Inspiring Story - 310 lbs to a 6 pack

CNN.com posted another inspiring weight loss story this week. (I believe I have mentioned my affinity for inspiring weight loss stories and that CNN posts them periodically.)

This fellow went from 310 pounds to having a 6 pack.

College Professor Goes from Fat to "Mr. Low Body Fat"

The CNN story doesn't say whether or not he actually achieved his desired 6 pack of abs, but his blog has a picture that indicates he succeeded in reaching his 6 pack goal.

Daily Food Summary (June 3)

Today was a blah day. I worked a lot. My allergy shot appointment took a lot of time. It rained a lot. I did not walk a lot (at all). I ate a lot.

Food and Beverage Intake:
Breakfast:
2 cups of coffee with agave nectar
Oats, rice milk
1 medium banana

Lunch:
1/2 salmon piece (~100 grams)
Amy's Organic Low Sodium Lentil Soup (1 cup) with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top
Orange

Snacks:
Non-fat Greek yogurt, one tbl spoon of currant jam
1 cup Thai coconut tea

Dinner:
Amy's Organic Low Sodium Lentil Soup (1 cup) with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top & 1/2 Hot Italian turkey sausage thrown into soup

Uh Oh, I Go Snack Crazy:
1.5 inch block of cheese, 1 cup fruit
2 rice cakes with 1.5 tbl spoon peanut butter
1 wine spritzer (3oz wine, 5oz Perrier lemon flavored sparkling water)

Water: 2 liters

The last snacks I had definitely threw my calories for the day way over where they were supposed to be. I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow morning to get some veggies for salads, soups, and snacks. I am completely out... which is probably why I reached for the bad snacks today. The wouldn't be soo bad, if I had budgeted for them... or stuck to just one. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a renewing, vegetably pleasing day.



I need some new snacking veggies. Maybe jicama with some lime, pepper, and salt? (See the nice picture of sliced jicama above.) Perhaps fennel? I looked to my French Women for All Seasons book for inspiration and beets and fennel were there as spring/summer foods. Cucumbers and snap peas to dip into a homemade dill yogurt sauce? Hm. Hopefully, I will find my veggies tomorrow.

Exercise: Working late, then an evening thunderstorm pushed away my walking plans for the evening. I did, however, do planned strength training, even though I did not particularly feel like it. Glad I did now!

Drink Enough Water?

An article my mother sent me today helped answer questions I had about water consumption: How do I know how much water to drink per day? Does it really have to be 8 glasses?

Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day

From the calculations in the article I may have been a little short some days with my hour long runs, but I have not been too far off the mark.

The article my mother sent through got me curious about whether or not there is a real link between weight loss and water consumption. Apparently so. The study discussed on WebMD found that drinking your eight glasses a day (if you are not already doing so) does increase your metabolic rate, which helps you lose weight. Bottoms up!

Drinking Water May Speed Weight Loss

Daily Food Summary (June 2)

Good day. Right around my target calorie range. Didn't feel too hungry. Got in my exercise and my water, per my momma's request.

Food & Beverage Consumption:
1.75 cups of coffee with agave nectar
Oats, rice milk
1/3 cup black beans
1/2 hot Italian turkey sausage
1 medium banana
1 fat free Greek yogurt
Cocoa Loco Snack Bar
1 tbl spoon olives
Salad (1/2 salmon piece (~100 grams), greenery, 1/2 tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
1 wine spritzer (4oz white zinfandel wine, 6oz Perrier lemon flavored sparkling water)
1/2 mango
2 liters of water

Exercise: I decided to take it easy on my knees and back this week and substitute in a good amount of walking for running. I walked 6 miles, averaging ~15 minutes per mile. My doggy enjoyed the slower pace (got more sniffing in, caught up on pee-mail).

New York Times Food Critic - "What's Wrong With What We Eat?"

Go to the link below to see an interesting speech by a New York Times food critic (video):

"What's Wrong With What We Eat?"

Daily Food Summary (June 1)

Today was a decent day food and exercise day. As usual I went over my calories, especially by not keeping track of my calorie count while eating at the in-laws for dinner. I still weighed 1.5 pounds heavier than last week, so I recorded yesterday's weight, which brings me right back to my starting point. I have faith though and have noticed nice muscle changes in my arms and legs... now to just notice some changes in my hips and thighs... :)

Foods & Beverages Ingested:
Breakfast:
2 cups of coffee with agave nectar
2.5 left over pizza slices (gluten-free chickpea crust, fontina cheese, diced garlic tomatoes, gulf shrimp, tarragon butter)

Lunch:
1 medium banana
1 medium latte

Snack:
Grilled potatoes with hummus

Dinner:
2/3 cup cooked white rice
Part of a boob and some dark meat of a smoked chicken (no skin)
Salad (spinach leaves, tiny bit of tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
1/2 orange
3 oz white wine

Exercise: I ran 6 miles, averaging 9 minutes and 17 seconds per mile. I am back up to being a bit speedier than I was on Friday. I also did 30 minutes of power yoga.

