Refined sugars and your body!

When I started my weight loss journey almost 10 years ago sugar was one thing that really was eye opening. When I was doing the HCG diet I really had to pay attention to ingredients in things. Then when I started eating paleo again back to the sugar watching. 

Have you ever looked at the grams of sugar in that Starbucks drink? What about in the ketchup, crackers, lunch meat, or the processed foods you are eating? Start looking at ingredients on the things you are eating and see how many of them have sugar added to them. 

Here is a list of refined sugar. 

• white flour.
• evaporated cane juice.
• instant starches.
• corn syrup.
• high fructose corn syrup.
• brown sugar (made by adding molasses back into refined white sugar)
• fructose.
• processed artificial sweeteners

Here is what the Cancer Center had to stay in 2016:

"The body breaks down refined sugar rapidly, causing insulin and blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Because refined sugar is digested quickly, you don't feel full after you're done eating, no matter how many calories you consumed. The fiber in fruit slows down metabolism, as fruit in the gut expands to make you feel full".

Refined sugars may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. They're also linked to a higher likelihood of depression, dementia, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.

In the brain, excess sugar impairs both our cognitive skills and our self-control. For many people, having a little sugar stimulates a craving for more. Sugar has drug-like effects in the reward center of the brain. Scientists have proposed that sweet foods—along with salty and fatty foods—can produce addiction-like effects in the human brain, driving the loss of self-control, overeating, and subsequent weight gain.

The NIH did a study in mice modeling autoimmune issues gave them sugary water and saw the diseases worsen by activating inflammatory immune cells. The findings suggest that a low-sugar diet may help prevent or treat autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis.

Sugar stimulates the production of free fatty acids in the liver. When the body digests these free fatty acids, the resulting compounds can trigger inflammatory processes. Different kinds of sugar may contribute more or less to inflammation.

If you have any type of autoimmune diseases sugar is not your friend whatsoever! I can really tell a difference when I eliminate sugar from my diet. My inflammation really seems to decrease and my I don't crave sugar either. When I am eating sugar on a daily basis my craving for sugar is insane! I also feel my entire body become inflamed in a short amount of time. 

It blows my mind how people do not pay attention to the amount of sugar they are putting in their bodies every single day. I keep seeing all these people making coffees on social media adding tablespoons upon tablespoons of sugar to their coffee. People do you know what this is doing to your body? You are poisoning your body on a daily basis adding all that sugar. 

If I am going to use sugar or give my kids sugar I like to use maple syrup or honey. They are a natural sugar that your body can process. I would like to challenge you to pay attention to the amount of refined sugars you are consuming on a daily basis. Try cutting them out and see how you feel. Also think about what your kids are eating and how much refined sugars they are eating. Mamas we need to consider what our kids tiny bodies are consuming and setting them up for a healthy adults. Our world is consumed with autoimmune diseases, cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol and so much more. Refined sugars are related to so many of these diseases!

I really feel I need to share more about living healthy, multiple sclerosis and easy ways to help people live a healthier lifestyle. I feel this is part of my calling as a person and mother. I can only control what my children eat, but I can help other mothers make better choices for their kids if they want the help. 

Healthier Weight Loss

Recently someone commented to me that they had read my blog about my weight loss. You know at times I completely forgot about the HCG diet. I knew once George was born I wouldn't be able to the HCG diet and nurse. I was concerned how I would get all the weight off.

Well the first 25 pounds came off early fast. I think within a month it was gone. That was great because I only put on 19 pounds while I was pregnant. After the holidays I decided it was time to get the extra weight I had gained prior to getting pregnant. I wanted all my clothes to fit again.

I joined a Facebook group. I had to eat 1/2 cup of fruit, 3 cups of veggies, exercise 30-45 minutes per day 5 days a week, no sugar, and a weekly challenge. I lost 20 pounds within 6 months. I have now lost an additional 10 pounds. I am now down 50 pounds in a year...having a baby helped get rid of some of that lol. I did it a lot safer and healthier this time around.

