What's a Carb Hangover?

Remember my last post about my really terrible food choices? Well, I am happy to say that I am back on my nutrition plan and feeling much better. I've been sticking with my daily Shakeology and working out according to plan as well. I did have a small slip up with some homemade strawberry muffins but I was honest with myself, tracked them, and it did not throw me out of ketosis because I continued to make good choices! Small victories are everything these days.

Since I last wrote, I have had a couple people ask me about a carb hangover and ask if it is a real thing. I've also had folks ask if the discomfort is worth it. Lastly, I have had people inquire if it's similar or the same to a hangover from alcohol. Well, with those questions in mind I decided to 1. Explain what it feels like to have a carb hangover and 2. Provide a little research based info for my folks who are curious. 

In my own experience, yes, a carb hangover is a REAL thing. Right after a binge on carbohydrates after being in ketosis for an extended period of time, I personally experience the following:

1. Huge carb crash and fatigue within hours.
2. 24 hour migraine
3. Abdominal discomfort
4. Diarrhea
5. Nausea
6. Water weight and glycogen gain (usually 3-8 lbs.)

Honestly, the whole situation is pretty awful, so I don't recommend going off the rails, to anyone. It's not really worth it at all. Further, if you are low carb/low sugar for a long time, you become much more sensitive to the taste of sweets and sugar, so many things you think you might want, don't taste the same at all and may even become aversions. For me, 100% grape juice is out - it blows my taste buds out!

These doughnuts look unassuming, but watch out - too many can do more harm than you realize!

Now for the science!

I found this excerpt in an article by Dr. Wayne Osborne (Head Doctor at Treated.com) on the effects of sugar binges on the body. The full article was published online and can be found at: Independent.co.uk Below you will find a basic timeline of what happens to the body after a sugar or carbohydrate binge, found in that article.

"Here’s a timeline of what happens during the hour following a particularly heavy sugar session.
0 - 15 minutes

• Sugar and bacteria in the mouth mix together to form an acid, which punishes tooth enamel.

15 - 30 minutes

• The sugars pass through the stomach and reach the small intestine. Here, they are broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream.

• The pancreas then releases insulin to try and cope with influx of sugars, and convert what it can into energy.

• This is then sent to muscle cells throughout the body; but the sheer amount of sugar in the blood will mean that some of it will have to be sent to the liver and stored as fat.

• While this is going on, the body interprets this significant rise in sugar and energy as the result of stress, and releases cortisol and epinephrine.

• These hormones cause the heart rate to increase, which will in turn cause blood pressure to rise, and may induce sweating.

30 - 45 minutes

• The sugar high caused by the release of dopamine in the brain is likely either in full flow, or has passed and is now beginning to waver.

• What comes next is an almighty sugar crash, caused by insulin and stress hormones working overtime and leading to a dramatic drop in blood sugar.

• Lethargy, sluggishness and maybe even irritability may follow, and this drop in blood sugar may even cause a headache.

• In response, your stress hormones try to stabilize your blood sugar levels and extract what they can from your liver.

• Somewhere in this process, sugar expanding in the stomach and gut and evacuating has also probably caused feelings of pain, discomfort and flatulence.

Beyond 45 minutes

• Rising and falling hormone levels have an inevitable detrimental effect on the immune system, which is temporarily rendered less able to deal with harmful infections.

This is all dependent on how much sugar you eat, and your metabolism. But in some instances, the immune system can be inhibited for up to five hours after a binge."


In other words, STAY ON YOUR NUTRITION PLAN and do you best to reduce your sugar intake! It has an incredible effect on your health!!

A Carbohydrate Love Affair

Hi, everybody. It's been a while. I have been avoiding writing, not because I don't love to write, but because I have been cheating. When I am not on plan, I don't scream it from the rooftops because I absolutely hate it and myself when I am not in control. I hide. I lie on my food tracker. I stop posting in my accountability groups. I basically deny that it is happening until the following Saturday when I do my ritual weigh in and the truth slaps me in the face (and the waist).

I guess what I am sharing about today is that I am starting again. If you are living a low carb lifestyle, you may already know what it is like to go off the rails and how awful you feel when you load up on crap. For me, it started out last weekend, with my scheduled cheat day, which lined up with my brother-in-law's birthday. The day prior was a family birthday and traveling to MD. I was doing so  well until I saw those oatmeal raisin cookies.... then it was over. My mental state was, "well, tomorrow is my cheat day, so its not a big deal." Just like that, one cheat day turned into two.

