I'm resurrecting this blog, I've resurrected a healthier me, and we are celebrating Christ's resurrection! That one is the best.
Happy Easter! "It's not about the bunny, it's about the Lamb." Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. We take special time to remember the most significant events in history, both globally and personally. Thank you Jesus for your death and resurrection.
I mostly decided to resume blogging to chronicle my health journey over the next year. I think it may help me stay committed.
Since I last blogged we've added another baby to the family. Josiah, our little caboose. He's 2 and your typically feisty 2 yo boy. I was reading my last post about Caleb from 2017 and now we are basically walking the same road with Josiah. It's cute, but also tries the patience for sure.
We've also recently relocated cross country. We now reside in Wyoming. A big change to be sure.
We still have our one beagle mix, Eby.
But, for now, more on the subject of health. Maybe life updates will come later.
During quarantine in 2020, the hubs and I changed our way of eating- we began combining keto-ish eating with intermittent fasting. My mother in law told us about it after finding huge success in it herself. The way of eating is called Eat Like a Bear and while there are some materials you can purchase- it can also be done totally free. There are no secrets or supplements. We are one meal a day, high in fiber and moderate in fat and protein, and low in carbs. Mostly salads with a good portion of protein and healthy fats.
After having my third child I found myself about 20 pounds heavier than when I started having kids, and I wasn't thin even then. I'd managed to lose about 15 pounds in a year just cutting back in general. But I still wanted more. I wanted to finally be out of the overweight/obese category. With Eat Like a Bear I dropped another 10-15 pounds but then my motivation lagged. I've spent about the last year doing the plan off and on, which has resulted in just maintenance. I'm certainly happy to be here instead of where I was. I'd also still like to lose 20 more pounds to get out of the overweight category.
So, I've been (and am still) reading The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. It's fascinating and enlightening. He is also not selling any fads or supplements. He's also promoting intermittent fasting, extended fasting, and decreasing insulin response Ave cortisol through low carb eating. It's a research based approach.
In the course of trying to find out what plant based sweeteners might be acceptable- I can across an autobiographical article on eliminating all sweeteners. I thought at first this was the approach I was going to take, in addition to my 16/8 eating window and lower carbs. However I found it pretty rough to have my morning hot tea latte without it. So instead I've decided...
To give up desserts for an entire year.
Even keto ones. I'm not buying any more diet soda to keep at the house. I'm reducing the amount of monk fruit I use in my tea.
Y'all, this is a big deal for me. I really love sweets. Like really. Reese's, ice cream, cookies, chocolate milk. Mmmmmm. But it's not something I've been successful in exercising moderation and self control. I'm hoping after a year, I'll no longer have any desire for it. I'm also hoping it makes it easier to reach that 20 lb goal.
Today marks 2 weeks and I'm doing pretty good. I even served cookies to the family and it didn't hurt too badly.
So, here's to health and breaking food addictions.
