I'm trying to make a decision here. I thought it would be an easy one but now I have found so many options to try over the next three months I'm not sure what to try first.
Okay, so it's rather apparent that I need a major lifestyle change to try and regain some of my health. In particular in the area of food. So what hasn't worked so far; making my portions smaller, drinking more water, drinking less water, watching salt intake, following at home weight watchers. Despite the fact I am not losing weight (And in fact somehow continue to gain) I am still following a smaller portion, 2l fluid, lower salt weight watchers diet. I figure there's no point in adding to the problem by eating badly!
So one thing I know I can work on and change is snacking after dinner. This is my bad time when I'm more likely to eat something sugary or high in salt. But otherwise I'm at a loss. My exercise is restricted due to my health issues at the moment which is always a problem!
Should I go Low GI due to my insulin resistance? Should I go gluten free in case of a possible gluten intolerance? Do I do both at once? What concerns me is making the changes too quickly and then 'burn out' on my new way of eating and make the weight loss even harder as well as making my health worse. It's certainly not going to be a yo-yo diet. At the same time I only have three months to show some results after two years of gradual upward sneakage in weight.
So I'm a little anxious and unsure where to start. Advice anyone?
Hi Gorgeous :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think a gluten free diet is going to help you at all. Gaining weight isn't a symptom of gluten intolerance (in fact it is the otherway around!), bloating and really painful stomach cramps when you have gluten is what happens. Is that you?
In your case (and mine!), I'd go Low GI. I've lost 4kg since starting metformin and I find it helps if I work with it (I'll explain what I mean by that when I next see you :)). Increase your protein and don't under any circumstances have fizzy drink! Not even at parties...
Lunch ideas could include having baked beans on wholegrain (not wholemeal) bread. Have hummus in sandwiches, and this is going to seem odd (and it may just be me) but whilst I'm supposed to have 5+ fruit and veges, if I have some fruit at afternoon tea time I end up hungry sooner than if I'd had nothing at all?! I think my body is still getting used to this whole insulin thing...
The easiest way to not feel like snacking in the evenings, for me, is to have a low GI/highish protein dinner and not default to having anything sweet after dinner. I find I just mentally want something sweet, but not physically. If I cave into my sweet thoughts, I find myself then physically craving the sweet stuff and I keep eating. If I don't have anything after dinner, after about half an hour-45mins I forget about it and the cravings go away completely :)
But like everything, your body may treat things differently to mine, so the best I can say is give it a go, and if it doesn't work for you, try something else.
I'd also suggest getting rid of any bikkies/chippies from the house. The boys just have to learn to support you by not having them either. It works wonders for me. If I have a bikkie craving, tough, there are none in the house for me to eat :)
Heaps of hugs and love and support
Claire
OMG, Claire I love you! Decision made. You know how much faith I've lost in some of the medical people working on this, they looked back a few years and said well you had IBS at one point, perhaps you should cut out gluten? The thing is I don't have those reactions anymore and it's a huge dietary change if it's not the right one. OK, so I'm going to go for this and I'm going to be asking you SO MANY questions LOL (It'll be like that camping trip - asking what the time is every 2 mins). I'm loving porridge and have kept buying the sort you got me, and those trail bars too. I'm exactly the same as you with fruit in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI owe you an email, and I don't have it in my address book since this computer was rebuilt. I'm going to go FB you :)
Hi Carla,
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many calories you're eating and it's probably not an issue since you already met with a dietician, but I know during my Weight Watchers meetings, they often reminded us that if you eat too little, your body works to hold onto every little calorie it can get, causing people to plateau and even gain weight.
I haven't been on WW lately (although my body certainly needs it!) and the last time I was there, they had point ranges for various weights. I learned that I actually did better losing weight when I ate toward the top of my points range than the bottom -- which I found very weird.
Anyway, I thought I"d throw it out there as something to consider. I know when you're doing the at-home version, it's hard because you don't have the access to WW leaders for advice.
The other thing that was crucial for me -- and I always backslid when I got lazy -- was journaling my food intake. I hated doing it but it forced me to stay honest and at least I could look back later and count up all those little bites of things I would otherwise fool myself that they didn't count. :-)
Good luck!! I hope the GI diet helps!!
Aviva, thank you so much for your advice. i think that has been a problem, I undereat and then when I eat properly my body holds onto everything. I am going to journal my intake, startgin tomorrow. That's a fantastic idea. I order all my groceries tomorrow too, so all low GI and I'm excited! Will of course keep everyone posted :) Hope you are doing well and having some good days Aviva :)
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