Wheat Belly: Weeks 2, 3 and 4 and other stuff

I know, I know.  The weeks seem to just fly by and I'm not SUPER happy with my weight loss but trying to not think about that and know that I am becoming more healthy and making a good change with my life.  I think some of my weight gain is water anyway but still..its frustrating.

Anyway, things in the wheat belly world are going pretty well and I am feeling pretty accomplished and happy with myself.

Cooking has become kind of a challenge but I am trying to broaden my horizons.  I am hoping to post some things I have tried.

Here are the stats from the last 3 weeks:

Week 2
Weight 184.4
Week 3
Weight 184.8 (Booo)
Week 4
Weight 185.0 (Double Booo)

I started working in the Kansas City temple this past Saturday so life just became more busy.  But I am excited to be working there and serving the Lord.

Wheat Belly: Week 1 in review

I have decided that I don't know how to cook very many vegetables so I will be looking around the Internet for more ideas.  If you have any veggie recipes that you would care to share, please feel free.  I especially want to learn to cook eggplant but have been pretty unsuccessful thus far.  Tell me your secrets please!

This week went fairly well I would say.  My hunger seems to be slowing down a lot.  I am not looking around for something else to eat 2 hours after I finish eating.  I even successfully went out to dinner on Saturday night and had salmon which I love.  I ate just a few pieces of broccoli because I was unsure how it was cooked.  I didn't touch the rice because I really wasn't that hungry and it wasn't that appealing.

Weird.

Its definitely been a challenge too, don't get me wrong.  I have to find some alternatives to salad though because I can see myself getting tired of that pretty quickly and I don't want to get tired of this new lifestyle.  I want to be successful!

All in all, a great week!  Looking forward to week 2.

Stats:

Weight: 185.2  (2 lbs lost!  Yay!)
GI Issues: Still here but don't seem to be as intense.
Feeling Hungry?  Not really.
General Mood:  Good.

Wheat Belly Day 2 and 3

Yesterday just got away from me before I could post about Day 2 so I am trying to make up for lost time.  Just a warning: If you don't want to read about my GI issues, stop reading now.

Seriously.

I have had chronic diarrhea for about 15 years now since I began taking a certain immunosuppresant from my very first transplant.  Usually it can be handled and I just live my life.  But my hope with this diet is that I will be less inclined to spend 15 to 20 minutes in the bathroom 2 or 3 times a day.  Days 1 and 2 were some of the best GI days I have had in a long time.  Today wasn't so great but that is just par for the course. I know that I can't expect a diet to reverse the side affect of a medication.

But the hunger isn't as bad.  I have noticed that I do feel hungry about every 2 hours but then it goes away and I don't feel hungry.

The experiment continues.

Wheat Belly: Day 1

I would call Wheat Belly Day 1 a success!  But isn't that the way it always is?  The first day or maybe week you are super excited and super motivated? I need to remember that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet.  I am trying to eat healthier so that I can keep this kidney as long as possible.

I found myself hungry around 9 and then again at 11 but after lunch and dinner I wasn't hungry at all.  Lunch was salad and I had some cheese chunks.  (So happy I can have cheese) Dinner was zucchini and broiled steak.  Yummy.

Looking forward to more success!

Wheat Free T-minus 1 day....

and counting.  Or maybe not really counting but thinking about how my life needs to change.  My eating habits to be more specific.  I have known that I need to eat better for quite awhile and these last few months since I started a job in March have been those kind of months where I didn't care what I put in my mouth.

Wrong.  Decision.

Recently, a family friend told my mom about a book called Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis.  Dr. Davis is a cardiologist whose basic message is wheat has gone through quite a few molecular changes in the past 50 years by humans.  We have made it easier to grow, harvest etc.  As a result, it has become unhealthy for us to eat.  Wheat has become addictive and only makes us want more.

How many times have I finished dinner to start looking around the kitchen for something else to eat about 2 hours later?  Dr. Davis contends that wheat and wheat based products make us want to eat more and more.  Why can't I stop at just one cupcake?  Wheat.

