Tips for Switching to Gluten-Free

Summer has been crazy! Sorry for the wait on another post, things have gotten nuts. We’ve had lots of fun trips, and a couple more coming up these next two weeks, and lots of family things. We had a death in the family and though it wasn’t entirely unexpected, that doesn’t do much to lessen the hardship. Fortunately I finally have some new stuff for you guys, woop!

Gluten-free (GF) eating has recently become one of the most popular diet changes. Food companies have noticed – grocery stores have GF sections, and foods that are GF are almost always marketed or labelled as such. Personally, I don’t see the harm in anyone giving it a shot (unless your doctor says otherwise, etc). My roommate used to get daily migraines, but since she made the switch, they’re less frequent and less intense. But many people seem to jump headfirst into it without doing any research, or at the very least figuring out how to make the best of their diet change. Here’s a few tips to help you, both from a financial and a health standpoint.

1. Don’t go out and spend tons of money on your new GF foods

I had a friend who did this. She bought GF bread, chips, cake, cookies, and tons of other treats. She spent loads of money on food that she wasn’t going to eat anyways, and the foods she bought weren’t any healthier than their gluten-filled originals. She didn’t really notice until after she’d bought them, about $200 later (that’s not a typo, about $200 later). Which brings me to my next point:

2. Gluten-free does not necessarily mean better for you

It may sound crazy, but eating GF can completely ruin your diet and weight loss goals if you’re not careful about the choices you make. Let’s look at some examples. A corn and rice blend of GF pasta has just as many calories as regular pasta. A serving of regular Cheetos is 150 calories, and a serving of Lundberg’s sea salt rice chips is only 10 calories less. When it comes down to it, a gluten-free cake is still a cake, meaning a GF label doesn’t equal healthier or lower calorie.

Most gluten-free products are still made from grains, and when it comes down to it, grains tend to be high in calories and low in nutrients. You don’t need to eat grain-free as well as gluten-free, just be smart about the grains you eat!

3. You don’t need to find gluten-free replacements for the foods you eat

To put it simply, you don’t need to start buying GF bread when you make the change. You can simply stop eating bread. And pasta. And tortillas. If you replace these foods with things like zucchini noodles and lettuce wraps, you can still get the satisfaction of the food you love, and get some more nutrient-dense, low-cal veggies into your diet. I made a GF version of chicken noodle soup that has zucchini noodles instead of egg noodles, and it’s delicious! I plan on coming up with more recipes like this that replace the empty calories with something just as fulfilling, but better for you.

With all of this being said, you are obviously still free to make your own food decisions. If you want to buy GF bread and pasta to replace the foods you know and love, there is nothing wrong with that. Just keep in mind that you can also take this as an opportunity to really enhance your diet by incorporating more vegetables where you’d normally be eating empty calories and carbs. Foods like bread and pasta tend to be vehicles for the really good stuff, so try some veggie replacements and see how you like it.

Why Women Should Lift Heavy Weights

If you’re like most gym-going women, your gym routine looks something like this:  do a 30+ minute workout with a steady, moderate pace on a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical, and then go to the weight machines and do many low weight, high rep sequences that target your inner thighs, glutes, and abs. Maybe some arm stuff too. Then you go for a walk or just stretch to cool down. You repeat this for weeks, months, years, and never quite get the results you want. You may look better, but you’ll never reach your dream body.

It’s so sad that we do this. We’re told that a long, boring workout on an elliptical is going to make the fat melt away, and that we’ll look like a bodybuilder if we go any higher than 15 pounds on any machine. When you leave the gym, you don’t feel a sense of accomplishment, and you spend tons of time at the gym to get mediocre results. If fitness magazines were honest, they’d run out of crap to sell you within a year. What most women don’t know is that if you want to lose fat and look better, lifting heavy weights is going to be a huge help.

And yes, I do mean heavy weights. Not the 2.5lb dumbbells that come in hot pink (although those are adorable), but heavy enough to be challenging yourself for each set of, say, 8 reps. Now I’m not trying to belittle anyone who is lacking in strength, and has to use 5 lb weights for certain lifts, but you truly need to be using weights that challenge you. Doing 4 sets of 20 reps with 15 pounds on the leg press is most likely not challenging yourself.

