500 Sweet Potatoes

We did the math and we figured out that our household consumes between 400 and 500 sweet potatoes a year!

The reason we figured this out was because there appears to be a sweet potato shortage in our area!!! For the past couple of weeks, the grocery store hasn't had any or hardly any sweet potatoes available. And the co-op only has organic sweet potatoes (prohibitively expensive) and not its usual stock of conventional.

It scared me!

Sweet potatoes are a staple in my diet. They are a major source of my carbs and my starch. They fill out a meal. (we also eat other squashes, like acorn or butternut... turnips and rutabaga also fill this role... but sweet potatoes are my absolute favorite!).

So what did I do? Bought up every last sweet potato my store could offer! Hahaha :)

Not really worried about it. But it was amusing to think about how reliant we are on sweet potatoes - they are what bread used to be for us!

Short post today, back to walking on break :)

Weekend Update - city walk, hiking, renovations

Lots done this weekend - lots of house changes (more this week - painting us done, ceiling to be fixed, rearrangement of rooms, etc).

Also spent oodles of quality time with Chris :) we walked around our city on Friday- the weather was gorgeous!!

Did a small hike on Sunday that had to be cut short because I'm a little under the weather - 11 hours of sleep last night rely helped. Sleep is the BEST medicine!!

Some pics from the weekend:

Just a little update to let you know what I'm up to- better posts to come!

<3

No Grains, No Gains: Dealing with Body Shape and Size Changes

NO GRAINS, NO GAINS: A GROUP A OF PRIMAL/PALEO/GRAIN FREE WOMEN WHO BLOG ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES/LIFE/BENEFITS WITHOUT GRAINS. A GREAT WAY FOR OTHERS (WHO MAY BE WANTING TO LOSE WEIGHT, REVERSE AN ACUTE/CHRONIC HEALTH TREND, AND/OR TRANSITION FROM COMMERCIAL WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS) TO READ ABOUT REAL LIFE WOMEN WHO ARE LIVING THE LIFE AND SUCCEEDING!

I skipped out on last month's No Grains, No Gains topic because life was really crazy for me. No surprise, life is still really crazy, but I managed to get my stuff together enough to participate this month!

The topic? How my body shape and size has changed, and how I've dealt with it.

First, I will show you how it has changed.

This is me, circa 2003, before my "awakening" when I got real and dropped some serious pounds (I am also filthy because I am doing archaeology... wow, this is the worst picture of me on earth, seriously):

Here I am after losing the weight, but not getting real about nutrition, so still pretty bloated/inflamed (I am at one of my best friend's weddings here in 2010!):

And here I am AFTER Paleo, after getting real about nutrition and exercise (2014):

I suppose "dealing with it" is the wrong way to phrase it, since all the changes have been incredibly positive, it really has just been a process to STOP thinking of myself the way I used to be (for so long) and learn to accept that I have this new body (and as long as I stick to my plan, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere!)

So, what's changed?

Well, my weight is a big one. Before going paleo and getting real about ditching processed foods and empty carbs, I was still pursuing health and fitness in my own way, but I couldn't seem to break a plateau that was driving me crazy. I had dropped from almost 200 pounds to 135-140 pounds doing a general calorie in-calorie out formula (with little regard to food type or quality - I was still eating processed foods). I felt generally healthy, healthier than before, but I still looked a little pudgy and couldn't seem to get to that next level that I had always dreamed of (I am a big admirer of strong, athletic body types).

I had started to accept it as it was, actually.

But then Paleo started to come on the health and fitness scene. I was interested, and NOT because of the hype around "eating like our ancestors" because I know that that premise is a bit silly, but because giving up grains, white sugar, alcohol and putting in TONS of veggies, fruits, lean protein and healthy fats just made a ton of sense. The idea that QUALITY mattered hit me in the face like a ton of bricks... I don't know how I didn't put the pieces together before.

I did the Whole30 and dropped to 123ish pounds in a just over a month.

I was floored.

I had spent the majority of my life obese. And a small part of it at a healthy weight, but not feeling like I was at my best.

After that first major drop of weight (which I maintained! Here I am, over 2.5 years later and still weighing 123 (though last year I did dip down to 118 for my wedding... I was super skinny and it was not maintainable for my body!)), I did have to stop feeling like I wasn't good enough. I had to get those stupid thoughts out of my mind.

I WAS good enough. I was good enough at all the weights I was.

And then, reaching a really ideal body weight (ideal for health and for fertility and longevity), I really had to face my body dysmorphia demons. Those voices that tell me I am fat and not good enough? They are clearly and logically wrong. It was a lot harder to pretend like I didn't have body dysmorphic issues once I was medically very fit and healthy. It didn't jibe.

