Does It All Start in the Home?

For our last day here in Boston for Christmas vacation, we took Mariah to this indoor play facility to let her get some energy out. While taking a break, I found this interesting article in the magazine Boston Parents Paper about childhood obesity. According to the article, 1 out every 3 children in Boston are either overweight or obese! Why are our children so overweight? And is it wrong to be tracking children's weight so early? Will we give them self esteem issues by putting labels on them?

The article then explores the "blame game" that the parents and the schools are playing. Who's fault is it? The parents, who responsible for rearing their children and teaching them how to eat and exercise properly. Or the schools, who have the children for most of the day and should they be implementing nutritious lunches and adequate physical activity time? Personally, these things should be taught in the HOME. Heavenly Father gave us charge over our families. We are responsible for rearing them, which includes taking care of their physical bodies. And I am definitely not perfect in this category. The issue goes for underweight children as well as overweight children.

I think about my little girl Mariah, who has always had struggles with her weight. She has been under the 5th percentile in weight her ENTIRE LIFE (she was born 2 days late via induction and weighted 4 lbs, 10 oz). For her, the struggle has been between healthy foods vs. fatty foods. It's important to be at a healthy weight, but how you get there is the key.

I have had constant pressure from her doctors to get her to a healthy weight. First they suggested I use formula instead of breastmilk. So I quit nursing at 6 months. But it didn't help. She still stayed the same on the charts. Then at a year, they suggested adding cheese and other fatty foods to her diet, which I tried. Mariah ate some but not others. So we started feeding her junk food around 18 months: chips, whipped cream, even donuts sometimes. But still, not much change. Finally I read on a forum board about adding a little whipping cream to her milk. I started doing that when she was 2, and now three months later, she is in the 17th percentile for weight. Her doctors are happy. But I'm not so sure I am. 

Her diet is horrible! She eats mostly meat, cheese, macaroni, bacon, chicken nuggets, poptarts, and fruit (which I'm sure is pretty normal for a toddler). She doesn't really like starchy foods or the good fatty foods like avacado and peanut butter. And getting her to actually eat those foods is a battle some days. She has no desire to eat at the table. Sometimes I have to stick her in front of a screen just to get her to eat!

I am going to try harder though. Thinking about my own diet has gotten me to take a better look at how I am raising Mariah to eat. I need to start teach her now. So I am going to give her a more balanced diet and let her body do the rest. So far, eating junk hasn't really helped her. She still weighs about the same and it's making her body get used to eating that kind of food. Plus those foods have no nutrients. I want to raise a good eater.

This change starts in the home people! 

My...Issues

**TMI Warning: I would like to say this in advance: this post will probably give you too much information about my body. Consider yourself warned!**

How did I get into such a food/fitness rut? Let's start from the beginning...

I was born 24 years ago. My family was very poor. We grew up on Top Ramen, potatoes, and fried chicken. On special occasions (like Thanksgiving) we would get broccoli (topped with Cheez Wiz of course!). We hardly ever had milk with meals because it was too expensive (Koolaid instead!). I thought good nutrition was eating crackers.

I was always called "Scrawny Ronnie" growing up. Needless to say, my biggest worry was TRYING to gain weight, not losing it. The first time I was ever physically fit (besides just playing outside) was during my junior year in high school when I did cheerleading for a season. I actually worked out! I went to college and my metabolism slowed down a little. I gained a freshman five, but I still looked great, no need to work out! Then I got married, gained another five pounds. And here is where all the fun happened: I got pregnant. But my life has left me so unprepared up till this point.

Eating Problems
And now, not only am I not eating right, nor exercising, I read somewhere that you were supposed to eat more when you are pregnant. So to help myself gain weight, I start using fatty stuff like extra cheese. I ate a Twix bar almost every day!

In the end, I gained 40 pounds, 5 more than I should have (you should gain 25-35 lbs). That by itself wasn't the problem. It was the quality of the pounds that I gained. Right after having Mariah, I lost 20 pounds within the first two weeks. But then for the first time in my life, I actually have to work to lose the rest! I finally got to my regular weight a year later (after trying Hip Hop Abs, P90X, along with extreme dieting).

Going Problems
My postpartem body didn't just suffer from excess weight. I also had some MAJOR digestive issues, which I alluded to in a previous post. After having a baby, it is normal to not be able to have a bowel movement, which is why the doctor prescribes a stool softener. Well I faithfully took my pills but still no luck. Finally THREE WEEKS LATER, I finally have the urge. THREE WEEKS LATER! Let me tell you, it was like giving birth to another baby. I was crying on the toilet. It was the most painful experience of my life.

And then I would only have a movement every WEEK! Slowly, my body was getting better, but I was such a painful process. Plus I was living off pooping pills. I tried drinking more water, eating more fiber, I even tried drinking Metamucil but it was so disgusting because it thickens as you drink it! I tried that for a few weeks but it didn't do much for my problem. I asked my doctor what to do but he said to just keep taking stool softeners. Finally I had the sense to take the problem in my own hands. I went to a health food store to see if there was a more natural, non addicting approach. They said I should take this magnesium supplement that not only helps with general health, it helps to keep things moving in a gentler way.

After just a few days of being on that supplement, my life got a lot easier. It helped my body get back on track in a much gentler (and non addictive) way. Eventually (nine months later), I was able to stop taking the supplement and go on my own. I am still not where I used to be, I go about every other day and it can still be pretty painful.

Sleeping Problems
Another issue I have from the baby is sleeping! Mariah didn't give me a good night sleep until about six months. And even then, I would have to go in and soothe her every few nights. I don't know what happened, but I think my body forgot how to sleep. Now, two years later, it takes me at least an hour to get to sleep. And then I wake up at least four or five times a night! I always wake up with huge headaches because of the lack of sleep. I need a lot of naps to recover!

So now you know my "issues." I am hoping that a better diet plan will help me overcome all these problems: eating junk food and gaining unnecessary weight, staying "regular", and sleeping and having energy through out the day.

My Progress

First off, I just want to say that I am in the midst of the holidays. And I'm not perfect. There are a ton of treats around me, inviting me to eat them. But I am proud to say that I have had only about 3 cookies total! I am trying really hard to not gorge on junk, but I admit, I have slipped. I had three slices of pie, yikes! Oh well, it's the holidays right? At least it once was apple...

I am currently reading Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman, which I mentioned in the last post. I am working on changing my eating habits. The diet plan is based mostly on fruits and vegetables and whole grains, so I have been trying to stay away from meat and animal products as well as sweets. I know I can't commit to this diet completely until after the holidays are over (and I'm back at home), but I like doing this little preview. 

Because of this, I am starting to drink milk a lot less. Of course the hubby noticed. If you don't know him and his family, they are all MILK FREAKS! They drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And for snacks. And with dessert. And sometimes just for the heck of it. I don't think I will ever get Brian to understand this aspect of the diet. He pretty much thinks I am sinning by not drinking it with meals. He thinks I'm killing myself slowly. We have both done research and we both stand firm on our sides of the fence. Is there no reconciliation?? We'll have to discuss this further in a later post.

Now that I have cut back on milk, what do I drink at meal times?? I tried drinking 100% apple juice. I figure it's a fruit right? Actually, it's not. I got to the section where it says that juice contains hardly any of the nutrients that the actual fruit contains, plus each cup contains 28 grams of sugar (that's more than a Hershey's candy bar!). It's kind of like the Elder Oaks' concept of "good, better, best": apple pie is good, apple juice is better, but an apple is best. I have learned my lesson!

On another related note, in doing this psudo-diet, I actually prevented myself from getting food poisoning! I guess our Christmas ham was laced with something (or was left out too long?). And since I was trying to not eat as much meat, I hardly had any of it. Well, within a day or so, EVERYONE was throwing up (...or worse...) but me! It was crazy. We narrowed it down to be one of the sweets, the eggs that we used for pancake (which I didn't eat), or the ham, all of which we threw away.

I guess this diet is good for something!

Review: "Food, Inc"

A few nights ago, I watched Food, Inc, a 2008 documentary about America's food industry, following the path of food: from farmers to the grocery store. It explores meat production and farming and how it's been largely industrialized, creating an unsustainable system, both environmentally and economically. There were lots of interesting points made in this documentary (did you know that cattle flatulence is causing global warming??). I won't give away any more spoilers, you'll just have to watch the movie (it's currently a "Watch Instantly" movie on Netflix).

I liked how it ended on a positive note. Ordinary people can change the system, not just the big corporations. When you're at the grocery store, buy local produce. Look for things organic foods. Every time we buy, we "vote" for those items. So the store will keep supplying the good stuff if we are buying it. 

Or better yet, shop the farmers market. Then you are giving money straight to the growers. Did you know that (at least here in LA) you can use food stamps at farmers markets? Not to mention the markets here are open ALL YEAR ROUND! In Pasadena there are markets on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings. And it's rare when you can't find exactly what you need because food is always in season here. Plus there are booths for honey, eggs, beef and chicken, breads, jerkey, jams, cider, even sweets. There's no reason to be buying junk and processed foods (though you might need some Ranch to go with all your new veggies) when you can get it fresher for cheap (or comparable to the store). Plus it's a fun place to take the kids and enjoy all the free samples.

Watch the movie and get inspired. And stop buying junk!

Am I a Nutritarian??

My friend Rachel gave me a link to this site which is all about healthy eating. The author, Dr. Fuhrman, who has an entire nutritional system and books on the subject, describes a nutritarian as "a person who strives for more micronutrients per calorie in their diet-style."

He continues, "It is not sufficient to merely avoid fats, consume foods with a low glycemic index, lower the intake of animal products, or eat a diet of mostly raw foods. A truly healthy diet must be micronutrient rich..."

As you can see in the his food pyramid, a nutritarian's diet is somewhat different from the traditional American diet. I like how the emphasis is on produce. It's kind of like Vegan, but not so harsh because you can still have some meat. Fuhrman also promotes a "Heath Equation" of Health = Nutrition/Calories (H=N/C), the more nutrients you can get in fewer calories, the healthier diet you'll have.

I like this diet for several reasons. First, it follows the Word of Wisdom: it's high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes and slimmer on the meats and processed foods. Second, it promotes general good health. According to Fuhrman, it can reverse disease, make vitamin supplements unnecessary, and help you control cholesterol and sugar and other unhealthy stuff. And third, more people could follow this diet easily (like the hubby) than Vegan. He wouldn't go without meat!

Opinions?

To read more about this diet or to buy his book, please visit the website!

Review: My Sugar-Free Week

I did it! I went a whole week without any sugar (well as close to it as I could get)! I did have some syrup on pancakes on the second day because I totally spaced that it was a sugar! And I had just a microscopic piece of toffee on the last day. There were so many times when I wanted to go in the kitchen and gorge on sweets (especially this season when everyone keeps giving us goodies), but I stayed strong and didn't budge. I even had to pass up a few sweet parts of a few meals (French toast, whipped cream, etc). Yes, I ate food that had some sugar in it (the most sugar content was in cornbread). Sugar is everywhere, I had no choice! Plus, some foods (like the cornbread) aren't a "sweet." So as long as I am eating responsibly, I'm ok.

How did I survive? Fruit. Every time I had a sweet tooth I would pop the grapes or eat an apple. And I would allow myself some 100% fruit juice, as long as sugar wasn't added. I also got fuller at mealtimes so I wouldn't go wandering in the kitchen a half hour later. And drinking more water helps fight off sugar cravings as well.

I did find myself eating more popcorn than usual (if you don't know me, I am a total popcorn binge eater!). I also ate other sugar-free snack foods (Cheezits, and....out of the blue....a bag of chips) right before flying out to Boston yesterday (because we ran out of fresh food).

So in review, I don't know if completely cutting out the sweets was as beneficial to me as I thought it would be. I kind of made up for the junk in other forms. Albeit, I did have more fruits and veggies this week because I had to be creative at meal times. LESSON: keep your house stocked with fresh fruits and veggies for quick snacks to eat instead of junk.

Will I continue on with this no-sweets diet? I will try! But I can't guarantee it, since it's the holidays. There are too many cookies and treats around! I will go more hardcore with it in January.

Current Read: "Skinny B**** Bun in the Oven"

This past week, I got hold of a diet book called Skinny B**** Bun in the Oven, written by ex-models Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. They also have other books with similar titles (Skinny B****, Skinny B**** in the Kitchen and Skinny Bastards [for guys]). I started reading it because we will soon be trying to conceive for number two. And this time I do NOT want to be eating the same junk as when I was pregnant with Mariah. I was living off Arby's curly fries and Twixes while finishing up my bachelors and working 40+ hour weeks. And I wondered why I looked like Shrek in the end! I was overworking and underfeeding my body.

This book is not a diet book for pregnant women in the traditional sense (since pregnant women should NOT diet). It is a potty-mouthed, girl-talk style pregnancy book that breaks everything down for you: what you should and shouldn't be eating and why. The authors are Vegan and definitely promote it in the book. They attack the mainstream American diet with facts and reasons to stop eating meat and meat products. And they don't sugar coat anything (beware, there is language!). It is a very entertaining and informative read.