Thursday, April 11, 2013

Diet Changes = Improvement

I have stomach issues, that is pretty much evident in 95% of my posts.

So, finally last week I really decided it was time to buckle down and work on these stomach issues. I don't know why (okay, I do, I hate being on any sort of limiting "diet") but it was about time to get super serious since this was debilitating during my runs.

According to the Mayo Clinic: to reduce bloating, it may help to avoid or reduce the amount of gas-producing foods you eat. Many carbohydrates cause gas, and the following items are common culprits:
  • Baked beans
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carbonated drinks
  • Cauliflower
  • Chewing gum
  • Fruits such as apples, peaches and pears
  • Hard candy
  • Lettuce
I would like to note that is half my daily diet. Throw in ground turkey and grilled chicken and that list is what I eat in the majority of my meals. Sigh.

Is it odd just how sad I am about losing broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and apples? Tell me not to eat fried food, chocolate and alcohol (which I pretty much never do) and I wouldn't bat an eye. But losing my favorite fruits and veggies has me dragging my feet.

I am mostly dairy free already - I use almond milk and cheese is pretty much non existent in my diet now (and I do buy the almond cheese which I weirdly love); I do usually have a serving of greek yogurt each day and am going to keep that while I eliminate the other veggies/fruits.

I used to track religiously in MyFitnessPal. Like obsessively track. Where I had to finally cut myself off from it because it was making me neurotic.

However, I am SO thankful that I did - because it enabled me to go back to when I was not having issues and recreate what WAS working for me.

Minus the fact that I was indulging in said foods above a couple things that I noted were:
  • More frequent and smaller meals
  • More protein
  • Carb sources more from grains than vegetable
  • One hell of a lot less "cheating"
  • Nighttime snacking was at a minimum
I have taken those things into account as well as eliminated the offenders above as of last Thursday/Friday - and - dare I start to contemplate - it seems to be having a positive effect.

Sunday the 15 miler had it's moments of disaster - but as I pointed out they weren't AS bad as they have been in the past.

This week, thus far I have had 4 runs - and I not only made it through EACH and every without incident (holler at a 6 miler last night) BUT I completed EACH workout following - lifting and/or swimming - without running to the bathroom in the middle.

I am optimistic.

And this optimism I am hoping carries over to my running. I have been in serious doubt mode lately for my running ability and a lot stems from all of this that was going on.

While I hate to be on a "diet" because this one is seriously limiting and redundent (but hey I was at my fittest and fastest last fall when following...so yay for things to come?) I am pretty sure I hate practically shitting my pants more (yes, I went there).

About 3 1/2 weeks out now from the NJ Marathon, and by golly I *may* be starting to get optimistic about it.

Stay tuned. 18-20 miler on tap this weekend (mixed into the More Fitness Women's Half Marathon) and I may not be dreading it quite as much as I was before...more dreading Harlem Hill x2.

4 comments:

  1. Glad to hear you're seeing some progress!! Can't wait to see you on Saturday!

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  2. Have you considered doing a food sensitivity test? I finally did one and once I realized that milk and eggs were an issue, i saw a HUGE change in my digestion from eliminating them. A probiotic can help a lot too since you are dairy free like me.

    Just tossing out some of what I found helped after yes looots of digestion trouble. good luck!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you - and trust me - I love getting advice from those that have been there. I am going to add in a probiotic (waiting until after my 20 miler Sunday as I am doing a LOT better this week and would LOVE this last long run to go well!)
      I will ask about a food sensitivity test as well it would probably be helpful to know if there is something outright I should be avoiding...

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  3. Hi Gianna,
    I have found porridge oats works very well, its a complex carbohydrate that releases energy slowly and is easy to digest.
    I have had digestion problems in the past, but now i use a probiotic every day and never eat anything in between 8:00 PM and bedtime.
    This seems to work well for me.

    ReplyDelete