Friday, August 30, 2013

Not dead yet

Still here, reading y'all behind the scenes and just taking a break.  It's been nice.

I've been reading and researching and RESEARCHING the whole wheat thing.  Wheat and sugar.  And all I can say is, if you think it might help, give up wheat and sugar for let's say 2 weeks.  And see.

I know maybe it sounds all airy-fairy or hocus-pocus - but honestly, you aren't ADDING something.  Just taking something OUT for a while.  If it doesn't help, you can always go have a sammich or fix a box of mac & cheese.

I've become sort of fanatical about how incredible this has made me feel.  I went on a 7.5 mile bike ride yesterday!!  This from someone who had to struggle last summer to get off the couch.  Although, I was in Maryland and the humidity almost killed me...  but I was riding 7 miles every other day last summer.  AND hitting the driving range on the between days!  And I couldn't feel better, I still had to force myself outside, I was still achy and fat. 

From what I'm reading, wheat has the special ability to really hurt you.  It's been horribly genetically modified from our 'amber waves of grain' into 3 foot stubby stalks of hybrid 'fiber'.  The SAD (standard American diet) has been recommending high fiber/low fat for how long now?  And all of us are chugging along, TRYING to lose weight by eating fiber bars and frozen diet meals and multi-grain sandwiches and munching on wheat thin crackers and low fat cottage cheese and it did not work for me, what about you?  How is that diet going?

I remember writing a post about how I couldn't lose weight on a 1200 calorie a day diet and I was SO PISSED!  Here, it's right here and jeebus.  I have been trying to lose this weight following the advice of doctors and magazines and BULLSHIT for - well, since 2006 at least!

I WEIGH LESS THAN I HAVE SINCE 2006

I had STRUGGLED to get this thin, this was my step-daughter's wedding, 2009.  I was about 160 pounds here.
 
And it started fucking falling off of me when I quit eating wheat.  Now, granted, I quit eating sugar too.  Here is a list of what I don't eat:

sugar
sucrose
fructose
high fructose corn syrup
corn
potatoes
wheat
any grains whatsoever
no fruit whatsoever.  NONE.
pasta
rice
crackers/pretzels/bruschetta
beans
peanuts
canola oil (rapeseed oil, it's HORRIFYING)

Here's what I DO eat
meat
steak
ribs
butter
olive oil
avocados
eggs (sometimes 4 a day)
chicken
sashimi (raw fish uh mah gah so delicious)
bacon
bacon cheeseburgers (sans bun)
all veggies, sometimes raw, sometimes sautéed in butter/olive oil

Here's what has improved:
weight:  down 29 pounds since June 20, 2013.  just under 30 pounds in 2 months.
inches:  25.5 inches lost over my body.  TWENTY FIVE AND A HALF.
JEFF has lost 22 pounds by proxy - he eats what I eat, lol.  And he drinks beer every single day (carbs)
I sleep
My energy is KAPOW
I don't HURT in my joints
no gout attacks
sex drive is back (Jeff nods vigorously)
Memory is back
Give-a Crap is back
Happy IS BACK
Hardly ever hungry. 
Hypoglycemic attacks GONE

Look.  Like I said.  Just try it.  All you're doing is removing something from your diet.  I'm not saying to take a supplement, or a pill, or buy a book or join a cult.  And it's easier than you think.

Jeff and I in 2002

Jeff and I in 2011
 
The difference in the two pictures above is fucking horrifying.  I was so healthy and happy in the first one.  I remember that second picture - in Sweden.  I felt like crap, I was SO FAT and ugh.  I wanted to FEEL healthy again, besides the vanity of wanting to be smaller.
December 2012 - no smaller even though I'd been trying like hell

READ.  read read read.  I've given you links, I will give you more.  YOU decide.  But it seems to me that the link between Monsanto and big agriculture and the US Govt food pyramid and obesity in this country and the rise of things like celiacs and asthma and skin rashes and inflammation, and rheumatoid arthritis, and PCOS and thyroid issues and hormone imbalance and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - it all seems so fucking fishy to me.

I worked in the clinical trials industry.  I'VE heard first hand stories about all this crap.  And I can't imagine that taking more chemicals in the form of "medicine" is the way to go, when it would be so much easier to just TRY and remove a substance from our diets.

Do you know what causes diabetes?  Yes, insulin imbalance.  What spikes insulin?  Glucose.  What turns to glucose in your system the fastest?  WHEAT.  What doesn't spike insulin?  Protein.  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/diabetes/#axzz2dTwYv6ke

http://www.nffc.net/Issues/Corporate%20Control/USDA%20INC.pdf <-- PDF

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-grains/#axzz2dTaUhwX1

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/simple-complex-carbohydrates/#axzz2dTaUhwX1

(three of the above links take you to MDA, but the articles link outside sources and I am not going to reinvent the wheel.  That Mark Sisson guy is pretty smart.  he also has a lot of detractors on the net - please do your own research)

