November is the month of watching what I eat

Deena_Bean

I fell off every wagon a few months ago with some major life events and vacations and all that. October has been climb back on the workout wagon (yay, it's working) - Strong Lifts and Cardio (in an alternating sort of pattern). This week I've been slacking on the 'organized' cardio, but have been very busy cleaning and moving furniture. So I count that because I want to (and because I was sweating like a little piggy doing it). Lifts have been game on and I've gotten almost back to where I was when I fell off the wagon. So yay.

November I've decided will be the 'eat better' wagon. I've been kicking around what I really want to do. I was doing the Primal Blueprint long ago and it was certainly effective. I felt good, I was losing weight...all that, but I struggled greatly with it being sustainable. Moderation seems to work well for the most part, but not as quickly. My logic says I should probably not do Primal in the full blown sense because I know how I operate - and I won't be able to forever stay with it. So what I'm thinking is to stick with the moderation type of diet and cut back on the bread/rice/pasta carbs. I already do that to some degree now (as well as dairy - I hate milk and I use almond milk for everything plus almond creamer in my coffee). I do love some cheese, though.

For those of you who have spent more time researching all of this than I have (which is probably quite a few of you): I'm not insulin resistant and my levels have always come back ok. That being said, does it sound reasonable that the moderation diet (with some "bad" carbs included) should be peachy? The largest reason for cutting carbs way back is because of the insulin issues, right? Just wondering...I do plan to avoid carbs a lot more either way.

KnitOrMiss

It just depends. On another post I just made in another forum in another forum, I was explaining that as far as carbs - my body reacts differently. Like broccoli and asparagus are better than tomatoes which are better than strawberries/potatoes which are better than fritos which are better than cake, etc. I maintain a low carb diet (anything under 100 grams is low carb, and anything under 150 grams CAN BE depending on your choices of carbs). I found that the more I gave up, the less I missed.

I still love cake. I still have a sweet tooth, but it's more manageable now. For me, 3-4 king sized candy bars used to be one serving. Last night I ate one square of Godiva dark chocolate with almonds, and I was golden. Yes, a single square. I wanted more, but it wasn't a driving compulsion like it used to be.

For example, I can still eat and enjoy Fritos Scoops, but eating tortilla chips taste like paste and glue to me. Most salsa taste like sweetened tomato vinegar to me, but an almost pico-like one like Herdez tastes quite yummy to me when served on things or in them, but generally not as a dip anymore, which previously I could make a meal of just chips and dip...

I find that the quality of carbs matters more than the quantity, which the quantity is in a reasonable range. I'm also working to identify my more trigger foods. Potatoes I seem to be able to handle a few times a month in a small portion, but beans and corn in a soup, even a carb-friendly portion triggered reactions for me... So to me it's the what rather than how much that matters to me personally.

Also, cutting back carb for me is more because our bodies are more efficient using fat for fuel than carbs. We have to add in a lot of stuff to get our bodies to process carbs well...

What "bad" carbs are you wanting to include in your regular plan?
What "bad" carbs are you wanting to include in your occasional plan?

Same with what you consider "good" carbs. I find those terms mean different things to different people...

Deena_Bean

I would generally refer to good carbs as those found in fruits and vegetables (loosely)...bad in my mind is your run of the mill processed stuff - pasta, breads, sweets, etc. I couldn't care less if I ever eat cake, cookies, muffins and any other baked good for that matter again. I love pizza. Back in the primal days I made dough from almond flour (and some other stuffs I can't recall) - and it was actually pretty good. It's also time consuming and not available outside of my kitchen. So including pizza (no more than twice a week I would guess) would be there...probably tortilla chips (but when I'm behaving I weigh them and don't just eat until I could die), the occasional pasta (very occasional, it's not too often that it pops up for me), and sometimes I like a burger/dog or panini with actual bread. I don't mind reducing the intake of these for the most part, but my problem becomes knowing how much of it is a productive reduction and if it's one of those reductions that you have to seriously reduce or eliminate to see any real benefit.

I'm almost certain I have some food sensitivities - I can't pin them all down, but I have some suspects. I had some general allergy tests done and nothing came back as off the charts. I was then told that although it comes back that way, that doesn't mean that there are some sensitivities anyways - just not strong enough to register as an 'allergy'. I know that too much dairy is the devil for me (ice cream is particularly awful), I suspect corn based products (like popcorn), onions and/or tomatoes. Broccoli and cabbage can be uncomfortable choices sometimes, too.

I hate having to think so much about what I eat. Just sayin.

Dragonwolf

If you suspect food sensitivities, some kind of elimination diet is arguably the best thing to do. When it comes to sensitivities, the only productive reduction is full elimination at first. From there, you can determine your tolerance level if you want, but most people prefer to just nix it for the most part, so it's one less thing to keep track of.

This might sound backwards as all get out, but you could try a 1-2 week single-food "fast." Egg fasts, fat fasts, and "meat fasts" (where you eat only meat and drink only water) are popular. The idea is less about losing weight and more about resetting your system. You then add foods back in slowly and see how they affect you. The break from everything will make effects stand out a little better. Additionally, you'll get a break from thinking so much about what to eat. You have a limited set of choices prescribed to choose from, and can generally eat to satiety or have a set amount to eat.

