Eating Gluten Free

Last week, I wrote about how I discovered my gluten intolerance. This week I wanted to talk about learning to eat gluten free. There is definitely a learning curve, like any lifestyle change.

The first month I ran out and got every thing gluten free that I could get my hands on bagels, rolls, pretzels, cereal, crackers, cookies, etc. I had that thinking of "if its gluten-free then its good for me." Not the case. As a matter of fact, some of the gluten free food is actually less nutrient dense than regular food as the manufacturers don't enrich everything with added vitamins like they do with regular food. Also just because it is gluten free doesn't mean you can eat MORE of it!

So the first month after being gluten free I still felt like crap.

In October I signed up with Jillfit.com for my first fat loss plan. No gluten there. Protein, veggies and healthy carbs. It took me a few weeks to find my stride with the plan but once I got it I FELT GREAT!! Clean healthy food. No processed food. I was thankful to Jillfit for helping really get into the groove with gluten free eating. I do eat the processed gluten free food some times on treat meals (gluten free pizza) or special occasions (gluten free cupcakes/cookies). I am happy to have my diet shifted from processed food and carbs to fresher whole foods. In learning to eat this way, I feel so much more stable, have more energy and less food binges. Plus I feel healthier and I am about 20lbs lighter.

It drives me crazy to hear about people going gluten free to lose weight and then they stock up on all the processed crap that they normally eat but its gluten free. That doesn't help any one. There is nothing magical about pretzels, chips, bread, cake and pizza that is gluten free. It has just as many calories, if not more than the regular version.

Any one could benefit from eating more whole foods. Foods with 5 or less ingredients.

Negotiating all of this does take time to learn and get used to. Find a dietitian or diet coach who can help you. Find support while you are making this change. There is no reason to feel frustrated and on your own. Many people have made the switch to a gluten free lifestyle and are usually happy to share information and help you along the way.

I am one of those people. Please let me know if you want any more information.

In honor of Celiac Awareness Month

May is Celiac Awareness Month. In honor of this awareness month, I thought I would share my story about gluten. I do not have Celiac's Disease...at least I don't think that I do. I am gluten intolerant. Here is how I figured that out.

It all started at the beginning of 2010. I decided for once and for all I would figure out my depression and fatigue issues. For years I had been struggling with depression with out any real cause to point to. I had been depressed previously but had clear life situations that I could point to and say.. yep.. that is making you REALLY unhappy. However, I did not have any of that going on. I had a great job, great relationships, no money concerns and no chronic health problems (that I knew of!). It really bothered me to wake up sad and unmotivated. I also struggled with what I referred to as mind bending fatigue. Tired when I first got up, regardless of how much sleep I had. Needing a nap in the day. Tired all the time.

First, I started with a therapist. I am a big supporter of therapy..for every one. We all have issues to work through and need a trusted person to help us see what we cannot or examine the things we would rather avoid. After several sessions, I realized I just did not have that much to talk about. No huge things in my life that I was not dealing with.

Next, I went to a nutritionist. I got off all my pills - anti-depressants and birth control - not my thyroid pills of course. I wanted to clean out my system and start from scratch. I tried several different approaches with nutrition including a several week cleanse of all things gluten, dairy, corn and other foods associated with inflammation. I didn't really feel that much better.

Next, off to an endocrinologist. I wanted to see if he could take a closer look at my hypothyroidism in a way that my family physician could not. He ran some blood tests. Thyroid levels were "ideal" and the only thing that seemed a little off was my liver enzymes. He wanted to run more tests. I asked him this time to please run a test for celiacs disease. The gold standard for celiacs testing is a biopsy of your small intestine. However, there are blood tests that will give good indications of the condition. Thankfully he was open to running that test. I came back off the charts in all of the immunoglobulin tests that you run for celiacs. I found out ON my 38th birthday. I still had birthday cake that day as I figured one more meal wouldn't do that much more damage.

While the doctor refers to it as having celiacs disease, I am not sure that I really agree with that as I have no gastro-intestinal reactions to gluten. In doing more reading and talking to people I think I fall into the gluten intolerant group. Gluten intolerance/sensitivity shows up in many different ways. For me, it makes me depressed and tired. Many people when they give up gluten have immediate positive reactions. My mom experienced a pretty radical transformation in giving up gluten. I describe my change as a slow gradual ascent. The depression is gone. The fatigue is better but still present and still harsh at times.

