How to Order When Eating Out or Eating Potluck

Tonight I had dinner at a potluck. I took my steamed veggies so that I had a Zone friendly choice. I talked myself into dessert because of Dr. Sears advice, that it can be done reasonably. Hmm. I'm trying to give up sugar, but I am also trying to be reasonable. So, here's what I did, based on his rules:

1. Avoided all bread (this included all casseroles for me!)
2.Chose my protein option first: baked curry chicken
3. Then gave up all carbs in order to substitute dessert (Tirimisu), however, I put a spoonful of broccoli on my plate and a small square of homemade pizza with mushrooms.
4. Drank water and decaf coffee


Someone might think that I failed because I had dessert or the pizza, but I am actually very happy with my choices. I didn't deprive myself enough that I kept going back for more, and I chose a dessert that was high in fat in order to side step too big of an insulin dose (I know it still had sugar) and i know I am trying to justify my decision, but I feel like I made progress by thinking it through and not just throwing all reason aside because of the vast array of choices! Tomorrow I will go to a brunch. I plan to find some sort of egg dish and eat fruit and coffee. So, if you are facing an upcoming gathering while trying to Zone, don't beat yourself up, just attempt to stick to it as best you can and allow yourself a little leeway without beating yourself up. I would highly recommend reading "A Week in the Zone" by Dr. Barry Sears. These points I took away from his book, but there are more helpful tips that I did not list.

Recipe: Tuna Salad

Today I looked in my refrigerator for what needed to be eaten and I found 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup celery, and half a cucumber. I mixed it with light tuna from a can, added salt, pepper, curry, 2 tbs. avacado chunks and 1 1/2 tbs. vinegrette. Then I steamed some fresh broccoli for the rest of my carbs that came in one of those small steamer bags already. Sounds easy, right! It took me a little while to do the math to make sure I was substituting blocks correctly. I exchanged one block of carbs for 3 extra blocks of fat. I did this because I have been really hungry lately and I am hoping that this helps. It took me long enough to eat it all- I was ready to be done! So, here are my measurements for you for a 3 block protein, 2 block carb, 6 block fat lunch, just in case you are feeling hungry today too! You can change it up and add more tomato than cucumber, or whatever you prefer; same with fats.

TUNA SALAD

2 celery stalks diced= 1/4 block
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes= 1/4 block
1/2 cucumber= 1/2 block
Total: 1 block carbs

Add to 1 can light tuna (or solid albacore,
but read the label for how much of the can)=
3 blocks protein
Add salt, pepper, curry powder

Add 2 tbs. avocado chunks= 2 blocks
1 1/2 tbs. Simply Dressed Vinegrette
by Marzetti= 4 blocks
Total: 6 blocks fat

Steam 1 1/4 cup of broccoli in a steamer bag in the microwave= 1 block carb
Drink: Glass of unsweet decaf tea (flavored with a spice tea bag while steeping)

Recipe: Chicken Marinara- EASY!

This recipe is great for one, or make as many as you want and the cleanup is a cinch!

Chicken Marinara (From "A Week In the Zone" p.49)
Cut boneless skinless chicken breast into cutlet strips, ounces depends on your RX
Put in foil, Cover with 2 tbs. tomato sauce, garlic powder to taste, sprinkle with dried basil and shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese. Seal ends of foil and bake for 20 minutes @ 450.

Then I steamed zucchini and squash in the microwave (I just know I'm going to find out this is bad for me since it is so easy...) for my side and cut up fruits for a fruit salad. I measured out my 3 block portions and guessed on the kids. Everyone loved it!

Good Hormones, Bad Hormones- Must read Crossfit article!

Good Hormones, Bad Hormones From the Crossfit Journal

The Zoners

Xanna, Myself, Jennifer, Nicole, Lacey, and Jennifer Barham had already left.


