If this is your first time stopping by this series, you might want to catch up with Part 1 and Part 2. This is the final post in this series – for those of you who’ve had the courage to share your experience, thank you! It’s so hard to be open and honest when it comes to our weight because the world we live in judges us by our outward appearance.
I’ve lived in a fat body and a thin body – the world is much kinder when you’re thin. It’s not right. It’s just an ugly fact about our society.
Last week I was fully inspired by your comments about how you take responsibility for your health. Many of you shared how your life changed when you quit making excuses for the way you eat, your crazy hormone fluctuations, and your activity level.
Rhiannon hit it home for me with this comment:
“…I think it’s also really easy to give in to that reason, “Well my hormones are acting up, so I might as well binge.” “My weight isn’t budging because I’m getting older, my metabolism is slowing down. There’s nothing I can do..” It’s so hard to muster up the will power to stick with a healthy diet, but that’s the important part – is to plan out your meals, really watch what you eat, and stay active; not to give in to the things we can’t control and work on what we can.”
My old thinking used to say, “I’m already fat – what’s another bowl of ice cream going to hurt?” Or, I did the extreme opposite and said to myself, “I’m so fat I’m going on a liquid diet until I lose all of this weight.” Which lasted for a day at most and then I was back in the ice cream again.
Finding a sane place with food has brought me stable ground to walk on and opened so many doors. When I’m ok on the inside, the rest of my life has an opportunity to work.
Here’s five more things I’ve learned along my journey to a healthier weight while eating gluten-free & refined sugar-free.
- Nuts are nutrient and calorie dense.A little goes a long way. For an on-the-go snack, I eat an ounce of almonds and a piece of fruit. It keeps hunger at bay until the next meal. Notice I said an ounce, not one-half cup.
- My refrigerator, freezer, and pantry are stocked with foods I can use to make a quick & healthy meal. If I’m in a pinch, I could make lentils & brown rice, pull out some homemade, frozen soup and make a big green salad, or make eggs, quinoa and kale. I’ve always got fresh vegetables on hand and for those rare times when I don’t, I’ve got a stash of frozen veggies. No excuse not to eat them.
- Healthier foods typically have less calories and contain healthier fats than processed foods. I can eat a 3 meals and two snacks and never feel hungry without gaining weight because my diet is unprocessed and it’s certainly not fried. Anyone who’s around me says I eat a lot and I do. I can even eat a gluten-free, refined sugar-free dessert with no problem. But I eat one portion of dessert, not two or three. The truth is most days I don’t care to eat dessert.
- I exercise regularly. And I hate exercise. I mean that. But, I walk my dogs or go to hot yoga on a regular basis. It’s something that’s necessary for a healthy body, mind, and soul.
- I know that certain foods do not love me back. Yes, I love a decadent chocolate torte or a scoop of blueberry cheesecake ice cream as much as the next gal. But it doesn’t love me back. Once in a while, I can indulge. But not daily, and especially not if I’m in one of those life-experience places where I’m struggling. After years of eating healthier, most days my body would rather have yogurt and berries anyway.
What practices keep your body at a healthy weight? Or maybe you’re not a healthy weight but you know what definitely doesn’t work. Share that with us – knowing what doesn’t work is half the battle.
Betty
posted on June 24, 2011 at 9:51 am
As your post clearly states, excuses don’t work!
Other things that don’t work for myself,
Filling up on protein, and healthy fat. (I need more fruit, and veggies)
Processed foods.
Limit dairy to one serving, twice a week or less.
Calorie laden drinks don’t work!
The best advice I received- Find healthy alternatives to your unhealthy
vices. This way you replace, not do without! So you develop new loves,
that love you back! This works!
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Amy Reply:
June 24th, 2011 at 10:02 am
@Betty, It’s amazing that what works for some people doesn’t work for others, which is why I’m always telling people to find what works for you.
I eat Greek yogurt every day – it’s one of my protein & calcium sources. Lots of meat doesn’t work for me. I also find that quinoa and beans help to get some healthier proteins in my body.
Calorie-laden drinks don’t ever have a place in my diet. It’s the quickest way for me to put on the pounds. I opt for filtered water with lemon or lime.
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Paula @ Cookware Cooking
posted on June 24, 2011 at 11:14 am
Inspiring series! Thank you for sharing. I feel inspired to continue looking for healthier ways to eat.
