So, I want to continue to keep a blog. It's going to become an accountability tool for myself. I'm not sure what else to do. I don't have an accountability partner or even a workout partner, so I want to do something to better myself. Furthermore (not sure if this is proper use), this is the continuation of my healthier and paleo lifestyles. I will cheat, I will fail, I will screw it up, but I will be persistent.
I looked back at my last log regarding the rules I had set for myself. Apparently I forgot one of them...the no soda rule. Shame on me. This is my first fail. But, this test baby step process was also a success. I had no bread and no pasta in the last four days. I win! I did have a little bit of wheat in my diet. Some of it was by accident and some was a little cheat. The rules were no bread and no pasta and I did that.
So, as I am sitting here drinking my Pepsi, it will be my last. As of midnight tonight, I will give up my soda. We'll start with 3 days and see how it goes. Btw...just because my 3 days are up with the pasta and bread, doesn't mean I'm going to go back to it. The 3 days part was to give me a goal. Since I don't really drink anything else, my drinks will mainly include water and milk. Milk is a really hard thing to give up but that will come later.
Looking back on the past four days on my little changes, I have to admit, I am feeling a little better. Haven't eaten the healthiest but I know I'm not bloated and feel like I want to kill myself after eating. (No, I don't really feel that way, it's just an expression.) I hate the fact that I hate myself after feeling the way I do when I eat. I hate the fact, that when I workout, I don't see results like I should. I hate the fact, that when I do eat crap and then work out, I workout like crap.
Some of my future goals will include, but not limited to:
1. No fast food.
2. No going to bed without atleast one physical activity that day (to include rest days).
3. Motivate others to be healthier and stronger.
4. Educate myself about how the body functions and the way food affects it.
I want to be healthy and I want to live a long life. I don't want to suffer certain fates. I am determined to break my way of thinking in regards to genetic hand-me-downs. Often times people blame their health on being genetics. The genetic stepping stones may be there for diseases or the way the body functions. However, there are so many tools to combat those stepping stones. For example: Heart disease runs in my family. So, to combat that, I will have to keep my heart strong and healthy. I choose to not sit idly and wait for my heart to go bad just because people in my family have issues. I get to determine the health of my heart by the way I treat it and take care of it. Same with everything.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
My Belly
Just recently (within the past 6 months) I have learned a little about diets and what happens to our bodies when we eat certain food. Now, I don't know all the details or remember half of what I was told, but I did get the jist of it and it makes sense. I learned something new about a staple of our diet in this country. We are led to believe that wheat is a vital substance for a healthy diet. That couldn't be more wrong. I tried something new and this is what I discovered.
About 4 months ago I sat down with my Crossfit coach, Logan. He let me in on this little secret about wheat. As most people believe, I thought it was a healthy part of my diet. Within the year prior, I noticed the way my body reacted to certain foods, mainly pasta. It wasn't a good reaction. I would get bloated and have a nasty belly ache. I just assumed my tummy issue was a result of eating too much (even when I only ate little). So, after talking to Coach Logan, I decided to denounce wheat and see what it did to my body. OMG...what a difference it made. Immediately I started seeing changes. I was sleeping better at night, had more energy during the day, my workouts were feeling better, and the most noticeable change, the scale. I lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks. That is absolutely amazing. I was shocked and happy. Oh yeah, my belly wasn't bloated or hurting.
So, what's up with this wheat thing you ask? I'm glad you asked. There is this thing in wheat called gluten. Has it always been there? No. Somewhere, many many years ago (60 or so years), someone decided to make wheat more plentiful. Why? Because wheat used to be long and lanky and didn't yield too much. Meaning it took a whole lot of wheat to make a loaf of bread. So what did farmers and agricultural people do? They genetically dwarfed it. They basically made it smaller and more stalkier. This allowed farmers to produce more wheat with less.
Doesn't sound so bad until I learned what this gluten was doing to my insides. I was basically told that it was inflaming my insides and that allowed bacteria to get into places where it shouldn't and causes sickness and disease. Yes, I said disease. I was told things like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, to name a few, can be traced back to gluten. OMG. Really? That's absolutely absurd. So, what do I do? I googled it to find some information to back up this claim. Oh the things you can find on Google.
For three weeks I was able to give up wheat completely. I felt so good. But, just like any addict, I succumbed to the temptations of the nasty food that I was trying to stay away from. On day one, I went thru my kitchen and got rid of everything that was in a can, a jar, a bag, or a box (I threw out a ton of food that day). I went cold turkey and only ate "real" food. My rule of thumb: If it had more than one ingredient in it, do not eat! Some exceptions were allowed. I want to get back to that and work on living a paleo lifestyle. Why would you want to do that you ask? Well, let me tell you.
1. To feel better. I am tired of the bloating, gassiness, and painful belly aches. Folks, it is no fun.
2. I want to lose weight. I am tired of being over 180 pounds. I am 5'9" and I don't feel I should weight this much. Plus, the Air Force says I'm too fat. It's true.
3. I want to be stronger. I won't to be a workout addict and none of it will pay off unless my diet changes.
4. I don't want all the health risks associated with number 2. Period!
As a result, I have decided to get back on my "close to Paleo" lifestyle. This time, I want to take baby steps. The first baby step I want to take is a 3 day plan. This plan is more of a guide line to get thru the first three days.
1. No pasta
2. No bread
3. No soda
The second step will determined at a later date.
My goal: By 1 Sep, I plan to have my kitchen free of all the above unwanted foods (poisons).
We'll just start there and hopefully see where it goes.