So mentally, I was ready to do battle again when Monday came. I was on track, rocking it out, drinking my shake each day, working out like a boss, and then my sister and brother-in-law had their legal wedding ceremony and as the photographer, I went along. I thought I was staying on track and later found out that my little red sauce on my eggplant was a little too much and there went that day. My mother in law's birthday celebration was this past Sunday and because of that we indulged in sushi, mochi, bubble tea and pretty much every other carb I shouldn't be consuming.

Exhibits A through H:

Sprinkle Doughnuts from Judicke's Bakery in Bayonne, NJ. 

Bagels from Wonder Bagel in Jersey City, NJ.

Pizza from La Sorrentina in North Bergen, NJ. 

Samosas from Touch of Spice in Weehawken, NJ. 

Chaufa from La Kausa in North Bergen, NJ. 

Homemade Ice Cream Cake from my lovely sister, Ginnie. 

California Lover's Sushi from Precious in Hoboken, NJ. 

Beef Lo Mein from Precious in Hoboken, NJ. 

Then it hit me. I have blood work coming up in July. I don't have time to be playing around with my triglycerides. I NEED to have them regulated and down at least another 50 points from my last endocrinologist meeting. I think sometimes when we are on this weight loss journey for so long ( I'm in almost 2 years now) that we start thinking about life and how there really is no finish line to living a healthy and fulfilling life with fitness. We start thinking, what difference will this meal make? What is the big deal if I eat this? What difference will it make if I lose no weight this month vs. losing 2-3 lbs.? I started thinking like that, and the reality of it is, YES, I do want to lose more weight and I would love to get my body fat percentage down below 20%. I do want to continue my healthful lifestyle and yes, I do treat myself once a month in order to stay on track for the other 27/28/29/30 days of the month. Right now though, I don't have the time to play around. I need to get back on track and get my bloodwork under control, and the best way to do that is by sticking to my plan, eating my food according to my macros, and working out 6-7 days a week.

That all being said, I feel like I can crawl back out from under the bed and put down the bag of crunchy stuff and address my feelings. I am pissed at myself, but I am also passionate about getting those numbers under control. I NEED to live a long life and crazy stuff like these past cheats are not moving me forward. I am re-committing in 2 groups. I have joined a Slimdown for Summit group with my fellow coaches and teammates as well as a small group challenge with some ladies in my running club. I will be following a low carb nutritional plan, called keto or the Ketogenic Diet as you may know, and working through 22 Minute Hard Corps. When that program is finished (I am on week 4 this week) I will be going back to Body Beast and adding in cardio - which I need based on my medical conditions. I welcome anyone who needs a re-commitment to health and fitness to join me. I am allowing folks to join in a private group with me that starts May 9, if you are ready. If you don't need a group (but don't we all love having a pack of people behind you cheering?) and would like to learn more about Keto, I can help you there too.

I also just want to say for those of you who follow me, as a coach, mom, photographer, superhero, there are (unfortunately) times when I am human and I fall. I hate it because I am a completionist and a perfectionist, but sometimes it happens. When you stand up and face the music and choose do change your thoughts, your mind, your habits and get support, you can turn it around. We all mess up sometimes, but its not about how many times you fall, its about how many MORE times you get back up.

I will be sharing for the next 90 days about my journey on my facebook page daily (http://www.facebook.com/photobombfitness) and my snapchat (coachrosierose) as often as I remember (LOL!!). Please feel free to keep me in check, just like I would do for you! Now if only there was someone to walk behind me and ring a bell, shouting "shame!" every time I thought about doughnuts....

Until next time folks, be the badass you are. xoxo

Cheat Meals are Coming!

I'm in a rut and cheating a bit after stalling out for about 6 weeks. I have been delaying writing down my feelings and how I am coping with this temporary loss of control because I like to try to be perfect for all of you, but the reality is that I am human and I fall off. Stay tuned for the epic food meltdown and my battle plan for the next 12 weeks.

The Color Run Tropicolor Tour 2016: Central New Jersey

Hi everyone! It's been a few days and a lot has happened! 

I was informed that I have been chose to be an Elite Ambassador for the Color Run this year! Last year, I represented Lehigh Valley, PA but this year I am representing Central New Jersey (Englishtown, NJ)!!!!!!!! I am so excited and pleased with my experience so far and I honestly can not wait for race day! 

