Why Avoiding Corn is a Nightmare

I would never in a million years wish a corn sensitivity or allergy on anyone.

Out of all of the foods that make me sick, corn is the hardest to safeguard against.  It's easy to avoid whole corn, tortilla products, cornmeal, and the likes because you can see with your own two eyes that something has corn in it.  Cornstarch, dextrose (once you know it's a corn product), and high fructose corn syrup are easy to spot as long as you have access to an ingredient list.  

But its corn derivatives that are called by a different name or foods you'd never think would have a corn byproduct in them that are the hardest to track down.  This list from the Gluten Free Society is the most comprehensive I've seen about corn products - please read so you can understand just how easily it can hide in our food.  

And why being vigilent for corn contamination is driving me nuts. 

Before my diet change, we were always good about buying whole food products.  My rule was if I couldn't pronounce it or I wouldn't add it to a dish while cooking it at home, it shouldn't be in my food at all.  I certainly don't have decyl polyglucose or BHT sitting in my spice rack, do you? 

But what was a simple rule before is now a matter of my health and quality of life.  Even "micro" amounts of corn products can cause stomach distress, a runny nose, and a slew of sneezing spells.  And feeling a touch under the weather affects my outlook, mood, and productivity.  My right and desire for a healthy life outweigh anything my taste buds have to say.
       
The problem is that corn byproducts are everywhere - they lurk in innocent-looking food, keep good company with organic products, and commit foul deeds under another name.  It's a Where's Waldo every time I eat.  

I basically need to assume that corn is in a food until I confirm otherwise. 

  
This journey has really been eye opening.  Recent surprises that had me doing a double take:

• White vinegar - Most people are startled to learn vinegar is fermented from corn.  It's not like there's a vinegar tree you tap.  Just think of how many condiments use vinegar: barbeque sauces, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and salad dressings.  I never cared for pickles or sauerkraut, but those are swimming in corn too.  
• Spice mixes - Lawry's, Cavenders, McCormick blends, and those packets of taco or ranch seasoning generally have cornstarch or dextrose in them.  Example: I love lemon pepper seasoning and had been using Cavenders on a weekly basis.  I only last week turned over the container and found to my horror three corn products in the ingredients list: cornstarch, dextrose, and hydrolyzed corn soy protein - ack!   
• Virtually any medication, including vitamins - It's probably a good thing that I'm not a fan of pills in the first place, but even a simple capsule of Vitamin D or an aspirin will have cornstarch or corn oil.  Dextrose is also a key ingredient in saline IV drips.  Those vitamins added to your dairy products?  They can be sourced or bonded with corn and there's no way of knowing (other than to hound the company).
• Shredded cheese - Most brands use cornstarch for anti-caking.  I was short on time the other day, grabbed a bag of shredded cheese, and got halfway across the store before I thought to check "just in case" and there it was, listed right after cheese.  Another example of how you have to question everything.
• Pop - Even if a pop is made of real cane sugar, like those expensive ones in the natural foods section, it can still contain corn from citric acid and caramel coloring.  Goodbye Sierra Mist and Pepsi/Coke in glass bottles. 
• Processed meats - Since I can't eat sandwiches anymore, this one doesn't affect me too much, but many deli meats have corn syrup or caramel coloring.  Yeah, that "honey" ham?  That's corn syrup.  Some inferior brands of bacon will have caramel coloring added to them as well.        
• Whipped cream - The chemical concoction known as Cool Whip aside, even a brand that uses real cream (like Reddi-wip) has corn syrup in it.  If I want whipped cream, I'd better make it myself.  
• Candy - If it's not solid chocolate, it's a no.  I can manage a plain Hershey's bar, but hard candies, boxed chocolates, and all other candy bars are off limits, largely due to corn syrup or invert sugar.  I miss M&Ms.       
• Broth (chicken, beef, vegetable) - Doesn't matter whether it's Swanson's, Rachel Ray, Emeril, Aldi's, or one from the organic section, virtually all of them have dextrose, cornstarch, or monosodium glutamate. 
• Vanilla - Vanilla bean alone is corn-free, but vanilla extract is typically 35% alcohol.  Grain alcohol.  Get the picture? 

These are just a few of the many ingredients that are utterly common in an American diet yet I now have to watch out for.  Before a fork or spoon goes to my mouth, I've researched, googled, examined menus and ingredients lists, double checked ingredients lists (product formulas can change), and emailed companies or restaurants to make sure that what I'm eating is free of corn.   

