Sugar, Sugar go away

One of the things you become more conscious of when someone close to you is sick is your own health.  Since my dad's diagnoses, I have been working out, running, in general staying in motion.  A few months ago, my dad actually said to me, you need to keep working out and work on your fitness, too many of the people in our family have diabetes.  So I'm working out.  Still training for the Houston Marathon and planning to run the Nac Half in November.

With all of the training you would think I would be getting skinny and losing tons of weight, well I'm not.  I have lost about 10 lbs with another 5 lbs fluctuation between water weight and such.  My waist and hips have lost about 4 inches each and my mommy tummy is flatter and tighter.  Honestly I'm not really super concerned with weight lose or inches.  I'm feeling better and more confident in my body and at the end of the day that is the important part.

Now if I wanted lose weight along with my workouts, I need to diet.  I'm anti-diet.  I'm already gluten-free and dealing with Gymgirl's egg allergy, I don't need more limitations.  However, I have noticed that my sugar intake has been increasing noticeably.  Like drinking a gallon of sweet tea a day.  I make it so I know the amount of sugar (1 cup).  I've also been craving cookies, cake, cereal.  All the sweet stuff I can find at the house.  Luckily, we don't keep much in the way of gluten-free baked goods at the house.  For my overall health, if not my waistline, I have to cut back on sugar.

In the past, when I have noticed my craving for sugar I have taken magnesium supplements.  I originally started magnesium as a way to help my fertility back when we were trying to conceive the now 8 year old Gymgirl.  While I was on it I noticed I wanted less and less sugary snacks.  So with that in mind, I started magnesium yesterday.  I have already noticed myself not reaching for extra snacks.  I have also been slowly adding less and less sugar to my morning coffee and sweet tea.  So far I'm down from 3 teaspoons to 2 teaspoons in my coffee and from 1 full cup of sugar in my tea to just under 3/4 of cup.  We'll see if that translates to any changes in my waistline or on the scale. 

Mamavation Monday: Scale disappointment and a reality check

So I went to the doctor last week because I decided to go running in 32 degree weather without a hat or jacket.  Yep, I let the sunny looking day lull me into thinking it was warm and totally did not plan accordingly for a freezing north wind.  I only ran a mile but it was one of the hardest of my life.  My ears were hurting so badly I almost went to the ER.  I had never had pain like that in my life.

At the doctor's office they had me step up on the scale.  That evil evil scale!  Why do they start the visit that way?  The horrible number 227!  FUCK!  So at this point I have to options I can pretend I didn't hear or care or I can melt down.  I saved my meltdown rant for later on the safety of Mamavation sistahood.  I hate to admit it really got me down.  For all of the 10k training I had not lost a single pound.  Focus on the positive, right.  I ran a fucking 10k in the middle of December after earning a 4.0 in my doctorate work.  Super positive and yet that damn number is stuck in my head.  227 and suddenly I'm a failure. 

I know I'm far from a failure.  I know I can look at my life and see the good I am doing and yet I'm struggling to shake the number.  Here is the thing, I also know that if I didn't lose I also didn't gain too much.  When Ravebaby weaned at the end of May I gained about 10 lbs.  I also started my doctorate and I was sitting more and more.  If I haven't gained more than the initial weight then I know I'm doing well.  Before I had Ravebaby 4 years ago I was 250 lbs so I'm still better today than 4 years ago.  I'm wheat-free and moving towards more whole foods and cooking more.  As a family we have set a goal for ourselves to try new fruits and vegetables at least twice a month.  We started with butternut squash and this week we'll pick up some parsnips.  We are doing better food wise and I know that will translate to a healthier me no matter what the scale says.

So the reality check is I have a long way to go in learning to cook more of a variety of  food.  I'm also not as cool with the number on the scale as I thought I was.  I know it is a number and yet I feel like it is a judgement on my being.  I'll move forward with the help of my sistas!

Measurements for the start of the year:
Bust: 46
Underbust: 38
Waist: 44
Hips: 49
Weight: 227
Longest distant run: 10k

Wheat/Gluten-free fad (My wheat-free life for real, yo!)

So apparently it's going around that going gluten-free is a good way to lose weight.  I'll be the first to to tell you that I lost weight going wheat-free.  In fact for the first 3 months of going strictly wheat-free I was losing weight so fast it was a bit scary and I was worried about my health.  All together I would say I've lost about 30 lbs to the wheat-free diet I know live.

So that sounds great right!?  No, wheat but I lose tons of weight.  That sounds fantastic where do I sign up?  While now that I've been wheat-free for over 2 years, I have to tell you, I'm not strict.  Once I backed off the strictness of my wheat-freeness, the weight lose stopped.  I've maintained but the losing has stopped.  Not a problem for me.  I'm happy.  I didn't go wheat-free to try to meet Oprah or Miley.  My DH was diagnosed with a wheat allergy in 2003.  My DD was born with a wheat allergy.  I have no issue with wheat except that it causes my family pain. 

I've talked about my journey to wheat-freeness before but today's pain is, wheat-free shouldn't be a fad.  I really struggled with going wheat-free.  I cried.  I prayed.  I cursed.  I wanted a quick fix.  I've accepted my life as a wheat-free person.  Wheat will never be in my life like it was before Ravebaby was born.  Wheat-free is the way I eat. 

So back to the weight loss thing.  Yes you will lose weight.  You would be surprised at the number of things that have wheat.  If you go wheat-free, you need to be strict.  Once you go strict you realize that unless this is a life/health thing, it ain't fun and you go back to wheat. 

