Hi All,
I've been asked to tell you more about my food choices that have helped me lose 61 pounds to date since July, 2013. So this entry is about how I chose what to eat and when.
The body has a rhythm that is hormone based. It's best to get into a routine as much as possible. If you work odd hours just remember start the rhythm when you wake and go forward.
Within 1 hour of waking have meal 1. It's best to think of these meals as fuel so the body is able to function. After that 1st meal have one every 4 to 5 hours up to 3 meals in one day's cycle.
When exercising its good to have protein within an hour before such as an egg or 2 hand fulls of macadamia nuts (other choices are walnuts, pecans, cashews, and almonds). Peanuts, legumes and grains are not broken down properly by the body so best left alone. Why protein? The body is going to need to build muscle to work out so protein is the best food for muscles.
What protein is good for meals? I've found that organic and/or grass feed meat is the best choice for poultry, beef and pork. I do get regular pork and chicken on occasions when money is tight and that works ok - main thing is to control portion sizes. 3 ozs of protein is plenty, Round off the meal with around 6 ozs of vegetables (average is 3 ozs a serving). Meal 2 and 3 I add 1 to 2 servings of fruit. I have acid reflux issues (most overweight people do - it comes from fat pushing the stomach contents up into the esophagus) - so until I lose more weight I limit myself to apples, dried cranberries, raisins, dates and prunes. These choices limit issues with acid reflux and also keeps me regular. Daily elimination of waste from bowels is crucial to correct stomach emptying so eat what's necessary to make this happen.
Here's what a typical meal looks like for me - from how I roast the chicken to how I display on my plate:
Oven at 350 uncovered baking dish. Poultry seasoning, salt and white pepper.
About 1 hour 30 minutes or when meat reaches at least 180 degrees - like to be safe.
Greens consist of Collard and Kale you can add mustard and turnip as well. I cook them in microwave bowl with juice from the chicken &/or water & 2 tbs of coconut or olive oil. I add poultry seasoning, salt and pepper sometimes some ground ginger. All very good flavors to add with the greens.
Sometimes I have broccoli mixed with greens too - its a good anti-inflammatory so been eating that a lot lately.
When making greens in the microwave - buy some frozen greens first to get cooking instructions then you can apply those same instructions to fresh greens. I use a pair of cooking shears to cut up my greens seems easier to me than using a knife (safer too).
Here's how long I cook greens - about 2 cups of chopped greens (uncooked) 8 to 10 minutes on high with a cover in the microwave (about a 1/3 of the way filled with water in the container (stir at 4 minutes to avoid over cooking the greens on the top).
I make my beef up as hamburger caseroles mainly (I use 2 eggs to about 1.5 lbs of ground beef with a savory seasoning and salt and pepper about 2 tbs of coconut oil or butter (holds the mixture together). Bake until meat in the center is at 180 degrees (I usually go to about 190 to 200 I like to be sure all is done. About 1 hour 45 minutes at 350 degree oven in uncovered baking dish.
This same recipe works for ground pork or turkey/chicken just use poultry seasoning instead of savory.
Other vegetables (fresh or frozen work) to use are carrots, sugar peas, okra, spinach, peas, squash (all kinds), sweet potatoes instead of potatoes (more nutrition for the calories in sweet potatoes). Sweet potatoes are best cooked thinly sliced in the with the greens in the microwave they will get done about the same time. I use about 2 ozs of sweet potatoes or about a third of the average sized potato. Then I wrap the end with wet paper towel until my next meal.
Hope this helps you begin the journey to healthier eating. Be sure to look into Super Enzymes - from "Now" 1 tablet with meals and Ester - C about 500 mg a day and vitamin D3 1000 IU or one tablet daily with your 500 mg calcium (citrate powdered is easiest to digest) morning and last meal to get optimal absorption. I also take Natural Calm 2 tsp but you want to build up on this one - magnesium comes from dark green veggies but its hard to get enough and acid blocking medicine also depletes calcium and magnesium so I'm still rebuilding my supply. Follow the label instructions they know best.
Remember - I'm not an expert this is just someone sharing my experiences with you. I have seen a doctor and my organs are working normally and my good cholesterol is going up and my over ratio of good and bad is improving. Bad has been reduced since I started eating this way in July, 2013. Blood pressure is doing better too. I've also been walking 30 minutes every day since February, 2014. You have to get some weight off by eating right first before adding a lot of exercise.
Keep on believing that healthy is possible. Remember, small steps gets you the victory so just keep moving forward toward a healthier lifestyle. This isn't an overnight transformation but one day you will see results. Inches matter more than the scale but it's good to keep an eye on the scale. Dropping more than a pound a week can be dangerous to how your body functions so know your weight. Also, remember to drink plenty of water many times you may think you're hungry when in reality you're just thirsty.
Another thing about drinking - limit fluids at meal time - your stomach needs to be able to digest and if you have too much liquid in the mix it can cause over production of acid so get your fluids primarily between meals and stay away from all soda's or pops sugar or sugar free since carbonation contributes to acid reflux and poor digestion.
I'll be posting more on my journey to wellness but this is all for today. Peace.
