And Now, Sheilla's Idea of Moderation

As you know I've spent the last year and a half working with a personal trainer- Sheilla Lloyd of Inner Strength Fitness. I adore her, and she has played a vital role in keeping me focused on my goals and working out through two surgeries and a pregnancy. Still, she's never seen me with this much extra weight on me, and with the lingering pregnancy hormones forcing my body to hold on to the fat I'm trying so desperately to burn off, Sheilla seems to be getting a little nervous. She has decided that it's time for me to cut back on my carbs in two week stretches- going two weeks low carb, two weeks no carb, until I see the weight begin drop. Part of me thinks this might be just what my aging metabolism needs to get me started. The other part wants to beat Sheilla over the head with a loaf of bread. Crusty bread.

I once tried Atkins because somehow I forgot that I don't like meat. I lasted two days. I also tried the South Beach diet because I forgot how much I need booze. Sweet, sweet booze. In the end I learned that not only is cutting out an entire food group a stupid way to live your life, but going low carb makes my digestive system very unhappy, and makes the people who have to be around me while I'm carb counting less happy still.

But because she is a professional, and because I have to admit that despite all my protests I don't do very well with moderation, I'm going to try to listen to her advice. Since I'm allergic to wheat and try to keep my wheat consumption to a minimum, you'd think that would be easy. It's not. There's still the wide world of corn, rice, potatoes and delicious Ezekial bread to taunt you. We do keep a very healthy diet, previous posts about moderation notwithstanding, but I'm interested to see how this theory of hers plays in to my quest to learn what moderation looks like for me.

I have no intention of going completely carb free. I don't know much about successful moderation, but I know that it includes oatmeal. I need carbs at breakfast Sheilla, and you're just going to have to live with it. I admit, more salad would probably make me happier, healthier woman, but less oatmeal might send me up in to a tower, you get my drift? I cannot eat eggs every day. There isn't enough ketchup in the world.

But I'm curious to see what half as much white and twice as much green might do to my body. So I'm giving it a whirl. I'm curious to see how my body feels, how it responds. I also know it's time to stop calling pizza and beer twice a week moderation, and time to stop counting and obsessing over every calorie. Maybe it's time to count cholesterol and vegetable servings instead.


What do you think?