How I Lost Seventy-Some Pounds

At least three times a week, someone asks me, "How did you lose the weight?"

The problem is that I don't have an answer: at least an answer that most people want to hear.  I didn't count calories.  I didn't drink shakes.  I didn't take pills.  I didn't stop eating any food groups.  (Those stories are for a different post.)  

I eat food.  Only food.  Real food. 

Revolutionary, right? 

Some people call it the Eat Clean Diet.  Others call it the Whole Foods Diet.  I guess that's fine if you like to put a name on it.  But I just eat food.

At this point, you may be saying to yourself, "But I eat food.  Lots of food!  Why haven't I lost any weight?"  Well, I hate to break it to you, but you probably aren't eating real food.

 Lean Cuisine.  Not real food.

100 Calorie Snack Packs.  Not real food.

 

Lemon flavored water.  Not real food.

Honestly, if it has an "ingredients" list on the back, it's probably not food. 

But how does eating real food make you lose weight?   What's the difference between eating 2000 calories of processed food and eating 2000 calories of real food?  A calorie is a calorie, right?  

Not really. 

Now, there's a whole slew of science that goes on in the body when you eat anything.  I could put my degree to good use and go into all the chemistry that goes on, but that's kind of beyond the scope of this post.  I do, however, recommend reading The Eat Clean Diet, The French Don't Diet, or Practical Paleo, as all three have great sections about the physiological effects of eating processed foods.  Or, you can always visit PubMed and read some studies if you're into that sort of thing.  (No worries; I won't judge your inner nerdiness). 

But what about the Twinkie Diet?  That proves you can eat processed foods and still lose weight, right? 

See, that's the terrible thing with science.  You get one "study" that goes viral and decades of other research goes right out the window.  ABC News has a pretty decent critique of the study in layman's terms that is worth the read.  Basically, weight loss doesn't always equate with improved health.  Plus, a low-calorie junk food diet is hard to maintain over the long run.

"The impact of an unhealthy diet is felt in years, not weeks."

So, what do you actually eat? 

Everything.  A typical breakfast is uncured bacon, pastured eggs, and my favorite pumpkin pancakes made with real maple syrup.  Lunch is often a grass-fed burger with a baked sweet potato (topped with real pastured butter) and a green smoothie.  Dinner may be fish or a steak with roasted beats, broccoli, and squash.  My favorite snack is dark chocolate with crystallized ginger or homemade custard made with raw milk.

Really, though, these are just a few examples.  There's very little I can't eat.  Instead of potato chips, I fry sweet potato slices in coconut oil.  Instead of boxed cake mix, I make one from scratch with eggs, butter, and almond flour.  It really doesn't take any more time to bake from whole ingredients.

I am never hungry and I am never deprived.  I still eat ice cream, burgers, pizza, and chocolate.  I don't count calories; yet, I've still managed to lose weight.  Not only have I lost over 70 lbs, I've kept it off for two years.  And the great thing is, everyone can eat real food.  It doesn't matter if you're vegan, low-carb, paleo, vegetarian, etc.  All you have to do is stop eating the fake processed foods (ie. vegan hot-dogs and low-carb bread) and eat real food instead. 

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

I've mentioned these pancakes before, but I thought it was time to actually share my recipe. 

paleo pumpkin pancakes zomg nom

So I know that there a hundreds of paleo pancake recipes out there, but I really like this one because it doesn't use any flour at all.  Coconut and almond flour is super expensive, yo! 

Now, the key to this recipe is the quality of ingredients.  I use both pastured eggs and pastured butter and real Grade B maple syrup.  Fresh pumpkin is awesome, but canned pumpkin works, too.

This recipe is adapted this recipe from Practically Paleo, but I played with the spices since the original recipe was a bit too bland for me.  The ginger gives it a nice kick while keeping it kid-friendly. 

The brands I use are linked in the recipe, and no, I'm not an Amazon affiliate.

