Saturday, January 21, 2012
13 Days and Counting!
I think my sweet little, baby girls have morphed into teenage boys! They eat like horses! So I've found that they do well between meals if I feed them a truckload of food at breakfast and lunch. I don't think it's an unhealthy amount of food... just a heck of a lot more than I'm used to feeding them. In addition to always watching *what* they eat, I've tried to monitor how *much* they eat. So throwing years of that out the window is proving a bit more difficult than you would think. I know intellectually that it's okay, but we are creatures of habit, so... hehe
A kind reader pointed out to me today that perhaps I am giving the girls too much fruit, which is still causing their blood sugars to spike, and thereby causing the hungriness. I know apples and cherries are pretty much fine to eat, but I'll definitely cut back on the other fruits. In fact, I told the girls today that we will be saving fruit for after-dinner desserts. Three months ago I never would have guessed we would have had swapped out our once-a-week dessert for oranges. And even more surprising is we are equally excited about it. We have made it to Food Nerdiness level, I'm afraid.
So today for breakfast we made egg muffins with ham lining the tin (thanks to my foodie friend Kim for the idea!) and a few nuts.
Lunch (as seen on my previous post) was a make-your-own salad. Lots of fats, greens, vegetables and proteins. Most of the kids really enjoyed it. Veronica, who is my carb-aholic in recovery, took an hour to eat her salad. She has decided that she is just not happy about not having grains. She's been giving me the cold shoulder the last few days, and I haven't been able to figure out why. Today she mentioned something about if I went away then they wouldn't have to work (today was cleaning day) and could eat. So pretty angry. Not really sure how to help her through it. I'm hoping in time it will just become normal to her.
The other kids are pretty upbeat these days. None of us are having the same kind of issues as we were having in the first ten days of Going Primal. I'm weighing in on Monday, so be sure to check-in and see if these way of life really does help with weight!
We had our first lettuce-wrapped burger tonight. Interesting. I think I may be more inclined to just use a knife and fork and eat the burger without a wrap, but it was fun to sample.
Still drinking a lot of water. I still want a Coke every once in a while, but it's really getting easier. Never thought I'd say that! ;P
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Hi Heather,
ReplyDeleteLOL I DO have 2 teenage boys, so I hear you!
A comment about your earlier response that the girls don't have enough time to eat at school. I used to teach and this is a very familiar problem! Try talking to their teachers to explain the situation, and see if they can have some nuts or cheese at their desks during independent work time. Explain that they are adjusting to a new "diet" to help with their allergies and see if their teachers can think of some ways to carve out time to eat a few more bites. It might help!
Regarding the crankiness of Veronica...it is time for some girl-fun! Try a special reward like a mani-pedi for the gang. We have a local place that does princess pedicures. But it can be anything (non food) that would be special for the girls. Movie night? Pony rides? Ice skating? I'm sure mom could use a reward for working so hard on this primal thing too...
Great advice! I did take them out to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D tonight. The two girls had a great time (got a sitter for the baby) and Veronica remained very aloof. She is my kid who loves carbs. She'd do anything for bread, cake, fries..etc. I can't tell if she is becoming depressed, or just having a hard time adjusting to no carbs. We didn't have a ton of junk before, so I'm surprised this is so rough for her.
DeleteHi Heather,
ReplyDeleteWell, it's hard to see your child be upset! I don't know how old she is or which her specific allergies are, but here's a thought: Take her where you can talk one-on-one (uninterrupted-the car with no other kids is good) and ask her how she is feeling. You might be right, she is upset about the diet, or it might be something else entirely! Acknowledge that she is feeling down (if she is) and ask what she thinks can help her feel better. If she has no ideas, try to suggest something she would like-maybe with JUST mommy or mommy and daddy. Often kids just want to be heard, so focus on hearing and acknowledging how she feels!
I'm going to add a bit about what's going on with me, as all the other commenters are always quite upbeat, you might feel you are the only one working so hard with your food. I've been following a modified paleo diet for about 5 years. I initially lost about 10 pounds, but over the last 5 years have slowly been gaining them back. My problem is that I don't really like protein! I'm OK not eating many carbs, but eating "just one" slice of pizza and a glass of wine on the weekend has caught up with me and many of my clothes are too tight! Yuck! WILL NOT BUY BIGGER JEANS!!! So I've tried to eat mostly plant-based foods since the new year. Big salad for lunch, lots of veggies at dinner, etc. I'm calling it my pseudo-vegan diet. 90% veggie plus a little meat and dairy...SO this should work right? Nope. Gaining weight. Zits! (I'm 45 years old!) Argggh! I think the problem is that I've been using avocado to fill me up. Too fattening! Really I need more protein to stay full for longer, but I just don't like it!!! Oh well. I should add that my teenage boys are big athletes and very fit, so EAT constantly! My oldest is 16 and has double cheeseburgers as a late night SNACK! ANYway, sorry to whine, but I thought it might help to know you aren't alone in your struggles to eat better, and it can take awhile to work out what works best for your family. I'm right there with you...
If you get desparate, Julian bakery smart carb # 2 is 2g/slice and cinnamon rasin. That with sugar free maple syrup, maybe as french toast. Don't tell her the details. But the above has the nutritional profile of vegetables (see the ingredients and protein/fiber/carbs/etc.). Pretend gluttony.
ReplyDeleteGenerally you have to start overeating fats and protein until your body realizes it won't starve and levels off. I probably eat less than half of what I did when I started since I would eat right instead of rewarding the cravings, and even now I'm still eating more out of having larger portions (add-a-patty is cheaper, but i'm usually sated before I finish.) So not limiting portions is part of the strategy. They should start large and drop back as they adjust.