Hey there! I now have 2 followers! Woo hoo! I've doubled my numbers! Moving on up! Like George Jefferson. Remember the theme song? For those of you under 45 ish, look up the reference. Any who, I'm putting a challenge out there. Can I double again before my next post? Hey, it would only take 2 more of you. But do it now because I don't know when my next post will be. Could be several weeks or as soon as I finish this one. I don't have any set schedule. I'm the mysterious blogger. Muh ha ha!
So, I finished reading The Obesity Code, and wow, was it eye opening! I highly recommend it. I'm mostly eating lower carb, but not 100 percent. I still have my occasional coffee treat, usually a latte or cappuccino with a baked good when I'm at Caribou or Starbucks. I also have my homemade smoothies for breakfast several times a week, which aren't usually low carb, but my lunches and dinners that I make at home (which I do for most of my meals) are. And I mostly avoid sweets and grains as well as other starches. Even just doing the lower carb thing at less than 100 per cent, I've still lost 5 pounds! Ok, that's not an earth shattering amount in 2 weeks, but I had been stuck at my starting weight for several months. So I'm just glad to be moving in the right direction!
I have an appointment to go back to the psychologist for ADHD testing. The questionnaires that my husband and I had to fill out indicate a likelihood of ADHD. Not exactly, a shocker there.
Since I want to see improvement in all areas of my life, I've decided to go into the No Man's Land of finances. UGGGHHHH! This has always been a struggle for me. I grew up low income and have always had a hard time making ends meet. My husband has graciously taken on the financial management in our family because it totally stresses me out. Partly because there isn't always enough to completely take care of everything all at once, and I don't like having to work with numbers. All that dividing up, addition, subtraction, figuring out what's due when and what's coming in when, and making it all fit together. Did I ever mention that I HATE math?
Anyway, I'm starting with baby steps here cuz leaping into math is too perilous. I don't want to make my head explode. I LOVE to read, so I decided to start with a very basic book about managing money and increasing wealth. It's called The Richest Man in Babylon. It's a really old book, but I guess it's a classic. I finished the first chapter today and plan to read a chapter each day and put things into practice as I learn them. There's really no reason to continue to avoid this topic. I'm the one who has put these limitations on myself, and I can also remove them. It's time for me to release fear and negativity and start movin' on up.
I would love to hear any tips you have for managing and increasing money or any resources you would recommend on these topics. Also, would like to know what areas you are going to make the commitment to begin your journey of movin' on up!
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Monday, July 9, 2018
Turns Out, I've Been Wrong!
First of all, I'm SO excited to actually have a follower! Woo hoo! Thank you to my friend in real life, Holly! You would get a prize if I had one to give. But hey, I did mention you in my blog, so that's pretty cool I think. I feel kind of silly having complained about not having followers when I wasn't even set up for them, but hey, I'm old, right? So I'm SUPPOSED to be technologically challenged. Anyway, no one ever mentioned that you have to add a button to your blog for people to follow you. But, I have it now, so go ahead, click it. I won't spam you or try to sell you anything. Scout's honor. And I actually was a Girl Scout.
Last time I asked you to share resources that might help me work toward my goals. Thank you, Corinne, for the book recommendation. I ordered it right away and have been reading at least a chapter every day. Turns out pretty much everything I thought was true about gaining and losing weight is wrong. The book is called The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, and honestly, it just makes sense and is helping me understand that obesity is a hormonal disease of consistently high levels of insulin and insulin resistance. I thought it was just that I was overeating and/or eating too much of the wrong foods, and if I just ate fewer calories, I should be able to lose weight. Turns out, it's not really that simple. Dr. Fung goes into the science and the studies as well as the statistics on current and past levels of obesity to show that reducing calories will not lead to permanent weight loss. At best, it's a temporary fix, which if I think about it, has definitely been true for me. I have lost and regained lots of weight, and each time I regain I end up heavier than when I started. It's very frustrating! I'm about halfway through the book, so I don't have all the pieces in place yet for what I need to do. He says diet definitely can raise or lower insulin levels, so it matters very much what, when, and how much we eat, but that most of what we've been told by government and the various medical associations over the past 30 years is wrong and by following their advice, we are getting more obese instead of less so. And the stats do seem to back him up.
