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| I saute my eggs every morning in a little Coconut Oil! |
I knew this:
1. Weight maintenance IS (for me) much different than weight loss.
2. What worked in the past temporarily, wouldn't work in the future. 40 years of yo-yo dieting!
3. I needed to customize the new things that I tried due to my body size, age, menopause, post thyroid disease, history of emotional/binge eating, family history of MS and bone loss. Dang! Lots of history baggage, but others have overcome bigger things.
4. I would do this! Yeah! Huh-Huh... Knew I would, knew I could. Everyone who told me I couldn't/wouldn't could talk to my hand! Heh, Heh, Heh... I never told anyone that, but I did tell a few people to "watch me!". Dang... my own inner voice was hard enough to overcome. I don't need doubters from the peanut gallery. Especially the low-fat crowd. I know, I was one of them before!
Luckily, for me, after reading Refuse to Regain by Barbara Berkeley, MD AND reading more about a "Primarian" style of diet (no grains, no starchy S foods), I had a clear plan to try. Take what I need, and move along.
If I could wave a magic wand and do 3 things about my past attempts at weight maintenance they would be:
1. Remove wheat and grains sooner. Who needs a hs-CRP of 6.8 and joint pain so bad to stop that stuff ? Me, I guess. It happened. It hurt physically and emotionally. Glad that stuff is in the past. (normal is <3, less than 1 is where I am now!)
2. Remove processed sugar and processed foods. The moderation theory was no good for me. Major, major re-gains and self loathing and emotional eating. Ugh. More knocking into walls and falling over. Glad that stuff is in the past.
3. Add in good fats... I was so afraid of avocados, olive oil, grass-fed beef, bison, salmon, etc. I blogged about being afraid of avocados here.
Note: * I'm dairy free so butter and ghee is not on my list. Nuts weren't the right thing either. Boom, there you go! Customized temple. Probably has something to do with being post-auto immune thyroid. It's all good!
I feel so, so much better with some protein, fat, and carbohydrates (from non-starchy veggies). PFC as Dietitian Cassie would say. Continued great health, muscle strength, absence of joint pain, hs-CRP = 0.4, low triglyercides, lower HA1c, very few menopause symptoms. Feeling 27 instead of 47. Whoa! I never would have guessed it.
Feeling full after eating full fat items no doubt helped me to stop the emotional/binge eating. I have NO DOUBT. It's not 100%. I still have to navigate binge brain. Cannot wave the magic wand and make that go away for my life. But I can choose remission between lapses as long as possible. I'll take that.
Swapping out grains and proceessed sugar carbs for veggie carbs, fat avocados, olive oil, grass-fed beef, bison = a better way to maintain for me. Everyone is different. Customizing your food template is key- IMO.
Luckily for me weight maintenance = great health = no sugars +no grains (yo! #NSNG) = end of a whole lot of searching. Whew! One more week and it will be 2 years in weight maintenance. Longest. Time. Ever.
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You are awesome Karen and I think we finally have this whole thing figured out! Tweaking what works best for us individually is definitely key! You look fabulous:) And congrats on your 2 year anniversary. Maintenance is a lot of work IMO!
ReplyDeleteLeigh, yes!!! It's nice to have it figured out... at least for now. The tweaking part is mandatory as we age- IMO, because things and life change up. That part is a lot of work. Just knowing that it's part of the process this time made it easier for me than the other tries. Keep up your hard work!
DeleteHi Karen, I love your straight talk. It speaks right to my heart. I too have the same goal as aging in a way that makes me feel super great! You look good, girl. Really good. <3 I'm going to have to nix the peanuts because they aren't good for me at the portion I eat. :D
ReplyDeleteAging and feeling great is an awesome plan! Doing what we are doing now will make all the difference, I'm sure of it!! :) I so wish I could moderate macadamias/walnuts/almonds..... I gave it my best shot. Tying the nut thing with my auto-immune disease helps me to understand that I'm not alone in my body not reacting well to the nuts. It's a little easier to "stomach" pardon the pun!! :)
DeleteI would not have the hope that I have if it weren't for people like you and Vickie blogging and proving it can and has been done. Thank you, Karen, and congratulations are in order for your well-deserved continued success in maintenance!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hils!!! It's good to have our long term maintenance group to serve as good mentors. Gives me the extra umph on some days. :)
DeleteThose healthy oils and fats are so important to health... I had to learn not to be scared of them as I learned about weight loss and maintenance!! But I am scared of losing my mind to dementia as I age, and coconut oil and other healthy fats are a key ingredient to helping your brain stay fit!
ReplyDeleteSo true on the fats and dementia. I do feel confident that there is a link between dietary fat intake and dementia. Hopefully we are on the preventive end of the curve, until more research gets published. :)
DeleteI agree. Healthy fats make a WORLD of difference. It really helps with hunger/satisfaction. I love that coconut oil from TJ's.
ReplyDeleteLisa, I keep an extra jar around, since it's shelf stable for a longer time. Once TJ's ran out... sad! I've bought larger containers at Costco, but the batches have been variable.
DeleteRock star, Karen! You are an absolute rock star! Switching from cashews to whole unsalted almonds really helped me maintain that level of control that was missing with cashews. No more struggling, yet getting my nuts in safely and in a healthy manner. Now just taming that chocolate monster...LOL Feels in control now, and now I'm going to focus on maintaining that control! :)
ReplyDeleteKaren Karen You are a STAR and with my 'headmistress' hat on I award you a GOLD STAR !
ReplyDeleteWell done
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan!!!
Deleteyou're a shining example, Karen! what a success story....
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tess!!! Did I ever tell you I'm a "normal control" for a Histamine assay!!!??? Happy to provide a Paleo-ish normal to the world of histamine testing.. :) Karen P
DeleteIt's so important to do what's right for you. And you are clearly doing it!
ReplyDeleteSince I've added more fat into my diet, I feel a lot more satisfied. And removing all gluten grains and most gluten-free grains has also been good.
Andrea, it's hard for me to think back and remember trying to stay full on low fat. Not easy and more cravings for sure. Glad you are finding results with the gluten free aspect. So nice to know the outcomes.
DeleteWell done on two years - I'll be two years in about five months time. It took me awhile to get my head around fats but now I what I eat is just a normal part of my day. I don't eat a lot but what I do eat I have no fear! Full fat cheese, cream, butter, coconut oil and olive oil. Yum!!
ReplyDeleteLynda, that is a long time in weight maintenance. If people knew exactly how tasty full fat was, along with the high nutrient, there would be less fear, in my opinion. :) Soooooo yummy!!!
DeleteFirst, congrats Karen. You're the poster child for what works for you in staying healthy and at goal weight. What works for me won't necessarily work for everyone. And you know what, that's ok!
ReplyDeleteKelly, so true. The most awesome thing is that you are stopping to evaluate what works for you. That is sooooooo key in weight maintenance. Good work.
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