Second Low Carb Thought of the Day

Okay, here's an observation.

I used to think that feeling "full" when you eat had to do with the volume of food you take in. Boy was I wrong!

I'm a big fan of McDonald's breakfast. I know it's naughty, but everyone has to be a little naughty sometimes, don't you think? Anyway, I used to be able to eat TWO sausage egg biscuits for breakfast.

The other morning about 6:00 a.m. I went to the drive-thru and ordered my usual 2 sandwiches, thinking I'd just use the biscuit to keep my hands from getting greasy while I ate the protein-rich foods inside, then throw the biscuits away. I ate the sausage and egg from the first sandwich that way, and then started in on the second one. After about two bites, I was so full I couldn't eat any more! I wrapped it up to eat later, but I didn't get hungry until about 1:00 p.m. By then I was in the mood for something different, which turned out to be a spinach salad with turkey, boiled eggs and gorgonzola!

I'm convinced now that it's protein, and not volume, that keeps our tummies full.

Is Winter Over Yet?

It's the eve of Groundhog Day, and I was just thinking how great February and March snowstorms can be. As you can see, the snow might collect on the grass, but doesn't stick to the roads or sidewalks too much. As I type this, the weather outside is a balmy 41 degrees.

I keep threatening to move to Washington state to escape the Utah winters. I say that I'll move to a city where they don't even own snow removal equipment! But some winter mornings are just so beautiful, I can't help but feel grateful and happy.

Low Carb Thought of the Day
Now that I have started on my low-carb diet (again!) and switched to sugar-free chai (4 net carbs per serving -- gotta have my chai!!), I thought I would document the progress of my journey. Because I don't have a scale that works properly, I have no idea what my starting weight is. Suffice it to say, it's TOO MUCH. But after a week of eating this way, my clothes are already looser, so I am happy.

Today's thought concerns a conversation (not quite an argument) I had with someone recently who knows I am changing my eating habits and was trying to convince me that there are no "bad" foods. While I do agree that carbohydrates themselves are not categorically bad, I have to disagree with the premise of no bad foods. Many truly bad foods are basically processed compounds of stuff that is made palatable but offer little nutritional value. They get their UPC bar code and are sold to an unwary public.

Anyway, categorically bad foods aside, my feeling on carbohydrates is that excessive amounts of them are bad for particular people based on some type of medical condition. That condition could be diabetes, insulin resistance (which can lead to diabetes), and obesity. So because at least one of those applies to me, I choose to restrict my intake of carbohydrates to those that are coupled with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Whew! Enough venting.