ThyPeace

Ever since I reached my weight goal in August, I have been playing with foods more than I had been. Every time I have foods like cupcakes, my heart rate will jump a bit for a few days. If I have a lot of stuff like that -- my birthday burrito with a white tortilla, rice, various other things, and corn chips on the side, for example, it'll jump more. It comes back down in a couple of days, presumably after my body has processed whatever it is that causes the effect. It has become an excellent motivation to limit those foods, in fact. ThyPeace, makes "worth it" a far more immediate consideration.

Definitely a "thing," and my heart rate pattern looked very similar when I shifted out of a high-treat mode and into a high-whole-foods mode. My resting heart rate only jumps these days if I am sick, particularly if part of being sick is coughing or something else that interferes with sleep. I am also reading a book about bodybuilding at the moment (because hey, what else do I have to do besides read books about random kinds of fitness?) and in it, the author describes the reasons for the "whoosh" effect, as it is known in bodybuilding. That's what occurs when you've been dieting for some time, but the scale hasn't changed any. Then all of a sudden you switch something -- get a really long night's sleep (this always works for me), eat more on a given day, relax a whole bunch, or something like that. Suddenly there are quite a few trips to the bathroom to let go of water weight, and voila, you've lost a few pounds. The theory is that dieting increases cortisol levels, which increases fluid retention. All of the above actions are ones that can down-shift cortisol, so the body lets go of the water. I never knew why that happened; it's nice to at least have confirmation that it does and an explanation of why. ThyPeace, and this is why I read random books about things; to piece together what's going on in my world.

I can't speak to the question of heart rate while exercising, but I can speak to the resting heart rate part. I am post-Whole30 at this point, having done three of them over the last couple of years. I eat a Whole30-ish diet though, and track what I eat carefully. My resting heart rate is noticeably affected by two food categories. The first is "holiday" eating. I'm not entirely sure what the underlying sources of the change are. I first noticed this over Christmas last year, when I had cookies, cake, candy, caramel corn, wine and beer, pizza, and even some (very aged) cheese. The night with wine, pizza, and caramel corn was the worst. My resting heart rate jumped from around 60 to almost 70 and I felt really awful for a few days until it all cleared my system. I have tested it in milder ways at other special occasions, and have noticed a similar jump, albeit smaller because I have indulged in fewer of the potentially problematic foods. It could be sheer quantity of calories my body has to process, as well as types of foods or types of macronutrients. The second category is smaller, but with a distinct positive result. When I eat a packet of salmon every day for a week, after not having any for a month or so, my resting heart rate commonly drops by about 5 beats per minute. I figure this is a result of the Omega-3s in the fish. I try to take advantage of it by eating salmon 2-3 times per week. My resting heart rate also increases when I am sick or when I am lacking sleep, and decreases when I'm healthy and well rested. ThyPeace, And, of course, as I get more physically fit, the long-term resting heart rate trend is down. My resting heart rate last night was 55 BPM. A year ago, it was 65 BPM.

One of my favorite compliant meals out is fajitas with guac and lettuce and tomato. Fabulous! (My stepson had worked there, so I had inside knowledge of ingredients.) ThyPeace, the ones with shrimp and fresh pineapple are particularly fantastic.

Sugar tastes fantastic. I have to remind myself of its evils because they're so subtle. ThyPeace, had sugar today. Note to self. Sugar gives you a hangover. Which you knew. Try not to off-road while five days' worth of sleep-deprived. You tend to forget some really important stuff. ThyPeace, hydrating.

Corn gives me a belly ache that's right next door to hunger. Took me a long time to figure out the difference. Lactose gives me horrible, painful gas. (Lactaid makes it painless diarrhea, which is not exactly an improvement.) Rice gives me a serious case of feeling awful that I can't even explain. Like my head is going to explode. Sugar tastes fantastic. I have to remind myself of its evils because they're so subtle. Legumes improve my digestion and seem to make me feel overall better. Wheat seems to be neutral-to-good in terms of body reaction, but I worry about the empty calories, so limit it anyway. ThyPeace, had sugar today.

All it takes is a tablespoon of half & half to send me into fits of agony. Cheese is only slightly better. ThyPeace, grew up in Wisconsin and misses dairy more than she can say. But doesn't miss the 3-month stomach ache she had before figuring it out.

I will add my voice to the "broccoli is BAD for me" chorus. I can't figure out why either -- other FODMAPs are not an issue for me. And in the incredibly weird category, broccoli that is in Chinese food doesn't bother me in the slightest. Regular steamed broccoli, or broccoli I stir-fried at home? Oh the pain. This has gotten somewhat better since I have been doing Whole30 stuff, and also since I learned that I am lactose intolerant. Very small amounts of broccoli are okay (they still give me a little gas, but not agony). That's really the only veggie that does it to me. I used to eat it all the time, too, and had a sudden transition to OMG Bad. ThyPeace, it was a pretty funny way I found out, in retrospect. But not at the time.