Okay - so I've been kicking around the idea of posting something here since I realized that we could blog in this forum. Today I found the "inspiration" I guess I've been looking for. :) I am not a nutritionist, & I am not looking to contradict the BBM meal plan. However, there are a wide variety of folks doing this challenge, and the BBM meal plan doesn't necessarily work for everyone. So if you fall into that group, I hope this will perhaps encourage you or give you a little more information that helps you be more successful on our weight loss journey!
Lots of people (women in particular) get really scared of carbohydrates. Ever since the Adkins diet showed up in the 90's, carbohydrates have gotten a really bad rep in American culture. But when you look back - people have been living off grains & bread for thousands of years, and many current non-Westernized cultures have a grain or grain based food (ie rice, quinoa, bread, etc) as one of the staples of their diet. In general, in other cultures, even though people eat all those scary carbs, they are still generally thinner than Americans. There are a dozen other factors that contribute to the disparity in obesity rates worldwide vs. America. Nutrition, access to food, wealth, activity levels etc. all make an impact on obesity rates. But there's no denying that the French, for example, constantly eat bread with their cheese, but are still known for their long, lean figures (and maybe we hate them a little for it!).
I will make a quick caveat about a side issue. I work for a local restaurant that specializes in vegan & gluten free foods. I know all about the paleo diet, the increase in celiac disease & the renewed passion for cutting gluten out of your diet no matter what form it takes for the sake of your health. Even a small amount of research will turn up a dozen different opinions about why we are seeing a spike in celiac disease and whether or not GMO's and pesticides are affecting our bodies' ability to process grain products. I (like everyone) have my own opinions about all of that, but that's not what I want to address here. That's a huge topic to tackle - and frankly, the jury is still out on a lot of the research that's being done on the issue.
So here's what I DO want to focus on:
Obviously, cutting wheat products out of your diet produces rapid weight loss results. It seems like an easy solution, but over time many of us find it too difficult to avoid carbs. In the end we see the scale creep back up as we indulge after having deprived ourselves for short spurts of time. We end up "yo-yo'ing", which is actually pretty bad for our health. One of our dietary missteps (among many) as Americans is that we have a tendency to eat WAY too much of, well...everything. This includes carbs. The individual servings themselves may be fairly healthy choices, but we simply overdo it. Cereal (but it was SpecialK!) for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch (whole wheat is healthy though, right?), and a side of pasta with dinner (well, the little bit won't hurt - there's spinach mixed in!) leaves us feeling like we made good choices, when really we probably ate way too many calories & didn't get enough veggies. That doesn't even include the pizza we treat ourselves to every weekend, the beers we drink, & the granola bars we snack on when we can't take a break at work. Moderation is key in so many endeavors in life, but when it comes to our perspective of food in the U.S., I believe we have a distorted view of what moderation actually looks like.
Carbohydrates give you energy. If you are a mom, it's likely that you need a LOT of energy for carting around a toddler, picking up toys, hauling laundry baskets - and now, squeezing in your BikiniBodyMommy workout! ;) You may also be nursing, which means you need even more energy (on average, around 400-500 calories) for producing superfood for your little one. You may have a job outside of your home that requires physical activity as well. Whew - just thinking about all that makes me want to take a nap! When it comes to your BBM workouts - since we are counting reps, it makes it pretty easy to measure progress. If you are doing the workouts with proper form, you should be getting stronger & finding it easier to push yourself and up your reps. The thing that prompted me to write today is seeing many of you comment that you're feeling SO exhausted and having a hard time increasing your reps. If you are finding it difficult to do this, or if your form struggles towards the end of the week, it's likely that your body doesn't have enough fuel!
Now, with that said, carbohydrates don't just come from wheat & potatoes. Beans & fruit are 2 sources of carbs that we often don't think of as carbs. (I know that for the BBM challenge meal plan, Briana does stay away from fruit, but if you're gonna indulge, fruit is definitely your best option!). Go easy - make sure you keep your calorie count where it needs to be - but if you're lacking energy, don't be afraid to add carbs into your diet (especially for moms that are nursing!!!!). Please hear me when I say that moderation is key in this. We are talking about a serving or maybe 2 a day on days that you're working out. Keep it as unprocessed as possible - cook dry beans instead of using canned, pick up some locally baked bread rather than buying a national brand, use brown rice instead of white, etc. You get the picture. Also, keep your consumption of carbs in the early part of the day so that you actually use them up accomplishing your to-do list (& your workout!), instead of having leftover energy stores at the end of the day (which your body will turn into fat while you sleep).
One of my husband's go-to quotes is this: "Rome wasn't built in a day." Take home message? Good things take time. Quick weight loss is without a doubt gratifying, but it is oftentimes short lived. If eating a bagel for breakfast is what it takes to give you the energy to do your workouts with all you've got - then go for it! Building muscle that burns up fat in the long run is key to seeing long-term success with a workout/weight loss regimen. But if you're feeling deflated everytime you try to workout, you simply won't keep doing it. So here's to getting up & pressing on each day, to healthier year and a healthier long life. May this DietBet jump start be only the beginning!