Health Coach - Part 2

I like this picture because it's from a time when movement was nothing but fun. I adored gymnastics as a kid and that joy has translated into my love of yoga as an adult. Where else do you get to stand on your head as a grownup? It's also nice to see evidence of a time before my hormones went haywire and I was just a normal, cute little kid.

As I mentioned earlier, I've been working with a health coach to try and get things back on track. Sometimes you just need a little outside perspective! It's been a very positive experience and I would recommend that anyone who feels stuck to try working with someone.

Some things I've been working on:

• Tracking all my food on My Fitness Pal
• This is something I've actively resisted for a long time. Finding Paleo seemed to free me from the need for this but over time, the weight has started to creep back on. Seeing my food choices documented in black and white helps keep me honest and also allows for some wiggle room for a few indulgences within reason. 
• I've finally made my peace with this. I've found that tracking things really does keep me accountable. I also must do this 100% for every penny I spend so it shouldn't surprise me that it's important for my food intake as well. I feel great about it these days, which has surprised me. I've let go of the resistance and I'm just letting it be a tool that is helping me. 
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• Meaningful Activity
• I've been focusing on walking and yoga, mostly. I'm thinking about doing a membership at a local yoga studio -- it's the only "exercise" I really look forward to so why not go all in with it? 
• I also think sprinting (interval training) is super important. I've only actually done it a couple times since instituting it as a goal but the plan is to an interval workout once a week: 30 seconds hard; 2 min recovery. Repeat for 15 minutes. Doesn't sound like much, but it really gets the heart rate up and has great hormonal effects. I use the elliptical at my work gym and do some stretching afterwards. 

My initial bundle of consultations is now up with my coach and I'm deliberating about whether to continue. I was indeed super helpful, but it is another budget item. It's coming down to either the coaching or the yoga membership at this point and I'm leaning towards the latter. I can always seek out help again if I feel like I'm slipping. 

Health Coach - Part 1

It's been a month and a half since the retreat and I've spent that time trying to sort out my goals. As with most things in life, having that experience was transformative and enlightening, but not at all in the way I thought it would be. Going in to it, I was feeling extremely good. I had hit a good rhythm with activity level and what I was eating. I thought the retreat would just cement those positive changes and spur me on to even greater things.

Since I had the great honor and privilege to attend the retreat as a work-study person, I had a somewhat different experience from the other guests. I am eternally grateful to the organizers for giving me this chance. Huge thanks to Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Whitney Ross Gray, Kamal Patel, Laura Schoenfeld and her mother, Pam Schoenfeld. I had a singular opportunity to learn from the best, and value all I absorbed from the daily lectures, cooking demos, and informal discussions. 

The break in routine really through me, though. Also, with hindsight being so clear, I have noticed a few other things that conspired to knock me off course:

• Slightly less sleep than normal
• Higher carb consumption than what I was doing with my version of PHD prior to the retreat
• Less downtime than I'm used to
• More social interaction (I'm an introvert, so I need quite a bit of alone time each day to recharge even though I love people)
• Intermittent fasting (we ate only from 12:00pm-8:00pm each day and I was up at 6:00am; I've determined that I really do need a whack of protein in the morning to feel my best)
• Vitex (I was taking this supplement for several months to try and regulate my hormones -- I finally realized it was having the opposite effect from what I was intending and it made me very moody, emotional, and increased my PMS and menstrual symptoms, things it was supposed to help relieve. I finally found some info that noted that some people can react this way so I'm pretty sure this was the biggest culprit).

All of this is to say -- I came home not feeling that well at all so this post is mostly about how I'm working to get myself back on track. I've had to move past a lot of self-blame for not being more resilient, flexible, and adaptable -- all qualities I've always thought of myself as possessing. I've finally come to the conclusion that I truly was not myself at the retreat. It was not a failure of me as a person, rather a failure to recognize or address the issues I outlined above. 

Since I initially blamed my mood/exhaustion issues all on the carbs, I resolved to go low carb again shortly after I returned since I always felt so good when eating that way. This time, it didn't seem to "work". It took me some time but I finally realized it was the Vitex and stopped that just last week. I already feel better. Go figure!