About 4 months ago I sat down with my Crossfit coach, Logan. He let me in on this little secret about wheat. As most people believe, I thought it was a healthy part of my diet. Within the year prior, I noticed the way my body reacted to certain foods, mainly pasta. It wasn't a good reaction. I would get bloated and have a nasty belly ache. I just assumed my tummy issue was a result of eating too much (even when I only ate little). So, after talking to Coach Logan, I decided to denounce wheat and see what it did to my body. OMG...what a difference it made. Immediately I started seeing changes. I was sleeping better at night, had more energy during the day, my workouts were feeling better, and the most noticeable change, the scale. I lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks. That is absolutely amazing. I was shocked and happy. Oh yeah, my belly wasn't bloated or hurting.
So, what's up with this wheat thing you ask? I'm glad you asked. There is this thing in wheat called gluten. Has it always been there? No. Somewhere, many many years ago (60 or so years), someone decided to make wheat more plentiful. Why? Because wheat used to be long and lanky and didn't yield too much. Meaning it took a whole lot of wheat to make a loaf of bread. So what did farmers and agricultural people do? They genetically dwarfed it. They basically made it smaller and more stalkier. This allowed farmers to produce more wheat with less.
Doesn't sound so bad until I learned what this gluten was doing to my insides. I was basically told that it was inflaming my insides and that allowed bacteria to get into places where it shouldn't and causes sickness and disease. Yes, I said disease. I was told things like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, to name a few, can be traced back to gluten. OMG. Really? That's absolutely absurd. So, what do I do? I googled it to find some information to back up this claim. Oh the things you can find on Google.
For three weeks I was able to give up wheat completely. I felt so good. But, just like any addict, I succumbed to the temptations of the nasty food that I was trying to stay away from. On day one, I went thru my kitchen and got rid of everything that was in a can, a jar, a bag, or a box (I threw out a ton of food that day). I went cold turkey and only ate "real" food. My rule of thumb: If it had more than one ingredient in it, do not eat! Some exceptions were allowed. I want to get back to that and work on living a paleo lifestyle. Why would you want to do that you ask? Well, let me tell you.
1. To feel better. I am tired of the bloating, gassiness, and painful belly aches. Folks, it is no fun.
2. I want to lose weight. I am tired of being over 180 pounds. I am 5'9" and I don't feel I should weight this much. Plus, the Air Force says I'm too fat. It's true.
3. I want to be stronger. I won't to be a workout addict and none of it will pay off unless my diet changes.
4. I don't want all the health risks associated with number 2. Period!
As a result, I have decided to get back on my "close to Paleo" lifestyle. This time, I want to take baby steps. The first baby step I want to take is a 3 day plan. This plan is more of a guide line to get thru the first three days.
1. No pasta
2. No bread
3. No soda
The second step will determined at a later date.
My goal: By 1 Sep, I plan to have my kitchen free of all the above unwanted foods (poisons).
We'll just start there and hopefully see where it goes.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Intro to my blog!
I wanted a forum where I can write and maybe share my thoughts or ideas. So...I decided to blog. I don't read blogs and have never blogged before so, I have no idea if I am doing it right. But, I'll give it a try and see where it leads. I want to be able to talk about my feelings and my struggles. It seems like I always want to write things and put things down on paper...or type them out in the same fashion.
A little about Jessie:
I was born on 3 June 1981 in Sandusky, Ohio. I have one older sister and one younger brother. I have a younger half sister that I barely know. For certain reasons we don't talk. Maybe that will be a blog post some day. I spent my early childhood in Ohio and my later childhood in Tennessee. Shortly after turning 20, I joined the greatest Air Force in the world and currently still serving. I have 2 kids, ages 10 and 4, which their identity will not be revealed in this forum. The will be referred to as KL and K4, respectively. KL is my daughter and K4 is my son. Things I enjoy doing are working out, knitting/crocheting, visiting with my family, going to movies, and meeting new people. I also love my job and enjoy it very much.
I won't talk much about my job for a couple reasons...ok, one main reason. Most people don't get what I do. Usually, when I try to explain what I do, I get the dear in the headlights look as my job is very complex. The main reason, however, is that it's a security thing. I'd rather talk about other things as my head is full of stories and ideas.
So, there you have it. This is my intro. Please excuse any grammar or spelling issues that you may find. I know misspelling is a pet peeve of mine but I don't always catch them all. Also, words like there/their/they're and to/too/two and your/you're usually aren't a problem for me as those misusing those words are very annoying to me, I sometimes write/type the wrong one.
Welcome and enjoy!
A little about Jessie:
I was born on 3 June 1981 in Sandusky, Ohio. I have one older sister and one younger brother. I have a younger half sister that I barely know. For certain reasons we don't talk. Maybe that will be a blog post some day. I spent my early childhood in Ohio and my later childhood in Tennessee. Shortly after turning 20, I joined the greatest Air Force in the world and currently still serving. I have 2 kids, ages 10 and 4, which their identity will not be revealed in this forum. The will be referred to as KL and K4, respectively. KL is my daughter and K4 is my son. Things I enjoy doing are working out, knitting/crocheting, visiting with my family, going to movies, and meeting new people. I also love my job and enjoy it very much.
I won't talk much about my job for a couple reasons...ok, one main reason. Most people don't get what I do. Usually, when I try to explain what I do, I get the dear in the headlights look as my job is very complex. The main reason, however, is that it's a security thing. I'd rather talk about other things as my head is full of stories and ideas.
So, there you have it. This is my intro. Please excuse any grammar or spelling issues that you may find. I know misspelling is a pet peeve of mine but I don't always catch them all. Also, words like there/their/they're and to/too/two and your/you're usually aren't a problem for me as those misusing those words are very annoying to me, I sometimes write/type the wrong one.
Welcome and enjoy!
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