This is a sort of Zone support group, but I don't really want to call it that because it's not like we sit around and cry. It is not a pathetic sob story gathering. It is a fantastically fun and encouraging group of Crossfit athletes that are learning to eat smart and want to share and learn with others along the way! So we will be the "Zoners!" We watched Nicole Carroll's video from the Crossfit mainsite, "Nutrition: The Teeter Totter"

We talked about how we individually tweek the Zone to fit our schedules; the Zone and diabetes; foods we like to eat on the go; and a lot more. Whether you want to know more, have wisdom to share, or are just up for some good company with fellow Crossfitters, come join us again this Saturday at 11am (BYOL= Bring your own lunch). :)

Post:
- any topics you would like to see discussed next week.
- how the weekend went with the Zone
- any favorite recipes or zone foods

We'll also watch another video next week. This one will be with Dr. Barry Sears of the Zone and Tony Budding of Crossfit.

Hunger Strikes

Last night I went to bed hungry. Today I woke up hungry, ate breakfast, still felt hungry, and feel hungry now! I think that on days I don't exercise, 10 blocks a day works for me. But on days that I do, it is not enough. This is the conclusion I have made for now, so I have added that block in today. We'll see how the day pans out. It is quite a contrast to be hungry! Last week I couldn't remember what that felt like!

Ok, Let's Be Honest- on Motivation

Here's another thought I had today as I reread my goals for this redo Zone excursion: I don't have any performance goals, I mean as far as what I do in the gym, and honestly, those are not my priority. I want to feel good in my clothes dad gum it! (sp?) This drives me. Maybe my goals SHOULD be about performing better on WOD times and loads. But really, I think that my motivation to do well in the gym comes from my motivation to feel good in my clothes, in my skin. I know that muscle burns fat faster and is healthy to carry, a healthy look. I want to be healthy. I want to be fit. I want to feel good. I want to be the best that I can be. So if anyone wonders why I didn't put performance goals down, it is because I know that it is part of the whole process, it is fun, but it is honestly not at the top of my list when I think about why I Zone. It is a natural consequence that I enjoy. This is a journey and maybe my motivation will shift. I don't know if it the healthiest frame of mind, but I am just being honest. Motivation. What's yours?

Day 4

Well, I made it to Granny's and back and stuck to my prepacked meals! I just drank coffee at Wendy's. Now the challenge awaits to not eat the 100 calorie snacks that she sent home to the kids! I could throw them away, but it's not in my DNA to do so (ask Evan!). When I got home with the kids this afternoon, I ate my 4 o'clock meal 30 minutes early to help with the temptation. I like free food when it stretches out the budget, and I don't want my kids to feel deprived when they look around at other kids, so I inform them of whether something is a treat or not and I make sure they eat what is good for them before they have the treat, unless it is after school.

Anyway, this week is going very well for me so far. How to keep my head in game, motivated to make good choices and not feel deprived... this is the challenge soon approaching and I hope we can all give each other some insight this Saturday on that topic. Week one always goes well for me. I walk around saying, "Why don't I eat this way all the time! I feel so great!" Then week two, I overcome temptations, but by week three I am tired of self control and I find a reason to indulge. This is what I want to avoid this time. And thanks to an article that Bethany Willis, a family friend and fellow crossfitter from KY, posted, I see that I really have to address the heart issue that comes along with wanting to indulge. This is kind of scary for me because I'm not sure what I am going to find. I hope that I can make a mental breakthrough, but at the same time, I don't. You know what I mean? But, this article put me in that direction. It talks about the definition of "indulge", that it an unrestrained action. Unrestrained eating. Hmmm. I don't like that. That sounds yucky. Not very attractive. I don't want to be that. So then the question lies, is there ever a time that unrestrained eating is ok? Celebrations? What do you think?

If I cannot have restrain, then I probably don't need to reward myself with food... But I love brownies, cookies, icecream, and chess squares! I love chocolate. But here is the other concept that hit me hard this week: I am not simply a chocolate lover, I am addicted to sugar in the chocolate! I am simply a sugar addict! BUT, I have gone 4 days and not felt tremors or anything! I am not craving it right now. So what is the deal? Is the female cycle something that is really responsible for certain cravings? Or does my mental discipline only last so long? I know that when I am thoroughly stressed from the daily grind of raising children, I want to eat sugar. So, this article, taken from a book, that Bethany posted, really attacks the war within our hearts and minds. I hope to get the book in the near future.