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Kaaren
posted on June 24, 2011 at 12:12 pm
The advice given Betty worked for me, too. A wake up call of cholesterol at 250 (I blame cheese and ice cream) finally forced me to go back to a healthy diet and substituting healthy things for unhealthy cravings helped alot. (I tried to break it down to basics, salty-sweet-crunch-creamy then find a healthy sub) I also found gluten gives me PMS like symptoms and depression so got rid of that. Added flax oil (1T a day) to my diet, eat mostly vegan and cholesterol dropped like a rock to 175… My weight has not been an issue for years (I, too HATE exercise, but love food) so I really was unprepared for the cholesterol thing. I have found that a really good audio book helps with exercise–I only let myself listen if I am working out. And I long ago decided that a personal trainer was a necessity not a luxury since I don’t weight train on my own–seems that in my 50′s I have the bone density of a 20 year old–15 years of weight training to thank for that! (Fewer shoes in my closet seems a fair trade) Still, I NEED a bowl of Hagen Dazs Rum Raisin ice cream occasionally… Thanks for your Cookbook and your blog!
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Gina
posted on June 24, 2011 at 12:15 pm
One thing that helps me cope when I have a new restriction in my diet or I realize I need to eat a little less is just keeping some perspective. If I remember that once the new diet becomes routine, it won’t feel like deprivation any more. So I allow myself a short mourning period for whatever it is that I’m giving up, then I get on with it. Once I start feeling better the diet is its own reward.
Thanks for a great series of posts!
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robyn
posted on June 24, 2011 at 12:21 pm
i’ve loved these posts (well love your blog in general)! i am curious to know what your “meal plan” was like while you were actively loosing weight? i know and agree with all the steps and things you’ve mentioned but i’m curious to see a sampling of what a typical day was like for you on your journey…ie exercise, bfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. did you count calories or simply go by how you felt? i get lost in all the options out there; because although a gf/sf lifestyle seems limiting there are still so many great food choices.
i’m also curious if you take supplements? you may have mentioned this previously and i missed it.
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Evie
posted on June 24, 2011 at 12:38 pm
I have found that I can’t buy the things that are triggers for me. I really adore ice cream and there isn’t really a way for me to have it in the house and not eat it. I think knowing that about myself has helped. I don’t buy things I will binge on…and I work hard to find healthier alternatives. Sometimes when I’d like something sweet a smoothie with fruits and soymilk is enough. Also being 100% commited to exercise has been key for me getting back to a healthy weight. No matter where I am, what eating mistakes I’ve made…I know I will workout and I used to go months without working out at all. Making that commitment has really changed my habits more than anything else. It’s hard to feel happy about eating unhealthy when you’ve worked so hard exercising. It keeps me in check.
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Christine
posted on June 24, 2011 at 1:07 pm
I made an interesting discovery about 2 days ago. I think I finally found the key for me personally for losing weight, and since it’s so contrary to what the mainstream health gurus say I was quite surprised. After being diagnosed with a corn and refined sugar allergy in March, even most of my normal gluten free staples were out (I’d been gluten free for over a year at the time with a self-diagnosed intolerance, later diagnosed as an actual wheat allergy at the time I had the corn allergy.) Having no alternatives, I started eating just meat and veggies with some fruit for meals. Nuts, veggies, no sugar added dried fruit (as in none in the ingredients list), and cheese slices became my snacks. In order to stay full on a diet like that, my protein amounts during the day doubled. I read Nourishing Traditions which talked about the benefits of unprocessed whole foods and that fat is ok (in moderation). I’m eating 2 eggs daily usually mid-morning, I have a “green” smoothie for breakfast (color actually depends on the fruit added but there’s always at least a cup of green veggies, plus protein, kefir (homemade), and the fruit), and I make sure to have some protein with snacks when I’m hungry. We’ve started buying local grass fed meat and after being at a plateau in my weight for months, I’ve finally started losing weight. Apparently my body likes and processes animal protein for energy better than anything else, and my sticking to nuts and beans for my primary sources of protein was slowing down my metabolism. Now I have meat, eggs, dairy (full fat locally made), plus the fruits and veggies to round out my meal and I’m rarely hungry. Grains have little part in my diet on a daily basis, though I do eat them from time to time when I can stomach it (even rice can upset my stomach it seems now that I’ve been off grains for a while.) This experience just proved to me that everyone is different, and it’s best to experiment and find what works for you rather than taking generic advice about what should work. I’m also starting to think metabolism may be related to what our ancestors primarily ate (which varies by region) and sticking to more traditional diets might help – though it would take experimenting to find out exactly what that means for any one person. Also, even though I eat a larger than normal percentage of my diet as protein, I do watch portion sizes, so I’m also not over-indulging in calories.
