Monday, August 23, 2010

Day 2 of Anti-Bloat diet

So there's an idea out there that certain foods cause bloating and water retention and chronic inflammation. I am fairly active and don't binge or eat fried foods (or fast foods) and many times I will restrict my calories to try and lose some weight. As you know, I'm frequently frustrated by my efforts. So I did a little research and discovered that there's actually evidence to support that what we eat can lead to chronic bloating and inflammation; two symptoms that I struggle with day after day.

This diet is one way to wipe the slate clean and start to see if inflammation and bloat are the reasons that I'm having issues losing weight. So instead of starting my day with coffee, this morning, I'm drinking a big glass of water. I don't think there's any processed white sugars and bread/grains. In fact, there's no bread. There's unsweetened corn flakes at breakfast and brown rice at dinner but that's it. There's no wine or caffeine.

I have committed to taking a yoga class each day.

After Wednesday, I will bump up my daily caolorie intake by 400 calories and be sure that I am having a monounsaturated fat at every meal. The principles of this way of eating are similar to every "good" diet out there...3 meals and one snack all 4 hours apart, clean eating/whole foods rather than "food" made up of chemicals (re: fat-free, low fat, processed, etc.), and counting calories. The difference is the addition of the monounsaturated fat at every meal and the focus on not eating foods that cause water retention or bloating (like salt - switching to herbs or something like Ms. Dash).

I keep trying to find a way to get to a healthier place...I try not to give up entirely. And if I see results following this plan, then I will continue down that road.

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