We’re often told what not to eat, right? But how about I share with you that I learned how to eat.
YUP.
Not chewing and swallowing, but rather the order in which you consume your foods.
Ladies and gents, I’m here to tell you I wish I had known this information from the BEGINNING of my life.
So why wouldn’t I share it with you?
Ya know I love ya.
PICTURE THIS
You are tired of being tired, having cravings that lead to guilt, and then craving good sleep.
Now, you’re ready to prepare your breakfast. Are you grabbing your toast, your doughnut, or maybe pancakes? Don’t even mention cereal.
Or here’s a thought… is your first thought to start with greens? The veggie kind with oodles of fiber.
Before y’all turn your nose up, HEAR ME OUT.
Maybe you’re like me a mid-life mama who wants to finish life ALIVE and well or a dad who wants to lose the dad bod and be able to live strong.
While I’m not saying I found a magical formula that will POOF you into where you want to be, I have found what makes sense.
Watch my vlog to see what I’m talkin’ about and then I’ll share more.
Does that pique your interest?
No special equipment needed, no huge changes in diet… just the way you go about consuming your food.
It’s that SIMPLE!
First, I share the beginning of my recent health journey in this original post where I lost 3 ½” around my waist alone and 15 lbs about four years ago. I’m not as focused on the weight as much as that doggone visceral fat. This was just after I went through a very scary time when the doctors told me I was having strokes, but instead my body was shutting down from abuse and suffering with C-PTSD.
GETTIN’ REAL
I took this pic at the beginning of this year when I was frustrated that I wasn’t losing this pooch. Keep in mind I was recently divorced and dealing with SO MUCH. (see all Life Updates HERE)
No, I’m not shaming myself as this amazing body o’ mine has not only held 8 lives, but nourished them from the breast, carried them, and been good to me.
Here’s where I started over four years ago and I share the link above on this journey. Before I knew I have curly hair!
This is me livin’ real with y’all that after working so hard I could understand why I was stuck at this point.
Visceral fat, as I mention in my video, is that hard-core fat (literally) that tucks in and around your organs and is the deadliest kind of fat.
Stress, hormones, diet, exercise, etc. all play a part in how this stuff accumulates. Needless to say, it ain’t all in my head.
I WAS and AM stressed.
However, I can do this. YOU can do this.
DEEP DIVE
Not only do I do a deeper dive into perimenopause/menopause, but also cortisol and how it affects the body, and how my insulin levels play in this mix.
That’s when Glucose Goddess, Jessie Inchauspé, and her recent book, Glucose Revolution, came into my life.
There’s no denying the truths she outlines, being a biochemist, in telling her own revelations in her own life, but has science to back it.
She offers hacks to get started, meal ideas, and oodles of information to set you on your healthy way on how to eat.
At this same time, I’m listening to research by Dr. Marie Claire Haver, The ‘Pause Life, and her phenomenal movement to help women understand their bodies during all the menopause stages.
As well as Dr. Stacy Sims who advocates for women’s health in all stages of life.
We NEED more women like this!
I’ve gleaned from each of these gals, as well as others I’ll reference in the bottom of this post.
ME NO PUFFY
For me, my focus was my apparent insulin resistance. I could see it in my body, and I had a flashback.
This picture was from this fall just before my divorce hearing. When I first saw this picture afterward, my first thought was… “why do I look chubby in my face?
Elena’s last match her senior year as she finished playing first singles tennis.
Then, this picture three months later…
My oldest, Isaac, running a 5K and winning for his age group. He never trains! Also, my other daughter, Simone.
You may not see it because I’ve always been slender. But I did. (see resources below for Dr. Boz video)
Enter in my newfound information on how to eat. It helped me drop over another inch and finally able to skip snacks, my anxiety level is less, and I have more energy.
AND LOWER MY CORTISOL.
Sigh of relief from me as I feel like things are finally making sense.
HOW TO EAT
What did I change?
- I ate in the right order. Start with fiber, followed by proteins, then fats, and finally carbs (if you eat them).
- Increase my protein – one gram protein per one pound of ideal weight. I talk about this more in my video.
- Limit my eating to a 12-hour window. For instance, from 5 am to 5pm and nothing after.
- Eat within first thirty minutes of waking to reduce cortisol
1. salad greens 2. avocado with whole fat cottage cheese 3. tuna salad on a clean sprouted bread. I don’t eat bread often, so this was a treat.
Begin with asparagus topped with butter and parmesan, followed by red lentil pasta and beef marinara sauce
What if you eat a sandwich?
