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Tag Archives: daily food journal

No Wheat, No Weight? – Part 1

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by yeloros in mind/body

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Alzheimer's, aqua jogging, belly fat, bocce ball, body mass index, bone loss, celiac disease, chair exercises, daily food journal, exercise, gluten sensitivity, glutten-free, obesity, overweight, physical activity, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat

man and woman abstractLet’s just say that this is Mary and Joe Scofield on their way home from their doctor’s office, where once again they heard their yearly lecture.  Obviously, they are in that 68.8% of Americans who are overweight or obese and experiencing the consequences. When reading their charts, everything that should be low is high, and everything that should be down is up, including their weight.  The doctor reminded them that getting rid of the weight would probably eliminate some, if not all, of the medications they are taking for heart problems, elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes.

This time the doctor was impressed with their optimism as they began talking about what they will do to improve their health.  Watching the HBO special “The Weight of the Nation” was a wake-up call for them to go online to research their conditions. They even had a list of questions to ask the doctor about a sensible diet, a safe exercise program, and they set realistic short-and long-term goals as an important first step.  They’re particularly excited about being able to exercise at home and showed the doctor a printout of how they can get a full-body workout with chair exercises.  (Read “Move It! You’re Losing It” and cdc.org at end of post.) Because they have been inactive, part of the plan is to gradually build up to a variety of more intense exercise routines.

According to The National Institutes of Health, 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week can have positive results, even when spread out in ten-minute sessions throughout the day.

The couple was also motivated after reading that Honey Boo Boo’s mama even lost over 100 pounds by being more physically active (walking and moving) while taping their TV show, 365 lbs. to 263 lbs. so far.

To jump-start their physical activity, Mary and Joe decided to make brisk walking part of their daily regimen. Studies show that those who regularly walk (not stroll) to lose weight, are more likely to keep it off.  Their pedometers will let them know how close they are to their goal of 10,000 steps a day, but even if they don’t reach 10,000, every step is better than none at all.  Plus, brisk walking will help melt away that dangerous, deadly (visceral) belly fat.   This is the kind of fat wrapped around the organs in the abdomen, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, even death. (*See web site at end of post for body mass index.) According to the American Cancer Society, there’s strong evidence this type of fat may even cause colon cancer.  Moreover, it is linked to a higher risk of other cancers and poor brain health, increasing the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  Research has also linked belly fat to bone loss in men.  Experts say this fat is often the first to go when combined with diet and physical activities you do regularly, like walking, biking, dancing, even housework and working in the yard.  Crunches, sit-ups and other abdominal exercises are good for getting rid of fat located directly under the skin (subcutaneous).

6975217_sJoe is excited about golfing (no cart) with their neighbor and joining a group of friends a few days a week to play bocce ball.  Mary is looking forward to shedding pounds by aqua jogging (running in water) with her friends.  She is also motivated to plant a garden, which promises to be a great form of physical activity.  Consequently, she is looking forward to shopping (more walking) for that new wardrobe after her weight loss. They both realize that daily physical activity and a healthy diet translate to a life-long change, now that they are seriously aiming for longevity and working on their bucket list.  Who knew fun and games could equal health and wellness?

Because they have heard so much about this thing called gluten, they are wondering if it could be the answer to some of their complaints, such as bloating, joint pain, diarrhea, gas, and stomach aches.  (Read “Tips-Gluten No-No’s”.) Since so many people are boasting about losing weight on a gluten-free diet, they are hoping it might work for them also. The doctor is testing them for celiac disease even though they don’t fit the profile, for studies show that even overweight people can have the disease.  In the meantime, they will plan their meals for the week, keep a food journal and take note of when their symptoms worsen. The journal will also allow them to see just how much, what and when they are eating and document all junk food, sugary drinks, processed foods, snacks, and “grazing”.

For years they have tried many ways to lose weight, but failed: diets, treadmill, gadgets, pills, drinks.  Nevertheless, they wonder if there’s any scientific evidence to back up those gluten weight loss testimonials, because it all sounds too good to be true.

Dieting couple

*To calculate your body mass index (BMI) go to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Web site, http://www.nhlbisupppot.com/bmi.

