Wheat Belly Book

I've been wondering about my huge and growing gut. At Christmas, I sat on the sofa at a friend's house and could barely get up. All my fat heaved upward and pushed my chin up, pressing all my fat up against my trachea, making me feel like I would soon suffocate.

As I come across books I'd like to read, I put them on hold on my library website. When they are ready for pick-up (some take weeks), I never really know why I wanted it, but I  usually still thumb through it.

Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD is one of those books.

As far as my digestion goes, I don't really have any reason to go gluten-free (I'm so grateful), and I've reduced my grains significantly over the past two years. Reading this book makes me wonder if I really need to eat wheat at all, since the wheat I'm eating isn't really WHEAT.

I'm going to cut out wheat as much as I can and see if that helps me lose weight. What would I cut out? I occasionally eat a tortilla and several times a month eat some kind of noodle. I don't each rice or bread very often.

If you'd like to see what I do eat, you can see my daily food logs HERE.

All the Exercise Program Posts

From my previous blog, here's some of the posts on "exercise". When the Lord told me to walk to the mailbox, I had no idea what perfect exercise walking would be for me.

There are 50 posts about exercise on my previous blog. I'm going to select a few of my favorites.

Three Days in a Row March 2013
Higher Desire November 2012
Walk Adjustments August 2012
Difficult Week July 2012
Shin Splint Pain May 2012
Walking Comparison Then and Now May 2012
Walking Daily February 2012
First Walk January 2012
Walk to the Mailbox Each Day January 2012

In April 2012, the Lord told me to "Get Strong".

Get Strong April 2012

I started with buying a Shake Weight because I thought an "arm workout" would be a good place to start...and it really was for me, because at that time I couldn't do too much with my shoulders.

I've looked at many different things, but I think I finally know what I'm supposed to do. Here's a few things I've tried (at least once):
Shake Weight
DDP Yoga
Walking/Hiking
Dancing/Salsa/Zumba
Rebounder/Mini-Trampoline
T-Tapp
10 Minute Trainer
Les Mills Body Pump
Biking

In my continual search for activities I can actually do without hurting myself, I've researched (and purchased) a handful of exercise DVDs. Until recently, I really didn't realize that exercise can be put in two categories, cardio and strength training. I think I finally know what He means by "Get Strong"...I think it actually means lifting weights. I'd like to figure out a way to do that at home, though I'm considering joining L.A. Fitness for a few months and see how it goes. This journey truly has been a process!

All the Product Posts

I've had some challenges come up over the past two years which have made me look at certain foods I eat. Even though I like to eat the foods I like, sometimes there's a way to make adjustments so I can eat MORE!

The Chocolate Problem December 2013
Newman's Own June 2012
Milk Substitute May 2012
Today's Salad-Bacon May 2012
La Tortilla Smart and Delicious May 2012
Fiber Supplement January 2012

I still use these products, but I've switched to Silk brand unsweetened Almond Milk because my store no longer stocks Pacific brand. I'm okay with it because the Silk has a creamier consistency that I like a lot.

All the Salad Posts

A few months into my weight loss journey, the Lord finally said something about what to eat! He told me to have (at least) one salad every day.

Salad Update August 2013
Hope November 2012
Today's Salad-Extra Dressing May 2012
Today's Salad-Bacon May 2012
Hike-Squires Lake May 2012
Need to Eat Extra Calories Tonight May 2012
Today's Salad-Day 3 Diamond Cutter May 2012
Today's Salad May 2012
Weekend Hike-Camano Island State Park May 2012
Today's Salad-Hungry May 2012
Today's Salad-All Green May 2012
Eat One Salad Per Day May 2012

Today's salad status...here's the recipe that I pretty much eat every day now and I still LOVE it!

I keep my salad stuff in a box in the frig. Making a fresh salad with this many ingredients every single day demands some organization! I have a lightweight plastic bowl I use to mix up my salad. I hand wash my bowl every single day before eating my salad so it is clean and ready for the next day. I put that on the scale.
60g butter lettuce (packaged)
20g baby fresh spinach (packaged)
60g chicken breast (cooked and frozen in pre-measured zip bags)

3 or 4 snap peas pods (put on plate for slicing)
1 hard boiled farm fresh free range egg (put on plate for slicing)
1 large stalk organic celery (put on plate for slicing, pre-cut and stored in glass dish with water)
40g organic cucumber which is about 1" thick slice (put on plate for slicing)
Trim ends off celery, cut and dice everything on plate, dump into salad bowl. Then I'll use the plate to serve myself the salad after it's all mixed together.

Almost done!

12g pre-chopped red onion (I should probably upgrade this to organic)
35g pre-chopped red pepper (organic red peppers are usually $5 where I live, they are delicious, but over the top pricewise for me!)
7g sunflower seeds
5g pre-chopped Craisins (regular or low-sugar)
45g Newman's Own Lite Balsamic (the world's BEST low everything but high taste salad dressing!)

Then I mix it all up and dump all that goodness onto the plate and EAT! I'm best if I eat it before 2:30pm so I don't get too hungry or too close to dinner.

347 calories
 17 fat
 25 carbs
 30 protein
 13 sugars
 7 fiber

Simply delicious to eat every day and so satisfying I don't get hungry for hours!

All the Chocolate Posts

Boy have I struggled with chocolate. I used to eat candy every single day and more, I considered it a vital nutrient! No more refined sugar/candy/chocolate was one of the first directives the Lord gave me. After two years, I think I have a sustainable solution.

The Chocolate Problem December 2013
A Word About Peanut Butter and Chocolate May 2012
Cut Out Obvious Refined Sugars January 2012

Today's chocolate status includes eating it when I want-in moderation. But no sugar. No matter how I sliced it, even if I eat tiny chocolate chips, the sugar invades my system and causes me to want and crave more. Very dark chocolate has way less sugar and doesn't do that to me. It's OK. I get the creamy texture and the filling fat along with that chocolatey taste.

I like Ghiradelli 86% Cocoa Midnight Reverie chocolate squares. And I love our local Theo Chocolate in Fremont. I love that they operate using organic ingredients and fair trade cocoa beans. We took a tour of their chocolate factory recently...and visited their STORE at the end of the tour. They have a lovely 85% pure chocolate bar that is exquisite! I love the texture, not quite as smooth as the Ghiradelli (it doesn't have all the emulsifiers in there), so it gives me a little variety. I eat one or two squares when I'm craving something a little sweet usually in the afternoon or after dinner. I don't eat milk chocolate anymore, only the high percentage dark chocolate, unless it qualifies as a "treat", like when my daughter makes chocolate chip cookies.

Sunday Weigh In #1 of 45 in 2014

My scale just doesn't tell me the same number each time I step on it! I'm going with this number and I know that what I'm looking for is a TREND, I don't care so much about the number. I'd like to see under 220lbs by the end of March.

Today was 227.1

All the Water Posts

When I started this weight loss journey, I asked God to tell me what to do. I didn't want man's wisdom because it didn't work! One of the first things He told me to do was drink more water. From my previous blog, here are the posts that document my process in making this a daily habit.

Sleek Water System January 2014
Another Way to Track Water Intake October 2013
I've Got It! August 2013

Ten Glasses! August 2012

This Morning's Walk-Heart July 2012

A Word About Water May 2012

Keep Walking Keep Drinking March 2012

Water March 2012