Here are meals that I have eaten this week: 2 blocks every time
Breakfasts: always two eggs with toast and butter or fruit and then coffee with cream
Dinners: Mahi fish (meaty and bland, so it takes on flavor well) sauteed squash and zuccinni, or cooked spinach, and/or with sauteed nectarine, yum!; ham and sweet potatoes with nutmeg, maybe butter
Lunches or inbetween meals: Egg repeat (I cook enough in the morning to have later in the day. I just warm them up in the microwave- it doesn't bother me.) Fruits. Today I had a 2 oz. packet of tuna mixed with mayo, salt, pepper, and curry and then chopped up a nectarine and ate it with my tuna. It was good! I had a pear, ham, and coffee with cream. I also like to buy the precooked Tyson meat strips. Definitely not organic, but easy. Sometimes I have to pick my battles!

Hope to see you Saturday! Email me at satterfieldstudio@comcast.net or send me a message on facebook if you need directions to our home.

February 14th: To Cheat or Not to Cheat?

For some reason, Xanna and I picked today, of all days, to recommit to the Zone! So, I got my chocolate fix today! I just have to remember that it is not my tummy that wants the sugar, it is my tastebuds! Although I cannot explain it well, I have read enough to know that sugar effects how we think and feel and I am ready to feel better and think effectively (I enjoyed the pleasures of Christmas treats for way too long and now I have created a monster that must be tamed!) As much as I hate to use the term, I had an "ah ha" moment while watching "How it's Made" on the History Channel about chocolate: I am not really addicted to chocolate, I am addicted to the sugar that is added to chocolate! I anticipate that I will go through some withdrawals such as crankiness and tiredness in the first two days. So, here is my plan, using what I have in the kitchen right now. What's yours?

Eat 2 block meals every 3 hours: everything will be measured or weighed exactly
7am 2 scrambled eggs, 1 orange, coffee w/ half and half
10am 2oz. ham, orange, coffee with half and half
1pm 2oz. ham, celery and carrots with ranch dip
4pm 2 eggs, 1/2 english muffin, coffee with half and half
7pm 2oz. chicken in a salad with vinegrette

I love scambled eggs any time of day! They are a healthy comfort food for me! So, I have strategically planned to eat them in the afternoon, with coffee, when I would normally want something sweet to eat out of stress or boredom.

Here are my goals that I want to accomplish over the next 4 weeks:
-Get rid of the fog- Ever feel like you are not thinking fast enough or clear enough? I want sharpness of mind!
-Get rid of feeling bloated. I ate pizza tonight. Need I say more? Which goes hand in hand with...
-Decrease inflammation. There is a lot of inflammation in our bodies that we cannot see or feel. But when I quit the sugar, I actually feel less inflamed, and my tummy feels flat (as possible). :)
-Loose 6-8 pounds
-clear up my skin

So, if you are following this along, and/or even challenging yourself, not good luck, but good choices to you, too!

The What and When

7am Breakfast: 2 eggs, a piece of toast with 1/3 tsp.butter, and coffee with 1 tbs. half and half (sometimes I have fruit instead of toast)
10am Brunch: 2 oz. lunch meat with laughing cow cheese (1/2 fat) rolled up in the middle, more coffee and cream or almonds for fat, and a piece of fruit (apple or pear usually)
1pm Lunch: Same as brunch or maybe same as breakfast
4pm: same as brunch
7pm: some sort of meat that I have cooked, like chicken or ground beef or roast, with 2 blocks of veggies with 2/3 tsp. butter

I always overeat on fats, so I have measured the 2/3 tsp of butter every time!
Eating every 3 hours has kept my energy up!
Eating a balanced meal (protein, carbs, fats) keeps me from getting hungry between meals. If I didn't have my protein every time, then I wouldn't be able to make it 3 hours. The indicator that I need to eat is that I start to get tired before I actually feel hungry.
On day 6 now, and I've already lost 4 pounds!