There is not a day that goes by that I don't have to think about the safety of my food.  

The hardest thing is that I'm still testing just how far my corn sensitivity goes.  I know for sure cornstarch, caramel coloring, and dextrose definitely produce a reaction.  But I haven't cleared white vinegar yet.  I don't know if taking an aspirin does anything.  Or if potatoes fried in corn oil are a problem.  I'm hoping I can keep vanilla too, but I don't know for sure.  Do I need to worry about packaging and plastics made out of corn?  The wax on my fruit?  Corn in my toothpaste?  

The questions are endless.  It's one big science experiment as I subject myself, intentionally or by accident, to small amounts of corn products waiting for a reaction that may or may not develop.      

To be honest, all of this has changed my attitude about food.  At present, a lot of the joy has been lost because I have to expend so much energy and time making sure I don't get sick from food.     

There is not a single meal that I don't prepare from scratch and by hand.  It sounds so lovely, right?  Until you begin to count up the hours I spend grocery shopping, menu planning, cooking, and cleaning each and every day.  Let's not forget that I have a full-time job.  While I enjoy my kitchen, some nights I long for the easy out - the frozen pizza, the bowl of fried rice, the rotisserie chicken - but they're not an option. 

Going out to eat used to be one of my favorite activities; now it verges on stressful and depressing if I can't confirm what's in a dish.  The number of restaurants I can eat at is dismal - take out every fast food, chain, pizza, Mexican, and sandwich shop in sight.  The simple act of wanting ice cream sets off a research session to see what might be available.   Traveling requires me to vet restaurants well in advance.  There is no spontaneity with swinging into a new place.  At this rate, I almost need a smartphone for all the research I need to do.  

Potlucks and birthday treats at work?  Forget about it.  Going into someone else's home and having to inflict them with my diet?  Terrifying.  Even weddings are a problem.  We've got one coming up soon and I've had to email the bride to be put in touch with catering to see what I can eat.  I'm a problem guest now.

And let's not even broach the subject of GMOs, organic food, and sustainably produced meat.  It's important, it's on my to-do list, but I Can't. Handle. One. More. Thing.  I am overloaded with this diet change already and the thought of having to make more switches is not something I can deal with at this point.  

        
Right now, I fully recognize that I'm in a transitional period.  I'm only a matter of months into this diet change and I'm still adjusting, figuring out my strategy, and finding a new normal.  But when I think about how I must eat, words like rigid, anxious, endless, restrictive, limiting, and extreme come to mind. 

I myself have many questions - is this a corn allergy or intolerance?  Is there a genetic thing at play here?  Is this the result of being born in the 80s and growing up in a chemical bath?  The consequences of pesticide/fertilizer use and genetic modification?  I had a dreadful bout of illness from a virus in 2005 - is that the culprit?  Or have I always had this and the symptoms just manifested differently or worsened over time?    

I think one of the biggest issues with a grain-free lifestyle is how isolating it can be.  Particularly since I don't have an "official" test from the medical community to document my intolerance, some people can be dismissive.  Few people understand it, and some are even threatened by it.  Particularly with living in the Midwest and smack dab in the middle of the Corn Belt, what I'm doing is also very counterculture.  Trust me, I'm not out to take away your corn on the cob or your bowl of pasta. 

That being said, I know what I'm doing for my health is the best decision.  Every time I can push myself harder when I exercise, every pound I lose, every day that I don't have a stomach ache or sinus weirdness, every compliment I receive, every encouraging Facebook comment fuels me to tough this out.  It's your understanding and kindness that are helping me to sail through this adjustment period buoyed by support.  

New waters ahead.  There is no going back. 

What Is It Like to Live Grain-Free?

Going grain-free is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but it is the ONLY thing that has made a difference in my health.  I'm telling you my story in detail so hopefully someone out there doesn't have to waste seven years of their life feeling trapped in their body. 

Starting with Wheat

With no options left but to put my food choices under a microscope, I began the tedious and daunting task of questioning everything that went down my gullet.

In September 2012, I began to dramatically scale back on wheat - bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, croutons.  A slice of pizza or a chocolate chip cookie here and there was my cheat.  I began to mentally take notes about when I was experiencing digestive discomfort and worked backwards from there. I would avoid anything I had in the last two days and then go back and add just one of the suspected ingredients.  I was essentially doing an elimination diet. 

By Thanksgiving, it was obvious that wheat was a problem.  Cutting it out eliminated constipation, gas, joint and muscle pain, and ear aches.  But a few digestive problems remained and so I continued testing other grains.

Goodbye to the Rest

The surprise?  ALL GRAINS are a problem, with corn and wheat as the reigning twin terrors of my stomach.  Something as benign as rice (even as flour) isn't kind to my system, nor is an ancient grain like quinoa.

Corn, it turns out, was to blame for my diarrhea, sniffles, acne, and, this is gross, but hard boogers that would turn into a resin-like substance that was really painful.  Gluten and the other grains are easy to avoid (though not always to resist), but eliminating corn is a never-ending battle.  When they say corn is in everything, they are not joking.  I have to be constantly vigilant about it.  And my face, nose, and stomach blow up if I get a dose of it unintentionally.   

                   
And it's not just whole corn, like tortilla products or cornmeal, but high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, and cornstarch.  And all the corn derivatives out there, like vanilla flavoring, most grain alcohols, citric acid, and caramel coloring.

Benefits in Spades
So what do I eat since cutting out the foundation of the food pyramid?  Meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and chocolate, because lord knows I need a frickin' treat every day to handle all of this.  It's a good thing I like cooking and I'm good at it, because EVERYTHING is made from scratch and freshly prepared.  

And what have I gotten out this radical diet shift?

• I've lost 30 pounds and gone down two pant sizes and one shirt size.  
• I can exercise without joint or muscle pain. 
• I rarely have digestive distress.
• I no longer have ear aches, sinus infections, or even colds. 
• I have steady energy throughout the day. 
• I am no longer prey to vicious drops in blood sugar and overwhelming cravings.
• The frequency of my migraines has been dramatically slashed.
• My mood and outlook have significantly improved.
• I have gotten compliments on my skin (seriously, this said to someone who had acne so bad in high school that I couldn't wash my face because it was so painful and who now has a face riddled with scars).

It is so obvious to me that grains have been the root problems all these years.  Looking back, my life had become terribly hampered because I was in pain every day and I never had an escape from it.  All of that collective discomfort was lowering my defenses both mentally and physically.  It was a distraction I learned to live with, but it had become a black hole that sucked up any positivity.    

Complications Linger

The way my body has transformed makes it crystal clear that this isn't a temporary elimination - this is part of who I am now.  But it's not an easy or fast fix.  I still have more weight to lose.  While it was clipping along at 1 pound per week at the beginning this year, it's slowed down to a trickle and only 2 pounds came off in the last month.  I'm doing yoga and walking right now, but I need to step it up if I want to keep whittling my waist.

I still get migraines if I'm out of schedule.  I still have seasonal allergies (my goodness, this past week must have had a high pollen count!).  I sometimes have digestive distress simply because I'm stressed out and not honoring my need to decompress.  I still get the occasional pimple because my skin is just sensitive.       

I admit, I have had some royal meltdowns about this diet switch.  There are so few restaurants that are "safe" for me to eat at, and for a foodie, that can be kind of crushing.  You don't bother cruising the treat table at work. Potlucks or catered events are like russian roulette.   

It is stressful to always question food products, even when it's homemade by your mom.  It is disappointing to watch your list of "unsafe" foods keep growing with no end in sight.  It takes a lot of time each week to shop and cook fresh.  Days you don't feel like cooking are not an option.   

I'm a recovering picky eater, so it takes some real effort on my part to like certain vegetables.  My stomach turns at the smell of seafood.  Soy products (tofu, soy milk, soy sauce) give me really bad mood swings.  Peanuts will enter and leave my system within 30 minutes with some of the worst pain imaginable.  Beans (kidney, black, etc.) also upset my stomach and make me unbearably bloated.  I still need to test if I can tolerate other nuts, peas, or green beans.

And goddammit, sometimes all you want is a chocolate chip cookie! 

I really miss those.  Like, a lot.  If it wasn't obvious ...  

So what keeps me going?

Having a "quiet" stomach that graciously accepts foods without complaint.

Losing the bloated look I've been sporting the last seven years.

Feeling a sense of normalcy and control over my life.  

Someone telling me I look strong, happy, more relaxed, or healthy. 

Trust me, I'm not thrilled that this is what my body needs to thrive.  It's very limiting and restrictive, but it's the only thing that has truly freed my body.  I don't know why this happened or if some years down the road, I can have a yearly cookie without getting messed up.  

But for now, my path is clear - grains make me sick.   

How I Ditched Grains to Reclaim My Health

Going grain-free is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but it is the ONLY thing that has made a difference in my health.  I'm telling you my story in detail so hopefully someone out there doesn't have to waste seven years of their life feeling trapped in their body. 

My Health Goes Downhill

I've never hidden the fact that my physical and mental health has been a problem the last seven years.  Once I hit grad school in 2006, my weight started climbing.  I was stressed, didn't exercise, and ate out too much - I just didn't have time to take care of myself and thought I was reaping the consequences of a poor lifestyle.  

In 2008, I started experiencing digestive issues.  I determined that I had an oat intolerance, but it never occurred to me to see if other grains might be an issue.  Avoiding oats was pretty easy once you got in the habit of religiously reading all labels, but it didn't stop the weight gain, vicious mood swings, joint and muscle pain, reoccurring UTIs, ear aches, sinus infections, acne, depression, or poor sleep.  I was unhappy, sickly, and most of all, overwhelmed with frustration.  Exercising and eating healthy did nothing to boost my health.   I didn't know what I was doing wrong.

So I spent a few years without insurance living in misery and a few years with it but feeling too poor to use it.  Once our finances evened out two years into my current job, I started on a campaign of health tests in 2011 and 2012.  The first change was to eliminate birth control, which stopped the weight gain, UTIs, poor sleep, and the majority of feeling crazy on a daily basis.   It was the first time I felt like I had some control over my body.  Getting that little bit of relief empowered me to keep hunting.    

No Answers from Medical Testing 

I listened, eavesdropped, messaged, and asked questions of anyone I knew who also struggled with their health, hoping that if someone listed off symptoms like mine, I would have my next clue.  I learned about fibromyalgia, lupus, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, thyroid conditions, allergies, endocrine syndromes (one of which could have been a possible tumor on the pituitary gland and had me terrified while waiting for test results), Celiac's, and sleep disorders.  I got tested for a variety of medical conditions, but each one was a frustrating dead end.  

During my quest, I also stumbled across a few folks who had a gluten intolerance.  They swore up and down that eliminating wheat was the best decision they ever made, all of their health concerns vanished, and they were living a pain-free existence. But the people who had become vegetarians, ate exclusively organic, or were vegans all said the same thing.  

I was skeptical.  Particularly with wheat, it sounded like a magic fix, a radical move borrowed from supermodels to stay thin, and medically defiant in the worst kind of way.  It doesn't help that people can be very pushy, sometimes aggressive, about their diet advice.  But despite my reservations, I listened, considered, and researched. 

A Stomach Ache Every Day 

By the time I started medical testing, my digestive distress was full blown.  I was alternating between constipation and diarrhea, cramping and bloating from gas that would never resolve, little energy, lingering skin problems, and a growing dread of eating anything.  I was convinced my body had conspired against me.  There was no peace to be had from my GI system.  I was convinced the chest-bursting creature from Alien had decided to call my stomach home.  

I exercised and would be excessively sore for days on end.  I couldn't lose an ounce of weight to save my soul.  I was embarrassed and uncomfortable with my body in every way possible.  No matter how many feminist pep talks I gave myself about body confidence, I couldn't shake the self consciousness of being almost 200 pounds when I had been 60 pounds less in college.  I got rid of clothes that I had lost hope I would ever fit into again.  The aches and pains did nothing but draw attention to how my body was imprisoning me.    

Celiac's was the closest condition that fit my list of aliments, yet my test came back free and clear.  I had exhausted all other options for medical testing.  There was nothing left to do but go through my diet one food source at a time and see if anything was making me sick.  No doctor could help me with this task.  It was up to me and years of reading mystery novels to go sleuthing into my diet.  I was not looking forward to it, but by then, I was desperate to try anything that would leave my stomach and bowels with some peace and quiet.   

Click here to keep reading where my health journey took me.    

Popping My Yoga Cherry

Down dog, cat, cow, starfish, crane, snake, and camel.  No, I'm not describing a trip to the zoo - those are some of the positions from my yoga class!

(source)

There is so much to relay about my health in the past months, but let's just say it's been a huge priority.  2013 is the year I'm reclaiming my wellness, both physically and mentally.  What better way of doing that than taking up yoga, which focuses on the body-mind-spirit connection.

I've always been curious about yoga.  There's no doubt the benefits are extensive and well documented, and people who practice yoga have so many good things to say about it.  I tried it once in college off of a DVD and all I remember was frustration and doubt over whether I was doing it right.  I vowed that if I ever attempted yoga again it would be under the instruction of a teacher.

Our local community college (Kirkwood) offers continuing education classes from cooking and art to fitness and professional certifications.  In the past three years we've been living here, I'd always flip through the catalog but ultimately decide we couldn't afford to spend money on leisure classes when we were pressed for gas or groceries. But our new income situation has made it possible to invest in my health.

So since January, I've been taking a yoga class once a week for 60 minutes.  It's been a rewarding experience and I've really fallen in love with it!  It's called Yoga for Everybody and includes a ton of modifications to accommodate your fitness level.  Over the 8 weeks, you progress from basic moves to more advanced ones.  The instructor is really pleasant and I love how she emphasizes taking things at your own pace and not comparing yourself to others.  It makes the classroom experience accessible and non-intimidating.

It's also cheap.  I'm only paying $49 for 8 sessions, barely $6 a class.  And it's at a gym on my side of town, so I don't have to drive far to get there.  #Winning.   

To be honest, I was never flexible.  Even at my peak fitness in high school, when I was on the basketball and tennis teams, our gym classes were robust, and I barely weight 120 pounds, I could never touch my toes.  Does anyone remember having to take the Presidential Fitness Test in the 90s?  One of the activities was the sit and reach - I ALWAYS failed.  Even with someone (gently) pushing on my back, my fingers never got past my ankles.

Side note - Google says the Presidential Fitness Test still exists!  I wonder if schools even do it anymore.  Looking back, our high school has an AMAZING gym class program.  We played every sport under the sun and were tested on the rules, learned just how awkward dancing can be (ever tried to polka with someone who's over 6 feet?  Impossible and slightly dangerous), followed Tae Bo tapes, had canoeing and fishing units out on the lake, practiced archery and cross-country skiing on the back field, and tackled weight circuits.  I guess not every school does this, but I'm grateful for all of the different opportunities (though my younger sister tells me she despised every moment of it, lol).

Anyways, when you're overweight, can be mentally but not physically flexible, and your body aches from sitting in an office chair all day, yoga can seem intimidating.  You think, holy hell, my body can't do that! How in the world am I supposed to get into that position?!  You want me to bend where?!?!

(source)

What you have to know about yoga, particularly a beginner's class, is you don't just twist yourself into a pretzel from the onset.  The moves are actually designed to flow into one another, so muscles are warming up and stretching before you go diving into something.  There's a rhythm to the poses and each one works a different part of your body.  Some are for balance, others push your flexibility, some target strength building, all require your concentration.

As I work on being physically active, I've found the types of exercises I gravitate to the most are ones where I can zone out.  Biking, walking, hiking, and yoga require just enough focus that you are there and in the moment but not thinking about your grocery list or what's on the work agenda the next day.  For someone with an active mind that's hard to shut off, this is a true blessing. 

I am almost at the end of my second round of this class and I've really seen some improvement.  I still can't sit and reach my toes, but I can bend over when standing and grab them.  I still can't get my heels to touch the ground when we're in down dog, but I can hang out in that position without feeling like my hips are going to seize up.  My ankles have always been wobbly, but I'm getting better at any of the moves that require you to balance on one foot.   My triceps and shoulder strength is laughable and please don't ask me to do a pushup, but I spotted muscle definition in my biceps for the first time in, well, I can't remember when. 

It's a huge confidence booster to see your body making progress, and coming out of a session feeling relaxed and satisfied has no price.  I am so happy I decided to try out yoga!  I'm definitely going to sign up for a third reiteration of the class.  

Have you ever taken a fitness class?  How do you like to be physically active?

Reflections on 2012

Happy 2013!

If my Facebook feed is any indication, it seems like 2012 was a polarizing time.  Some folks had a great year while others are sighing in relief that the last twelve months are over.  It seems like no matter what, everyone experienced a lot of change.

For me, 2012 was a trying year, one that threw many challenges my way.  I'd like to say that I handled them all with grace and came out relatively unscathed, but that's not true.  2012 was the year of never-ending frustrations and it wore me down. 

Right before last Christmas, I found out I had a Vitamin D deficiency and learned my body could no longer tolerate birth control pills.  I then rang in the New Year with a trip to the ER.  Early in spring, Mike deployed overseas and both of us went through one of the hardest deployments in our relationship.  The last few months have brought a complete diet switch for me, a terse and negative election season, a friendship that painfully deteriorated out of the blue, and a very full schedule between work and teaching. 

Over our Christmas vacation to Jamaica (details forthcoming!), I had time to ponder this past year and what lies ahead.  It's been a thought at the back of my head for some time, but I've realized that I'm not satisfied with some key aspects of my life, mainly in the area of work-life balance.  With my tolerance for stress and frustration waning, 2013 needs to be different.

I'm still working out the details.  I have some self-reflection ahead to make vague feelings into coherent thoughts and then turn those into actionable plans.

I don't have concrete New Year's resolutions but vague goals.  I want to:

Be physically healthier
Have more satisfaction at work
Continue with financial watchfulness
Make rest-and-relaxation a habit

What are you hoping for in 2013?      

Going Grain-Free ... For Now

A full 9 months into this year and my medical quest to find health is at its end.  I have exhausted all options for doctors and learned much along the way, mainly about things that I don't have.  I do not suffer from high cholesterol, diabetes, a malfunctioning thyroid, nutrient deficiencies, a sleep disorder, any endocrine issues, allergies, or a number of gastrointestinal disorders.

My recent endoscope/colonoscopy revealed a relatively healthy GI system, with the exception of acid reflux.  Which is odd, considering I don't experience symptoms of heartburn.  Nonetheless, erosion to my esophagus lining was noted.  Nothing else was found.

It's a funny thing to know your body isn't functioning properly and have no diagnosis in hand to improve your health when the regular efforts of diet and exercise haven't touch your ailments.  At this point, I rather give up on finding a concrete reason why I can't achieve physical wellness.

But the search these long months has not been in vain.  Dumping birth control profoundly stabilized a number of issues I was experiencing and Vitamin D cut through the mess of hormones the birth control had created.

 
It will be interesting to see if taking Prilosec for the acid reflux will make any difference.  I'm not fond of taking medications long term, so the plan is to use the pills until the end of the year and then examine other options.  

In the meantime, I'm initiating my plan to cut out grains from my diet.  If I'm eating cleanly, then maybe I'll have better luck at figuring out what triggers my digestive distress.  I don't know if this will be a permanent diet switch and I'm certainly not being as strict as avoiding things with yeast extract or corn starch.  

I'm simply categorizing grains as a treat, something to have once in a long while.  Because I know this Casey's pizza lover will eventually cave.  At this point, drastically cutting back but not out is my approach.

Here's a recent dinner: 8oz of tandoori-spiced chicken, green beans with almonds, parmesan-roasted potatoes, and this amazing blend of orange-poached pears and apples (recipe to come since BHG doesn't have this online).  Paired with a glass of milk, my belly was comfortably full but not gassy and I have leftovers that will be the envy of my coworkers tomorrow. 

Do note that me avoiding grains isn't about vilifying carbs - it's about me trying to find what balance of foods is right for my body.  With oats a problem, whole corn a source of headaches, and rice recently making my tummy unhappy, it's very much worth my time to rid myself of related foods to see if that will help. 

On an ending thought - Did you know your insurance is unlikely to cover an endoscope/ colonoscopy if you're under the age of 50?  Me neither, though I doubt knowing that beforehand would have changed my mind about getting one.  Is $350 worth knowing that I definitely do not have Celiac's, IBS, or colitis?  I'm not sure if I could say either way. 

What are you doing as of late to improve your health?

Gaining a Sense of Health Back

There's a lot of activity on my health front lately.  I've turned into a major health and exercise nut and am working on the biggest lifestyle change of my life.  I feel stronger, happy, and extremely motivated.  Here's how I've been doing it. 

Vitamin D
The last time I reported, I'd seen marked improvement from ditching birth control and taking Vitamin D supplements.  At that time, I'd only moved my Vitamin D deficiency from a dismal 15 nmol/L to a hopeful 25 nmol/L.  I am happy to report that taking 5,000 IU supplement daily has finally moved me into the normal range at 48 nmol/L.  I can now take 2,000 UI a day and we'll recheck my levels in 6 months to make sure they haven't dipped.

Because I implemented the birth control/Vitamin D changes at the same time, I'll never be able to distinguish which was the more effective move or which symptoms were alleviated by either pill.  It doesn't matter - I will never ever go back on birth control and I'll always be keeping my vitamin levels under a watchful eye. 

