Lifestyle Change

I think my head has finally gotten with the programme and realised that eating no wheat/sugar is permanent, not just 'to lose weight' like I've done before.

I'm not a zealot. I still occasionally have wheat and sugar but they are not part of my daily life.

Nigel Latta (for you New Zealand readers) did a documentary on sugar the other day and it confirmed everything I've been preaching and thinking about for years. I'm so happy the world is finally starting to realise the dangers and evils of this processed giant. Sugar is added to EVERYTHING. If fat has been removed you can be sure that sugar has been added in spadefuls.

I'm still losing weight very slowly, but I'm okay with that. My goal is still a couple of KG away and that's fine. I'm upping my exercise and toning exercises a bit at the moment, not to help with weight loss but for health and to keep my body moving. And for once I'm loving it as it's not an obligation or a chore.

Til next time
Zealous Girl

3 months sugar free and counting

I love that when I'm not eating sugar, I don't crave it. I can't even count on both hands how many times I've had the opportunity to have dessert or cake or lollies and I've turned them down every time. I'm so proud of myself. As I know as soon as one taste reaches my lips it's all over. I won't be able to resist. So it's good to have a line drawn in the sand.

My weight isn't dropping much. But I did win the 'biggest loser' at my work place last term - yeah!!!

I'd love to get down a further 3kg before summer but so long as I don't gain, I'll be happy. I'm very happy that I've found out how to eat best for my body. Avoiding wheat, potatoes etc... most of the time and processed sugars. Eating lots of fat, meat, cheese, veges and some fruit. It's working for me and I'm feeling good. Plus I haven't been really sick this winter. Coincidence? I think not.

I do have a bit of an addiction to almonds :-)
How are you doing?
ZG xx

My sticking point

I always reach this part of my weight loss when my weight sticks and doesn't move for a month or so. It's always really hard and sometimes I give up here.

I hate it that I diet and then gain, diet then gain it back. I hate that. How do I make sure this time is different?

I figure I could give up now, eat the way I always have and just keep gaining a few kg every year until I'm fat, unhealthy and middle aged.
or
I could keep pushing through, change my diet permanently and strive for health. So what if I'm not losing weight for a month or so, at least I'm not gaining. I also need to remind myself that the scales only show one part of the picture. The fact that my pants are feeling quite loose is also a good sign.

Right off to nibble on some almonds. What are your 'go to' snack foods?

Overeating

I've just finished reading 'The end of overeating' by David A Kessler.
WOW, it was like he had read my mind and put in on paper. Most of the book is about the food industry and what they do to food to make us want to eat eat eat it. I completely related and when he talked about how you can eat and eat without being hungry and have a battle in your head all at the same time... he was talking about me. Me when I'm eating sugary wheaty foods.

BUT right now I'm not eating sugar (apart from fruit, fresh and dried) and wheat. And I'm feeling so good for it.

The last quarter of the book talks about methods to use to stop 'overeating'. I've written heaps of notes and am going to make myself flash cards that will come with me until I know them off by heart. When I reach maintenance (with my weight) I will need them as that's when things get hard.

I'm excited to get to maintenance now.

My fat jeans are finally too big, my medium jeans are fitting and my skinny jeans await.

How are you going? What do you do to help with maintaining weight when you reach your goal?
ZG

May

I've had a great few weeks and I have managed to shed nearly 3kg. I'm back heading towards my goal, which in itself is motivation.

Unfortunately the weight has been coming off a bit faster than usual due to stress and illness. For some reason when my kids get sick I get incredibly anxious and when I'm anxious I can't eat. This is not a way I recommend to lose weight. In fact I would quite like this week to be over already so I can get on with next week.

I'm not following any particular diet anymore, instead I've decided to just cut out sugar and wheat products. I limit my fruit but not pedantically. What I've found is, cutting out wheat and sugar dramatically reduces my appetite and I'm not having crazy cravings. It's so nice to not be constantly wandering past the pantry thinking about eating everything in there. It's also nice not to have a limit on what I can eat, so long as it isn't wheat/sugar I eat as much as I want. Amazingly I don't overeat and there are a million scientific reasons for that but in short carbs block something in your body from knowing when you are full and make you want to keep eating and eating, even though you don't need to.

I'm feeling really happy and in control and strong right now. I'm looking forward to reaching my goal then concentrating on maintaining. Maintenance is the hardest thing for me and it's where I have failed time and time again. This time I'm determined to win the battle.

