{"id":2213,"date":"2015-12-25T19:24:57","date_gmt":"2015-12-26T00:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/?p=2213"},"modified":"2015-12-29T15:00:56","modified_gmt":"2015-12-29T20:00:56","slug":"down-14-pounds-dont-eat-wheat-fad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/down-14-pounds-dont-eat-wheat-fad\/","title":{"rendered":"Down 14 pounds: There might actually be something to this whole “don’t eat wheat” fad"},"content":{"rendered":"

So I lost 14 pounds in 8 weeks recently.<\/h1>\n

That’s very close to\u00a02 pounds each week, which is a good healthy amount of weight to lose, if that’s what you’re going for.<\/p>\n

Here is my entire year’s worth of Monday morning weigh-ins. \u00a0Click to see the full resolution image. \u00a0You can see that I went down and then up and then down again this year. \u00a0I hope to be more stable\u00a0than that in 2016. \u00a0And I think I might know how.<\/p>\n

\"kurts-weight-2015\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The yellow highlighted section is the 8 week time period where I lost those 14 pounds. \u00a0You can see that it was very nearly a straight diagonal line for the entire 8 weeks, as opposed to a whole bunch of water weight loss at the beginning with less loss at the end.<\/p>\n

So what was my secret for this weight loss?<\/h1>\n

Well, at least part of it was due to me not eating anything with wheat in it. \u00a0And I also tried my hardest to avoid added or processed sugar.<\/p>\n

Here is the whole story with some excruciating details if you have some time to kill.<\/p>\n

\"Scale\"<\/p>\n

Not a diet<\/h1>\n

Back in September, a person that I look up to\u00a0told me about his “strange” eating habits and he also told me exactly why he took up those habits. \u00a0He said that if I tried these habits the fat\u00a0would just melt off me.<\/p>\n

He was not proposing a diet. \u00a0He was proposing a different manner of eating. \u00a0No calorie counting. \u00a0No exercising. \u00a0Just five simple rules. \u00a0Five things to avoid … avoid like the plague.<\/p>\n

At the time I was skeptical. \u00a0But not anymore. \u00a0There really is something to this.<\/p>\n

The rules<\/h1>\n

The rules are actually pretty simple to remember … but aren’t always super simple to\u00a0practice in this\u00a0day and age:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • don’t eat\u00a0wheat<\/li>\n
  • don’t eat\u00a0flour<\/li>\n
  • don’t eat rice<\/li>\n
  • don’t eat corn<\/li>\n
  • don’t eat sugar unless it’s naturally occurring, like in fruits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"rules\"<\/p>\n

    Wheat and other grains<\/h1>\n

    So you may have noticed the huge popularity of the gluten free movement recently. \u00a0Most of the gluten free camp believes that genetically modified wheat is basically slowly poisoning us all. \u00a0They claim that our digestive system doesn’t fully process this wheat. \u00a0They claim that it is a pro-inflammatory agent to our body’s cells. \u00a0And they attribute all manner\u00a0of diseases and sicknesses to the wheat and gluten in our supposedly natural and supposedly healthy diets. \u00a0Most wheat haters also dislike barley, oats, and rye for all the same reasons.<\/p>\n

    \"wheat\"<\/p>\n

    Flour<\/h1>\n

    Most flours are made from wheat, but they contain very little nutritional value … even after being enriched with vitamins and minerals. \u00a0So the people who are against wheat are even more aggressive in their hatred of flour.<\/p>\n

    \"flour\"<\/p>\n

    Rice<\/h1>\n

    Although rice is not claimed to be as bad for us as wheat and the other grains, it is suggested by all manner of nutritionists to try and minimize it in your diet. \u00a0Rice … especially white rice … has very little nutritional value so filling up on it is not really going to be very good for your overall nutritional well being.<\/p>\n

    \"rice\"<\/p>\n

    Corn<\/h1>\n

    Most people think corn is a vegetable, but it’s actually a grain. \u00a0And yes, grains are bad for us as I explained earlier. \u00a0The corn we eat today is highly genetically modified, just like the wheat. \u00a0And our bodies aren’t super great at processing corn either. \u00a0And everybody already knows about the high starch and sugar issue with corn.<\/p>\n

    \"corn\"<\/p>\n

    Sugar<\/h1>\n

    Well, sugar has always been the enemy, so that’s a no brainer. \u00a0Naturally occurring sugar is probably not going to hurt us too much. \u00a0But the problem is that we eat the non-naturally-occurring kind of sugar. \u00a0The processed crystals that we add to almost everything. \u00a0We eat a lot of processed sugar.<\/p>\n

