boring day today... hope to "finish strong" with a great run tonight, as it's been a very weak day! weak, i say!! i just feel so tired... and i have nothing exciting to share, either! well, nothing new at least.
i guess something that is semi new in my life is my eating habits. for quite some time i have pretty much eaten what I have wanted - lucky for me, "what I have wanted" consists of healthy foods, as I am not really a potato-chip fan or candy bar freak. of course I love sweets (sour patch kids! swedish fish! skittles!! COOKIES!), but something 'clicked' in me a while back that, for the most part, turns off my enjoyment level of said sweets once i've hit a certain quantity. maybe i learned what it takes to remain relatively fit and the extra unhealthy quantities and qualities of food are just not "worth" it in the end. make sense? i just don't find my enjoyment in eating gobs of crappy food. I prefer a huge, lush salad over a greasy bacon cheeseburger 99.9% of the time - and for that I am lucky and thankful. that being said... i still do love to 'treat' myself to (excessive) treats sometimes!
for the past several months (like, over 6 mos. we can comfortable say) i have been having yukky stomach aches and feeling slow and borderline lethargic. my tummy was bloated - there have been days when I felt simply terrible and had NO desire to move, let alone try to squeeze myself into my jeans and belt. I would often times assume i had just gained a few pounds in a very short amount of time, or that maybe my hormones were totally out of whack or some unexplainable reason for this sever discomfort. after ENOUGH was more than ENOUGH and i couldn't "suck it in" any more in a bikini (gross mental image, sorry about that!), i decided to cut out most carbs and sugar by way of GLUTEN.
what happened?
well, for the most part, I have felt incredibly better!!! in my opinion, my midsection looks better than it did (i do NOT have "abs." i most certainly have a very ummm, "womanly" abdominal region - not too chubby but definitely not defined 6 pack or anything. I personally do not want a 6 pack as i don't really like the look of it. weird, i know?! and no, it's not just because i am too lazy to do 300 sit ups a night, i just like a softer looking, feminine midsection) four to six weeks ago, when i started this new "menu." at first i was very strict about cutting out almost all carbs and sugar, but i am more relaxed with it now. I was not doing the whole Atkins diet, but i did take a few pages from the book (not literally!) to help guide me. I do not eat much processed foods (chips, crackers, granola bars-bummer because i LOVE them!- pretty much anything pre-packaged) or anything high in sugar. for anyone who knows me - can you believe i have cut out a LOT of fruit? i used to eat 2 apples a day, 1-2 bananas a day, berries galore, etc... but not anymore! I have switched to snacking on green beans, broccoli, raw nuts, celery - LOTS of celery!, and anything else that's fresh and easy to eat/snack on. i cannot believe how much more energy i honestly feel like i have pretty much every day (ok, i am just very sleepy today!!) and i feel so much better about how i can move and how i look in my clothes. what a great change - I am so relieved i did this.
i don't know what I will do for the long term/future, but I hope to maintain my mostly gluten free eating habits. the payoff and my level of happiness far outweighs the short term happiness a granola bar may bring me. and no more tummy cramps? sold!
i made a tray of faux-muffins last week that I want to make again. they had the consistency of cornbread (aka HEAVEN, buttered!!) and although they did not have a potent flavor, they were easily jazzed up with a little yogurt-butter and sugar free raspberry jam, melted cheese, etc... yum! I used Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour in place of regular flour and mixed with 3 egg whites, one whole egg, baking powder, a small amount of Brummel & Brown yogurt butter and a wee bit of salt... i will try to remember to share the recipe later this week. they were ridiculously easy and a great addition to my daily eats. try it. please.
all in all, i highly recommend going gluten/wheat/carbo-free (at least severely reduced!) if you have tummy aches, cramps, pains, discomfort, etc. try it, at least - you really have nothing to lose except for, hopefully, some bloating and aches. just google "gluten free recipes" or "low-carb recipes" and see what catches your eye.
happy googling!!
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