So, I'm starting to eat more low carb meals since carbs, especially the refined ones from processed foods, raise insulin levels. I just started a couple days ago and am not doing it 100 percent so I haven't seen any weight loss yet. But I'm easing into the lower carb lifestyle so it's not such an abrupt change. Most of the dinners and lunches I have at home are now going to be low carb. I don't eat out super often, so I'm not too concerned about my occasional baked good or drink at Caribou or Starbucks, especially since I often get lattes, which don't have as much sugar as some of the more dessert type drinks. I'm still having my smoothies for breakfast, but now I'm sticking to homemade ones, so I control the ingredients. Still having my flavored creamer and sugar in my coffee. Bad, I know, but coffee without it, is just waaaaayyyy too bitter for this girl, and do NOT suggest I give it up because you do not want to be around me sans my morning caffeine infusion. Seriously, that could be dangerous for all parties.
I tried two new recipes for low carb dinners, and they were both really yummy and super easy, though my kids weren't impressed. That's Ok. Jim and I liked them. On Saturday I made Mexican chicken lettuce wraps (although the filling pretty much fell out, so we just ate it all as a salad), and last night I made the easiest stir fry ever with ground chicken and two bags of Asian chopped salad veggies. Tonight I'm making cauliflower fried "rice". I know cauliflower doesn't taste like rice, but I like cauliflower, so hopefully, I will like this dish.
Anyone else watching their carbs? I'd love to know about some of the yummy low carb things you have made. I'm always looking for new recipes and meal ideas. Here's to healthier eating!
Last time I asked you to share resources that might help me work toward my goals. Thank you, Corinne, for the book recommendation. I ordered it right away and have been reading at least a chapter every day. Turns out pretty much everything I thought was true about gaining and losing weight is wrong. The book is called The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, and honestly, it just makes sense and is helping me understand that obesity is a hormonal disease of consistently high levels of insulin and insulin resistance. I thought it was just that I was overeating and/or eating too much of the wrong foods, and if I just ate fewer calories, I should be able to lose weight. Turns out, it's not really that simple. Dr. Fung goes into the science and the studies as well as the statistics on current and past levels of obesity to show that reducing calories will not lead to permanent weight loss. At best, it's a temporary fix, which if I think about it, has definitely been true for me. I have lost and regained lots of weight, and each time I regain I end up heavier than when I started. It's very frustrating! I'm about halfway through the book, so I don't have all the pieces in place yet for what I need to do. He says diet definitely can raise or lower insulin levels, so it matters very much what, when, and how much we eat, but that most of what we've been told by government and the various medical associations over the past 30 years is wrong and by following their advice, we are getting more obese instead of less so. And the stats do seem to back him up.
So, I'm starting to eat more low carb meals since carbs, especially the refined ones from processed foods, raise insulin levels. I just started a couple days ago and am not doing it 100 percent so I haven't seen any weight loss yet. But I'm easing into the lower carb lifestyle so it's not such an abrupt change. Most of the dinners and lunches I have at home are now going to be low carb. I don't eat out super often, so I'm not too concerned about my occasional baked good or drink at Caribou or Starbucks, especially since I often get lattes, which don't have as much sugar as some of the more dessert type drinks. I'm still having my smoothies for breakfast, but now I'm sticking to homemade ones, so I control the ingredients. Still having my flavored creamer and sugar in my coffee. Bad, I know, but coffee without it, is just waaaaayyyy too bitter for this girl, and do NOT suggest I give it up because you do not want to be around me sans my morning caffeine infusion. Seriously, that could be dangerous for all parties.
I tried two new recipes for low carb dinners, and they were both really yummy and super easy, though my kids weren't impressed. That's Ok. Jim and I liked them. On Saturday I made Mexican chicken lettuce wraps (although the filling pretty much fell out, so we just ate it all as a salad), and last night I made the easiest stir fry ever with ground chicken and two bags of Asian chopped salad veggies. Tonight I'm making cauliflower fried "rice". I know cauliflower doesn't taste like rice, but I like cauliflower, so hopefully, I will like this dish.
Anyone else watching their carbs? I'd love to know about some of the yummy low carb things you have made. I'm always looking for new recipes and meal ideas. Here's to healthier eating!
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