getting a little easier with this diet change....

We are starting to find our own schedule to this diet change.  Its hard though, to change your ENTIRE WAY of eating!  Some recent meals were:

Meatza (ground beef, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni and some peppers and mushroom on one) with lots of salad, peppers, tomatoes and avacodo on the side, and apples.

Taco salad (ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, minimal tortilla chips-corn is ok in small amounts on this diet change-, sour cream) with apples and oranges as dessert.

Steak and corn on cob (corn is ok in SMALL amounts, corn counts as our fruit for dinner, since its a large ear of corn each and it has a LOT of sugar), salad.

String cheese, ham, kiwi and peppers.

Just a couple sample meals as of lately.  Doug is of course the worst lately, he bought a big thing of grape juice and said he is going to have one glass a day....he does not get why grapes and grape juice are any different, no matter how much I try to explain it!!!  I told him he better hide it bc if the kids see it, they will make it disappear quickly!  They have been doing really good drinking lots of water and some milk.

Doug and I did a weigh in this week.  He lost 5 lbs, I lost about the same.  But its the first week and the first week is always impressive.  I am keeping a close eye on the kids weights to make sure they don't start losing.  As for behavior, we certainly had some much more laid back days, but then went to a picnic a couple days ago and my dad (who is having an issue with the limiting of carbs) bought the kids rolls and cake for that party and then flipped out when I told him that kids couldn't have it, saying that kids need carbs, blah blah blah.  I didn't want to ruin the whole party fighting about it, so I let the kids have it, so we are pretty much starting over again these last few days.  Very frustruating.  Grrrrrr. I need to be a stronger person...but truthfully I am just sick of fighting everyone about EVERYTHING in my life.  If its not one thing we are doing wrong in/with ourl lives, its another.  *sigh* 

VERY daunted by the road ahead for me....

Its been 5 days of avoiding grains altogether and limiting the carbs to mostly fruit and veggies.  Oh and eating plenty of protein.  It's been hard to give up the diet soda and I did want some carby stuff the first few days.  I am now finding that I am not really all that hungry, as long as I eat the balanced meal I make at each meal, I don't even really think about eating.  This isn't a diet change of eating to enjoy, its more like a diet change of eating to fuel body.

But I must admit, I am daunted by how much work I need to do on my own body.  Part of me is disgusted that I let myself get this out of shape, but then I try to remind myself that last year was certainly very rough on my body.  I went from being happy to just be alive and not caring about this "temporary" body, to now realizing that as "temporary" as this body is, I should still take care of it a LOT better then I have been.  I have so much work to do, and being on day 5...it feels like I will never reach any of my goals.

I need to try to keep positive about it.  One day at a time.  One foot in front of the other.

As for the kids...well the first day, Caden and twins were climbing under couches, looking anywhere for a hidden carb that they could stuff in their math.  Caden incessantly talked about pancakes the 2nd day.  They are now getting a little more used to it, but still most hate eating the veggies I put on their plate, then complain they are hungry soon after.  I have been trying to make the veggies fun, by dipping them in stuff.  Here's hoping that eventually they will enjoy the veggies soon as much as they enjoy the protein and fruit!  Some of our meals have included:

eggs
fruited yogurt (made by combining one giant tub of vanilla yogurt with 2 giant tubs of plain yogurt and 2 bags of frozen berries)
piece of bacon
carrot sticks

hamburgers with tomato, cheese, ketchup, wrapped up in romaine lettuce leaves
watermelon

baked chicken
broccoli and celery with blue cheese dip
pears

corned beef
green beans with butter sauce to dip
apples

string cheese
sunflower seeds
carrots
grapes

We tend to have a really BIG breakfast bc kids are starving in morning, then we have a lighter lunch, followed by a relatively big dinner.  We have a protein, fruit and veggie at every meal (including veggie at breakfast!)  If the kids are hungry in between meals, I have been offering them sunflower seeds, veggies, sometimes a fruit, or a slice of cheese....they have been going through sunflower seeds like crazy.  They REALLY love snacking on those.  They get unlimited water to drink all day and the kids get a big glass of milk at night (they eat quite a bit of dairy throughout breakfast, lunch and dinner).  The kids and Doug will be having potatoes and rice on a limited, but regular schedule once we get through the first few weeks trial as well.