I do feel really bad when I do eat gluten. I had some frosted sugar cookies over Christmas. The next day I could hardly get out of bed and was overly emotional.

I wanted to share my story in case it helps any one else get diagnosed.

I will perhaps share later on about how it is to live gluten free.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Bummer Dude

What an interesting year for me in the area of fitness/workout knowledge. I started weight lifting in college... along with doing step aerobics (with slouch socks and the thong over the bike shorts look.. but we won't discuss that now). Regardless, I have been weight lifting for a long time... and I love working out and challenging myself... or so I thought.

In the past year of studying to get my personal training certification, I realized I don't know jack crap.

• I had no idea of how the human body REALLY moves and works. I am learning more about it and its fascinating!
• My world has been opened to a huge arena of amazing trainers and programs and ideas that I never knew existed before. I can't get enough of reading their blogs, books and listening to their podcasts. (Nick Tumminello, Leigh Peele, Alwyn Cosgrove, Todd Durkin, Craig Ballantine, the Fit Cast, Tom Venuto, Chris and Kara Mohr and Alan Aragon...just to name a few).
• I am learning moves.. and I mean really learning how to do moves that I have been doing for years...squats, lunges, deadlifts. I am learning for the first time how to clean, push press, kettlebell swing. It is a bit bewildering how much new stuff I am learning about stuff I thought I knew!!

I am as fit as I have ever been in my life and yet there is SO MUCH MORE room for growth.

I wish I would have had a strength coach or a weight lifting mentor when I started. I can only imagine where I would be now. I never really progressed beyond "doing 3 sets of 10"that I read in a fitness magazine. That is where I was comfortable. That is what I knew. I did not really know about how to push my limits... how to really grow my strength, my fitness level, my capacities.

I am learning now and I guess that is better than never learning it.

I read the other day that it takes 10 years to master a certain field.

I can hardly wait to see where I am in 10 years. It should be wonderful.

Where ever you go...there you are

I have been giving a great deal of thought to goals recently. Several incidents helped me focus on goal thinking: the ending of my jillfit plan, attending a meditation workshop, a goal discussion with my Lulu Lemon friends and finally some inspiring conversations with my best girl friends. I am sure more blog posts will follow that came out of those inspiring events but this one talks about the why behind the goals.

I was thinking about my 18% body fat goal. I never could answer in a complete enough way for me why I wanted to hit this. Yes, I want to look hot. I want to be lean and muscular. I want to have people look at me and need to use the words "ripped" or "diesel" to describe me. :)

I was way transfixed on the number but it seemed like the more I drove toward it the further away I was getting. What was I hoping would happen at that number? What would being at 18% body fat mean? Was I holding on a hope that something magical would happen if I hit that number? Would I suddenly look in the mirror and be completely at peace with my body? Would my struggle with food be over? Would opportunity open up that I didn't have before at 19% body fat?

Nope. I would just be me... at a lower body fat number. I would have days that I felt like I look awesome and days where I am completely unsatisfied at the reflection looking back at me. I would still want to eat copious amounts of peanut butter. My friends would (and do) love me at what ever body fat percentage I am at. The only opportunities that will open up for me are the ones that I actively pursue.

Have you ever felt attached to a goal like this? If only I had the money then I would....., If only I were 15 lbs lighter than life would be drastically different, if only I weren't stuck in this dead end job or relationship...., if only.. if only....

When you understand the why you want the goal, it helps you be clearer in decisions that you need to make. It helps you to understand the person you are. It made lead you in a different direction all together. Your goal of losing 15 lbs to have your life get better might be better resolved by having a goal of working on self esteem and self confidence.

But you know what, no matter what income level, new relationship, new job or the number on the scale you still have the same you. The same patterns that drive you, the same responses you respond with, the same triggers that you trigger you all of it will be with you, and all the things that make you happy, sad and mad. If you want to make BIG changes in your life, think about changing those kinds of things. THAT is amazing and transforming.

Gratitude

This morning I woke up and felt charged for the day. I am feeling overwhelmed by the sense of gratitude for my body. I ask a lot of it on a daily basis. It gets me through hard workouts and it gets me through the activities of daily life. I can breathe easily. My joints don't hurt. I can walk up and down stairs easily. I can see and hear what is going on around me. I have no life threatening diseases. Not every one can say that every day. I know there are people who wake up in pain, who are not very mobile, who have a hard time breathing fully, who can't see or hear that well. I am grateful for the body I have.

Do I wish I was a bit leaner now after eating clean for 6 months? Yep.