I also learned that my body can't handle sugar on a daily basis. When I have sugar on a daily basis I get really run down and weak. I noticed this change after I had my thyroid out. It was so strange. If I give up sugar I feel human again. I am glad I figured this out! Sugar is so addictive and harmful to our bodies on a regular basis.

I do allow myself 1 cheat day a week. It is usually on Sunday. I will go out to eat, have ice cream, M&M's or whatever else I am craving. This really helps me eat clean too. I don't feel deprived or that I can't ever eat things again. I just remind myself when Sunday comes I can have a treat.

My goal is to lose another 25 pounds. I would like to have 15 of it off before vacation, but we will see if my body cooperates. I have struggled with losing weight because of nursing. There were times I just had to eat food to keep my supply up. Now that I have cut back on nursing I have been exercising a lot more.

I also don't think of this as a diet. This is a lifestyle change. Yeah, I know what you are thinking....oh people talk about these life style changes all the time...blah blah. Seriously though for me it is because of my health. It is very important to me to be the healthiest I can possibly be for my family. I also want George to eat healthy and see us eat healthy. Hopefully he will make wise food choices.

Skillet Chicken Enchilada

Emily Bites had a recipe on her blog recently for Chicken Enchilada Skillet. The pictures looked really yummy. I decided to make some adjustments to it, so it is gluten free and sugar free. This recipe is also HCG phase 3 approved. Here is my alteration to the recipe. 

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Source: adapted from Emily Bites

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves - love my Pampered Chef garlic press!

3 tablespoons chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons sugar

15 oz can tomato sauce - I used my homemade sauce from last year

½ cup water

3 cups shredded cooked chicken - I used chicken thighs because that is what I had in the freezer

½ - 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1.5 cupes shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. Saute onions until soft, add garlic, spices and saute. Add the tomato sauce and water, stir and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.

2. Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir together. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Turn the heat on the sauce mixture to low. Add the green chiles and about 1/2 the cheese to the chicken mixture and stir together until well combined and coated. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and place the lid onto the pan. Leave the lid on for 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle the diced scallions over top for garnish.

Be Your Own Advocate!

Taking charge of your health is so very challenging. When I was diagnosed with Medullary Thyroid Cancer I thought I would be referred to a doctor with experience. What a shock I was in for! At this point I haven't been able to find a doctor in my HMO with any experience. My endocrinologist hasn't seen anyone with MTC in her 30 years. I am the first patient for 4+ doctors with MTC. 

I am on the hunt because SOMEONE has to have some experience. I am also requesting to be referred out for a consultation by doctors that deal with MTC frequently. I have to go through a process with my HMO for a referral, so I am going through the very slow process. Luckily right now I have time to go through the motions. 

I have been educating myself the best I can on MTC. I didn't think there would be a time in my life I would know more about my cancer than my doctors. I am sure my doctors are getting sick and tired of hearing from me. When I get something in my head I don't stop. I rally all of them up until they realize I KNOW what I am talking about. Luckily they are very good about listening to me and talking to each other. I am sure there are times they are banging their head on their desk. I won't stop though! I will continue to push for what I think is best for ME. 

It is almost time for a CT scan again. There has been arguing about how the scan should be performed - with contract, without contrast, just chest scan, full body scan, etc. One doctor thinks I need just a CT scan of my check, another doctor things I need a PET scan and the 3rd is like yeah whatever the other ones want. Well I think I need a full body scan NOW for the future. I need a scan for the doctors to look at down the 5-10 years to verify there is no cancer anywhere else. I had an ultrasound and it showed my liver was clear. What if a spot was missed that could show up on a PET scan? Contrast works for some cancer, but not always for MTC. Should they expose me to the radiation and if so how often. A

In July 2011 I decided it was time to lose weight. I recently some negative feedback about the HCG diet and how it wasn't good for you. I learned after round 1 it was the right diet for my body. It worked! I had never experience that type of success with any other type of diet. I also learned about my body through the entire experience. I learned the good foods to eat, how to maintain my weight, started exercising and how I really feel sugar is the devil. Sugar is in almost every single thing in your fridge and cupboards. It is unnecessary to have that sugar in everything. 

