Day 30: Baby Step Lessons

Baby Step Lessons

Q: Where have I been?
A: Bleeding. Just allot of bleeding, pain and surgery.

Don't worry, I'm fine. But a lesson was learned. I had some complications that made it impossible for me to have my LEEP surgery as scheduled. Turns out, the complication, likely has to do with a change in my diet. Sometimes when I start to lose weight my body will respond in a kind of over-reacting-manner to the new lifestyle change. It happened in 2003 after I loss 30+ lbs on Jenny Craig. However, this time around, I believe it had to do with eliminating about 70% of process foods and gluten from my diet. I did it over a span of 2 weeks , but I must have eliminated the processed foods and gluten too quickly, because my body essentially went through a form of "withdrawal," with a severe hormonal imbalance, so-to-speak.

I spoke with my Doctor about it and he said that "our bodies develop a dependance to the hormones and chemicals found in process foods and eliminating them drastically can have a negative effect on our bodies."

He recommended that I spend at least a year slowly tapering away my intake of process foods and gluten, "a baby steps approach." He said that "especially a person like yourself [me] who is dependent on process foods with a strong sensitivity to hormonal changes, should take a long-term approach to weening yourself off the process foods and gluten, rather than a sudden stop."

So I did have my surgery, and it went well, but in order to get my body to stop "over-reacting," I had to double up on my daily hormone regiment. I ate without a care to the processed foods but tried not to overindulge. My skin turned into a teenager and I felt bloated. I was sedentary for about 10 days. I feared I had gained back the 4 lbs. I worked so hard to lose -- only to be pleasantly surprised to lose an additional 1.5 lbs.

Whoohoo!

Moral of the story: Baby steps when making a BIG diet change and don't worry about weight gain when you're sick -- just get better.

Wheat Wars: The Phantom Wheat Menace™

Photo by lusi at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1148243

Is wheat bread bad for your diet?
Many dietitians, health magazines and doctors will say that it is bad for your diet and that the long-held belief wheat bread is better for you and healthier for your diet is all just a myth.

According to author Dr. William Davis of the book "Wheat Belly" claims that wheat is addictive as crack cocaine:
"There's something in modern wheat called gliadin that was changed by the geneticists to change the properties of this plant, mostly to increase yield," Davis said. "The unintended effect is that it increases appetite ... for junk ... so, people can't help themselves." He added that wheat consumption can lead to feelings of "incessant hunger." CBS News, http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article/262600/57/Author-Wheat-Is-As-Addictive-As-Crack 

Is this a sensational method to sell a book? Possibly. However, this hasn't been the first time I've heard accounts about diets that suggest to lose weight, you need to simply cut out ALL wheat products. Dr. William Davis says on his blog, that to remove wheat from your diet overnight is like removing a splinter:
"Remove wheat, like removing a splinter that makes your finger hot, sore, and open to infection, and the body needs to readjust to this new lifestyle." -- http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/ on January 12, 2013 blog entry entitled Nutritional supplements in the wake of wheat elimination

My original dietitian in 2009 tried to get me to follow a similar method for bowel health. SHAPE magazine author, Jennipher Walter says:
"Don't be fooled by wheat-bread products. If the package doesn't specifically say "100-percent whole wheat,” then it's probably mostly white bread with just a little wheat flour mixed in for marketing. Also: Make sure each slice has at least 2 grams of fiber—another mark of a truly healthy bread." -- http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/50-seemingly-healthy-foods-are-bad-you?page=22, SHAPE Magazine.

Even Dr. Oz is jumping into this fray of the Wheat Wars, with a November 2012 article about Dr. William Davis's book stating:
"Whether it comes in the form of organic, sprouted multigrain bread, a squishy white loaf or a strand of spaghetti, all wheat is bad for you, says cardiologist William Davis, MD, author of the bestselling book Wheat Belly. Davis claims that today’s wheat is both addictive and toxic. By eliminating what he calls “Frankenwheat” from your diet, you’ll dramatically shrink your belly and also ward off or reverse myriad health problems." -- http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/todays-wheat-making-you-gain-weight, DoctorOz.com

 It has been suggested to me that as a migraine sufferer I should eliminate the gluten and all wheat products as well. Well that's a challenge, isn't it. I do have a loaf of millet bread in the fridge for the upcoming week to try … I'll tell you what I think of it, and I will see if I can't eliminate wheat from my diet and see if it makes a difference. In the mean time, the war rages on and here's a funny from Stephen Colbert (warning, it is a little crass, not suitable for all ages):

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Thought for Food - Wheat Addictions
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Day 18: Focus on Change, Not the Results

What happened to day 7-17? Life.
I stayed with my program and I've lost 3 lbs. It's been hard to get back into the swing of things, but I think I've found my rhythm. I was going to do a safety edition of my daily posts, but I've decided it should be a Royale Decree™.

Anyhow, I am not here to talk about food or safety. I'm here to talk about challenges -- medical challenges to be more specific. I spoke of a challenge I would be facing this year and it is a medical one. I am having surgery on Monday, and though I am not concerned about the surgery itself, I am concerned about sitting around on my backside for a few days. Unlike a cold or the flu, I know this is coming, so I am going to have to prepare.

I want to be sure that I don't get up often on my recovery day and that all my food and drink are healthy and nutritious -- and easily accessible. I am doing this, because I know my surgery might affect my metabolism. I don't know if this is a biological fact, but it seems that everything I do affects my metabolism. So part of me wouldn't be surprised if surgery does … hold on let's see what the interwebs say … according to Toshiedar L at http://www.traineo.com/topics/3540, my surgery will cause stress no matter what, emotional stress is what it sounds like. Toshiedar L suggests that I focus on keeping my vitamins and nutrients high and invest in things that decrease inflammation, speed wound healing and increase my immune system. Keep all my meals small but frequent.

Good advice for any diet, I imagine. So hopefully this small bump in the road won't make it harder to reach my goal. However a "goal" that focuses on just the results will distract me from what I really want, which is "change." I heard a quote the other day that I've thought about for days now:


"If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results."
–– Jack Dixon

So my new "goal" is the "change" I am going to to make for my body and my life. I want to change the way I eat, drink and live, so I can change into a healthier and leaner me with fewer health problems — and that's a good plan. Period.

Photo by miqueias at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/971651

Day 06: Dealing With My Head

I think I miss counted and today is actually day 7. However, in light of the new year and not to confuse myself and everyone, I am just going to count this as Day 06, as in Day 06 of the new year. Technicals, who needs them?

Today is a lazy day. I am at Activity Level I: Sedentary. I might motivate myself in about 2-3 hours to jump to Activity Level II or III, and go for a brisk walk. See Chapter 4: Fit As A King for the meaning of these Activity Levels. I've been trying to maintain an Activity Level of II this week, which means working out 3 times. So far, so good.

I had a severe headache last night and this morning. My medication for treating them makes me groggy and tired. I need to pick up my perscription for this medication, and the CVS is across the street, about a mile on foot. So that will be good to walk. Regardless, this is what I was talking about, in regards to the challenges I will face, and what it will take to stay on the path to health and a fabulous dress size. 

By the way ... looking for a quick and easy lunch without the extensive thought process, for only a few extra calories and we're talking about 20-40, choosing a fully packed Lunchables is a wise choice. For only 350 calories, you can enjoy a quick well balanced meal for under $4. Below is what I had yesterday for lunch. It was called the Turkey and Cheddar Sandwich Sub pack. It came with a small turkey and cheddar sub with low fat mayo, apple sauce, oreo cookies, and Kool-aide. Yum! I hope you are doing well on your diets today. Be well.