Update on the Challenge...It's Going GREAT!

Hi all...well, all who bother to read this...lol!  It's Friday and it has been one whole week since I started doing this challenge posed to me by the fabulous morning radio show hosts from The Bert Show.  I didn't want to publish any of my findings before going on air to talk to them and since I was on this morning, I can now do it!

On day one, I was told by my weight loss concierge, Daniel, some key terms to research, more specifically what fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are and what they do for your body.  We'll start with fats.

Fats:

Fat is actually important in your diet.  Fats help protect your cells, heart, and support overall health.  In fact, fats are vital to your physical AND mental health.  Healthy fats play a big role in your mood, stay on top of your mental game, help fight fatigue, and even control your weight.  The types of fat make a difference.  There are good fats and bad fats.







Good Fats:


The good fats are Monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and Omega-3 fats.  Some examples of foods that have good fats are olive oil (use instead of shortening or butter...it even makes the food taste better to me), avocados, olives, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, etc.), and peanut butter (not with the sugar added and not to excess).  Soybean oil, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, flaxseed, tofu, and fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, etc.) also contain good fats.

Bad fats:

The bad fats are Trans fats and saturated fats.   Diets rich in saturated fat and trans fat raise cholesterol, contributing to clogged arteries that block the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart and brain.  Some examples of foods with bad fats to avoid are Microwave popcorn (I KNOW...I was shocked too), potato chips (FULL of trans fats), crackers, frozen foods, French fries (I hate it, but it's true), cookies, and margarine sticks (you think you're doing good by avoiding full on butter, but margarine sticks are horrible too).  Don't fall for the "fat free" branding on some products either...they actually can contain some trans fats and are also high in sugar, refined carbohydrates (which will be discussed in the next section), and calories.  Fat Free does NOT mean healthy!!

All in all, the answer isn't cutting fat out of your diet all together, it's learning to make healthy choices to promote health and diet.

Carbs:

Carbohydrates are your primary energy source.  Carbs can be either simple (BAD) or complex (GOOD).

Simple carbs:

These types of carbohydrates are simple to digest, high in sugar, low in fiber, and have little to no value to your body.  Refined carbs (see I told you) such as white bread, pizza crust (damn), pretzels (another deceptively unhealthy snack choice), and white pastas are stripped of Vitamin B, fiber, and minerals during the refining process.  Also, they have a high glycemic index (people with diabetes need to really read about this) which reeks havoc with blood sugar levels.  The glycemic index basically tells you how fast and how high your blood sugar will rise after eating that food as compared with eating pure sugar.  Lower glycemic index foods are healthier...even helping you to feel full longer after eating them which lowers the amount of calories you are taking in.  If you're curious what the glycemic index of a food you are going to eat is, simply Google it...you will easily find it and it's FREE!  I also found a study done by Yale University that bad carbs and sweets cause falls in blood sugar, affecting the part of your brain that controls impulse, thus leading to a loss of self control and a craving for unhealthy, high in calories foods.  So, as will power is VERY important when completely changing the way you eat, I'm gonna believe Yale and avoid any chance in losing self control.  Ha!

Complex carbs:

Complex carbs take longer to break down in your body.  More time to break down = more energy for you!  You can find complex carbs in healthy foods such as whole grains, legumes (beans), brown rice, whole wheat pasta and bread, fruits (which are kinda simple because of the natural sugars but are full of fiber so they are good...just not to excess), vegetables, seeds, nuts, and yams.  These foods are also usually rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients which is GREAT!  Legumes are also good for protein (next section) and low in fat.  They may even decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes (I see lots of  legumes in my future)!

To summarize, keep your carbs unrefined, avoid "white food", eat healthy carbs to feel full for longer, and check the glycemic index, especially if you're diabetic. 

Proteins:

Again, there are good ways to get your protein, and not so good ways.  From the information I read, you should try to get your protein from as pure a source as possible...from organic, antibiotic and hormone free, grass fed and free range meats.  Fish is also a great source and contain the essential Omega-3 fats that were discussed before in the fat category.  Daniel, my mentor, explained that while that is good, it can get expensive so what's really important is to make sure the meat is the leanest cut.  Now, I also did some research on the sales at certain grocery stores and I found, at least this week, I was able to actually spend less money AND buy these proteins.  It does take some store hopping, but hey...I have a budget so there you go.  If I can't find organic, free range meat, I will take Daniel's suggestion and go with the leanest cuts available.

There are other ways to get your protein than just from meat.  Milk, cheese, yogurt (especially Greek) also are good sources.  They also contain vitamin D and valuable calcium to keep your bones and teeth healthy and strong.  Choose skim or low-fat to keep calories and bad fat grams down.  Eggs are also a good source of protein and they are the least expensive.  Soy and beans are too.

So there you have my first homework assignment in its entirety.  Other tips I found while doing research on these topics are shop with a list to avoid impulse buys.  This helps with healthy eating as well as helping to keep you in budget.  Cook your own meals and take control of what goes into your stomach.  Don't shop while your hungry.  Keeping those oh so tempting foods OUT OF YOUR FRIDGE AND CABINETS!!!  If it's not there, you are less likely to eat it.  Trust me, will power is one thing we ALL have and need to harness...and again...it's completely FREE!

Is the experiment a success?  So far, I say YES!  I feel better than I have in a long time, have more energy, am sleeping better at night, and feel more alert.  I've also lost 4.6 pounds!!

