[bellabrit7]

I have been gluten free for about 2 1/2 months now...the first month was hell and i craved everything i wasn't allowed to have. then it got better, with the support of family and friends...now I am craving again and its getting to the point where i will get sick...anyone have this problem?! how do people deal with not getting to eat normally anymore?? i get so frustrated and sick of having this problem, and i haven't had it for too long.

[lcbannon]

It will cycle until you figure out how bad you feel if you cheat, if its bad enough you will stop cheating. It is not an easy change to make. I have found that if I always make sure to have some desserts and breads gluten-free in the freezer then I usually will not feel deprived.

Some people cant have salt, some alchol, some chocolate etc mine is gluten..

Good luck and it will get better

[cruelshoes]

Yes, the diet is a hard adjustment. What are you missing so badly that you are willing risk getting cancer to get it (Sorry if that sounds harsh)? I venture a guess that there is a gluten-free equivalent to most of it. It takes a good 6 months to get into the swing of the diet and have it not seem so overwhelming. Please be patient with yourself.

Perhaps you could choose gluten-free foods to pig out on when you get one of those feelings? Cheetos and Haagen-Daaz can do a lot toward making you feel like you are doing something bad, but they are gluten-free.

[Eriella]

You are going through withdrawl. You know how hard it is for crack addicts-- it is just as bad for you. It sucks, but you need to feel how much better you are off gluten so you won't want to cheat-- and that can take up to 6 months. Trust me-- I know how hard it is. Last night I got to watch my friends binge on warm cookies (that the waiter so kindly put right in front of me) while I got to drink diet coke .

The big thing for me is making sure that I don't have any gluten in my house. If that is not possible, at least say no good gluten in the house for 6 months (ie tell your family that you can't have oreos, bread, brownies in the house until I get through withdrawl). Then I avoid going out for anything but drinks. Meals out just make you want to cry because most restaurants have nothing you can eat. I also work out a lot to try to get over the frustration caused by inconsiderate people.

When I need to feel normal (ie cheat) I go out with my friends to the bar where I can safely eat their bunless burgers, nachos, and drink their beer and hard cider. I don't feel left out and the craving passes. I also have a gluten-free stash of normal people food in my room-- rice pizza crusts, pretzels, tortilla chips, fruit gems, and chocolate.

One more piece of advice- if you are still going through withdrawl, check for hidden gluten (medication, shampoo, hand creme...), that would be why you are craving it. Otherwise, the only way to get rid of the cravings is to go cold turkey for 3+ months, and even then it is still hard. Just find a way to let out the frustration so you don't end up making yourself sick.

Good luck!

[Polka Nut]

It's a life long game. I've been at it for 22 YEARS and still struggle with this gluten-free diet. It's never 100%. To hard to achieve in every day life. A recent biopsy showed my villi are flat but still tall enough to absord some nutrients. My new doctor said that I did a "good job" inspite of some cheating(got a little to reckless last year or 2) during that span of time. Even more critical is using dietary supplements that could contain hidden gluten. I contacted the company, but to date, got no reply so I stopped using the stuff. Some companies don't care about us.

Gee, burned out after only two months. Sorry, I have no sympathy for you but I do understand.

Hang in there!

[skyepie]

Being newly diagnosed, I understand. It is overwhelming. I had a hard time sticking to weight watchers for 4 months (quit because of "stomach troubles"). To think that I have to be restrictive forever seems like a life sentence. However, using what I learned from WW - reframing. Put it in a different perspective. (Think glass 1/2 full!) Think of all the new foods that you will "get" to try that you wouldn't have otherwise. I do think it is more difficult after eating gluten for many years. But take the opportunity to test out recipes and try to find gluten-free substitutes that taste just as good.

Believe me, I'm not Susie-Sunshine. I've been disgusted by many of the recipes I've tried in the past week. I'm sick to death of grilled chicken and brown rice. The gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies I bought to eat while the rest of my family ate the homemade gooey brownies I made them were awful. But this is a journey. We may as well enjoy the trip..........

[Suffering in Ohio]

I think we can all understand. Being gluten free is a complete life style change. I have only been gluten free for about a week. Since it has been such a short period of time, all of my symptoms have not cleared up. I am still very fatigued and iron defficient with a bit of stomach pain. I thought that a piece of pizza wouldn't hurt. I ate it Monday night. I am still recovering. I had an excrutiating headache, my bathroom issue came back and I am still very foggy brained. This proved to me that it is not worth even the smallest bite. I want to feel better and if I have to sacrifice bread (I have not found a good gluten free bread), pasta, and decent tasking beer...then so be it. I would rather be a fully functioning human and enjoy life than sacrifice that for a great tasting meal!

