So last Wednesday marked the official week of deciding to go wheat-free. And this Wednesday? Two weeks. I wish I could start this blog on a positive note, but I'm really baffled by something.
I'm almost amazed and how much my appetite has gotten out of control. I seem to be this insatiable monster that can't seem to get enough food into its eager belly. Admittedly, in the middle of a second bowl of rice Chex and almond milk (which I had to break down and buy because my body was downright fiening for it) I realized it felt like I had an itch that could not be scratched.
Yes, I missed bread, crackers, cake and things of the sort. But I didn't realize how much they were a part of my SOUL that going without it caught me up in trying to find something to replace them, but nothing could. I would try to eat more protein. Still felt hungry. More fats (nuts, oils, etc.) Still hungry. I went back and upped my fiber intake (more quinoa, gluten-free grains, etc). Hungry. I already take vitamins/suppliments (B-complex, D3, Coconut Oil mostly) and really can't seem to get over this hungry hump!
I know I've gained because since being so hungry I decided not to count points to see if it was what or how much I needed to eat to help curb my hunger. I was amazed and flustered at counting points and still being ravenous after eating a meal (albeit not even exercising, either... hm... maybe that's what I need to get back into?) so I stopped. But I can't continue on much longer not counting points and still being able to go wheat free and fit into my clothes at the end of the month. It kind of defeats the purpose, I think!
So, starting into this second week exercising, counting points and going wheat-free. Tonight's thoughts are a 15-minute jog and a 45-minute Zumba stint. We'll see how well this will go!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Drawing a Line
So, I was on the WB website and stumbled upon the "Wheat Belly Quick and Dirty Page" and found out a little more about what we should eliminate on this diet. Wheat, I get. Even after a few days, I'm seeing the benefits. But there were a few things that I had to draw a line in the sand about.
1. Oats. It was already tough enough to find out that some oatmeals contain traces of wheat. But I finally dug deep and spent three times as much as I normally would on oatmeal, for me to go back and find out to eliminate it completely from my diet? AND to substitute eggs or lunch items for breakfast? Sorry, dude. You're not getting that out of me.
2. Candies. I love me some dark chocolate. Sometimes a few squares are all I need to get me through the rest of the day when a hankering for something sweet hits. Next.
3. Limit your fruits to 2 a day. Hrm. Its not that I go bananas (no pun intended) on fruit all the time. Some days I do, because of Weight Watchers, because I want something and I'm running out (or have completely ran out) of points for the day. Is there a way where I can get two and a possible...?
Most of the other things that were on the list, I could already kind of see just by living on Weight Watchers for a while. Admittedly, seeing that list did let some of the wind out of my sails, but at the same time, and reading other people's posts/comments/feedback about it, they are still able to eat grains (rice, quinoa, etc) and still see a change. Even though its only been three days for me, I've had rice and quinoa, on the same day (one cup, each, because of WW points) and still felt like a rockstar. So I guess, all in all, its a situation of trial and error-- to see what works and what doesn't. But if anything else, how I feel now and how I'm sleeping is so much better than just a few days ago.
1. Oats. It was already tough enough to find out that some oatmeals contain traces of wheat. But I finally dug deep and spent three times as much as I normally would on oatmeal, for me to go back and find out to eliminate it completely from my diet? AND to substitute eggs or lunch items for breakfast? Sorry, dude. You're not getting that out of me.
2. Candies. I love me some dark chocolate. Sometimes a few squares are all I need to get me through the rest of the day when a hankering for something sweet hits. Next.
3. Limit your fruits to 2 a day. Hrm. Its not that I go bananas (no pun intended) on fruit all the time. Some days I do, because of Weight Watchers, because I want something and I'm running out (or have completely ran out) of points for the day. Is there a way where I can get two and a possible...?
Most of the other things that were on the list, I could already kind of see just by living on Weight Watchers for a while. Admittedly, seeing that list did let some of the wind out of my sails, but at the same time, and reading other people's posts/comments/feedback about it, they are still able to eat grains (rice, quinoa, etc) and still see a change. Even though its only been three days for me, I've had rice and quinoa, on the same day (one cup, each, because of WW points) and still felt like a rockstar. So I guess, all in all, its a situation of trial and error-- to see what works and what doesn't. But if anything else, how I feel now and how I'm sleeping is so much better than just a few days ago.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Its All in My Mind. I think.
