One of my 2024 goals was to be more intentional with my diet. I hate the word diet but there really isn’t another word for it…sigh. Basically, I want to be intentional with what I am eating and the habits I’m cultivating at the dinner table. On the suggestion of my doctor, I read the Galveston Diet and with each chapter, her words resonated with what I’m feeling as I embrace this perimenopausal life.
And before you come at me…yes I’m 40 years old and yes I’m perimenopausal. It’s not too young…it can start as early as 35 and last 10-15 years before actual menopause kicks in. I’m not sure if my surgery last year sped things up or if this was just my time, but the symptoms are clear and I hate them.
After reading the Galveston Diet, I was eager to give it a shot. Not because I was desperate to lose weight but because I’m tired of feeling like I’m older than I am. I want to be a little more in control, stronger, calmer, and just overall healthier. And…if I happen to lose some pounds or inches around my waist, so be it, I’m not going to be upset! 😉
The book does have a four week meal plan included so I thought, let’s do this! I stocked my pantry with all the necessities she mentions and, heads up, this can be a pricier start up cost. I just kept reminding myself that I was buying staples and wouldn’t have to rebuy these items (i.e. almond flour, coconut shavings, chia seeds, etc.) every week. The recipes for week one seemed simple enough and tasty so I made the decision to stick to the book as much as I could…and here is what I learned:
1. This was a week of adjustment.
The main facets of the Galveston Diet are intermittent fasting (16:8), anti-inflammatory nutrition, and a fuel refocus (70% daily calories from fats, 20% from protein, and 10% from carbs). Adjusting to an 8 hour eating window was a bit challenging. This wasn’t necessarily due to the fact that I was hungry but more related to the fact that the plan consisted of two meals and two snacks a day. I wasn’t always hungry enough in that 8 hour window to eat that much. Another adjustment was switching my morning coffee (witch doctored up) to a plain Green Tea. I’m not sure if it was the new diet or the fact that my day one was also the first Monday of Daylight Savings Time…but I was a little more tired than usual. I’m hoping that in the coming weeks, I’ll see a natural resurgence of energy.
I need to pay more attention to my schedule this week to give myself a true 8 hour window. But, overall, the adjustments are beneficial and I remain optimistic!
2. I hate Chia Pudding
Most of the recipes in week one were surprisingly delicious. I was nervous a few times when I was cooking certain things because they just looked so bland…but overall, everything was delicious. My family opted out but I enjoyed almost everything…expect chia pudding. That is a dish that is just NOT for me. I hated the texture and gagged with each bite. I would rather just chomp down on a handful of raw chia seeds moving forward.
One thing I need to be more mindful of in future weeks is when I’m buying certain produce items. We tend to grocery shop once a week so I bought everything I needed for the week on Sunday and then by the end of the week, some of the berries and greens weren’t to my standards. So, in future weeks I might buy frozen or just schedule a mid-week trip to the store. But again, overall, I was a big fan of the meals and snacks.
Honestly, those were really the only two big lessons I learned in week one. But I know what you are interested in…did I see any results in one week? And honestly, yes! I lost two pounds, an inch in my waist and my hip-to-waist ratio is down as well. While I’m hoping for a few non-weight related results to start making an appearance in week two, I’ll take those week one results with a smile!