The changes from the original plan

Part of the reason that this strict Belly Fat Cure didn't work for me was the lack of dairy.  I love yogurt and learned long ago that the benefits of putting live acidophiles bacteria into my diet are many things including digestion and preventing yeast infections.  So, I am doing the Belly Fat Cure, but I am including fat free/sugar free yogurt every day and not counting the sugar.  From everything that I have been reading, lactose, which is the sugar in dairy products, digests differently in the body than all other sugars.

Another reason that I had trouble was the cost.  It is far cheaper to buy a package of bagels for $2.99 and have it last a week rather than buying a pound of ham or turkey ($7) and have it last 2-3 days.  Even if I cook my own meats and slice them, proteins are expensive.  So, this time, I am going to work on learning how to improve my "perfect protein" combinations of rice and beans to supplement my meats.  One of the tough parts of this option is that all other protein options are full of carbohydrates too.  So, we will see if this works.

First Complaint

I shared before that I wasn't a fruit eater. But, I am a vegetable eater. I can probably list on less than one hand the vegetables I don't like. I LOVE MOST OF THEM!!

I am having a hard time fitting the veggies I love into the 15 grams of sugar. Today I am eating a raw green pepper as my vegetable with dinner. Just the one pepper has 5 grams of sugar. My hubby is having carrots with his dinner. Two baby carrots have 1 gram of sugar. So, that isn't too bad. But, 1 cup of peas has over 8 grams of sugar. I had 7 grams of sugar worth of cauliflower in my frittata for breakfast.

While I fully understand the sugar issues, I am having a difficult time getting my mind around too many vegetables being my enemy. I will have to see some amazing results in order to completely buy into this particular requirement.

I do love being able to eat all the chicken I want for lunch today though.
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An OMG Moment

As I discover things that amaze me I am going to post them. Perhaps everyone but me already knows these things, but just in case.

I was making my husband's peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch today. It's definitely his favorite sandwich. Anyhow, I had no intention of eating any of it, but now I am in the habit of reading labels.

Did you know that peanut butter has 2x the amount of sugar/carbs per serving as jelly?????? I was shocked. While I surely knew there was sugar in most peanut butter, I would never have suspected that there was more sugar than in full sugar jelly. Mind you, there is no sugar in a peanut. It's all added and most is corn syrup. Even if you aren't looking to lose weight or eliminate belly fat, why would you want to eat a peanut butter that has more sugar than peanuts in it??? And yes, it was a very famous national brand.

I am again reminded of the Maya Angelou quote "when you know better, you do better."

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Risingwoods Vinaigrette

A delightfully flavorful vinaigrette made from the natural flavors of the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts.
Ingredients

* 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
* 1 tablespoon serving maple syrup
* 1 tbsp garlic clove, minced
* 1 tsp leaves oregano
* 1 tsp black pepper
* 1 tbsp sage
* 1/2 cup peanut oil

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except oil in a cruet. Shake to mix. Add the oil and shake again. Shake each time it is served to mix all ingredients well.

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This makes 8 servings, Each serving is 2 tablespoon.

Each serving: 2 grams sugar, 3 grams carbs

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Day 2 - A Full Day

Well since yesterday started with 1/4th of a birthday cake for breakfast, it wasn't truly a Belly Fat day. So, TADAH!! Yes, this is a full day of the Belly Fat Cure!

First thing I noticed is that I can't have my yogurt for breakfast. Even the non-fat and no-sugar variety has 25 grams of carbs. Milk is loaded with natural sugars and carbs. So, no yogurt today.

I can however have as many eggs as I want. So, I am lounging over my coffee and when I get hungry I will be making a brussels sprout frittata. At least I think I will. I have to check the carb content of brussels sprouts.

So, on to FatSecret to load in my plan for the day and check the numbers before I post what I will eat here. See you in a bit.

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Being honest means tracking everything

Since I had already eaten about 1/4 of a whole cake for breakfast before I decided on my journey, I was contemplating eliminating today from my tracker. WRONG!!!!! I am being totally honest with myself so I will track everything.

I set up Fat Secret to count my carbs and sugar for me. And so far today I have had 114 g of carbs (5 servings) and 28.13 g of sugar. Since I am allotted 5 servings of carbs and 15 grams of sugar per day, it is clear that today is not a great day for the Belly Fat Cure. However, it is still a good day! I am really pleased that I didn't go over the carbs yet. I can do the rest of the day without sabotaging that at least.

I will plan to have a huge salad and tuna for dinner. I make my own salad dressing, so I know it has no carbs or sugar in it. Monday is normally pizza day, and I will still be able to eat my pizza on a normal Monday, but tonight I will skip it. It won't be difficult to do since I had many different kinds of homemade pizza yesterday at my birthday party.

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Day 1 - A New Beginning

A week ago, I turned 55. I celebrated for the full week; eating and drinking myself into a true food-addicts stupor. Even as I type this I am staring at one fourth of my birthday cake that is half the size that it was when I started eating it for breakfast. I will not finish it. I have had an epiphany of a new weight loss effort.

I am about 200 pounds over weight. Yes, that is far above the limit for being morbidly obese. Consciously I don't want to die. But, why else am I eating myself to death?

What I have learned over the past 35+ years of weight loss efforts is that diets generally don't work for me. I know that the secret to living a healthy life and keeping weight off is a lifestyle change, but I haven't yet found that balance in my life. I am hoping this new journey will teach me that balance.

I am hoping that my addiction to my computer will help me substitute the addiction to food while I am trying to create some new habits. I will blog and share as I go. I will post tips I learn and failures that I experience. I will also share recipes and chat about food, cause I LOVE food!!

Usually, any diet that tells me I can't eat something is doomed to failure. However, I am a savory eater far more than a dessert eater. (Except for the ice cream!) I also have a family heritage that includes adult onset diabetes. With that in mind, I know that sugar and "white" carbs are my enemy. I have known that forever, but today I had a new epiphany. Sugar and "White" Carbs are also the enemy of hunger satisfaction. And, they are truly addictive; just as much as illegal opiates.

OK, so I downloaded a new book to my Kindle that I saw on the Rachael Ray Show. It is called "The Belly Fat Cure" by Jorge Cruise. I was so happy to find it available for Kindle. I had a gift certificate from Christmas that I was saving for something special and here it was, right in my face! The best part about having a Kindle today is that I don't have to wait until I get to a store to start the journey. I need to take advantage of my excitement and start right away or I risk putting this on the back burner with all the rest of my weight loss efforts.

I am going to track my carbs and sugar grams for free on FATSECRET.COM and I will be sharing my blog there as well.

Read, comment, spy or join me in my effort. I am excited about it.

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