There are so many misconceptions about women lifting heavy weights, and the one that probably pops right into your head is that lifting weights will make you bulky. Well I’ve got great news!

Lifting heavy weights will not make you bulky.

Saying that you’re afraid of looking like a bodybuilder if you lift heavy weights is like saying that you’re afraid of going for a run because you might win the Boston Marathon (thanks for the analogy, r/loseit FAQ). Over the period of many years, female bodybuilders spend hours and hours working out each week, have an extremely specific, restricted diet, and some take illegal steroids. Not all women who compete in bodybuilding competitions do so, but chances are, if they are enormous and you think they “look like a man,” they probably take steroids. Here’s the reason why: the vast majority of women do not produce enough testosterone to get “bulky,” or “huge”. I’ve been researching health and fitness for a year and a half, and in that time, I have seen one single account of a woman who tends to “bulk up” beyond her liking from lifting heavy. Aside from that, I’ve seen hundreds of women talk about their success with strength training.

This lady up here went from overweight and unhappy, to fit and confident with the help of proper nutrition and weightlifting. Click the image to see her story on bodybuilding.com.

Muscle is what is revealed when fat is burned off, and it’s damn sexy. You know the phrase “skinny fat”? Where you’re thin, but not lean? That happens when there is no muscle beneath the fat, and there is no definition and very little shape.

I also want to address “being toned,” or “toning”. “Being toned” essentially means having muscle and being low enough in body fat. It’s a somewhat inaccurate notion, because muscle tone is simply the amount of tension a muscle maintains while resting, but everyone knows what “being toned” looks like. But the big issue is the concept of “toning”. This is a problem because it seems to imply that you can spot-reduce fat. “Sculpting” has the same inaccurate implication. You lose fat when you have a caloric deficit, and it happens wherever your body chooses, and not necessarily on the body parts you’ve been working. You can do as many sit-ups or crunches you want, but if you don’t have a low enough body fat percentage, all you’ll be doing is increasing your waistline (because as we know, working your muscles will make them bigger).

The weight machines at the gym are often isolation movements (i.e. that leg lifts that target only your quads), but what you’ll want to focus on when you lift weights is compound movements. These movements require more than one joint and more than one muscle group – think squats, bench press and pull-ups, to name just a few. There’s a number of reasons for this. For starters, it is more efficient – you can get a total-body workout doing two exercises if you do the right ones, helping you maximize your gym time. These movements also burn more calories,  meaning it’s not just efficient for time, but it’s efficient for calorie burn. Also, machines give you too much stability – when you do a leg press, you only work your legs and glutes, but if you do a barbell squat, you also have to activate your core and shoulders to hold the barbell atop your shoulders. Compound movements also mimic natural movements: a deadlift is how you should pick heavy things off the ground, a pullup mimics pulling yourself off a ledge (hopefully that doesn’t happen too often though!), etc. Now that being said, isolation training isn’t a bad thing, it just shouldn’t be your primary form of weight training. Personally, I do almost all compound movements and add in a hip thrust or step up here and there to increase my glute size (I’m a mild sufferer of FAB (flat Asian butt) disease, so I try to make mine bigger). This type of accessory work can be added in as you want, but like I said, your main focus and source of training should come from compound movements.

Ignore the scale

There’s something very, very important that you will need to accept on your weight loss and weightlifting journeys: your scale is a dirty, dirty liar.. Take a look at the volume of 5lbs of fat vs. 5lbs of muscle below:

The muscle above takes up much less space than the fat does, even though they weigh the same amount. If you start weightlifting, you may find your weight doesn’t change, or even increases, but your focus should be on how your body has changed. Your water weight fluctuates by up to about 5 pounds per day, which just adds to the notion that weight is mostly irrelevant. Like I’ve said before, unless you are a ballerina or need to reach a certain weight class, your weight does not matter.

Some additional health benefits of strength training include increased bone density, protected joints, and some chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes and osteoporosis can be managed through strength training. But something I never anticipated that I personally would gain is the unwavering sense of accomplishment and empowerment. My previous cardio and light weight routines at the gym left me feeling…confused, I guess. I didn’t really know what I was doing, and it didn’t feel very challenging, but since it was generally accepted as what women do at the gym, I kept doing it. I would never see results, and relapse into my old habits. Now that I’ve started strength training, I feel like I can do anything. The other day I finally deadlifted my body weight, and then a few weeks later, I deadlifted 180 pounds. For some women, this is nothing. They warm up with this. But for me, this was huge. I’d never had hamstring muscles that I could feel, and now I can recruit them to help me lift 180 pounds. It feels incredible. Doing something you didn’t know you could is amazing.