Just going one day w/o wheat and I think I feel better already. Like the title said, I feel like its all in my mind.
Getting out of bed this morning wasn't any easier than it normally is, but, I will say that I actually woke up kind of ready to start the day. I didn't grumble at my little rumbly-bumbly puppy when letting him out of his crate this morning-- we actually had a pleasant conversation on the way downstairs. I put dinner in the crockpot (smoked sausage with potatoes, parsnips, peppers, onions and spices) and opted to make a pot of rice and a separate pot of quinoa for myself when I get home. I carefully read the label of the smoked sausage just to make sure everything was okay... which reminds me... I need to research where "dextrose" comes from. Sigh. Such is the world of processed food.
Yesterday, during lunchtime, I restocked my snacks. Things that had "GLUTEN FREE" emblazoned across the label is what I looked at, sniffed and even googled to make sure it was legit. Stuff I wasn't sure about I put back on the shelf. I had a box of Special K cereal bars at my desk that I gave up for adoption to a few good homes. I didn't feel bad about it-- especially since I happily replaced it with some GF dark chocolate and some Snikiddy cheddar puffs.
What I found interesting was the amount of items in the store that contain wheat, not even including the bakery section. I kind of felt like I put on a different pair of glasses to see/be aware of the things that I eat and now that I choose not to eat. Even my pantry at home hasn't been dewheated, especially since I still have wheat-eaters in my home. Which reminds me, again, to consider switching the dog to a wheat-free kibble as well.
I can say I don't recall any hazy/foggy moment yesterday at all. No moments of feeling dizzy, weak or grumpy. I actually joked around a bit with my husband this morning, which was nice-- and it was actually genuine, not pretending to derail his senses from thinking something was wrong with me (feeling tired, cranky, dizzy, hazy, etc). I'm interested to see how bouncy I'm feeling just within a week of the process.
I can say I don't recall any hazy/foggy moment yesterday at all. No moments of feeling dizzy, weak or grumpy. I actually joked around a bit with my husband this morning, which was nice-- and it was actually genuine, not pretending to derail his senses from thinking something was wrong with me (feeling tired, cranky, dizzy, hazy, etc). I'm interested to see how bouncy I'm feeling just within a week of the process.
In other news, I haven't weighed myself yet to get a starting weight to see if this lifestyle would reap that benefit. I actually dont have WI until Friday, and plan to stick to that schedule. I know there will be a significant gain, as I barely (read: not at all) stuck the plan Thursday-Tuesday of this past week. And when I dont stick to plan, honey, it gets ugly. But, onward and upward, right?
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Introduction
I come from a long line of eaters. Heavy, late night, early morning, eat-when-I'm-not-hungry eaters. And among that family of consumers, I fell heartily under the genus of bread-eaters.
I absolutely love bread.
No, no. I mean, REALLY love bread. And the thing is, with my strong adoration for bread, came the lateral love for anything that remotely resembles bread. Cereal, pasta, crackers, cookies, cereal, crackers, cereal, crackers and cereal. There have literally been times where, after eating an entire meal of bread, that I finally just look up and realize that everything that I ate was brown, lacking protein, mixed with chemicals and baked.
To turn the page on the matter, I'm now in my early 30s. And I'm dizzily learning that my body doesn't process junk like it used to. Going to McDonalds getting two cheeseburgers, a McFlurry and a medium order of fries used to be a great go-to meal for me. Fast, easy, cheap and delicious. Sure, I'd feel a little tired afterward, but I would just blame it on "The Itis" and call it a day. However, when I finally graduated to a new decade of responsibility for my body, "The Itis" turned into dizziness, slight headaches, mild nausea and fuzzy-headedness. Sometimes, even a moodswing. I didn't immediately connect the two together, and handed off my symptoms to stress or the fact that I haven't slept much.
And then there was a voice.
It dawned on me one day, in the midst of feeling cranky, bloated, fuzzy and dizzy (after a huge cereal binge) that I needed to think about how much bread I was consuming. I was eating a lot of it, and I found massive amounts of comfort in it. I would literally have moments of my eyes rolling into the back of my head at the ecstasy of biting into that soft slice of peanutbutter covered multigrain or blissfully munch on crackers until I felt like I was going to pop. All the while, still this gnawing knowing of "This has to stop."
So what now?