Gluten-intolerance: Do you have it?

• 1 in 133 Americans is gluten-intolerant.
• 1 in 22 Americans is gluten-intolerant if an immediate family member is gluten-intolerant. (So, my family members, pay attention here.)

I have been thinking about writing a post on gluten-intolerance for a while and decided today is a good day since Spider63 asked me about gluten after my last post. (If you read my last post, I discussed my excitement at having an entirely gluten free restaurant meal, including beer.)

Typical Symptoms:

• There may be none!

I did however have symptoms, which is how I discovered my wheat allergy/gluten intolerance. My symptoms included:

• Diarrhea
• Bloating
• Gas (Stinky, too)
• Abdominal Pain
• Fatigue

I only found out I was gluten-intolerant last summer, because I was having all of the above, felt constantly lethargic and a little bit foggy in the brain. I also knew that something I was eating wasn't digesting quite right.

It was one lone day when I ate a 100% wheat pita and had the big D within a few minutes, then continued to have abdominal pain, the gas, bloating, and hay fever-like symptoms, too, that I decided that I should probably get some food allergy testing done for wheat.

I got tested a week later and did find out that I was allergic to wheat and corn and soy products (much to my surprise). My allergist, given the symptoms that I discussed with him, asked me to get tested for celiacs disease. I did get the blood test done, which came back negative. He is still encouraging me to get the more invasive test done (where they scope out your intestines), but I haven't gotten that done. (It takes on average 12 years for someone to be diagnosed with celiacs... I don't feel like waiting around for that!)

I have already found that when I get rid of wheat, soy, and corn products my digestive symptoms almost entirely disappear (including bloating, which is nice for the figure), and my allergies get better in general .

Most people who are allergic to wheat are actually allergic to the gluten (a protein) found in wheat and several other grains, including:

Wheat
Barley
Rye
Farina
Graham flour
Semolina
Durham
Bulgur
Kamut
Kasha
Matzo meal
Spelt (a form of wheat)
Triticale

I avoid all gluten products. There is some debate about whether people can have oats. Oats can often be cross contaminated with wheat and other gluten-containing items. I am an oat fanatic, so I haven't removed them from my diet. Maybe I should for a while and see if things get even better, but... we'll see.

Interesting Side Effects/Risk Factors:

Diabetes/Blood Sugar Sensitivity: Another reason I think people in my family should pay attention is that diabetes and sugar sensitivities are often linked with celiac's disease/gluten-intolerance. Several people in my family have one of the two of those.

Thyroid Diseases: A link has also been shown between thyroid diseases, such as Hashimoto's and Graves Diseases, and gluten-intolerance. Several people in my family are affected here, too. A few more links on this:

http://www.celiac.com/articles/1135/1/Connection-Found-between-Celiac-Disease-and-Hashimotos-Thyroiditis/Page1.html

http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/celiac.html

Lactose Intolerance: People who are gluten-intolerant, have celiacs disease, are allergic to wheat, etc., are often lactose intolerant due to the damage to their intestinal lining caused by the intolerance/disease/allergy. I was very lactose intolerant. One interesting thing, is that if you take gluten out of your diet, your lactose intolerance can go away as your intestines heal. I am no longer lactose intolerant! It is crazy! I can actually drink a latte made with normal milk and not pass out in pain from the effects.

PCOS and Gluten-sensitivity: Recently, people are finding that PCOS (disease that affects women's fertility) patients are often highly likely to be gluten sensitive. One nutritionist found that 85% of her PCOS patients were gluten sensitive.

If Left Untreated...

• Malnutrition
• Osteoperosis
• Lactose Intolerance
• Cancer
• Neurological Complications

Another complication for women:

• Miscarriages and Stillborn/Low Birth Weight Babies

If you think some of the items in this article apply to you, you may want to try a gluten-free diet for a month. It takes your body 2 to 3 weeks to begin healing, if you are gluten-intolerant. There are a ton of great sites for gluten-free recipes. I have one listed on my favorite blogs.

Here is a good British Web page from their National Institute of Health that discusses celiacs disease. The British are ahead of the curve on tracking the problem, because a good portion of their population appears to be affected.