To help bring clarity to my situation and get an outside perspective, I've decided to work with a health coach. I have a new game plan that I'm working on with her help. I will lay it out in Part 2, since this is getting so long!

Perfect Health Diet Retreat, New Fitbit, Whole Food Juicing and T-Tapp

In just  few days, I'll be heading out to NC for the Perfect Health Diet (PHD) Retreat. I am super excited to be going on this two week adventure and very proud of myself for contacting the organizers and arranging to come on a work/study basis. This program is amazing and well worth it, but simply not in the budget this year. I'm glad to be going as the onsite helper, where I'll be able to reap the rewards of the program and assist the other participants as well. I will be sharing much of what I learn/experience here periodically while at the retreat.

In other, related news, I decided to take the plunge and buy myself a Fitbit Flex. I've coveted these for some time, but again, budget concerns kept me from making the purchase. Oddly enough, it was the upcoming retreat that spurred me into action. One of my duties will be to make the morning coffee, etc. so I'll need to be one of the first people up. Part of the PHD is working on your circadian rhythms and good sleep is extremely important in that regard. The last thing I wanted to do was to wake up my roommates (I'll be in a shared room with other women) with my blaring iPhone. Yikes! So what does this have to do with the Fitbit? Well, the Flex version has a silent alarm feature that vibrates to wake you up gently. I've tired it out and it works! I've also been loving the step tracking, which is fun to watch in real time on my phone. I am such a little kid. Easy to please :)

My more recent food related passion is juicing. Yes, really. I was always so against it, due to the blood sugar spiking and fiber wasting. Well, I found a way that does neither. Enter Whole Food Juicing. Using my trusty Vitamix, I'm able to blend my veggies and fruit so well that it drinks like a juice but still keeps all the fiber. There are tons of great recipes at the Blender Babes. My current favorite is a version of this Giada De Laurentiis one (I use cucumber instead of the carrot and granny smith apples to keep it bright green). I've really been enjoying these and feel great getting in so many more raw veggies.

Last but not least, I am still loving my T-Tapp DVDs. Doing the basic, 20 minute workout 2-3 times per week has me feeling way more toned and great in my own skin. I can't even explain how awesome it is. The effort to results ratio is astounding. I've never done such an effective workout, especially one that doesn't leave me in a puddle on the floor by the end. I highly recommend you check this out!*

*Please note that many of the above links are affiliate links to Amazon. If you click on one of them, and then go on to buy something, I get a small percentage, which is awesome. However, I get nothing for recommending T-Tapp. I just think it's wonderful :) And I only link to anything that I truly use and love whether it's on Amazon or not. 

In the Swing of things: Perfect Health Diet and an Activity Challenge

Gnomes make me happy 

Since going all in with the Perfect Health Diet, I've set up a few guidelines that are keeping me feeling good:

• Refined Sugar is out (except small amounts of dark chocolate).
• Fruit is OK and I'm not limiting it at all (I wind up having 2-4 pieces a day). Knowing that this is always a sweet option makes me feel less panicy and restricted. 
• Starch comes mostly from things that contain resistant starch -- cooked cooled potatoes/rice, green bananas but also from sweet potatoes. I am limiting processed starches like rice noodles, etc. to roughly 1 x per week.
• Non-starchy veggies fill half my plate at every meal with the other half split between meat and starch. I have to purposely focus on this and it has led me to eating much less meat overall since my appetite has gone down.
• Mindful activity is a part of each day. I printed out a full year calendar and hung it on the fridge. Every day that I do at least 20 minutes of purposeful activity, I put and X over the date. I'm over 3 weeks in and haven't broken the chain. Yay! Sometimes I do more (like an hour yoga class), but keeping the goal manageable has been key to attaining consistency, which is what I was after. 
• Almond milk is a daily addition to my morning smoothie, in which I get to dump all my food-based supplements like collagen, probiotics, prebiotics, green bananas for RS, fiber, and even liver powder sometimes! Since the store-bought variety comes with additives and stabilizers, I decided to try my hand at making my own. I used this method (I just use the almonds, water, and vanilla) and bought this nut milk bag to strain it. Making homemade almond milk is way easier than I imagined and turns out delicious. It smells amazing whirring in my Vitamix - fresh almonds and vanilla - yum! 
• Almond meal is a lucky side benefit of making homemade almond milk. Who knew? When you strain the milk, you're left with very finely ground almond meal, which you can use to bake cookies. The milk recipe I linked to suggests drying it out in the oven, sending it through the blender again, etc. I am way too lazy. I just save it in the fridge and then make some cookies when I get enough of it. Since it's still damp, not at all like my beloved blanched almond flour, it's a whole different animal. I found I had to turn the oven temp down and bake them longer than usual, but they come out moist, chewy, and more like oatmeal cookies. I love the idea of using one raw ingredient to get so many yummy things! Talk about being thrifty. My Grampy would be proud. 