Tuesday, November 9th: Starting Back on the Zone

I took a break from the tedious measuring involved with the Zone diet. For the most part, I ate "Zone portions" from what I learned when following the guidlines strictly. But many times, I decided that I didn't care, and so I didn't worry about it so much. Recently, I decided that I'd like to get off the extra pounds that haunt me. Exercise is no longer enough to burn the extra flab that I had hoped would just take care of itself. Don't get me wrong, exercise alone has tightened me up a lot and created more muscle and less fat. But something has recently clicked and I have decided that I want to reach that next step of fitness. I want to see better times and loads in my wods (Crossfit lingo for "workout of the day"). I want to not have to readjust my pants every time I sit down because of a mere 2 or 3 pounds that is comfortable around my mindline. I do not want to be a slave to my sweet tooth. So, I have buckled down and committed. There is no maybe. If it gets hard, I will just have to suffer through it! But I have gone strict for 2 weeks at a time, multiple times. This time, I will be committed for a month. I can't complain about the extra pounds or slower times in wods if I'm not willing to put in the time and really see what diet can do for me. Am I right?! I am reading a great book that encourages us to think about truth. What is true and what is not? It is true that I can be dedicated for a month. And then I hope to go another, and then another. But my goal is a month. If I give in, it is because I choose to give in, it is not that I can't do it. The mind is a tricky thing. I hope to fight this battle of determination vs temptation. Most of all, I have decided that I can do it, I will do it, and that is that! I have a plan, and I'm stickin' to it! (Check back with me and I'll let you know how it's going.) :)
Angela

Just when you think there is "no sugar added"...

A few weeks ago, I decided I would drink the highly recommended recovery drink of chocolate milk after my workouts. So, I bought Nesquick, "No Sugar Added" to mix with my milk as an alternative to the more expensive whey protein that can be mixed with milk or water. So it dawned on me today: what IS Nesquick sweetened with if there is no sugar added? The ingredients do not list any sort of sweetener that I am familiar with, so if it had not said so in parenthesis, then I would not have know that ACESULFAME POTASSIUM was a non-nutritive sweetener.

Here's what stood out to me when I read about it on Wikipedia, read more about it: "Acesulfame K has been shown to stimulate dose-dependent insulin secretion in rats, though no hyperglycemia was observed.[8]"

Basically, ACE K is like sugar, in that it leaves you feeling like you want or need more: it makes you dependent. It is not the sugar that you are dependent on, it is the insulin that your body produces when you eat sugar that your body wants. So, is "No Sugar Added" any better for you? You skip those calories, but not the domino effect of eating more than you need to eat, or eventually eating the sugar laden foods that you have tried to avoid. When it comes down to it, we have to accept the side effects of what we choose to eat. Chocolate milk every day was causing me to gain weight. I can't have chocolate milk without having the effects of sugar. Darn it.

Food as Fuel

Yesterday, I made granola and had to have some! So, for the first time in a long time, I did not have a Zone proportioned breakfast. My norm is eggs and fruit and some half and half in my coffee. And, I don't measure it every morning, I just know know out of habit. So, I ate granola with skim milk, which contain carbohydrates and protein. Fats were provided by the half and half in my coffee. Not Zone balanced, but not terrible. The granola was made with whole oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, and agave (cactus honey- a bit lower on the glycemic index than honey). I felt pretty good and was able to go a long time without eating. I had a bowl of tuna late in the day (mostly because I stayed out running errands all afternoon). I normally try to eat 5 smaller meals during the day.

Although I did not eat balanced Zone meals yesterday, I still had adequate energy. I think this may be because I did not exercise. On days when I work out, I need more fuel. I need to eat 1-2 hours prior to the workout so that I can not only have energy when I start my workout, but also persevere to the end and be able to have explosive movements when necessary. Then, I need to eat a post workout snack or meal in order to help my body recover and build muscle. I know this to be true, not just from what I have read or been told, but also because I feel it and see it. It is a subject I intend to learn more about.