As for the foods you already suspect, it could be a compound within them. Cabbage and broccoli are cruciferous vegetables (not to mention rather high in insoluble fiber), tomatoes are nightshades (a known sensitivity trigger), and onions (and their cousin, garlic) are a not-uncommon sensitivity trigger. It's worth taking the time to investigate any sensitivities you suspect.

Deena_Bean

Some good advice, thank you. I hadn't considered the fasting option. I'm not personally opposed to the idea, I've read about elimination diets to find out about allergies/sensitivities. My family obviously won't (and shouldn't have to) do the same, so the hardest part for me will be wanting what they're eating. I know I have to not be a baby about it, it's my health afterall. I'm just acknowledging it'll be tough. Does it sound stupid if I say I'm afraid to find out what my sensitivity is? LOL - the thought of giving up some of my favorite tastes (tomato and onion) makes me mighty sad

I need to make up my mind about what I'm doing - that's a major part of the battle for me. I have annoyingly awful decision making skills...but happily I'm pretty good about being guns-a-blazing dedicated when I lock in on something.

Deena_Bean

@dragon - do you track the calories if you're doing the fast? Or is it more of an eat until your full type thing? And if you did a meat-based fast - can you have any meat? Chicken, beef, pork, seafood, etc.? Or is it better to sort of pick one category?

KnitOrMiss

Deena_Bean wrote: »

Some good advice, thank you. I hadn't considered the fasting option. I'm not personally opposed to the idea, I've read about elimination diets to find out about allergies/sensitivities. My family obviously won't (and shouldn't have to) do the same, so the hardest part for me will be wanting what they're eating. I know I have to not be a baby about it, it's my health afterall. I'm just acknowledging it'll be tough. Does it sound stupid if I say I'm afraid to find out what my sensitivity is? LOL - the thought of giving up some of my favorite tastes (tomato and onion) makes me mighty sad

I need to make up my mind about what I'm doing - that's a major part of the battle for me. I have annoyingly awful decision making skills...but happily I'm pretty good about being guns-a-blazing dedicated when I lock in on something.

No, that doesn't sound stupid at all. I'm going through the same thing with my newly developed migraines. Trying to eliminate all sources of MSG is more overwhelming than it was going low carb! That stuff is in everything in some form... So sad.

I think I would cry long and hard if I had to give up tomatoes. With onions, some people have to blanch them or cook them or different things to tolerate. Just like the broccoli and cabbage - most folks I know with this sensitivity have to eat them well cooked - raw is just destructive to them. My only experience is with an egg/fat fast, and on those, you don't count - you just have proportions - it's like 1 oz of fat to 1 egg, etc. (The website "I Breathe, I'm Hungry" has a really good explanation of an egg fast.)I really don't know about the other types...

Deena_Bean

I am almost positive that it's the raw onions that are the biggest problem. I can live with cooking down the onions for the most part. They're raw in the salsa now, so I'm not sure I can do much about that. I had pizza last night and the tomato in it didn't bother me one bit. That made me so happy.

KnitOrMiss

Deena_Bean wrote: »

I am almost positive that it's the raw onions that are the biggest problem. I can live with cooking down the onions for the most part. They're raw in the salsa now, so I'm not sure I can do much about that. I had pizza last night and the tomato in it didn't bother me one bit. That made me so happy.

Maybe it could be lightly "steamed" to kill the enzymes or more lime juice added for the same? You might look up ways to counter the onion enzymes... or just toss it in the skillet when you're heating up whatever you were going to put it on... Just a few ideas.

Deena_Bean

I'm going to try to work with it...I know the onions in some salsas are cooked down, so maybe it won't be so bad in that sense. I don't think the cooked ones are an issue for me (thankfully). Over the weekend I had some crab/avocado salad that had a lot of raw chopped purple onion, diced tomato and cilantro in it. I carefully pushed the onion to the side of my plate and ate the tomatoes/cilantro along with the crab and avocado. I was completely fine and comfortable...more reason to believe that the onion is the culprit. Good to know, I guess.

Dragonwolf

Deena_Bean wrote: »

@dragon - do you track the calories if you're doing the fast? Or is it more of an eat until your full type thing? And if you did a meat-based fast - can you have any meat? Chicken, beef, pork, seafood, etc.? Or is it better to sort of pick one category?

It depends largely on the program, but generally speaking, it's about being as simple as possible, so it's usually either eat to satiety or proportions (like Knit mentioned with the egg fast).

As for the meat one, the ideal is just one, since some people are sensitive to different meats (and many don't realize it). For those types of programs, beef is the recommended one, because for whatever reason, it's generally the best tolerated. The more items you have, the harder it is to pinpoint what's causing any problems. (And no, believe it or not, you don't have to worry about nutrient deficiencies if you're just sticking to beef and water, pretty much regardless of the cut. As long as you eat the fat and aren't eating the ultra-lean cuts, you get all the nutrients you need. Many people actually thrive on a diet of nothing but beef and water.)

knelson095

Food sensitivity questions aside, I'm losing just fine doing the moderation thing. I don't have IR either, and just scaling my calories down to about 1500-1600 per day is giving me a loss rate of ~1.5 lbs per week. I am 5'5" and about 200 right now, so you would have to adjust accordingly, of course. I have mine set to 1.5lbs/week at lightly active and so far its been spot on. I generally hit about 40% carbs, 35% fat, and 25% protein. Trying to get it to 35/35/30 for fullness purposes with protein powder, but that's just my personal preference.