This Is What Happened When I Quit Eating Sugar and Junk Food
I've gained and lost weight several times in my life. At the age of 55 years old, this was the easiest weight-loss I've gone through. I have struggled with easy weight gain since I became a teenager, I love sugary foods, especially chocolate. I don't miss chocolate at all right now, not one bit. But I do have a sweet treat once a month and sometimes I forget to have one, that's kind of a minor miracle. I lost 50lbs starting in 2015, it's been a year since I reached my goal weight.
My granddaughter and I at the state fair this last September
The diet is easy, changing my eating habits was the challenge. You have to know your triggers and let them go when they come up, that takes a bit of reprogramming your mind. I learned how to change my habits through meditation, but there are many ways to let go of negative habits and replace them with positive habits.
Yes I am showing my tummy and I am not holding it in, my exercises are gardening, yard work and daily walking! That's my urban backyard garden and the Chicken coop is right behind the garden.
Regarding when I eat, what I eat and my exercise routine, what worked for me may not work for you. However, eating whole food, portion control, and dropping sugar will work for everyone. I didn't drop any food groups but I do limit my intake of grain and dairy, especially cheese. I used grain dishes as a condiment, same with meat and cheese, greens were and still are the bulk of my intake. I also eat a lot of eggs, they are nutritional dense and full of important vitamins, proteins, and minerals that keep cravings away. Eggs also help you sleep, they have a lot of L-tryptophan.
Yep, that's me 50lbs heavier over a year ago. That is when I was still eating sugar and drinking lots of homemade wine, I do miss my wine. I did miss sugar, I don't anymore, the craving went away within 2 months of completely cutting off table sugar and refined sugary foods. I am much happier now because I can fit into my clothes and I can move around without any pain. I sleep like a baby if I don't eat after 5:30pm, eating late and eating sugar can trigger migraines and disrupt my sleep patterns. I also eat small portions, I save a lot of money because I don't eat that much food now. All my food calories are nutrient dense.
Besides weight-loss, I sleep better, but I also have a routine for that, I go to bed and get up at the same time everyday. That is what rituals are for, they help you build positive habits. Try and build new habits when you let old habits go. New habits should be done at the same time every day, no excuses, that takes strong determination and discipline. Something I learned in meditation retreats I did not learn in my daily life. It's like a magic key when dealing with old and new habits.
My joint and muscle pain are gone, my hair grew back, my skin looks like I am thirty years old rather than 56, I still fight fatigue, it's a hormonal thing. Walking helps balance my hormones and so does certain foods, like iodine and selenium rich foods, which support my endocrine system.
I am going to leave my diet and exercise regime vague because all you have to do is eat organic whole foods, eat a lot of fermented veggies, watch your portion control, and get some regular exercise and sleep. Drop all heavily processed fats made from grain and soybeans. I use lard, butter, and coconut oil for my cooking. I don't skimp on my fats and still lost weight!
Check out your hygiene products as well, most have chemicals that can screw up your hormone and digestive system. Oh, and medications can cause weight gain and sleep disturbance so do some research on medication side effects if you are on prescription or over the counter medication.
I'll be posting more recipes this winter and updates on my weight and health. I'll post my struggles and success at staying healthy in our 50s, many of us are not healthy. Many people my age are dying from lifestyle issues and depression, we can't find work, we are eating junk food, we don't exercise, drinking ourselves to death, and taking drugs that are killing us at an alarming rate.
When looking at the causes of DEATH, the researchers found they were primarily suicide, drug and alcohol poisoning (both accidental and intent undetermined), and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, which all increased yearly between 1999 and 2013. Obesity also increased for middle-aged Americans, but does not explain more than a fraction of the increases in morbidity registered over this period.
From my experience being over weight is depressing, the body is burdened and has to work harder to stay balanced, I felt sick and tired all the time, I wanted to go to sleep forever because it was very painful being overweight. Learning how to be healthy has given me something to work on and look forward to when I get up. I am enjoying my life again. I still get sick, eventually I will die, but now I want to live and learn till I finally kick the bucket.
Chemicals that screw with your endocrine system.
Easy Sauerkraut Recipe for a cheap way to eat probiotic foods.
Can Whole Foods Cure Illness?
Food vs. Meds: Organic food and health
Effect of tryptophan-rich egg protein hydrolysate on brain tryptophan availability-stress and performance.
Walking for your health.
There are many ways to change ones habits.
Nutritionally dense food and empty calorie foods.
Fermented food and your health.
Rethinking dietary cholesterol
Fasting: Health Benefits and Risks
I Will Be Looking Forward To
Your Posts.
Steem On!
:))
Writing recipes is really hard work, I am not looking forward to them...I mean what if they don't work out when you try one? It's kind of scary thinking about that. I don't measure when I cook and now I have to stop and take notes. Oh well...let us steem on :))
I Know
I Haven't Measured In Decades!
I Did Find Some Old, Old Recipes,
Treasures They Are!
We need to write them down for future generations. I wish I had my grandmas! But just watching her garden, can and sew, I learned how to do them all without a manual or cookbook. That's my favorite way to learn, by watching.
i found that sugar became fairly unappetizing when the majority became GMO beet sugar and cane is sprayed with glyphosate for harvest. still, sugar was my most difficult addiction to break. compared to sugar, cigarettes were like taking a stroll around the block. i found a hack. i think it was in a book by Daniel Amen called, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body. it said, there are 6 patterns of sugar consumption. i picked the one that most sounded like me. the trick was 2 tablespoons of whey protein twice a day for 2 weeks. it worked like a charm. it was not only not difficult, it just fell away and, i found myself thinking, "now, why was that so hard?" that is when i figured out that almost all addiction is part trauma and part diet, too much or too little of something. when the diet is fixed, the addiction, in most cases, cannot continue. people with physical addictions, like alcohol should be careful, withdrawal from physical addictions can be fatal.
I have compulsive tendencies but I always thought that part of me was from being a creative maniac....I survived sexual abuse as a child and had raging issues that I've finally laid to rest. I read whey when prepared correctly as to not damage the proteins is a super food. I grew up on raw milk, milked my neighbors cows! However Mom gave us lots of treats as incentives for being a good kid and that is where my sugar addiction started.
it wasn't until i got healthy physically that my ability to handle my emotions finished growing and by then i was 40!
I was around 32 when I figured out I caused a lot of my suffering from reacting .... 40 I left my dysfuntional family for good! At least we grew up! <3
there is that. it's just, i see my friends and family in these self destructive loops and i remember being the person who wouldn't listen and didn't know it, and i know they have to do it all themselves. it's frustrating. i guess living by example is all there is.
That's the only thing we can do is live and teach through example. I tried so hard to help I almost died, that would of helped no one. Now I wait and pray they see the light <3
When glyphosate and it's immune plants went commercial is when I started getting very sick. However, I think I've always had problems with too much sugar. Genetically my clan and tribes lived sugar free, I think it's genetic.
sugar fueled, glycolysis metabolism, causes people to age faster. i wish more people knew this.
I have seen this myself, look totally different compared to my peer group ...
I think I'm doing ok with the sugar.... then the craving kicks in. I find myself searching through cupboards like a bear about to hibernate! I can confirm that there are no sweets, chocolate, biscuits or cake in our house. Unfortunatley this is because I ate them all!
When my craving kicks in I think of the wheelchair I am supposed to be in by now and I walk away....walk away, walk away <3