Encouragement Needed!

[moozicteacher]

Hi everyone! I am new and very annoyed. I have not been officially diagnosed with Celiac, but the doctors can't find anything else wrong with me, so my doc suggested that I go gluten/dairy free for a few months to see if it would help.

Ok, how does anyone with a life manage to do this!!!??? I have 2 small children and am a music teacher who works 60+ hours a week. I can't even frickin' go to the bathroom by myself, how can I possibly check every ingredient in every thing that I eat??

The list of "forbidden" things is ridiculous! I can't even pronounce and have never heard of most of them.

I "get" that this is what I need to do to feel better, but I have a feeling that I'll probably never feel better because I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to follow this.

I know this is a horribly negative attitude, but I'm a diagnosed compulsive overeater/binge eater, and I've been trying really hard to do Weight Watchers, but even THAT is difficult for me, and it's not even really that restrictive!

I'm feeling very frustrated. Does anyone have any words of wisdom, encouragement, ways to make this easier, etc?

Thanks.

[Eriella]

First of all, welcome to the board. Second of all, it really isn't that hard after you get through the initial month. It almost becomes like second nature.

I would buy a george forman grill and a rice maker, and start from there. For dinners grill meat with McCormick spices and make rice with Knnox Bullion or make a stew in the crock pot with veggies, meat or beans, and McCormick spices. It may get old, but it will make your feel better. For breakfast make eggs or eat gorilla munch cereal (kids love it!). Then for lunch eat either leftovers, peanut butter on a corn tortilla, or taco dip (McCormick's taco seasoning in a pan with ground beef and pinto beans). Don't eat out because it will just frustrate you and try to avoid processed foods. In a month or two you will feel so much better and will be able to start dealing with trying to understand the food labels. Also, if you do have a gluten issues, you will have so much more energy that it will become easier.

Also, shop at Wal-mart or wegmans. They label their generics gluten-free, so it is easy to know what is safe, plus the prices are reasonable. A lot of people think that this diet will take a lot of time and that cooking from scratch is going to be awful. I have a bunch of recipes which take 30 minutes from the time I enter the kitchen to the time we eat, and then freeze well so you only have to cook 1 or 2 nights a week. If you want my recipes, let me know.

If you need anything, please ask. We have all been through this!

[moozicteacher]

Thank you for responding. I would like any recipes that you have, that would be great.

The other thing is- does your family eat what you eat? My son is a picky eater and my husband doesn't eat any vegetables (or much other healthy foods). As a teacher- I can absolutely not afford to buy specialty things for myself AND food for them!!

Good Lord, I'm getting more and more frustrated!! ACK!!

[missy'smom]

Welcome

Maybe this is not the most encouraging suggestion but, one approach would be eating only things made by nature, not by manufacturers, at least temporarily. I managed gestational diabetes by diet alone and I just took the list of foods and servings that they gave me and started over as if no other foods existed in the world and said OK what can I make with these. A similar approach may bring you quicker results and be less of a headache as far as reading labels go. Take one weekend and Set it up so when you open the fridge or pantry everything is safe. Plan a weeks worth of meals-write it down and then repeat it again the next week with minor changes or more changes as you feel up to it. If you can come up with enough meals for a week you can survive quite a while. It's also less headache and less time shopping if you buy the same stuff over again. As you feel better and are able to cope more you can read labels and introduce products back into your life. Or do this plus only things labeled gluten-free. Also when I was Diabetic I said, this is only three months out of my whole life and when I started gluten-free I said OK, I'm setting aside this year to get better, that's my whole goal for the year. I don't know how to explain this better but It really helped me. It relieved the pressure and stress rather than making more.

You can start a thread here entitled " what did you have for breakfast" and everyone will post their menues, most list brand names, many have done it in the past and if you do a search for "breakfast" "lunch" you may find some, I'm not suggesting that you search, Just FYI

Finding a support group may help. This site can be helpful in finding one.

Have you and your doctor discussed testing?

Have you thought about what you need to be able to start and stick to this or any diet? You know yourself best and different people need different things. Some need a diagnosis, others don't, some can just jump in and figure it out as they go along, others collect info and get organized first. I've given some suggestions above but what worked for me may not work for everyone.

If celiac disease is really what you have then, in my experience, the diet is totally worth it! Not only do I benefit but my son has gotten his mom back.