This past weekend my husband and I went to Gary, IN to pack up his mother and move her down to Atlanta. During that visit, as we always wonderfully do, we went to visit his aunt and uncle. I had heard that his uncle had actually lost a significant amount of weight, but you never really know how great something is until you see it with your own eyes. When we pulled up to the house, he was outside cutting the grass. And there, pushing that lawnmower, was almost half the guy that I had seen just months prior. I waved as I saw him disappear behind a tree that they had in the front yard, and strolled out from behind it, focusing on keeping the lines straight in the yard.
After spending some time with them, and learning of his new vegetable-juicing regimen, he told me that he read the book "Wheat Belly," which I had heard about beforehand but never read. He says he still enjoys meats, dairy, nuts, etc, but literally has cut out bread. That, with an addition to juicing fresh carrots, celery, beets (leaves included), something else I didn't see and so on, he has really flattened himself out.
Now, talking to someone who was already open-minded about new healthy ways of living/eating to be healthy and lose weight, that is exactly what put me over the edge in this already looming feeling of "I need to cut back on breads..." So, yesterday, I downloaded Wheat Belly on my iPad Kindle app and I, as you can say, "cracked it open" last night. I read some of the excerpts from the book to my husband and he was blown away at some of the issues he was having that relate to some of Dr. Davis' patients. I was sold. Is my husband? I'm not sure yet, but time will tell.
This is the introduction to this journey.
I absolutely love bread.
No, no. I mean, REALLY love bread. And the thing is, with my strong adoration for bread, came the lateral love for anything that remotely resembles bread. Cereal, pasta, crackers, cookies, cereal, crackers, cereal, crackers and cereal. There have literally been times where, after eating an entire meal of bread, that I finally just look up and realize that everything that I ate was brown, lacking protein, mixed with chemicals and baked.
To turn the page on the matter, I'm now in my early 30s. And I'm dizzily learning that my body doesn't process junk like it used to. Going to McDonalds getting two cheeseburgers, a McFlurry and a medium order of fries used to be a great go-to meal for me. Fast, easy, cheap and delicious. Sure, I'd feel a little tired afterward, but I would just blame it on "The Itis" and call it a day. However, when I finally graduated to a new decade of responsibility for my body, "The Itis" turned into dizziness, slight headaches, mild nausea and fuzzy-headedness. Sometimes, even a moodswing. I didn't immediately connect the two together, and handed off my symptoms to stress or the fact that I haven't slept much.
And then there was a voice.
It dawned on me one day, in the midst of feeling cranky, bloated, fuzzy and dizzy (after a huge cereal binge) that I needed to think about how much bread I was consuming. I was eating a lot of it, and I found massive amounts of comfort in it. I would literally have moments of my eyes rolling into the back of my head at the ecstasy of biting into that soft slice of peanutbutter covered multigrain or blissfully munch on crackers until I felt like I was going to pop. All the while, still this gnawing knowing of "This has to stop."
So what now?
This past weekend my husband and I went to Gary, IN to pack up his mother and move her down to Atlanta. During that visit, as we always wonderfully do, we went to visit his aunt and uncle. I had heard that his uncle had actually lost a significant amount of weight, but you never really know how great something is until you see it with your own eyes. When we pulled up to the house, he was outside cutting the grass. And there, pushing that lawnmower, was almost half the guy that I had seen just months prior. I waved as I saw him disappear behind a tree that they had in the front yard, and strolled out from behind it, focusing on keeping the lines straight in the yard.
After spending some time with them, and learning of his new vegetable-juicing regimen, he told me that he read the book "Wheat Belly," which I had heard about beforehand but never read. He says he still enjoys meats, dairy, nuts, etc, but literally has cut out bread. That, with an addition to juicing fresh carrots, celery, beets (leaves included), something else I didn't see and so on, he has really flattened himself out.
Now, talking to someone who was already open-minded about new healthy ways of living/eating to be healthy and lose weight, that is exactly what put me over the edge in this already looming feeling of "I need to cut back on breads..." So, yesterday, I downloaded Wheat Belly on my iPad Kindle app and I, as you can say, "cracked it open" last night. I read some of the excerpts from the book to my husband and he was blown away at some of the issues he was having that relate to some of Dr. Davis' patients. I was sold. Is my husband? I'm not sure yet, but time will tell.
This is the introduction to this journey.
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