What you can do when you start

I’m not going to prescribe a specific program for you. Like I said, I’m not an expert, and there are books that go into much more detail, and will help you more than I can. I would suggest picking up The New Rules of Lifting for Women, or Starting Strength. Both outline not only programs for beginners, but they give detailed instructions for the movements you’ll do – deadlifts, squats, bench press, front squats, pull-ups, whatever (Starting Strength is renowned for its incredibly in-depth descriptions of compound lifts). It’ll tell you how to lift with proper form, which is crucial to prevent injury and maximize muscle use. I personally do not follow a set program like this, but I think that these are great ways for beginners to build foundational strength and learn how to properly perform these moves.

If you don’t have access to a gym, or are unable to afford it, take a look at bodyrock.tv. They have great short workouts that incorporate both cardio and body weight exercises that can be adjusted for all levels of athleticism. My only real criticism is that lately they seem to have made their videos and pictures even more overtly sexual than before, which is saying something, so I’m not able to go on their website while at work without feeling weird.

A fantastic way to track your workouts and progress is Fitocracy. You track your workouts there, and earn points for everything you do, levelling up over time. There is a fantastic community filled with groups and member spotlights, and it’s a great way to connect with like-minded people. I love it and would highly recommend it!

Your results won’t come overnight, but you can make a lot of progress in the beginning if you stick with it. Don’t fear hard work, and don’t fear being stronger than you were before. Weight lifting is one of the most empowering things I’ve ever done, so get started! You have nothing to lose but fat 🙂

Eating to Lose Weight Pt. 1 – Diet Myths

*I am not a trained nutritionist, dietician, or physician of any sorts. Before you make any big lifestyle changes, you may want to first speak with your doctor.*

Let’s talk about diet, and focus on weight loss. When I refer to your diet, I’m talking about the way you eat, as a lifestyle, a habit, and a long-term thing. I don’t mean going on a diet. I have no interest in quick fixes like the Beyonce diet, the cabbage soup diet, or any of that short-term, I-want-results-now fads that only reduces your water weight (yes, you weigh less because there is less water in your body, not because you’ve lost fat). It’s not sustainable, it doesn’t work, and no one wants to live like that.

Another important clarification – weight loss is affected by your diet more than it is by how much you exercise. To put things in perspective: in order to burn off the calories in one single M&M, you need to walk the length of a football field. It is damn near impossible to out-exercise a bad diet. However, a combination of proper diet and exercise will be extremely beneficial to your weight-loss goals.

But even if you talk about diet as a long-term lifestyle change, there’s tons of differing opinions about what’s the best. There’s people telling you to eat 6 small meals a day, or avoid all carbs, or don’t eat after 8pm. In one way or another, most of this advice and these diets are myth-based, so let’s start out by squashing some of them.

Myth # 1: Fat makes you fat/unhealthy

This kills me. Even just typing it is painful. First off, there are fats that are good for you, and fats that are bad for you. The good ones are monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and saturated fat*. Think fish, meats, nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil. The bad one is trans fat – fried foods, margarine, shortening, and candy bars. Fat is an essential part of your diet – it carries fat-soluble nutrient, forms cell membrane walls, is a vital source of energy, and helps keep you full.

Now, what will make you gain weight is calories, not fat. High-fat foods may be higher in calories, but it is not the fat content that will cause you to put on pounds. Also, foods that are advertised as reduced fat or fat-free are typically less healthy than their fuller fat version – companies add in sugar and other additives in order to make the product taste more like “the real thing,” and you’re ultimately getting a product that isn’t better for you, and tastes worse. As an example: if you want sour cream on your taco salad, use regular sour cream, but measure it out. Or use Greek yogurt instead – it’ll give you more protein.

