Back to Cardio . . .

From Weight Loss

I got up early this morning to do cardio.  I am getting back into working out, and today was the day.  I realized a long time ago that I seem to have a disconnect between my eating plan and workout plan.  I'll start working out and can't make myself eat better or less, or I'll eat better, but not work out enough or hard enough to make a loss on the scale.

I am hoping that because I eliminated grains and have been losing pounds, I'll be able to put this whole lifestyle change together.  My plan for this morning was just to walk on the treadmill.  However, I was to walk faster and vary the grade so that I work harder in a shorter period of time.  The walk was only 30 minutes.  I got off the machine and did 2 sets of 15 repetitions of the Kettlebell Swing, 12kgs = 26 lbs.  I would have done 5 total, but I want to actually walk tomorrow.  I am building up slowly.

The plan is to do 30 minutes of hard exercise during the weekday.  I will get up at 5 a.m. and workout for 30 minutes and then supplement with 4 days of strength training or a Tabata.

I am PMSing and bought some dark chocolate from Aldi.  Let me just say that I am now an Aldi convert.  I was a snob and refused to buy there. When I learned that Trader Joes and Aldi are owned by the same parent company, I changed my tune; I am still somewhat of a food snob. But with 6 people to feed, I have to save money somehow.  I bought quite a bit of their fresh veggies and some spices that I use often.  I will go back on Sunday (food shopping day) to stock up on food stuff we need at home.  If you've never been to Aldi and want to try it, please take 25 cents for the shopping cart, and take some reusable shopping bags to use for your purchases--rookie mistake by not have either.

I have not just gone grain free, but I've gone white stuff free, so no potatoes.  This weekend, I made mashed cauliflower.  Mashed cauliflower is a revelation.  I bought a couple of small heads of cauliflower from Aldi that I hope to make garlic mashed cauliflower--yum!  Hubby has gone grain free for our dinners.  That is a step in the right direction.

How well do you put exercise and eating well together?  What are some of your tips and tricks?

1/21/12--Scale Steppin' Saturday--196.3

I lost weight again. Slightly. But a loss nonetheless. I am happy because this week was a rough week.

I've been running around all week with crazy obligations at work. After work I have to race to get 3 kids at two different places during snowstorms. I've been battling a cold. And since last Sunday, I've had a very painful toothache. I bit into a sliver of bone from ribs that I made last Sunday. I went to the dentist and he said I had a bruised tooth; a crown that had been replaced over a year ago. Advil has been my friend.

I believe I would have had more of a loss but for the running around messed up my eating schedule. On Wednesday, I didn't drink water and feeling hungry despite eating quite well. I also wanted something sweet. I believe that the stress and the missed routine messed with my usually full and uncraving belly. I decided to satisfy the craving by buying two pieces of dark chocolate from Walgreens and water.  That was on Wednesday.  While I thought about getting more chocolate and more desserts, snickers preferably, I made sure to just fill my belly with water until I could eat a great meal that was cooking in the slow cooker. Thank goodness for that thing.  As far as sweet tooth cravings since Wednesday, I have eaten some mini semi sweet chocolate chips that I combine with coconut flakes and slivered almonds.  It is a nice treat and I don't go overboard. It is not completely Paleo.  Dark chocolate would be better.  But better yet, no sugar at all.  I will work on it.

No workout because of the illness.  This is supposed to be the year of no excuses, but that is my excuse.  I was sick.  However, I read an article that talked about daily physical activity such as walking or cycling will hold off the early symptoms of Alzheimer's.  My new mission is to keep Alzheimer's at bay because I can't conceive of working so hard in my life working, raising children, taking care of my Mom, being a wife to my husband, and suffering from Alzheimer's during the time in my life where I am to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor.  We all need a purpose for changing our lifestyle for the better.  What is yours?

Goal For This Week:

• Keep on Paleo because it truly works.  Even the smallest of losses means it is working.  I am full at each meal and I feel a lot brighter mentally.  Even hubby who has gone grain free at night has commented that he feels more mentally alert.
• Drink my water.  Lots of water.  Important for my "fullness" throughout the day.  I also get really cranky when I am dehydrated.  Really, cranky.
• Workout 4 times this week.  My students get back to work Monday, and so do I.  Back to 5 a.m. workouts.  Uuugghh.  It is all about burning this fat.  I have to work at making that happen.
• Change my mindset about exercise.  No more "uuugghh" feelings.  It is important for my health and mind.

How do you feel about slow and small losses?  Do they keep you motivated?  Do you feel discouraged?

For the Hip Hop lovers, the case for Paleo

For those of you who aren't into rap and hip hop, Fat Joe is a rapper from NY.  He and I are around the same age.  I grew up listening to his music in high school.  As his name indicates, he was recognized for being fat.  One of the artists that he produced was Big Pun who died of a heart attack at age 28, and speculation places his weight at death at around 700 lbs. Whether or not that is true, Joe decided that would not be his fate.  Congrats to him for losing over 100 lbs.  

Full . . .

