Our family is celebrating having lost forty pounds this past year! In early 2017, Emir, Yaya, and I got together in an amazing adventure: changing our lifestyle as a family to set us up for a better and healthier life. Yaya and Emir have Down syndrome, and in the past, pursuing the dream of keeping ourselves fit was not a priority since we spent so many years facing medical and developmental challenges.
The beginning of last year was a little different because for the first time in more than 10 years together, we were going through a really good time as a little family of three. We found ourselves financially and medically stable, and more connected than ever. It seemed like a perfect time to embrace a new challenge and that is exactly what we did. We collected data from our daily routine (eating, sleeping and exercising patterns, mostly) and took it to the endocrinologist/nutritionist. I was expecting him to respond with something dramatic or point me to an extreme lifestyle change but instead, he told us that we were already doing a good job with healthy choices. There were only two things he wanted us to change:
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Zero Sugar from now on
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Break meals into 5 to 6 smaller portions throughout the day and avoid eating after 6 pm.
With such basic recommendations, I thought it was too simple and logical to be effective but we embraced the challenge. We talked about it as a family. We discussed the changes we wanted to see in our bodies. We talked about self-love, feeling better, and looking better, and each of us understood and got excited about the plan. This part of the plan was not a part of the recommendations from the physician but now that I look back I can’t emphasize enough how important is to be aware of this commitment and working together as a family for health.
What “Zero Sugar” means?
The change in our bodies has been obvious, and therefore, people ask all the time what are we doing or how we did it. I tell people how simple it was. Just cut out the sugar, I tell them. Few people believe it and usually, people reply, “I don’t eat sweets and still I don’t lose weight.” Well, sugars are not only in sweets these days. They are everywhere. And that’s just part of what we have learned when it comes to choosing what we eat. A clear example of this is the milk you drink daily. Some kinds of milk can have up to 25 grams of sugar per serving. You don’t feel the sugar, you don’t see the sugar, but it’s actually hiding almost everywhere. So when I say “zero sugar” I mean, from now on every time you buy something, read the label. If a product has more than 5 grams of sugar, look for a healthier version, or even better, make it yourself and try to always eat the freshest products possible. It is not that easy to have a sugar-free life since it takes time and commitment to learn what sugar-free really means and then be determined to avoid it.
Same Quantity in Smaller Portions
Have you ever asked yourself why you’re not losing weight even though you don’t eat much? This may be the reason for that. In our case, we really never ate that much but we used to eat two big meals a day and the bigger one was right before going to bed. The only change we have made was to break the larger meals into six portions that we eat throughout the day. Breakfast, early lunch at school, snack, early dinner, and a second snack. We are done with food by 6 pm every single day. I know, it sounds boring and even impossible at first but you get used to it. Some of our favorite snacks include a small piece of fruit, half an avocado, or a cup of popcorn.
What about sugar?
We are big fans of stevia, which is 100% natural and tastes great, even for baking.
What other products do I recommend?
Of course, go for whole grain. Brown rice, quinoa, lentils, beans are used a lot around here. We also use lean meats, gluten-free products if possible, and we consistently chose to eat a homemade sandwich instead of the healthiest meal of a restaurant. Drink plenty of water and have fun. We dance at least three times a week, we are active, and we enjoy celebrating each other’s achievements.
We are a happy and healthy family, and for sure, if we can do it, I believe firmly that everyone else can make it happen too!
