1) Do you follow a strict diet or nutrition plan?
I'm rather forced to, since I have a bloody boatload of food allergies (gluten, dairy, nightshades, non-fermented soy, legumes, MSG, sulphites & I can't digest quinoa). I have also learned the hard way that "low carb" does not work for me at all - I can just about eat my bodyweight in meat & fat and still be hungry, whereas a bowl of rice and a salad will keep me happily sated. I very seldom drink alcohol - other than a cup of tea in the morning and cup of coffee in the afternoon during the week (a cup or two of coffee on weekend mornings), water is pretty much my exclusive beverage. Apart from that, I try to eat fresh, whole, natural foods - if I really want something unhealthy, I'll have it as a post-race treat, as I give myself freedom to eat whatever I want during the day after a race. I do have one square of dark (90% cocoa) chocolate just before I go to bed daily.
2) What makes it work for you?
Being an adventurous cook and making everything from scratch, reading labels, hitting the farmers' market weekly, planning ahead and focusing more on what I can eat than what I can't. I eat out very seldom - once a week we stop at a fast food place that does pitas (for Tanker) and salads (for me) with a great selection of veggies, and we go to a restaurant maybe once a month. It really helps that I love fruit & vegetables, and know how to use the 5 different kinds of rice I keep on hand at all times to advantage.
3) What are the hardest aspects of it for you?
Restaurants are tough - so often, the only gluten-free option is either pasta with tomato sauce or a garden salad with tomato and bell peppers. It gets a bit depressing when I look at the number of things I can't eat, and all the stuff that I can't really participate in - pancake breakfasts, Oktoberfest beer & sausage, rib nights, or even just sharing a plate of french fries with my husband. It's tough to remember to check every single aspect of every food I eat for possible contamination (you'd be shocked at the number of things that contain gluten, dairy, soy & tomato), and the consequences of a restaurant being careless can have horrible effects for more than a week. I really hate having to ask a million questions, make wait staff go ask in the kitchen, bring me out bags of ingredients if necessary, and generally be a pain in the ass when we go out - it's no fun for the people who have to serve me (I do tip very well, though), nor is it much fun for my fellow diners. I try to research menus and call ahead when I can, or just bring a portable snack along that I can have before/after if I'm not sure I'll be able to eat anything.
4) How long have you followed it?
I finally nailed down the last of the allergies (I hope..) a few months ago, but I have been living gluten & non-fermented soy free for a couple of years now and making healthier choices for the last 5 years.
5) Do you use any tools to track adherence?
I used to track my caloric intake at livestrong.com, but it's tedious and since most of what I eat is made from scratch it's even more difficult to get things accurate. At this point I know what I am taking in, I know what I should be eating depending on my training load (more hours = more rice), and I know when I'm over-eating. I do step on a scale daily and track my weight to see trends.
6) Would you recommend it to others?
I'd highly recommend getting sufficiently in tune with your body that you're able to have a healthy relationship with food. Eliminate things that cause you to suffer, treat yourself now and again, but mostly just find wholesome foods and recipes that allow you to really enjoy high-quality fuel for your body.
7) What are your goals in following this plan (weight loss, muscle gain, dietary restrictions)?
The primary goal is just to feel good and have lots of energy without the pain & unpleasantness that come from eating food my body isn't suited to digest. It's also nice to be lean and strong!
8) Have you reached these goals and/or been able to maintain?
Back in 2008 I started losing weight using conventional wisdom (low fat, calorie restricted) without knowing about my allergies - my "normal" was a state of chronic GI distress, but it's all I'd ever known. I successfully lost 30lbs over the course of a year or so, then in early 2010 I quit using birth control pills, quit smoking and went vegetarian (as an experiment) all within 3 months. I was eating a lot of grains and dairy, believing that I needed to focus on protein, and between the hormonal issues and yet-unidentified food allergy problems I ballooned back out to almost my former weight. I had more muscle, since I was training, but I gained a lot of fat - even my husband gained a lot of weight (25lbs) when we ate vegetarian for 6 months! I started listening to the low carb/paleo/primal crowd, and spent the winter eating meat, fat, vegetables, nuts, fat and more meat...only to get even chubbier, and have tons of trouble losing it even as training ramped up through the summer. I did finally identify some of the food allergies during this time, but was at my wit's end trying to get back down to race weight - 2011 was a very fat year for me, and I have a wardrobe full of clothes to prove it. 2012 was a transition year; finding my way back to low-fat and learning to ignore everyone who tells me to focus on eating protein, focusing on rice as a staple, and letting my hormones finally settle down. Since then I've paid careful attention, figured out the last of the food sensitivities, learned that a high-carb, lower-protein and lower-fat diet is really what I need to succeed, and since last winter I've dropped down to my leanest since 2009. I feel great, recover well, enjoy my food and feel that I'm eating in a way that is sustainable for life.