[confusedks]

I can totally understand! I have been gluten-free about the same amount of time that you have. It is really hard and I STILL crave donuts like there's no tomorrow. For me it took getting glutened ONCE by putting a piece of gluten-free bread in the non gluten-free toaster! OMG...I was so sick that no matter how much I crave the donuts I know it's totally not worth it! Also, because I had such iron deficiency anemia and the ONLY way we were able to get rid of it was going gluten-free, I have no issue being gluten free. Sometimes it just takes getting really sick to make you never want to do it again. Remember, it WILL get easier. It was really hard at first, but now being dairy/casein AND gluten free is way harder for me. Good Luck!

Kassandra

[celiac-mommy]

Focus on all the stuff you can have and not the stuff you can't. Why make yourself miserable? What foods do you love and crave? Figure out an alternative. There are some really good mixes out there for brownies, cookies, bread--do some research, try some products (if you're not much of a baker) If you like really rich chocolate brownies, the Gluten Free Pantry chocolate truffle brownies are outstanding! I'm not gluten-free (more gluten-light), but my daughter is. I cook and bake for her all the time, I always eat the stuff that she eats--if I think it's gross, then why would I feed it to her? We've tried a lot of things out there and I can tell you, there is an alternative to pretty much everything. You should post a thread of all your favorites that you think you can't have and let people give you suggestions on what you can. I have a fantastic recipe for lasagna that is regionally famous, plus a lot of other ideas...

Don't be afraid to ask for help,

Take care,
-Rachelle

[Meemsy]

I have been gluten free for a little less than you have. Is it easy? Not by a long shot, but there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself. If I bake now, I bake gluten free only...that way I am not tormented by going through the trouble of making something for my husband and children that I can not have. Arrowhead Mills makes a great gluten free brownie mix, the husband and kids didn't notice the difference.

Certainly there are things I miss dreadfully...like dim sum, but I send the family out for it without me, that way I do not feel left out. If there are any resteraunts that you go to where you are a "regular" I would suggest going in and talking to them about it. I have had a tremendous amount of luck with that, and they have been more than happy to accomodate me.

I do not know where you live, but if there are any Vietnameses or Thai places near you, check them out. Both types of cooking are much more reliant on rice noodles and flour and do not regularly use wheat flour in their cooking or sauces, and both cultures do not use soy sauce either. Also see if there is an Asian market near your home for something different (a big plus on this is that alot of the substitute flours you will be using, like rice and tapioca, are a fraction of the cost there. Plus the noodle choice is outstanding...rice, bean thread, tapioca, and sweet potato noodles are all available, and again cheap.

Try changing your mindset as well (I know, easier said than done). What is "normal" anyways?
I have so far considered this an adventure...and a pleasant one with no headaches or fatigue or stomach problems. I would take that over a piece of Wonderbread any day!

Good luck...Meemsy

[gfpaperdoll]

I have been gluten-free for 3 years, but I have changed my diet so many times due to food allergies that it was really no big deal. I was also mostly wheat free for 10 years before that & oat & barley free for 35 years. But I do understand that it is difficult & agree with everyone else that you have to go cold turkey. If you get the tiniest bit of gluten it makes you crave more (the secret success of fast food). I also suggest not to eat any gluten-free bread & stuff at this time, it is really easier to eat whole foods. Well, I would make an exception for those Gluten free Pantry brownies, ya got to indulge a little.

Another thing to watch for is dairy, it does the same thing to your brain & makes you want more, so that might be part of your craving. I am DF but I occasionally cheat on dairy.

Also, like everyone said have your gluten-free stash ready for those times when you need "a lift".
I have to have things that I consider a cheat although they are gluten-free cheats, maybe just not totally healthy for me, like homemade french fries (I do sweet potato ones) or make yourself a great batch of homemade fudge. For Friday night I am going to have Frito Pie, Hormel chili with beans heated & poured over fritos with chopped onions & a sprinkle of cheese (way cheating on dairy!!) I figure that balances out with my lunches of broccolli, tomatoes, carrots, fruit etc with some meat.

I know you must be sick of reading that it gets better, but it really does & gee you will be having so much fun with all your new found energy !!

[mftnchn]

skyepie, on Jul 11 2007, 10:22 PM, said:

The gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies I bought to eat while the rest of my family ate the homemade gooey brownies I made them were awful. But this is a journey. We may as well enjoy the trip..........

Just a note: I make my own brownies from scratch too. I used my same recipe with a high quality (not grainy) brown rice flour instead of flour.

I couldn't tell any difference in the taste, consistency was more crumbly, they didn't hold together too well. So next time I will add xanthan gum.

My friend couldn't tell the difference between the gluten-free and gluten batches in taste.

Just an encouragement to keep experimenting.

[Rosewynde]

I feel for you! Since I've been so miserably sick and felt so much better gluten free it wasn't as hard a choice to make for me. What I'm having a harder time with is not feeling bad when my family wants to eat out and I have to redirect them or just go to chat and not eat.

mftnchn, on Jul 11 2007, 06:52 PM, said:

Just a note: I make my own brownies from scratch too. I used my same recipe with a high quality (not grainy) brown rice flour instead of flour.

I couldn't tell any difference in the taste, consistency was more crumbly, they didn't hold together too well. So next time I will add xanthan gum.

Xantham gum usually leaves an aftertaste that I personally hate. My mom and I made brownies with an old CH Brown Sugar recipe that uses lots of coco powder. We used Glutinous (sweet) Rice flour as a substitute for flour and they came out nice and chewy and only slightly crumbly on the edges. Since Glutinous Rice Flour failed miserably as a bread flour substitute I'm guessing it was the combination of the coco powder and flour that did the trick, oh and the fact that you WANT your brownies to be thick and chewy ; D

[stephanie19]

I'm a newbie at this, too. I got my Enterolab dx about 5 weeks ago, and for about the first 4 weeks I was cheating left and right, feeling so deprived that I was having this way of eating forced upon me. I guess I was rebelling against the restrictions imposed on me. And unfortunately, my symptoms aren't debilitating enough to be a deterrent.

Then I started thinking about the fact that when I became vegan almost two years ago, I was never once tempted to cheat, and I never have been during this whole time. It's strange--in the beginning, I would maybe think, "hmm, pizza would be good right now," but it was more of a detached feeling, if that makes sense. If people around me were having something like pizza, it would look good, but it was more of an objective feeling about it, remembering that I liked it but not really wanting to have it.

Thinking about this, I guess the difference is a matter of choice. Being vegan has been 100% my choice, whereas I was seeing gluten free as something I was being dragged into kicking and screaming. In the last week or so, I've been thinking about being gluten free as a choice as well, and I'm suddenly having much less trouble with cravings or wanting to rebel. Granted, I'm still much earlier in the game than you, but I think the previous posts that talk about changing your perspective are spot-on. Instead of viewing this as a "problem" and an issue of not being "allowed" to have a bunch of foods, think of it as a choice. After all, eating this way is totally a choice. If you choose to eat gluten free, you're choosing to eat in a way that supports your long-term health and willl probably make you feel better in the short term. No one is forcing you to stay gluten free--it's totally your choice. Viewing it this way, in addition to thinking about all the foods I CAN eat, not the ones I can't, has been helping me so far.

Best wishes, and hang in there!

[Karen B.]

skyepie, on Jul 11 2007, 09:22 AM, said:

The gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies I bought to eat while the rest of my family ate the homemade gooey brownies I made them were awful. But this is a journey. We may as well enjoy the trip..........

Why not make homemade gooey brownies for everyone that happen to be gluten-free? I just made some for my office crew for a BD party (used Pamela's mix). Some inspired person on the board suggested topping them with chopped Reese's cups when the brownies were hot and WOW was that a hit!!!

I find I feel much less restricted on my gluten-free diet when I find ways to bring the people around me into my world. My office and family enjoys baked pasta casseroles with Tinkyada pasta, Namaste cakes (or using the cake mix to make cookies), fresh Chebe breadsticks (a favorite at my office) and so forth. One package of mix makes way more than I need, so why not share it around?

Several of my co-workers that are on a perpetual diet really liked my idea of building a mini-pizza on a broiled portabello mushroom. Others tried my variation for lunch of pizza tacos (mozzarella and pepperoni microwaved in a corn tortilla served with pizza sauce for dipping). It doesn't matter if you're having it because it's gluten-free and handy or because it's healthy, it's still enjoying good food.

The more I isolate myself and my diet, the more deprived I feel. Share it around and it brings people together.