Nobody is complaining of hunger or anything.  And dare I say, my boys have seemed slightly calmer to me this week?  It could just be the placebo effect, but we actually went out to eat yesterday for a belated Easter dinner with family at a buffet, and the boys were all sitting there at their seats, NOT RUNNING around, and behaving really well. I told Doug when we left "that was eeiry!"   Time will tell if we see more results or what??  But I am certainly interested to see how another week works for the kids!

 

2 more days....

I am excited and nervous to start our new diet change this Monday.  I know its going to be hard on all of us though!!!  We have started transitioning some meals and the kids were sneaking crackers and such after....which only proved to me that we have to get it all OUT for this to work!  Tomorrow is Easter and the kids are allowed a free for all after Church....but whatever they have left  is going in trash tomorrow night.  And then we start our month challenge.  Here's hoping that it proves to make some big changes for our family! 

I am ditching some internet time, but as we experience this diet change and get more into it, I will try to explain some of what I have learned thus far (and am still reading/learning).  Most of it deals with the huge carb overload of the typical American diet and how all the carbs  make the body insulin resistant over time.  Its some crazy stuff!!!  Write down what you eat in a few days time, you might be surprised...I never noticed just how many carbs/grains we were eating a day in relationship to everything else!

Still eating through our grains....BUT

 I had to go grocery shopping today, bc all we had left were grains and a bare frig/freezer!!!  I vowed that I would not buy any more grains to add to our vast stockpile we are going through.  I ended up spending 240 dollars and I got:

chicken wings
chicken breasts
boneless chicken (for me, I don't do bones yuck thankfully kids aren't as picky as I am!)
ground beef
hamburger
swordfish steak
shark
battered fish (I am so weak last time for that!)
HUGE pork loin (which will be cut up into 3 pieces for 3 different meals)
different kinds of cheese
6 dozen eggs (not even a weeks worth for us!)
plain yogurts
frozen berries (to mix into plain yogurts)
almonds
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
peppers (green and red)
tomatoes
cauliflower
broccoli
cantelope
celery
baby carrots
fresh green beans
iceburg lettuce
mixed salad greens
baby spinach
garlic
bananas
grapes
broccoli
cream cheese
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sour cream
butter
string cheese
beef jerky
lunchables (YEAH I KNOW....it was nearing lunch time and I have no good excuse except they are quick)
one box of triscuits (my favorite cracker A GRAIN...my lash horrah to go with my last horrah diet caffeine free coke)

So all in all, I think I did pretty good...Doug is going to go out and get some more fresh fruit (like strawberries and apples) and some milk.  I am calling this next week and a half as our transition period.  Doug and I are going to ditch the grains as much as we can, but will continue to give kids a grain as a side while we eat through the rest of our stockpile.  But just the grains we already have...and if they are hungry for a snack, they will now get offered baby carrots, peppers or celery with cream cheese or peanut butter.  Caden just asked for a snack, and when I told him his options, he turned up his nose and decided he wasn't hungry after all.  Yeah, did I mention this was going to be a BIG challenge for my kids-they are HUGE grain eaters, as our my husband and I! 

Have I told you how weird it is shopping when you don't shop for any grains?  Pretty much I went around the perimeter of store...veggies, fruits, fresh  meats, dairy, frozen (fruit).  Yeah, I didn't have to go up or down any aisles at all.  Crazy!!! 

Have been reading more and will try to give a brief synopsis of what I have read a little later today...its back to schooling and learning about chicks for us at the moment!

VERY BUSY....

But still reading!!!  Lots to digest.  And we have been eating through our food and I am going to have to go grocery shopping today for some stuff.  Going to stock up on proteins, veggies and fruits....we still have a decent supply of carbs/grains to go through here at the house before we officially start in 13 days!!!  More to come soon!!

reading, reading, reading......

Currently, there is a lot of reading going on, and a lot of thoughts going through my head!  More to say later!

The last year....

