My nutritional 2 cents

Lately I have seen a lot of posts about eating habits. Some people seem to have a pretty good idea of what is good, while others, not so much. I took a nutritional science class over the summer & learned a great deal. I loved it so much I kept my text book. I'm also currently taking anatomy & physiology in college, which is tough but educational as well (which it better be!).

Here's something I do know, eating smaller more frequent meals leads to steadier blood sugars. This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it does to someone who is trying to lose weight, or someone who is hypoglycemic, like me.
When your blood sugar spikes and dips it can cause problems metabolically. High sugar can lead to that burned out feeling when it crashes (as well as cause excess to be stored in the fat cells among other problems). The crash is where it dips below normal. At low blood sugar levels your body is not able to function at optimal capacity. Since the primary source of fuel for your cells and the brain is glucose, if there isn't enough in your system the body starts to compensate by shutting some processes down (foggy head anyone?). The brain cannot function without its sugar fuel, and if there isn't enough in the system it will seek out the largest source of glycogen stores and begin to metabolize it to convert it into sugar. Any guess what that would be? Muscle tissue. Namely skeletal muscle (there are 3 types, and this is the most abundant in your body). This is where you hear the warnings about starvation mode, risks of low calorie diets (500 kcal, or less, but in actuality it's also less than 1000 kcal over a long period of time). The body stores everything it takes in, and burns as little as possible. So what may make you lose weight with severe caloric restriction will cause a major gain if you suddenly return to normal eating habits. Why risk it? 1200 kcal is low enough that combined with exercise can help boost metabolism & promote weight loss.

That being said, the second most common error I see is eating large portions of food that add up to 1/2 or greater of your daily requirements. I understand some days are hard to get enough to eat, but it will not do you any good to eat your days worth of calories in one meal. Your body can only process and use up to a certain amount of fuel at one time. Anything left over will be processed & stored. Not in your stomach or intestines. In your fat cells (adipose tissue). So say I skip breakfast, and say lunch too. Dinner rolls around & I'm famished, low blood sugar and binge happy. I eat ala drive through at the golden arches or something similar. I think, hey I haven't eaten all day it's ok to eat 1000 kcal in one meal. Nope. My body will take what it needs, which at that low energy state I assume wouldn't be even half of that, and it will take the leftovers and store it in those trouble areas I work my butt off at the gym to reduce.

Eating right is a learning process. It takes time, dedication and education. We got overweight by not paying attention, not exercising and eating more than our body needed to run. In order to learn new healthier habits we must keep track of what we put in our mouth, choose healthier options, and create healthier habits.
I hope my mad rambling made sense and helps those people who were like me and unaware of what my eating habits were really doing to my body.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, higher BMI (Body Mass Index) means higher caloric needs. Where I need 1200, someone with a higher BMI may need 1800. Just food for thought!

It's been a long time

I fifgured I had better post some kind of update. I hope to be more active here, but we'll see how that will go.

I enrolled in college this year, and have started into my second term. I have 15 credits this time around, and its a lot of work. After completing Math 20 (pre-algebra) I retook my placement test & skipped Math 60 (algebra) and placed into Math 65 (algebra 2). I have a lot of homework now, and most my classes are online, which means even more work to stay on task.

Hopefully I'll have time to post some kiddie pics & updates. Keep your fingers crossed and eyes peeled :)

More PIcs

No time to post much, but wanted to share some new pics:

Hugs Always!
Dawn

Giggles

Ahh, nothing like a new baby & experiencing all their milestones! Saturday the 25th our baby girl gave her first genuine giggle! It was so cute. I wish I could have recorded that precious sound to hear again & again! Of course since then she has not done it again, but I'm sure she will soon!

She also made a fascinating discovery last night, her fingers & hands! What amazing things these are that are attached to her! It's fun watching her learn these new things. She can roll on her side with little effort and can get most the way rolled over. It won't be long before she's up and running! She likes to pull herself forward to try & sit up in my lap, usually she's laying across my lap in a reclined position. But I have to be careful since she can throw her weight forward and roll off! And she can get on her knees & try to scoot on her belly. Amazing little girl!

That's all for now. She happens to be calling for my attention so I will try to update again soon! Between her, the boys & work I haven't more than a few moments to spare online!

New Pics!

Sorry I haven't been able to update as much as I'd like to, but hey, new baby = no free time! LOL She's almost 2 months old already & is close to 12 pounds! Very healthy & very sweet! She's been a bit shy with her smiles, but when she gives them they melt your heart! She also coos & gurgles at us, which is adorable! It's funny though, she's not shy about wailing for food, diaper change or to be picked up. But she's super quiet when she's 'talking' to you! LOL

Here's a new slide of pics, I hope you like them! Been thinking of uploading pics to snapfish or something for the fam to be able to print since I am so busy & can't get it together. Since I went back to work 3 weeks ago (evening shift) I've found I am even more scatter brained! It's the evening shift, but I still find myself out of time with too much to do by the time I have to leave! So I hope I can post more often, but I'll do my best!

Welcome Baby!!

Here is our little Autumn. Born 8-20 9lb 11oz and 20" long. Sorry it took so long to get pics posted, but she always has other plans for me! LOL

Comments Welcome!! Thanks for looking!

Updated Update!

I got a call from the Dr's office yesterday & we have been bumped up another day. So in 3-5 days we will have our little one! I say 3 because on Monday she might be provoked out on her own...and if not, well then 5 days when we get induced!

There's still a possibility of a c-section, which I'd rather not do. It depends on the width of baby's shoulders. Wish us luck! My nerves are wracked & I am on pins and needles!!