*There’s debate on whether saturated fat is good or bad for you. From what I’ve read, it is generally good for you, and the politics of food has played a big part in the demonization of saturated fat. I will try to find studies that support this, and if I’m unable to, I may alter my stance. I would also like to add that oils such as vegetable oil, canola oil, and corn oil are not as good for you as olive oil and coconut oil – I will expand on this when I find the supporting studies.

Myth # 2: You must eat small, frequent meals to keep your metabolism up

If this were true, the people who do intermittent fasting, or IF, would never lose weight. With IF, you have a set window where your can eat your daily calories, with fewer calories on rest days and more on workout days. Some have as few as 4-5 hours where they can eat, others have 8, and everything in between. Some of people eat two huge meals, and others are able to fit in three slightly smaller meals. Either way, they simply don’t have enough time to fit in 6 small meals, and despite this, tons of people have had great weight loss results with IF.

Food frequency has little effect on your metabolism – muscle will be a greater factor in your metabolism, which I will address in a future post.

Myth #3: Going on a quick diet will help you lose weight

Okay, technically it can help you lose weight. But it’s all water. You may have dropped 5 pounds over the last 3 days, and shrunk a bit after drinking that cayenne pepper, lemon juice, maple syrup water, but that is all water weight and it will be gained back within a few days of stopping.

Myth # 4: You need to drastically cut calories if you want to lose weight

If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. The higher your net burn, the more weight you will lose. It is typically not a good idea to eat fewer than 1,200 calories, as your body does still need the energy to function properly, especially if you’re active. However 1,200 calories is a baseline “don’t go below this,” not a hard set number. If you’re around 5 feet tall, that may be a very good daily calorie allotment to allow you to lose weight.

Myth # 5: Starvation mode

Starvation mode: where your metabolic rate declines during caloric restriction or weight loss so drastically that further weight loss becomes impossible or you begin to gain weight. I’ve seen many accounts of people worrying about their body going into starvation mode, and because of this they are afraid to cut calories from their diets.

Now, starvation mode does happen, but it happens when you’re literally starving. Not when you say “oh, it’s 2pm and I haven’t eaten all day!”, or “I’ve been eating way less than usual the past three days!”. Here’s what the reddit.com/r/fitness FAQ (a great fitness forum and community) has to say about starvation mode:

Starvation mode is a myth that was popularized due to the Minnesota Starvation Experiment in which subjects were given 50% of their daily calorie intake for months. The result? Well, they lost weight until they had almost no weight left to lose and their bodies simply could not get the calories ANYWHERE. Concisely put: starvation mode happens when you are, quite literally, wasting away. Not when you have a simple caloric deficit. Your body will make up for it with fat stores. That’s what they’re for. Do not worry about starvation mode.

Myth #6: the food pyramid 

You know the one. This sucker up there^^ that we learned in grade school. It has no basis in science or nutrition, but in what companies were paying the government the most money at the time (hello, wheat!). You should not be eating more bread, pasta and rice than you are vegetables and fruits. These foods are nutrient-sparse, and serve as calorie-filled vehicles for better food. The only food that I think you should try to get x number of servings of is vegetables – shoot for 5-8 servings daily. Everything else should be gram and macronutrient-based: x grams of protein a day, y grams of fats, and z grams of carbohydrates.

Myth # 7: Fruits

I wasn’t entirely sure how to word that title. But there seems to be a misconception, especially in the female community that fruits are some end-all to weight loss. I’ve seen titles from “What’s more healthy than a big bowl of fruit?”, to “MIRACLE FRUIT”. If there is any “miracle food,” it would be vegetables – the majority of them are low-calorie and filling, and incredibly nutrient-dense. Fruits tend to have fewer nutrients than vegetables, more calories, and are much higher in sugar. But don’t get me wrong, fruit can be wonderful. A couple of cold slices of watermelon on a hot day are amazing, and eating a peach or apple instead of ice cream for dessert is always going to be a better choice.

Myth # 8: This food/drink will make you burn fat!

A calorie deficit will burn fat, not any specific food or drink. Foods and drinks cannot burn fat. Some stimulants, such as coffee, will give you an insignificant and temporary increase in metabolism, but there’s no fat burn unless you burn more calories than you consume.

 

I am sure that this list will grow over time, as I remember more and more myths that people consider to be fact. I will also add sources as I find them to support these claims.