Official 1 week Wheat-Free

I don't know that I ever followed a diet as well as I've followed this one. It's really just one rule- but it eliminates so much in our culture!!!

I didn't cheat once, at least to my knowledge. So what are the results? How do I feel?

1. Well - first of all - it's amazing I stuck to this, and with such ease. I never stick to any diet all that well. So this in and of itself is amazing. Truly points to the increase in cravings/appetite being caused by wheat.

2. Wasn't as hungry. I was satisfied with less and needed to snack less. I kept snacks around though and would snack before a meal because my food would always be prepared after the rest of my family was fed.

3. I came down with a cold. hmmm?

4. Slightly gas-y but still able to socialize!

5. I lost 3 pounds!!! Whoo Hoo! Two pounds were in the first two days, so probably mostly water weight. That's okay.

6. I lost 1 inch in my waist and 1 inch in my hips!! AWESOME! I was a bit worried because I did measure myself halfway through the week and there was no change... but I'm very excited about this! It took me a month with Jillian Michael's to lose the same amount of inches and weight.

So I'm planning on staying wheat free. I'm limiting my other grains(mostly oats and corn) to once a day. I just tried a grain-free pancake recipe, not too bad! So I will have at least 1 more breakfast grain-free. I've also been eating a baked pumpkin-pie oatmeal. Obviously has grains but makes breakfast fast. I altered my granola recipe so it has no wheat in it, but obviously has oats. I also found some corn chips w/ flax seeds which I have occasionally for a salty/crunchy snack. But not every day. I eat chocolate. So I may need to find a grain-free brownie, that would be awesome.

This next week I plan on making more soup, to eat, probably a minestrone. I also want to try to make a cauliflower pizza crust. I meant to this week but timing didn't work out.

My biggest issue is we're going out of town for the weekend. I'm okay with that, unless we hit a continental breakfast w/ cereal and pastries. But I'll bring my snacks and granola bars + fruit. I'll make it work.

I'm actually afraid to eat wheat and have a sudden bowel movement attack! Especially when I'm out, so that helps me make wise choices when eating out. I'll report back next week!

Wheat-Free Update

Well, my first attempt at removing wheat from my diet didn't go so well. I certainly did make some wheat free choices and adjusted to accommodate, but then I would give in and choose the sweet, wheat-filled snack. So it wasn't really wheat-free.

But I'm refocused and rededicated to giving it a real try. Today is my third day totally wheat free. At least to the best of my knowledge. I say that because this evening we stopped at McDonald's for dinner after a trip to an out of town zoo. I got a quarter pounder(no bun) and I ate some fries. I knew there was a possibility that the meat would have "filler" that might contain some wheat. It must have. Within the half hour I was in desperate need of a bathroom. This can be very common when wheat is reintroduced. Although I am a bit surprised because it hasn't been that long. Of course - we are talking McD's though - not stellar food.

So I'm determined to give it a try. I keep reading accounts of how people lost weight and inches within the first two weeks. So I'm testing it out. I'm more prepared with wheat-free snacks and meal ideas. It's been surprisingly easy. It helps that it's not all carbs that are restricted so when eating out, a potato is an excellent choice! (~for the most part.) I'm eating a fair amount of fruit - which I usually resist for some reason. And I'm really not tempted by the cupcakes and fresh bread. Sure - I wanted the chicken bruchetta chibatta at the restaurant... but I got a smothered chicken breast with smashed potatoes and garden salad instead.

Right now my favorite wheat-free snacks include:
- Trail mix w/ a mix of nuts, raisins, M&M's
- Dried apricots
- Homemade granola bars(also a quick breakfast w/ some raw milk)
- Apple slices w/ PB
- Homemade yogurt w/ honey

I keep some trail mix and apricots in the car to keep hunger and temptation away when I drive. I'm trying to be more sensitive to my hunger levels. I don't eat a whole granola bar because I should finish it. I'll eat part and save the rest for later, when a few bites can hold me off to the next meal.