Related posts:

  • “Move It! You’re Losing It”
  • “No Wheat, No Weight? – Part 2”
  • “Tips-Gluten No-No’s”
  • “Goodbye Arthur“

Resources:

  • (http://www.mayoclinic.org)
  • (http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/growingstronger/exercises/index.html)
  • Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • National Institutes of Health (www.nia.nih.gov/Go4Life)
  • University of Washington Medical School
  • American Cancer Society
  • American Heart Association
  • Harvard Medical School, Boston
  • HBO Special – “The Weight of the Nation” – 4 parts
  • (http://www.clevelandclinic.org)
  • (http://www.celiac.org)
  • (http://www.webmd.com)

Images:

  • Fotolia.com
  • 123rf.com

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Goodbye Arthur

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by yeloros in mind/body

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Tags

aches and pains, arthritis, body talk, celiac disease, couscous, daily food journal, fatigue, gluten-free, nuts, pasta, seeds, semolina, wheat additives, wheat-free

green round headsHave you ever noticed how your body is really good about talking to you, hoping you will be wise enough to listen?

I was all set to go to the doctor to get medication for what I thought was arthritis and dreading the possibility of having a knee or hip replacement.  However, I was pretty sure that arthritis is not “sometimey”.  So, because I’m used to listening to my “body talk”, I knew I had better pay attention.

In really bad times, the pain was so intense in my legs, knees, thighs, and hips, I thought they would actually break.  It was an effort to walk, sit, stand or even get in and out of the car or bed. Trying to raise my arms in exercise class was so painful I had to stop the lessons.  I was also extremely tired most of the time.  Consequently, I decided to look back through my Daily Food Journal to see if this pain could be caused by something I was eating.  I’ve been keeping a journal for a very long time, ever since I had similar symptoms years ago.  At that time, I was surprised to discover that two of my favorites,  nuts and seeds, were the offenders, so I have carefully avoided them at all cost.

Looking back through the journal this time, I noticed that I was eating a lot of whole wheat bread and many other wheat products.  Sure enough, when I went wheat-free, the symptoms stopped.  But then they would start again, even though I had stopped eating all wheat–or so I thought.  Much to my dismay, there it was in black and white.  The aches and pains came back in spades when I ate couscous or pasta, yes, good ole PASTA.

How could this be?  Well pasta, couscous and a variety of other foods are made from something called semolina.  Without hesitation, off I went to Google and what do you know?  Semolina is the granular product made from durum WHEAT!  Needless to say,  I stop eating the obvious wheat products.  In the process, I learned that lots of foods you might never suspect contain wheat additives and there are many gluten no-no’s to watch out for.

My doctor ruled out celiac disease well before I eliminated gluten; however, I am gluten sensitive and will regret it if I eat anything with gluten. Coincidentally, the biggest revelation came in the form of ENERGY!!!  The extreme fatigue vanished with the elimination of gluten.  For me, being tired was normal, just one of the many “pains” that come along in life.  I thought everybody was tired.  Well apparently not.  Now I can walk from one end of the mall to the other, go up to the next level and do it again, which was totally out of the question before.

Could there be something in your diet destroying your well-being?

Maya Angelou says that when you know better, you do better.  Doing better in your case could be as simple as keeping your own food journal to help pinpoint problems you may be having. For instance, my sister started keeping one and discovered that her “hay fever” was caused by the type of honey she was putting in her tea!

We are victims of so many ailments beyond our control.  Why suffer needlessly from our self-made conditions, when all we have to do is be more attentive when our body is telling us that something is wrong?  Look for the root cause and not merely treat the symptoms!

Since we are all aiming for longevity, wouldn’t it be wonderful to live many more years in optimal health?

Incidentally, I thanked my body for telling me to investigate the cause for so much pain, and oh yeah, Goodbye Arthur Ritis.

Read the posts “Tips-Gluten No-No’s” and “No Wheat, No Weight?- Part 1”and “No Wheat, No Weight? – Part 2”

Click on “Fannie’s Kitchen” for “Savory Gluten-Free Muffins” recipe

I am anxious to hear your story.

More information see:WebMD.com/gluten-free

Images from: 123RF.com

Check with your health care provider before making any major dietary changes.

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