Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Week 8 ~ Day 5

Alrighty - were to begin?  Let's start with what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: My morning shake; green tea
Lunch: Salad with roast beef, salami, havarti cheese, walnuts, raspberries, olive oil and pomegranate vinegar



Snack: Redi-Whip and 2 pieces of my homemade dark chocolate & coconut oil fudge (made with equal parts coconut oil and dark chocolate chips - cool in fridge until set)



Dinner: Homemade meatloaf, potato buds, asparagus, green salad with avocado
My parents had us over for dinner at their house last night

Okay - Now for the cherry pie story.  On Saturday we had 13 people for dinner and served cherry and apple pie for dessert. When it was time for dessert, I really didn't care if I had any or not - no cravings and no real desire.  Since I was feeling this way I decided to try an experiment..... I really do like cherry pie (just the cravings were not strong) so I decided to try some to see how it made me feel physically.  This experiment had nothing to do with weight loss/gain but had everything to do with how the sugar would make me feel.  I decided to have 1/2 piece of the cherry pie (which was about 7 bites), with a small amount of ice cream (like 1/3 cup) rather than just the 1-3 bites like I had been doing. Within an hour I noticed that I was craving chips and the other bready items that were sitting around (before the pie I honestly had NO cravings whatsoever - I had eaten dinner and was very satisfied).  Then Sunday morning I woke up around 6:00am and could NOT get out of bed (and I normally get up between 4:30am-5:30am EVERY day without any problem).  I was so super tired. I know my body pretty well, and I knew without a doubt, that it was from the sugar (I wonder how I would have felt if I had eaten the entire piece).  Do you know the feeling that I'm talking about (it feels different than being tired from lack of sleep)?? 

So I concluded that I do best when I stick to the 15/6 guideline on a daily basis (for weight loss and for feeling great) and when I don't, and I indulge in a treat, 1-3 bites is about all my body can handle.  Of course, different desserts have differing amounts of sugar, so this could vary, but it's easier for me to allow 1-3 bites and be done with it. I'm not talking everyday - I'm talking about at special occassions and functions. I think one of the reasons I've been doing so well this time on the BFC is because I always keep Rosalie's recommendaion in mind that when you're at a function and you're really wanting something non-BFC friendly - pick out the 1 item that you really want and enjoy a few bites so that you won't feel deprived.  I know now that 1-3 bites of any dessert really is my limit and I'm okay with that.  I remember reading years ago that your pleasure diminishes after the third bite (of the same item)... anyone else ever hear this?

We have a huge fire burning in our Colorado foothills - about 20 miles from where we live in Windsor.  Last I heard, over 40,000 acres had burned with 0% containment.  A guy who used to work with my husband lost his house and his horses :(  Very, very sad.  The smoke is incredible.  Heard on the news this morning  that the smoke plume was reaching over 20,000 ft. into the sky.  Friends who live in the next town over (in Fort Collins) have ash and charred pieces of debris falling in their yards.  I have a friend whose husband is a fireman fighting the fire.  We are in no danger since we live far enough away.   Just sad to watch it happening to others.  Here are a few photos that we took from our yard of the smoke:



 Pray for rain ~ because we really need it!!

Hope everyone has a great day!!  You CAN do it while ENJOYING it at the same time!! :)

5 comments:

  1. I feel you on that one; the cherry pie story.
    I had bread yesterday (ezekiel) and boy within an hour of eating it i literally was cramping and bloated it was the worst! its was terrible! it lasted all day long, its annoying actually. But i guess if you're body can't take it, then we must listen to it.

    I hope it rains!

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  2. I can honestly say since I started this I have not binged once on sugar or grains. These stories make me scared to anyway :) The few little things I've had (that I shouldn't) are usually a couple of chips, a little popcorn or some potato/sweet potato and sushi. I consider the other stuff “not an option” – no different than if I had a life threatening condition.

    My big weaknesses before were ice cream and chocolate and I’ve found sugar free/low carb options for both so I have no need to indulge in their sugar filled siblings. Pie?? Well, that’s going to be a tough one but I’m determined I’ll come up with a sugar free substitute that will fill the bill (at least keep me from indulging in the “real” thing).

    I’m going to pick organic strawberries this Friday so I’ll see what I can come up with. Since I have so much weight to lose, I usually limit my fruit intake to 1/4 a day (if at all) but with fresh strawberries around … I don’t know ;)

    It rained last night and is supposed to rain most of today here – wish I could send some your way.

    PS. You know you can make your own chocolate items with unsweetened chocolate and add stevia or xylitol/erythritol and have chocolate with no sugar - I have some recipes if you're interested.

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  3. The fires are sad:)
    I bought coconut oil when I bought my flour and I have not even cracked the jar. The fudge looks tasty!
    You learned a lesson with the pie, it helps to make this a lifestyle.
    I have heard that about the 3 bites, I don't know if I have ever noticed. I am back to eating too fast again. I need to add that to my "conclusions"!
    Have a great day!
    I'll pray for rain for you, I wish I could send ours. We had a nice day yesterday and today looks gloomy:(

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  4. It was good that you did the pie experiment on yourself. I experiment on myself all the time to figure out what works and what doesn't work for my body. Some things, like Nutella, cause over the top cravings and other things don't. Some things give me a headache if I eat too much of it, like corn, and other things don't, like rice. It does help figuring those things out. The author of the book, French Women Don't Get Fat, talks about the first few bites of food being the most enjoyable. So, like you said, for foods that you shouldn't have too much of, but love, thoroughly enjoy 1-3 bites and then stop. I think it's a GREAT "rule".

    It's so sad about the damage from the fires, but those pictures are eerily beautiful.

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  5. Your salad and the fudge looked awesome. I have never allowed myself to have more than 3 bites of anything bad for almost 2 & 1/2 years now since starting the BFC. And I used to absolutely LOVE Cherry pie. I would have loved a bite of that.
    Well now you know what it used to do to us.
    So sad about the fires - Be safe. :-)

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