Ladies on a Mission: The Official Site

[NoSugar]

True!!

I don't do anything right now for diet or exercise and I feel badly about it. It's something I've procrastinated about for ages. It's so hard to just start!

I didn't see this yesterday on my iPad, Frances, but did this morning on my computer. It is hard to start any change, isn't it? Especially when our only motivation is because we "should".

I don't think most of us do it until there is some external compelling reason or intense internal dissatisfaction. It wasn't at all hard to me to quit eating gluten when I was Dx with celiac disease 25+ years ago because I was totally miserable when I ate it and fine when I didn't. Because I'd spent months thinking I had a much more serious disease such as cancer, I didn't even go through the "missing out" phase that many people experience when wheat is taken from them. The sugar/carbs thing wasn't too hard, either, because I was heading for diabetes and I immediately felt much better in terms of energy, food cravings, and general health. Plus, I unexpectedly lost some extra weight, which was nice. So for those, preventing/eliminating disease was a great incentive. For alcohol, of course, it was another story. I was addicted and my addicted brain was brilliant at separating how awful I felt with what I consumed each evening. And it took way too long for me to get to the point of wanting to quit more than I wanted to drink.

The best trick I know to move yourself from 'should' to 'want to' is to commit to that same old 30-day, doable challenge and see how you feel. You might find that the improvements make you desire feeling that way more than you want to eat as you currently do. There are some tricks to getting past the couple first weeks (just like with quitting alcohol) because it takes time for your body to adjust to a new fuel so it's a good idea to take a look at a website like dietdoctor.com (plus, there is information there that might motivate you to give this a try -- our diets are responsible for so many of our chronic and acute health problems).

[NoSugar]

Hi, All:

There was a good article in the NYTimes today about low carb. I am not as good about it as Nar and NS, but I try to keep my carbs at a minimum. I was distressed to find some quite tasty gluten free pasta and bread this summer, but gluten really isn't my problem - it is carbs. As I said, I am an all or nothing type of person. Pauly, for eggs and bacon I just serve them on tomatoes or lettuce and you don't need toast. I lost a lot of weight by limiting my carbs and changing nothing else (not even drinking as this was several years ago).

I had a drinking dream last night - trying to get some alcohol to ease a hangover. BLECH. So glad that wasn't true.

I saw that NYT article, too, Pav. With the number of people heading for type 2 diabetes, health care in this country is going to be backrupt if we don't get a handle on this!!

It was when I discovered relatively good GF pasta and bread about 10 years ago (after not having had much at all for ~15 years) that my blood sugars started going up, which is pretty much to be expected given the insulin resistance I'd probably developed over the years of drinking too much. It just makes me sick to realize how much I damaged my body by what I consumed!! Giving all that up got the blood sugar under control but as I've written before, was coincident with an increase in my wine consumption. Our brains are brilliant at getting us what we want, even when we're not aware of what's going on.

I had my first drinking dream last night, too! I was at a wine tasting and felt like it would be ok because a wine tasting is a particular sort of drinking experience and wouldn't become a habit. But then, there were 27 wines to taste and it wasn't the sort of event where you spit it out between tastes. So I was tasting them and getting that heavy, woozy feeling and that's when I woke up. The great thing was, I hated how I was feeling and for once, I immediately knew it was a dream so didn't have that awful alarm with racing heart and disappointment that I'd really done it.

Hope you're doing well, TMH!

[paulywogg]

I don't really need to lose weight I just want to feel freakin amazing and I've read that people who did that "whole 30" feel like a new person, Kuya brought up an excellent point about my allergies, it's definitely got to be diet related cuz nobody on earth is this sick,this much without it being something, I just had blood work done and other than being flagged for low sodium again I'm as healthy as a horse,except I feel like shit most of the time,thanks for the nutrition talk I love it

[frances]

The best trick I know to move yourself from 'should' to 'want to' is to commit to that same old 30-day, doable challenge and see how you feel. You might find that the improvements make you desire feeling that way more than you want to eat as you currently do. There are some tricks to getting past the couple first weeks (just like with quitting alcohol) because it takes time for your body to adjust to a new fuel so it's a good idea to take a look at a website like dietdoctor.com (plus, there is information there that might motivate you to give this a try -- our diets are responsible for so many of our chronic and acute health problems).

Good advice! It does make sense to start with a shorter goal and take it from there. And even with that shorter goal, within it just take it one day at a time just like with quitting drinking. Gotta get past thinking and start doing!!

[NoSugar]

I don't really need to lose weight I just want to feel freakin amazing and I've read that people who did that "whole 30" feel like a new person, Kuya brought up an excellent point about my allergies, it's definitely got to be diet related cuz nobody on earth is this sick,this much without it being something, I just had blood work done and other than being flagged for low sodium again I'm as healthy as a horse,except I feel like shit most of the time,thanks for the nutrition talk I love it

I'm always low in sodium, too, Paulie, and have to deliberately consume it. That is hard sometimes to do because we've been so conditioned to thinking that salt is "BAD" (turns out that might be another example of misguided medical advice). Sometimes when I'm feeling sluggish, all I need is a cup of salty broth and I perk right up. If anyone does switch to a LCHF (not high protein, in my opinion) diet, increasing salt intake is critical because as insulin goes down, salt and water excretion go up (hence the apparent short term weight loss from low carb diets) but it can make you feel like you've been hit by a truck! So eat salt :smile:.

