From Eat Fat, Lose Fat to GAPS Intro Diet

As you all know, I committed to lose weight using the Eat Fat, Lose Fat regimen last October.  What I found out through the process of taking coconut oil in hot water with a squeeze of lemon three times a day for fivemonths is this: healing comes before weight loss.

In the process of taking all that coconut oil, I did lose about 5-10 pounds.  But instead of slimming down beyond that, I found that my weight stabilized and held as other health issues improved.  I had more energy.  I was sleeping regularly.  I actually wanted to work out and be active by going outside, walking, riding my bike, doing yoga and pilates.  I felt at ease, content, levelheaded.  I started to wonder if it was simply okay that I hadn't lost weight yet.  My body was healing!

Through that process I realized that when I give my body what it needs, it will heal from the roots up.  I am guessing that my weight gain and fatigue and hormone fluctuations are a result of nutritional deficiency.  As I heal from that deficiency, my problems disappear in order starting from the underlying issues all the way up to things like weight gain.  

So that brings me to the GAPS healing diet that I started on March 19th.  It was only natural that after healing with coconut oil alone, an intense healing diet was the next step.  I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I was having success healing, yes, but it was slow.  I was less tired, but I wasn't energetic all day.  I was more active, but I wasn't running and biking and yogaing everyday.  Those are the kinds of things I really want.  I want to feel excited and happy about life!  I want to run and bike and feel energized, not the need for a nap.

On March 19th I started the GAPS Intro Diet.  I made it through the six stages in about 6-7 weeks.  I am about to move to the Full GAPS Diet which includes more variety than any of the Intro Diet stages.  What I had experienced with the Eat Fat, Lose Fat diet was only a small part of the way I have been feeling for the last month and a half on GAPS.  Yes, the die-off was intense at first (the first week or two), but oh the energy! and oh the happy body I have!  GAPS is intense, yes, but it is worth it!

(I'll be writing more in depth on GAPS issues over the next several months.  I committed to do GAPS from March 19th until September 19th of this year.  I might even do a GAPS challenge for my readers in a week or two.  Don't worry, you'll only be committing to a week of GAPS!)

Real Food Nutrition and Health E-Course

Food Renegade is one of my oft-checked real food blogs.  I am getting more involved with Real Food Media and blogging here at k-land about real food, nourishing practices, and my family's health.  As I build up momentum, I am inspired by the work some of these bloggers do.  It's not just the beautiful websites and the wholesome recipes, it's the feeling of solidarity to have people with me in the real food arena.  A lot of people doubt the veracity of Nourishing Tradition's claims, or that saturated fat really is good for you, or that our ancestors ate raw dairy, sprouted and sourdoughed grains, pastured meats and eggs.

Starting on February 4th and ending April 8th, Food Renegade's Kristen is starting an e-class, complete with e-book!, that teaches you all the basics to traditional foods.  I love how Kristen puts it:

"Nutrition fascinates me. It's a blend of biology, history, chemistry. It's the story of traditional peoples and what they ate, the story of convenience foods and food manufacturing. It's the story of modern Industrial agriculture, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetic engineering, and diminishing top soil while also being the story of humane animal husbandry, biodynamic farming, and a respect for life. It's the story of modern diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Yet it also teaches about true health and aging with stamina."

I feel the exact same way.  I love the intersection of learning about my ancestors and what they ate, wading through current science on nutrition, and then actually incorporating those practices into my kitchen and family menu.  I already have downloaded the ebook, and I am looking forward to the course coming up in a few weeks!

Real Food Nutrition and Health E-Course

And here is a short video to introduce you to what the e-course is all about.  It sounds a lot like Kristen has managed to cover all the basics.  This is great way to jump in to real, whole, traditional food.  Or if you already have committed, it can sharpen your understand of why we all need real food so much.  Enjoy!

I've lost...

