A Change in My Diet

I have always been conscience about what I eat, and I do yoga, and work out at the gym when I get the time. I know I was much more active several years ago before I was laid off and had to cancel my YMCA membership (I was at the Y about 4 times a week and was in tip top shape because of it). So in conjunction with not doing as much hardcore cardio workouts that I did before, I have gained eight stubborn pounds that are hard to get rid of. To lose weight, one must increase their exercise while lowering their caloric intake. But I eat well in general, so I don't know what I'm doing wrong. However, I found a clue recently. While I was at a website over the weekend, I clicked on an amazon ad for a book titled, 'Wheat Belly'. It has bagels on the front of it, so the name and the image peaked my interest. As a person who loves bread in all its forms and styles, I was curious as to what this book was about. So I went to the amazon webpage where this book was featured and read the summary of the book and about half a dozen comments. Just based on that half-hour of reading about this book, I could relate to what the author, William Davis M.D., and reviewers were saying about the effects of today's wheat products is related to so many aliments that people suffer from today. Basically, today's wheat is genetically modified to produce more to feed more American mouths. I have been aware of the hormones that are given to cows to make them produce unnatural amounts of milk and have been conscience of not consuming so much, but wheat, this is new to me. As per the amazon link regarding this book, please read the following:

A renowned cardiologist explains how eliminating wheat from our diets can prevent fat storage, shrink unsightly bulges, and reverse myriad health problems.

Every day, over 200 million Americans consume food products made of wheat. As a result, over 100
million of them experience some form of adverse health effect, ranging from minor rashes and high blood sugar to the unattractive stomach bulges that preventive cardiologist William Davis calls “wheat bellies.” According to Davis, that excess fat has nothing to do with gluttony, sloth, or too much butter: It’s due to the whole grain wraps we eat for lunch.

After witnessing over 2,000 patients regain their health after giving up wheat, Davis reached the disturbing conclusion that wheat is the single largest contributor to the nationwide obesity epidemic—and its elimination is key to dramatic weight loss and optimal health.

So as you can imagine, reading just this brief snipet about what Dr. Davis has determined from his own patients, has prompted me to make a dramatic change in my diet. I thought nothing of eating blueberry muffins, bagels, buttered toast with honey or strawberry spread, deep dish pizza, etc. I haven't had a four-pack tummy in quite a while, and I miss it! I want it back. Right now, my stomach is very soft and a little puffy, and I now know what is the cause of it! So, I will be buying this book to become more educated and figure out how in the heck I'm going to be successful at this because when you think about it, especially as Americans, BREAD is a food staple! But today, bread is not what it was when I was a kid in the 70s or 80s for that matter. The wheat has been genetically altered to produce more to meet the demand of an increased population. Now I know why 'gluten-free' is so popular now. A lot of people realize that wheat is messed up and therefore, has messed up our health and weight. If you're concerned about your health and diet, what can it hurt to go to the Amazon link and read up on this book and the helpful reviews, and determine if you need to eliminate wheat from your diet.

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I hauled ass last week and into Saturday afternoon in finishing an essay paper for my summer graduate class. I did some work on it while at work, and stayed up late Thursday night, and to about 1:30am Friday night. I woke up Saturday morning at 8am to finish it up, and it was completed by 1:30. I then emailed it to the professor. On Sunday, in starting Unit 5 I read that the Unit 4 essay is due Aug 5th. Dang! I killed myself working on that paper and it wasn't due until another week! Oh well... at least I have this week to breathe easier eh? ;-)