[paulywogg]

Absolutely right NS,when I went to hubs'naturopathic doctor he said my blood pressure was low so he put some saline drops in some water and told me to wait 15 minutes, he checked it again and it was normal, the human body baffles me

[NoSugar]

My BP is usually somewhere in the 90s/ somewhere in the low 60s, Pauly. Maybe it is better than high BP but it can be a hassle in terms of standing up too fast and being cold!! The human body is baffling but marvelous! Think how much it does with absolutely no input from us!! We don't have to actively heal our cuts and scrapes or remind ourselves to breathe. And look at how most of us have recovered physically and mentally from years of exposing each and every cell in our bodies to poison! It's just amazing, and humbling, to me.

[ToMyHealth]

Just stopped by quickly as need to get ready for neighborhood party. Think they have once/month.
But love this topic. Am like you, NS, BP high 90's over low 60's. Last time I Was in dr. said we normally warn people about too much salt, I want you to have more salt. So ingrained to not eat salt. I always bought low sodium V8, now I drink regular one out playing golf.
Quit my hospital volunteer job, froze for 4 hrs, wore lomg sleeve turtleneck, volunteer shirt, thick sweater jacket, and would jog by desk every half hour.
But Like you say high BP is bad for you, but low is no fun either.
Have to run. Taking Buffalo Chicken strips with ranch dressing and a cooler bag of O'Douls.

[NoSugar]

Couple interesting takes on the salt controversy
Pass the salt, please. It’s good for you. - The Washington Post
It's Time to End the War on Salt - Scientific American

One thing that attracted me to red wine was that it wasn't cold and it warmed me up. I still sort of miss that in chilly restaurants.

[Pavati]

One thing that attracted me to red wine was that it wasn't cold and it warmed me up. I still sort of miss that in chilly restaurants.

Oh my goodness, yes! I am so cold all of the time now, especially when I hang out with drinkers who tend to want the room cooler to offset the booze!

I love the nutrition talk, too. I feel pretty good right now, and still have an ice cream habit, although I have drastically toned it down since I first quit drinking. It had become a substitute reward, and believe it or not I might have actually turned myself off it a bit by eating too much...

Anyway.

Off to bed. Night.

Pav

[wagmor]

Hi everyone,

Hope it's ok if I jump back into this group after my long hiatus. After a really good AF stint in 2014, I fell of the wagon and fell hard. Fooled myself into thinking I could moderate. Finally had to face facts and realize that no, I absolutely cannot moderate.

The recent conversations in this group re: diet, carbs, etc are VERY interesting to me and oh-so-timely. As I described over in the Nest, I gave up wheat and alcohol as an experiment with an anti-inflammatory modified Whole 30 diet 52 days ago. I actually tried the full-blown Whole 30 back in June, but I found it very hard to follow as a vegetarian. In July I decided to try again but only cutting out wheat and Al. As a result, almost all of my carbs come from veggies and legumes. I eat a lot of veggies, but only have legumes about once per week. It took about 10 days to start feeling much difference, but thereafter I've had really great results. I feel much better, I look much better (lost weight, look less "puffy" or bloated, skin looks healthier, etc.).

For me, getting all wheat out of my diet and not replacing it with gluten-free alternatives (no GF breads, for example) has made staying AF much much easier. Maybe it's because the focus isn't so pointedly on Al (or avoiding Al) - it's more just a component of a larger lifestyle change. Maybe it's also physiology and biochemistry - not eating carbs keeps my blood sugar on a more even keel, and I just feel more stable and grounded.

I'm curious to see this conversation continue. I love reading about your experiences and hearing your questions. So glad to be back in this group!

[NoSugar]

Don't get me started, Wags :wink: - I could talk about this all day!

[wagmor]

Don't get me started, Wags :wink: - I could talk about this all day!

You're the first person I thought of when I started this new approach!

[Siren53]

Maybe it's because the focus isn't so pointedly on Al (or avoiding Al) - it's more just a component of a larger lifestyle change.

This what's different this time for me, too. I'm focusing on doing whatever I can to get enough sleep each night. Since AL messes with my sleep I cut it out. I'm sleeping sooo much better and then am rested enough to face the day AF. My depression is also better.

[frances]

Good morning all! Well I still haven't gotten past thinking about changing my diet but I hope that will happen soon. The pants are definitely getting tighter!

I'm feeling down this week. A neighbor from where I grew up committed suicide last week. He was 56 with a wife and three grown kids. Then over the weekend a boy from my daughter's high school also committed suicide. He just started his senior year and was well liked and outwardly appeared to be a happy young man. My daughter is a junior, but he was her math class and she was good friends with him in middle school. The students are reeling. They were off on Monday and so yesterday was the first day back - my daughter said it was very hard for everyone.

Services are today for my former neighbor and tomorrow for the student. My heart goes out to their loved ones who must be devastated.

I just hate that people feel so badly they feel this is the only way to get away from it.