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Roxanne Rollins
posted on June 24, 2011 at 1:39 pm
The biggest thing that has helped me to stay at a healthy weight is to give up sugar completely. I get the worst cravings when I eat it, and I feel out of control. In Made to Crave, by Lysa Terkeurst, she says that we eat what we crave and we crave what we eat. It is so true. Because I have consistently stayed away from sugar, I no longer crave it. Saying no to my cravings and letting God meet my needs has made all the difference.
I also eat lots of veggies and fruit for snacks. I lightly steam veggies and keep them in the refrigerator to grab during those moments when I need something to curb my appetite.
Amy, thanks for sharing your life with us. I’m glad that I stumbled across another sugar- and gluten-free girl. I don’t feel so alone now.
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Amy Reply:
June 24th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
@Roxanne Rollins, I’m glad you stumbled across my blog, too! In part 1 I talked about the necessity of giving up sugar – it was paramount for me.
Keeping healthy snacks on hand is a great tool.
Come back anytime, Roxanne!
Hugs,
Amy
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Crissy
posted on June 24, 2011 at 2:52 pm
I’m also reading Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst.
Love it!
For me, I choose to eat a diet that has no flour (processed foods, baked goods, etc) and no sugar. These things cause cravings in me, and having just a bit always leads to over doing it. These boundaries keep me free (of cravings, guilt, extra lbs, etc), they don’t make me feel restricted. I’ve also made this journey to become healthy about honoring the body that God gave me. It’s a journey of learning self discipline and pursuing holiness, not a diet. This is what works for me.
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Theresa
posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:36 am
Hi Amy,
This is a completely unrelated comment
I have been following your blog for a little while now and love it, so I just splurged and bought your kindle version of your recipe book (I RARELY buy recipe books anymore with such good recipes online). I was nervous because I have notice how many gluten free cook books are full recipes that wouldn’t use gluten anyway. Anyway, OMG I LOVE YOUR COOKBOOK!!!! It is so awesome! My son can’t have sugar or gluten and I have been making the recipes for him.. Today I made the date brownies. Brownies with no sugar, gluten…. not to mention no dairy,eggs OR OIL!!! And they are TO DIE FOR! I love gooey (not caky and dry) brownies, and these are soooo delicious! Sorry for all this typing in all caps, I never do that, but what can I say, that is how excited I am!!! I loved that my kids could lick the bowl without me being nervous about raw egg too! Thank you thank you thank you. One little question, I couldn’t see a bread recipe in there, am I missing it? If not, what made you decide not to include bread? Thanks Amy!!!
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Amy Reply:
June 27th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
@Theresa, Thank you, Theresa! I’m so glad you you’re enjoying my book. It absolutely makes my day to hear that it’s enhancing your life and your son’s.
Bread….it takes longer than 20 minutes.
But if you go to the bread tab on my blog you can browse the breads there.
Big hugs!
Amy
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Abbie
posted on July 6, 2011 at 9:23 am
I really need to listen to my body. It doesn’t lie. After I eat refined sugar, I feel sleepy, gassy, bloated, and crampy. After I eat wheat, I get a horrible headache, and terrible abdominal cramps that send me to bed for the rest of the day. After I eat uncultured diary, I feel sluggish, and my tummy feels uncomfortable. There are so many things to do in the day, so many things to accomplish, and with three little ones, one of whom is a newborn, I can’t afford to be more tired, drained, or depressed. I know for my kids, my husband, and most of all for me, I need to be there in life. Living with flare and vibrancy, and I know that some foods will help me do just that, and I know that there are foods that will keep me from doing what I want to do the most.
This has been a great series Amy! And I just love, love, love, your new blog look. Congrats!
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Amy Reply:
July 8th, 2011 at 9:30 am
@Abbie, I’m with you, Abby. I recently tried lactose free milk to see if it worked better for me and it doesn’t. I can do cultured dairy but the other doesn’t work so well.
I admire your commitment to your health so that you can be available for your family.
Hugs!
Amy
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Stewart Filippelli
posted on September 13, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Thank you for taking time to write down this post. It’s been incredibly useful. It couldn’t have come at a much better time for me!
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Amy Reply:
September 13th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
@Stewart Filippelli, You’re welcome.
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