I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, haven’t played one on
TV, and didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. These are just my
observations and changes I’ve made in my diet. They may seem drastic, but I
believe they are worth it. This isn’t for everyone, but it’s what I’m doing.
On July 25, my total cholesterol was 284. On September 11,
it's 190. My HDL (good cholesterol) rose
from I think (couldn’t find the exact results) 52 to 62
(that’s a good thing). During that time period, I lost about 12-15 pounds. **added on 9/15/13 - I got my Dr. to send me my lab results from July 24 - My triglycerides at that point were 156, glucose was 104 and my HDL was 57. I had NOT been fasting beforehand so those numbers might be a little high, but probably not much. On Sept 11 my triglycerides were either 45 or negative 45 (not sure if that's possible), glucose was 79.**
First of all, I’m exercising regularly, trying to get in at
least 5 walks/runs of at least 30 minutes weekly. I’m sure that has a lot to do
with the weight loss and the lower cholesterol numbers.
At the time I started chemo late last year I weighed 243, if
memory serves correctly. There were days I didn’t feel like eating, so whenever
I ate, I ate whatever I wanted. I finished the major chemo treatments in March,
and when I saw a new primary care physician in July, I weighed 256, which is I
believe the heaviest I’ve ever been. Friends who haven’t seen me in a long time
might find that hard to believe since when I got out of high school I was 6’2”,
155 pounds. My present goal is to get down to 200 pounds. Anyway, my doctor
told me to start eating better – more vegetables, fewer eggs, red meat, etc. So
I made some adjustments (fake eggs, low fat cheese, less red meat) and started exercising.
I used to run a lot, but that’s been several years ago. I started out by
walking, and then added in a little running.
Two or three weeks later I read an article posted by my
nephew on the true cause of heart disease. http://www.sott.net/article/242516-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease
What he said made sense, and I’ve found other sources that
corroborate the findings. Check the link for more info. Several years ago I
tried SugarBusters and SouthBeach and lost weight on them, so decided to go a
similar route again.
A friend on Facebook mentioned nutrition and I said I was trying to eat better for several reasons. She sent me a link to a video about how the wheat we have today is not the same as the wheat in the Bible, or even the same as 50 years ago. It’s about an hour long but is worth the time. It’s where the Wheat Belly Diet comes from.
So after seeing all that info plus other things, we’ve gone
almost totally wheat and sugar free. Yes, that means say good-bye to Papa
John’s, Coke and Pepsi, almost all breads, breakfast cereals, almost all pasta.
NO fast food, and not just because of the bread. Most fast food has tons of
additives and preservatives. Nothing battered and deep fried. I use half and
half for my morning coffee instead of sweetened flavored creamers. That took
some getting used to.
Cutting out as many GMOs (genetically modified organisms, or Frankenfoods) is part of it. We hope to eventually switch to all organic, but at this time that’s cost prohibitive, as it is for many people.
Study the effects of MSG (monosodium glutamate), for example, and you might toss all food in your panty or fridge that contain MSG. Check for it in salad dressings, especially ranch, as well as seasoning mixes.
I’m now eating more vegetables than ever, including a lot of steamed veggies, plus broccoli and/or cauliflower daily since they’re among the top veggies with cancer-fighting properties. A friend said I should aim at having 25% of my plate containing meat, and the other 75% having vegetables.
The diet I’m following for the most part is listed here:
It has similarities to SugarBusters, South Beach Diet, gluten-free
eating, a Paleo diet, a low glycemic-index eating plan, and the Atkins Diet to
a lesser extent. Let your diet include a large percentage of single ingredient
foods, limit starches (sweet potatoes or brown rice are allowed, but not every
day), stay away from overly processed food. Use whole eggs, healthy oils (olive
oil and coconut oil for example), butter (not the fake stuff, not even the
so-called “cardio healthy” stuff), full-fat cheese, and milk. As always,
moderation is one of the keys. Don’t fill up on steak to the exclusion of
veggies. It’s still a work in progress.
I’ve been spending time doing research into what’s healthy or not healthy. I’ll be glad when it’s just part of my lifestyle and I don’t spend so much time doing research or thinking about it.
Other fun facts:
2 tablespoons of flaxseeds contain over 100% of the recommended daily allowance of omega 3 fatty acids. That’s the same good stuff that’s in salmon and other cold-water fish.
Most regular peanut butter, even name brand, contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. That’s the stuff in margarine that many brands are taking out due to the publicized negative health benefits. Even a lot of natural peanut butter has sugar and oil added. We now only buy peanut butter where the ingredients are peanuts and salt - period. You have to stir it since the naturally occurring peanut oil separates, but it’s a small price to pay, and it tastes great to boot.
Publix ground beef doesn’t have the pink slime that has been in the news the last couple of years. I emailed them asking about GMOs and they said their buyers never knowingly buy any GMO produce. Google it if you’re not familiar with it.
2 tablespoons of flaxseeds contain over 100% of the recommended daily allowance of omega 3 fatty acids. That’s the same good stuff that’s in salmon and other cold-water fish.
Most regular peanut butter, even name brand, contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. That’s the stuff in margarine that many brands are taking out due to the publicized negative health benefits. Even a lot of natural peanut butter has sugar and oil added. We now only buy peanut butter where the ingredients are peanuts and salt - period. You have to stir it since the naturally occurring peanut oil separates, but it’s a small price to pay, and it tastes great to boot.
Publix ground beef doesn’t have the pink slime that has been in the news the last couple of years. I emailed them asking about GMOs and they said their buyers never knowingly buy any GMO produce. Google it if you’re not familiar with it.
Okay, that’s enough.