I am enjoying "training" for the Memphis Faction Games. I think the journey is more of the point than the actual games will be. It is interesting to experiment with food in relation to what I need it to do for me. Food is taking on a new role for me. Instead of eating for fun or because I feel hungry, I have a game plan to eat what I know I need and not what I feel like having. Our bodies are really amazing and can be trained according to how we fuel it.

Today, I completed 30 kipping pullups! I can not do more than 3 in a row. When I started out today (after having rowed 1000m and completed 50 thrusters), I could do 2 at a time. Then only one at a time. As my arms fatigued and my hands got worn, I found that to swing out more allowed me to complete 2 at a time instead of one. I became more efficient. This was very exciting for me! To be so tired, but to be able to figure out how to do something better at the same time is a great feeling!



So what did I eat today?
Eggs and strawberries and coffee + half and half for breakfast,
tuna with mayo and a half of a tomato cup up in it and sauteed squash for lunch, and 2 sugar covered pecans,
1/2 a peanut butter and strawberry fruit spread sandwich and coffee with half and half,
WORKED OUT WITH "JACKIE" (the name of the workout that included 1000m row, 50 thrusters with 45#, and 30 pull ups),
and grilled chicken wrap with lettuce. mayo, mustard, and mozzarella cheese for dinner.

Some days I eat Paleo (meat, fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds), other days I eat Zone (portioned amounts of food), other days I eat Paleo Zone (portioned amounts of Paleo foods), and then days like today, I just try to be reasonable. Pick one and stick to it, you say? That is easier said than done- for me anyway. I find that they are all helpful and all have their place. In an ideal world with no temptations, I think Paleo Zone is the way to go.

Today is my third day to work out. Tomorrow will be a day of rest. Crossfit says that 3 days on and one day off of working out is ideal. This is how I am training for the Faction Games. And then, once a week, I am working out twice in one day since this will be the case in Memphis.

I love nothing more than to enjoy food for fun, but it is also fun to see how food can help me achieve my goals. I can easily become a slave to my favorite foods and not exhibit portion control. Anticipating how a food will make me feel physically, mentally, and hormonally has helped me to make better choices as I continue to exercise and train.

Summer CSA

Community Supported Agriculture



I have had fun with this so far and would recommend trying it at least once. When you sign up with a farm (I am with Rocky Glade Farm), you get a box of their veggies once a week for about 2 and 1/2 months. It comes to about $25 a box. You do not get to choose what you are getting, and this is the major drawback, especially when you mostly eat broccoli and spinach, as we do. But, this has been fun because I have had fresh garlic and onion to cook with all the time (I don't bother on a regular basis). I've had great big red tomatoes with basil! Fresh squash and zucchini. Yesterday, I had two types of cabbage and made slaw for the first time. Sometimes, I get stuff that I don't care for so much, like turnips or beets. BUT, if forces me to revisit some veggies that I started ignoring because I can't stand to waste anything! CSA. Try it sometime. Split one with a friend. I am. It will help our local economy and get quality food into your kitchen. You may decide it is not worth your investment, OR you may love a different way of shopping!

Also, the Stones River Market is a great way to buy local farm food via internet and pick it up at the same location every week.

Faction or Failure?

Learning tends to happen out of necessity. For example, I have 3 kids who have to eat, so I MUST learn how to cook for them. From here, I learn how to manage my time in order to cook faster and healthier. I started out making chicken pot pies and waffles every week for Evan and I when we were first married, and now 12 years and 3 kids later, I have cleaned up my act to bit a bit healthier! I thought that I just had the "genes" to cook well, but soon discovered that it took practice. I will always be practicing...

So on that note, I have signed up for a Crossfit competition called "The Faction Games" in Memphis that will take place in 2 months. Will I be diligent with healthy eating in order to perform better then? I hope so. I have made it necessary to eat well if I want to perform well. This is a bit like buying the dress before you can wear it. That never really seems to be a good idea, so this may not either, but I do have a bit more on the line- my pride!