Here is the number one reason I say don't go wheat-free unless you have to: It Takes Work!  Much like any diet, you have to plan.  I have to plan all of my meals.  I can't just go out and pick up a burger.  No just heating up a Hot Pocket for lunch.  No bucket of chicken for dinner.  Being wheat-free is inconvenient.  Being wheat-free and going out to eat requires you to speak up; you have to pester/educate the waitstaff.  You have to plan.

What I miss most of my wheat filled day?  Convenience.  Seriously, the days of going to McDonald's for nuggets are missed only for the convenience it held.  I don't miss the food with wheat anymore.  I've found replacements for all of my favorites.  I've found food that I prefer wheat-free, like Udi's Chocolate Muffins, OMG!  Really, I miss paying $1 for a loaf bread instead of going to the specialty health-food store and paying $5 for a loaf that is smaller. 

I have to think out going out to eat; this is especially a problem when I'm going out with others.  How about pizza?  Sorry, can't Martha doesn't eat wheat.  Burgers?  Well I can just get it bunless. (Sad looks all around.)  Even sushi is a problem.  Notice I said I'm not strict anymore.  Sushi is why.  I never have my wheat-free soy sauce.  I have cut back on my soy sauce usage.  I try to avoid eel sauce.  I love sushi.  DD doesn't react so I allow myself to use regular soy sauce. 

Like I've said, I would go wheat-free for my family again without hesitation.  No hamburger is worth my DD screaming in pain.  No fried pie is worth my child being sick.  You want to go wheat-free to lose weight, go for it but don't say I didn't warn you.

Before going wheat-free, circa 2007

Post-30 lb weigh loss

Gout, the other disease

So doc confirmed on Thursday that DH has gout.  I'm not sure about the scale but DH was 3 points above normal.  He's now on a med for the next 4 months to reduce the uric acid.  In 4 months he goes back for labs and possible med adjustment. 

His blood pressure was high in the office but has been good for the last week at home.  Doc thinks it was being in the office since at home it's good.  He is still on the blood pressure, again adjustment to come in 4 months.  Seems weird to have a standard refill order on the books for him.  We're only 32.  Besides I thought I would be on something long before him. 

So what does this mean for the next 4 months?  DH must take three pills per day.  DH must drink 8-16 glasses of water per day.  DH and whole family is going on a beef-less/high veggie diet.  Honestly we need more veg anyways.  I think the problem is we are looking at it as a diet.  DH has to lose weight; that is the key to going off the blood pressure med, according to the doc.  Losing weight means diet.

A diet is a horrible thing.  However, a lifestyle change is doable.  I know it's just words but words so mean something.  I tweet about a lifestyle change and nothing.  I tweet about a diet change and I get tons of replies to links on weight loss drugs!  Anyways, we're making adjustments in our diets.  I'm dropping sodas in favor of water, tea and coffee.  I'm finding that with the wheatlessness and breastfeeding I'm going back to losing weight mode.  Not a bad thing but I just bought new pants and they are already starting to be too big.  Hate that! 

Of course along with a food lifestyle change comes a change in activity level.  I need to exercise.  I keep feeling derailed on my goal to ran a 5K.  First the hip and now I"m out of the habit.  I keep saying that once I get a car I'll start going back.  It's just hard to make the time.  I want Audrey to have a stable bedtime.  Right now she's hitting 10 pm.  So I'm thinking I need to pick up Audrey (so my mom can go off to do her thing) and put her in the gym's daycare for an hour while I work-out.  They charge $4 a session.  I can handle that.  By the time it's all said and done, we would be home at about 7:30.  Not horrible; a little late for dinner but we'll adjust, right?  I must get off my ass.  If I get off of mine, then DH will get off of his.  Can't lose weight if you don't move.  I love DH as he is.  I think he's sexy and hot.  I really don't want him to change but if losing weight means I'll keep him longer than off to the gym we go. 

I"m thinking a big blog on New Year's resolutions will coming.  DH and I will be celebrating 10 years of wedded bliss next month.  10 years is not nearly long enough.  So if going wheatless, meatless, sodaless and whatever less is required, then I'm in.  For better or worse, in sickness or in health . . .
  I'm beginning to think we should have added something about food or allergies into our vows.  :)

DH and Audrey on her 1st Christmas Eve.

Wheat-free not Calorie-free

Okay so the number one thing I hear about going wheat-free is "Wow, I hear you can lose a lot of weight doing that."  I guess people just want to be positive; you know find the silver lining.  I think it doesn't help that I've lost about 30 lbs since I went wheat-free. But the research actual shows that usually people that go wheat-free/gluten-free gain weight.

So why the gaining of weight?  I think it comes down to this: wheat-free is not calorie-free.  People are always looking for the easy fix, which means buying things labeled wheat-free and stuffing your face til you are so full you can walk.  What's wrong with this approach?  Well it is wheat-free but not calorie-free so you are still overeating and not exercising so you gain weight.  Processed food is processed food so you get calories from the sugar and the other stuff in the food.

I think the only reason I lost weight is that instead of buying lots of replacement gluten-free versions of processed foods I was eating homemade items and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.  Basically I was eating healthy without wheat.  It's only been in the last few months that I've been buying gluten-free bread, muffins and cake.  Weight loss has stopped since I discovered processed gluten-free food.  I make this wonderful fat-fill wheat-free cakes and stuff my face.  Not going to loss weight by eating chocolate cake, even if it wheat-free.  So in closing, wheat-free is not calorie-free.  Even we wheat-free peeps have to watch the calorie counts and use portion control.  Just because my Carl's Jr burger is half the calories since it has no bun does not mean I should eat 2 to make up for it.  Maybe I'll try the tofu noddles, I hear those are wheat-free and almost calorie free too but they are pretty price so we'll see.

Wheatfree Chocolate Cake, my downfall