I Said I'd Lose The Gluten...not My Appetite!

[tonalynn]

In less than a week I'll hit the 3 month mark of being gluten free (sounds like an accomplishment that deserves a chip, like in AA. Hi, my name is tonalynn, and I'm a celiac. "hi tonalynn...." LOL)

 

I'm not someone who likes to cook, in fact I try to avoid it because frankly, I really don't know what I'm doing and I have zero desire to learn. I CAN cook, and usually freeze big batches of my staple recipes (beef stew, taco meat, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.) but after eating them for months on end I get bored and really don't have the desire/energy to try anything new.

 

I prefer quick fix things to eat, like yogurt, cheese and crackers, peanut butter and apples, (gluten-free) toast. Anything that's low-effort. But lately even those don't sound good to me anymore.

 

I seem to have lost my appetite, and I LOOOOOVE to eat! Nothing appeals to me, whether it's eating out or staying in. Everything sounds blah. I keep opening my fridge and my pantry looking for something, and can't find a single thing that I want. I just went to make a grocery list....and drew a blank. I know I need stuff at the store, but what?

 

I've noticed I'm not eating much anymore. I can go all day on a cup of yogurt with granola, some cheese and rice crackers and a few Hershey's kisses. I'm actually surprised when I feel a hunger pang. Food has become a hassle, a chore, when it used to be interesting and fun.

 

I used to love to snack on popcorn, but I think it makes my stomach hurt, so I stopped eating it. If I have banana bread made, I'll have a nice thick slice with butter on it, but I have no idea what to eat while I wait for the infernally slow bananas to go bad enough to make more bread!

 

What happened to my appetite? Nothing sounds good - raw or processed, fresh or frozen, it doesn't matter, it all sounds blick. I feel hungry and nauseated at the same time. Is this a long term phase? I drink water and coffee (in the morning) and that's it, no juice or sodas.

 

I eat now because I have to. This is totally foreign to me. I used to eat because I love food - the taste, the texture, the crunch or the sip. Most of what I liked was carb-based, lots of bread products, but I can't have most of those anymore. Food was an EVENT to me. Now it's just.....there.

 

Anyone else lose their appetite? Did you get it back? I'm losing weight but not from being gluten free, but from just not eating! Even unwrapping a Hershey's kiss is becoming a chore! ;-)

 

I know lots of people here say "find a way to love cooking" and that's a lot easier said than done. I live alone so I don't have to cook for anyone else, and in a way that makes it harder - I don't know what to make. So aside from learning how to cook, what else can I do? To me, learning how to cook is about as appealing and interesting as if you'd suggested "why don't you learn to do your own taxes - it's fun!" Uh....no. It's not.

 

 

[NoGlutenCooties]

I experienced this more before going gluten-free than I have since my diagnosis.  For quite awhile, stir-fry became my nightly meal.  One pan - and it's done in 20 min.  And I can throw all sorts of veggies in there that I wouldn't ordinarily like, but I can hide 'em in a little soy sauce and they don't bother me.

I get frozen veggies - such as the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot mix.  Throw in some frozen collard greens.  Then I throw in either chicken (which I would have to cook ahead of time), or pre-cooked sausage.  (I use Adele's sausage which is minimally processed and very tasty - and its pre-cooked to boot.)  Of course, I had to switch to gluten-free soy sauce, but it tastes the same.  I also get the 50% sodium stuff because the full-octane is just way too much salt for me.  I sauté it all together is a fry pan in a bit of olive oil.  And wha-la:  dinner in 20 min. and it's got tons of vitamins and minerals and a decent amount of protein.

 

I eat because I have to.  Always have.  But if you have to eat, you may as well eat healthy - because you'll feel better and actually have the energy to cook.

[bartfull]

I am just like you in that I hate to cook, I've never been great at it, and I don't have the desire to learn either. Also, I too cook in big batches and throw it in the freezer so I don't have to cook often.

 

The difference is, I can eat the same thing every day without getting sick of it because I no longer look at food as something pleasurable, but as something I have to have. After a while I have learned to "enjoy" my meals, not necessarily because they taste great, but because they fill the hole.

 

Because of my corn intolerance, I am REALLY limited. I have trouble with nighshades too, so mostly it's meat, rice or sweet potato, and broccoli. EVERY SINGLE DAY, for EVERY SINGLE MEAL.

 

Spices are the only thing that can perk things up. Sometimes I'll do ground bison with Italian seasonings. The next time it might be with the same spices I used to use to make the French pork pies - clove, allspice, onion, and black pepper. The next batch might be with Mexican spices.

 

I think the lack of appetite might be psychological. In the back of your mind you're subconscious is thinking "I can't eat anything good anymore so I just won't be hungry". Give it some spices and some time. Force yourself to eat if you have to because you need the nutrition. Eventually your body and your mind will adjust.

[nvsmom]

My appetite went way down after going gluten-free too. Part of it was linked to cutting carbs but even when I do overload on carbs and sugars (like over the last couple of weeks) my appetite does not near what it used to be... I can't remember the last time I needed to use a dinner plate to hold all my food at supper, a salad plate is plenty now a days.