My plan is to eat 5X 2 block meals a day, drink water, take my fish oil (2 at each meal), and focus on increasing my strength at the Box. I may need to change my blocks to 3-1-3-1-3 . We will see... I want to get some body weight off, but eat at the same time! I think that push ups would be more feasible if I were carrying less body weight.

I really don't like to lock myself in to weight loss goals because it can become consuming. However, I think that with a short term goal (The Faction Games), it is necessary and will be gratifying when all is said and done. As with learning an instrument, or anything that involves technique to perform well, if you perfect each part, the whole will fall in to place. This is my concept as I train for the games...I can't fail if I try my best, right?

Fish Oil

While Evan takes his fish oil religiously, I am off and on with it just as I am the Zone! I have decided that the reason behind my fickleness must be because I don't really understand why it is good for me and what it is doing in my body. So, I have done a little research to send you in the right direction if you are in the same boat as I. Please add to the understanding of this topic if you can!

If you are interested in
1.loosing body fat
2.increasing good HDL cholesterol
3.lower triglycerides (bad cholestrol)
4.lower blood pressure- reducing risk of blood clots
5.reducing silent inflammation
6.reducing the risk of Alheimers or Parkinsons disease
7.reducing carbohydrate cravings

then read on about Fish Oil and the benefits of Omega 3's! (the following articles are taken from the Official Zone Website)

Fish oil Plus Exercise May Banish Body Fat

Anti-Aging in a Bottle

Understanding and Rating Fish Oil


Another motivating reason to be consistent is that your cravings for carbs will diminish when you have the right level of good fats. This means that if I take my fish oil, then my sugar, and specifically, chocolate cravings will subside!

Fish oil reduces carb cravings

Just in case you read the above article about reducing carb cravings and have wondered about the Atkins diet, I have done the it before, and found that it was a good way to loose weight initially, and then it actually adds back in healthy carbs (ie fruits and veggies). I personally believe that it gained undue criticism when actually it is a great way to kick start weightloss and teach people how to eat well. It promotes protein, fats, and heathy carbs. I do not recall how it differs from the Zone except that the Zone does not work in stages and the Zone measures portion sizes.

The following link is a great tool to figure out how much fish oil you need to take:

Fish Oil Calculator

With GNC's Triple Strength brand, I need 12 capsules a day. With the grocery store's Sundown brand, I need 36 a day! Quality does matter! They now have fish oil that is bottled so that you pour it in a spoon. It is even lemon flavored! This seems ideal- less processed.

So, start taking fish oil everyday. It sounds like your body will thank you!

Oatmeal: "Fast" Food Breakfast made at Home!

Oatmeal is a great food in that it is healthful and comforting. At times, I try to stay away from all grains because I feel better when I do, i.e. no bloating, better energy. So, with oatmeal, you don't need much for fuel. You'll get full fast. However, it serves as a base for a fast breakfast. And since in order to be faster (regular oats really aren't that much longer to cook), I have used instant oats rather than cooking regular or steel cut oats on the stovetop. This is a compromise in nutrition, but it still beats eating cereal! Try this recipe:

One package of instant oats cooked with less water than you'd prefer, for one minute.
Add 1/4ish cup vanilla Greek yogurt (high in protein)
dash of salt
bit of butter
pecans to your desire

Now you've got protein (if you can eat dairy), fat from pecans and butter, and carbs from oats. It would be easy to go over on fats, so watch out when you add the butter and pecans. The "Vanilla" yogurt gives just enough sweetness without adding honey or sugar or being too bland. Pecans add wonderful flavor and tecture. The butter adds to the creaminess and flavor, but could be eliminated. This can easily be a 2 block breakfast when using the prepackaged oatmeal.

Want to Quit Sugar?

