On the home front:
We have taken another step to improve our health here at the Kline home.
Most sugar and flour out... eating "clean" in.
We have cleaned up our breakfast and our snacks... and I have taken a step to improve my daily cup-o-joe.
Old Breakfast: Protein bars. Jesse had a cliff bar (12g protein) and I had a Think Thin bar (20 g protein) and a banana. One cup of coffee each. His black. Mine with 1/2 & 1/2.
New Breakfast: Something with EGGS! I think we went through 2 or 3 dozen this week.
Cost: Well the bars were $1-2 each and somedays I would have more than one. So... It is... probably about the same.
1. You have to jazz up the eggs otherwise choking down 3 eggs (4g protein/egg) per morning is boring compared to the chocolatey taste of the protein bar aka (candy bar breakfast!)
2. You have to get up and make a meal out of breakfast... including food prep, cooking time, eating time... and more dishes. :-(
Daily one should get: your weight in lbs * 0.4 = grams of protein you need.
Adding in avacado, tomatoes, cilatro, mushrooms, hot sauce... all helps.
Protein is a major need in the diet. You can't absorb calcium without it. You can't heal without it. Basically the body doesn't run/run well without protein.
Note: When taking sugar and gluten out of your diet... you have to eat more to match the caloric intake your body needs to burn. ESPECIALLY after spin class.
My Friday night spin class was great. However... I woke up at 3 am STARVING!
The other way my breakfast is different is I've been drinking... what is called Bullet Proof Coffee. (from Paleo diet enthusiasts) Coffee (I drink half caff to keep the damage to my adrenals down. I should go full decaf but... I'm not ready to commit to that yet.) with added grass fed butter and coconut oil. Adding these healthy fats sustains energy for the morning and I feel... has a cleaner brighter burn. (referring to our energy level as burning gas/oil.) I'm liking the results there.
In other meals throughout the day focus on vegetables, complex carbs, and protein. The main difference is a lot more vegetables and little to no desserts/baking. I did make a dessert last night that included cocoa powder, almond butter, honey, and egg. Not bad for a "cheat" on the lifestyle we're trying to implement.
Another goal we gave ourselves was no alcohol as your body responds to it like sugar... effecting the pancreas, adrenals, thyroid, gut... well everything. Its out for the next couple weeks. Not hard when you have a kid and don't go out anyway. Jesse... the fancy beer drinker in the house is fairing very well. I know he missed his Friday night beer yesterday but he's hanging in there. He says its worth giving up beer to have me so involved in the meal planning. (I guess I was slacking in helping out... oops)
We started this on Monday of this week and so far.... The pros out weigh the cons. I've had a couple irrational moments due to hunger. (My own fault for not having appropriate food ready to eat at the office.) All in all... next week here we come we'll see in what ways life improves now. We're investing in the future us. Plus, I want Fiona to have healthy eating habits and I can't eat one thing, tell her to eat another and I can't have her eating what I know is not good for her either. Once and a while yes but frequently no.
So here's to small changes over time that make a big impact and sticking to that small change until it becomes a habit. You either dose yourself daily with health and wellness or dose yourself with future challenges (emotional, nutritional, and physical). As long as the scales are tipped to health.... you're good. Keep track of your wellness scale. (This brings to mind the patient who after weeks of not healing finally (after much questioning) revealed he carried around a big gulp soda daily and sipped on it all day every day! Out of habit he was dosing himself with phosphoric acid and sugar... and rotting his insides. He's made some lovely substitutions and changes... and of course has lost weight. He also has changed his pre-diabetic status, length of a healthy life, no doubt is in a better mood for his family with less strain on his body, sleeping better, no back pain... on and on)
Many patients ask me about cleanses and diets supplements and yada yada. Is one perfect... no. (there are a lot out there!) Are they bad?... some of them can be depends on the person. It is the exploration of what you're working for that is good. Every person is different. Genetics, stress, lifestyle. Something new to strive for and perhaps some of the changes you make will stick. Its about the lifestyle... every day. It depends on what you're ready for and what is motivating you go get there and correspondingly what is motivating you to make the change. We don't change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the effort it takes to change. What do you want to improve on? What is the small change or big change you can make to step closer to the you tomorrow? These words only touch on the tip of the iceberg of what comprises who we are and what we become... bottom line... you are in charge so take charge and take that step for the right reasons.
Namaste
(off to the Y for some Sunday cycle class fellowship)
