Setting Aside the Weights: October 2014

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Health Experiment Step Two: Reintroduction

This past week we have done the reintroduction of certain food groups back to our diet. The way you're supposed to do this is by picking a food group such as non-gluten, gluten, dairy, sweets, or legumes. Add that to your eating plan for a few meals for 2-3 days. Keep a very close watch on what your body is feeling during this course of time. Do you feel bloated, achy, have a headache, tired, irritable, or no effect at all. After this test run you need to go back to plan and eat only the veggies and protein for 3 days. This allows your body to reset to a healthy state and then you can safely add back the next food group to test. Follow this procedure till you have tested all the groups.

Before we started doing this experiment I knew that there were already some groups that my body just could not handle and therefore I had already taken them out and don’t plan to reintroduce them.

Non-gluten

My first reintroduction was non-gluten foods. I chose to uses white rice, corn tortillas, and corn chips. I made recipes that I have always used so I could gauge much more accurately how I was feeling. To me the chips had a very metallic taste. I seem to be the only one who had that issue. Within 30 minutes of eating these, my stomach felt like a blown up balloon. I was so uncomfortable all night. A survey of the rest of the family showed that we all had the same experience with this.

The next day I made a enchilada lasagna with the rice and tortillas. To me it had a mushy texture and I was very aware of how hungry I still was after 1 small piece. Glad I made salad and an extra side of veggies to go with it. After this meal I had the same blown up feeling and felt extremely tired as well. I am the only one who had a bad experience this time but I am also super sensitive to any kind of change taking place in my body. Everyone else loved the meal. My taste has totally changed during these 30 days of real food so the extreme of that which I liked before just tastes bland now.

Sugar/Dairy

During the middle of week I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and added some ice cream to them to make sandwiches. This was a good way to see where we stood on the sugar and dairy phase. I am really not surprised by the result of this one since the issues were the same before and after the experiment. I could only eat half of a cookie before the sweetness made me sick to my stomach. I already new I had an intolerance to dairy so the upset tummy and thick-feeling throat were no surprise.

Gluten

The final group for us was the gluten products. For me I had the same results as the no-gluten. I look back at how we used to eat and almost have laugh at how I thought we ate so healthy. My lack of knowledge in some areas was causing me to make some poor food choices. Seeing how my body has dealt with some of these foods being added back, it is really no surprise I was feeling so heavy and slow all the time.

I think for now my best option to get were I need to be in my health is to stick to what I have been doing these 30 days. I have not felt this good in a long time and I am finally starting to see some positive changes in my problem areas. I will allow some wiggle room for an occasional treat but honestly I love this way of eating and am happy with the changes I see in me and my family.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

We did it! Concluding the experiment

Today is it! Day 30. We have successfully completed the first half of this health experiment. It has definitely been a learning process and at times a challenge but overall it has been worth it. Let me share some thoughts and changes that we have seen.

The hubs and I took a weight and inches measurement on day 1 just to see how this experiment would affect that aspect. I am very happy to say we saw some very positive results. I lost 6 lbs and 2 ½ total body inches. The hubs lost 11 ½ lbs and 4 ½ total body inches. That by itself made this worth doing.

I asked the hubs if he has noticed any changes over the past 30 days that he can pinpoint to this experiment. He said the biggest change is that he doesn’t feel ravenous all the time. You have to take into account that this man works a very physical job of 12 hour shifts at least 6 days a week. I used to load his lunch box with a enough food so he could have a mini-meal at every break. He was always starving at break time and also ate another meal when he got home at night. I could never figure out how he could always be hungry with that much daily food intake. During the experiment, I sent him a container for lunch and dinner with whatever meal I had made as well as a salad for each meal. That’s it. He’ll eat a big breakfast at home and then what I sent him with no snacking in between. The amazing thing is he is not starving anymore! He is eating less food than before, but now he is eating good, healthy, whole food that is keeping his body fueled for a longer time. He has noticed an increase in his energy levels. He has always loved the taste of coffee, but with the hours he works the caffeine had become a crutch to get him through the day. Since we eliminated the caffeine for this experiment he is noticing that his energy levels are up naturally. His sleeping pattern is changing as well. He is starting to wake up earlier and is actually feeling rested. His body is working much more efficiently to the point that he does not require so much sleep That is pretty awesome.

I am definitely noticing a difference in my sleep pattern. I am staying asleep for longer intervals. No more of this waking up every 2 hrs nonsense. Now I seem to be going about 4 hours at a time and I am finding it really easy to fall back asleep. I am also seeing a big change in the shape of my body. I had hit a point where my body was just so bloated and I felt horrible most of the time. I wish I had taken a before picture because I am sure it would be a more startling change than I realize. My clothes are actually loose again and my stomach is much less distended. What an amazing feeling to not feel yucky all the time!

My teenage son told me the biggest change he noticed is that he is not having diarrhea every morning. Amazing how your body can give a warning that there is a problem but we just ignore it. With the changing of the food his body has been been able to heal and balance itself out. He has also noticed that he is actually hungry when it is time for the next meal; he used to have a snack at certain times of the day just because. He wasn’t hungry; he was just eating to eat. Since we did away with that, his body is actually being given the time to digest one meal at a time and use the food properly before adding more.

My daughter told me the biggest change she noticed is that her ability to stayed focused has drastically improved. She is able to get a lot more accomplished during her school day.

I have also noticed some positive changes in my little dude. He has gotten to the place where he is not constantly asking for food. He doesn’t get stressed out when I tell him it is time to do school. He is able to stay focused during his classes and is also grasping concepts that he struggled with before this experiment. I have also noticed that his sleep pattern is changing. He still goes to bed at the same time but he is waking up about an hour earlier and is totally refreshed and happy. No more grumpy mornings around here.

It is just amazing how much your body can heal and change itself when you stop feeding it all the harmful chemicals that are found in our food today, and start feeding it real food. Not only do you look better and feel better physically, but you're able to think more clearly. You can stay focused for a longer amount of time and you emotions don’t seem to be so out of control. Your sleep patterns start to change which results in body healing itself even more. What a great way to live!

Like I said at the beginning this was just phase 1. Phase 2 is where you start to reintroduce certain food groups back into your diet in a controlled way. You pick the group you want to start with whether it is gluten, non-gluten, sugar, dairy...you chose. Add that back for 2 days and take careful note of how your body responds. Do you get a headache, bloating, or achy joints? After 2 days you need to go back to only the whole foods for 3 days so your body has time to eliminate all that you added back. Then you do the same with the next group of food. After all the whole point of this experiment is to find out what foods are affecting your body in a negative way so you can avoid them. This is not a process to rush through just because you would love chocolate chip cookies. Cookies have sugar and gluten (flour) in them which is two separate categories you adding back. If you have a negative reaction how will you know which caused it: the gluten or the sugar?

Once we are done with the add-back stage I think we are going to keep eating like this with an occasional treat on the side. Besides the food is awesome!!