The good life

For years, the sage advice to those who wanted to trim down was to eat dry toast, lose the butter. Have egg substitute from a carton. Better yet, live on controlled portions from the freezer section at the supermarket. Hey I tried all of it. Sure I'd lose weight. For awhile. But of course it wasn't sustainable. I was hungry, and the longer I did it the hungrier I got. And when the dam burst loose I would gain it all back and then some. Some of you know what I'm talking about.

I tried Atkins once, for a while, it worked, for a while, but it seemed a bit more focused on the foods you could eat instead... like the processed snack bars, of course with the Atkins label. And then I got sick. And then he died.

So I was faced with the challenge of keeping my blood sugar in check. Cholesterol in check. Blood Pressure. Geesh. Eat this don't eat that. Couldn't take it anymore. After 8 years I gave up. I'd gained 20 pounds. My labs always looked good but I was miserable. 8 years of "moderation" more like deprivation. For what, so I could live longer but more miserably?

So I saw this story on the internet. And we all know if it's on the internet it has to be true. But this woman was describing my life so I paid a bit more attention. She kept harping on grains. Mentioned a guy named Rosedale. I looked him up. Bought his book. Came upon one brief remark that pretty much summed it all up. I'm paraphrasing here, but basically he said if they send the cattle to the feedlot to fatten them up with grains and hormones, why would you eat either? The Grains or the Cattle that were fed them? So, grain is used to fatten up our food supply. And then we eat it. So I stopped. My husband stopped. My daughter stopped. No wheat no barley no rice no oats. Not easy to do. It pretty much eliminates anything in a box. We also removed starches. And Sugar. I didn't follow his rules precisely, and when I looked at the Wheat Belly diet... I found some similar principles and incorporated them too. I looked at the basic low-carb... and used some of that. Paleo. Caveman. They all had a common theme.
So what happened?

Prime Rib. If it's grass-fed it's on my table.

I learned to cook again.
I ate more nuts and fruit and grass-fed organic beef which by the way is fabulous.

I invented new sauces. I became a cook gone wild. And I started to shrink. So did my family. My mid-afternoon crash went away. So did the constant hunger. I don't crave bread or pasta or cake anymore. But what about chocolate, you ask? Oh Please. That's a necessary nutrient for human survival. I eat it every day. Only I make my own creations, using Stevia.

Lobster. Nuf said.

Tacos. Yes, that's a grain-free tortilla.

Asian Glazed wings. And damn good too.

So come along with me on my journey of discovery into the unknown world of real food. It's an upside down pyramid of wonder. If breakfast for you means eggs, bacon and pancakes? No worries. You can make pancakes, just use the right flour. A basket of wings for lunch? Have at it... and dinner? Grass-fed Ribeye steak, with a side of jicama fries, cucumber salad and finish it off with some fresh berries and pie, chocolate of course.

Life is good.