Starting tomorrow I am going completely off of wheat and see what kinds of effects it might have on my body.  Dr. Davis presents several case studies about people who have lost weight and generally have better health all because they don't eat wheat.

It should be an interesting experiment and I am going to try to blog about it as much as possible but mostly for me.  I am going to be seeing how not eating wheat is helping my intestinal issues, weight and some other things.

I can do this.  I am a woman of action!

Today's stats:
Weight: 187.2
GI issues: still occurring
Feeling hungry: After lunch I didn't feel hungry two hours after.  GREAT!
General mood:  Great!

My Crazy Life

Things in my life have been a little bit crazy as of late so sit back and enjoy this post!

The Blog Contest

I won the blog contest! I was so excited, humbled and I really couldn't believe it. Thanks to everyone who voted for me, read the post and for all of the sweet comments. I really do have the best support system and I am so blessed to be able to call all of you friends and family. The basket I received was so awesome! We are still enjoying some of the goodies and the basket is now holding piano music.

A Brain Injury

Most of the reason that I haven't blogged since April 19 is because of what happened on April 21st. I woke up and I wanted to take my anti-nausea medicine before I ate but I couldn't remember which medicine to take. I asked my mom and she was immediately concerned that something was wrong. After that I don't remember anything but I tried to put the water pitcher back into the fridge and I thought my bedroom was the laundry room. Mom put me on my bed and I was non responsive but still breathing. She said my eyes were glazed over and I wouldn't answer her. She immediately called 911 and I got to ride in ambulance for the first time..too bad I don't remember the ride.

I had two Grand Mal Seizures while in the ambulance bay in the hospital and after an MRI the doctors thought I might have a brain infection. I didn't talk to anyone except I did say my brothers nickname when he asked me if I knew him. I was transferred to another hospital in the same system and put into ICU where I stayed for two days. The following day I wasn't talking still and I had another MRI where it was discovered I had a condition called PRES which stands for Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. It is caused by a combination of the medications I take for my transplant and high blood pressure. I had been having horrible headaches for about 6 months previous and this is also a symptom of this condition.

By the following day, I was talking and eating but had lost my short term memory for the past 2 days. I don't remember anything until that night and I don't remember anything previous to my taking my medication on the 21st. It was quite a weird feeling to say the least to be unable to remember the year or who the president was. I only know what happened from stories from my family and friends which were quite hilarious to say the least. I also had no filter so whatever came into my head came out of my mouth and that also led to some funny moments.

I was told in the hospital that I would be unable to drive for 6 months and that was the one thing that I wasn't so excited about. If you know me at all you know I like to be in control and I especially like being able to go where I want when I want. Not that I have been going very many places as of late but still I like having the option. But when I went for my follow up visit with the neurologist he said that I could drive 2 weeks after I stopped the anti-seizure medication. On June 15th I will no longer be 15 and unable to drive! I am looking forward to that day for sure!

Dialysis at Home

Peritoneal dialysis at home is going very well. A week after I was released from the hospital, I was in training to do the dialysis and now I have been doing dialysis myself for about a month. I am so happy to be in charge of my own treatment and to be free from going to the dialysis center three times a week. The training was good but there were some things I wish were explained more clearly and some things that I didn't need to know a thousand times. But everyone learns at different rates so I would assume the training needs to be flexible enough for different kinds of learners.

Feeling Good

I am feeling so much better and actually have some energy to go and do. It is amazing that we are at a point to replace the function of an organ. Wow. I feel really blessed to still be here on this earth with my family and friends. My support system is so awesome especially my parents and I couldn't do anything without them. They are the best!

Thanks again for all your love and prayers.

Finally Feeling Better

I am finally feeling better. On Saturday it will be 2 weeks since I started antibiotics. Once in a while I will cough again but I am definately on the mend. And just in time to go to KC in two weeks. Actually 13 days and I am WAY excited. It will be a fun trip because I get to go see Wicked for the 3rd time. LOVE IT!