2-12-2011 Confirmation

While my body feels better than ever, I still gained 1.2 pounds this week.  If I recall correctly, this time last month (around ovulation) I also gained when I didn't expect to and was feeling great.  It may be something that happens naturally to me as a woman who still has cycling hormones.  I'm okay with that.

I had some great workouts (every day on the elliptical for 45 minutes in my target heart zone) and ate well, without sugar, wheat, or saturated fat, or cholesterol.  We let up on the Tibetans a bit due to my recovering jammed thumb.  It was a very busy week with a couple of exams, so I didn't take the time to enter any of my food into My Food Diary, but I didn't feel I needed to, since I was pretty much following what I've been doing the last few weeks, calorie-wise.  

I do think I'm onto something with the wheat.  I inadvertently ate wheat last weekend, just after I wrote how great I was feeling without it for four days.  I had my delicious Ezekiel bread avocado sandwich, which I thought was "safe" in the wheat-free world.  While Ezekiel bread is "flour-free", made with sprouted wheat it has added wheat gluten.  What made me explore this "healthy" bread further?  Within minutes of eating my sandwich, even while I was still eating my sandwich, I began to feel nauseous and dizzy, and within an hour most of my joints had a deep burning pain which lasted for the rest of the afternoon.  The next day my digestion was way off.  I guess that was my little confirmation about going wheat-free.  Ever since, again without the wheat, (sugar, cheese, and other dairy) I have felt really good.  My arthritic knees feel better than they have since last April when I had the pseudogout flareup, my digestion has felt great, energy is good, and mental clarity and mood are great!  

Onward ho!  I have to cut this short since I have yet another exam for which to study, and a few assignments to catch up on from this week.  There's not much more to say except what I've said.  I feel relatively neutral about it, and know I am doing the right things for my greatest health.  My clothes are looser and my body FEELS slimmer and healthier.

Thanks for reading and for your support!

2-5-2011 Wheat-Free

The Week's Stats:

Weight: 205.0 lb, loss for week is 1.6 lb, and total loss is 6.2 lb. since 1/1/11.

This is more like it.  After last week's blog I spent the next few days pondering what to do with my suspected food sensitivities.  I knew I didn't have time or energy to revamp my entire diet to start in on an allergy elimination diet, but I knew something needed to change.  My intuition kept telling me to check into a gluten-free diet.  Even that would take a whole lot of effort and planning, and in the midst of the pharmacy school semester, I did not want to make too many changes to what I was already doing.  I did actually decide that February was going to be "gluten-free", but what did I do the first morning of February 1?  I ate steel cut oats for breakfast, which, of course, have their own gluten.  Noticing my frustration with myself, my hubby, Richard, suggested that maybe instead of ALL gluten, maybe just eliminate wheat products, since those are the most allergenic for most people.  That made the most sense of all.  That way I could still have my healthy steel cut oats, and just be super mindful of the wheat products around me and not eat them. Being a vegetarian, Richard isn't too keen on wheat-, or gluten-free, which is fine.  We stocked up on gluten-free breads at Whole Foods (and got him a loaf of wheat bread to gnaw on).  I am so grateful to live in an era where these products are available.  

Thus, for the last four days, I have not had any wheat products.   I've also kept to no refined sugar, and no dairy (except for my Wallaby yogurts), including cheese, one of my favorite and worst dietary culprits.  I do have to say, that even after just four wheatless days, my body feels far less bloated, far less gassy, and "cleaner".  Also, the cardiac exercise seemed easier.   Interesting.  I'm going to give "wheat-free" a month, and see if it gets even better and better, or if there might be something else I need to eliminate.  I'll call this the Reverse Elimination Diet.  I am also pondering doing a cleanse over Spring Break in March, to clear even further.  There's no way I'll do something like that while I have so much homework and studying to do.  I am also surprised by how easy it is to not eat wheat products.  Of course we haven't eaten out yet to face that wheat-free challenge.

The exercise has been good, with the Gazelle elliptical 45 minutes 4 mornings this week.  Last weekend we went on a couple of 4 mile walks.  The weather was not compatible for outdoor walks this week due to -15 degree temps and lower with wind chill and snow, so all of the exercise was indoors.   I'm sure I burned lots of calories just staying warm.  We did our Five Tibetans for about half of the week, until my left wrist/thumb started to feel jammed and bruised, perhaps to doing yoga in the cold house.  So I am resting my hand, and doing the yoga I can without weight bearing on my wrists.  

We continue to read a Course in Miracles lesson each day for our meditation study, so that is still in alignment with my goals.  I have done absolutely NO EFT this week.  There just hasn't seemed to be a need.  I really haven't experienced cravings, or emotional addictions, even with eliminating the wheat, it is almost as if my body is sighing a great big "THANK YOU!"   The possibility for doing EFT is always in my mind.

I'm looking forward to another successful week.   I am excited I weigh 15 pounds fewer than early last August, and I am encouraged that I am on a great track!