Keep in touch even if my suggestions sound more frustrating than helpful. Some things are hard to communicate across a message board. This forum is a good place to be and is very helpful. Give it time. The Celiac community is very supportive.

[missy'smom]

I make simple, old-fashioned gluten-free dinners-same food for everyone-Roasted chicken(on the weekend), meatloaf(with gluten-free breadcrumbs) and mashed potatoes etc. Beaf stew in the crockpot is a working girl's friend.

During the week everyone has diffferent breakfast and lunch but we all eat the same thing on the weekends.

Here's a meatball recipie that doesn't require breadcrumbs. Use Lea and Perrins brand W. sauce. or omit.

Open Original Shared Link

[Eriella]

I have never believed in special meals, unless it was an unavoidable circumstance (ie my sister's graduation where everyone ran to get subs and I made Thai Kitchen Noodle Cart noodles for myself). A lot of times I will make naturally gluten free food which others can add things like bread or pasta to, but I don't need to do anything else.

Here are some of the meals that I cooked for my family in the past month:

Chicken pasta:

- Boil a pot of water and add a bag of Tinkyada pasta. Cook until almost done.

- Grill 2 chicken breasts on your george forman/outdoor grill

- In a sauce pan combine 1 32+ oz can of diced tomatoes, a diced onion, a diced pepper, basil, oregano, hot pepper, and 2 cloves of garlic. Let it simmer until the chicken is done, then slice the chicken and throw it in there.

- when the pasta is done, drain it, throw it back into the pot, and add a 1/2 a bag of baby spinach (if you chop it up finely with a knife or run it through the food processor people think it is just a spice, not a veggie) and the sauce mixture. Stir and let sit for 2 minutes.

Pot Roast

- Cube left over steak, potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery. Throw in a pot with a box of gluten free broth (I believe swanson's organic beef broth says gluten free right on the label).

- Add parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme to taste.

- boil until the potatoes are done

Tacos

- grill a package of hamburger on a george forman until 1/2 way done to get out a lot of the fat

- in a sauce pan combine the hamburger with a diced onion, and some pepper flakes until done.

- add a packet McCormick's taco seasoning and a can of rinsed pinto beans. Simmer until the liquid is gone

- serve with salsa and guacamole as a dip with Tostidos or on Ole El Paso taco shells with veggies

Pasta Primavera

- boil a pot of water and cook Tinkayda pasta until almost done

- in a separate pan roast olive oil and garlic, as well as carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes.

- when the pasta is done, drain and throw the sauce with veggies

What I normally do to plan ahead is make a leftover portion or two so I will have food for the rest of the week. I also find that with spices, grilled meat, rice, and veggies never gets old.

Good luck!

[gfpaperdoll]

please be aware that gluten & dairy are addictive they have an opiate effect on your brain. so you might go thru withdrawal, & that is surely the reason that you have an eating problem. You have to take time to cook on the weekend & freeze some meals for your lunches etc.

I also second the recommendation that you just eat whole foods. an apple & a spoon of peanut butter or PB on celery is almost a meal, add some Boars Head deli meat & there you go (boars head will say gluten free right on the wrapping)

don't forget baked sweet potatoes. I think it would be a good idea to go dairy free at the same time, because if you do not, you will probably just sub cheese etc in place of gluten. Plus a lot of us have a dairy problem & almost all have a dairy problem in the beginning. & I do no advise to add in soy products, a lot us do not do good with soy. I do not have a big problem with soy, (which is in tuna & tons of other stuff) but I am not going to eat a soy product & develope an intolerance to it...

good luck, just take one apple at a time & breathe - you can do this...

[moozicteacher]

Thank you so much for your kind responses. I really don't think that I can do this, but I'm trying.

One thing that I tend to do (on any diet) is wait too long to eat. Then I get so hungry that say "screw it" and eat everything in sight. Because I don't know WHAT to eat, I eat nothing. Then I get irritable and dizzy and BITCHY!!! I think I need to just sit down and come up with some meal and snack ideas.

Thanks for the recipes!

[ElenaDragon]

For easily portable snacks, you could try some raw food bars like Lara Bars and Cliff Nectar Bars. They are made of dried fruit and nuts - gluten free, dairy free, and soy free. No added sugar or other ingredients, and they are quite tasty! They could be a good option for when you're away from home, hungry, and don't have time to think about what to eat.

