I recently read a BBC article
stating that having a big breakfast is more conducive to long-term
weight loss than the low-carb method. Well, I’ve tried the low-carb
method and I will concur with their findings on it’s efficacy. Though
it’s effective - once you’re off, poof! the weight you just lost
magically reappears. I toyed with the thought of doing the cleanse
that Oprah and Heather Armstrong
(of Dooce fame) did, but then I came across the article above and
thought that it made some sense. As a result, I’ve started eating
bigger breakfasts (though I have not yet graduated to eating smaller
lunches and dinners). I have also started to eat more consciously,
noting how different foods make me feel after I eat them.
Here’s what I’ve learned about myself so far:
- Refined wheat, starches and sugar are like crack.
This is the most depressing thing to contend with. Eating sugar and
flour actually makes me feel immediately bloated. When I abstain, I
actually feel better, more energetic and my pooch is not so big. Does
this mean no more gateaux? Or see you later, mashed potater? Hell to
the no! But I am going to start cutting back - right after this doughnut.
- Without wheat and sugar, there are few breakfast choices! $@#$!
No bagels. No waffles. Say goodbye to pancakes and cereal. Oatmeal
sans sweetener - ugh! In revolt of my lack of breakfast choices, I have
started eating non-breakfast items. What a revolution! Koreans don’t
limit foods just because of the time of day! Kimchee and brown-rice
are good at anytime - duh! If you can get out of your comfort zone and
start eating non-breakfasts, you won’t be sorry. In fact, you’ll be
full all morning long and you’ll end up eating a lighter lunch. I have
been eating a cup of brown rice, handful of roasted chicken, a fried
egg and furakake for breakfast as of late. Don’t knock it, it’s delish.
- Dairy makes me have gas - bigtime. Enough said.
- I am a coffee addict. I tried to go without and
man, I started to get depressed and hopeless about the world. No
joke. The second day I had a splitting headache that felt as though
someone was simultaneously piercing my skull and clamping down on my
head with a vise. I tried to ease the pain with some green tea, but
baby wasn’t haven’t it. Between bread, sugar and coffee - I’ll take
coffee rather than go through that withdrawal mess.
- Drinking more water actually makes me skinnier.
The more water I drink, the less that I retain it. I’m drinking the
standard 64 ounces of water a day and my body has started to realize
that it’s okay to go pee. Like all of the time.
What have I learned? Eating (or not eating) some foods can make you
feel crappy. Get to know what those things are for yourself by keeping
a food journal for a week.
- Get a notebook and write down what you eat.
- About 60 - 120 minutes after a meal, log how the meal made you feel. Tired? Bloated? Full? Hungry?
- Try different meal combos throughout the week see how different foods affect you.
- At the end of the week, review your your notebook to see if any patterns evolve.
Easy and unscientific. If you are really ambitious take your food
journal and calculate how many calories you consume in a day. This can
be scary, so don’t do it if it’s gonna deter you from this exercise.
If you’re like me, actually knowing ahead of time that eating ice
cream is gonna make you feel like you had bad Mexican food will, for
the most part make you want avoid it.
What about you?
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