Exercise
Addressing the nutrient deficiency has been a complete game changer.  I can ACTUALLY exercise!  It's amazing to not be supremely sore from a simple walk.  Now that my body can handle movement, I've been aggressive about exercising.  

The past two weeks, I've been working out for 4 hours a week - a combination of biking, walks, hiking, Pilates, and resistance bands.  I'd like to exercise for 6 hours / 1hr a day but that will come soon enough.  This spring, I only managed 1.5 hours a week, so I need to be careful about increasing my stamina steadily so I don't crash and burn. 

Pilates definitely kicks my butt - I have zero core strength.  I like it nonetheless

I'm positively addicted to working out as I'm already experiencing those contact highs!  I loved being active as a kid - I was a classic, sports-loving tomboy.  It's so incredible to tap into those feelings of joy and adrenaline again during a sweat session.  Biking is hands down my favorite form of exercise.

Calorie Management
I am consistently keeping track of calories with an online tool called myfitnesspal.com.  I don't use the exercise function, but logging my daily food intake has been really helpful.  I'm not super anal about this - I track about 4-5 days of the week.  

Now that I've been doing it a while, I have mental notes about what one of my regular meals "costs" in calories.  For example, I know one of my staple dinners - bbq chicken, corn, and baked beans - will clock in around 500 calories, is relatively low on fat, and high in fiber. 

I also use the tool to plan meals in advance since I stick to meal planning pretty tightly.  I can chart out breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one sitting, which helps me to be mindful about how many calories are leftover for snacks. 

Despite my efforts to really bulk up on protein and fiber, I cannot bring myself down the 1,600 daily calories that's usually suggested for weight loss.  Even with eating on a 5 small meals routine, I still get overly hungry at that level.  With careful planning and a bit of willpower, I can easily hit and stop at 1,900 calories a day though.

I'm also making a concerted effort to increase my veggie intake.  My sweet tooth allows me to eat fruits with ease, but if it's green, it takes some willpower to like it.  So far I've found that raw broccoli and cauliflower, spinach salads, and peas are manageable.  My mother will also fall out of her chair when she reads this - I discovered that after years of hating green beans, that the Green Giant frozen green beans with almonds are quite tolerable, maybe even enjoyable.  Baby steps, baby steps.   

Not a brand endorsement, but wow, me eating green beans might mean the zombie apocalypse is upon us

Next Steps
While all of these changes have been super awesome, my weight has not budged one bit.  Granted, it's not gone up either.  Frankly, being so close to 200 pounds has me frightened out of my mind.  I don't come from a healthy stock of genes and I know that carrying all my weight around my belly is killing off a future version of myself in the form of heart disease or diabetes.

I know that it takes time to lose weight, build up muscle, and recharge metabolism.  But it does concern me that I'm making all of these healthy, consistent changes and in six months it hasn't made a difference on the scale.  It makes me wonder if I may have other health issues that are still causing less obvious roadblocks.  Which is why my next step is to see an allergist.

I come from a long line of allergy sufferers and while the seasonal colds I get don't really bother me, I still get ear and sinus infections every couple of months.  Truthfully, it's the long-term impacts that have me concerned.  People tend to poo-poo allergies as a serious medical condition, but it sounds much scarier if you think of allergies as daily inflammation, something that's actively doing harm to your body.  

I know for sure that I have food intolerances - oats and peanuts do lovely things to my digestive system for days on end.  Soy milk produces a mood swing within 30 minutes - it mimics estrogen and given my intolerance to birth control, that's not surprising.  I'll never be a vegan though. 

My mom has really bad allergies to corn and I noticed that sometimes, though not always, I can get a headache after eating popcorn.  Or if I have corn tortillas one night and then whole corn the next day, I might have some stomach pain and a headache.  That could be coincidental or related some other food, but not enough to the point where I'm going to ignore it.

I simply want a concrete lists of items, if any, that I shouldn't be consuming.  It would be incredibly dumb to willingly consuming things I'm allergic to.          

There's also new research coming out that shows that instead of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes causing inflammation, it's distinctly possible it's the other way around - inflammation precedes and paves the way for those conditions.  Does make one think.

Halfway into 2012, I finally feel as if I'm gaining control over my health.  Much of getting back into shape is now in my hands and an allergist is really the only other test I can think of that will identify remaining roadblocks.

How's your health been lately?