When I was eating foods like that pictured above, I was constantly feeling the need to eat and eat and eat.  I craved vast amounts of sugar.  Binge eating was the norm.  I got sick and tired of eating so much and not feeling full.

Now, with Paleo, I do overeat.  But it may be an extra piece of beef, or some more veggies.  I don't usually snack after dinner, but I grabbed a bowl of grapes one night.  And once that is consumed, I am done.  I am full.  

Protein makes me full.  I would get these mixed messages that I should eat a high fiber diet because it would keep me full.  Well, I would eat a nice bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and jelly for breakfast at 7 a.m., and by 9 a.m., I was STARVING.  My belly would ache for more food.  I had protein in there; what's the deal?  

At 7 a.m. this morning, I had two eggs cooked in coconut oil, 1/2 an avocado and a banana.  I am full.  And I am not ravenously thinking about what to get for lunch.  Right now, I am thinking that I am too lazy to go out in this snow to get lunch.  

It may seem a bit bizarre to think that one should eat protein with good fats to lose weight.  Well, it is working for me.  I ate ribs on Sunday.  Thanks to my slow cooker, I had a couple of ribs for breakfast, ribs for lunch, and ribs for dinner.  I was uncomfortably full on Sunday evening.  That was my binge.  The next day, I proceeded to eat lighter.  I had one egg and fruit.  I had a salad with bacon and poached egg for lunch, and for dinner I had roasted root veggies, green beans with bacon, and chicken thighs with the skin.

I know what you are thinking, I am going to have a heart attack.  Maybe, but I am eating the same fats that we would consume with a grain diet, but my body is reacting much differently because I am grain free. And, I woke up this morning and weighed myself and was still at 197.  Does fat truly make you fat?  

I have not exercised because I have a cold. I am not even thinking about activity.  I am just thinking of how to vary the foods that I eat so I can have a variety of veggies with my meats.  I am thinking of what kinds of meats to cook, recipes, and whether I should slow cook or roast. 

I am feeling energetic even though I am very sick and miserable, but still happy.  Good fats can change your mood.  My body doesn't feel bad like it did when I had a pasta-palooza-fest happening daily.

How do you deal with binge days?

Scale Steppin Saturday--197

I weighed in this morning and am down 1.1 lbs to 197 lbs. I am happy the scale is going down. With any weightloss there tends to be some desperation to drop the weight as fast as possible. I keep reminding myself that it took me over 13 years to gain this weight. It is not healthy to drop the weight so fast. I am not built that way. I also won't maintain the weight loss if I rush this process.

I am so happy to have found a program that works for me. This morning, I had one egg with banana and 1/4 of an avocado. For lunch, I had a salad with ahi tuna. We are going out to dinner and I will have the pork cutlet and ask for as much vegetables as I can. I am making better options all the time. I am very proud of that because I am not great at self control. I feel that I have much more control. Well, reasonably more control because I did have a root beer. But instead of 3 root beers at lunch, I had one, and then drank water for the rest of the meal. That is progress.

Okay, so more on this picture. You know when you have one image of yourself in your head and reality? Well, this is a shocking reality pic. This was taken during our trip to California. I was at the beginning of my Paleo lifestyle. I may have weighed in around 202-204. I don't look much different than this, but I want to use this as my "before" picture as a guide for future losses. I plan to take a picture when I reach 190. I don't have a goal date for reaching 190. I am just working toward accomplishing weekly goals to acheive loss. So far so good.

One difference between the "before photo" and present day, that belly is a little less bloated. I think this was the day after New Years when we ate out. It wasn't the best meal and I don't drink, but I was still reeling from eating out so much during our vacation. My belly is a bit flatter now, however, I do have muffin top on the sides now because I retain a lot of fat there. Oh, well.

Goals for Week of 16th:

• Eat Paleo: no grains, no sugar, yada yada yada . . .
• Drink Water all day long.
• Exercise 5 times a week.
• Take time to do something for myself that is reflective of my hard work.

When you've seen your before picture, does it match your self image or is it a shocking reality?  What part of you is most glaring in the before picture?

Coconut Oil's Benefits

Remember yesterday's post about my mother's preparing coconut oil and how that stopped 25 years ago because of her cholesterol?



I will be running to the store to stock up on coconut oil and put it in her coffee, lunch, dinner, and water bottle.

Elimination, Part II: Grains. . .

About 2 years ago, I wrote about my giving up dairy.  I gave up dairy because I've had a life long battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  After one particularly horrible episode, I went to the doctor and she tested me for various things, one being gluten.  She didn't test me for dairy allergy or intolerance.  However, I later decided that dairy was the culprit after another incident where I had cereal with fresh milk and sat on the toilet most of the day with severe gastric pain.

I tested my body by eliminating milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream from daily consumption.  Immediately, I felt better.  Long gone were the gastric pains and gas that plagued me daily.  It was utterly embarrassing to have to run to the bathroom when out in public.  It caused undue anxiety and stress to leave my home and go to places unknown where I wouldn't know where a bathroom would be within a 50 yard radius.  However, I never gave up gluten because I wasn't intolerant.