Tune in next week for the results of my next homework assignment...RMR (have no clue, but I know what I will be doing this weekend...lots of reading)

On a personal note, I moved my oldest son into his college dorm room...UGH!  I'm happy for him, sad for me.  He is a strong, mature, intelligent young man and I am very proud of him. And yes, I helped carry all of his stuff up four flights of satirs (FREE EXERCISE...no gym needed!!  Woot Woot)

War on Processed Food!

Hi all!!!  I haven't forgotten about you!  My appearance on The Bert Show was postponed for a couple of days, no big deal, but I wanted to check in an let you know how it's going.  I don't want to put too much information on here yet as I want to talk to them on air first, but I will let you in on a few things. 

I guess my body was so used to eating all that bad, processed food that it's mounting a coup against the healthy stuff right now.  Needless to say, my stomach is in a veritable mess right now but it is sooooo worth it.  I have so much more energy than I did before.  It hasn't been very long that I have been eating like this, but the difference in my mood and sleep patterns has already improved by leaps and bounds, and the scale has already gone down a few pounds.  YAY!!!  It's not much, but I have not yet started to incorporate exercise in my daily routine.  That's coming soon.

I've found that when doing the research, I'm infinitely glad that I am pretty good at math.  Percentages and calories and grams, oh MY!

Well, that's it for right now.  You can get a more complete idea of what I've found by tuning in to The Bert Show Friday morning.  When I am done talking to them about it, I will update here so you can follow along and join in for free!!

Until tomorrow!....:)

Oh, The Vast Inter Webs! How Much Information Is There???

Hi all!  It's Monday!  (Hey, I'm trying to get excited for a new work week...ugh).  Per my previous post, I spent a lot of time this weekend researching fats, carbs, and proteins. And WOW!  I got sucked into a wormhole of information available on the net!!  I'm not going to go into a whole lot of detail right now (you will have to turn in to The Bert Show Wednesday morning at 8:40am to hear about what I found), but I wanted to let you know that things are going very good!

More tomorrow.... :)

Challenge Accepted!!

So, a few weeks ago, I was driving to work and listening to Q100's morning radio show, The Bert Show, and one of the hosts started talking about how there are so many people out there who use the excuse that the reason they can't lose weight and get in shape is because they don't have the money to join the gym, get a nutritionist, hire a trainer, by supplements, etc.  Bert believes that ANYONE can do it, and do it for free...or almost free...just by taking a little time to do the research on their own.  Bert wanted to do an experiment.  He wanted to choose a listener who was, at this time, clueless on how and where to begin when it came to nutrition and exercise but wanted to get healthy and fit.  As I was driving down the road, it hit me...I WAS THAT PERSON!!!  I am a 40 year old, single mother of two incredible boys, who is now tipping the scales at 230 lbs.  I don't even recognized myself when I look in the mirror.  I know the person staring back at me is NOT the person who I am supposed to be.  I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  When I sat my boys down to tell them, my oldest looked at me and said, "You have to do something about this.  When I have kids, I want to be able to tell them we are going to grandma's for the weekend, and right now, with your health already deteriorating, I don't know if that is going to be possible."  This hit me like a ton of bricks in my very round gut.  I want that too!!!  I want to grow old watching my kids and their kids living out their dreams.  And by not getting healthy, I am not only taking the chance of missing out on that, I am taking years off my life and robbing my kids and future grandkids of time with their mother/grandmother.

When I arrived at work, I got on my computer and immediately submitted my email to The Bert Show in the hopes of being chosen for this experiment.  Not too long later, I was shocked to get a phone call from their producer, Tracey (what a sweetheart!!), saying that out of the 100's and 100's of emails they received, they chose me to be their person!!  How exciting!!!   This morning, I got to talk to the fabulous, inspiring members of The Bert Show on air. (Thanks, Bert, Kristen, Jeff, and Tommy) It was time to start the challenge!  It hit me then....OMG...I'M THEIR PERSON.  It is up to ME to prove that they are right....ANYONE CAN do this!  (Yikes!  LOL)

Ok, so first things first.  Now, I'm not a moron...I know that exercise is good for you, but when it comes to exercising, what is a good type of exercise for a beginner to lose weight?  Running, walking, swimming, lifting weights, not lifting weights????  UGH...where to start??  I make a whopping $12 an hour.  I can't afford a gym membership.  If lifting weights is great, what happens when you have no weights to lift?  What kind of weights should you be lifting?  How often?

And don't get me started on food.  Again, I'm a productive member of society with at least half a brain in my head.  I know McDonald's is not a food group.  But what does fat in foods actually do for or to your body?  How much should you take in?  What is a bad carb vs. a good carb?  How does protein and fiber affect your weight or help your body?  How does eating certain foods affect your metabolism?  DO they affect your metabolism?  What time should you eat during the day? To me, food has always been something I ate when I got hungry.  Not actual fuel for your body.  And the cheaper the better.  I can get a full meal at a fast food joint for $4-$5.  What kinds of foods do I buy that are healthy but still won't ruin my budget?  How many times a day should I be eating?  All of these questions, and more, were spinning around in my head.

So starts my journey.  This weekend, The Bert Show gave me some homework.  I'm to do some research on fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.  I'm going to get online and read, read, read.  Then I'm going to the grocery store and am going to plan a menu for the week using what I learned and hit the ground running.  This is going to be fun, right?  Right??  Yes, it will, because after all is said and done, I'm not the type of person who just gives up.  I was given a challenge and I'm going to work my butt off (literally, I hope) to make this a success.  I hope you all enjoy the road to health with me!  Especially since it's FREE!!!!!

Until next time......:)

-Krissy