Buy yourself this gift for Christmas

I've always considered myself to be in "pretty good" shape. It is really impossible to run a wilderness fishing camp and not be. Each day at camp is filled with lots of walking, climbing, and most of all, carrying. I probably lift, on average,  a ton of things every day: groceries, lumber, gas and diesel barrels, boat gas tanks and of course, lots and lots of luggage. I don't do as much lifting at home in the winter but then I do a lot more aerobic exercise: walking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing. I also do body core strengthening, mostly because I have a bad back. When spring comes around I also frequently go jogging each day, preparation for the daily workout of camp life. So, I'm usually in "pretty good shape," at least for a guy who just turned 60.
So, I've been alarmed that I have been gaining a spare tire around my middle the last few years. I've tried dieting -- always with just temporary benefits -- exercising even more and still, to my chagrin, I can only lose a few pounds at best and feel terribly hungry and tired in the process.
I've also been studying, book after book. And, I've been observing the general population. EVERYBODY is getting fat. What the heck is going on?
The generally-held belief that people are just sitting on their butts all day, watching TV or the computer and not exercising is shattered when you look at today's marathon runners, at least the amateur ones. Many, many of these people who run dozens of miles each day and over 26 miles on occasion, are absolutely chubby! It used to be you could easily identify long-distance runners because they were as thin as beef jerky. What the heck is going on?
A lot of recent dieting books have seen the connection between the obesity epidemic and advice from health agencies about 30 years ago to switch to a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. The graphs for the population gaining weight, developing diabetes and lots of other diseases and medical conditions (i.e. hip and knee replacements) are identical over that period.
Enter Wheat Belly, a book by cardiologist William Davis, MD.
Back in the 1970s, he explains, wheat underwent a transformation, part of the Green Revolution to increase production of food to feed the exploding population of the world. The result is the wheat we are consuming today in bread, pastas, desserts, etc., has nothing in common with the wheat our parents and grandparents ate. It is chemically different, genetically different, and among a litany of bad things it does to our bodies and joints, it also penetrates the blood-brain barrier, creating narcotic-like receptors in our brains. It makes us get hungry every two hours. It makes us tired. And, more than ANY other food, it makes us get fat.
A slice of whole wheat bread makes us fatter than does a tablespoon of white sugar!
You really need to read the book to understand the mechanism of how it does this.
His advice: learn to lead a life without wheat. You don't need to be gluten-intolerant. Everybody should do it. No wheat at all. Forget the "healthy whole grains." There's no such thing.
So, I started a wheat-free regimen a month ago. I actually began on the week that Brenda and I took a Caribbean cruise, probably not the best atmosphere to lose weight. I ate all I wanted but did so with vegetables, meats, cheese and some fruit. I had a great time and really enjoyed the food. By the end of the week I had lost six pounds. More importantly, I lost an inch on my waist.
Nearly a month later now, I have lost another inch. And I've made no attempt to reduce my caloric intake. I always eat until I'm full. I just do it with foods other than those made of wheat.
Best of fall, I'm not tired any more. I don't need to take a nap in the middle of the day. And my back has felt wonderful.
A blog about wilderness life might seem a strange place to recommend a diet book and I do so only because our guests are also our friends. I would be a poor friend if I didn't let you know about this book.
Again, it is Wheat Belly, by William Davis, MD.

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