Sunday, October 5, 2014

Circles of Influence - Making the Grade

The tree at the top of Pine Mountain, my favorite hike!
As a parent I am continually reminded that everything I do is witnessed and participated in by my children, even if it doesn't touch them directly.   It doesn't matter if it's a positive or a negative activity, it is all absorbed by the little sponges (your kids) in your life.   When I embarked on the low carb changes, my children of course were part of this.  I tried not to keep them from enjoying everyday food but I certainly cut back on the number of times we visited the pizza parlor or the fast food restaurant.

I knew they were being influenced by my diet and I started knowing some really nice things.  They eat a lot more vegetables than they used to.  They will literally push me out of the way to get to cucumber slices and ask for lettuce on their sandwiches and eat spinach salad.  More often than not when I ask them what they would like to eat for dinner, my son will say, "What you're having."

Our dinners have evolved from die hard spaghetti, pizza, subway sandwiches, rice bowls to steak or chicken, even fish, a spinach salad and a vegetable.  A small loaf of bread usually for my kids to split which recently I've noticed we usually have some left over.  The sweets are still a problem, but I don't buy them often and I try to make things that are low in carb and I never over bake anymore.  I used to love to make holiday cookies, I'd have parties to do so and tubs and tubs of cookies were the result.  There was usually a cake, or brownies or something soft and chewy and sweet to eat with ice cream.

That came to a screeching halt on Sept. 9, 2013 when I had to face the fact that I had to change my diet or I would be facing some serious health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and who knows what else as I had added 10 lbs per year to my frame for several years in a row.  I went on a low carb diet and restricted myself to less than 50 carbs a day.  I figure my family is likely still getting 150 - 200 carbs a day. We had cake for birthdays, we shared dessert at special dinners out, occasionally we'd have oreos in the house or I'd make 12 cookies.   We tried to stay as active as possible.  By Thanksgiving, I had reached my first weight goal.  I had lost 27 lbs.

I celebrated by making muffins for the kids which disappeared instantly.  My parents were visiting and they both have adult on set diabetes so we didn't continue to have a lot of sweets around.   I actually, by preference, continued on the diet, but increased my carbs to about 100 a day.  I kept the weight off and at one point in the spring I thought...what weight am I really supposed to be and looked at a chart and saw that 125 was the median for healthy weight for my frame.  I was still on the cusp of overweight at 145 but yet acceptable healthy weight so I thought...why not?  What does 125 look like anyway?

So, that's me...all about me.

In my home this is what is happening......

My son's grades are improving in school.  Yippee!! He is getting homework done without a lot of prodding.  The teachers are calling to let us know he got an A on his test.  THEY ARE CALLING!  Wow, I think, all our hard work with helping him is paying off.  This is fantastic, way to go sweetheart.   We end the year on a high with a C average.  Some parents may think that's not so great...but the story is not over yet... read on.

My son has a cognitive processing learning disability and ADHD.  We work VERY diligently to get the results.   My husband and I have been strong advocates for my son, getting private tutors, helping him as much as we can and trying to instill independence.  We even moved to a new, more accessible community to get out of the city so that we could have more control.   I'm sure all these things helped with what I am going to share with you next.

School is going to start, we haven't had our son on his medication for focusing and ADHD all summer.  We go to the doctor for a check up.  Just on observing him, the doctor asks my son if he thinks it's still necessary to take the medication.  My son doesn't think so....I on the other hand, want the grades to prove it.   We get our prescription.

School starts, it's going to be challenging, I'm waiting for homework.  I'm waiting.  "Where is it?" I'd ask.  "I did it at school." he'd say.  "I'd like to check it."  I'd say.  "I already turned it in." he'd say.   I'd go sit on my hands and wonder what I should do next..."Let's read your book!"  I'd say.  We would do that, read through some assignments, go over a novel he was reading for class.  But more and more, he's just doing it.  He's growing up.  Yeah!

This week we had our progress report on the education plan the school has for him.  "We can remove this goal." the specialist told us...WHAT! - "Did you say, we are removing a goal?  Why?"  "Because he made it."   My son has been on an education plan since 2nd grade.  He is now in 7th.  He has never made one of the goals on the plan.  He has had sporadic success but never made a goal.  We removed 3 out of 6 goals that day.  There is still work to be done but his grades across the board are good, in ALL subjects.  ALL.

You better believe we praised him.  I wish I could do more for him.  I bought him a new pair of sweatpants.  I made him his favorite sandwich (2 times).  We let him stay up and play video games.  I would buy him a car if he was older if I could afford it ...that's how PROUD I am of him.  We just may try life at school without the medication.  All our hard work paid off.

Then I read this article yesterday:
https://www.yahoo.com/health/how-to-ward-off-grain-brain-98825902702.html

To summarize, a New York Times best selling author and neurologist states in his book "Grain Brain" that a low carb diet helps the cognitive and memory functions of the brain and aids in lowering ADHD.   My son has basically been on a low carb diet of his own for 13 months.  He didn't lose weight - he gained, he grew taller than me, his hands are larger than mine and his feet are huge!  But he didn't eat as much processed food as he has before and he had more well rounded meals with a lot more protein than before. 

We weren't part of a trial, so I'll never know if the diet had something to do with it. But I do know, I'm not going to chance it.  We are staying low carb, all of us.  ALL.

Please share this story with anyone you may know who may be in a similar situation.  Parents with children who are struggling in school with learning disabilities are motivated to do whatever they can to help their children.  I am willing to do whatever I can to help them.

Happy Carb Counting....from all of us.

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