Intuitive leanings

Over the weekend I was reminded in two ways about something that my body seems to be wired for- that I really do not like starches or sugars. By not like I mean have a physical aversion to.

Some examples- when I was young, my parents would buy these presweetened cereals because , after all, that is what all kids liked. Not me ! I would LOVE it when we ran out of the junk and be forced to eat cereals like Total. Even better those mornings when we would eat eggs and bacon. The sweet cereal always made me feel sick to my stomach. Even wore were the mornings when mom would make pancakes ! To this day, if I eat pancakes it gives me instant heartburn . Oatmeal I can tolerate, as well as polenta. If I eat cold cereal it has to be something like Special K or homemade granola ( not premade variety's)

I was never a fan of candy, until I tasted my first bite of candy with nuts, and then I would eat it strictly for the nuts. I could never be bribed, swayed, tempted or influenced by candy. However, if you tried to do the same with nuts or meat, you would have no problem. It is something about that kind of fat or protein that I CRAVE, and in large quantities.

It was so intense, that as a kid I used to steal packs of lunch meat ( and liver sausage was my favorite) , hide behind the couch and eat the whole thing. If there was ever any leftover meat in the house I would devour it. One year on the day after Thanksgiving when I was a teen , I ate half of a leftover 22 lb turkey. Did not get sick in the least, and felt pretty energetic afterwords. My mother , however was horrified because there went a couple of days planned meals for the family. When we would go to the store and be promised a reward for good behavior, it was always the promise of picking something from the candy rack. Know what I would pick ? Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or beef jerky- never candy. My parents thought I was crazy.

This weekend while we were eating dinner I took a bite of the Bread of the Dead and passed it on to the guys because it was giving me instant heartburn. I mentioned it to Bob and he reminded me that I have always been like this, and perhaps my system is and has been protein deficient for a long , long time. I am begining to wonder if this is not true. With weight loss you have to get your metabolic rate to a level where it burns more than you injest, and this is done through diet and exercise. The more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate is. If your system does not have enough protein ( the nutrient that builds muscle tissue) , I believe your body fights harder to compensate and an imbalance is created. If you increase protein, there is more supplies for your body to build with.

So this week I am trying to lean a little heavier on protein, lighter on carbs , and we will see what happens. I know it works for me - in the past I did Atkins and lost 70 pounds . I quit because I became severely constipated and I was concerned about eliminating so many potential nutrients in my body.

I am planning next weeks menu today, and I am seeking out some healthy, low carb , high protein options to work into the mix.