My body was healthy and then began the work to get my MIND healthy (look back at years of posts to see how I approached that work). That was the REAL and HARDEST work I did. I wish I had loved my body my whole life.... but my obesity was a symptom of a lot of pain and self-doubt and fear. It probably was impossible for me to love myself then.

But I've talked ad nauseum about that! So back to the topic:

My body shape has changed as well.

Firstly, I was no longer bloated and inflamed from that grain-focused, processed standard American diet. My stomach was flatter than I ever dreamed it could be (still not FLAT, but I am a woman with curves, and had to get out of my head that I would ever look like a model).

Secondly, the Paleo diet really encourages you to strength train and to get your whole body fit. Gone were the days of hours of low intensity cardio! I had always done a LITTLE strength training, but really went whole hog after I went Paleo. I love full body exercising (hiking, swimming, yoga, body-weight training, etc) and engaging my whole body. I focused a lot on my core strength and balance.

And trust me, once you realllllllly get your core in shape, you will notice that you stand straighter, stronger and more confidently, which changes your body shape immensely.

So the takeaway?

Even if you don't eat Paleo or Grain-Free, I do recommend ditching as much of the empty carbs, processed foods, chemicals, antibiotics, preservative, white flours, white sugars, etc as possible. And when you do? Fill up those holes in your diet with more veggies than you think possible, beautiful fruit, lots of lovely protein, nuts, seeds, coconut oils, olive oils, avocados, etc.

You might just see a big change in your body!

Other members of No Grains, No Gains:
Leigh http://poonapalooza.blogspot.com/
Karen http://gardengirlkp.blogspot.com/

Cancer scares me, so I'm doing some crazy rambling!

(Brace yourself for a rambling rant of my crazy brain... but these are typically the thoughts that swirl around in there when I think about these issues!)

 

If you read here often enough, you know I preach a general motto of "processed/chemical/etc foods cause inflammation and inflammation causes disease" around these parts.

 

This morning I was reading an article about the link between obesity and cancer risks (from your predisposition to GET cancer to your ability to recover from it):

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/01/health/obesity-cancer-asco/

 

The article can be summed up in these quotes I pulled from it if you don't want to read the whole thing (but I recommend that you do!);

 

"the encompassing explanation seems to be that obesity triggers changes in how the body operates, which can cause harmful cell growth and cell division. Many of these changes may be linked to inflammation. In general, inflammation occurs when your body is reacting to something out of the norm -- say a virus or a splinter in your foot. Obesity seems to cause chronic inflammation, which in turn may promote cancer development."

 

"Obesity can affect a cancer patient's outcome from diagnosis to remission. Obesity-related pain or unbalanced hormone levels may distract patients from the early warning signs of some cancers. Fatty tissue can also make it difficult for doctors to see tumors on imaging scans. And a late diagnosis often means a lower chance for survival. The relationship between cancer and obesity also matters after diagnosis. Cancer treatments, such as radiation or chemotherapy, may be hindered by a patient's size. If the patient needs surgery, studies show excess fat puts them at a higher risk of complications, infections and death."

 

While, of course, we all want to look good and every human has a little (to a lot!) vanity in them, these values I preach are NOT about vanity. They are about your life and your health and your longevity.

 

You can see from my weekend that I do not eat PERFECTLY, I don't know that I ever will (but I know some people and read some blogs of people who do - it is something to aspire towards!). But I eat really, really, really well and moderately most of the time. Even when I have some wine or eat a pancake for breakfast on a vacation, I still eat lots of veggies, drink lots of water, get tons of exercise. It is important to always take care of myself... this isn't a game I am playing here, this is my one and only life I get to have on this earth (well, likely my one and only ... I won't say anything is impossible, but I do doubt reincarnation ;) )

 

I was 200 pounds years ago - I was on that path, I didn't care if my life was shortened. What changed? I am not sure. I think I grew up and realized that I loved it here. This crazy, scary, beautiful world. I didn't want to leave it early.

 

I might leave it early - accidents, crazy diseases, who knows? But if I do, as I lay there dying, I don't want to look back on the years and know that I could have prevented it. No regrets, right?

 

I posted this article because cancer scares me. And I imagine it scares you. CANCER. Damn. It took my mother when I was 10. That fact alone scares me and saddens me beyond belief.

 

I think about the future sometimes when I make choices that are hard for me (the choice NOT to eat the pizza, the choice to wake up early and go for a long walk, the choice to down a few liters of water instead of drinking with friends, the choice to spend my weekend hiking instead of cozy in bed with my cat and a book, etc). I think about the fact that I want to see and do and live and be here as long as possible. And if that means not indulging the child in me who wants comfort and pleasure and distraction and to be numb to the scary things in the world, so be it. It's better that way anyway, since it is the joy AND the pain that makes this life really awesome.