No need to tear it apart to eat the bread last, just start off with fiber and follow with the rest. As Glucose Goddess says, “put clothes on your carbs”.
Want to eat cake? Eat it after your meal that’s full of protein and fats or have yogurt before or as I mention in my video another hack.
What did I keep doing?
- I continued to keep my carbs less than 20% of my daily diet
- Start off my day with vinegar (see video for hacks on what to do if you flub up – we all do)
- If I have a sweet something (I love a piece of 85% dark chocolate with about 1 T of peanut butter after my dinner as a treat), I eat it right after my meal, not hours later.
- Each day I walk or run a couple miles aiming for about 10-12K steps and being sure to have loads of incidental movement as research is showing if you workout and then sit at a desk all day, it’s just as bad, if not worse, than not doing anything. Get moving!
- Twice a week I lift weights (aiming for 3x, but single mom stuff keeps me busy)
- Move. I get up and move after a meal. Nothing hard core, just walk or dishes, etc. But I move.
- I go to bed early. I have to be up around 4am to work before the kids awake for homeschool, so I hit the sack hard.
- I’ve never drank coffee or alcohol, though I have read that you should wait one hour in the morning to have coffee so that you don’t increase cortisol.
- and… I make “mistakes”. I have days I flub or just don’t feel like it. I don’t gorge myself or anything like that, but I’m letting myself heal from 48 years of hell. I deserve to allow myself grace. And so do you.
YOUR TURN
Are you up to the challenge? I want to hear from you in comments below – questions, what you’ve learned, what you’ve tried. Share so we can build a healthy, inspiring community! Pin and share to get the word out too.
Before you go, be sure to sign up for my FREE newsletter. Until next time!
RESOURCES (other than mentioned above)
- Insulin Resistant 1 – sharing useful and practical information about managing blood sugar levels.
- Glucose Goddess Free Resources – recipes, hacks, protein guide and calculator
- Glucose Revolution – Glucose Goddess’ YouTube Channel
- Dr. Boz – How to Tell if You Are Still Insulin Resistant – excellent explanation of insulin resistance
While you’re at it, here are other posts related to How to Eat:
Looking good! Congratulations 🎊
I’m more focused on how I feel than anything but can’t really portray that in pictures as much. Thank you. No more snack cravings, more energy, stress reduced, and overall happier with how I feel.
Wowza!! You look great…my problem is will power. I found out after our first baby and 4 years of infertility after that I had PCOS and insulin resistance from that. From there palandromic rhumatism and Fibromyalgia, and on and on. My GP and gynecologist said it would be 2-3 times as hard to loose a keep off weight and I am an emotional eater so 6 years after baby 1 had baby two with no real weight loss after either and then stable weight with PCOS treatment until baby number 3 five years after baby 2. I had minimal success with Keto and 17 day diet but nothing lasting. I got frustrated and really just gave up. It’s a lame excuse but I am on the road now to trying anyway.
My goal is not so much to look better but feel it in all ways. Thank you for the kind words, Niki. You’re a warrior and you are doing you. I totally can relate and understand your rollercoaster of experiences and have been there. I hope you find what works for you. Here’s to trying!
Larissa, I very much appreciate this topic and your share. Comes at a great time in my life and my husband’s. i don’t know if he will get on board; I hope so, but tends to be one who just accepts a diagnosis and a med to “fix it”, which doesn’t fix and usually adds more issues. But I’m open to knowledge and experience so am grateful you shared what worked so well for you. Knowledge is power!
Good on you for being open to trying, especially something like this that anyone can implement and truly is beneficial no matter what. You are right! Thank you, Mary.
Three years ago, under the guidance of a nutritionist, I went whole food plant based eating with an 12 hour eating window and had a dramatic improvement in my health, and lost 30lbs. The blood work results before and after were phenomenal BUT there was still underlying inflammation, the culprit cortisol. I’ve heard about the benefits of drinking vinegar but haven’t incorporated it into my regime. I I had no idea changing the order in which I eat certain foods could be key. I’m intrigued and will definitely seek out the resources you so kindly provide. Thank you 🙏🏻
That still amazes me and at the same time doesn’t surprise me at all. I feel like we’re cortisol twins, Marie. The vinegar really helps me with my liver and keeping blood sugar low as well as keeps me stooling as I should (I also take pre- and probiotics). I wish we had a little computer readout everyday that would tell me what I need to do. I know my body gives me signs, but that would sure be nice.