    And we drink a lot of it too. \u00a0If you are addicted to sugary drinks, please please please try to wean yourself off of them. \u00a0It won’t be easy. \u00a0It won’t be quick. \u00a0It’s a full blown addiction. \u00a0You will get headaches. \u00a0You will crave them. \u00a0You will go into withdrawals. \u00a0But if you drink one 12 ounce soda each day, you are increasing your risk of diabetes by about 25%. \u00a0If you drink only one soda per week, I will not nag you about it. \u00a0But if you drink several or more per week, then you are very likely causing your body harm.<\/p>\n

    Many sugar haters go as far as to say that processed sugar either causes cancer or feeds it. \u00a0Whether that turns out to be the case or not, you have to agree that naturally occurring sugar is probably better for your body than artificially created and processed versions. \u00a0Right?<\/p>\n

    \"sugar\"<\/p>\n

    No, no, no? \u00a0So what CAN I actually eat?<\/h1>\n

    Basically grain is the enemy. \u00a0Well, grain and sugar. \u00a0If you strictly cut off grains and added or processed sugar items from your menu, you will lose weight. \u00a0Even without exercise.<\/p>\n

    Fat is NOT\u00a0the enemy, so don’t worry about fat free or low fat foods. \u00a0Calories are not even the enemy. \u00a0There is absolutely no need to count calories. \u00a0Just eat a reasonable portion and then eat again when you get hungry again. \u00a0Don’t eat just because it’s time to eat. \u00a0Eat because you are hungry. \u00a0That’s good advise for anyone. \u00a0Not just people who are trying to lose weight.<\/p>\n

    Eat all kinds of oils and fats without worry. \u00a0Eat all manner of meats (red, poultry, pork, fish, shellfish), eggs, vegetables (fresh or frozen), leafy greens, fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, beans, legumes, oils (olive, coconut, avocado), butter, almond butter, honey, mushrooms, dairy, toppings, condiments, etc.<\/p>\n

    This plan is in the same vein as the “hunter\/gatherer” diets that are popular, like the Paleo Diet, but not nearly as strict. \u00a0For example, there is no restriction on dairy like in the strict Paleo Diet.<\/p>\n

    \"hunter\"<\/p>\n

    Suggestions<\/h1>\n

    I get it. \u00a0It’s hard to avoid breads and chips. \u00a0Those things are everywhere!<\/p>\n

    I ate a lot of meat and cheese and mushroom omelette and scrambled egg dishes for breakfast during the 8 weeks that I was being strict and trying to lose some weight. \u00a0But fruit smoothies are also a good idea or a nice change from the eggs. \u00a0Flour-free banana pancakes are difficult\u00a0to make without burning them, but they are a super\u00a0tasty\u00a0treat.<\/p>\n

    Here are a handful of\u00a0lunch and dinner ideas. \u00a0Taco salad without the chips. \u00a0Any type of salad with meat on top. \u00a0Avocados on top of just about anything … salad, meat and cheese, etc. \u00a0Baked or grilled fish fillet with spices or blackened. \u00a0Marinated chicken breast or pork chops or steak with toppings such as mushrooms, peppers, onions, avocados, cheese, sun dried tomato, etc. \u00a0Cook any meat in wine. \u00a0Add jerk or blackened spices to any meat. \u00a0Soups. \u00a0Dips without the chips. \u00a0Zucchini with lemon juice and spices. \u00a0Polish sausage or brats with sauerkraut. \u00a0Eat any manner of sandwich wraps and soft tacos, but eat them with a knife and fork and leave the tortilla shell behind. \u00a0If you want a juicy burger, load it up with toppings and condiments and eat it with a fork and knife and leave the bun behind.<\/p>\n

    Now what?<\/h1>\n

    Since I lost the weight that I wanted to lose and I’m now at what I believe to be my ideal weight, I’m adding in occasional suger and occasional wheat and other grains. \u00a0But I will try to minimize my sugar intake and my wheat intake with the hope that I will maintain this weight over the long term.<\/p>\n

    I will provide an update to this post when the jury has reached a verdict on the long term viability of this plan.<\/p>\n

    Thanks for reading this article and thanks for your interest.<\/p>\n

    Kurt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    So I lost 14 pounds in 8 weeks recently. That’s very close to\u00a02 pounds each week, which is a good healthy amount of weight to lose, if that’s what you’re going for. Here is my entire year’s worth of Monday morning weigh-ins. \u00a0Click to see the full resolution image. \u00a0You can see that I went […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107,112],"tags":[178,396,395,302,179],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2213"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2213"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2269,"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2213\/revisions\/2269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.leucht.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}