Happy Anniversary to ME -- My 1-Year Wheatless-versary!!!

Well, today (July 10th) is my 1st Wheatless-versary!  One year ago today, I eliminated wheat, grains and added sugar from my life and began following the Wheat Belly program by Dr. Davis.  I hemmed and hawed about it for several months before actually beginning. I really thought it was just another "here today/gone tomorrow" fad-type diet. While I really wanted to believe in it, the truth is I really didn't think it was all that it claimed to be.  But, something kept drawing me back to it.  I regularly read Dr. Davis' Track Your Plaque blog for several years before Wheat Belly came along -- primarily because of my issue with high triglycerides. While I was fascinated by the idea that it could be as simple as eliminating wheat, grains, sugars, etc....it also was completely opposite from everything else I had ever read anywhere else or had been told by numerous physicians.  The consistent mantra of low fat, healthy whole grains was what everyone else seemed to be preaching.  Could it really be true that whole grains really weren't so healthy after all and that fat really wasn't the enemy?  Then, Wheat Belly came along...and I began following that blog as well.  I must have "liked" and "unliked" that Facebook page at least half a dozen times, feeling like it was just too good to be true and wondering why, if it was really "that great", everyone else hadn't jumped on the bandwagon, too!  Lets just say I was intrigued, but seriously skeptical.

Then, after getting the frightening results of my triglycerides last July...546, I knew that I had to do something drastic.  It was getting harder and harder to defend saying "no" to my doctor about considering medications to lower them.  I had tried everything over the years -- lost weight, no fat, low fat, exercised like a freak...and while they would come down some -- they were never...ever within normal range.  It was so discouraging and frustrating every time I got my lab results back...it was like coming home with a bad grade on my report card when I knew I had tried my very best and did everything I was told to do.  I would just get frustrated and give up.  Gradually, I began putting on weight after getting injured while jogging one night (serves me right for jogging at night). So...after my lab results came back last summer, I decided I would go ahead and give Wheat Belly a try for a few weeks...hoping it would work, but fully expecting it not to.  I figured I really had nothing to lose...and the worst case scenario was I would go without wheat for a few weeks which was not a big deal.  I was a bit concerned because I love to cook and feared that by eliminating wheat, grains and most starches that cooking would be so boring, and eating would be even worse.  So, I set out to deliberately make sure that would never ever be the case.  Rather than focus on all the foods I had to eliminate, I chose to focus on the list of foods that I could eat and to find a way to embellish and enhance them by putting the ingredients together to make something awesome...not simply "alright"...I wanted AWESOME!  I did not want to feel deprived because I knew that would be my downfall and also knew that I would not be able to maintain eating this way forever if I felt deprived.  I worked on creating a few dishes early on that would make me feel like I could survive this.  One was "pasta dishes" -- the other was "pizza". So, one of the first things I worked on satisfying was a good substitute for both of those items.  I recreated spaghetti, fettucine, lasagna noodles by substituting zucchini or eggplant in place of the pasta and realized that regular pasta was really nothing more than a bland vehicle in which to enjoy the tasty cheeses, sauces, etc. that you ladled or layered along with them.  I experimented with creating a variety of pizza crusts, most of which were just "alright"...and remember, I was looking for awesome, not alright!  I finally created one that would make pining for pizza a thing of the past.  Interestingly, what I did find was that the longer I was away from wheat and grains...the less I missed or craved them.  Once I had suitable substitutions (that I actually liked more than the original versions) of those couple dishes...I settled down and realized that not only was it possible to live without wheat and grains...but it was downright enjoyable as well!  For the first time, I was in control of my appetite...it did not control me!  I can't describe how liberating and calming that was, all at the same time.

Now, back to my triglycerides...after 6 weeks without wheat and grains, they were cut in half.  After 7 to 8 months, they had gone from 546 to 115, by simply removing wheat and grains.  I look forward to getting my physical and labs done next month to compare them to last year's results.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I lost 65 pounds this past year.  Did I mention that 55 of those 65 pounds were lost in 6 months with NO exercise, just simply abstaining from wheat and grains???  I began exercising after 6 months, and have lost an additional 10 pounds for a total of 65 pounds.  I have more energy than I know what to do with.

During this past year, I have shared almost everything I have made daily on my blog.  It is interesting to look back at my "pictorial food diary" for this past year.  I've made it my mission to not only post the pictures of what I ate, but also provide my recipes and/or instructions, hoping it might give ideas to those wondering what to make or eat. I wanted to help give those that might be on the fence, like I once was, hope and inspiration and show them that eating wheat/grain free is not only good for you...but it is a delicious and sustainable way to live. I can honestly say that this past year has been an interesting journey, and not once have I felt deprived. While some people may feel that I am deprived and can't eat "this or that" any more, I know that I can eat whatever I choose to.  It is my choice not to eat wheat or grains any more; a conscious and willful decision on my part.  I wish more people could enjoy the tremendous health benefits for themselves.  I am forever thankful for the inspiration that Dr. Davis gave me via his book, Wheat Belly, and the inspiration that he gives to countless others each and every single day via his Wheat Belly Blog and Facebook page.  Thank you, Dr. Davis!