This is the week I’m tackling some real food habits.
Weeks 1-3 were attempts to gain some control over my not so healthy habits and food gathering (shopping). I’m still working on those habits, but I’m ready to add some eating habits and it’s going to take some powerful determination.
I’ve known that I have a sensitivity to wheat for a long time. It manifests itself in various ways, but the one that really gets my attention is when my joints start to ache. I’ve even in the past been to an arthritis specialist who told me that I most likely had rhematoid arthritis, however none of the common test results showed that I did.
The drugs given for RA were pretty hard on me. My husband walked out into the arena where I was riding my horse one day and suggested that maybe I shouldn’t be riding while I was taking them. I didn’t ask him why because honestly I felt pretty out of it and knew the answer. I quit that day. Not wanting to accept the diagnosis and continue taking drugs that weren’t helping me anywy, I went about doing my own research. Long story short, that’s how I figured out that wheat was causing my problems.
Eliminating wheat from your diet is a very tall order. It’s in virtually all of the favorite foods we are accustomed to eating! The good thing is, it isn’t in a whole lot of foods too. Those would be the “good foods” we are supposed to be eating.
I have survived eliminating wheat in my diet before. I lost weight without even doing anything else. If I had given up some other things like sodas as well, I could have lost a lot of weight and I wouldn’t be where I am today! Did I say that it’s really hard to not eat wheat products. I’m talking about hamburger and hotdog buns, sandwich bread, donuts, pizza and on and on!!!! It’s in things you’d never imagine under some really strange names. I really sympathize with people who have celiac disease and continuing to eat wheat/glutin containing grains is a death sentence.
The eating plan I’m adapting to is eating at each meal and snack:
- Protein- (1/3 of volume)
- Carbohydrates- (2/3 of volume)
- Healthy fat – (small amount)
That’s it. Simple deal. Until I have to eat out. Until I fail to purchase food ahead of time. It turns into a hard deal then. The lunchbox idea that I’ve been using works pretty good. It’ll work even better when I get my Week 3 – Food Habit of food planning and purchasing going good!
Going this slow with small changes has really helped me discover dietary things I need to watch for. I’m hoping to help contain my acid reflux on this little journey. I’ve already remedied some digestive issues by eliminating aspartame.
Most people won’t be willing to cut wheat from their diet. The strategy by the “Zone Diet” is to use it like a condiment (that translates to very little). I know from time to time I’ll be eating my old favorites, but I’m going to really make the effort not to cheat. Feeling good and getting rid of extra weight is a worth goal and I’m not going to let myself down this time!