Diet question answered

Miriam asked what kind of diet I am on that enabled me to lose 16 pounds in 5 weeks. The answer to this actually has several parts to it.

The doctor insisted I lose some weight. While I’m not obese for my height, I am overweight. Doctor wants me to get down to 120. Which is still a long ways away! He advised cutting out most breads (can eat some multigrain), white pastas, & white potatoes. He also advised that besides watching carbs I also pay attention to the glycemic index in foods. Some foods, such as watermelon, have high glycemic index. So while we tend to eat watermelon because we think it’s good for us, it is actually one of those “sneaky” fruits that we should eat rarely. I for one have always thought that since watermelon is so well, watery, it probably passes through us very quickly & is probably very good for us. The reason I called it a “sneaky” fruit is because the fruits that tend to be very juicy (any of your melons, peaches, pineapple, etc) have a high glycemic index. The fruit & the juices from the fruit turn to sugar almost instantly and then your body converts those items to fat. Fruit juices are also terrible for anyone who is trying to lose weight to drink, just for this same reason.

In short, the doctor basically suggested that I follow a diet that someone with diabetes should follow (I don’t have diabetes though). He suggested I follow a diet such as this because you get results quickly and it’s a very healthy way to eat.

In addition to the diet I have been walking, although not as regularly as I should. I am much better about walking on the weekends than I am during the week.

Another reason was stress. Some of the medications I have been prescribed are very expensive & it’s been very stressful to get my insurance company to pay for them. Once they do pay for them they are still very expensive and it causes a lot of stress for me when so much money is spent on insurance, doctor visits, paying hospital bills, & medications & there is little money left for anything else! Another stressor for me is over-analyzing. When I have any problems I tend to over-analyze, especially when it concerns communicating with someone about something that I am sure they will see as bad news. I get myself so worked up over it and usually their reaction is 500x better than what I had anticipated.
So that is how I have done it so far. After the first couple weeks of changing eating habits it really has become easier.