It was hard, but easy.  Easy because you know your body is happier and is functioning better.  Hard because dairy is in many things we Americans eat; from baked goods to processed food that was prepared with dairy or in facilities that use dairy in other preparation--contamination is present.  I had to be more diligent in reading labels.  I learned to substitute dairy products like almond, coconut or soy products.  I am okay with this.

Summer of 2011, I had an allergy test with a new physician (allergist).  He tested me for a milk allergy.  I tested positive.  I went from being intolerant to allergic.  That was news that relieved me.  That testing helped me give it up for good, for the rest of my life.

I had gluten testing after my horrible episode in 2010, but the result was negative for gluten intolerance.  I was okay with that.  I had tried to put my autistic son on a gluten free diet and found that completely impossible because the 3 things he cares to eat are comprised of gluten: pasta, mac and cheese, and tortillas.  Going gluten free, and going gluten alternative, is expensive.  Those chain supermarkets are thriving because of gluten, dairy alternatives and organic options.  I wasn't financially prepared to make such changes.  And let's face it, I don't have the mental or physical fortitude to eliminate something from my child's diet.

I decided to go Paleo for me because I just felt that the more gluten and sugary things I eat, the more I crave, the more I have to have, actually have in excess, and the more I gain.  Eliminating an ingredient that is in everything processed was hard at first.  However, reading blogs such as Mark's Daily Apple, Everyday Paleo, watching the documentaries Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Fat Head made me realize that there is a disconnect with our consumption of dairy and wheat and our true genetic makeup.  Most specifically, a video from Fat Head gave me a complete picture as to why I was fat.

The Paleo/Primal movement states that all of us should not eat grains because our bodies are not genetically capable of metabolizing grains, I say that in my case that is true.  [I am not pushing this as a lifestyle change for you, the reader, but these are my reasons for ME] My parents are from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.  Both my grandparents were farmers.  I was raised by my mother.  When I was a kid, my mother had a diet high in saturated fats and lots of veggies and fruit.  My earliest memory was of both of us processing coconuts in the kitchen so we could use the oil for cooking and for skin care.  She saved the bacon grease for other meals.  Avocados were our favorite.  Still is to this day.  We had meat daily and we ate white rice (not so Paleo/Primal), root vegetables, stews, liver, coconut oil, etc because that was her diet growing up.  I didn't consume wheat from breads, cookies, cakes until I started elementary school and usually, I didn't eat it.

I would often skip lunch at school because my mother had leftovers for me at the babysitter's apartment. My family's diet did not consist of whole grains and sugar until my mom was introduced to the "American Diet" by her doctors and I consumed them at school.  My IBS became a really big problem in college where my diet went all grains, all the time.  I ate pizza, sandwiches, pasta.  Those were the things most readily available in college.  I was overloading on them.  Hindsight is 20/20, so I now can connect my IBS with an increased consumption of gluten.  I lived in fear of soiling myself when I went out with friends, so my first year of college, I didn't really go out and away from the dorms.

In the 80s, when my mother was diagnosed with high blood pressure and cholesterol, her diet was forced to change to be high fiber from whole grains and to take medication.  My mother gained weight and has been on cholesterol and high blood pressure medication for over 25 years.  We did everything that conventional medicine, medication, and diets required of us, yet, I am obese and my mother now has Alzheimer's.  And I can wholeheartedly say that I believe there is a connection to her medication and diet to the Alzheimer's she is suffering from now.  I am sure there is genetic issues too, but exacerbated by diet and medication.

Just recently when my mother's doctor diagnosed her with Alzheimer's, he told me that it is passed down from the mother.  He also said that Alzheimers is derived from diabetes that is affecting the Latino population in increased numbers, and is in essence considered Type III diabetes.  My mother does not have diabetes and has never been treated for it, but I can't get it out of my mind that her diabetes may have manifested into Alzheimer's.  Diet is a big factor to Type II diabetes.  Insulin is the connection with diabetes.  Insulin levels go up with sugar.  Grains, as carbohydrates, convert to sugar in our bodies (watch that video), so our bodies are working hard to metabolize that carb and essentially converts it to fat or spikes our insulin levels where our bodies are just not capable of catching up and healing.  Americans consume copious amounts of sugar from processed foods and drinks.  It is a cycle of nutritional abuse.


My goal is to give myself a fighting chance at staving off Alzheimer's for as long as possible.  I am eating significantly better.  I am exercising.  I am keeping my mind fit and active.  And if I can possibly and eternally stay off of grains and reap benefits, then I will do so.  However, I can't say that this is forever because grains and sugar are everywhere and highly tempting.  But the benefits I've had from foregoing grains and sugar, like clearer skin from adult acne, redness/inflammation on my face and reduction in asthma symptoms without use of medication, lead me to believe that I can maintain this elimination permanently.


Have you ever given up a food group, and if so, why and how did it change your life?