I really wanted to write a little about carbs! You know those pesky little things that seem to be adding weight to your middle. Two years ago I started noticing that I was suffering from scale creep. Not enough weight gain to be alarming but enough that I starting thinking that I had better make a few changes. DIET – here I come! But NO. I have tried dieting in the past and for me, they never fixed the issue for long. This is where Carb Consciousness comes in. Ya see, my husband is an engineer…why is that important, you ask… well, he always has to do research before he starts anything. When I mentioned yet another diet he stepped in and reminded me that in the past they only caused me a hella-lot-o frustration. After the research and endless conversations with Jim (the engineer husband), I came to several conclusions.
- My body loves me just the way I am!
Every time you try to make a change to your body, whether it is exercise, eating changes, sleep changes, even caffeine consumption changes, your body starts to SCREAM at you! It loves the way it is no matter what state it is in and your body does not want you to make any changes.
- DIET is a negative word!
Have you ever noticed, when you use words like Diet, Reduce, Less, Lose, Cut Back, etc… your brain steps in and fights any change you want to make? Refer back to #1 for the reason why!
- Counting didn’t work for me!
Do you realize how hard it is to find something in a convenience store (when you forget to take lunch to work) that is not packed with carbs? I started counting cards as a way to lose weight (shhh – I didn’t tell Jim) and I stuck it out for about two weeks. Did I lose weight? Yes, I dropped 7 pounds and started having to WORST leg cramps in the middle of the night! I felt like (insert bad word here) and quickly became very frustrated. YEP – Jim was right… (once again, please keep my secret)!
- The only way I could do this (that made sense to me) was to follow Jim’s example and balance my plate.
What does a balanced plate look like? Years ago when Jim started his quest to eat less, he started using a knife and cutting his portions in half. Example: Get a burger and fries from a restaurant and cut the burger in half. Well, he noticed that he could eat the half burger but he would finish off the fries. Then he wondered why he wasn’t seeing any changes. Once, he started cutting both the fries and the burger in half (and went through the withdrawals – HE WAS A BEAR TO LIVE WITH) he started to feel better and see a difference.
Over the years, several things have happened. I have developed my own carb consciousness. I DO eat carbs (sometimes too many) but as they travel from the fork to my mouth I am aware of them! Sorry, I had to say that! Seriously, I started to watch what I was putting on my plate. I am a food blogger, ex-restaurant owner, and currently working on my first cookbook, so, I cook ALL the time, and I make some really decadent things. I eat my food all the time (I have to test new recipes and taste everything I blog) but I can still be aware of how much I eat. My perfect plate looks like this… Veggies, Protein, Carb (in that order), and then a half portion of whatever decadent thing I made that day. Do I slip? YES. But the next day I reset and keep it up. I have come to the conclusion that Jim is correct, in that, words matter and when I start thinking negative words like cut, reduce, lose, that my brain is going to fight me but when I replace those words with balance, awareness, and moderate my brain doesn’t notice that my body is feeling better and my waist isn’t too bad.
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Enjoy the Day!
Maurie Kay
