Trim & Healthy

My journey with weight and food has been a long one.  I'll be posting recipes and some things about what we are doing here with our meal planning.  If you'd like to know the reasoning behind it, here ya go.

Way back when, like 35+ years ago, I started my first diet.  Yes, I was less than 5 years old.  I remember, because I remember the exact food I ate and the table where I sat.  That house I was in, I only lived in until just before my 5th birthday.  And no, I didn't need to lose weight.  I was on Weight Watchers for the first time, because my mom was on Weight Watchers.  Little did I know then, I'd be on it several different times throughout my childhood and early adult life.  My diet food of choice at 5 - tuna melts straight from the oven with a single slice of cheese on top, neatly sitting on those diet pieces of bread (the really thin ones) that I don't think they even sell anymore.

It began then...the internal dialogue that many of us women contend with on a daily basis.  The beginning of the struggle of wondering if I looked this way or that way - was slim and trim enough or athletic enough or pretty enough and a million other things along the way.  It was the beginning of a long journey that included every diet known to man and a very unhealthy, emotional relationship with food.

Fast forward 30-something years, nearly as many diets and more pounds that I can even type, after college, marriage and 4 kids, a few years of reading, research and learning ~ and I think I've finally come to understand what it is that I actually need to be eating.  For me to feel good, get my weight back in balance with where it should be, and to be as healthy as I know how to be I've discovered that Paleo, Traditional Diets and the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan all have some things in common that work really well for me.  It also happens that most of these things correspond with what The Blood Type Diet say is beneficial for me, as well.  This is a list of what works for me, after lots of trial and error over the last couple of years.

1.  No wheat.  Actually, very little if any grains at all - including corn.
2.  Very little to no dairy.

Although these two things may cause some weight loss, leaving grains and dairy out of my diet removes what had come to be a constant nasal/sinus issue that I realize now was the result of an insensitivty or slight allergy.  It also removes the bloat and tummy troubles I had just come to think of as normal, I'd say a result of gluten.  I just feel better & breathe better when I don't have them.  It's been a difficult adjustment at times, but at least 75-85% of the time, I am grain and dairy free now.

3.  Easy on the white potatoes.
4.  Coconut oil, olive oil and butter.
5.  Healthy sources of animal protein.  Lots of eggs, venison, free range chickens, wild salmon, etc.
6.  Lots of berries & some other fruit.
7.  Lots of veggies
8.  Fermented foods and/or drinks everyday
9.  Stick with one fuel source at a time
10.  Focus on protein
11.  No sugar.  Period.  Stevia, xylitol and some occasional honey for sweetening.

That's about it, I think.  We are still in the process of transitioning and working on being consistent 100% of the time but we are making good progress.  We've come a long way in a year or so.   The last couple of months, with the help of Plexus and some supplements, I'm no longer craving sugar and sweets, and my appetite is just a fraction of what it used to be, which is a huge blessing!  It makes it easier to make better choices and create more healthy habits.  This week, I purchased a pair of jeans for the first time in about 2 years or so....two sizes smaller than the last ones!  Woohoo!

I probably still need to lose 40-50 pounds to be at a weight I'm happy with, but I'm feeling good about it now, which is  more than I can say for the last 35 years.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring!