My wheat belly has been the source of much angst and discussion in the past 5 years. I used to have no belly, but life took its toll and I sported a pretty mean looking bump in 2009. On January 1st 2010 I made up my mind (not a resolution) that I need to get rid of the offensive growth around my midsection.
So I did what any weight-losing wannabe would do: went to the gym. That worked pretty well at first, helping me lose 15-20lbs in the first 4 months. I went 5 times/week and did mostly cardio-related exercises: elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike. I even went to a few spin classes and worked my butt off with the rest of the group. My weight loss seemed to plateau around 20lbs lost though, and I started to get discouraged.
In the summer of 2010, my wife was having a conversation with one of her friends related to a half-marathon that she wanted to run. This would be her first attempt at the distance after about a year of running regularly. She asked the guy if he wanted to run the race with her, he said no, and I said something like “why wouldn’t you ask your own husband first?”
So that was the thing that started me running. I lost another 15-20lbs in the next 4 months training for this half-marathon. I was nowhere near the ideal shape to run, or even walk, this kind of distance. I did it anyways and it took me 3 hours to finish. Not a world record…
That was in September 2010. Since then, I have done 3 more half-marathons, with varying success. My times were 2:38, 2:24, 2:29, in that order. A big improvement since the first one, but not fast by any means. I still consider myself a runner, a walk-runner.
Fast forward to the present, I only lost about 5lbs in the past year and I’m in a rut. I started CrossFit and I’m actually enjoying the change in routine. I’m getting stronger muscles and better co-ordination and balance. The weight refuses to fall off though. Between the start of a CrossFit bootcamp and the end (4 weeks) I actually gained 1% of body fat and lost 3lbs of muscle. That could be explained by scale inaccuracy, but still, it’s disappointing that a more positive change didn’t take place.
My last resort is to change my diet. I have tried various different diets in the past, including raw food and minimal meat. My recent “research” has brought me to the Paleo Solution and the Wheat Belly books. I have decided to give these hypotheses a try for the next 3 months. My main sacrifice will be to eliminate wheat and other glutens from my diet, as well as minimize sugar intake in its many forms.
My diet will consist of raw and cooked vegetables (except white potatoes), a variety of fruit, meat (preferably not processed), eggs, butter, and nuts. I will also allow lentils in my diet, excluding all other legumes. I will post my menu for each day, and my starting/finishing weight and measurements.
And that’s about it. Simple, right? Wish me luck.
Octavian