This is going to be a 3 part series on the 3 main lessons and lifestyle changes Wade and I have made that have been most beneficial to us during our journey to regain our health, our figures, and our happiness!
You'll see a lot of recipes and a lot about food on this blog.
That's right, a blog about fitness and losing weight will pretty much be centered around FOOD.
Have you ever heard nutritionists and weight loss experts say “the key to weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise?" I'm living proof, it's true. You do have to get your diet right to be able to effectively lose weight and feel great. Is it an exact 80/20 split?? I'm not sure, they are both important and like the old Marriage with Children theme song, "you can't have one without the other" to be successful! I've logged many hours in the gym and in front of exercise vhs (yes, I've been doing it since the vhs days!) and dvd's on the TV over the years; and not until I started eating clean and focusing on my diet did I start to see the results I was really looking for in overall health and happiness.
So, what does it mean to eat CLEAN?
The simplest way to explain clean eating is this: If it came from God, it's clean.
As Micheal Pollan, author of Food Rules: An Eaters Manual, put it, “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”
Not all plants, veggies, fruits, etc are created equal; some are definitely staples that are free for all foods, while others are better on occasion. Since my other half has, uh hum, blood sugar issues, I've done a lot of research regarding the glycemic indices of foods, we've cut out most starches, so I primarily needed to learn about fruits. In doing that I've also learned it's not only people with diabetes that need to be aware of the GI rating of food, we all do. Large spikes in your blood sugar will lead to mood swings, dizziness, and hunger - even if you just ate, which in itself can lead to weight gain, and the extra glucose that isn't burned is stored as fat.
When I originally started trying to embrace the clean eating lifestyle, I came across this site,which was my gateway into this new lifestyle and I was amazed at how the pounds started falling off. We weren't "dieting" or purposely trying to lose weight at this time, just simply learning to cut out processed foods with Lisa's whole/real food meal plans.
Her site is very educational and a great way to test the waters of real, whole food without having to think or spend hours researching and planning your meals. It gives you the tools you need to see that it really doesn't take more time to prepare 'real' meals and eases you into this new life.
Remember, baby steps, and every little bit helps! We have modified our diets again since completing Lisa's meal plans a couple of times, and again, the pounds just keep falling off! We now eat more in line with the Primal way of living, which is still very clean, but we are very picky about the carbs we take in, where Lisa incorporates more whole grains and whole wheat than we are currently taking in. Our meals are centered around 'Protein, Produce, Water' - yes water - no more coke, y'all! It's the devil!
Ready to take the next step in getting your diet cleaned up even more? Here is a great place to start!
When trying to lose weight WHY count calories??? No need to if you're eating clean and healthy. Who has time for that anyways? The only thing I ever do a rough calculation of while planning my meals is protein. I try to pack in as much protein as I can during my day, especially before and after exercise. The general rule is 1 gram of protein per body pound. The reason why is simple; protein builds muscle (when coupled with exercise), and muscle burns fat. Period.
Wade and both get a big protein and vitamin boost first thing in the morning with Shakeology. This gives us a jump start on the day and our health. I cannot tell you all the benefits we have both experienced from Shakeology here, but I will in part 2! It is definitely deserving of its own post. I will say Wade's blood sugar is now under control as well as all his symptoms that come from having blood sugar that averaged 300+ on a daily basis and I, who easily averaged a migraine a week or at least every 2 weeks, haven't had a migraine since starting it. Want to know more about this secret weapon? Check back for part 2!
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