Cheers!
-mistress k
I'm rather forced to, since I have a bloody boatload of food allergies (gluten, dairy, nightshades, non-fermented soy, legumes, MSG, sulphites & I can't digest quinoa). I have also learned the hard way that "low carb" does not work for me at all - I can just about eat my bodyweight in meat & fat and still be hungry, whereas a bowl of rice and a salad will keep me happily sated. I very seldom drink alcohol - other than a cup of tea in the morning and cup of coffee in the afternoon during the week (a cup or two of coffee on weekend mornings), water is pretty much my exclusive beverage. Apart from that, I try to eat fresh, whole, natural foods - if I really want something unhealthy, I'll have it as a post-race treat, as I give myself freedom to eat whatever I want during the day after a race. I do have one square of dark (90% cocoa) chocolate just before I go to bed daily.
2) What makes it work for you?
Being an adventurous cook and making everything from scratch, reading labels, hitting the farmers' market weekly, planning ahead and focusing more on what I can eat than what I can't. I eat out very seldom - once a week we stop at a fast food place that does pitas (for Tanker) and salads (for me) with a great selection of veggies, and we go to a restaurant maybe once a month. It really helps that I love fruit & vegetables, and know how to use the 5 different kinds of rice I keep on hand at all times to advantage.
3) What are the hardest aspects of it for you?
Restaurants are tough - so often, the only gluten-free option is either pasta with tomato sauce or a garden salad with tomato and bell peppers. It gets a bit depressing when I look at the number of things I can't eat, and all the stuff that I can't really participate in - pancake breakfasts, Oktoberfest beer & sausage, rib nights, or even just sharing a plate of french fries with my husband. It's tough to remember to check every single aspect of every food I eat for possible contamination (you'd be shocked at the number of things that contain gluten, dairy, soy & tomato), and the consequences of a restaurant being careless can have horrible effects for more than a week. I really hate having to ask a million questions, make wait staff go ask in the kitchen, bring me out bags of ingredients if necessary, and generally be a pain in the ass when we go out - it's no fun for the people who have to serve me (I do tip very well, though), nor is it much fun for my fellow diners. I try to research menus and call ahead when I can, or just bring a portable snack along that I can have before/after if I'm not sure I'll be able to eat anything.
4) How long have you followed it?
I finally nailed down the last of the allergies (I hope..) a few months ago, but I have been living gluten & non-fermented soy free for a couple of years now and making healthier choices for the last 5 years.
5) Do you use any tools to track adherence?
I used to track my caloric intake at livestrong.com, but it's tedious and since most of what I eat is made from scratch it's even more difficult to get things accurate. At this point I know what I am taking in, I know what I should be eating depending on my training load (more hours = more rice), and I know when I'm over-eating. I do step on a scale daily and track my weight to see trends.
6) Would you recommend it to others?
I'd highly recommend getting sufficiently in tune with your body that you're able to have a healthy relationship with food. Eliminate things that cause you to suffer, treat yourself now and again, but mostly just find wholesome foods and recipes that allow you to really enjoy high-quality fuel for your body.
7) What are your goals in following this plan (weight loss, muscle gain, dietary restrictions)?
The primary goal is just to feel good and have lots of energy without the pain & unpleasantness that come from eating food my body isn't suited to digest. It's also nice to be lean and strong!
8) Have you reached these goals and/or been able to maintain?
Back in 2008 I started losing weight using conventional wisdom (low fat, calorie restricted) without knowing about my allergies - my "normal" was a state of chronic GI distress, but it's all I'd ever known. I successfully lost 30lbs over the course of a year or so, then in early 2010 I quit using birth control pills, quit smoking and went vegetarian (as an experiment) all within 3 months. I was eating a lot of grains and dairy, believing that I needed to focus on protein, and between the hormonal issues and yet-unidentified food allergy problems I ballooned back out to almost my former weight. I had more muscle, since I was training, but I gained a lot of fat - even my husband gained a lot of weight (25lbs) when we ate vegetarian for 6 months! I started listening to the low carb/paleo/primal crowd, and spent the winter eating meat, fat, vegetables, nuts, fat and more meat...only to get even chubbier, and have tons of trouble losing it even as training ramped up through the summer. I did finally identify some of the food allergies during this time, but was at my wit's end trying to get back down to race weight - 2011 was a very fat year for me, and I have a wardrobe full of clothes to prove it. 2012 was a transition year; finding my way back to low-fat and learning to ignore everyone who tells me to focus on eating protein, focusing on rice as a staple, and letting my hormones finally settle down. Since then I've paid careful attention, figured out the last of the food sensitivities, learned that a high-carb, lower-protein and lower-fat diet is really what I need to succeed, and since last winter I've dropped down to my leanest since 2009. I feel great, recover well, enjoy my food and feel that I'm eating in a way that is sustainable for life.
Cheers!
-mistress k