky, but it didn't work very well.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to research it well before I buy. Thanks!
DeleteYou've done a terrific job of finding what works for you and doing it. That's the key. Sometimes we find what works but then over time "forget" what was working.
ReplyDeleteI have also learned that the scale was key for me. Every time I have decided NOT to step on it, it was because I was afraid of what I'd see, because I was off-plan. It was avoidance.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a role model! :)
Diane and Gwen-thank you! I really wanted to cement in the new normal. I knew it would take a few years to completely nail it. I had to face that avoidance head on, glad I did.
DeleteI am trying to remember how tall you are. I am also trying to remember about how many calories your range is. I also wondered if you know what percentage your carbs and protein and fat hit on average (number of carbs made me wonder). I understand, like you, carbs are every where and even eating mostly veggies, the end of the day can add up to a surprising number of carbs. I also have to REALLY watch my fruit. And I am not eating any traditional carbs (no wheat stuff, no potatoes, no etc) either. So, I GET it, but am curious about how your numbers fall.
ReplyDeleteVERY interesting about the sleep aspect. I had night sweats and trouble sleeping with too many carbs and any amount of processed carbs (I thought I was in early menopause for years in my early 40's, now at 52 and none of those symptoms, still cycling)
5' 1", calories- somewhere around 1,400 for sitting days, more for hiking/active days. I look at carbs now more than calories.
DeleteI'll post more about my macro nutrients later in the week. Crossing my fingers that the diet will support the night sweats....
That's great that the bouncing around stabilized. Great results!
ReplyDeletethanks, Lisa- the bounce means I'm about to gain into the next plateau. It's okay if I'm sick- say getting the thyroid balanced. Not okay if I'm binge eating or snacking too much.
DeleteI, too, am searching for what will make my sleep more restful. Maybe I'll try to reduce dairy and see how it works. I can't do the Skinny Cow, either. I cannot stop at just one...better not to start.
ReplyDeleteDairy seemed okay with my body at the start. It wasn't until I took it out for 30 days that I realized that it was not okay. I miss feta cheese on salads- but I've gotten used to it.
DeleteIt sounds like it was a very useful journey! My next door neighbor used to have a food dehydrator, and make homemade beef jerky and dried fruit - SOOO GOOD! I'm practically drooling thinking of it. :-) (They grew their own fruit in the back yard, too.) They also tried making root beer once, lol, that was less "successful"...that was when I learned you make beer and root beer pretty much the same way, sort of like grape juice and wine - just a matter of how much/how long. :-D
ReplyDeleteYour information is very helpful to me. I just started Medifast, because I need something different and something that works in a timely manner. Your blog is helpful.
ReplyDelete