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes  

(Makes 2 servings / 8 small pancakes)

4 eggs

1/2 c pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp Grade B maple syrup

2 tbsp melted butter 

Mix all ingredients together until completely blended.  Heat pan or griddle to 300 degrees.  Pour approximately 1/4 c of batter for each pancake and let cook until firm. 

Super Smoothie

I've been drinking green smoothies for years, but I finally found the PERFECT recipe.  I've branched out and now I use a spinach/kale/chard mix (usually Earthbound Organics Power Greens).  I used to use fresh fruit, but frozen fruit tends to be cheaper and easier to work with.  No more rinsing and slicing.  I also don't need to add ice when I use frozen, so one less ingredient.  I've also started adding coconut oil, because, well, coconut oil is just full of awesome.  Just a bit of local, raw honey provides some sweetness.  Oh, and did I mention that raw honey is a superfood?  A scoop of green powder rounds it out.  It really only takes a minute to throw the ingredients in a blender and the kids absolutely love it. 

 The brands I use are linked in the recipe, and no, I'm not an Amazon affiliate.  

Super Smoothie (Makes 2 Servings)

4 cups leafy greens

1 cup frozen berries

1 banana

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp honey

1 scoop green powder

1 cup water

Crispy Eggplant with Spicy Marinara and Feta

Ingredients
1 eggplant, about 1 lb, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp dry basil
2 cups marinara
1 cup feta cheese

Directions
1.  Mix milk and eggs in a small bowl.  Mix wheat germ, parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper in a second bowl.
2.  Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, then coat both sides in the wheat germ mixture. 
3.  Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Eggplant should be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
4.  Add red pepper to the marinara and warm over low medium heat.
5.  Top eggplant with marinara and feta cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Vegetarian Cooking for Today (1993).

Another Pointless Committee

Last month, Roni (of Roni's Weigh) did a completely awesome post about the obesity epidemic and what the Healthy Weight Committment Foundation aims to do about it. While Roni offered some great ideas of her own, the new organization was basically just rehashing the same old, same old -- exercise and eat right. Well, duh.

Anyways, I wanted to share my very long-winded comment to her here on My Inner Fit Chick (previously KUrunner).

I agree that something needs to be done, but I very much disagree with their methods. Obesity is not as simple as calories in versus calories out. I think most Americans are already “conscious” that we need to eat better and exercise. Weight loss and health is so much more than that.

Why are we overweight in the first place? We know more about nutrition and exercise now than we did 100 years ago, even 50 years ago. But the numbers keep going up. Telling me that I need to eat X number of calories doesn’t change the fact that I want that candy bar.

We, as a society, is stressed to the limit. Moms are expected to be super; we are supposed to get up, make a healthy breakfast for the family, get the kids dressed, pack the husband’s lunch, drop the kids off at school and make it to work by 8:00 for a staff meeting. Then, we are supposed to workout during lunch while magically working on a presentation, pick the kids up and cart them off to soccer, dance and band. We go home and make a wonderful pasta primavera from scratch while entertaining three kids without resorting to TV or video games. Don’t forget the laundry that we have to do or the bathrooms we need to scrub. Then, we are expected to make time for the husband.

Yeah, right. No wonder that McDonald’s looks so tempting on the way home.

If HWCF wants change, maybe they should go after the source. Change the goverment that makes boxes of processed crap cheaper than fruits and vegetables. Go after the fast food restaurants that are on every corner where an extra value meal is cheaper than a pound of meat. I’m not saying that there isn’t personal responsibility involved, but it’s kind of unfair to the crack addict when society willingly puts a dealer on every street. (And yes, I believe that being obese is just as dangerous as being hooked on drugs.)

But telling us what we’ve already been told thousands of times before isn’t going to change anything.