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/ I have his book.  It's written sort of badly, but his links are good and the info on the blog is good.  I just find the book sort of juvenile.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/ - Monsanto has to be one of the most horrifying corporations I have ever heard of.  Did you know that any farmer who is government subsidized (which ones aren't?  ORGANIC FARMERS) are contracted to buy their seeds through Monsanto or another same-type organization?  The seeds these companies provide will not propagate.  Which means a farmer cannot harvest their own seeds for the next growing cycle.  They HAVE TO BUY more seeds from the same company, or lose the subsidy (losing the farm, so to speak).  Monsanto has genetically engineered the seeds to not reproduce.  They can come and take a DNA sample of the crop and see if the plant was grown from a Monsanto seed.  Wheat, corn, soy - HAHAHA you thought soy was the new protein??  It's all GMO and kind of a frankenplant.  And not good for you.  Remember how Pa Ingalls would buy seeds?  Or any story from that time, there was a 'seed man' coming around in a wagon, selling corn or wheat seeds?  Now it's Monsanto.  The same people who bring you Round Up poison.

OH HEY - the wheat is also called 'Round Up Ready'!  Cos it's genetically modified to be able to be sprayed with Round Up for bugs and not die!  How convenient for the maker of the seed and also the spray. 

What about the school cafeteria menus?  government schools!  It's state run, remember, just like Russia.  Pizza.  Spaghetti.  Oh, just look it up, you can find your kid or grandkid's school menu online.

My own kid suffered HORRIBLY from asthma.  Like, Mike was in the urgent care just about every weekend.  He also has hideous dermatitis rash on his skin, and as a kid it was so bad.  I was poor.  We ate a lot of mac & cheese and spaghetti and rice and fish sticks and hot dogs and frozen veggies.  I had no idea.  regrets?  Yeah, I got 'em.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/concentrated-animal-feeding-operations/#axzz2dTh8Ke5z  Again with the MDA website, but follow the links.  We all know how horrifying the animal industry is.  Now I am researching a grass-fed organic farm here in Temecula where I can buy chickens that actually eat bugs the way they are supposed to, that scratch and feed in the grass naturally.  Cows that eat fucking GRASS.  I'm also going to start my dogs on all protein, since dogs don't need fucking CORN (read the ingredients on your pet food).

I eat almost ALL protein.  I eat fat.  Real, grassfed butter.  Bacon (uncured).  I'm lucky that we have no kids at home anymore, so we can still spend the same on our food budget and get better stuff.  But just cutting out wheat is SIMPLE.  It costs LESS.  I am making a dr appt and I will post my numbers when I get them.  Like my cholesterol and blood pressure and all that - but I'll betcha a hundred bucks they all GO DOWN.  Yes, even while I'm eating eggs (the whole thing, Omega 3's baby!) and steak and (healthy) fats.

And you will eat less.  You will spend less because you will eat less.  Because you wont be hungry every 2 hours.  (however, you will cook more...)
158 pounds, August 22, 2013.
 
 

14 comments:

  1. VERY proud of you and glad you found what's working for you. --LuLoo

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    1. thank you Luloo. I know I'm sort of PREACHY (ya don't say) right now but man, I feel like I found out about POCKETS or something...

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    2. I could get out my soapbox, and I'm sure my sermon would match yours exactly. Two of my friends are dealing with gluten intolerance now, and both buy their groceries from Hell-mart.

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  2. Makes a lot of sense to me. I KNOW food doesn't taste like it use to-not meat, not fruit and veggies, nothing tastes the same. The only flavor is what I add (herbs/spices, wine) and that's not just me aging: My other antique friends are saying the same thing. Been using the same recipes forever and not getting the same flavor at all.
    With this genetically modified food, I *know* I'm eating Monsanto: The fertilizer, the "pest resistance" (Round Up type stuff) is right in the seed. It seems to me even if you're eating organic, unless you're growing from heirloom seeds it's defeating the whole purpose. Every other First World Country indicates clearly on their products if the stuff is genetically modified; in the US, you need a Smart Phone to scan the item to ascertain whether or not it's GM. I'm not a granola cruncher by any means but if the stuff is expensive as hell, doesn't taste good on it's own merits or sets up weird kinds of cravings, something's up.
    My animals have never been fed the stuff from the grocery store. I buy their food at the Feed Store and get the grain free; ex: Innova Evo or Fromm makes great wet and dry food. My dear antique BFF Rita commented on the expense of my "Designer" pet food and I told her it may cost more up front, but they eat less because it's high protein and the crap she's buying is basically cheeks and beaks-that's the "Designer" stuff. The over-all health of my pets is very directly related to what they're being fed. Their coats and eyes are bright and shiny, they're much more active into old age and live much longer with much less morbidity (and low to non-existant) Vet bills outside of their regular check-ups.
    Thanks for the info, Gladys. I really appreciate it.
    TW
    We have a lot of dairy farms here. At the top of the silos, they paint, "Drink Milk." I was kidding a friend of mine out west about their farms and asked, "So what's painted on their silos? Drink High Fructose Corn Syrup?" ;)

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    1. lol out west, yes - but we don't have silos! (at least not here in the city...) but 'drink HFCS' is a good one.

