What We Have Learned

Many of you have asked what I am learning from my Insulin Resistance diet book. It's actually been very informative and interesting! I have slowly started following the guidelines, not perfectly yet, as I'm still learning the ins and outs, but I'm taking steps in that direction and I feel good about that.

Basically, the Insulin Resistance diet focuses on the Link and Balance System. I limit the amount of carbs I eat in a 2-hour window to no more than 2 servings (or 30 grams total). I don't have to eat that much, but I can't eat more than that. In addition to limiting the amount of carbs, the other important aspect of the plan is to balance what carbs I do eat with protein. For every serving (15 grams) of carbs that I eat, I must eat a serving (7 grams) of protein along with it. So it's not a no-carb diet, but it's all about eating carbs in the right combination with other foods so my body can use them for energy and not store them as fat.

So, carbs must always be linked with protein, and I must eat enough protein to balance the carbs that I eat. (I can eat more protein, and I can eat as many non-starchy veggies as I want, but I have to eat at least enough protein to balance out the carbs.) Link and Balance. Get it?

The biggest thing I'm learning as I try to implement this eating plan is that there are carbs in EVERYTHING! In addition to the obvious grains and pastas and breads and potatoes, fruits count as carbs too. Which means that I can't eat a sandwich AND some grapes for lunch, because that would put me over on carbs. But, I can eat a sandwich and a low-fat yogurt, and then wait 2 hours and have grapes, along with a protein, for a snack. This eating plan encourages eating meals and snacks, but the key is to make sure there are at least 2 hours in between times that you eat carbs. If I get hungry within a 2-hour time frame, I can eat veggies or protein.

One thing that the book suggests that I am going to do is to stock up on easy-to-grab-and-eat protein foods. Some of the suggestions they give are:

Low-fat cheese sticks
Beef or turkey jerky
cups of bean or lentil soup
roasted soy nuts
law-fat or fat-free yogurt
1% milk

There are others but those are the ones that sound the best to me. The book recommends having these on hand so you can quickly grab a protein serving or two to balance out whatever carbs are eaten. So, I plan on stocking up on protein snacks the next time I get to the store.

So how does this work in everyday life? I actually think it's very doable. Here's a real-life example from my life this week of how I could eat in lines with this diet plan and still enjoy my food:

Last night, my family took me to Cascones, my favorite Italian restaurant, to celebrate my birthday. (Which was weeks ago, but this was the first time we were all able to get together!) I knew I wanted to get spaghetti and meatballs, which is my favorite dish there. I knew that I could eat 30 grams of carbs at dinner, which amounted to about 1 cup of spaghetti, and that I needed to balance it with at least 14 grams of protein. So, I ordered spaghetti and meatballs, ate 1 cup of the spaghetti (shared the rest with Nathan and brought some home), and ate all the meatballs, since I can have more protein. I did not eat any bread, which was hard, but I reminded myself that I really wanted to be able to eat a whole cup of the spaghetti, which helped. I also got a veggie-based soup before my meal. So I enjoyed my favorite meal and my favorite restaurant and still ate within my plan.

(Now... I did eat cake and ice cream later that night, which was not linked and balanced, but the book also talks about splurging and how we shouldn't beat ourselves up when we splurge every once and awhile. Since we were celebrating my birthday and it was a special occasion, I splurged. But I will not be able to do that every night!)

So that's an overview of what I am learning and what it looks like in my daily life. I really think this is something that I can do for the rest of my life. Right now it's still work, as I have to plan what to eat and look up carb amounts, but I know as I do it more and more it will get easier. So far I've lost 1 lb a week ago, and I will weigh again this Sunday. Even if I don't show big losses yet, I am still taking baby steps as I learn this plan, and I know the scale will start to reflect those good choices if I just keep at it!