Fast forward to December… I was obviously not quite “there” yet mentally when I started this blog earlier. Took me some time to get back but here I am, and bearing good news.
I just realized that there’s actually a whole 5 kg (11 lbs) missing since I last wrote. Despite my not so perfect mood and attitude, they still managed to slowly melt off. Now I’m just 4-5 kgs away from feeling comfortable in a bikini on a sunny day. That’s really, really good!
Speaking of not having been the best version of myself. After deciding to get back to my normal size, I thought “easy peasy” and banned all the sugar. Then… nothing much happened. And it took me surprisingly long to realize that I’ve made a HUGE blunder. A few years ago I developed a habit of starting the day by drinking an oat milk latte. Usually, I’m excellent at reading the back of the package and avoid anything that is processed and contains sweeteners / other chemicals. But for some reason I’ve been completely blind to this thing.
Seed oils, highly processed grains and sugar. Yes, yes and yes. It’s like I’ve been having Coke and fries for breakfast! YUCK!
The process to create this “milk” includes enzymatically treating the oats to break down the starch into sugars (maltose and glucose), which gives the beverage a natural sweetness. Maltose’s glycemic index is nearly twice as high as regular sugar, it skyrockets insulin! Mystery solved. Case closed. Check out this video if you want details:
Since I’m also quite sensitive to caffeine, today I decided not to drink lattes every day. It will probably be quite hard in the mornings, since I really like starting my day by reading IT news at my favorite café. But hey, better being temporarily lost than fat and sick. Last time I quit caffeine, it only took two days before I was feeling better than I had felt in years. No brain fog, no tiredness, no eye focusing problems.
Conclusion: if you need to “fix your life”, start by feeding your body only healthy things. It’s really hard to think clearly and optimistically when you’re in bad physical shape. As soon as your energy is restored, your brain will be back in business too.
