Back on track..

I've been thinking about my weekend - I had some bread - it was really good bread, but then all bread is really good bread to a wheat addict. I didn't *pig* out - just a sandwich because I was unprepared and didn't have access to any food that would be good for me (one of my sons had 7 hockey games at his weekend tournament, and a daughter had a bottle drive, and then there was the usual stuff that goes with having a large family). So, I learned that I always have to be prepared with food I can eat easily at hand when I'm in out of home locations. Not hard to keep some nuts in the car - and some fruit.

The positive part of this was that I didn't beat myself up emotionally and surprisingly, it was very easy to not jump back on the wheat wagon. I've had no trouble getting back to my food plan and I'm not actually missing wheat products at all.

So, why couldn't I do this when I tried Atkins so many times? I could always stick with it for a while but the intensity of my commitment to the diet always wore me out. I don't feel that way at all this time - instead, I just  think about avoiding wheat. Weird - and I can't find a single neuroscience piece to help me understand this.

A nice side effect of my wheat avoidance life style is that my face seems less puffy and the pants I put on for work this morning are a bit loose. Not a dramatic change for most people, but if even a half inch is gone, then I'm doing the happy dance. However, I'm determined not to focus on weight but to keep my mind on health. Still, I'm sure all would agree that a little less of me would be a good thing!!

Oh well, no point in thinking myself into a stupor - just continuing on. Hey, have your best day possible.

I've been on dozens of low carb diets but failed at them all because I couldn't manage the cravings. I'm not finding that to be a problem so far. In fact, yesterday I was out of town on business and I wasn't in a place where I could eat my home made lunch, so I went to a restaurant and ordered a scrumptious salad of mixed greens, shrimp, feta, and some vegetables with a nice balsamic dressing. The potential trigger for me was that it arrived with some delightful looking pita bread!! Well folks, pita to me is a prime drug/substance of choice. The pleasure center of my brain sees a nice fluffy, fresh from the oven pita and it starts doing the neuronal happy dance.I didn't even have time to ask the server to take it away because she disappeared too quickly. To cut to the point - I not only didn't eat it, I didn't even struggle with not eating it. And, I didn't finish my salad because I got full and lost my appetite. Very different experience for me!!!! 

I've found some wheatless tasty things too - I'm not a big treat eater - although many not believe that when they look at me, but truly, I'm not. However, with Christmas coming up I wanted to have some wheatless cookies or bars to eat on the type of occasion when that sort of social thing is happening and I don't have lots of baking time, so I looked harder in my local grocery store and was pleased to find some commercially made cookies and bars that are wheatless and fit the bill. 

I've also had to do some thinking about if I'm going to determine the success and suitability of the Wheat Belly plan by weight loss or inches lost, or how I feel, or .......? I haven't fully decided but I have decided that pounds lost isn't going to the issue. I know I feel better, and I know I can't be harmed by eating more vegetables and less wheat based carbs, so for now, I'll just keep on with the plan and consider weight loss later.

So, have your best day possible and I hope your food plan is working for you.

Doing okay so far...

It's always easy enough to stick with an eating change at the beginning. I'm sure you've done the same a thousand times too (well, maybe it's just me whose tried and failed a thousand times) - anyway, the motivation is high and the novelty triggers some endorphins to make the diet self rewarding - then, harsh reality sets in. The brain is wired to go to the negative (for survival because nothing that's fun and easy relates to keeping us alive) and it's wired to the familiar. So, once the novelty wears off, the endorphins are no longer triggered and we fade back into the same old eating patters. However, I'm still in the early days so it's been easy to stay on the Wheat Belly/Paleo style plan.

I've also found some food products that might help. Breakfast is a challenge for me because with 8 of us trying to get ready and fed and lunches packed up it's a zoo and I lack creativity at that time of the day but I found a cereal called Baker on Main that I just love. It's crunchy and filling and tasty - a great combo.

I'm still  starving by 11 a.m. but my schedule doesn't allow for eating then anyway so no problem staying clear of food. I do find, however, that I'm not getting the weird feelings in my head (almost dizzy, almost a headache, just not quite right) when I'm hungry on this diet so I'm able to tolerate the hunger much better. I'm hoping the hunger will lessen with time. I also bought some Skinny B which I will try later this week.


I've been reading lots of blogs on wheatless eating and many mention clearing out their cupboards of wheat products. I can't do that. How on earth would I feed by kids without bread and pasta? I know millions of you do that quite well, but I can't. I need a quick go to meal on occasion as I run home from work and try to get something cooked before hockey practice or dance or piano lessons. And no, my kids aren't over scheduled, there's just a lot of them. Also, they love this type of food on occasion and they don't show signs of weight issues or slow thinking or any of the symptoms of wheat allergies - so why do it. I'm trying to find fast alternatives for myself such as frozen fish to microwave and then I have some of the salad we all have with our meals.

Yup, still early days and still learning and exploring how to live wheatless, not witless.

Have your best day possible.

First steps...

Today I was sent a link to the Wheat Belly book by William Davis MD. It hit me like a rock on my hard skull. I've been fat for a long time now. Not just overweight, not just fluffy, I mean fat. I've also developed the curse of fat people - Diabetes type 2. It runs in my family - we all have it, even my skinny relatives - but that's no excuse - I may have had a genetic disposition to D2, but I wasn't likely to avoid it with my weight no matter what my ancestors passed on to me.

Anyway, back to my fatness. Like most fat people, I've failed every diet known to human kind - twice or three times on most of them. Doctors never believe that, they all seem to think that we fatties sit around eating bon bons all day. Well, I'm the mom of 14 - 8 still at home, and I work full time - and I have a mom with Alzheimer's- so how many minutes in a day do you think that leaves me to sit around stuffing myself. Sure, I eat the wrong thing at times, and I eat too much at times, but so do slim people. So - what's my problem? Am I doomed to this weight and an early death by food?

I figured I was, and I was grieving that. Then, my cousin sent the link to Wheat Belly and I looked up the web page. My oh my ..... I know that's it. I always knew I craved bread and pasta and as I read the Wheat Belly book (which of course I ran straight out and bought) I felt like every word was written to me.

So, the next logical question is - why do a blog about this? Well friends, I blog about other things too - it's a great way to meet other people who walking the same path, and to keep myself honest. If I do well, I'll let you know. When I fail, I'll write about that too. I'd love to hear from you and what you are doing on your journey  - whether it's with food, or wheat, or life in general.

That's my intro to me - have your best day possible.