I also think when I was going through the HCG diet back in 2011 my body was starting to tell me there were problems. At the time I just didn't know it. I thought my body was reacting to the diet. I had a lot of stomach issues which I thought were from the HCG drops or all the veggies. I do not believe that now. 

It is important for each of us to be aware of what we think is going on with our bodies. Talk to our doctors and push for the answers we need. If I hadn't of pushed that something was wrong my cancer could have continued to grow. My mom always said if I would use my stubbornness in a good way I could go a long way in life. My advice to you is if you think something isn't right with your health push for your doctor to listen to you. Ask them to order tests. If the doctor won't switch doctors! Do not ignore health issues. Go get any issues handled right away. You are never too busy to take a day off for a test. Putting off a test because of a busy schedule could lead to you being off for a lot more than 1 day. You are your best advocate for your health! 

Where is Menu Monday?

Menu Monday will return next week. Tomorrow I can start eating more food. I am tempted to go until Saturday with the limited calories and food. We will see by the end of today how I feel about extending it a few more days. Eating more variations of food is VERY tempting at this point. 

One thing I am excited to eat again is Mexican food. I LOVE Mexican food and could eat it every single day of the week. Usually on Sunday after church Art and I go out to eat for Mexican food as a place close to our house. At this point I have gone 20+ days without Mexican food. I am ddddyyyyyiiinnnnngggg!!!! 

Well I ran across this food blog called Slim Palate which lots of gluten free, Paleo and grain free recipes. There is a recipe on the blog for cauliflower tortillas.  I am NOT a fan of cauliflower AT ALL. I can't stand it cooked period! There are very few foods I do not like, but cooked cauliflower, lentils and black olives are at the top of my list. I will eat cauliflower raw with some ranch dressing. At this point I want Mexican food so bad I am going to try out cauliflower tortillas. They actually look really good. 

I have been dairy free for the past 21 days and my goal is to continue to stay dairy free. If I have cheese it will be goat cheese. I had switched to coconut milk this year. I just like coconut milk for my chai lattes. 

Prior to doing the HCG diet I was trying not to eat carbs and sugar. I was failing miserably. Every day I would eat chocolate and carbs. I just couldn't stay away from the stuff.  It has really helped my cravings for carbs and sugar, since I went hard core. I would crave all the things I shouldn't eat all day long. I had no self control, so what better way to get yourself in check then to eliminate all of it from my diet. 

I will go back to having my veggie/fruit smoothies for breakfast each day. Lunches will continue to be a salad and something sensible for dinner. I can't have carbs or sugar until sometime in July during phase 3 of the HCG diet.  I am going to try to stay away from carbs and sugar until we go on our cruise in August. There is a lot of controversy regarding sugar and cancer. Sugar simply isn't good for people and it is in almost every single thing people each day. 

Next week I will have a carb & sugar free menu! 

HCG Diet Update

I started the HCG diet 14 days ago. As of yesterday (day 13) I was down 14.5 pounds. I have finally lost all the weight I gained since surgery. I can't even tell you how fabulous it feels to finally be down to where I started and for my clothes to fit again. My clothes have been fitting, but they were tight. My skirts were tight across my stomach which hiked them up. Those 14 pounds sure make a big difference. Finally one thing is back to normal. The rest of my body is a long ways from getting back to where it use to be, but at least my weight is under control. My goal is to lose another 8 pounds. Hopefully I will be able to do that in the next 7 days. 

Last weekend I went to Costco to buy some new sunglasses. Costco now accepts VSP, so I was able to use my VSP benefits. Why is it as soon as I found a pair and checked out the sales people start bringing out new styles. They had a super cute pair with a bow. Next round I am getting the bow pair. 

In the picture below you can see my scar. I have been putting vitamin E on it each night and rubbing the scar in a circular motion. Around the scar use to be all raised and half of that is gone. The skin is smooth and is fading a little. I have been very diligent with making sure my scar is always covered when I am outside. I have been wearing a scarf 98% of the time. The other 2% I have used my hair to cover my scar when I am outside. I have decided not to cut my hair. I need to keep it long, so it will cover my scar until it fades. 