But it gets better. This "health-minded" group is made up of CEOs from companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestle, Mars, Hershey, and Kraft. They are the same ones that make it cheaper to buy a 2 liter of soda than a bottle of juice. They are the ones that sell sugar, sugar, and more sugar to our kids. You think that dinosaur on the macaroni box is targeting adults?

Here's what they should be saying:

Eat less, but keep eating our neon orange processed macaroni. Watch your calories, but keep buying our high fructose corn syrup and aspartame laden sodas. Don't be fat kids, but make sure to save room for a candy bar later.

Anyways, if you're as pissed off as I am now, feel free to send them an email at info@healthyweightcommit.org telling them that if they really want to enact change, they should start with their own products.

Chemical of the Week - Aspartame

I’ve been working on this post for weeks because if there is anything I’m passionate about it’s chemistry (and why we shouldn’t eat things found on a lab bench.) I want to do a new chemical that’s commonly found in food each week, but I’ve decided to start with aspartame because it is everywhere. It’s also one of the most dangerous food additives currently being used and if I could just stop one person (including myself) from eating the crap, I’ll have done my job.

What is it?
Aspartame is a chemical sweetener invented in 1965, also known as N-(L-α-Aspartyl)-L-phenylalanine, 1-methyl ester. While aspartame isn’t calorie free, it’s 200 times sweeter than sugar so smaller quantities are used to get the same sweetness.

History

Aspartame was denied by the FDA 8 times before it got approval. In fact, when it was finally approved, the FDA revoked it’s approval and determined that the company’s safety data on aspartame had been manipulated. The US Attorneys Office began proceedings against the head of the company, G.D. Searle. However, while the investigation was underway, the lead attorney left the case and took a job with Searle’s law firm. Sketchy, right? In 1980, the FDA set up a review board which found that aspartame had not been shown to be safe for use as a food additive. A year later, a new FDA commissioner was appointed and overrulled the review board allowing aspartame to be used in food. Want to take a guess who he started working for after he left the FDA? Yep, he started working for Searle’s public relations firm. Congress began to prosecute Searle for giving the government false information, but the attorneys assigned to the case chose not to proceed. Not to sound repetitive, but they also landed jobs with Searle’s law firm.

In 1996, the FDA approved aspartame without restrictions and without public notice.

Health Benefits
Although aspartame supporters argue that the chemical is useful in the management of diabetes, studies show otherwise. Not eating sugar is really what helps manage diabetes, not eating chemically sweetened products made from aspartame. Heroin doesn’t cause lung cancer, but is it really a good replacement for cigarettes?

Health Hazards
Numerous studies have shown a link between aspartame and brain tumors. There are more than 90 different side effects from aspartame consumption ranging from headaches and dizziness to memory loss and seizures. Aspartame is directly linked to weight gain and causes formaldehyde accumulation in the body. (Thing of high school biology.) More than 75% of complaints to the FDA are aspartame related. Aspartame has also been linked to birth defects. Sadly, the FDA must not be informed of any of these studies. Their official position is:

Since it was first approved for use in the United States, the safety of aspartame has been questioned by some. To date, however, the agency has not been presented with scientific information that would support a change in our conclusions about the safety of aspartame. Those conclusions are based on a detailed review of a large body of information, including more than 100 toxicological and clinical studies regarding the sweetener’s safety.

Good luck trying to track down any of those 100 studies, though. Their website turned up very little information of aspartame. And, um, what about the hundreds of studies I found after a quick search on Google Scholar?

The Bottom Line
Aspartame is obviously bad stuff. If you are wondering why the FDA would approve something so dangerous, remember that it’s a $1 billion industry.

Whether or not you believe the hype on either side of the debate, the important fact is that aspartame is NOT food. Aspartame is a chemical. Apples don’t have aspartame. Eggs don’t have aspartame. Spinach doesn’t have aspartame. Sodas do have aspartame. Processed foods do have aspartame. Candies do have aspartame. I don’t think you need a scientific study (or goverment organization) telling you which diet is healthier.

