Ancestral Weight Loss Registry

The other day I received an e-newsletter from US Wellness Meats mentioning the Ancestral Weight Loss Registry.  In the newsletter, they encourage people who have been doing a low-carb diet to add their weight loss (or weight gain) data to a list for statistical purposes, so I checked it out and decided to add my info.

I find the whole study really exciting because it's more validation for my own experience, and I was fascinated to read the current results of the data they've collected.  You can see the data here:  http://www.awlr.org/results.html

One of my favorite quotes from the study:  "People who eat high protein, high fat diets seem to lose more weight without counting calories."  Through personal experience, I know that to be true, but now there is data to back it up.  I think that is awesome!

Starving yourself really is not a long-term, sustainable solution to maintaining a healthy weight.  At one point several months ago I tried counting calories for a day with an iPhone app just because I was curious, but I found the whole thing ridiculous and cumbersome.  I think I calculated I was averaging around 1,300 to 1,500 calories a day, but it didn't really matter.  I ate when I was hungry and I ate enough to maintain my energy levels.

As I started making better food choices, my apatite changed, but I also majorly increased my fat intake and I think that played a key role in tiding me over for longer periods of time.  Fats like coconut and avocado have more dense calories, so they burn slower and more consistently.  It turned out I didn't need as many calories over all anymore.  No more insulin spikes and gorging on bags of cookies and chips.  Ahh, what a relief.

One of the more frustrating aspects of the registry is that it currently consists mainly of wealthy white people.  I really hope that this trend will change.  I feel a great burden for all races and classes to know health through proper food choices.  I know cost has a lot to do with why this hasn't caught on yet, but I'm confident the Paleo health movement will become too strong to for our nation to ignore.  Hopefully, healthy whole food can become more cost effective in the near future.

What I'm Eating

Since there is a long list of foods I don't eat anymore, several friends and family are curious to know what I AM eating, so this post will be all about that.  I can eat the same thing almost every day and never get tired of it if it's something I really like, but for my husband's sake, I try to mix it up a little.

Since I follow Whole30 protocol for all the meals I prepare at home, I make an effort to have a protein, a veggie and a healthy fat with every meal.  For more ideas and a detailed list of good choices, go here.

Here is a list of some of my favorite meals, sides and snacks so you have an idea of what I'm eating on a regular basis:

Breakfast:
- Eggs, scrambled with coconut oil
- Egg Caserole with peppers and onions (from Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield)
- Fresh cucumber with salt
- Celery with Sunbutter (If you don't know what Sunbutter is, you need to check it out!)
- Raw carrots, broccoli, or spinach with olive oil
- Fresh berries
- Bacon (we only eat this occasionally at our house because even though I buy organic, it's hard to find any without added sugar)

Lunch
- Grilled chicken over spinach (or kale) topped with avocado, balsamic vinegar and olive oil (I eat this a lot because it's easy and fast)
- Leftovers from last night's dinner (see below)

Dinner
- Morrocan Chicken
- Pumpkin Chili with Avocado Cream
- Squash "Spaghetti" (I use clarified butter and olive oil, and leave off the feta)
- Thai Chicken Wraps
- Grilled grass-fed hamburger with onion and avocado
- Beef Coconut Curry Stew (from Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso)
- Grilled Chicken with Pesto sauce (pesto recipe from Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso)

Sides
- Baked Sweet Potato fries
- Sauteed asparagus with garlic
- Stir-fried kale with bacon

Snacks
- Larabars
- Organic Shredded Coconut Flakes (I get a small bag from Whole Foods or Sprouts for around $3.00)
- Macadamia nuts
- Raw veggies (celery and carrots are typically what I carry around with me)
-apples with sunbutter

This is not a very long list, but these are the recipes I'm using the most at the moment, and I'd recommend any of the popular Paleo websites and cook books.  There are also some tasty recipes in the back of It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig.  My mom has cooked the The Perfect Steak for a family dinner, and it was SO delicious.

I mostly cook with coconut oil, organic butter or leftover fat from my bacon.  If you don't know much about the benefits and risks of cooking oils, this is my favorite reference:  http://tinyurl.com/3ofx7gq

Here is a comprehensive list of some of the Paleo/Whole30 recipe websites I use regularly (there are more than this, but these are the ones I use often):
http://everydaypaleo.com
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com
http://www.chowstalker.com/whole30/ (my new favorite!)
http://nomnompaleo.com/ (some of her stuff gets a little complicated, but you can poke around for some of the easier recipes)
http://www.health-bent.com/
www.paleoplan.com
http://whole9life.com/category/recipes

Here's two sites I haven't used yet, but they have Whole30 approved recipes and I hope to try them soon:
http://www.thefoodee.com/tag/whole30/
http://wholelifeeating.com

My Book Review: It Starts With Food

I’m so excited to tell you all the reasons why It Starts With Food by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig is the most valuable nutrition book you can have in your possession.  This book is full of so many important pieces of information explaining how food impacts your body, and it exposes in great detail why so many of us have physical and psychological issues with food.  It also equips you with all the information you need to make the best choices to stay healthy for a lifetime.

I am not a doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer or Paleo superhero.  I’m just an average person who got really sick with no medical explanation for my symptoms.  Thankfully, through Dallas and Melissa Hartwig’s Whole30 program, I discovered food is my medicine.  Now, after reading It Starts With Food, I have a much deeper understanding of why my food choices are so important.

One of the main reasons I even did the Whole30 was because I read through the instructions on the Hartwigs’ website, whole9life.com, and their tough-love approach and sassy style had me hooked!
It is no surprise that their book is as entertaining as it is informative, making it an easy page turner even when they’re talking about things like phytic acid, glucagon and medium-chain triglycerides!

To me, It Starts With Food is required reading for the following reasons:

It has allowed me to have a greater understanding of my own health issues.  I had no idea how critical my gut is to my total health, but Dallas and Melissa go into great detail about why your intestines hold the key to unlock your complete well-being.  To me, this is priceless information!

Knowledge is power, and now that I know why I’m tempted by certain food choices and why certain foods have such a negative effect on me, I have the power to make better choices on a daily basis for the rest of my life.

This book has made it much easier for me to explain to friends and family why this way of eating is so important.  Science was my worst subject in school, so I’m not very good at explaining all the detailed medical information or “science-y stuff,” but It Starts With Food has made it much easier for me to put into words why fat is good for you, why there’s more to calcium than just drinking milk and taking supplements, and why there’s more to cholesterol than a number on a piece of paper.  And if my friends and family want to know more, I just hand them the book!

In every chapter, Dallas and Melissa take multiple opportunities to answer the most frequently asked questions on all the hot food-related topics.  They leave you feeling fully informed and totally empowered.  It’s awesome.

I love that they give you the tools, but then encourage you to take responsibility for yourself.  It seems so many of us refuse to be responsible for our choices or just choose not to listen.  In It Starts With Food, you will not only be educated, but also held accountable.  I find that so refreshing.

I truly believe It Starts With Food is going to be a major contribution to a shift toward improved health in our country.  As more people continue to have such drastic improvements and amazing testimonials, it is my hope that word will continue to spread, and that the medical community will be forced to take into account the critical role food plays in our total health.