The Ban on Wheat

Yep, you heard it...there is a ban on wheat...at least here in our house. I had read a lot from people who had given up wheat and there stories were amazing. I read stories of better health, feeling better, lost weight, no more tiredness, allergy relief, and better attentiveness. Well, as everyone knows I have struggled with my weight, tiredness, brain fog, muscle pain, joint pain and you name it for a long time. I mostly attributed it all to my thyroid problems. And when I got my thyroid back under control it did help with these things, but they didn't go away completely. So I started looking into this wheat thing and I discovered amazing things. Just reading the Wheat Belly Blog is an eye opener. I haven't read the book yet, but fully intend to. So, the day after Christmas we gave up wheat. Within a week I had lost a couple of pounds and didn't feel so lethargic. Now, over a month later I feel amazing. I only have muscle pain when I overdo something. Like the other day the weather was nice outside and I had a marathon shoveling compost and raking leaves and other outside things that I did. I was sore that night and a little bit yesterday. I used muscles in excess of what they had been used for all winter. However, I am not sore today and that is huge. Usually a marathon outside chore day would knock me out for a week. I no longer have the stiffness and pain that I had before. I wake up in the morning ready to go and do something. I accomplish more during the day than I ever have and our home is running smoothly again. I am doing yoga again because I feel well enough to do so and I think it has helped also. And the best thing is that I have lost weight. 12 pounds so far. All of this by giving up wheat. I am not the only one who has noticed a difference. Petunia's allergies were getting pretty bad and I must admit we had been eating a lot of bread and wheat items. Now, she is allergy free as long as she stays away from wheat. She went to a couple of parties the other week and ate a good amount of wheat..sandwiches, pizza, cake and for the next week she suffered miserably. We have noticed a huge change in Little Britches also. Her personality is much sweeter, she focuses better on schoolwork, she can now sit and enjoy coloring a picture, work on a craft project, or build her "creations". Prior to the ban on wheat, asking her to sit down and color a picture or any of these things was like torture to her and she could get downright mean and nasty. My hubby has lost that middle aged belly that he was getting and he feels better too. The boon is that we eat more vegetables than we ever have because we are replacing the wheat portion of our meals with another vegetable or two. Cravings have gone away as well. Prior to the ban on wheat I craved sweet all the time. Candy didn't last long around here as I could eat it all day long and wanted more. I drank sweet tea all day long. Now, I drink water all day with the exception of my morning coffee which I need less of. I don't crave candy and still have my Christmas chocolates, which had to go into the freezer because I wasn't eating them. The kids don't crave junk and ask for it all the time either. I have stopped eating all grains for right now because I really want to lose weight, but the kids still eat oatmeal and grits although not that often...once or twice a week. I can't believe all the pain that wheat has caused us and I can't believe the relief that we have all had. Banning wheat is probably one of the best things that I have ever done for our family. I won't get into the ins and outs of the evils of wheat here as there is simply too much so please if you are interested go to the wheat belly blog or read the book. It is truly eye opening. Blessings, Kat