You know those people who seem to drop all their baby weight within a few months of the baby's birth with seemingly no effort? Yeah, well I'm not one of those. It has taken a lot of hard work between each kid to lose those last 15lbs to prepregnancy weight. Between Sweetcakes and Honeybuns I cut out treats and exercised for 6 months and lost 15lbs. Between Honeybuns and Little Peach I cut out sugar (not just treats) and exercised and lost the 15lbs. Here I am again needing to lose it and I have tried both of those strategies with no success. First of all, I have no energy to exercise. I am up multiple times a night and I stay up late enjoying my alone time, then wake up early with the kiddos. No nap for me usually. Whenever I try to work out, I wimp out on the DVD or someone needs a drink of milk or to be put down for a nap. I ain't gonna lie, it is difficult to get regular exercise.
Enter this book I just read, "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, MD. He has observed in his twenty years of being a doctor that his patients with diseases and obesity can reverse their health problems by following an eating plan that is high in nutrient rich plant based foods and whole grains and low in animal products. Sound familiar? Yes, it is basically the Word of Wisdom. He recites statistic after statistic where people who eat a diet high in animal products (the "Standard American Diet") have the higher rate of obesity and obesity related diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Also many types of cancer are found more frequently in this group of people than in the plant eating people.
So I was convinced after reading the recipe section. Sure you can talk all day about how bad my processed food is, but if it's not something I can incorporate into my daily routine or get my kids to like it's just not gonna work. Well, the recipes are totally stuff I already fix! Lentil soup, salads, smoothies, etc. It was awesome. Dr Fuhrman notes that once your body starts receiving the nutrients it needs, it detoxifies and the extra weight falls off. Cravings for junk food are erased, energy is restored, and a plethora of health problems are resolved.
Today I ate cereal for breakfast (only cuz I needed to obtain said fruits and vegetables at the store), grapes, carrots, cherries, and a banana for lunch, and lentil soup and broccoli for dinner. All was delicious and it was so amazing to not have that feeling of guilt that normally accompanies my eating. You can eat as many vegetables as you want, lots of fruit, and whole grains. Nuts and seeds are also in the plan. For the first six weeks you shouldn't eat any animal based products (meats, milk, eggs, dairy) but you can incorporate them back into your diet in small amounts after the initial six weeks. I was a little worried about my milk supply since I still have an exclusively breastfed infant, but it was fine today. I actually did not even experience any cravings for unhealthy food!
I'm gonna try to track my progress on this here blog and pretend that people actually care to know. :-) Six weeks away is September 20th. I can totally do it. Bring on better health! And good bye, extra 15lbs!!
3 comments:
You're going to lose it fast! I went on a similar diet after Carson and the weight just fell off. It's all the sugars and refined grains that cause us to hold onto those stubborn lbs at the end. Keep up the good work!
Very cool Alisa! I always like to see people give up processed food and other foods that are not good for us. I've been doing something similar for 3 weeks now, and I feel wonderful. I'm experimenting with the Paleo diet, and I lost 10 lbs and really leaned up. Good luck! I know you can do it!
Wow, that sounds like a great plan! Can't wait to hear how it goes.
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