I am off to go try my hand at baking my low sugar (fruit sweetened) chocolate chip cookies. I'm going to refine the recipe a bit then come back and post an official version with pictures. Stay tuned!

Mint Chip Super Food Ice Cream

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to churn up some creamy green goodness. I'm trying to avoid refined sugar so I used a combo of medjool dates and stevia to sweeten it. I added some avocado and spinach for the green as well as collagen, probiotics, and some green banana for the resistant starch. That's a lot of nutrition packed into a tasty frozen treat!

Mint Chip Super Food Ice Cream

1 14.5 oz can full fat coconut milk 

2 Medjool dates (take out the pit first!)

1 very small avocado (half of a medium or large one)
1/4 cup frozen spinach*
1/2 frozen green banana*
1/2 contents of one probiotic capsule
1 Tbs collagen
1 tsp powdered stevia
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp real salt
1/2 cup enjoy life chips

Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips) -- I used my Vitamix. I blended it for quite some time because I wanted to make sure that everything was completely incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before churning it in an ice cream maker until it reaches the consistency of soft serve. Empty into a quart sized Tupperware container and mix in chocolate chips. Dish out a nice scoop into a chilled bowl and enjoy! Stick the rest in the freezer and get your super foods in each day for the rest of the week.

I prefer to make my ice cream really rich and creamy as opposed to lighter and less filling. I tend to only eat a tiny bowl of it at a time and really savor it. I find it's much more satisfying than something that I can eat and eat without getting full.

*You can use fresh/not frozen spinach and banana - just chill the mixture longer before churning.  

New Discoveries and a Shift in Focus

For the past three years, I’ve been focusing pretty fiercely on my attempt to lose weight. I’ve tried to keep a good, body positive perspective but have never lost sight of that end goal. Since my experience with Intuitive Eating prior to discovering Paleo, I’ve been pretty fearful of letting go and losing control. I did not trust myself to make good decisions for my health so I settled on the prize of weight loss to keep me on the straight and narrow. I also harbored a secret fear that no one would ever take me seriously in the Paleo community if I was still fat.

I don’t know if there is something physically, psychologically, or otherwise holding me back from achieving my desired body composition, but any which way, I’m over it. I am over actively trying to change my body. Here’s a little recap of what I’ve been working on lately to take the very best care of myself without the express goal of weight loss:

Dressing Your Truth

I’m in love with this program. I look and feel better than ever and haven’t lost a pound (not that I’ve weighed myself!) I cannot recommend it highly enough for promoting great self-care and expression true to yourself. Life changing.

T-Tapp

I’d heard of this before but never thought it would be for me. It was mentioned in one of the DYT videos and I decided to give it a whirl. I feel more toned, energetic, and have gotten lots of compliments from Cute Man since doing this 2-5 times per week. The basic workout takes less than 20 min. Score.

