I’ve been debating how and if to write this type of a post for a few weeks. It’s based off of my own personal experiment and I wanted to pass it along in the case that maybe someone else would benefit, too.
After my June 7, 2014 show, I put some dairy and wheat back into my diet because prior to that for the weeks in contest prep, I had taken it out. I knew my choice in cutting those really helped me lean out for my shows, but I never really studied why.
After putting them back in for a few weeks, I loved them. But then I noticed I was on the crave and wanted to eat more dairy and wheat in my daily line-up. What was put inside of my body was causing me to crave it even more (true for anything we ingest.)
I stayed pretty lean and my weight stayed within five pounds of the show, but as I was eating more wheat and dairy, I noticed my stomach was distended and my energy started to drain. Now that I’m two weeks out from another show, I’ve been off of wheat for about three weeks and off dairy at about 95% for the last two weeks (I took a bite of my son’s ice cream cake!) My energy is back, my weight is dropping pretty close to my June 7th show, my stomach is back to normal, and my muscle definition lines are getting deeper. So what is that all about? It is about keeping my body fat low with diet, yes, but I believe much of it is also about another issue I’m learning to control: Inflammation!
I’ve done my research and found that wheat and dairy are great for building muscle. I will plan to eat them within reason when I head back into a six-month building season this winter, but it will be in moderation. The choices I do make for wheat are wheat bran (love the fiber), Ezekiel Bread, and Bob’s Pancake Mix for when we make pancakes and waffles. My dairy is usually seen in eating plain Greek yogurt a few times a week (great protein), some cheese, and adding 2% or whole milk to my coffees to make a cappuccino. I like the healthy fats in those options. I also like to treat myself to hand-dipped ice cream when I plan for it in my day. As I said, that is September 2014 through March 2015.
So why not now? Bottom line, it causes me inflammation. I know it, I feel it, I see it on me. I look puffy and can see the definition, and as a gal who works hard to see my muscle lines, I know my system well enough to keep those out for a time. So as I plan to compete at Nationals in two weeks on August 30th, I’m keeping wheat and dairy on my someday-soon list after the show, to help bring my tightest package to the stage between now and then. I even take Stevia out two weeks before the show and it does make a difference!
So what. You don’t compete and you probably never will. I get that. But I think this is a valid point for EVERYONE. I’m starting to notice it more as I sit and watch people at the pool or hang for a night with friends and watch people’s eating habits. We’re walking around on internal fire. It becomes a vicious cycle, causes us to crave more of what we’re eating, slows our digestion, lowers our energy, depresses our mindset, adds extra weight and wreaks havoc on the body. People freak out and think, “I’m fat. I need to go on a diet.” Actually, I think I see a different issue. We’re just a nation inflamed and have been so for years on end. I think we are an Inflammation Nation. When you factor in the compound effect, we’re walking around in totally different bodies than we were created to live in.
So what is inflammation and how does one know what fires them up? What impacts me is going to be different than what impacts you, but there are some common offenders that will impact a good majority of people. I read a great post from the website womentowomen.com. That full post with very detailed, scientific information, entitled “Causes of Inflammation”, is HERE. (It’s an excellent read!)
As a quick highlight, Dr. Pick writes: “I think it’s safe to say that most of us in this country are walking around on “simmer” — which means setting ourselves up for problems as we age. Our ballooning rates of allergies, obesity, IBS, and chronic pain don’t lie. I’m seeing such a spike in patients with symptoms of inflammation that it’s becoming the norm, not the exception. The good news is, once we understand what causes inflammation and see how quickly our actions can either fan or cool the flames, we can begin to make better choices every day that bring us back into balance.
At our medical practice we are convinced that the seeds of chronic inflammation (and a lot of other health issues) start with the gut. Two-thirds of the body’s defenses reside in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
The modern diet offers us an upside-down ratio of fatty acids (omega-3, -6, and -9), too much sugar and {low quality} carbs, and high levels of wheat, dairy, and other common allergens.” -womentowomen.com
So what is my advice to you? I say, as I always do, become a student of YOU! Look at what you eat day in and day out. What are your habits? What do you eat every AM for breakfast? What do you drink every weekend out with friends? What are you eating daily at the 2PM pick-me-up? Those are the places that greatly impact your physique, mindset and progress. The occasional drink, treat or sampling is impacting on your system, but it’s what’s in your daily habits that really counts and should get your focus for possible change. It’s also NOT about feeling deprived of the foods you used to eat daily (if you’ve changed your diet), it’s about learning to enjoy the foods that you are eating more of now. So many people walk around feeling cut off, disconnected or deprived from their comfort foods, that that’s all they think about and end up going back to. Change your mindset. My trick: learn to LOVE the foods that fuel you the best now and use the comfort foods as treats here and there.