T-shirt & Cardigan: The Loft

Skirt: NY & CO

Shoes: Sears

Necklace: Etsy

Sunnies: Costco

Round 4 HCG Diet

In January prior to find out I had cancer I was planning to do another round of the HCG Diet to lose the last 20 pounds to make it to the 100 pound lost mark. Well this pesky little thing called cancer happened and every plan I had for 2013 was thrown out the window. I have been struggling since surgery to regulate my thyroid. It has been a HUGE challenge. I became hyperthyroid. Oh boy was that a trip! Every side effect there is I had EXCEPT losing weight. I was one of the rare ones to gain weight. On one of the websites I was reading symptoms about it said in rare occasions people will gain weight. Well yep I am a rare one!

I have been battling to try to keep my weight under control. There have been plenty of days I have been in tears trying to find an outfit. Usually it is Sunday mornings I am in the closet crying because my skirts are getting too tight. Clothes are flying out of the closet, screaming, numerous outfits tried on and Art is rushing me along because we are running late for church which just adds more fuel to the fire.

I decided around Memorial Weekend that was IT I was going to do a round of the HCG diet because I HAVE to get some of this weight off. I REFUSE to buy new clothes. I have a HUGE closet FULL. Well I bought all the food I needed and set my mind to do the HCG diet again. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to hear negativity. Art wasn't so sure I should do it because my body is still healing. I understood his concerns and assured him I wouldn't take any health risks.

I started the Tuesday after Memorial Day. When I arrived at work with my boiled chicken and salad I was reminded we were having pizza. UGH! Well I decided not to put it off because I don't have time to waste here people. Normally the first few days are AWFUL! I am starving, screaming and ready to eat every.single.thing that is near me. Well the first 3 days I was barely even hungry. I would get cranky when it was nearing my meal time. The first week I lost 7 pounds. I need to lose another 6 pounds to be back to where I was prior to surgery. It is very frustrating to me that I have to take off weight I have already lost.

I remembered some things about the previous 3 rounds. I had major stomach issues the 3 previous rounds. I usually made my food pretty spicy while on the HCG diet. This round I am not having any stomach issues. Spicy foods are known to increase the calcitonin levels in your body. I think 2 years ago my body was trying to tell me something was wrong with my body. I thought it was the way I was eating and HCG drops. Now I think it was because my calcitonin levels were rising.

My goal is to go 23-25 days on the diet this round. I want to do phase 2 until June 22 and start phase 3 June 23. Art will be gone a few days in June, so my goal is to return to normal eating around the time he returns. See how thoughtful I am of my husband! It is bad enough he has put up with my thyroid issues and now a dieting wife. I am not sure what is worse a wife on a diet or a wife pmsing. lol

My eating schedule this round has been a lot different then round 1-3.

• Take my drops as I am running out the door to work
• I drink a cup of coffee for breakfast and 50 ounces of water by 11am
• I don't eat any food until lunch time around 12:00-12:30
• Lunch is usually a large salad - chicken breast, 4 cups of salad, 1 tomato and a little onion with apple cider vinegar mustard dressing I mix up the night before
• Snack happens around 530 when I eat my 2 melba toasts and a piece of fruit while I prepare dinner
• Dinner is usually beef or fish. I try not to eat anymore chicken for dinner because boiled chicken is VERY boring. I also like to eat one hot meal and one cold meal each day. I have been eating a lot of zucchini and kale. Shrimp is really good cooked in liquid aminos.
• After dinner I eat my last piece of fruit
• Right before bed I take my last set of drops. I am only taking drops twice a day. I take 15 drops each time. It just doesn't work well for me to take them 3 times a day. This round I have had very good success, so I don't see a problem with how I have altered things

I am very pleased with how things are going this round. I had one day that set me back for whatever reason. One of my friends reminded me this is a marathon not a sprint! That statement REALLY helped get me through my bad day.

My goal for 2013 is just to cross off the weight journey off my resolution list. I won't be able to cross the 100 miles or finish school and that is ok with me. Once in awhile things happen in life and your priorities change.