 

Why did I say all this?

 

To those people who maybe need to get real with themselves.

 

Losing weight, getting fit, being healthy - it might seem like a fad or a game or something OTHER people want you to do or to be. But it is for YOU and your life and your family.

 

I did not succeed in weight loss when it was all about vanity and all about fitting in.

 

I succeeded when I focused on doing the things that would keep me here the longest (and keep me here in GOOD CONDITION!).

 

That's my rant. Slow day at work. Scary article. Crazy brain :)

Take care of yourselves today and all days <3

Weekend Results Weigh-in

So, as you know, I'm not weighing myself daily anymore. But I do a check in around three times a week to make sure everything is on the up and up.

I didn't weigh myself yesterday, because I did eat off plan during the weekend and have a few drinks. Definitely stuff that would bloat me up!

Some of my indulgences this weekend:

~4 glasses of wine

Sips of Chris' beer at the concert

Cheese Nips on Friday night 

Cookies on Saturday night 

Falafel wrap for Sat. Lunch

Half a bagel Sunday morning 

Some of the things I did right:

Drank TONS of water

Ate eggs and fruit at the breakfast buffet on Sat. morning (limited myself to one small pancake as a treat there)

Didn't constantly snack when I wasn't hungry 

Got a salad on the car trip home Sunday

Walked and danced a lot!

Good and not so good choices, overall. 

I decided it was right to check in today, to see where I was.

123 on the dot!

Good choices outweighed the bad :) 

I can't believe I'm going on almost 3/4 of the year of not calorie counting, trusting my hunger levels, trusting my instincts, letting myself indulge here and there, and just doing what I know is right and good for my body. 

And at the same weight I was when I let myself let loose some of that control I was holding so dearly to.

This week is going to be FULL of clean, whole, Paleo food to mitigate some of the junk I ate!!

Back to work! Enjoy your day! <3

Weekend Happenings

Philly was gorgeous and awesome, as always - it is may be my favorite city in the Northeast, it's a really beautiful city and I love the vibe there. Also, the weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and warm and it felt like summer!

Here are some photos from our Saturday morning walk around the city:

And the concert was awesome! One of the opening bands canceled, so the main act, the Disco Biscuits, played an extra set! It was really great, the band played awesome, the venue was beautiful, and everybody was in a really great mood! Also, I had amazing seats right up front with plenty of empty space around me to enjoy. For some reason, the person looking at tickets and letting you into sections let me into a section I didn't have tickets for!! I didn't leave my seat for five hours for fear they wouldn't let me back in. The mistake was an awesome one and I really enjoyed the entire night :)

We partied really hard, stayed up too late, were exhausted the next day, and it was perfect!

Back at work today, back to normal, I'm glad I didn't drink very much over the weekend because I don't feel too bad or bloated or anything :)

<3

What's been going on?

All the crazy!

Seriously so busy, there doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to get everything done. I feel like life is speeding by me and I'm somehow missing it. It's hard to remember that THIS, all this crazy, IS life!

But the super crazy week was worth it, because I got everything done that I needed to get done and put a lot of things into motion to further my life and my home and my family.

And now I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor, because I'm going to Philadelphia this weekend!!

We are going to stay in a hotel with our friends and go to a mini urban festival called City Bisco and I couldn't be more excited. I enjoy this part of life quite a bit more than all that mundane, necessary stuff that needs to be done every day - laundry, cleaning, food prep, etc. This is my little reward for diligently taking care of all my chores and our future!!

Weight is holding steady around 123 pounds this week. I plan to maintain moderation in my food this weekend while away, but I will be having a few drinks, so I do anticipate a little bit of weight gain and bloating. But if I don't overdo it, which I plan not to, the bloat will go away in a day or two after I get back to normal at home.

I'm pretty impressed with myself, it has been well over half a year of not counting calories, and I am within 1 pound of the weight I was when I stopped. Even with all the stress has been going on the past few weeks, my weight has remained really stable. It is a sign to me that I have developed better overall coping mechanisms. 

I will let you know how the weekend goes, and hopefully have some really fun pictures to show you. Until then, I hope everyone has a really great weekend. It is supposed to be a beautiful autumn weekend up here in the Northeast - warm and colorful!

Work walk selfie :)

Namaste <3

Gut Bacteria

I've had the opportunity to read a lot of news lately. Aside from all those horrible disease, war, etc, things happening in the world which occupy most of my reading, I've also come across a lot of articles lately about got bacteria.

And since this is generally a health and life and weight loss and fitness blog, I will talk about got bacteria instead of what seems to be the apocalypse looming!

There have been articles that link gut bacteria and differences and gut bacteria to all sorts of things from autism to diabetes. It seems to be a general consensus among scientists that the type of gut bacteria we have can affect our overall health, including our weight.

