as i sit here, eating pancakes, reading mother earth news i am contemplating a low carb diet. sound crazy? more irony to come...
so mother earth news has an article on diets high in carbs but low in calories that are tailored as "heart healthy". it starts off with the publication of the Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health in the late 1980's that created an entire industry of palatable non- fat substitutes for fat, while the food industry spent billions to market the "less-fat-is-good" message. Even the USDA's booklet on dietary guidelines and it's Food Pyramid recommended that fats and oils be eaten sparingly while we were now to eat 6 to 11 servings per day of pasta, potatoes, rice and bread once considered uniquely fattening.
The high ups, if you will, decided that fats found in beef and such caused heart disease. A Harvard nutritionist, Jean Mayer, was quoted i think in 1965 in the New York Times as saying; it would be the equivalent of "mass murder" to prescribe low carbohydrate diets to treat obesity. Mayor's reasoning's were these diets were high in fat and would cause heart disease.
Keep in mind I am paraphrasing all this from the mother earth news, you can check out the facts for yourself. But it is because of this quote that doctors stopped prescribing low carb high fat diets, and it was wrong.
Because also in this article it says the fats you get from meat, in studies done in 2001 failed to support the hypothesis that these fats indeed caused heart disease, they actually raised the good LDL's and lowered bad. there is a suggestion at the end of this article to just try to remove the carbs from your diet and eat fresh fruits and meats and see what happens.
the part i thought was interesting was this part of the article;
"What's even more remarkable-and completely ignored in all discussions of obesity and weight since 1970s- is that we must eat carbohydrates to accumulate excess fat in our fat tissue. It's only by eating carbs that we can obtain alpha glycerol phosphate, an enzyme that is an absolute requirement for storing fat. This enzyme fixes the fat in the fat tissue in a way that it can't slip back out through the fat cell membranes and escape into the bloodstream. This is why the more carbohydrates we consume, the more fat we will store. The less carbohydrates, the less fat.
After a meal is digested, insulin levels should decline. When this happens, fat is released from the fat tissue in the form of fatty acids and these are then burned in cells for fuel. For this reason, another necessary requirement for remaining lean is to have lengthy periods during which insulin levels are low and we burn our fat for fuel. When insulin levels remain elevated, fat can't escape from the fat tissue. it goes in, but it doesn't come out, and we can't use it for energy. A meal without carbohydrates is a meal that doesn't stimulate any significant insulin secretion. You store very few, if any, calories as fat, and you get plenty of opportunity to burn the fat you had stored."-pg 63 current edition of mother earth news.
So for the past 2 months i was going daily to the gym and giving myself about 45 minutes to an hour of a workout. no weight loss.why, even though i choose whole wheat flour it is still a carbohydrate. So healthy carbs just don't really exist. For children they need the carbs to grow better, this i understand but for us adults, who have significantly stopped our metabolism, due to no more growing, we need to cut them out of our diets.
knowing this, i am sitting here eating homemade pancakes, made with "healthy" flour. i eat after my children to not waste food. When we grocery shop, i buy food for dinner. evening meals and i buy things for the kids to make their lunches. to help curb our spending chose not to buy myself healthy meals for the day. here is my logic, even if and this is a fact, even if I were to buy the fresh veggies, which i do, and meats for my meals, i still find myself eating after them. so buying the extra was doing nothing to help my eating habits anyway, it was just spending money.
So I have a solution i am going to try out for a month. I am going to put myself on a diet, a meal replacement shake in the morning and afternoon, snacks of veggies and fruit, water, and a healthy meal in the evening. I already make very healthy meals in the evening so I will adjust it to this, no second servings. I will finish what i put on my plate and not go back for more. i did this last night and I was pretty proud of myself. Last night we had a spinach salad with avocado, mushrooms and snow peas, we also had a slaw made of carrots and craisens, no dressing, and pork chops with ginger. i could have easily justified having more salad but i left the table and did not let myself feel stuffed before i left. i did have some granola and yogurt for a late night snack, but i can replace the granola and yogurt with cottage cheese and tomatoes or fruit..
i made the granola and the yogurt was organic with no high fructose corn syrup, but it was still carbs. well the oatmeal was. it also had coconut, almonds, walnuts and craisens. I think if i stick to this diet 5 days a week then allow myself the breakfast of eggs and whole wheat toast on the weekend or even tortillas and work out at the gym daily, i think i will see a significant weight loss. Even if i lost a pound a week, i would be happy. but right now, i over eat, and i eat after my children and i really don't manage my food intake at all. i justify the fact that i am healthy and not diabetic as an excuse to continue to indulge in a child's appetite. So i will try this, with Wes, it was his idea, and on the weekends i can still have my bowl of granola and just stick with my strict diet in the week. So stay tuned for posts about food withdrawals, because i know they are coming. but this is such a wonderful and positive community i know i will have a lot of support. so my gratitude list;
1. today i am grateful that boogers wash off walls.
2. today i am grateful for anti bacterial soap.
3. today i am grateful i bought and used the 20 dollar a gallon paint on my walls, very kids friendly.
4. today i am grateful my children are healthy and strong, despite a large consumption of boogers.
5. today i am grateful bubbles work, for any type of necessary distraction. like keeping them busy in the doctors office, don't leave home without your bubbles.
I have been quarantined for two weeks actually 3 since haley got diagnosed with mrsa, we will go today to see if we can get back to the gym and i will be having an extra long day since both "A" and Wes have school tonight, means i have to pick up and drop off my kid at school twice today. so i will take that time to go investigate my meal replacements. for todays thought; It is Breast Cancer Awareness month!! Think before you Pink!!; "Think Before You Pink, a project of Breast Cancer Action, launched in 2002 in response to the growing concern about the overwhelming number of pink ribbon products and promotions on the market. The campaign calls for more transparency and accountability by companies that take part in breast cancer fundraising, and encourages consumers to ask critical questions about pink ribbon promotions."
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
weekend highlights
I love this picture i took this weekend. i photo shopped it and i am thinking of entering some pictures into the state fair next year. the finished result of this one is subtle as it should be and the eyes are really bright, i don't think too bright but i would like to put this on a big 10X13 print and frame it, i like the cropping I just love her eyes. i know i am biased but i think this is definitely a keeper.
what do you think, she has this expression beyond her age and i just love this picture. anyway my computer has been on the fritz again and i was not able to post yesterday.
I have had an emotional weekend and have been driving myself crazy. the kids are going nuts right now and i have below zero energy, i could not wake up this morning i have phone calls to make and kids to play with. i just wanted to post some highlights of this weekend and be grateful today. i need to get out of this funk and i feel stuck. so for todays thought;
"It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."- President Barack Obama
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Flash Fiction Friday
Every Friday write a story of 55 words
no more, no less and then report it to the g-man!!
"Life full of Mysteries and Enchantments Unknown
Fireflies and Dandelions for Wishes one makes Alone
Butterflies Dance through the garden so Magically,
Whispering their Secrets on wings so Happily
Laying in the Grass and Gazing through the Trees
Watching the Sunlight Sparkle through the leaves
Makes My Life feel so Innocent Here in the breeze"
Today has been kind to me.I have played with my girls all day and it has been good. The Stovers people came out to look at why there was water standing on top of their magnificent liner. Thank goodness Wes was home i just get completely irate when i think about this issue with our crawl space. Anyway Wes said the first thing the guy said was "did you get your leaky pipe fixed?"
Oh, i am sooo glad i was not out there. We just installed brand new pipes in the whole house. The company knows this they are just trying to not admit their product doesn't work. I am ready to file papers and go to court to get our money back. Wes has a little more patience. He told the man that what ever the problem was we have already shelled out over $4000. for this and we were not spending any more money.
For a little back ground we had a leaky pipe, the plumber said you need all new pipes, we said ok. Then he said you gotta get that water out of the crawl space and have the crawl space dry before we can do the work. So i called everyone who did this kind of work. Lots of fun, lots of interviews. The one we chose of course was the only one that offered a permanent solution to recurring ground water. This liner that would keep water out or at least underneath until it drained out. Like a reverse swimming pool. OK so we went with them they showed us this big old brochure and it says right there on the brochure "Installer guarantees liner to be free from groundwater on top for 25 years." then it says it will not cover any rips or damage caused by homeowner. No body has been down there in ever. This thing keeps getting water in it.
They came out last time about 2 months back and had us call the plumber twice, saying there was a leak. we paid 2 $75.00 service calls just to prove to them there was no leaks!! We have new pipes. NEW. Can you tell I am frustrated? So anyway Wes dealt with them and they promised to fix this and told us to call them next time it rained hard so they could see where the groundwater was coming in from. Then here is what really pissed me off, the owner took a knife and cut a hole in my liner to drain the standing water in it and said he would be out to fix it tomorrow. I could have come unglued when Wes told me this. I said "He did WHAT?!" that is a 3000 dollar liner that will not be covered under warranty if someone rips it!!! He could have gotten a shop vac to pick up the water. I don't appreciate my liner being purposefully torn so they could drain the puddle of standing water!!
Then Wes saw what I was talking about but he kept trying to calm me down. You know all we needed was the dang sump pump not this BS liner that doesn't work, now they may be able to say we won't cover that since it is ripped?!? UUGHhh.. I hate snake oil salesmen!!! And this all with me really keeping all these frustrations in i did not get upset at all. So now i need a gratitude list;
no more, no less and then report it to the g-man!!
"Life full of Mysteries and Enchantments Unknown
Fireflies and Dandelions for Wishes one makes Alone
Butterflies Dance through the garden so Magically,
Whispering their Secrets on wings so Happily
Laying in the Grass and Gazing through the Trees
Watching the Sunlight Sparkle through the leaves
Makes My Life feel so Innocent Here in the breeze"
Today has been kind to me.I have played with my girls all day and it has been good. The Stovers people came out to look at why there was water standing on top of their magnificent liner. Thank goodness Wes was home i just get completely irate when i think about this issue with our crawl space. Anyway Wes said the first thing the guy said was "did you get your leaky pipe fixed?"