...8 pounds since starting my Eat Fat, Lose Fat goal.  When I started this goal in September, I think I was eating too much food for my body to shed extra pounds.  So I have shaved each meal down a little, paying closer attention to when I am full.  The reduced calories allow me to feel hungry between meals, something I am learning to even enjoy.  By the time I am hungry, boil water to melt my 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, take the coconut oil "tea", and then wait 20 minutes to eat my meal, I am already slowing down more than I used to to really think about what I am going to eat, and how much.

This mindfulness has come hand in hand with increased meditation and self-awareness.  Savoring the textures and flavors of my meal is more pleasant now that I am not rushing through it.  When you have little boys you are watching over at home, it's easy to get caught in the hurry hurry hurry of keeping them on time to school, fed, dressed, and happy.  I am finding more quiet moments with them, where I am not off to the next thing, but simply being with them.

I don't finish my food if I am not hungry.  I save it for the next meal, which helps me feel good about myself, frugal, and not wasteful.  I am more in touch with how my body is feeling, what I really need.  I have to believe that this will also affect my adrenals and thyroid.

My body has gotten to a point after three pregnancies, two births, 2 full years of breastfeeding, reaching 30, dealing with PTSD from my abusive childhood, and stress where my adrenals and thyroid are barely hanging on.  My hormone levels are all wacky, I am tired all the time, I cannot lose weight with normal eating, and I do not feel like myself.  However, after nearly one year of real food, I think I am finally starting to heal.

It was last December that I was going to wean E, because the thought of pumping my breastmilk and feeding him bottles beyond his first birthday was simply more than I could emotionally handle.  I had read Nourishing Traditions, and I knew what our food should be like; but it's difficult to change all your habits at once.  Knowing that real food commitment would help the health of the whole family (but especially E with his health problems) was the push I needed.

Fortunately, I was one year ago when I was ready to fully embrace real food-dom.  We started buying raw milk, switched to only grass-fed and pastured meats, dairy, cheese, butter and eggs, took cod liver oil every day, soaked our grains, and even started eating organ meats (liver, yum!).  We kept eating our local, organic produce, remaining supportive of our AZ farmers and sustainably-minded.  It hasn't been that hard, I promise :)

So now I am looking at this December, knowing so much more about what is going on inside my body than I ever have before.  I hope to continue slowly dropping pounds as my adrenals and thyroid heal.  I am reading a book about how to heal adrenal fatigue and thyroid problems called The Mood Cure.  I was already doing a lot of things right, but with the help of the book I have been able to pinpoint what specific symptoms I have.  For example, by taking 5-HTP this week my mood has improved and my energy levels are up.

As I read it seems that a lot of my questions are finding answers.  More on that to come as I blog more this week about adrenal fatigue and thyroid function.  For today simply celebrate my 8-pound-loss victory with me!

"Eat Fat, Lose Fat", Adrenal Gland Fatigue, and B Vitamins

I mentioned this is my previous post: In the interest of weight loss, I finally broke down and bought a copy of Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Paired with my commitment to not eat sugar anymore, and to temporarily get off grain, I think this book will help me get out from under my baby weight.

I suspect that I am also having a difficult time losing weight because of exhaustion as well. I think I have adrenal gland fatigue and I know I have a B vitamin deficiency.

I have started taking a maca root supplement twice daily that I usually only take during my period. Maca root is shown to balance hormones and help with energy. You shouldn't take maca raw, so only buy brands that are "gelatinized" or pre-cooked. (I use the Royal Maca capsules by Whole World Botanicals that I bought at Sprouts.)

I wanted to buy this supplement from Radiant Life, but it was too freaking expensive. Plus, I didn't know if I would realistically take a liquid daily if it wasn't tasty. But I do like that it's derived from whole foods, fermented, probiotic, and has the full B complex. I found a similar (?) one at Whole Foods today called Raw B-Complex by Garden of Life that was a lot cheaper, claims to be made from whole food sources, and is a lot cheaper. We'll see how that goes as I take it over the next month.