[gfpaperdoll]

yes, You have to eat three meals & two snacks a day. You will have to plan for those. It is good to eat a protein with a fruit, either a piece of meat & fruit or veggies, or fruit and nuts. You will need to purchase some walnuts and almonds & whatever nuts you like & keep them in the freezer... Maybe find your closest farmers market...

when you are gluten free you will not be binging on gluten food or you will be really really sick. Just think of it as rat poison - pretty much does the same thing to our bodies, & also know that within 5 years of being gluten free your risk of cancer will be less, more like that of a person that does not have an auto immune illness... If you continue to eat gluten at times & suffer the consequences then your chances of getting another auto immune illness are much greater. It is like exercise, you exercise for 30 minutes & you get benefits for the next 24 hours & you do that every day & you get benefits that will help you live longer...

my sister's best friend is 55 & has throat & stomach cancer. Think about it, that could be you - & even younger...

[missy'smom]

Good advice from all.

We have a scheduled snack time everyday. For me because it helps with my energy levels and for my son to prevent him from snacking all night long. We sit down together at a certain time everyday and have a given portion of snack/s arranged on a small plate and a drink and that's it. No seconds and no snack outside of snacktime. We can look forward to it and not feel deprived. We balance the indulgent(cupcake with no frosting-gluten-free- Namaste makes a mix that's gluten-free and dairy free) with the healthy(protein, fruit) in addition to what gfpaperdoll said.

I do the waiting too long thing too, except I just eat nothing and then have no energy. Lately I've been giving myself a "deadline" of 1:00 for lunch because that's my problem meal. And no skipping breakfast. Eating something(healthy) on time, even if it's not a complete meal and even if it's not what I feel like eating, is better than waiting too long.

[JonJonQ]

Hi everyone! I am new and very annoyed. I have not been officially diagnosed with Celiac, but the doctors can't find anything else wrong with me, so my doc suggested that I go gluten/dairy free for a few months to see if it would help.

Ok, how does anyone with a life manage to do this!!!??? I have 2 small children and am a music teacher who works 60+ hours a week. I can't even frickin' go to the bathroom by myself, how can I possibly check every ingredient in every thing that I eat??

The list of "forbidden" things is ridiculous! I can't even pronounce and have never heard of most of them.

I "get" that this is what I need to do to feel better, but I have a feeling that I'll probably never feel better because I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to follow this.

I know this is a horribly negative attitude, but I'm a diagnosed compulsive overeater/binge eater, and I've been trying really hard to do Weight Watchers, but even THAT is difficult for me, and it's not even really that restrictive!

I'm feeling very frustrated. Does anyone have any words of wisdom, encouragement, ways to make this easier, etc?

Thanks.

[kbtoyssni]

There is a HUGE learning curve to this diet. The first two months will be very difficult trying to read every label and worry about CC, etc. But once you get it down, you won't spend any more time shopping or cooking than you did before. So know that if you can push through the first few months, it will be much better.

Another thing to realize is that if you do have celiac, gluten is horribly addicting and can have psychological effects. The binge eating may be a combination of these two so you may find that it goes away after being on a gluten-free diet for a while. I also feel that in the beginning, you can only handle so much and being truly gluten-free is better than a completely healthy diet. Don't beat yourself up too much about not having balanced meals all them time. Give yourself a chance to figure out the right brands first.

[Phyllis28]

Below are a few of the coping strategies I use:

Always make leftovers - I only cook main meals twice a week. I eat leftovers for lunch and dinner the rest of the week

I cook "Semi scratch" - I use canned foods such as tomato sauce or refried beans that have very few ingredients

Use alternatives for bread such as corn tortillas, rice cakes or even a bake potato. I very rarley ever bake. I simply live without cake, pie, cookies, etc....

If the meal goes over pasta such as spegetti sauce you can put it over rice instead. I have also put spegetti sauce over baked potato, mashed potatoes, spegetti squash and layed in corn totillas with cheese.

Make a tasty meals out of gluten free foods. Don't try to recreate gluten containing meals

Use the internet to locate receipes

Snacks - fruit, yogurt, tortilla chips, raw vegetables

Quick and easy meals: Hot Dog wrapped in a corn tortilla with cheese, Tuna heated on rice cake with cheese , a Hot Dog cut into baked beans and heated or Pizza Sauce and Cheese layered in a corn tortillas

I try to always have a portable snack with me.

Gluten Free eating becomes easier overtime.

[confusedks]

There's soy in tuna???? I didn't know that?!

Kassandra