Oh, i am sooo glad i was not out there. We just installed brand new pipes in the whole house. The company knows this they are just trying to not admit their product doesn't work. I am ready to file papers and go to court to get our money back. Wes has a little more patience. He told the man that what ever the problem was we have already shelled out over $4000. for this and we were not spending any more money.
For a little back ground we had a leaky pipe, the plumber said you need all new pipes, we said ok. Then he said you gotta get that water out of the crawl space and have the crawl space dry before we can do the work. So i called everyone who did this kind of work. Lots of fun, lots of interviews. The one we chose of course was the only one that offered a permanent solution to recurring ground water. This liner that would keep water out or at least underneath until it drained out. Like a reverse swimming pool. OK so we went with them they showed us this big old brochure and it says right there on the brochure "Installer guarantees liner to be free from groundwater on top for 25 years." then it says it will not cover any rips or damage caused by homeowner. No body has been down there in ever. This thing keeps getting water in it.
They came out last time about 2 months back and had us call the plumber twice, saying there was a leak. we paid 2 $75.00 service calls just to prove to them there was no leaks!! We have new pipes. NEW. Can you tell I am frustrated? So anyway Wes dealt with them and they promised to fix this and told us to call them next time it rained hard so they could see where the groundwater was coming in from. Then here is what really pissed me off, the owner took a knife and cut a hole in my liner to drain the standing water in it and said he would be out to fix it tomorrow. I could have come unglued when Wes told me this. I said "He did WHAT?!" that is a 3000 dollar liner that will not be covered under warranty if someone rips it!!! He could have gotten a shop vac to pick up the water. I don't appreciate my liner being purposefully torn so they could drain the puddle of standing water!!
Then Wes saw what I was talking about but he kept trying to calm me down. You know all we needed was the dang sump pump not this BS liner that doesn't work, now they may be able to say we won't cover that since it is ripped?!? UUGHhh.. I hate snake oil salesmen!!! And this all with me really keeping all these frustrations in i did not get upset at all. So now i need a gratitude list;
1. today i am grateful for my love of cooking, i made some excellent "no sodium" Chinese food tonight.
2. today i am grateful i did not over eat once today.
3. today i am grateful for the fall winds blowing in, hoping to see some color in the trees soon, no frost yet.
4. today i am grateful for my beautiful children and their infectious smiles.
5. today i am grateful Haley's mrsa is almost gone, soon we can go back to the Y.
I got a letter today from my niece in boot camp. she told me about her training, they use live ammo, live grenades, live machine guns and even went into a gas chamber. she was excited about it, i thought, she is just a kid and she is going to be shipped out. i know her recruiter promised her college to be a JAG officer, but they are going to ship her out first. This is a sinking feeling in my gut. She has no idea where she will go after boot camp, the army hasn't told her.
The other day "A" said she was going into the army after high school to pay for college. Just like that out of the blue, i said excuse me? when were you going to talk to us about this? she said when all the paper work was said and done.
KU has JROTC and it is Air Force. I told her that the Air Force was better then the army, and even had a friend in the program who is becoming a doctor and in the air force talk to her about the difference. I know we need soldiers, but i don't want my girls to be soldiers i asked her to go to college first then if she still wanted to join she could be an officer. so much going on and here i am rambling my thoughts again. Sorry this post is so long, i will leave with this thought for today;
"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them- everyday begin the task anew."-Saint Francis de Sales
2. today i am grateful i did not over eat once today.
3. today i am grateful for the fall winds blowing in, hoping to see some color in the trees soon, no frost yet.
4. today i am grateful for my beautiful children and their infectious smiles.
5. today i am grateful Haley's mrsa is almost gone, soon we can go back to the Y.
I got a letter today from my niece in boot camp. she told me about her training, they use live ammo, live grenades, live machine guns and even went into a gas chamber. she was excited about it, i thought, she is just a kid and she is going to be shipped out. i know her recruiter promised her college to be a JAG officer, but they are going to ship her out first. This is a sinking feeling in my gut. She has no idea where she will go after boot camp, the army hasn't told her.
The other day "A" said she was going into the army after high school to pay for college. Just like that out of the blue, i said excuse me? when were you going to talk to us about this? she said when all the paper work was said and done.
KU has JROTC and it is Air Force. I told her that the Air Force was better then the army, and even had a friend in the program who is becoming a doctor and in the air force talk to her about the difference. I know we need soldiers, but i don't want my girls to be soldiers i asked her to go to college first then if she still wanted to join she could be an officer. so much going on and here i am rambling my thoughts again. Sorry this post is so long, i will leave with this thought for today;
"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them- everyday begin the task anew."-Saint Francis de Sales
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