Skip to main content

WE INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG POST TO BRING THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION....

I had my regular blog post all written up and ready to go....until last night.

I was headed out the door, and just wasn't feeling right. I've been going through perimenopause (SO NOT FUN!). Hubs was feeling a little under the weather for a few days. I've been refocused on my eating habits since Thanksgiving because I ate whatever I wanted for those few days.

I felt off. Not good. Not SICK, but not good.

I've been focusing on water and green tea, cutting back on sugar, eating whole foods, getting my body gently moving again (walking, toning, stretching) since the beginning of the week.

Logically, I'm thinking, "I should be feeling pretty good. I've been doing all the 'right' things. Unless I'm coming down with whatever Hubs had, I should NOT be feeling so crummy. What gives?"

It took me a couple of hours to realize this was just my body going through the process of adjusting to not having to deal with all the excess crap I was shoveling in my face for 3 solid days, and then going back to healthier eating.

Don't get me wrong. You should have the ability to eat what you want and if you go all out over a holiday, it doesn't make you a bad person or anything else. It's fine to celebrate and enjoy yourself.

But there is a price to pay for that, too.

There is a LOT of metabolic science involved, but the GIST is that when you eat excessively, eat too much "junk", and overload your body with too much sugar and fat and other caloric garbage, those calories don't get burned right away.

Your body stores them in the adipose tissue as fat.

Most of us know this.

What we don't always consider, I know I don't always remember it, is that when those substances get stored in the fat cells, ONCE YOU ARE IN A CALORIE DEFICIT AGAIN THOSE SUBSTANCES ARE UNLOCKED AND RETURNED TO THE BODY TO BE PROCESSED AGAIN!

You eat cheesecake, mashed potatoes and gravy, and processed-cheese dip. Anything the body doesn't burn for energy after digestion, absorption, and distribution of nutrients and "fuel" throughout the body (I am keeping this VERY basic, please don't come after me about not getting super specific about the metabolic process!), it goes into the fat cells.

NOW, you're eating better, moving more, and your body is having to unlock the energy stored in the fat cells. But that means all the "crap" you ate (the chemical by-products of those foods) is now back in the blood stream, being processed by the liver, being transferred to your cells, sorted out again, the metabolic junk is rejected and sent back through the blood stream again to be filtered and dealt with.

THIS IS WHY PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT FEEL TERRIBLE SOMETIMES. Your body is dealing with the unhealthy substances that have been stored in the fat cells.

The GREAT news is - this too shall pass. Your body will get through it. 

The best things you can do:

1. Keep Drinking LOTS of Water! It helps keep the metabolism working, the filtration process running, and helps your body flush the excess by-products out of your system!

2. Focus on Fiber. Whole Grains. Fruits. Vegetables. Beans, Lentils, Peas. This ALSO helps do a "deep clean" of your body, attaching to the by-products and cleaning out the junk.

3. Keep Moving. But also be gentle. You don't have to go crazy at the gym unless you just WANT to! This keeps the metabolic process humming, deceases insulin resistance, helps to continue the filtration process.

4. Don't Forget Your Protein. Proteins are the building blocks of ALL parts of the body. So don't skip or skimp on Protein. Animal and plant sources are all acceptable. It helps keep your metabolism working, keeps your body burning calories, and also helps with filtering out the junky by-products that are released from the fat cells as the energy is being unlocked. (Again, the simplest explanation, the process is more complex than that!).

So, if you're getting back to healthy eating or are just getting started, please know that if you feel kinda crummy during the first few days or weeks it won't be that way forever. Your body will adjust, you will process through the junk, and your metabolism will continue to run and make adjustments as your body works on the "clean up". Stay steady. You've got this!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE HEALTH LOOP YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU WERE IN….

Well, that’s not entirely correct. You probably KNOW you’re in it, you’re just not sure what to do about it or how to get OUT of it. Let me explain. In this article I talked about five top health issues we face as busy moms: weight loss, stress management, sleep deprivation, dealing with mom guilt, and struggling with life balance. And the truth is, all of these health issues can be interconnected in ways we aren’t even aware of. You’re a busy mom. You’re going to have a hectic schedule. That can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to stress or weight gain (or both), which can lead to more sleep deprivation, which circles back to mom guilt for being tired and cranky and stressed out, and you’re trying to find a way to balance it all…. Sound familiar? In the article , I mentioned that an easy first step is to just Start Small . Have one glass of water. Take a 5-minute walk. Do 5 squats while you’re waiting for the microwave. Eat one piece of fruit. Just one little thing...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE BREAKDOWN DAY - (warning, kinda personal)

We all have them. We’re busy moms, holding life together by a thread. You’ve had a series of THINGS happen. And by the way, it’s a BIG misconception, that it just came out of nowhere. No, it didn’t. This meltdown has been building up over time, like lava beneath the earth’s surface. The “things” can be big or small, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a bunch of issues over time that build and build. You may have had moments where you thought you had dealt with them. But in reality, you were probably just dealing with PIECES of the issue, and the rest was getting shoved aside to be handled another time. Only, you’re a BUSY MOM! “Another Time” rarely comes. You’re pushing ahead through the next thing and the next. I’m just going to use my example really quickly because I know EVERYONE’S situation is different. Perimenopause is causing a plethora of physical issues including night sweats, fatigue, sleep disruption, mood swings, weight gain, and others. Big Issue . Crazy sc...
Post a Comment
Read more

EVEN AS A HEALTH COACH, ONE OF THE HARDEST LESSONS I’M STILL LEARNING

MY FOOD IS FOR NOURISHING MY BODY , and even though I’m ALLOWED to eat whatever I want, if I want my body to be well and function for me, I’ve got to give it what it needs. I’ve seen way too many posts about how “toxic” it is to chase being skinny, and trying to lose weight means you don’t love yourself enough as you are, or accept yourself for who you are. Fair enough. If that’s how you feel, I understand. I’m not suggesting anyone turn themselves inside out or upside down to chase a number on the scale or a certain size jeans. But I AM suggesting that if you want your body to function optimally, you have to nourish it with the foods it needs. Your body needs protein, it needs fats, it needs carbs (yes, really), it needs vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and water. The ratios in which your body needs these nutrients will vary, but you still need them. And I’ve been gaining a lot of clarity in the last few years as I’ve gotten older, learned more about health, nutrition, and ...
Post a Comment
Read more