Showing posts with label food diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food diary. Show all posts

Saturday, February 5, 2011

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!

Monday, December 27, 2010

What is a Reasonable Plan for Me?

With some free time over this holiday, I am deciding what behaviors I want to implement for the New Plan routine.  The routine needs to be reasonable and cover the essentials that I feel will lead to my greatest health in mind, body and spirit.  I always seem to be most successful following through on things like exercise and yoga if I do them first thing in the morning.  This means coordinating with Richard, my husband, who has indicated that he, too, wants to get back into a routine with yoga and meditation, in the time we share before he heads off to work at 6:45 a.m.

The things I intend to incorporate into a daily routine in my New Plan for the New Year
  • 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise:  This, for me, is walking briskly around the hilly neighborhood or working out on my Gazelle elliptical machine.  I wear my heart monitor to help ensure I am spending an adequate amount of time in my target heart zone. 
  • 21 repetitions of the Five Tibetans yoga from the Fountain of Youth - usually when I am starting again, I will start off with 9 or 12 repetitions (always in increments of 3) and gradually increase to the ideal of 21 reps of each Tibetan rite.  There are great descriptions and more information in the book The Fountain of Youth and on the website that offers the poster below as a free download.  There are numerous YouTube videos demonstrating the Five Tibetans as well.


I highly suggest taking it slowly at first, and/or receiving individualized instruction for these postures and movements.  I have always felt amazing, balanced and energized after a session of Tibetans, which only takes a few minutes, even with the full 21 repetitions.

  • Alternate Nostril Breathing - This is an amazing tool to help balance the two sides of the brain, and the energy system that runs up and down the sides of the spine.  My mind always feels more clear, more relaxed and focused after a set of alternate nostril breathing, which, again, only takes a few minutes to complete.  Start slowly with 3-6 full breaths, and work up to 15 inhalations and exhalations.  Often I will add an affirmation with each inhale and exhale, such as "I am the Love of God" or "I am balanced, healthy, and clear" or "I am very very happy"...stuff like that. Here is a YouTube video demonstration: 
  •  Meditation:  Anywhere from just a few minutes to an hour, depending on the time availability in the day.  There is a vast array of types of recorded meditations available, and of course the "simple" Buddhist meditation of clearing the mind and focusing on the breath.  This also could be a focused daily reading as with A Course in Miracles, or a daily thought from an inspired mind.
  • Tracking everything I consume and all of my activities in My Food Diary at MyFoodDiary.com:  I really like this program because it does all of the adding for me, and lets me know how many calories I have left in the day, along with how I'm doing on saturated fat, protein, and carbohydrate consumption.  As I enter my exercise time, then the calories I can consume increases.  Also, at the end of each day, I get a run down of how I did, complete with smiley and frownie faces. I have created many recipes for my healthy creations and entered them into MyFoodDiary for easy tracking as well.
  • EFT and other modalities for clearing the emotional bonds, cravings and detrimental automatic behaviors that arise while I am taking the best care ever of my being.


There are a bunch of further YouTube videos with this gal, along with her website for more information.  There's a general EFT manual as a free download on my website:  www.StephanieBall.info.

I love this technique, and have seen it transform people in various states of unrest, including full-blown panic attack, to complete and utter peace and calm.  I look forward to incorporating it into this journey to help heal the beliefs and behaviors so that I will attain and retain a healthy body along with a healthy mind.

I will contemplate all of this that I wish to incorporate and devise a reasonable plan and decide when to set it in motion.  I'm also still working on my list of memories regarding body image, eating patterns, and exercise aloofness, and will share soon.

Blessings to all in the meantime!