From Corn Chex to Scrambled Eggs: HELP Explained

As we continue to explore the three weight-loss pillars of HELP: The Health, Energy & Longevity Plan, today I want to begin discussing how they support and reinforce each other.

Using my own story, I'll illustrate how Pillar One (limiting carbohydrates) and Pillar Two (finding fullness in healthy fats and adequate protein) work together.

I have celiac disease, so when General Mills made Corn Chex gluten free in 2012 it became my default breakfast cereal. Almost every day I would have a bowl for breakfast with 2% milk, and often stopped at the gas station to pick up a quart of orange juice to drink on my 40-minute drive to work in Rochester.

I was misled

I thought I was eating healthy, because the USDA Food Guide Pyramid called for 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta – and 2-4 servings of fruit – every day.

I didn’t realize that orange juice has just as much sugar as Coca-Cola.

Or that a single serving of Corn Chex contained 33g of carbohydrates that immediately were broken down into sugar when they hit my stomach.

Or that the milk contained another type of sugar, lactose.

So when my blood sugar plummeted a few hours after its morning surge, the cravings would kick in and intensify until lunch, which was usually a grab-and-go chicken salad.

Because I was trying to eat healthy.

It didn't work. This eating pattern led to me reaching 265 pounds in 2016, which eventually spurred my health journey, as I’ve recounted on my personal blog.

Shifting gears

Switching my breakfast choice from cereal to eggs and meat was a key to getting on the right path.

I lost 65 pounds.

I also really enjoyed breakfast. It was a little more work and wasn’t as quick as pouring a bowl of cereal, but I was satisfied much longer and didn’t have the blood sugar crashes.

Instead of thinking about what I wasn’t having (Corn Chex), I focused on the savory flavor and lasting satisfaction of the eggs with bacon, sausage, ham or steak.

Here’s how I make my eggs now, typically adding cream cheese, guacamole and salsa. Almost zero carbs, and I’m satisfied for hours.

But I’m not feeling deprived or that I’m making a big sacrifice. I don’t have to expend my finite willpower reserves, because I focus on what I can eat instead of what I shouldn’t.

HELPcare Coach

If you need a little extra HELP with changing your diet, losing weight, and becoming metabolically healthy, sign up here for HELPcare Coach. It can be purchased for $49/month or $490/year.

Or you can get HELPcare Coach services included at no extra charge in your HELPcare Clinic membership.

If you haven't already, request your free copy of the Health, Energy & Longevity Plan to learn more about how to restore health and even reverse disease through lifestyle changes.

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Lee Aase

Lee Aase is the founder of HELPcare LLC, which provides comprehensive membership, marketing and management services for provider-owned HELPcare Clinics, as well as metabolic health education and coaching for people interested in restoring health and reversing disease through lifestyle changes. Lee and his wife Lisa live in Austin, MN and have six married children and 19 grandchildren.