From my perspective, week 1-2 were a success with training and for the most part ~the gluten free diet. I didn't miss a beat of training. The real struggle was Heidi vs the gluten free post-training re-fuel. And the second struggle was weekend celebratory cocktails.
Ironman training has been ramping up quickly. I won't bore you with details but week 2 looked like this: 15 hours total. ( 3 swim, 6 bike, 3.5 run, 2 lift). Not too bad of a volume yet. For some reason it has felt like a lot more than it really is. My main battle has been the heat. I'm not a morning person at all but would rather forcibly become one than sweat my butt off in the afternoon heat. I am also in dire need of some training buddies. With work, trying to stick to my training schedule, and being new to the area, it hasn't been easy. Luckily my hubby will hang for some of the workouts but I do miss my Pennsylvania girls!
I've had a lot of questions about the gluten free diet. So far.... so good like I said. I'm usually fine during the week but lose it a little on the weekends. Last week for the 4th of July I definitely kicked back and drank a few strawberry flavored Abita beers. (oops)... I also had barbecue with friends. "Eating" is what people do in New Orleans so it's going to take a lot of will power on my behalf.
I'm still learning about the GF diet so I could be wrong or misinformed, but here are some of the staples I have been eating....
Breakfast
Oatmeal (controversial GF-??? Don't think I can give it up.)
Smoothies (Ingredients: a combo of the following: OJ, POM juice, Greek yogurt, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, raspberries)
Lunch
Various salads
More smoothies-(Smoothie King Green Tea Tango is my favorite)
Yogurt-(Danon Greek)
Fruit
Riceworks Brown Rice Crisps
Trail mix
Dinner
Rice/beans
Gluten free pasta
Chicken stir fry
Gluten Free Pizza-NAKED Pizza (a New Orleans must have!)
Stuffed peppers-with rice, ground turkey, fresh tomatoes
I'm usually fine for breakfast and dinner. Lunch is always hard for me as I miss my regular PB & J. I really do miss my bread! For training nutrition, I've been using Gu gels, Melon Heed, Hammer Sustained energy. There may be gluten in these products, but I have not refined everything 100% yet.
I'm going to give this a "go" for another 2 weeks and see what happens. I "think" I feel better but am not sure if it's just some placebo affect. This GF thing has definitely made me more conscious of what I'm eating and I've honestly been eating far healthier overall. No offense to my GF peeps out there, but I don't know if 100% GF is totally for me. I definitely don't have the resources to purchase GF everything at Whole Foods. Secondly, I'm not sure if I can sanely stick to 100% GF while still getting the proper fuel I need. So then I ask myself, is it worth it to do a 80 % GF/20 % non-GF or am I wasting my time?
I'm still learning for now.
One more thing.... Anyone out there doing Augusta 70.3? I have a late Dec. birthday and am moving to the scary 30-34 AG next year and really want to get a fast 70.3 under my belt this year. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Have a good week ya'll ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oatmeal has gluten - it is one of my favorites also.
ReplyDeleteGeorgia will prob be hot in Sept!
oatmeal is gluten free (the protein in oatmeal is structured differently than in wheat, barley, rye). But it's cross contamination that get people who have celiac. And the protein in barley is a little different then wheat, and the process of making beer changes it further, so even people with gluten intolerances can sometimes tolerate beer.
ReplyDeleteI've asked my nutritionist to field bloggy qts, and one was related to gluten free diets. Why are you doing a gluten free diet? just curious. thx! and like the bloggy makeover
ReplyDeleteSSB is correct. It is the cross contamination that affects the grain. Quaker is said to be the toughest on itself to prevent any contamination.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing great with the diet. Most people would benefit if they just simply cut back on the gluten anyway. Many are gluten sensitive and don't even realize it. I read a stat that placed the #'s at 1 - 133 that harbor the antigen/antibody to gluten sensitivity. Not sure how correct it is...but.
I'm very interested to read your experiences with the GF diet. Everyone always seems to feel "SO MUCH BETTER" while on it but in truth I wonder how much of that (as you said) is really just because they are paying closer attention to their diet in general, and not because it's GF. (of course I'm not talking about people who have celiac - just people like yourself that are doing GF for the health of it). Anyway - I think you are giving it a fair shake - trying it for a month or so and seeing if you feel a difference!
ReplyDeleteLooks like we're both training for IMFL! So excited. I too should be making the switch to a gluten free diet because of my asthma and breathing issues. I just need to take the plunge. Best of luck with training. :)
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