[love2travel]

I don't think I've ever lost my appetite!    The doctor told Mom I was born with a fist in my mouth.      And I ADORE cooking.  So, I cannot relate to you on those points.  However, I would encourage you to go to the grocery store and pick up something you have never had or seen before, such as lemongrass or leeks or shallots and then cook a meal or dish focusing on that ingredient.  That way you learn about ingredients and introduce a bit of fun into it.  I teach cooking classes and many people call me back after to thank me for getting them excited about not only food but the process of cooking.  I do understand there are those who never have nor ever will like to cook but maybe give new-to-you ingredients a try. 

 

I'm not trying to force you to enjoy something you simply do not (I can relate to the taxes thing!) but honestly, food cld ban be exciting.  It need not be boring.  But then I live to eat rather than eat to live.     I so wish I were there to go grocery shopping/cooking with you!  I guarantee it would be motivating.

[Aquadan005]

In less than a week I'll hit the 3 month mark of being gluten free (sounds like an accomplishment that deserves a chip, like in AA. Hi, my name is tonalynn, and I'm a celiac. "hi tonalynn...." LOL)

 

I'm not someone who likes to cook, in fact I try to avoid it because frankly, I really don't know what I'm doing and I have zero desire to learn. I CAN cook, and usually freeze big batches of my staple recipes (beef stew, taco meat, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.) but after eating them for months on end I get bored and really don't have the desire/energy to try anything new.

 

I prefer quick fix things to eat, like yogurt, cheese and crackers, peanut butter and apples, (gluten-free) toast. Anything that's low-effort. But lately even those don't sound good to me anymore.

 

I seem to have lost my appetite, and I LOOOOOVE to eat! Nothing appeals to me, whether it's eating out or staying in. Everything sounds blah. I keep opening my fridge and my pantry looking for something, and can't find a single thing that I want. I just went to make a grocery list....and drew a blank. I know I need stuff at the store, but what?

 

I've noticed I'm not eating much anymore. I can go all day on a cup of yogurt with granola, some cheese and rice crackers and a few Hershey's kisses. I'm actually surprised when I feel a hunger pang. Food has become a hassle, a chore, when it used to be interesting and fun.

 

I used to love to snack on popcorn, but I think it makes my stomach hurt, so I stopped eating it. If I have banana bread made, I'll have a nice thick slice with butter on it, but I have no idea what to eat while I wait for the infernally slow bananas to go bad enough to make more bread!

 

What happened to my appetite? Nothing sounds good - raw or processed, fresh or frozen, it doesn't matter, it all sounds blick. I feel hungry and nauseated at the same time. Is this a long term phase? I drink water and coffee (in the morning) and that's it, no juice or sodas.

 

I eat now because I have to. This is totally foreign to me. I used to eat because I love food - the taste, the texture, the crunch or the sip. Most of what I liked was carb-based, lots of bread products, but I can't have most of those anymore. Food was an EVENT to me. Now it's just.....there.

 

Anyone else lose their appetite? Did you get it back? I'm losing weight but not from being gluten free, but from just not eating! Even unwrapping a Hershey's kiss is becoming a chore! ;-)

 

I know lots of people here say "find a way to love cooking" and that's a lot easier said than done. I live alone so I don't have to cook for anyone else, and in a way that makes it harder - I don't know what to make. So aside from learning how to cook, what else can I do? To me, learning how to cook is about as appealing and interesting as if you'd suggested "why don't you learn to do your own taxes - it's fun!" Uh....no. It's not.

 Dear God, don't let this happen to me! I love to cook, especially for my wife and kids. I love food. I've had professional training and even a brief career in the kitchen. I specialize in Italian/American cusuine, I have mad skills when it comes to soup making too.

If I lose interest in cooking and food in general I think it would send me in to a depression I'd never recover from. Theres three places I am happiest in within this world. They are: the kitchen, the firehouse and the pistol range!!

[NoGlutenCooties]

 Dear God, don't let this happen to me! I love to cook, especially for my wife and kids. I love food. I've had professional training and even a brief career in the kitchen. I specialize in Italian/American cusuine, I have mad skills when it comes to soup making too.

If I lose interest in cooking and food in general I think it would send me in to a depression I'd never recover from. Theres three places I am happiest in within this world. They are: the kitchen, the firehouse and the pistol range!!

 

You can look at it as a challenge to learn to cook just as well gluten-free as you did when you used gluten stuff.     There is an Italian restaurant near me that specializes in gluten-free - the daughter of the owner and head chef has Celiac and they have a full gluten-free menu (as in 2 pages, not 2 items) and really get the cross-contamination thing.  Anyhow... their gluten-free dishes are actually better than their "normal" stuff.

 

(I also love going to the range and have a Glock 22 (.40) - thinking about competing this year.)

[pricklypear1971]

You know, I think it's a stage.

I've been there. Food, cooking, finding a new great hole-in-the-wall used to e fun. And I was GOOD AT IT.

Gluten changed all of that. Suddenly, I couldn't bake my old recipes with predictability and food adventures were focused around not poisoning myself.

It's a punch.

Eventually, you find your feet again. But I admit the new restrictions still get to me. I'd love to be able to eat out more but there's that delicate balance between risk and enjoyment . And then there's the monotony of the gluten-free menus at restaurants (the choices may be safe but they're 10% of the menu and they don't change).

Anyway, ironically the best thing that has happened to help my attitude lately is discovering Jules flour blend. I can make some of my old gluteny recipes and they are better than with any other blend. It's great to have family favorites back - makes me feel like ME again. I do live some if my new recipes using almond/coconut but oh wow, to have tea cakes again!!!!!