Wheat free diet, months later.

August 31, 2013

Wheat free diet, months later.
So, about that wheat diet thing....

Here it is in August and to tell the truth I stopped the diet after failing it miserably on Easter.
I figured a day off the wagon would be no big deal but I just haven't got back on the wagon.
This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy or benefit from the diet. On the contrary. I really think I will go wheatless again soon because I did feel better during that period.

Here are my results:

• I lost about 20 pounds going from 220 to 200. All within the first month.
• I felt good after only 4 days of giving up grains. Really. I had a spring in my step and felt more energetic.
• After a week or so I resumed eating other grains in limited quantities so it basically became a wheat free diet whereas when I started, I went totally all grain free. I started with more of a Paleo or Primitive / Cave man diet and it felt good.
• My migraines decreased by half during the 4 months of my diet. (That alone is worth the diet!)
• I generally felt better.
• I slept better and remembered more dreams.
• I didn't feel bloated or over full after eating.
• I didn't get hungry between meals.
• I found I didn't need bread or crackers at every meal and that has still stuck with me. 
• I found I didn't need to try to make a bread substitute out of rice flour. I just went without it.
• I found it wasn't that hard and I felt good about it.
• I found many cereals are wheat free. Just avoid Wheaties and Total and such. Read ingredients.

Overall, I think a paleo or wheat free diet is a good thing. It's possible I'm a bit gluten sensitive, though not as much as some people. I've never been tested though a few of my relatives are sensitive and are celiacs.

Anyway, for what it's worth, there's my story. I wish I would've kept a better diary but such is life. Life gets in the way of many goals.

If you're thinking of going wheat free or gluten free or grain free, go for it. It certainly doesn't hurt and with all the information out there it's really not that hard. Besides, a doughnut or piece of pizza every now and then won't kill you, but eating pasta,  garlic bread, and bagles everyday certainly is not going to do you any good.

Enjoy.

No Wheat diet - Day 6

WHEAT BELLY DIET - discussions from a non-dieter

After a co worker told me about his Wheat Belly diet I checked it out.
It makes sense to me, so I'm giving it a try.
I did it for about two days, then had a bunch of pizza and went back to my old ways for another week.
I didn't give up, necessarily, it's just that I came home and my wife had made pizza, so I ate some.

This time, though, I'm into it.
It's not as difficult as I thought it would be.
I've been eating egg, cheese, and ham melts for breakfast.  I'm snacking on carrots or having an avocado snack during the day. Lunch is usually any kind of meat or vegetable leftovers including barbecue pork steaks, steaks, chicken, whatever.
If I'm out and in a hurry, finding fast food that does not contain bread is tough, but I ended up choosing Wendy's and having a large Chili. I threw away the crackers.  
I came home one night to pizza again and just scraped the toppings off of the crust. Yummy! Really.

So, what are the results you ask?
Nothing real tangible yet like a big weight loss (maybe a few pounds), but on Day 4 at work, I noticed I wasn't feeling 'blah' or tired like I normally do. I had some energy and walked with a bit of a spring in my step. Interesting. I felt good. This continued through day five and now day six. I feel good. Is it all in my head or because of the fact I have not consumed large quantities of wheat for almost a week? I don't know for sure, but does it really matter?  I actually feel like dropping to the floor and doing some push ups or other kind of exercise.   Believe me, I've not really felt like doing that for a few years.

So, I'm continuing. It's not that hard. I like meat and vegetables. I like bread too, but giving it up is no big deal. No bready sandwiches  more salads. I'm not totally without wheat because once in a while I'll eat something that is breaded like a fried cheese stick or KFC, but I have drastically reduced my wheat intake as well as giving up all other grains. I did have some brown rice with my chicken the other day though, but not much.

A bit about myself. I am 49 years old, reasonably good health with my cholesterol creeping up every year for the past 10 years and I am suppose to be on cholesterol medicine. I take it when I think about it.  I'm 6'2 and currently weigh 215 lbs. I feel most comfortable under 200, so we'll see if I can drop 20 or so pounds.  I commute 30 miles to work and 30 miles back. Lead a rather sedentary lifestyle, but do take the 3 flights of stairs at work and do yard work and such, but don't exercise regularly. No running or biking. Maybe a few chin ups here and there or chopping wood, but again, nothing regular.

I will attempt to log my future experiences with the wheatless diet.

Feeling Fat? Got Wheat Belly?

Feel fat?
Try cutting down on wheat in your diet.
Today's wheat is nothing like wheat of 2,000 years ago.
Our bodies can't quite process it.
It turns to carbs and sugars and visceral (gut) fat.
Check out the book: Wheat Belly.
And the Wheat Belly Cook Book.
Or, just the short version which is a 30 minute version of the book for the Kindle.
So, just in time for the new year resolution, try to lose some weight, feel better, even get rid of allergies and give up that wheat belly.

Good luck.

Heck, I don't know

I haven't a clue what this blog will be about. Maybe just random thoughts. K?