Week 4 - You Get Out What You Put In

So here I am, four weeks later and no real pounds lost. I weigh myself every day and I'm down two pounds and back up two pounds. I'm going nowhere. However, I can note one major change and improvement - no headaches! I usually get about 1-2 migraines a month and a bevy of smaller headaches. Is it the decrease in chemicals flowing through my veins? Maybe so. I've eliminated a lot of them and tried to make a real effort to cook cleaner with more raw ingredients, but I've got a lot more work to do. But this is one side effect I can actually live with - at this point the weight loss is secondary, as long as I don't get debilitating headaches.

Remember that old adage, "you are what you eat?" It's SO true! If you eat a bag of Doritos laden with MSG, hydrogenated oils and other nasty preservatives, you're body doesn't know what to do with all that crap. It fights back, your liver is struggling to soak up the nastiness and your blood vessels start to dilate and cause intense pain in your skull. On the other hand, eat an apple and piece of string cheese and you're full from the fiber and protein.
I have actual proof that chemicals and sugary bad foods alter behavior in children. I never give my kids sugary drinks or soda, in fact at five years of age, I still water down my daughter's juice glass. I buy only 100% organic juice. Yesterday, my 3 1/2 year old was playing at a neighbor's house. They helped themselves to their fridge and drank a large Sunny D squirt bottle. Thirty minutes later my daughter was a total screamy mess, throwing herself on the ground for no apparent reason. I hadn't told her no to anything or scolder her, she was just unable to control her emotions all of the sudden. She complained her legs hurt and she couldn't walk. She screamed for over half an hour. Now my daughter can be fairly headstrong and determined, like most 3-year olds, but this was over the top, out of her normal range of tantrums. I am blaming the corn syrup solids, canola oil, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives in this bottle 'o nastiness. You get out what you put in.
One more thing to add to this week's post. The Basement Bootcamp started yesterday! I had a couple of friends come over and I led an aerobic exercise class for 47 minutes in my basement.  I used to teach classes eons ago, so I just put together a routine and off we went. I felt great during and after the class. I can't really get motivated to exercise and push my limits by myself. So, I thought getting a group together would be the best way to get me moving and motivated. It's working!