[merryterry]

I'm making progress! Lost 17 pounds so far. Even looking forward to seeing my oncologist in a few days to say, see..I lost some weight!

I moved on from the South Beach thing I started to some more "radical". And I've learned a few things about my body and nutrition.

I've been reading the book "It Starts With Food" by Melanie and Dallas Hartwig. they advocate a diet of meats and proteins, veggies, fruits and nuts. The book detail how foods affect us psychologically-sugar addiction anyone>--, hormonally like insulin, leptin and lots more, how it affects our gut health and systemic inflammation.

It points out lots of info about food we are given is over simplified or spun to make unhealthy food look like good choices for the sake of selling and getting us to come back for more. There's a lot of new science in there, stuff we didn't know 5 or ten years ago.

I've basically cut all sugar and most grain from my diet. My body seems to lose wieght if I eat a LITTLE of those things once in a while. Like maybe a sandwich once a week and a piece of bread with cheese on another day that week. Maybe a piece of cake at a shower. EVen though I know sugar cravings will follow the cake, I can choose to eat it or not and know I have to face down the cravings if I do. And when I do, they're gone in a day or less.

I feel so much better. My abdomen doesn't bloat anymore, I'm hardly every achy in the joints. My back feels better...

So with their diet--they call it the Whole30, you cut out everything but the meat, the fruits, veggies and nuts, including dairy. You can have eggs. You do that for 30 days to let your body get it's balance back, then you add foods back bit by bit and see how they affect you.

So far, a big take away for me is artificial sweeteners. They affect your brain's pleasure center just like sugar so you keep craving that sweet fix. I stopped them. If I'm going to indulge in sweet, it's gonna be the real stuff.

You don't have to count calories or measure. When you eat wholesome food that YOUR body can use, it knows when to stop eating. We're all here because food does things to our brains and bodies in ways that are different from other people. Manipulating our stomachs won't help until we come to grips with the facts we can't eat like other people. It's not our faults.

So. I'm just saying this worked for me. My lapband is useless when I fight and lose by eating bad foods, even if in smaller quantities. Some of us just need to say NO to super-processed foods. I do. I don't want to get all health nut and militant, but maybe, finally after all these years, I've come to the point where I can eat to live and not live to eat.

Sermon over. Give it a think.

[jiffypop]

interesting - very interesting. and it's wonderful that you've found something that works for you.

[merryterry]

20lbs down in less than 2 months! Still with the no sugar/no white carbs.

Well, I can't say none of those things, but carefully thought and planned and MOST of the time no.

I recently talked to a man who used to be very obese and had severe stomach pain. He went to Israel and changed his diet to kosher and realized the pain went away. After many doctors and tests, it was concluded he was allergic to many foods. His body couldn't process them properly and turned it all into fat. When he eliminated those foods, he lost weight steadily and is now a normal size. He had eaten half a Whopper (his 1st in 3 years) and was feeling the effects of the white bread.

Most of my aches and pains are gone. I used to get shooting nerve pain that I don't any more. It hasn't been too hard, either.

I'm pleased with how my weight loss is progressing and at how I'm feeling. Wish I would've gotten this smart sooner!

[Leenie]

Woweee Terry this is great news. I know the way you are eating is the smart way to do it (its hard, but not impossible) YAY for you. My DH is only 20 lbs over weight and this is exactly what he is doing (also counting WW points)

YAY for you

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