I'm loving waking up in the morning to see if the scale shows a difference - so far 2 pounds down!!! We'll see what tomorrow holds!

Wheat Belly

Wheat Belly by Willian Davis, MD
Lose the wheat, lose the weight, and find your path back to health

It's a book that I'm reading/already read.

It's written by a doctor who gives almost a text book explanation about wheat. I must say - to my foggy mind, it was hard to follow at times so I just skipped portions. Really, I was looking for weight loss stories and the method I should be following.

That's an actually very small part of the book. There is a great deal of interesting information regarding how wheat affect your body.

Okay - I just typed most of this blog entry and it wasn't saved and now it's lost. That's extremely annoying so I'll just get to the point of this entry.

So yesterday I attempted to cut out wheat. I wasn't tooo serious about it because I'm not really prepared to do so. But I thought I would see how it went and not worry about slipping up. He talks a bit about wheat withdrawal, so I wanted to see if I would have an issue with that. (I'm assuming I would because all diets are difficult for me!)

My eating was mostly wheat free, but not great. I had candy(wheat free!) and a side of pasta at dinner. The worst was then later(probably because I had the pasta) I said forget it ~ I want cookies tonight! So I threw some premade dough into the oven and ended up eating 6 cookies. Right before bed. How many diet rules am I breaking here?!?!

And yah know what? I'm down a full pound, the first in weeks!!! (Not that I've been actively trying too hard, but still.)

So I think it's definitely worth attempting! He does recommend not eating other processed foods or lots of other carbs but does reassure you will have success and health related results just from dropping the wheat. I think I can handle that. I can still have rice and potatoes, just not pasta. I have options. Sure, I should cut back on those things - and some days I will and some I may not.

It also gives me hope that maybe I'll be down a dress size by our Disney trip - just 38 days away!!!! Yikes!

Slipper Slope

It's been a long 4-5 weeks since I've really been on track. I feel so defeated and so helpless yet so focused on what I want. I'm my own oxymoron, heavy on the moron part.

Initially I fell off plan because I was overwhelmed and stressed. I wasn't in control of my surroundings and eventually I liked my food options more than staying in control. Well, once you start to slip, eventually you think - I might as well slip to my full potential, right? Or something like that.

So I did try to maintain some composure with my eating for a bit, until something happened, probably a weekend, and I started to over indulge. I'm not a binge eater - but I still was pushing to enjoy everything I had missed. After a week or two(-ish) of that I started to tell myself to knock it off!!! I didn't have to be ridiculous and over eat for the sake of over eating!

So I slowed down.

All this time I was still going to the gym 1-3 times per week. I had stopped the Jillian Michael's workout - the thought was just too much for me.

I've put on about 5 pounds. Could be worse.

I keep thinking if I just start small, one step at a time, then I'll start to see a difference. (see sugar post - FAIL!)My main thought was no snacks at night. This is hard for me... but I've seen results so I knew it would be worth it.

I just can't seem to do it! My husband was even going to start doing this, but he's still eating pretzels and ice cream sandwiches!!! So we're both struggling.

I've made an appt with the doctor. I want to get my thyroid rechecked. I have hypothyroidism which can slow down your metabolism. I'm thinking I'm out of whack - and not just because of the whole weight loss thing, but in other areas of my life. I've been saying for weeks now that there's just something wrong with me. It's kind of like when a mother knows her baby isn't healthy - despite the lack of fever or other symptoms... it's like that. But I just never made an appt. I'm anti-committal.

So I've finally made an appt. I'm hoping to shed some light on what's going on with me internally. I know there won't be a quick fix, but if I could just clear my mind and focus more, that might help. My main problem is remembering anything. I've bought the same item twice in one week because I thought we still needed it. I've missed two appts where I was supposed to babysit someone's kid. I forgot about that sugar post as soon as I posted it. And more and more - I just can't think strait and it's gotten worse. So I'm hoping there's something that can be done to help me in all these areas. It's a stretch, but we'll see. No good just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs.