*After a full breakfast, do you get hungry before it's time for lunch?

*Do you have a difficult time stopping, once you start to eat starches, snack foods, junk food, or sweets?

*Do you sometimes feel unsatisfied even though you have just finished a meal?

*Do you sometimes eat even though you are not really hungry?

If you can answer YES to any of these questions, click here and take the Carbohydrates Addicts Quiz. You might be surprised by the results!

I have had several people ask me "What are you doing to lose weight?". So here we go I will try my best to explain simply about the program I use, what I eat, and what exercise I do.

The Eating Program I follow is called The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet. This diet deals with the insulin release in our bodies. The longer we eat carbs it then triggers the insulin release, perhaps too early or too much. As much as I think I understand how this Diet works with my body, I think I will leave it to the experts (authors) Dr. Rachael F. Heller and Dr. Richard F. Heller. They have written a book, a handbook, a guide, whatever you want to call it.. it seems to meet the need. They answer all your questions, give great examples, and simply explain the scientific part. You can pick their book up at most bookstores or I found my copy on Amazon.com for 1 cent lol :) 

In their book, they list a few Signs and Symptoms of Carbohydrate Addiction:

* A frequent focus on eating. - This was definitely me before I began the diet!

* Lack of satisfaction or the desire to eat again a couple of hours after eating. - Me again!

* A sense of fatigue or tiredness - ME ME!

* An explained feeling of anxiety or anger - hmmm ask my husband lol

* A heightened emotionality - YEP ME AGAIN! 

I mentioned earlier, that I really recommend you taking the quiz they offer online (it is also in the book). It's free and very simple. You really need to know on which end of the spectrum you fall in the Carb Addict category. 

There are 4 categories:

Doubtful Addiction
Mild Carbohydrate Addiction
Moderate Carbohydrate Addiction
Severe Carbohydrate Addiction - ME ME ME ME ME! lol

Of course in the book, they go into great detail what to expect with each category. I knew as soon as I started reading the book, that my fate made its bed in the SEVERE column. Every symptom and sign of that category fit me like a glove. Things finally started making sense to me. 

For years now, I thought there was something wrong with me. That I was a freak or something, because all I thought about was food. I woke up in the morning thinking about sugar or carbs. And often times I would have 2 or 3 bowls of sugar cereal come to find in just 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours I was starving out of my mind again. I used to tell myself and everyone else that I hardly ate anything, because in theory during the day I really didn't eat meals I grazed. Then at night I tend to make the pantry a buffet, all the while convincing myself it was only two squares of chocolates, four cookies, 3 marshmallows, a bowl of ice cream, ect.. I think you get the picture. Alot of things in small amounts still add up to a ton of calories!! 

So this last year in April to be exact, I decided I was fed up. Oh wait, I have had this declaration before haha but this time something was different. After giving birth via C-Section at the incredible weight of 307lbs in November of 2007, and coming away with a new worry of high blood pressure, I knew I just knew I could not go on anymore as I had been. Out of control self medicating with food. The myth about overweight people is that we are always depressed or that we only eat a ton when we are upset. WRONG! I ate no matter what I was feeling lol. 

Watching a movie at night with my husband always inspired me to conjure up some unique snack and dessert that would last us the entire movie. Just eating like zombies..well maybe not, they tend to eat like a psycho. I guess I mean mindless eating. 

I struggled with post pardom with this second pregnancy. Something I did not expect at all. It took me about 3 months to climb out of the depression. I was embarrassed to talk to anyone about it.. I was confused.. Mainly because I could not explain to my husband what my problem was.. Thank the Lord, my mind and emotions cleared eventually bringing me back to my usual dorky self. Well, that is when I began to take my health a little more seriously. 

On my main Weight Loss Blog, you can see my progress since April. I have charted my weigh ins each week. The last couple of months have not been as promising grrr. But as I have mentioned many times.. No Way will I go back. 

This Carbohydrates Addict's Diet is a way of eating that really you can live with. Probably the only diet I have ever been able to live with. You may ask why?? Because within the first few days of starting this diet the insane cravings for Carbs and Sugar go away. I mean literally fade. The freedom I have felt after realizing my cravings had left, was something I can not adequately describe, accept that it felt that for so many years I have literally been a slave to food. And for once in my life I was set free. I don't even think about food, or look at food, the way I used to. 

