February 20, 2012

Day One–Here We Go

It’s finally Monday, February 20th – the launch of The Grain Challenge.

I’m excited. Seriously. I’ve been waiting to start this because I know it’s going to be good for me! I looking forward to seeing all the changes in my health over the next 3 weeks. More energy. Better sleep. Better skin. Weight loss. Better health!

I know it’s going to be great!

I’ve had some people ask me what I’d be eating this week, so I wanted to share that with you. Before I do, though, I wanted to mention a few things:

- Since this is a form of detoxing your body, it is not uncommon for some people to get symptoms related with detoxing. Some people might not have any issues – others will. Headaches, nausea and low energy levels are a few things you may experience at first. IF you do have any of these symptoms, know that they won’t last long. It’s your body’s way of dealing with the changes going on. Make sure you are drinking PLENTY of water. This will not only help flush out the toxins being released into your bloodstream, but it can also help ward off headaches and dehydration.

- I find that people who consume a highly refined and high sugar diet are usually the ones who tend to get headaches and low energy. Your body goes into shock when you don’t give it something it has daily. White sugar (found in white flour, white rice, sugar, enriched flours, chips, cookies, crackers, etc.) is like a drug. Your body will go into withdrawal. DON’T LET THIS STOP YOU.

- Don’t make it too hard. It really is simple. If you are finding it hard to make ‘grain-free’ meals – keep it simple. Chicken and veggies. Eggs. Smoothies. It doesn’t have to be anything major. The point of this isn’t to see how creative you can get with your food. The point right now is to eliminate grains and get your body to a condition conducive to begin a new, healthy way of eating. You can get creative with your meals as time goes on.

- Don’t forget that YOU CAN DO THIS! Don’t let your body tell you what to do. YOU TELL YOUR BODY WHAT TO DO. Whatever your body tells you – talk back to it – LOUDER!

- Keep your expectation up for a healthier you! That’s wonderful motivation. The only way you’ll ever see that new you is to do something about it. Being motivated is great – but you must take action!

- Leave a comment here or on FACEBOOK if you have any questions. I’m here to help!

What will I be eating this week?

Well, I went into my wonderful e-book‘Against The Grain’ by Modern Alternative Mama and got some meal ideas from there. I use this cookbook all the time, so it wasn’t anything new for me. However, I normally combine them with meals that do have grains (pasta, bread, rice, etc.) so it will be different having all meals come from this book. My family, unknowingly, will be participating with me – sort of. All dinners will be grain-free. I’ll have more grain-free breakfasts for them – but they’ll still have their wheat and sourdough breads, wheat farina and breakfast brownies. I’m basically keeping it simple for myself. I’ll also be eliminating coffee (I make my own mocha’s at home) which won’t be too hard since I usually only drink them once a week – if that. I never drink soda, so that’s one item I don’t have to worry about cutting out. If you are a soda drinker – I encourage you to eliminate soda as well. Warning – this will probably cause headaches. Again – the withdrawal that I was talking about above. Drink tons of water and if it comes down to it – take an ibuprofen if you can’t stand the pain. I’m going to juice more which will help in the detoxing process! Later on this week I’ll go into how we’ll be drinking smoothies next week which will also help ‘reboot’ your system! By the time this 3 weeks is over – your body will truly thank you for all your sacrifice and all you’ve done!

Yes, I have the whole week planned out already. The food is bought and produce is prepped. This will make my week so much easier, especially with my hectic schedule of chauffeuring kids to school (they go to different schools), church, tae kwon do practice for my daughter, baking for our youth ministry on Wednesday and all the normal day to day activities; laundry, cleaning, working, preparing for the two classes I teach each month and more! Planning can be the link to success or failure! Don’t ever allow yourself to say you don’t have time. We all have the same amount of time each day. My days are jammed packed – but I make the time. It’s all about priorities.

Remember, if you need snacks in between meals, make sure they are SNACKS and not meals. Low-calorie snacks that won’t add an extra 500-700 calories a day (this won’t help any in weight loss). I don’t recommend smoothies being snacks, because they are filled with calories. They are healthy, if made right, but are more for a meal than a snack. I, personally, don’t need to snack. When I first started this way of eating a couple years ago – I did. My body was use to eating more often – but I created new habits. I am always drinking water in between meals, so that helps keep me filled – or at least satisfied until the next meal. Sometimes I will drink Kombucha (great probiotic beverage) and we are working on our second batch of Water Kefir which I’ll drink as well!) If you’re meals are nutrient dense and you have the right portions, you shouldn’t always be needing a snack between meals.