How are you going?
ZG

Why does Easter = Chocolate

When did Easter turn into the Chocolate holiday? I'm guessing it's completely about companies having another reason to make money off a public holiday. I wonder if we'll be buying chocolate poppies for ANZAC day before too long.

Anyhoo.....

I've not touched any sugar since in 6 days, I've used raisins and fruit to get by when I've had a craving. And oh my gosh, last night I had the worst cravings. I keep walking in circles past the kitchen where my kids stash of easter eggs are sitting. It was HARD to not break into them, let me tell you.

This morning, friends had us over for hot cross buns and I managed to resist, although they smelled really yum. But I know as soon as grains or sugar touch my lips the rest of my day can disappear into a sea of cravings and eating all the foods I'm trying to avoid. Let's be honest here, the rest of the week can turn into a grain/sugar fest.

I used to weigh myself every day but I've decided not to do that just yet. I find I get 'down' when the scales don't show much change or worse, go up. So until I'm near my goal, I'm going to stick to weekly weigh-ins.

My goal this week: get through easter without any sugar 

Anyone got any good ideas for getting through the sugar cravings?
Zealous Girl

Addicted....

Okay, so truth time. I've got an addiction. It's an addiction I've been feeding for a few months now. I knew it was a problem when I'd sneak off to the shops and not tell hubby where I was going or what for.

You guessed it: SUGAR.

A nasty, white, processed, sweet drug.

Today is the first day in months that I haven't had any. I've been craving it madly all day. But I'm stronger than this. I can do this. (Little steps)

A few years ago I started on Dukan and it was amazing. I dropped the weight and got down to my almost goal.... enter crazy busy life.... back up to my starting weigh - SIGH. This has been my pattern for the past two years and I'm sick of it. HOW does one maintain? I haven't been successful so far and now I'm finding myself having to start again with the losing weight thing, but I'm terrified of the maintaining bit. HELP HELP HELP.

I do know this. When my life gets too busy, food planning and healthy eating gets really hard (it really does take time and energy to eat healthy) and eventually the sugar and grains creep back in, til I find myself eating cupcakes for breakfast after my sons birthday. ARGHHHHHHHH

Family: 2 kids, 1 husband, 1 cat.
Jobs: part time computer techie, part time sewing and running my own business, full time mum.

So here I start again, down this narrow path towards healthy living, hoping I will reach the end this time and find a way to stay there. Thanks for reading and any help you can give me on the maintaining issue, I'd appreciate.

See ya soon
Zealous Girl

Second 'fast' day

I'm half way through my second fasting day and feeling good. This way of eating is working well. I ate basically as much as I wanted on my non-fast days, which wasn't over the top, but it made me feel like I didn't have to restrict, which always messes with my mind.

Next week I need to add some exercise back into my life. I need tone, I need muscles and I need endorphins :-)

How are you all doing?
ZG :-)

Apologies

Oh goodness it's been a long time since I last posted. It's not for lack of something to report, life just got so busy last year. Young kids, work, home business, family life... it's such a busy time and I haven't had time to read any blogs let alone write one, but here I am again... trying to find time :-)

I've been dukaning on and off all last year. Sadly on every 'off' I gained back some weight. I've got to the stage where my body is holding onto the weight and I'm finding it really hard to lose. I'm not actually overweight but I'm not where I want to be.

I heard of the 'fast' diet late last year and thought it meant 'speedy' diet and for those of you who have dieted you'll know there is no way to lose weight fast and keep it off long term. I got the book out of the library just for interest sake (I was skeptical) and I actually liked most of what I read. Really liked it. It's not 'fast' but about 'fasting'. Anyway after a lot of thinking I've decided to add 'fasting' into my life.

So two days a week I'm going to fast and eat only 500 calories but five days a week I eat normal. But by normal I'm still trying to follow a dukan/low carb type way of eating. I'm hoping this will help kick start my weight loss again and I'll finally be able to find a way to not gain all the weight back.

Today was my first 'fast' day and it wasn't as hard as I'd imagined and tomorrow I don't have to count calories or worry about watching what I eat. I'm hoping this helps me find a way to eat a normal healthy diet where occasionally I can have something I'm really craving. That's the hope :-)

How are you all going?

If you're interesting in watching the documentary on fasting, check this out: http://vimeo.com/54089463