GAPS and Biokult Probiotic Giveaway at CHEESESLAVE

Okay real foodie folks, there is a giveaway you should know about over at CHEESESLAVE's blog. If you follow the directions on the blog, then you will be eligible to win a copy of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's book "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" and a bottle of Biokult probiotics, which is a $53 value. I am hoping I win :)

Either way I am going to get my hands on this GAPS book. I think it is a fascinating subject, how food can go greatly affect our well-being. I also just got a copy of Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck and I am looking forward to reading it as I expand my real food library. I finally broke down and bought a copy of Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Paired with my commitment to not eat sugar anymore, and to temporarily get off grain, I think this book will help me get out from under my baby weight.

I hope you'll all click over there and learn a little more about real food!

Like I said yesterday...

The folks at Coca-Cola and Del Monte are a-scheming their way into fooling/scaring us with BPA nonsense. See Enviroblog here and the actual minutes from the meeting here. Un-freakin-believable.

RANT (just barely devoid of colorful expletives): Did you see on the Enviroblog link that Del Monte is up in arms about BPA legislation because the inside of virtually every can of canned food is lined with a "BPA-rich epoxy coating"? I think I am going to be sick. Now I will have to start canning all my own food. Crap. Fortunately I have already tried to choose glass jars when I can while buying food at the grocery store.

Bellies

I have been pondering some random things lately. And yet they are related. They all happen to have something in common: bellies.

Perhaps it is because I just gave birth to E and am intimately involved in feeding his belly, M's belly, and R's belly (sometimes, when I actually make dinner). Perhaps it is because I am currently mothering. Perhaps it is just one of those organic phases of life.

1. Like Dr. George Tiller's murder a few days ago. I like this article in the NYTimes about it, specifically that they refer to him as "Dr." instead of "abortionist" (he was an Ob/gyn for heaven's sake) and the use of the word "terrorism". 'Nuff said.
2. I also am enjoying this blog called The Belly Project. It is fascinating as a study and as a working piece of art. I love seeing the new pictures added of different bellies. I also agree with the author in that, "Women (and sometimes men…you know who you are…) can be obsessed with their bodies. Hair, nails, toes, skin, breasts, hips, eyes, they all get fixated on. But perhaps nothing is as preoccupying to us as our bellies. Our bellies are intimately related our sexuality and to our reproductive lives. It’s a complicated interaction, that confluence of sex and babies....So, with that in mind, this blog is a place to come and put our bellies in perspective..." Good stuff.
3. I am also in agreement with another post on the Green and Natural Parenting blog: BPA is most certainly a bad thing, so don't get fooled by the almost certain propaganda that will be coming your way soon about how "it isn't so bad, trust us". I'm calling them big fat liars in advance. You heard it here!
4. It kind of reminds me of how angry I get when I see those commercials for high fructose corn syrup. I also call them big fat liars. Please avoid HFCS no matter what they say.
   
5. And partially- or fully-hydrogenated oils (shortening) for that matter.
   
6. And MSG--monosodium glutamate.
   
7. And sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Nutrasweet/Equal),
   
8. And farm-raised fish. Buy wild caught. Check fish lists online to know what is healthy for the time of year.

These are NOT naturally occurring ingredients we should be eating. Do not (literally) swallow what various food companies are trying to sell to you and me. Read labels!! It's not as hard as you think to gradually shift to healthier alternatives. I promise. One ingredient at a time.

Check out this comprehensive list, it is a nice overview in one spot. And I have spiraled into yet another food quality rant. (End of food rant.)

p.s. Can you leave me a comment telling me if this is of some meaning to you, dear reader? I get discouraged sometimes when I think of all the dishonesty these food companies engage in. The lack respect for the human body makes me so (to borrow a phrase from M:) mad and sad! Let us become aware together and change the way we honor these vessels of life we live in.