Finally Loosing Weight

OMFG.  Wow.  I weighed 171 lbs for my low weight this morning.  A month ago, at 8 months postpartum, I had hit 185 lbs again for a high weight.  I gave birth at 190 lbs.  Before I was pregnant, I weighed 150 lbs.  Breast milk production makes my weight fluctuate from 3 to 5 lbs each day. 

You know, I was loosing weight during my maternity leave.  I figured this out a couple of weeks ago.  When I'm at work, I intake a lot of food and drink that I wouldn't otherwise.  I eat out more.  It is easier to eat crappy food at work.  Chipotle and thousand-calorie burritos was a staple for a few months.  And, I needed a snack to get me to work.  Sometimes two.  I also needed a snack to get me into the newscast.  Then, there was a glass of wine to chill out at night.   There were many days where I would have 3 snacks and 2 lunches (along with breakfast and dinner).  Hungry?  Need coffee?  BAM!  Starbucks breakfast sandwich.  There were other days where I'd eat a thousand calories of gluten free pizza, because it was yummy and we were too hungry to figure anything else out.

And, you cannot crash diet while breastfeeding, because loosing weight too quickly will release toxins that will get into the breastmilk.  Additionally, if I am not eating at regular intervals, I am starving, and I will suddenly crash and need to eat 2,000 calories of whatever I can get my hands on first.

I had attempted to cut out grains, sugar, and nuts while focusing on the overall health of my teeth.  Those newborn months were busy, and since the days didn't have distinction between them, there wasn't a clear place to take care of myself.  I noticed during that first round of cutting out grains and sugars that I started dropping pounds.  But, I plateaued and stopped loosing weight, so I got frustrated and gave up.  I chose the food that comforted me.  I did make the switch from Starbucks brownies to organic peanut butter cups.  But, I was back to eating frozen dinners in the microwave.  Something had to give.

homemade chicken tikka masala and broccoli

I do the best on grilled meat and veggies.  But, I have to have hot food, I have to take lunch and dinner to work with me, and I have to use a microwave (which dries out meat).  I realized a few weeks ago that I could simmer the meat in a premade sauce, like the frozen dinners do.  Voila!  I could make healthy, low cost, no grain meals that I could put in glass containers.  These would not dry out in the microwave.  I then went down to one sugar snack a day (before the newscast), and now I am down to ZERO snacks per day.  I had a little chocolate the other day, and it was too sweet.  Win.

What I cut out:

• All sugar (refined sugar, natural sugar, fruit, etc)
• All grains (refined, whole, bread, corn, rice, etc)
• All nuts and seeds

What I eat now:

• Breakfast: Eggs (and sometimes bacon)
• Snack: Salad with cheese and oil and vinegar
• Lunch: chicken/beef and veggies
• Dinner: chicken/beef and veggies
• Water/Coffee

We also started:

• Walking 1.2 to 2.5 miles per day almost every day (now that we're on 2 naps)

And, that's it.  No cookies.  No chocolates.  No peanut butter cups.  Well, there are some situations where I do indulge.  I have a mimosa with my eggs benedict at brunch.  And, you can be damn sure that I'm going to eat cake when it's there.  Damn.  Sure. Holla.  Cake.  Mmm.

Hot Lunch at Work

When the hormones reared up, I really had trouble finding foods that wouldn't upset my stomach, let alone foods that would feel good when I ate them.  After organizing a new event at the community center at which I volunteer, I craved a big plate of fettuccine alfredo, which was the first thing that felt good in my stomach in weeks.  I went to Whole Foods and bought organic, whole wheat pasta, and some wholesome alfredo and shredded parmesan.  That lead to Amy's shells and cheese in a box.  I was eating that once or twice per day to sooth my tummy.  But, it had to be hot and fresh.  I also discovered that my aversion was to most seasoning, save a little salt and pepper.  So, my other fall back was a hot and fresh hamburger with cheese. The baby wants good fatty foods that to grow a healthy brain!

I discovered that Panera's broccoli and cheddar cheese soup soothed my tummy the best!  But, I didn't want a staple food to be something that wasn't organic, where the broccoli (and likely the whole soup), had been frozen, and that I was sure had seen a microwave at some point.  So, I found a similar recipe online.  I use organic milk, organic butter from grass-fed cows, and organic cheddar cheese.  I shred organic carrots and use organic broccoli.  I also used an organic chicken bone stock that Sean made from a free-range, vegetarian-fed chicken.  If I could find everything for the recipe from grass-fed animals, that would be glorious!  Free range, veg/grass-fed animals that produce organic products are much more healthy than conventionally fed and treated animals.  And, because they are healthier, we eat healthier meats, eggs, and dairy products.

I don't believe in freezing foods, because I believe the process of freezing foods kills the food and depletes it of a life-giving force that keeps us healthy.  It's fresh or bust for me.

My aversion to microwaves stems from the intuitive sense that using radiation on a regular basis isn't a natural process.  I just feel like it messes with my food.  I haven't regularly used a microwave since 2008, and when I moved in with Sean, I found out that his microwave was in the basement storage.  We use them for convenience, because we live busy lives.  Could you imagine your life without a microwave?  Dinner takes about 20 minutes to reheat instead of 5 minutes.  It just takes a little extra time, but, there's no radiation in the equation.

Sometimes, I eat an early breakfast, and then eat an early lunch while driving to work, so that I don't have to answer the food question.  Some shells and cheese or soup in a cup has done the trick.  There was one day that I took a long lunch and make pasta at home.  But, there are a few yummy places that I've been able to get hot food without a microwave while at work or on the go. I know that I can't have food the way I want it all of the time, but I can try to make better choices when away from home.

Zpizza: There is a Zpizza in my office building!  They cook everything via oven!  "A passion for great food is why we start with dough made from 100% organic wheat flour prepared fresh every day, hand-thrown and fire-baked until uniquely crisp. Our zest for quality continues when the toppings go on. We combine select ingredients using award-winning skim mozzarella from Wisconsin, certified organic tomato sauce, MSG-free pepperoni, additive-free sausage, and fresh produce."

Silver Diner: Fresh and local food.  Their beef is grass fed, which is perfect for a burger!  And, they can put organic ketchup in a container to go!

Whole Foods hot bar: And, most of the Whole Foods around here have a pretty good hot bar.  But, because I cannot eat seasonings right now, I have to stick to the macaroni and cheese when they have it.