I swear it's my last one.

Note:  This blog post is not all-inclusive.  It's a truncated review that points out what I find important.  Please do your own research if you feel mine is lacking!

Bad Habits

The theory is that it takes 3 weeks to form a habit so it makes sense that it would take 3 weeks to break a bad habit, right?

Oh goodness, do I have some bad habits that need breaking.

Normally, I eat fairly healthy. I don’t care whether or not high fructose corn syrup is bad for you because I don’t eat it. It’s not food. If it has more than 5 ingredients or it has an ingredient I recognize from my chemistry class, I just don’t eat it. Lately, I’ve been slipping though.

I have a small caffeine problem. I am a Red Bull addict. When I got pregnant, I stopped drinking it for a few months, but my OB recommended picking it back up because I was getting the WORST headaches. But now, with a new baby and little sleep, I find myself reaching for 2 or 3 a day. This isn’t good. Red Bull is full of CRAP. I drink the sugar-free stuff but it’s not like that’s any better. Aspartame. Acesulfame potassium. Both of these chemicals have been linked to numerous health problems such as cancer and obesity. (More on that topic later.) Plus, it’s expensive. I can get it at the commissary for about $1.50, but you can pay as much as $2.50 for a small can at other stores. That’s about $100 a month! Man, I can think of a lot better things to spend a hundred bucks on.

My second bad habit is… diet soda. (Yes, I supposed Red Bull is technically soda, but still.) During my hard-core World of Warcraft days, I was going through about 6 12-packs a week of soda. My desk looked like a recycling center. I don’t remember when, how, or why, but I stopped drinking soda. Ok, maybe I didn’t actually stop because any time I eat out or get fast food, I get a Diet Coke, but I wasn’t drinking 10+ cans a day. Yet, for some reason, I’ve been buying soda at the store again and my desk now looks like a recycling center. Soda is bad! In addition to the chemicals in Red Bull, the acid in soda leeches calcium out of your body. I can only imagine how good that is for a nursing mother with joint problems and a family history of osteoporosis.

Next up — candy. Mmmmm, candy. I have a sweet tooth. If it’s sweet or made of chocolate, I’ll eat it. I got really fussy for a while and wouldn’t eat anything that was less than the most expensive gourmet chocolate (which isn’t bad because you can only afford so much of that stuff), but lately, I’ve been binging on crap. I’ve eaten BAGS of white chocolate truffles over the last few weeks. I haven’t counted, but I would say at least a dozen. I’ve been eating crappy candy bars almost daily. I’ve been picking in Kaelin’s candy stash more than I should. I’ve eaten so many black jelly beans that I felt sick.

Finally, I’m a fast food fiend. I hate this because I don’t even like most of the fast food I eat. McDonald’s is terrible on so many levels, but there I am sitting in the drive-thru. Actually, I’ve been doing much better with fast food recently than I have in the past. I used to eat it 3+ meals a day and my cholesterol levels were scary high for someone in their 20s. Now, I’m only getting it once every couple of days, but that’s still too much considering that I don’t even like how it tastes. Seriously, when I was still married to my first husband, we were spending about $1000 a month on fast food. We NEVER ate at home. Now, Jason and I have a $100 a month limit on eating out, and I would much rather go to a decent restaurant every now and then instead of giving the money to a stupid clown face.

Four bad habits (at least, 4 that I’m focusing on for now). Four bad habits of which I’m getting rid. It’s going to be painful and Jason doubts that I can do it, but for the next three weeks — no Red Bull, no soda, no candy or chocolate and no fast food. Twenty-one days. I know that in moderation, none of my habits are particularly bad, but I’m not a very moderate person. If I have candy, I’m going to eat the whole bag. If I have a case of Red Bull, I’m going to drink it over a couple of days.

Then, after 3 weeks, when I kick this challenge’s ass, Jason will owe me. BIG.