This is my first ever attempt at blogging, and there are a few reasons why this seemed like a good reason Now.
In all of my searching through the internet, I've not found much related to the topic of low-carbing for the latin culture. Since this is very relevant to my own situation right now, it felt right to start putting out there my own perspective.
Life in Puerto Rico right now, is offering to me a generous amount of leisure time, which is filled with the joy of simple, quiet living.
In the past, time to just BE, was limited and this slow pace of living is enjoyable indeed.
Having time to think about my health, my weight issues and the reasons behind it all, have allowed me to see some things clearer.
My history with low carb is quite splotchy, but the struggle with my self-image is clearly outlined.
The transition into puberty was horrifying for me.
I didn't know how to be a girl!
As my body changed, it became a struggle for me to feel comfortable with myself.
The idea that I was "fat" became implanted in my mind at a very young, impressionable age.
I started dieting before I started shaving my legs!
Food has been one of my best friends, something I turned to for comfort, for celebration, for pleasure.
My body continued to be a mystery to me, passing through my teens and my confidence regarding my body was lower than ever, as I rounded out the end of high school and completed my graduation.
Low carb first became know to me, when I was 18 and away at school. During the 4 brief months there, I was able to put together a program of working out and low-carbing, which resulted in a major transformation! 40 lbs lost within 4 months. I came home with a new confidence, new delicious feelings of self awareness, even a new style!
For the years following, the concepts of low carb stayed with me, in the back of my mind. I always knew that there was something that HAD worked, among all the Many, many trials and errors which had failed. My weightloss journey started at the tender age of 12 or 13, so imagine!
Slowly, as life deepened and my first major life challenges, broken hearts and such began, my eating spiraled downward once again.
Then the best thing happened when I found my Puerto Rican soulmate. He's been a guiding light in my life, his name is Jorge. I could really define periods in my life as: life before Jorge and Life after Jorge!
He's been supportive from the start. He's always loved me no matter my weight! As our life together has progressed, he's become such a pillar of love in my life.
His struggle for health, with diabetes and all it's resulting complications, has fueled my fire for discovering more about healthy living.
Low carb has always made sense to me, especially after coming to know more about the miriad of diseases stemming from the American way of eating.
In the last year and 1/2 I've become interested in Intuitive/Normal Eating and the positive Body movement.
The most important healing aspect for me has been in changing the way I feel about and talk to my body to a positive, loving approach.
Using this new concept going into low carb, is changing the way I view the whole experience. Instead of going into it to lose weight and "not look so fat", it is now this: I feel the best when eating like this. My body likes it, there are many great side effects. I have great desires to be the best ME possible both in and out.
Now the challenges facing a low carber in Puerto Rico, and for myself in specific circumstances are as follows:
1) Low carb veggies, if you can find them, are imported from the states and are extremely expensive. Most of the time, some degree of decay has began. So finding veggies is a real challenge. Add to this a budget restriction on my part.
2) What IS readily available and that you face as possible meals on a regular basis:
*Roots of all kinds including the terribly starchy Yuca, Yams of various types, potatoes, batatas, and so on.
*Plantains and bananas- these are used widely in both the green and ripe stages in so many different variety of dishes it's mind blowing.
*Rice and beans- at almost every meal you have rice in various combinations and some type of beans. The favored ones are white beans, pink beans, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, etc.
The beans are usually cooked with potatoes and pumpkin, as are most meat dishes.
*Tropical fruits of all kinds- pineapple, mango's, coconut, bananas, guava, river apples, breadfruit, the list goes on. With the exception of coconut, most of these are off limits for us low carbers. Berries are all imported and range between 6-9 dollars for one small packet.
In my particular housing situation, we are limited to a stove top, micro, ancient toaster oven, ancient food processor, and various pots and pans.
It will be my goal to find ways to use what is provided to cook with in making my meals and to adapt to living in these challenging circumstances.
One of the positive things I think is this, when I learn to adapt low carbing to this environment then I will come out stronger for it!
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