Pebblekeeper

The NaySayers. So we are in Week 6 of working out living as a Trim Healthy Mama. I have been obsessed in my thinking these weeks, but tempered in my speech. Any time I mention, even to supportive people, they seem inclined to give at least one reason why it is bad, or why it will not last for the long term. Which is interesting to me. Two sisters write a 600 page book, most of the people reading it don’t even understand, and I’ve said I’ve lost weight and you have a negative opinion.  Thanks.

600 Pg Book. Ya. We can’t get too far without mentioning how long the book is. However, these gals like to talk. And explain. and Over narrate every point. Most of the book is them sharing their hearts for what has worked For Their Family.  That is key. This is not a plan for everyone, on every eating regime, with every allergy, in every town of every country on God’s great earth. I think some people forget that. However, they spent 5 years writing down what they had learned and what they did. It is overwhelming. They have eating desires that I do not. (Ideas with Pork and Sugar Free Products).

There are no menus. The number one complaint I hear is that people don’t know what to eat. And that is a bit sad. They only really give 3 products in the No list – White Flour, White Sugar and Potatoes, and processed products containing these ingredients. They tell you the types of food you can eat, and how you can combine great whole foods to spark your body to use the meal for fuel for a 3 hour time period. How to control sugar and boost metabolism. They give so many recipes that I’m not sure we’ll work through them all. But there are no menus saying M/T/W/TH/F/S/SU – Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack. They want to you work that out. Once you quit looking at the grocery store for the lowest price white bread and the easiest snacks to throw into a picnic basket, options are limitless.

Food is no longer Fast nor Easy. I have to think – What am I eating today? What types of foods do I have and want to eat?  Tuna and Egg Salad on Toast?  Then I should make up some eggs, and take out the yolks if I want the Sprouted Bread, or have some large leaf lettuce if I want the full monte in a lettuce wrap. Do I want fat in my coffee? Then I best have eggs and sausage for breakfast. Do I want oatmeal and fruit? Then I need to come up with a Fat Free option for creamer. Or learn to enjoy black coffee, or tea.  Do I want to go to the park for the afternoon? Then I best grab 3-4 containers and fill them with good food from the fridge.

My Bread is Limited. Not only the types of bread, but how and when I eat them. Dave’s Sprouted Bread has so far not given me an insulin response. Same with lite Rye Wasa Crackers.  If I want pizza I need to plan 5-7 days in advance to ferment Gwens Easy Bread in the fridge. (Batch going right now!).  If I want a sandwich, I need to either learn to like Fat Free Mayo – (Blech) or use tomato or a part of an avacado to cream it up. Zero Greek Yogurt is great too.

Eggs are Spendy. Our mainstay has been eggs.  Breakfast. Boiled for lunch. The plan says to use Omega 3 spendy farm fresh eggs. We just don’t have the money for that with 3 men in the house.  This pkg below was 7.99 in the store yesterday. (We got it on sale last week for 3.99). Egg Whites are 3.59 regular, and I have to wait and see when they come on sale for my muffins and pancakes.

My Baking Cupboard has been Transformed. It cost a lot of money. Slowly. Recipe by Recipe.  Coconut oil. Almond and Coconut Flour. Flax. Good Whey Protien. Brown Rice – of good quality. Extracts. Most of the ingredients should have been what we were using before – but we had changed this cupboard to white flour, white sugar and easy to make ingredients that focused on baked desserts. Every paycheck, I have bought one 10 dollar or above item (Good Whey) and it has lasted. I can see that I will need Almond Flour soon, but I havn’t bought it in 6 weeks – (8.99).

We are Missed. 8.99 for almond flour?  That’s Expensive!! Oh. But it has lasted 6 weeks and probably 1 more.  8.00 at Mc D’s this week got us 6 burgers and 2 sodas that lasted 10 minutes. (Took buns off for dad, and top bun off for boys). Our checking account has been beefed up without the stops through town buying ‘snacks’ when we are hungry. Our snacks were always of the lowest quality, fastest found, least nutrition, most sweet or salty variety. I think they miss us at the grocery store and drive thru.

Not Enough Veggies. We go to the grocery store every few days now for veggies. We just can’t seem to buy enough. Buy too many and we don’t use them.  But now that we are not buying any pre-packaged groceries or flour/sugar items, our full 40 dollars per week are going to just great wonderful food.

It is just too hard to understand. My family will never get it. That’s probably true. I just quit buying anything that wasn’t on plan and there are great grocery lists out there. I did cave and buy one loaf of white bread for my oldest teens sandwiches, but it has been in the fridge for over 2 weeks. Youngest son made this with his ‘favorite bread’. He used mayo and full yolks with 2 large pieces of bread. Pickles, mustard, tuna, low fat mayo and 4 boiled eggs.  Man is it tasty. I had a bite to test it out. I could have the mixture without the bread on lettuce leaves. But he’s 12. And this is a good hearty meal for him, and he made it himself, and he’s not loosing weight. I say Bravo!!!

I need a T-Shirt or Stickers. I’d like to make a t-shirt that says, “I’m not on a protein diet. I’m not eating Paleo. I’m not on Adkins. I’m not suffering. I’m not – whatever your next statement is. I am eating amazing food that I have control over.

I can’t make others change. No one, in the last 15+ years could get me off of white wheat. Well, for a while to whole wheat. But not out of my entire diet. No one could get me off of french fries or deserts. Or choco cookies. I had to get sick enough, and large enough, and start missing out on activities based on my size and body’s health. I had to put up with days of my knees throbbing and shoulders aching and fatigue and headaches. When I was ready – I gave up White Sugar and White Flour.  If you are not ready to do this, then you probably will not like this healthy way of living.

I don’t agree with everything the girls say. er Write. I love sugar free jello. From a cup. From the deli. I love pork skins. I like Diet Coke. I can’t stand Stevia. I don’t like most of their deserts. I remember a lot of recipes I did like from Adkins for my low carb meals. I’d like to use more simple ingredients of stir frys and tacos and roasts and soups. I don’t need their created dishes. I am an adult and can use the fuel process with my own healthy ingredients. I like pork. I eat bacon. I can still support THM.

I am not loosing weight fast enough. I suppose I could get on a shake diet (but there goes the excuse that this is too spendy). I could get surgery (but I haven’t even tried losing with food and exercise). I could just starve to death (but my body stores everything I eat as fat thinking it is dying.)  I think 17 lbs in 5 weeks is good. Yes? Averages to 3ish pounds a week?  In 2 years I won’t even be here.

I’ve heard the ‘negative’ talk.  What it simmers down to is that people don’t have time to read the book all the way through. They don’t take the time to really understand the program, jumping to the recipes in the middle. They don’t want to give up buying their main groceries. They don’t want to add these ingredients to their grocery bill. They don’t want to give up their favorite sweet foods. They don’t want to give up eating out. (it is hard without flour or sugar). They don’t want to plan. They don’t want to cook their own food. They don’t want to spend time looking for groceries.

Neither did I. Neither did my family. But now, last night for Tacos, both boys used my Ezekiel wraps. They both like my oatmeal pancakes. They are both using one piece of bread for sandwiches instead of two. (except for Jon today)

These are the negatives I can think of with this plan. What have you run into?