I mentioned that wheat and dairy have greatly impacted me, but additionally sugar, fake sweeteners, food dyes, alcohol, and white-flour products (which is wheat based) really sets my system in a downward spiral. I am NOT saying these foods are on the “bad” list, or are “clean” or “unclean”, I am simply saying that I know what they do to me and how they hold me back when I eat them outside of a treat or too often in my diet. For me, red meat, even though it gets a bad rap at times or is seen on these lists, is actually great for my system and really helps me towards my goals. But if I choose to eat the known-inflammatory foods listed above in habit and daily, my system is not going to run, look and feel at optimum. So I have to pick and choose if and when I do make them part of my day, and I still do from time to time, trust me! (You can follow my food tracker at mindyirish at My Fitness Pal HERE!)
So how can you figure out what sets you as part of the Inflammation Nation?
-Keep notice of your habits. I’ve said time and again I DO NOT believe in weight loss. It’s proven that 98% of people WILL regain the weight they lose because the fact is people go for a sprint and resort back to old ways. They simply cut carbs, slash calories and add cardio and then realize this is not sustainable and then end up back at their start or worse off.
We are a product of our lifestyle. To ensure keeping the weight off, we must keep tight to the habits that got the weight off in the first place and learn to love that new lifestyle. Don’t go back to old ways and expect new results. Your body is very smart and figures you out! A 12-week transformation may unveil a great product, but going back to your 40-week habits from before will bring back your original package in time.
-Consider pulling out or reducing items you’ve been eating forever or ones you eat in routine. Even if they’re deemed “healthy” or “natural”, you may not even realize what’s holding you back because you’ve always eaten it! It’s all trial and error and what works for one will not work for another. Our systems are truly unique, but it’s proven that alcohol, dairy, sugar, fake sweeteners, and wheat are very inflammatory. {Don’t shoot the messenger!} Once they are out or cut back, pay attention to your weight, waist size, energy, sleep patterns, cravings, skin, mental clarity and strength. You might be shocked! They don’t have to be out forever, but knowledge is power and once you know, you can really see what’s worth eating and what’s actually holding you back and in time find the foods that really make you soar. So many people focus on “I need to lose weight” and they get focused on going on a diet, but I’m truly convinced that if people just knew what inflamed them the most, they could avoid and minimize it over time and be steps closer to their goals and ideal weight without the “diet” mentality and low calorie line-up in tow. They could actually be able to eat an abundance of food and still get results!
-Eat more vegetables. I’ve experimented with foods and not everyone can do this, but the more I use low-sugar vegetables for the 
majority of my carbohydrates, the leaner I am, the more energy I have, and the better I feel. Other carbs I eat as of now are oats and rice, but I’m making vegetables my main carbohydrate staple ongoing, in contest prep and in a bodybuilding-improvement season. For me, in addition to hitting my daily macros of carbs/fats/proteins, I focus on a fiber goal of 35 grams minimum daily and I aim to keep my sugars as low as possible. Once I hit that fiber goal, I will put a treat in my day and aim to “treat” myself about 10% of the time.
-Be willing to be different and quit living for approval of others. Ouch! No one wants that! But truth of the matter is that you will have to swim against the American flow to actually improve your overall well-being. Our nation is focused on low cost, convenience, and quantity over quality. I’ve had to stick my neck out and eat differently for my goals to get my body’s and mind’s best, and I get a lot of flack for it, but I NEVER engage in food shaming others or even offering unwanted advice on their diet. I really keep to myself about my own food, I work my plan daily, and just let others do their thing. It’s different and atypical to the majority of Americans to eat off norm, but if I want to look and feel my best, this is the path I’ve chosen to follow. On a routine basis, I just can’t tolerate most food the way it is produced and manufactured today, so I go for what works for me. I only have to live in this body and I truly eat for the physique I want to live in, not for anyone else’s ideal. Being different is okay!
The chart to the left demonstrates how to lower inflammation by choosing foods known to be more alkaline and less acidic in the body. There are strategies with lots of options of ways to make changes and improvements and it just takes time, intention, and consistency to keep practicing it all and to get to know yourself.
We’re all part of the Inflammation Nation, but we don’t always have to be. It’s a choice daily to choose what fuels our own bodies the best. So happy studying you! I wish you well in your ongoing experiments!
Questions? Email me at [email protected]! I LOVE to help!
-Mindy