The last year has been an AMAZING year faith wise.  We went through the toughest of toughest cirumstances, first being told we needed to terminate our pregnancy, then fighting for him through complication after complication, including a large subchorionic hemmorhage, placenta previa and placenta percreta.  My placenta had grown outside of my uterus, which was a very dangerous situation for us both.  We both survived surgery and he won himself a one month stay in NICU, initially on a ventilator for a week...and when we finally were able to take him home on oxygen, I was then admitted back to hospital with a huge 12 +  inch abscess in my stomach, which necesitated 6 additional surgeries...or was it 7??   The fact that he is here healthy, at 10 months old; that we are BOTH here, healthy today is a miracle in my eyes.   If I gave my thanks to God every day for the rest of my life, it still wouldn't be enough to show my gratitude. 

Healthwise, 5 months of bedrest during pregnancy and 5 months after (oh and those horrible surgeries removing chunks of stomach here and there) have done little good for my middle.  I am the most out of shape I have been in my whole life.  Part of me is horrified, but after all I have gone through, being ANY size alive is better then the outcome I could have had.  All of us need some change here though.  We ate a diet heavy in fast food for such a long time (thanks to bedrest and caring people who would bring cheap food for our big family) and we are all paying for it now.  I have been wanting to do a diet overhaul for a while, but I am at the point now that I need to stop being lazy and JUST DO IT!!! 

On thinking about what kinds of diet changes I wanted to install, I talked to someone at our coop who had a radically different diet from ours.  And the more I am learning, the more I want to give it a trial for our family!  Here come the groans...but its a sugar free, gluten free, pretty much grain free diet (dairy free for some, but I don't know if we could live without that).  I thought this might be a good fit for us for MULTIPLE reasons, including:

1.  My husband's nonstop GI issues....more then half of his food goes right through him.  I have always wondered if maybe he has an intolerance to gluten, among other things. Could this help in any way?

2.  My very hyperactive boys, two of which I am certain would diagnosed with ADHD if they were in a traditional school setting (we homeschool).    Will this radical diet change (especially the lack of sugar/grains) help with that?

3.  My 4 boys who have asthma in varying degrees, two of them hospital worthy at times.  All the sickness that goes through our house, and our weak immune systems.  Could this kind of diet make a difference for us healthwise?

4.  My chunky self, including my sluggish thyroid and my genetic predisposition for diabetes.  And with 6 young kids, I don't have time to hit the gym for 2 hours a day to get the results I need to see/feel. Will high protein/veggie, no grain, low carb diet work wonders for me?

So I am on a mission to give our family a one month trial, starting the day after Easter.  Why that long you ask??  Because I have a lot of learning/planning/preparation before I can intiate such a plan.  I need to read up enough to feel comfortable behind the science of our diet change (books coming Wednesday thanks to amazon: Why We Get Fat: and What to Do About It by Gary Taubes and The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy by Mark Sisson.  Started reading up a ton on marksdailyapple.com .  Its blowing my mind.  I can't wait to get my hands on these books.  I also need us to eat up our non diet change friendly food (bad I know, BUT we are on a VERY strict budge, we don't have money to throw away on our tight food budget).  I also need to plan out a menu plan of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and snacks so I know what to buy when I go shopping for the first time (can you imagine not buying grains and carb products, as well as processed stuff....thats like almost all of the store!!)  And last but not least, I am practical; in that Easter is around the corner, my parents bought my kids Easter baskets with tons of treats, and I can't start a diet change, only to say "whatever" on Easter day, nor can I tell them too bad, that their treats aren't on their diet plan anymore.  I plan to let myself suffer that day after Church and let them eat their favorites out of the basket (I might sneak a few myself) and then that night, the Easter candy will be in the trash and we will start our new diet change the next day. 

How does my family feel about this?? Well I am excited!  This body isn't forever, but it would be nice to feel better healthwise, and fit into things a little more comfortably.  My husband is willing to try it, but he hates veggies and LOVES Big Mac's, so this should be interesting.  My kids are hoping its only one month, they are already lamenting what a month without mac and cheese and waffles might be like.  We are going to do this as a family though, and one month into it, we are going to evaluate its effect on our health.  I am hoping that in a month, we can whether or not this extreme diet change has added value/health to our lives.  I am hoping that I won't meet extreme resistance our initial trial month, but I am nervous myself...my life has always been surrounded by grains.   You don't realize how much is a grain til you consider cutting them cold turkey!  Anywho, I think that is a pretty decent introduction to the hows and whys....will post more as I learn more. :)