      I'm going to look into those pet food brands you mentioned. My Fiona is itchy and scratchy all the time - vet said she's allergic to fleas but we don't have any fleas, so?? I also hate putting Frontline or whatever on them, but I hate having fleas more.

      I've been saying that tomatoes don't taste like tomatoes anymore! They taste like water. Same with watermelon and strawberries. Unless I get organic stuff or directly from a farm, they don't taste like anything.

      I want real food back dammit. I'm tired of putting stuff in my mouth that tastes like chemicals.

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    2. One really positive thing I remember about my NF was the veggies he grew. The tomatoes were to die for but I suspect he fertilized them with bull shit!

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    3. Now, that's FUNNY. I really am laughing at my computer right now!

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  3. Gladys, You'll see a HUGE difference with Fiona I bet within a week once you change over to the grain free. I know you're suppose to transition slowly from one feed to another, but if I end up with an animal that was eating gawd-knows-what previously, I just start them on the Fromm and/or Innova from day 1. They've never had a problem-no vomiting, no diarrhea etc. I live up close with the animals so that involves being on ahhh...somewhat intimate terms with their poop. Even that looks healthy.
    With the Fromm and some Innova products? Look at the bag/can carefully to make sure it's the grain free because some of their products have some small amount of grain, but not as primary ingredient. I imagine you have access to big pet stores like Petco that I don't have so maybe ask someone to help you. I think California Naturals also makes a grain free, but they may have been taken over by some conglomerate which results in the bag/can looking the same, but the ingredients have been changed. (I've been screwed by this maneuver before.)
    Fiona is gonna thrive on a grain free diet! And no more short or long acting steroid shots to keep the itching down to a dull roar...yeah, she's not allergic to fleas, she's allergic to the food.
    Now that summer is ending, my ability to eat out of the Farmer's Markets is gonna cease soon. Some stuff I can freeze, some stuff I can't and I stopped canning after George died. I also don't have the storage space here. But I also miss real food!!!
    TW

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  4. I fed Wellness to my dog until they were bought out and the recipe changed. I started making his own food with the same meat from the grassfed cows and yogurt from grass-fed cows and veggies from an organic farm that the people eat. I've got a 12-year-old cat whose only eaten healthy food, and the vet is amazed at how good her coat looks and how alert and healthy she is. --LuLoo

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    1. Ooops, sorry; I mean I fed California Naturals to him, then switched to Wellness. --LuLoo

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  5. Pet Food food for thought:
    http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/videos.aspx
    TW

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  6. TW - I don't know if you'll come back to this post, but the little independent pet store by my house was swallowed by Petco and they haven't re-opened yet. SO, I decided to just feed my dogs protein.

    I've been making them chicken and rice, adding veggies that I happen to have. They love it. I don't know if dogs actually need rice, but I can't afford to feed them ALL protein, lol. I haven't noticed improvement yet, but it's only been a coupla days. I also add butter to the mixture - and homemade chicken broth to thin it out.

    Sounds crazy to do that for dogs, but these are my babies - anybody who has dogs or cats or even birds can attest to the bond that forms. I'd do just anything to keep them healthy for as long as possible. I wish I had started this sooner.

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  7. Just saw your comment, Gladys. Sure, you can DIY with your animals and the link I gave above speaks to doing this-in fact, if you have the time and $$, it's a really great, primal way of feeding. The only challenge is making sure they get the vitamins and minerals they need as well, so balancing their diet with other necessities besides large amounts of protein and fat is important. I believe some rice is a good idea but I couldn't give you an idea of how much proportionally because I don't know how much Fiona weighs or how many oz. of protein etc. she's getting with each meal. But what your doing now is a huge improvement! Good for you and Ms. Fiona too! I don't think you're crazy at all: I just lost Troubs @ 18 in May and I still miss her. But it looks like a re-home adult feline is on it's way and should arrive hopefully next Sun. 9-15.
    Many "Boutique" type stores for pets (like places that sell fancy dog leashes, bedding etc.) also carry better brands of food. If they have food in a freezer and you can afford it, that's the first place to look. Obviously we don't have "Boutiques" here but more urban areas typically do. I'm really fortunate to have a Feed Store with people who are knowledgeable about all kinds of animals (domestic/farm) and are walking encyclopedias. (I trust their knowledge more than the Vets when it comes to feed.) These people are seriously dedicated to caring for all kinds of animals.
    If you don't mind and I remember (that's the bigger challenge for the brain damaged) please let me know how Ms. Fiona does on her new diet.
    Thanks!
    TW

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  8. Thank you TW! I will check into what vitamins etc - I am also going to get her (and Charlie) some actual pet food - it was sort of an interim thing, the chicken and rice. There are some primal websites that advocate just feeding your pet raw chicken - but yeesh. I have to weigh health against money, and also raw meat has a rather horrific effect on what comes OUT, if you know whut I mean.

    So far, Fiona LOVES the chicky-rice. Charlie would eat an old shoe (AND HAS) so HE is no gauge. I'll keep you posted, as they say...

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