Wheat and your arteries...

Did you know that when you eat whole wheat products, they actually help SHRINK the LDL particles in your bloodstream making them far more likely to stick to your artery walls and trigger the possibility of heart attacks and strokes?

Day Two...

Today is my second day of wheat free living. Whew...got through day one. Hey, giving up wheat is a little easier than I had imagined it would be. Now don't get me wrong...I do miss the bread for the sandwiches for lunch and that Italian bread to scoop up my spaghetti sauce with, but until I find that wheat free bread that makes my mouth reel with delight, my wheat and gluten free crackers will have to do.With that said we will move on to my second day of meals.

Breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs with onion.
1 Rice cake

I know...a rice cake does not make a great bread substitute, but it was enough of a filler that I maintained until lunch. As I said, I am still searching for that perfect wheat free bread!

Snack:
1 small 8 oz glass Almond Milk (Trader Joe's brand)
2 Ginger Snaps  ( Trader Joe's  brand which are Gluten Free) A little to much ginger for my taste buds,  but over all just 2 cookies quenched my sweet tooth and carried me into lunch. If you like a stronger taste of ginger then these would be ideal for you. 5 cookies are 140 calories.

Lunch:
1/2 can Tuna mixed with onion, mayo and 1/4 of a diced apple  This combo helped me satisfy my sweet tooth with the sweetness of the added apple.
16 nut and rice crackers  (Blue Diamond brand)
Small side salad with olive oil and vinegar

Dinner:
Mashed potatoes
Quinoa  and turkey stuffed Green Peppers   (recipe found in Dr Davis's Loose The Wheat book ) Wow is all I can say to this recipe. I love stuffed green peppers and this one really set my taste buds on fire! I think I could have eaten the whole 9x13 pan of them but just one whole serving was all it took to satisfy my hunger.


Night time snack:
Handful of raw almonds


I was really amazed at the end of the day what little I had really eaten at each meal, and yet I felt satisfied and full. I guess when Dr Davis states that 'Wheat is an appetite stimulant"... he wasn't kidding. Without all that wheat in my system my cravings for more cookies, bagels, soft drinks and other wheat laden products are slowly disappearing.



Note*  Since your daily regulations will change by eliminating wheat as with any diet change, be sure to get adequate amounts of water daily. I personally have found drinking a mixture of very warm water, a squeeze of fresh lemon and 1 pkt of Splenda makes a very nice MOCK" lemon tea which I enjoy at least 3 times a day to help in daily regulation.

Day one of Wheat Free Living for me:

I received my copy of Lose The Wheat, Loose The Weight  from Rodale written by William Davis MD in Thursday's  mail. I must admit that once I started reading it I found it quite hard to put down. All the information I had known about the benefits of wheat grain flew out the door...
Now I have to admit I am easily convinced and so that is the reason for this challenge to myself. If I was to be sure this wheat free eating plan was going to work for me I knew from past "DIETS" that the first thing I must do is weigh myself and take measurements. Taking this information in the morning  upon first waking  is the best time to do so. Also, weighing in only once a week at  the same time and day is important.  Weighing  yourself every day will only discourage you if you don't see immediate improvement. As with any eating plan there is usually no  any noticeable progress for at least a week.

 Before day one of my new eating plan these were my weight and measurements.:

Weight: 131.8 pounds ( unclothed )
Waist: 37 inches ( where waist is suppose to be )
Stomach: 40 inches ( around fullest part )
Hips: 38 1/2 inches ( Around fullest part )
Now to some of you these measurements might seem a bit funny and wonder why I am putting forth such effort,  but as I said before...for my height I look to be in my seventh month with child! Not funny to me.

Now on to my days intake of food for day 1 / Friday. Please remember that I just received the book and haven't had ample time to grocery shop for all the items the recipes in the book call for so I am 'making do" with what my local store offered on such short timing.