I have been trying to kick the sugar addiction for a while now. I just ran across this link that I think will be helpful. Mostly I am sad that it busted me on my coffee crutch. It says that caffeine disrupts blood sugar levels and is not a good substitute for sugar cravings. Then it lists two supplements to take to help with moods swings during the adjustment. I found that my mood was quit different and lacking that "good" feeling all week as I stayed away from sweets. I read in "Sugar Shock" that our bodies will have stronger sugar/bad carb cravings when we don't have enough healthy fats in our system (Omega 3's and 6's). So, this is incentive to take my fish oil on a regular basis. As far as giving up my coffee, I am going to have to gear up for that one. I think I will make sure I am in a good routine with the fish oil, then have the natural supplements on hand, all the while staying away from sugar, and then I will drop the coffee last. I was fed a wonderful meal tonight, that I couldn't turn down. Does anyone else suffer from not wanting to hurt someone's feelings when they hand you a bowl of homemade goodness? So for almost 7 days, I went with mostly no sugar (had some honey on Sunday, though) and began to feel a bit gloomy, all the while knowing that a good sugar fix would help. Now I will start again and hope that I can go for two weeks. If your like me, you have to learn to say no in a way you feel comfortable and confident about. Today, it was not even a mind struggle, it was the people pleaser in me. So, I will be interested to see how I feel tomorrow. I did notice that after my good southern meal tonight, I felt a pick me up like I had not felt all week. Earlier today, I felt lightheaded and then felt much better after I ate my lunch. Who going to argue that food is not a drug of sort?

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a common problem that many people are unaware of and doctors tend to overlook. It's symptoms range from anxiety to hunger to seizures. Hypo means low and glycemia means blood glucose (blood sugar). So, hypoglycemia, which was once labeled a disease is now labeled a 'condition' because it can be managed through dietary and lifestyle changes. This is good news as far as fixing the problem, but bad news as far as the doctors having an incentive to diagnose it- meaning that the doctors can't prescribe medication, therefore can't make $ off of this diagnosis. This is the point that Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C and Stephen Sinatra, M.D. make in their book "Sugar Shock". It seems like a pretty valid point to me. If you'll notice on the link above for hypoglycemia, the MayoClinic refers to treatment as lifestyle changes PLUS medications.

"...Reactive hypoglycemia is one of the most common and most misunderstood disorders in America today. For starters, many physicians assume that ailments such as mood swings, fatigue, and anxiety are manifestations of psychological problems. Moreover, hypoglycemia has been called the "Great Imitator" because its strange, startling symptoms-some experts list as many as 125 of them-can mimic a frightening array of diseases and conditions, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, neurosis, migraines, Parkinson's syndrome, chronic bronchial asthma, rapid heartbeat, rheumatoid arthritis, cerebral arteriosclerosis (hardening of the brain's arteries), menopause, mental retardation, alcoholism, hyperactive disorder, and senility." says Connie Bennett in "Sugar Shock".

If this raises your eyebrows, I strongly suggest reading this book and doing some more research. It has certainly caught my attention. I am becoming more and more convinced that refined sugar has no place in our diets.

Something Must Be Wrong

Either I have reached a new level of hormonal balance, or something is very wrong! I went to a wedding shower tonight and was completely ok with not eating any of the wonderful deserts! Ok, a little will power was involved, but I did not fight a mental battle the whole time I was there. I had water and some decaf coffee. Honestly, I was afraid that if I even had one bit, it would trigger the need for a binge, and I did not want to risk my recent 2 day streak of ABSOLUTELY NO SUGAR. I mean, no added sugars, no honey, no stevia, nothing to give me an abrupt insulin spike.

I have not been in a bad mood, but I have not been in a good mood either. This shows me that when I eat certain foods, I definitely get more of an endorphin release in the brain. I posted this morning that I felt a little out of sorts. I did have an afternoon slump, which I do not experience when I am sticking to the Zone. I contribute this to missing breakfast. But, this reminds me, that Robb Wolf, Paleo expert, believes in intermitant fasting. I will have to look into this subject more.
Oh, and I did not get a nap today like I had hoped, so....it's bedtime!

I highly recommend reading "SUGAR SHOCK!"