If you have been following me for any amount of time, you may already know that I am a couch potato turned runner, even sometimes competitive with my own team. I am a member of Hogwarts Running Club which fuses my love of all things Harry Potter and magical with my passion for helping others to reclaim their health, and my love of giving back through charity. With the combined powers of Hogwarts Running Club, Charity Miles, and the Color Run, I began my journey into becoming a runner just a year ago. At that time, I had very little faith that I could finish a 5k, even walking, without making a total mockery of myself. 

On October 24, 2015, I finished my first ground 5k after some half-assed training, with a time of 52 minutes. I walked about half and there were a ton of hills. We were in one of the last waves, and when we finished, there were still people behind me and no one had started packing up the race flags, equipment or color stations yet - so it was a major win for me. That day, my mindset changed. I went from being a "can't, won't, am not" person with regards to running, to a CAN, WILL, AM person. I learned through my experience that it does not matter your speed, if you are doing your best. You don't have to be first to be a winner. You don't have to be the fastest to burn calories. If you are getting out there, doing your best, and having FUN, you are a winner and you can do anything!

This year, I am excited to see what I can do and to see just how many minutes I can shave off of my old time because yes, I am competitive with MYSELF. My sister will be keeping pace with me so that we push each other (and the strollers with my kids in them!) through to the finish line, 

If you are in New Jersey and you want to run a race for the first time, this is the perfect race for you. No judgement, so much fun, walk or run, and the kids can come along too!! 

Ready to Run? Join me!!!! You can join my team Black Market when you register if you'd like! We will be wearing purple (just like the color in my blog theme). 

Details:

Date: September 3. 2016

Time: 9:00am

Location: Central NJ/Englishtown, NJ

Register Here

Use CENTJERSEY4 for $5 off of your registration fee!

Trying to Get Thin Mints

I have been making all kinds of keto friendly food and trying to get out of my shell with food. I could literally eat chicken or turkey with coconut oil and veggies all of the time and be fine, but I know that is boring for my family, so I have been trying new delicious things.

I actually have quite a bit of back log right now as I have been trying so many things! Occasionally I forget to take pictures, but I never share a recipe that we don't love. This particular recipe came about during Girl Scout cookie season. While we DID order 6 boxes of cookies and put most of them in the freezer, I found myself attacking a full sleeve of cookies late one night, cookie monster style,and later hating myself as I instantly gained that 5 pounds of glycogen weight back.

The next day, I thought to myself, there has to be an option for me (and my sister)! I texted my sister, asking for cookie ideas and she sent over a recipe that we were able to manipulate into a pretty good cookie base. Then we went on to imagine a coating and decided to throw in some mint - what did it sound like? Thin Mints. Thus, we have coined them "Trying to Get Thin" Mints.

Here are the basics on the recipe:


For the cookies

• 45g (1.5oz) Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 25g (1 oz) Splenda Baking Sweetener (or granulated sugar free sweetener of your choice)
• 60g (2oz) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 60g (2oz) cream cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the coating

• 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 tbsp. organic coconut oil
• 4 tbsp. Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Cookies

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• Mix cream cheese with Splenda/granulated sweetener and blend until smooth
• Lightly beat the eggs and mix with softened butter and vanilla extract
• Add the egg mixture to cream cheese and mix well until no lumps
• Gently fold in cocoa powder
• Line a baking tray with parchment
• Load up mixture into a pastry bag and pipe out into small rounds. (They do not change much in size while baking so try to get them into a shape you like.)
• Bake for 10-15 minutes but check frequently
• Let cool completely and work on the coating!

Coating

• Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds and stir. 
• Repeat until all of the mixture is liquid
• To coat - using two forks drop each cookie into the liquid, flip, and place on a wire rack or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Piping the mixture out worked the best for us although the cookies started out looking like poop emojis. We couldn't help but laugh at them and hope they turned out ok! In actuality, they do flatten out a little bit and no, we didn't end up with little poop pile shaped cookies, although that would have been even more hilarious. 

That's my little sister and BFF, Ginnie! This is when we started calling them little poops. LOL. Thank goodness they didn't stay like this. 

We found that the coating was a little lose and did not harden when left out (probably because of the coconut oil) however, we placed our entire rack of cookies in the fridge for a few hours and they were magical. Just sweet enough, not too sweet, not the bitter taste of too much calorie free sweetener, but good. The mint made it everything. We will certainly do it again, and tweak the topping and see if that yields better results. My suggestion would be to go for 2 teaspoons of the coconut oil rather than a full tablespoon, but we have not tested it yet. 

As always, let me know what you think! Subscribe to stay connected and follow us on Facebook for the day to day fun of being me! xoxo