But in looking in the mirror this morning while working out and watching my leg muscles work, I am happy with the strong healthy body that I have. Connecting with this feeling makes me want to take even better care of it. Fill it with whole healthy food, minimize processed food and alcohol, move it often as well as give it the rest and recovery that it needs.

Take some time and think about your body. What it does, how it serves you in a day? Can you treat it better? Are you taking the best care of it you can? Connect with the gratitude for your body and treat it like the amazing machine that it is.

Round 2 the Lessons Learned

My goal for my 2nd 12 week fat loss plan was 18% body fat and to be able to run the recent 10k here in Richmond - wearing running shorts and a sports bra to be able to show off some impressive abs.

My results? Scale is about the same; I am about an inch smaller around my waist and butt, body fat is in the 20-22% range.

Admittedly I am disappointed I am not where I thought I would be. It is a drag to set a goal and then not hit it. Who do I have to hold responsible for this? Me! It was all in my hands to succeed or fail.

Of course from failure, must come learning.

What I learned:

- Every one struggles. How quickly you get back up is the important thing.

- Fatigue - My worst enemy, keeps me from working hard in the gym and makes me feel like I am hungry. I still have more to learn around this issue. I had deep fatigue during several weeks of this plan. Was it diet? Was it over training? What else was going on? How can I best work through this obstacle?

- Lifting Heavy is fun. This marked a return to what I had been doing a while back. I hadn't been in the gym in a while so I found going in there fun and inspiring for a while. I definitely gained muscle and saw how much I could push my body

- I need change in my routine. As referenced above, the gym was fun to go in to ....until it wasn't. About week 5 , I was really struggling with getting myself there and doing the same workout routine again. There were weeks I did my best to stay the course and other times I opened it up and just played.

- Eating a non-carb centered diet feels routine now. That makes me happy. When I started 6 months ago, I was a cereal for breakfast, rice for lunch, pasta for dinner and more cereal before bed kind of girl. Now, proteins and veggies make up most of my meals. I struggle less around choosing the healthy option at meal times.

I even made it through a gluten episode with out bingeing or drinking! I was thrilled. Usually when I feel tired and depressed (when I have had gluten) I want carbs and/or alcohol in the worst way. This time I just fueled with the good stuff - veggies and protein. That made me happy.

I was hoping to be leaner by this time but I am not. I was hoping to make it all the way through my 12 week plan with out a binge but I did not. I am happy I have learned and grew through the experience.

I still want to get leaner. I do not want to give up that goal. It is so much a part of the vision of who I am. I am taking a break from being on a plan for a few weeks and stop being as focused on the body fat number for the moment. Then I will hop back in as focused as ever!!

Round 2 Weeks 9 & 10: Playing and Learning

I can't lie. 12 weeks is a long time for me to follow a plan. While I have cracked down more on the food simply because I was feeling really bad there for a few weeks (fatigue, depression, lack of motivation, weight gain), I have started to play with my workouts more. I have been doing crossfit a couple of times a week which has been fun. I have also been putting together workouts that I want to do. Today was leg day but I didn't want to go in to the gym so I created a great leg circuit in my workout room and had a blast. I like workouts where I can feel playful and joyful. I will probably open this up even more once I get through my plan.

2 weeks from being done and I am pretty sure I am not going to hit my 18% goal nor my goal to be able to run the Monument 10k wearing just a sports bra and running shorts in order to show off some killer abs. While there is a bit of disappointment in saying that, I am ok with it. I have learned a ton about myself and my body over the past 10 weeks (how many people can say that?!) I am sure if I would have executed the original plan flawlessly I would have met my goals.

But there were times I wasn't happy and I wasn't feeling good. When that was the case, I made modifications and got help. It is funny to me that what helped with my food was really getting strict back to the original plan and writing down my food again. I feel good again and am enjoying the tracking of the eating. With my workouts, it meant being more open. I like to play and explore and push and move. This is one reason why I love being a personal trainer.

"Oh you don't like that exercise or can't do it? Lets try this one instead!"

" I just found this great new workout. Lets try it and see how it is. "

With clients I am able to increase my cycles of learning and learn more than I ever could on my own... and they get more fit because of it. win-win!

Some of you had asked what is next for me when this 12 weeks is up... I am not sure is my answer at the moment. I want to continue to get leaner for sure but I feel like I need a rest from following a prescribed plan. What ever is next it will definitely involve playing and learning!