The New Scale

Well, the weight loss snowball is really rolling.  I could tell I had lost weight, but our scales haven't worked for months.  I had really made a switch to healthful foods.  I am of the mind that all foods fit, but something just sort of clicked and I found myself craving the good stuff....organic whole foods.  My ring became loose on my finger.  I have an organic-eating BFF who has really taught me a lot about cooking combinations of these foods.  I told her I could really tell a big difference in the way I feel.  I don't have the munchies  that I used to.  It is like my body works more efficiently now.  I told her that I felt like I had lost weight, but wasn't sure.  She profoundly said, "Well it doesn't matter if you have lost weight or not.  You feel better and that is what counts."  And she was right! 

We finally bought a new scale.  This week alone I lost 5.4lbs!   It is easier than ever.  I have a desire for healthy food and weight loss.  Finally the issues I've struggled with for years have been trumped by my desire for health.  It's just sort of in me to eat healthy.   It's not mindless (yet), but definitely easier.  Things about my eating are changing naturally the more my eyes are opened to who I really am.  I really do think the foods we eat match who we believe we are.

I still have a long way to go, but instead of feeling overwhelmed and discouraged when I look in the mirror, I see my reflection and feel excitement and a deeper desire to keep on this path.  I have become mentally separated from my weight and the things that kept me clinging to bondage. I am enjoying this journey.

Nutritional Nugget:  Coconut Milk

I like coconut.  I used to feel guilty for desiring it so much because of its bad reputation.  I'm glad it is viewed as a positive food again.  I tried coconut milk some time ago, but now I feel like it is something I need to always keep in my frig.  It is still not my refreshing beverage of choice, but I do love to cook with it and will drink it when I feel I need a boost.  Coconut milk and granola is among my favorite breakfasts. Something about the flavors together is exceptionally tasty to me.  I prefer the unsweetened kind without added flavors.  Since there are 4.5g of fat in 1 cup,  I find it shocking that it has half the amount of calories in skim milk. Skim milk has 0 fat and about 90 calories.  Coconut milk is almost all fat.  It doesn't have any protein and only 2 grams of carbohydrate yeilding a total of 45 calories in one cup!  The fat in the coconut milk contains about 60% of the medium chain fatty acids which behaves differently in our body.  Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA) are absorbed more easily and directly into the blood as opposed to the longer chains that are absorbed into the lymphatic system.  They are burned more efficiently in the cell and may even help to promote weight loss.  As stated in my previous post, MCFA actually raise the good cholesterol improving our overall lipid profile.  I definitely think it's worth a try.

In school, I had a project to discuss eating from other cultures.  I chose the Philippines.  The beverage I served was a Filipino recipe of chilled honeydew melon slices and coconut milk.  It was so good.  I haven't had it since that class many years ago, but since the resurrected reputation of coconut milk, I'm looking forward to trying it again when the melons become ripe.