Ninja Training Update # 2

So sorry I've been gone so long! I was visiting various family members and being visited by various friends and the time got away from me. But here I am again and I've got some awesome news!

As you might remember from my previous Ninja Training Update, I've been tackling added sugar in my diet. I am so happy to say that my efforts have paid off. Doing this simply and slowly has ingrained it as a habit for me. I no longer have to strictly write down and add up grams of sugar. I naturally eat under the cap. My cap is 25 grams, but I've naturally been eating way below that. On a typical day I might have 12 grams or, more likely, less. It feels great to have a healthy habit down! Now I have the willpower to spare on another step.

I'm uncertain what my next step should be. Sugar isn't entirely defeated in my diet yet. Through a little bit of research I've learned that certain bread foods, while not containing added or natural sugar are digested as sugar in the body. These are foods like white bread/rolls/pasta, white rice, fruit juice, potatoes, and even corn. In the case of white bread and white rice, my understanding is that the refining process takes out key nutrients and fibers that counteract the sugar digestion. Without those fibers the food is digested quickly and spikes your blood sugar. White flour and white rice is refined. Potatoes and corn are starchy. Fruit juice is an interesting one. You would think that fruit juice is a healthy choice. But the juicing process strips away the fiber part of the fruit, adding together the natural sugar content of many fruits into a one place. I personally think fruit juice is a little strong and and have heard that it's bad for tooth decay.

My next step could be cutting down and out white breads and white rice. I despise white bread, but I do eat other white bread products like rolls and bread sticks. I love white rice so that one will be more difficult. But cutting down on these things will positively impact my health and make me even further away from getting type 2 diabetes, which runs strong in my family. I don't drink fruit juice. I can limit potatoes, they're not the best veggie for you. However, corn would stay. It's one of the few veggies I really love. Why cut out one of the good guys just because it's not perfect?

My other choice for a next step could be measuring my baseline for sodium and working it down like I have sugar. One of the first things the doctor does after you have a heart attack is put you on a low sodium diet. I would know, many people in my family have had heart problems and high blood pressure. I know my sodium is probably through the roof and I'll feel much better when it's down to a reasonable amount. Right now I'm really not sure which of these steps I want to take first.

I've come a long way already and I still have a long way to go. But this journey isn't terrible or torturous. It's actually quite fun and I feel physically better than I have in I don't know how long, maybe ever lol. This is only the beginning. I have much more health to enjoy in the future!

That's all for this update. Thanks for reading! If you have any feedback, questions, or comments just post a comment at the end of this post or email me at thehalflingninja@gmail.com

You're never too small to make a difference in the world!

The Halfling Ninja

Ninja Training Update # 1

I've made great progress in my ninja training since I started several months ago. My strategy has been to take one small, simple step at a time. Often what causes a lifestyle change to fail is doing too much too fast. We only have so much willpower and taking on a lot of change can sap that power and cause us to crumble. It's one of the wisest pieces of advice on health I've ever heard and it really works.

My first small step was taking caffeine out of my diet. I have an anxiety disorder and caffeine was just fuel on the fire. That one small step led to taking pop out of my regular diet. It's something I can only have as a treat, but funnily enough it's been over 6 months and I don't crave it. That step led to water being my main drink. Anything else is a treat. I never thought I could be a water drinker. I hated water and drank soda all day every day. The change is amazing! I love water now and pop doesn't even look desirable anymore. My next step from there was focusing on basic healthy habits. I was terrible at taking care of myself. The basic daily habits I worked on was eating 3 meals (I was averaging 1 and a half), drinking 6 glasses (50 oz) of water, and sleeping at least 7 hours. Creating solid habits in those areas taught me a lot about myself and my anxiety triggers.

My newest small step has been to tackle the added sugar in my diet. I took a week and just recorded my daily amount of added sugar in grams. At the end of that week I calculated my average: 61g. For several weeks now my focus has been to limit my daily added sugar. I started with 50g and slowly worked my way down. This has led to me naturally making small changes in my diet that limit added sugar. Sugar is hidden in a lot of foods and many foods that appear healthy have more sugar in them than you'd expect. I am now at my goal of 25g of sugar or less a day! I learned the hard way when I made the move to drinking only water that sugar is addictive. You have to take it slow to get off the stuff or you'll suffer. My final goal of 25g or less is actually the recommended daily maximum according to my research. And I just hit it so YAY!

It's been 9 months since I started. I have lost around 40 pounds and solidly built many healthy habits into my daily life. The best part is maintaining this is easy since my strategy is to turn the changes into habits. When I reach my weight goal, staying there will come naturally. But my main focus is my health and not just my weight. I'm so excited about my progress and the road ahead.

That's it for this Ninja Training Update. Feel free to send any feedback to thehalflingninja@gmail.com or leave a comment. Thanks for reading!

You're never too small to make a difference in the world.

The Halfling Ninja
thehalflingninja@gmail.com