Perfect Health Diet

Yes, that again. I’m just eating real, normal food while avoiding nasty oils, processed food, added sugar, and wheat products. The biggest difference is that I’m not doing it to try to diet or lose weight. My only goal is to promote overall health and avoid the acid reflux, psoriasis, headaches and other health problems I dealt with pre-Paleo. I’ve also started incorporating resistant starch, which blunts blood sugar spikes and promotes gut health. It just means that I cook my potatoes and rice a day in advance to allow them to cool down after cooking in order to allow the RS to be formed. My appetite is WAY down and my sugar cravings have diminished a lot. I feel almost incapable of overeating. When I’ve had enough, I have to stop right in my tracks with a feeling of not being able to take even one more bite. I can’t eat even half what I used to for dinner. Very interesting. I am not eating any rice noodles or other gluten free processed foods – those seemed to set me off and gave me acid reflux. I started with the RS after listening to this Latest inPaleo Podcast. More info on Free the Animal (warning – he is very unpolitically correct, so if you’re easily offended, please avoid).

Perfect Health Diet – Week 2

It’s been over week so far and I’m starting to settle in to my new routine. Eating some fruit or starch every 3-5 hours seems to be the ticket for keeping my blood sugar stable. I really do need to keep it to one serving at a time (one small piece of fruit; half cup of starchy veg or rice) or else I activate the carb monster who just wants to keep eating and eating. I only eat the starches with meals so they’re paired with protein and fat. I do sometimes eat fruit on its own for snacks, and thankfully, that doesn't seem to cause any issues – maybe it’s the fiber and water that naturally comes packaged in fruit…

I have noticed that I’m a little more emotional lately. It’s not the horrendous mood swings of my high carb days, but it’s noticeable to me. I haven’t had any melt-downs or anything, I just feel little more raw. I will stay tuned in to this and see if this evens out, becomes my new normal, or what. As long as I don’t start going off on Cute Man like I did in the past, I think it’s OK.

One thing I have been emotional about is my weight. When will I just get over this? I am determined not to weigh myself for at least the next month, to give this a real shot. My clothes all fit fine, but I feel like an extra little roll has returned around my middle. Is that just from my glycogen refilling?

As these thoughts swirled around in my brain, making me doubt the road I’m on, I came across Stacy’s post about Fat Phobia today. It galls me to know that after all I've been through, all I've earned, I am STILL hung up about my weight. Reading that made me confront the fact that despite my lip service to acceptance, I am still on a weight loss journey. I talk about focusing on health first, but I really want that to result in losing excess fat.

I am quite familiar with the concept of Fat Acceptance and was very into the idea of Health at Every Size prior to discovering Paleo. I still hold to those ideas intellectually, but have refined them a bit. Trying to eat intuitively (as I did for two years), without the knowledge that wheat, in particular, stimulates appetite and makes me eat more than I need, was not effective. It felt great to not “worry about my weight”, but it did not feel good to keep getting bigger and bigger with no end in sight. I also had horrible heartburn, psoriasis, low energy, etc. Finding information about Paleo did resolve those things in time and did help me shed some of my excess fat. I guess at some point I lost sight of the health goals and fell back into the familiar trappings of a weight loss quest. 

I’ve written about this quandary many times here but it’s clear that I’m just not over it or at peace with where I am. There is a lot of work left to do. I’m so glad to have such a great support system – a husband who loves me at any size and friends, like Stacy, who are on a similar path.

The Perfect Health Diet - Take Two!

It’s no secret that I’ve been having a tough time lately in the food department. I’m doing my best to stay positive and get myself back on track. Toward that end, I’m giving the Perfect Health Diet (PHD) another shot. The first attempt was an utter disaster, mostly because it was during the holidays and I was not only incorporating starch and fruit into my diet, I was falling prey to holiday treats (aka sugar). This time around, I’ve got a solid plan in place and it’s going well so far (Day 4 as I write this).

I have determined that sugar just has to be a “no” for me, in the way I view gluten. It’s super scary but I know in my heart it’s true. I’m not saying that I’ll NEVER eat another bit of sugar again, but for now, I’m putting it in that category so I don’t have to think about it or agonize over how much is OK. In a similar vein, I’m avoiding anything that might trigger me. During my first attempt, I tried to make some rice pasta. Big mistake! I fell headfirst into my first bowl of “spaghetti” I’d had in years. Totally sent me over a cliff. For starch, I’m sticking to starchy veggies and rice for now because it’s easy to measure out a half cup and not feel compelled to eat more. If that goes well for a couple weeks, I may try some other things every now and then, but in a portion controlled way (only make enough for that meal so I’m not tempted to eat more).