I am sure now you are wondering what I eat right? lol

Typical Breakfast for me:

2 eggs sunny side up with spices (You can have these eggs anyway you like, even an omlett)
2 TBLS of Salsa on top ( I don't measure)
1 cup of coffee with NO sweetener just some creamer

Breakfast ties me over to lunch, which I usually do not eat until 2 or so in the afternoon.

Typical Lunch For Me:

3 oz of Tuna or chicken (any meat)
Diet Soda (ditching diet sodas after listening to Suzanne Sommers talk about the dangers)
You can have Salad or Green Beans or even a little low fat cheese

Usually around 5 or 5:30 I am more than ready for dinner, now sit down because this is the exciting part.

Typical Dinner For Me:

Anything I want! 
The catch is? You must eat within 60 minutes. Sound crazy? Yep! After reading the book you will understand the scientific purpose of eating within 60 minutes. Not a minute later.
Sample Dinner: 
 Pizza 
Salad
Bread Sticks
Soda or Coffee
Ice Cream (Whatever I want)

This diet helps your body regulate the proper insulin release along with the proper intake of Carbs. This is not a NO CARB diet. It's just a very low Carb diet during the day. The book calls your 60 minute meal your Reward Meal! The Breakfast and Lunch meals are known as Complimentary meals.

I know Breakfast and Lunch seems measly. It amazing me how two eggs and a cup of coffee tie me over until the afternoon more than 2 or 3 bowls of cereal ever did for me. In the book there are tons of ideas to try out for your meals. I just tend to stick to the same things, makes me life a little easier and predictable.

As I mentioned I weighed 307 lbs at my heaviest the day of my daughter's birth. I lost some a month out..just seem to come right off. However, when I began this Carb diet in April I weighed in at 285lbs. Right now I weigh 242 lbs. I really hope to lose some more by next week. We shall see lol

The Carbohydrates Addict's Diet book does not push exercise too much. I tend to think in order to lose weight and tone your body at the same time you really need to incorporate exercise. Right now I mostly walk as fast as I can at a 7 incline on my treadmill for 30 to 40 minutes. If I feel like it lol I will then ride my stationary bike for 30 minutes. I have weights that I alternate as well. I really need to focus more on sweating.. well more than I have been.

I will tell you, I have never felt better. I am not sluggish anymore. The energy I have now.. is completely different then a year ago. I don't think about food the same way. My skin is better. My mood is better. My heart palpitations have disappeared and my blood pressure normalized after losing 20 lbs and has stayed normal since, and my menstrual cramps have completely diminished (which is a miracle. lol). I cannot wait to reach my final goal!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Bloggest Loser Contest

kris from HAnds, house, and heart full is hosting a weight loss challenge called "The bloggest loser" This will be a twenty week challenge. No one will be booted off thank goodness lol weighing in will be every f

riday. if you want to join click over to her blog and read more about the contest. i copied the rules below to give you an idea of what is expected.

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MY BEFORE PICTURE:  This is after gaining back the 45 lbs I worked so hard to lose this last year. :(

1) No one gets 'booted' off--I'm not the 'bootin' type


2) Weigh in once a week on Fridays...I would prefer a picture of your scale but if you're too shy to post it on your blog I will accept it via e-mail

3) If you enter contest I need to know your beginning weight--I will take your word for it but I need some kind of picture for proof--whether it be a picture of yourself or your scale. (I believe most people are honest when it counts--hopefully that's true!)

4) I will calculate everyone's % of weight lost each week and post who the 'Bloggest Loser' of the week is.

5) All weekly 'Bloggest Loser's' names will be placed into a hat for the 'consolation prize' drawing--winner of said prize will receive a $10 Wally World gift card at the end of the contest.

6) At the end of the contest I will calculate who lost the highest % of weight overall. This person will receive a $25 gift card to the store of their choice.

7) You must sign the Mr. Linky with a link to your blog in order to be eligible.

8) You must use the same scale each week for your picture...different scales will show different numbers after all

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm doing this with you and Kris and thought I'd come say hi! I did your little quiz and I scored a "You have scored in the severe carbohydrate addiction range. You may be struggling to control your eating without realizing that your body has been fighting you, literally driving you to eat and then storing the excess food energy as fat." Honestly, I just wanted to say duh! lol I like the menu you use daily! That rocks and I think I might give it a go:)
Keep going girl!!!!

May 15, 2009 at 11:24 AM

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