There's research being done about using probiotics to alter the type of gut bacteria we have in order to do things such as alleviate aggressive symptoms of autism or prevent the onset of diabetes. (Note: even though probiotics are a big health craze right now, it seems that researchers are warning us against treating ourselves too heavily with probiotics, as they are not regulated by the FDA. Simply, do your research. The probiotics in fermented foods are really good for us - just be careful of the products you buy).

Other articles detail the fact that other types of foods, such as sweeteners found in diet soda, can alter our gut bacteria to actually make us more obese. Food for thought for you.soda drinkers out there!!

Anyway, just a trend I've seen in the news and studies recently. It makes a lot of sense, all those millions or trillions of bacteria in our stomachs and intestines must affect the way that our bodies and minds work.

We are little planets unto ourselves!

Off for my lunchtime walk :)

Camp Recovery

So camping was fun! We had a beautiful tent site right by the water, the weather stayed really nice, it's a bit chilly, there were no other campers around - the sites were far away from each other, and I had a great view out my tent door in the morning:

We kayaked all our stuff out to the site about a half mile or so away from where we parked. I have to say, though, I didn't do a ton of physical activity this weekend, I just relaxed my face off.

I did play golf, weirdly enough! My friends kayaked their golf clubs out to the camp area and they set up a nine-hole golf course in the woods and by the water. It was really silly and a lot of fun.

I missed Chris tons, and I missed my pets dearly, but it was really nice to just be somewhere for two days and not think about all the things that have to be done and have to get taken care of and all my plans and on my preparations. I was realllllllly relaxed (some wine helped - no regrets about that!):

I will not be weighed myself for a couple days, there is no point, because my body is all out of whack from eating some really salty food. And grains. Ayiyi! Still, no regrets - I am still at a point where my body rebounds pretty well after a day off plan. Those days have to be less and less and fewer and far between as I get older, though. But this weekend was a forgivable sin that I am already recovering from after getting back to my normal :)

Actually, other than some snacks, the dinner was really Paleo: grilled meat in lettuce wraps with scallions and radishes and other veggies! But I definitely ate more pretzels than I should have - paleo or not!

I am also looking forward to another night of sleep. I slept really soundly Friday night, the sound of the lake and the wind lulling me to sleep. But I stayed up very late with my friends on Saturday night and I'm a little sleep deprived, even after getting a full night last night.

Back to regular programming :)

Chris is away this week, so my food is actually really simple, and already prepped for the entire week of lunches and dinner! Easy peasy no thinking healthy stuff :)

Ok - going to watch Sleepy Hollow and hug my dog <3

Goin' Campin'!

On my way to kayak/camp for the weekend - without Chris (so strange)!!!!

But there will be radio silence till Sunday/Monday from me. So until then: treat your body and mind well and enjoy yourself!!

<3

Let's Talk Inflammation

I, early on, came to my own conclusions about food causing inflammation which, in turn, caused most of my health issues and have read a lot in the past couple years that this is a common belief in Eastern/ alternative AND Western/traditional medicine.

Inflammation caused by poor diet causes the body to attack itself, go haywire, and stop working efficiently. 

Rashes, acne, joint pain, stiffness, lack of energy, exhaustion, gastrointestinal pain, and more ... All CURED by reducing inflammation in my body.

What do I avoid to reduce inflammation (remember, food can cure or CAUSE disease... It's important to choose well)?

Avoid:

Meat from animals that are fed meat

Meat from animals pumped full of hormones and antibiotics

"Fat free" products (eat that full fat yogurt!! They make fat free taste good by adding sugar!(

"Sugar free" products

Processed food (made with chemicals and preservatives)

HFCS

All soda (ESPECIALLY diet soda)

Grains in general (personal choice to help me avoid processed foods AND to include more veggies/healthy fats in place of the calories I would have consumed of grains)

Added sodium (almost none of my food comes with salt OR sugar added because I don't buy processed food-- which means I get to choose how much salt/sugar I eat by adding it myself)

What do I choose?

Whole foods without labels 

Nuts and seeds 

Wild caught fish

Grass fed beef

Tons of leafy greens 

Fiber in its natural form (veg and fruit)

Full fat foods - avocados, coconut oil, olive oil

You know the drill :)

The more natural your food looks before you eat it, the less likely you are to inflame your body!

Also - just a side note for the day: drinking my pumpkin smoothie again today. Such a great cure to those pumpkin spice cravings without getting a sugary coffee drink WITHOUT actual pumpkin in it!

My smoothie (canned 100% pumpkin, flax milk, banana and spices) gets me all the taste and the benefit of eating pumpkin (which is super nutritious!).

Don't fall prey to quick, delicious treats that treat your body WRONG! ;)