To keep my blood sugar stable, I’m using what I learned back when I was doing the second step of the Metabolism Miracle. If I limit my carbs to just a single portion (one piece of fruit or about a half cup of starchy veg or rice), I don’t send myself reeling on the blood sugar rollercoaster. I’m incorporating that one portion into each meal and one snack a day, trying to evenly space out my dose of carbs every 3-5 hours. This strategy is keeping my total net carbs to about 100-125 per day, taking into account that there are also small amounts of carbs in the non-starchy veggies and nuts I eat as well.

I am not attempting the intermittent fasting that is an option on the PHD, at least not yet. I’m trying to send the message to my body that there is abundant nutrition – not too much, not too little. My whole day seems to go better when I have a big whack of protein in the morning. I’m doing my best to get in the 3 egg yolks per day, but am otherwise taking it easy on fat. I’m not afraid of it, but I know that with the addition of the carbs, I don’t need quite as much as I did when staying very low carb. I’m still eating regular versions of things (no low fat junk or anything), but I’m cutting back on how much butter and other added fats I cook with and put on my food (not eliminating, just cutting in back).

I’m making vats of bone broth in my crock pot and drinking it by the mug-full as well as using it to flavor my food (cooking rice in it, reducing it down for sauces, making soups). My nails are the strongest I’ve ever seen them (I’ve been hard core about the broth for about a month at this point). Another benefit is that the flavor it adds to food is a good way to reduce the amount of fat I want use. I alternate making chicken and beef broth since those are my favorites.

It’s only been a few days, but I’m feeling pretty good so far. I’m keeping up with my Smarter Science of Slim workouts, which are low in time commitment and high in results. It’s amazing how strong I’m getting! There is something about following through on a plan that really boosts my mood and confidence. And with only two 15 minutes workouts to worry about, it’s pretty easy to keep that commitment.

I should also mention that I'm continuing to keep the focus OFF weight loss. That tends to make me a bit crazy. My goal is to take the very best care of me and do the things that I know will help me feel my best.

Any updates on your end? What have you been doing lately to further your healthy goals? 

Carbs! (Perfect Health Diet Experiment)

OK, so are you SICK of all my food experiments yet? You know, the ones I start and am so excited about and then… [radio silence]. Yeah, me neither! Needless to say, the ketogenic dealio sort of petered out. First I got sick of tracking, then I got distracted by All. The. Cookies. It certainly did seem to “work”. If I kept my calories to about 1650 and under 75 carbs (I was shooting for under 50), I seemed to slowly drop weight. It really seemed to be more about the calories and less about how many carbs I ate, quite honestly. But tracking calories gets BORING and I sort of started to rebel against the idea. Then, I started baking. Need I say more?

Yes, all the baking I do is grain-free. But almond flour combined with things like maple syrup and chocolate chips? Kinda calorie-dense, as they say. The wonderful thing about this whole Paleo thing, though, is that due to how spot on everything else is, I’ve managed to stay in my current cache of pants. I call that a win! I haven’t been weighing myself but apart from noticing an ever so slightly more poochy belly, all of my clothes are fitting just fine. Whew. Bullet dodged. This is particularly remarkable because this spiral into daily cookie baking (I’m serious – it was pretty much every day) coincided with a relatively nasty back injury which kept me away from my normal level of activity for the same period. Hmmm… maybe out of the ordinary pain is correlated to cookie baking? Makes sense!

On to the real subject of this post… The Perfect Health Diet (PHD). A new version of this came out this week so the author, Paul Jaminet, was doing the Paleo podcast circuit (like the Fat Burning Man Show). I have to admit that I always dismissed the whole “safe starches” thing as completely bogus. As far as I was concerned, the fewer the carbs the better. Period. But, I decided to listen and something sort of clicked for me. The PHD is not a high carb diet, it’s just not as low as more traditional versions of Paleo, especially as it’s articulated for weight loss. Sure, athletes should eat more starch and fruit to correlate to their activity, but us fatties trying to shed a few pounds? Low carb was the way to go. And it was – I lost 50 lbs. that way. But then, I didn’t. Whether it was looser compliance or some sort of adaptation that made it stop working, I don’t know. A combination? Regardless, it just got harder. It came down to me having to count both calories and carbs explicitly in order to shed pounds. I came down with some serious diet-fatigue. This is like a part-time job that never ends!

