Sunday, January 16, 2011

Something Kind of Interesting . . .

I got a nice comment from Judy to yesterday's blog about the waffles. Within her comment she asked teasingly, "Do these waffles fit into our weight losing plan?"

Funny you should ask, Judy, 'cause I had a reaction after eating yesterday morning that I think was related directly to the meal.

Both hubby and I have been really good this past week about not eating in between meals, no desserts, no alcoholic beverages, sticking with smaller portions and watching the carbohydrates and sugars we've consumed. Up until yesterday's carbohydrate/sugar-filled breakfast.

I knew the waffles would classify as a carbohydrate and obviously the toppings we put on them were sugars. But I made them anyway as a treat and we each ate two of them.

Hubby had been out shoveling snow before breakfast and went back out again for over an hour right after he ate. He said he didn't feel any adverse effect from our (ahem) less than strictly healthiest-of-healthy breakfast. Because of his physical exercise, I think he burned the sugary load off.

But within a half hour of eating, I got a headache. My whole insides felt queasy and shakey. I was extremely lethargic. Could hardly drag myself through the house. Thought I was going to have to lie down. Talk about being bit in the butt!

Coincidence? Uh, I don't think so. Let's rethink this, Mama Pea (aka Dumb-Dumb). I ate the two waffles with maple syrup and strawberry jam along with a fruit cup made up of fresh apple, banana and orange. Do we see any carbohydrates or sugars here? Only the whole meal! After doing a good job for the past week of avoiding any (or certainly any substantial amount) of sugars and/or carbohydrates, I fell off the wagon yesterday morning right on my head. And paid for it.

So, Judy, the one meal of the waffles may not have negated any weight loss for the week (we'll see tomorrow morning), but it sure did a number on my body. Loud and clear it told me what ingesting large amounts of sugar (or carbohydrates that are immediately converted to sugar) on an empty stomach will do to me. I'll betcha I wouldn't have had the same unpleasant reaction if my previous week's food regime hadn't been extremely low on sugars, but because I had been effectively ridding my system of heavy carbohydrates and sugars, yesterday' onslaught affected me greatly. Oh, balderdash. Will I ever learn??

13 comments:

The Apple Pie Gal said...

Well that just stinks! Sorry for you's!

Surely we wont have that problem come brunch time though! :o)

Erin said...

sorry you felt icky! That's the reason not to cut it out completely LOL, you need to have a little tolerance :)

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

The body is amazing and will tell you everything you need to know, but so many people chose to ignore it and only hear what their brain says. And that is usually not the part to listen to.

Anonymous said...

Everything in moderation, I guess. Well in my case that isn't true, cause I can't drink, but other things, yep. A little bit here and there keeps us balanced. I believe there is a reason that so many of the foods we can eat unprocessed contain sugar (fruits) and carbohydrates (rice). It's because there is a need for our bodies to have some for proper maintenance.

Mama Pea said...

APG - No, no, no! No problem eating the waffles at brunch at all! Especially not if you do two hours of strenuous aerobics before and take that 10 mile hike afterwards. (Whadda ya mean I just spoiled the whole meal for you??)

Erin - I truly have learned that the better shape your body/systems are in, the more affected they are by toxins. Don't mean to be preachy . . . tolerance is a good thing in lots of things!! :o)

Jane - The other amazing thing about our bodies is that they will heal if they are given the proper nutrition to work with. Mental/emotional attitude helps bunches, too.

The Apple Pie Gal said...

Oh heck no!! We intend to gobble it up! And I am starving...sure wish he'd hurry up and get home!

Good news, a little hike into the woods is in short order this afternoon (followed by sitting on my rump in the cold) so we shouldn't have any problems here! I'll need it to keep warm, right???

Mama Pea said...

Ruth - You've got that right! Moderation. But, whoa Nellie, is that a hard one! I'm sure if we would concentrate on the natural foods -- fruits for sugar, brown rice for carbos -- we'd be better off. But our food world these days is chock full of so many processed foods (i.e., convenience foods) that it's really hard to stay on the straight and narrow.

What you say about our bodies needing SOME sugars/carbos is so true. Just like fat-free diets don't work because our bodies NEED a certain amount of fat (natural fats being the key) to enable all the other systems to work.

Stepping down off soap box now . . .

Amy Dingmann said...

At one time in my life I was doing a low carb thing...and if ever I was "brilliant" enough to eat some sugar...ho...leee.....crr....aaap. Was I tired...and SICK!!! Sorry you felt icky. :(

Jenyfer Matthews said...

I always like to mix whole wheat flour / wheat germ / ground flaxseed as a replacement for some of the white flour in pancakes and waffles to take the edge off that carb bomb effect. I don't care for syrup so much but I do like jam. However I really do like to have something savory on the side, preferably sausage or an egg. I really think that helps to balance out all that sugary sweetness.

Maybe sticking to ONE waffle with a bit of bacon would help? Or else, just have it for brunch instead!

MaineCelt said...

My folks went to a community education class called "Anti-Inflammatory Eating." Dad has Crohn's Disease & Mom has Fibromyalgia along with arthritis, so they were very interested in this approach to nutrition-based healing. The teacher listed out all the foods that cause histamine production and then helped people develop eating plans that avoid them. Gluten, sugar, dairy, and nightshade-family plants (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers) were very high on the "avoid" list.
My folks dropped gluten entirely and found they could add dairy back in after their systems healed up a bit. They're losing weight in a slow, gently sustained way and eating lots of high-protein snacks between meals (quinoa pilaf or rice cake with almond butter, for example). Mom says their moods and energy level improved tremendously.

I'm not sure I'm willing to shift my diet as far as they did, but I can see that their way of eating has certainly made THEM feel much healthier!

Mama Pea said...

Mama Tea - It's kinda scary but it's almost like you're putting a poison into your system, isn't it??!!

Jen - Ha! The carb bomb. Yep, that's it. You're right, having some good protein with the carbs/sugars would definitely help.

MaineCelt - I know from personal experience that providing the proper nutrition for your own body needs can work wonders. And when you get something as basic as your health back, it makes it all worth it. Health problems CAN be rectified by certain changes in what you eat. Good for your mom and dad. So glad they're getting some relief from their problems.

Sue said...

I only wish I could have had the willpower to stick it out like you did. Sorry the breakfast didn't work out so well. It's kinda funny how we have our bodies "trained" on junk.......take it away, and you'll discover later how bad that stuff really was! Bet you're behaving again, huh?
Take care!

Mama Pea said...

Sue - Something I've found when it comes to changing one's diet or attempting to lose weight or get more exercise. It has to be the "right" time for you to do it. So far, it's not feeling like such a challenge or sacrifice for me. Before I started, I did feel like it was the right time. If you're happy and healthy with how and who you are right now, I'd say you're in great shape!