I had someone ask me how it was going with the “healthy living” thing…so I thought I should do an update! Hopefully this will encourage someone else, because I have seen huge differences in my own life.
You may remember a few months ago I checked out the book Real Food from the library. This reeeeeally got me thinking. The book is very eye opening about the things we put into our bodies and call “food.” I highly recommend this book! We began making a lot of changes at that point. Well, I have gone in long spurts over the years making my own bread…but with the purchase of a Bosch (yay!) bread making has been taken to a whole new level!
We also began buying coconut oil and using it regularly. Remember all the benefits of coconut oil? We only use coconut oil and olive oil now.
We are cutting out as many processed foods as possible. NO more articificial food coloring either. No more high fructose corn syrup, MSG, etc.
Then, I guess about a month later I came across this book, called Potatoes Not Prozac which describes sugar sensitivities and addictions. BINGO. The descriptions of a sugar addict sounded all too familiar to me…and I began looking for ways to cut our sugar.
This has been hard, I won’t lie. I miss having something to drink other than water. (LOL) I have gone over 3 months WITHOUT a coke, which I never even thought was possible 4 months ago!! I miss having desserts. I was a full fledged CARB and SUGAR addict, not doubt about it. And, I am one of those people, that I found after reading the book, whose moods and body is negatively affected by sugar intake.
While I miss my cokes and cakes, I do not miss my horrible mood swings. I mean, I was becoming more and more irritable by the DAY with my children. I was telling David that I thought I would need to go on an anti-depressant (seriously) because I was feeling so low and down. It wasn’t looking good…I was scared and nervous. That is when I found this book…and thankfully found out that eliminating sugar really did help me!!
We have also noticed sugar has a negative affect on Hannah, but not the other 2 children. So, we are eliminating as much as possible from our household.
I will say that the pounds have NOT dropped off like I thought they would, with eliminating sodas, desserts (I maybe still have something 1x per week at the most) and processed foods, etc. While it has been good for me in so many other ways, I was hoping it would help me lose weight. No such luck.
I have been exercising somewhat regularly…though I have good weeks and bad weeks.
Overall, I feel much better. I can tell when I “cheat” and have sugar, because the next 2 days I’m feeling irritable and cranky. I can tell when I’ve had a good week of exercise because I have more energy and just feel better about life.
So, what about you? Have you made any drastic changes in your health lately? Care to share? I’d love to hear some more stories!! 🙂 Anyone care to share their favorite resources for going “real” with their food and having a healthier lifestyle?
2 of my favorite blogs are Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Passionate Homemaking. I listed 2 books that have changed my life above; Real Food and Potatoes Not Prozac. Oh, and one other article I across through Kelly’s blog is this one, which is completely in line with the Potatoes Not Prozac book menioned above, concerning how our moods are affected by the foods we eat. Very informative read!
Thank you SO much for this! I don’t know if you saw my question on the FIAR boards, but I just asked last night if anyone had any books or blogs that they recommended to help me get started making healthy changes in my family’s eating habits. I am going to look into the book that you recommended and look at the blogs also. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing 🙂
Candace-You are doing such a great job!!!!!
Hi Candace,
Thanks for mentioning my article about the effects food can have on our moods! It’s great to hear that you’re eliminating processed foods. Be patient with the weight loss, it doesn’t happen overnight. I lost 30 lbs after I eliminated sugar and refined carbohydrates, but it was over the coarse of 3 months.
Good for you, Candace! I was influenced by the same books as you, I absolutely love Real Food in particular.
I really really really needed to lose weight in a bad way. I had been unable to get the scale to budge for over a year, other than UP. I have been praying to God for wisdom and to open my heart to the possibility of changing my eating habits. Long story short, I cut out/greatly reduced grains and by default, sugar. So no bread, pasta, etc. for me. Though I normally LOVE those things. However, I do not miss them, amazingly enough!
Pretty much the only sugar I get is a bit of sugar in my coffee (which I put Coconut Oil in, actually) and from fruit. I am absolutely amazed that by eating “Real Food” including butter, meat, cheese, eggs, and lots of veggies I am losing weight. Since I’ve started doing this I have lost 19 lbs. It will take me at least a year or more to get to a healthy weight, but I am so incredibly thankful that I am eating better and recovering from all the junk I put in my body, much/some of which was marketed as “healthy” (talk about the need for discernment- go read the back of any old Weight Watchers product, ICK!!!)
Maybe one day I’ll add the grains back in, but I’m beginning to accept that no I can’t eat four piece of pizza and be healthy and feel good. At a recent family gathering I actually ate some small portions of stromboli and lasagne, and felt sick all the next day. I found that very telling!
(btw don’t know how to change my ID here… ElizabethLinNC on FIAR, ElizabethL on HS Share.)
I feel strongly that God enjoyed us to enjoy nourishing foods in moderation, and that it should not be necessary for us to eat man-made concotions designed to help us lose weight that are fortified with vitamins or what not. That just makes no sense to me.