When asked, “How are you doing”? My answer now is, “Excellent”. My energy level has sky rocketed and my body feels great. The aches, pains and stiffness I used to experience have seemed to disappear. (Unless temporarily induced by my trainer Alan).
When I asked my family cardiologist which would be most beneficial, exercising or changing my diet, he said I would need to do both. Though my arteries are considered “pristine” through an angiogram procedure, genetically, my family heart history is poor. I have a mother that had a triple bypass, a brother with a quadruple bypass and another brother with a handful of stints.
With possible trouble on the horizon, I reached out to Alan to assist with my exercise program. I then discovered that Alan had embraced new eating habits since I saw him years ago. He had mentioned it before, but I did not know how truly passionate he was about how eating grain-free and sugar-free could change a person’s life.
At first, I only listened to what Alan had to say about his outlook on eating. I tried to inform him that I did not think I could do it. As he conveyed information during our training sessions, I decided what “parts” I would consider. The holidays were approaching and I was not about to give up Christmas. I originally thought that if I exercised before the holidays, I would lose a few pounds, gain a few pounds and it would all even out. That did not happen. I felt miserable after the holidays. It seemed to me that my parents got around better than I did. I guess that was my turning point for changing up my eating habits.
Alan’s explanations of the science behind the dietary choices made sense so I slowly started implementing the changes. I started off eating eggs and sausage for breakfast and trying to stay away from breads and sugar. From there, breakfast, lunch and dinner started changing along with the product type selections. Alan and I would talk during my work out sessions about the different types of foods he preferred and how best to cook them. He also introduced me to the bulletproof executive coffee concept, which consists of coconut oil and grass fed butter instead of adding milk and sugar. Timing is probably everything, but on January 9, 2014 I tried the bulletproof coffee concept and bounced off the walls at work with unlimited energy. I sent a texted message out that day saying that I was having a WOW day.
Alan has really opened my eyes. I have felt the effects of exercise and weight training in the past but I really had no idea (even though Alan told me) I would feel so terrific by eating differently.
As soon as the cruise was over I started to put what I had learned into practice with the hopes of losing some of the weight I gained on the cruise. I jumped in with both feet and began by eliminating wheat from my diet altogether. I built on this by also eliminating as much sugar and processed oils as I could. Within a week I started noticing results. Not only did I see the weight start falling off, but I noticed that I was starting to feel better. After a month I had more energy than I’ve ever had and was losing weight so consistently I stopped worrying about weighing and just enjoyed being active. I lived in a different city so Alan and I kept in touch on the phone and through emails, constantly going over the finer points of my diet and exercise program.
Aside from my shrinking clothes size and the overall sense of wellbeing, what shocked me the most was the near disappearance of my constantly stuffy nose and reliance on antacids. I’ve gotten so used to taking several antacids a day that I would carry them around with me. After about six weeks on the diet my wife pointed out that I hadn’t touched the antacids in weeks. Talk about a nice surprise. Another change was that the sinus issues that had plagued me with frequent sinus infections seemed to disappear. I noticed that aside from some seasonal allergies, I rarely have sinus issues anymore and the constant congestion is gone. I don’t know if it’s the wheat alone, or the overall change in diet, but it has made a remarkable difference in the way I feel.
Last time I weighed I was creeping up on 40lbs lost, and feeling better than I’ve ever felt. I have more energy than I know what to do with and rarely get sick anymore. I still occasionally eat things that I shouldn’t eat, but it’s rare and I don’t find I crave them anymore. After staying wheat-free for a couple months, I lost most desire to eat anything with wheat. Doing so would make me feel bloated and lethargic and more often than not send me straight back to the antacids. I’ve found that simply avoiding the standard wheat containing foods works for me. I don’t sweat the little things like the occasional sauce, or cross-contamination like a celiac would and that seems to work well for me. I’m extremely happy, feel healthy, and don’t have any plans to stop doing what I’m doing. I only wish I’d given up the wheat sooner.
