Ko Wai Ahau? Who Am I?

Kia ora, Kia orana, Fakalofa lahi atu!

 Ko Wai Ahau? Who Am I?

Mama, Sister, Daughter, Godmama, Aunty, Girl Friday, Dogsbody, Student, Active Community Member. Descended from Rarotonga and Te Tai Tokerau (NZ) with Niuean babies.

I am in week # 7 of LCHF and really loving it so far. I have struggled with weight all of my adult life.

I chose Paleo for myself and my family a couple of years ago and while I enjoyed eating that way and lost a lot of weight (18 kgs in 5 months), I wasn't always prepared, I found it costly and I didn't know how to deal with sugar cravings, hunger beyond what I'd been informed was 'enough' and therefore, Paleo became unsustainable for us. I am still largely convinced this is the way I should be eating, though. I retained , at least, the knowledge I gained and continued many habits but never returned to that lifestyle after blowing it all when we went on holiday.

Last year I began reading about 'Low Carb, High Fat' (LCHF), watched an informative NZ documentary in which I first heard about Prof. Grant Schofield, watched a friend change their eating habits to LCHF.  Thanks to Paleo I was at the very least aware of sugar, grains, a high carb diet and what is wasn't doing to me. I thought I had drastically reduced the amount of carbs I took in by eating less bread, and switching my sweetener from sugar to honey, coconut sugar or coconut nectar.

Here were my main problems:

• My relationship with and regard for food. I have an unhealthy LOVE for carb-y things: kumara, bananas, taro, pumpkin, maniota (cassava), kuru (breadfruit) and FRUIT;

• I'd try eating as per the plan(s) I was given, but often not achieving satiety. This meant every diet failed because I felt so unsatisfied, weak and then giving up in disappointment at being a big, fat failure;
  

• My body often craving a sweet treat and either churning through precious time I don't have and money to make a 'cane sugar' free treat that was still what I now know as 'only marginally better for me', or thinking, "f*** it, I don't care," and indulging (and then throwing in the towel as per above);

• Having poor advice shoved down my throat... by people whose opinions I valued and / or people of 'authority': health professionals, media, etc << This is a BIG one!
  

I love good food. I was buying and providing for my family a lot of whole foods already. Food with little human intervention. I don't buy sub-standard crap - I like good quality, love fine dining, have always eaten lots of vegetables all my life. I was a lacto- ovo- vegetarian from age 11 until 27, after all. My mother says I have champagne taste and beer pockets. Boo! Carbohydrate intake aside, we ate at home fairly well for my kids' sake. When I am alone, however, is where I throw it out the window. So on the way to work, I get my coffee most mornings but never without a blueberry bran muffin (but it's bran!) or the amazing croissant from the Swiss Konditorei down the road.

Many months later of reading information online, seeing people's results, reading testimonies and the What The Fat book co-authored by Dr. Caryn Zinn, Prof. Grant Schofield and Craig Rodger, here I am.

This blog space is my new platform for sharing my progress and recipes I find within the LCHF online community but am adapting for a frugal budget and local produce. I support my family with my own income (and it ain't great), and I feel very responsible for our environment and loyal to our own producers so buying locally as much as I can, is a must. 

Hopefully this isn't the first and last post I write. Thanks for reading.