Listening to (and then reading, after I bought the book) Paul Jaminet talk about eating things like rice, white potatoes, and sweet potatoes started to make those items swim in front of my eyes! Could I really be able to eat those things? I’m still not sure, but his argument started to resonate. Whether it’s wishful thinking or not, I’m willing to give it a shot. If, for no other reason, then to mix things up and relieve some of that diet fatigue. What really made me think was that this plan is shooting for sufficiency for all nutrients – macronutrients like Carbs, Fat, and Protein as well as Micronutrients like Vitamins and Minerals. The key, according to Jaminet’s theory, is to get just enough of everything. Not too much, not too little. Both overdoing it and underdoing it have consequences. If you are deficient in any of these variables, your appetite will be high, trying to get you to eat what you’re missing. If your diet just doesn’t contain that missing thing, overeating will result in added weight but still leave you malnourished, continuing to seek relief through eating yet more. This made perfect sense to me.

The basic idea is to shoot for 30% carbs, 15-20% protein, and 50-55% fat by calories. Jaminet does admit that to lose weight ultimately a calorie deficit must occur. He contends that for most people, it will happen spontaneously based on the satiation of this macronutrient ratio coupled by the recommended supplements which should also bring micronutrients into sufficiency as well. I haven’t started any of the supplements yet, although I already take Vitamin C and a multivitamin (not necessarily advocated with the PHD) daily as well as fermented cod liver oil/butter oil blend which offers a good deal of Vitamin A, D, and K2. Even so, the last couple of days of higher carb meals have left me extremely satisfied! I used to think that any appreciable whack of carbs would automatically send me into a carb binge. This has not been the case so far. I really think it IS wheat and sugar in particular for me when it comes to trigger foods. Starchy foods and even fruit seem to be OK so far. And I must be honest – just the novelty of being able to eat these things is making me extremely happy without any desire to go crazy with them. Amazing! I also haven't baked any cookies for 4 days even though I have a ton of dough in the fridge (for our upcoming cookie themed holiday party - smart thinking, that one!)

I am plugging stuff in to My Fitness Pal again (I know, I know, the calorie counting DOES make me crazy) but just for the short term. I don’t yet feel confident in my eyeballing skills to get me to the right ratios. I’ll give it a few weeks and see how I do. It’s new and fresh again – it’s interesting to see how it all works out when I’m aiming for different goals. Hopefully, after I build my confidence a bit, I’ll be able to let go of the training wheels. The general idea is this:

• Skip breakfast - can use Bulletproof Coffee since fat doesn’t interfere with benefits of fasting. Yes, I AM returning to this and giving caffeine another shot. It’s a great easy way to start the day and allows me to eat more later, when I really want the food anyway. I am in no way forcing this. If I am hungry before noon, I’ll eat.
• Protein – 12-16 oz of meat/eggs/fish per day, which works out to two good 6-8 oz portions at lunch and dinner.
• Starchy Carbs – four fist-sized servings of starch per day (potatoes, rice, etc), which works out to be 1-2 fists at lunch and dinner; it’s key to eat starch coupled with fat, non-starchy veggies, and some sort of acid like lemon juice or vinegar for blood sugar regulation reasons.
• Sugary Carbs – up to 3-4 fruits or sugary veggies a day (probably more like 2-3 for me).
• Non-starchy Veggies – add to meals for flavor, micronutrients, and the blood sugar modulating effects of fiber.
• The above should work out to a plate consisting of 1/3 meat, 1/3 starch, 1/3 veggies with fat used at will to make things taste good but not be greasy.

That, in theory, should make things balance out to the intended ratios. But, I’m still new at this so I’ll dutifully measure my portions and track in My Fitness Pal for a bit to get the hang of it. So that’s it in a nutshell. I will keep you posted on how it goes (or not, and then you’ll know I’ve flaked out again). Anybody else have some good food experiments going or is just me with this particular brand of crazy?