Breakfast:
 2 sodium free rice cakes with peanut butter (Mother's brand)
Cup of tea with 2 pkt. Splenda

Snack:
Handful of raw  almonds

Lunch:
Apple/Cranberry/Grilled Chicken salad from Burger King (took my own dressing of olive oil, vinigar and lemon juice)

I was too full  to eat dinner so I had  a handful of nut and rice crackers later in the evening ( Blue Diamond brand, wheat and gluten free ) These are absolutely delicious, a pleasant surprise!

I will post tomorrow for day two. Until then, Happy Living!

My personal challange...

Okay...here goes. I have created this blog as a personal diary of sorts. First  I will tell you a little about myself and why I am taking on the Wheat Free living challenge.
When I was in High School I weighed in between 107 - 112 lbs pretty much consistently. At only 5'2 1/2 inches I was pretty slim. I use to get teased that if I turned sideways I would look like thermometer! Those were the good old days!
Okay...so I am now in my beginning sixties, and although I don't expect to have the shape of a model,  I do expect that I should feel good about myself. Right?
I use to love to shop for clothes and pretty much felt good about the shape I was in until I reached my 40's then the weight around my middle seemed to suddenly appear from no where.
First, while in my late 40's,  I tried the Adkins Diet. After about 3 months on it, although I did loose 12 pounds of  weight,  I was only to find out that my cholesterol levels had shot up dramatically.
Second time around I tried Jenny Craig..I did loose 16 pounds here and actually became a Consultant with the company for awhile. Yet after beginning  once again to eat regular meals the weight slowly reappeared.
Okay...so I held my own for about 10 more year weighing in between 127 and 148.Well if that's what you can call holding your own. What I was holding was extra weight...
Five years ago I did the Jenny thing again and got down to 136 -138. Up - down..up - down...Wow I was beginning to feel like a yo-yo!
Last year my husband joined Weight Watchers at his place of employment. He is a diabetic, but he is also Italian and was raised on bread and pasta. I decided to go along for the journey so we figured out my points and watched as the pounds slowly came off. He lose much faster and much more so needless to say I was just a little jealous! Once again when I began to eat regular meals with regular breads and pasta's the weight slowly came back.
The past few years have been like a roller coaster ride...watch what I eat and get down to a size 8. Slack off and get back up to a size 12.....
7 months ago I decided to try a Vegan diet. After about 5 months on it I finally realized something in a faint flicker of sanity...All of this soy was doing something to my body as well as my emotional state. I was gaining even more weight around my middle, crying at the least little thing, or getting angry at the stupidest things..WOW! Talk about a hormonal roller coaster ride!!!
Two weeks ago I went shopping for a pair of dress slacks and when I looked in the mirror, reality finally hit. I was still slim in all areas of my body except for my waist and stomach...I actually looked like I did when I was approximately seven months pregnant with my children.  Now this is a dose of reality! Needless to say I left the store empty handed...
Now I am not saying these diets don't work for some people. They work...until you go back to a regular eating plan for most that is, at least for me anyway.
One day as I was moping around feeling sorry for myself I was browsing through the mail and came across a booklet describing how you can loose weight by loosing the wheat in your diet. Yea sure I thought as I tossed the pamphlet aside. Later that week I found it laying on the table as I was cleaning house and decided to give it a read through. It was quite  interesting and after much consideration I decided to order the full book "Loose The Wheat, Lose The Weight, written by William Davis MD. who happens to be a top Cardiologist in his field.
Now I must admit I was skeptical about purchasing another "diet" plan, but this is not a diet...it is a life change. I was surprised what I have learnt about wheat and its history. Seems it is not as good for you as they try to make you believe. Okay so now I have the book in hand loaded with information and facts and think I will give it a go...
So as to be fair I must now explain that I have been eating wheat free for just five days now. I am sleeping much better and have definitely dropped my sugar cravings significantly. Yes I still eat sweets in moderation EVERY day but I definitely am seeing and feeling results.
In my next post I will be posting my measurements starting on day one up till now and foods that I have eaten on each of those days.
It is a learning experience for me and through my posts I will keep you updated on my personal challenge results.So until my next post...Happy living!