Having A Hard Time Committing To This Diet

[Guest missyflanders]

I was on the gluten-free diet for a year before but did occassionally cheat, so don't know if it even counted. I did not cheat enough to effect the bloodwork, which was negative on the diet and positive before it. I have no gi symptoms. I am gaining weight, not losing it. I am slightly anemic, but nothing I can't live with. Please convince me to do this diet the right way. I am the only one in the house eating gluten-free and we go out quite a bit. I have small children, who have been tested and do not have it, who enjoy all the gluten containing snacks too much for me to make the house gluten-free.

I get so depressed while on this diet. It makes me want to not do it. I would rather be happy. Please help.

Missy

[tiffjake]

I was on the gluten-free diet for a year before but did occassionally cheat, so don't know if it even counted. I did not cheat enough to effect the bloodwork, which was negative on the diet and positive before it. I have no gi symptoms. I am gaining weight, not losing it. I am slightly anemic, but nothing I can't live with. Please convince me to do this diet the right way. I am the only one in the house eating gluten-free and we go out quite a bit. I have small children, who have been tested and do not have it, who enjoy all the gluten containing snacks too much for me to make the house gluten-free.

I get so depressed while on this diet. It makes me want to not do it. I would rather be happy. Please help.

Missy

You are soooooooooo not the only one. EVERY DAY I drive by olive garden. And I see other people things at resturaunts. I have had a really hard week and I am dreaming of pizza and cookies. I just keep reminding myself of how much better I feel when I don't eat it. When I eat gluten I need to sleep for about 16 hours. It knocks me out like benedryl! It is so weird. That is the only thing keeping me gluten-free right now. I am looking for a new job and I need to stay on my toes incase someone calls me for an interview. But no, you are not the only one. Stick with it. You are being healthy and taking care of your body. This is a good thing!!!!

[hez]

I do find aspects of this disease difficult. I do fine at home and do not want the gluten things my family eats. Partly because I know how sick I will get. Plus I have found substitutes for most things or stuff is gluten-free. However, I do miss the ease of eating out. Going where you want to go. I miss not having to think about it. Although it is at times a struggle I will take this anyday over feeling sick. Or even worse having some life threatening disease. It is important for the sake of your family to stay gluten-free. They need you to be healthy. Maybe the family can do some comprimising by not going out as much. Let them know that this is difficult and you need their support. Keep coming here so we can remind you of the benefits of being gluten-free!

Hez

[Rusla]

There are things I miss like noodles, dumplings and pizza, but I have learned to make my own pizza and figured out ways to do the others gluten-free. When I think of having something I shouldn't, I think of how awful I felt on gluten, how bad my skin was, how I couldn't lose weight and only gained. I think about how bad do I want stomach cancer, colon cancer or death. You know after I think about that which takes ten seconds, I no longer even want gluten.

[Ursa Major]

You know Missy, I just finally started reading the book "Dangerous Grains" yesterday (I'm almost done, I can't put it down). You need to read that, and you'll NEVER be tempted again to have anything with gluten in it. Because you'll want to avoid all the autoimmune diseases, and you don't want to die of cancer, either. The evidence the authors present is just too compelling. Gluten is a poison, period. You wouldn't knowingly eat rat poison, either.

I tried to post a link to the book on amazon .com, but had trouble. It's easy enough to find, though.

[Nantzie]

You have to do it so that you can be around for your kids.

I just recently found out that I have two copies of DQ1, which a gluten sensitivity gene. The only way I can have two copies is that both of my parents had to have had it.

My mom died of breast cancer 12 years ago when I was 23. She was 46. My dad died of stomach cancer last year. He was 61, I was 34.

You never stop needing your parents.

Just do what you can to be healthy and be there for your kids. Having celiac puts you at a much greater risk of getting cancer than the general population. It also puts you at a much greater risk for other diseases.

I can't imagine how hard it must be to be gluten-free when you don't have symptoms. Most people here at least feel such a difference being gluten-free that we don't even WANT to eat gluten. But just consider how much happier and healthier you'll be for LONGER by being gluten-free.

I guess it's more like finding out you have high blood pressure. You know you shouldn't eat certain things, but there's no immediate negative reaction, so a lot of people with high blood pressure don't eat how they should.

You probably should think about what things you really are missing being gluten-free. What are your cheats? If you can find a replacement for those, you're not going to be as tempted to cheat.

For example, I LOVE crackers. I didn't believe for one minute I could find a passable substitute. But then I tried the Ener-G brand of gluten-free crackers. They taste just like those Carr's Water Biscuits in the black box, with just less salt. So now I have something to put my brie on. Yummy!

Also, Tinkyada pasta is amazing.

Nancy

[Ursa Major]

Nancy, thinking about it, maybe I got Celiac disease from both parents, too. My mother had all the obvious symptoms, except for weight loss (and the ignorant doctors think even NOW that you have to be losing weight to have celiac disease). She died of liver cancer at the age of 66, when I was 34. My dad also died of liver cancer, when I was 45. I don't remember either one of them EVER being even close to being drunk (so, their livers weren't destroyed by alcohol). The most they'd ever have is a glass of wine or champagne at New Years, or my dad having one bottle of beer. Now that I understand more about celiac disease, I think my dad had symptoms, too. He always had yellowish skin, he had very low blood pressure (his doctor told him to drink a lot of coffee to raise it, so he'd drink two pots of coffee a day all by himself), but he was still always tired. He had very little energy. Also, the doctors thought that his cancer probably started in his stomach. There was no point in checking, since he was dying anyway.

My grandmother (my mother's mother) died of stomach cancer when my mother was twenty, which was very traumatic for my mother, because she had an abusive dad, and still needed her. Since my mom must have inherited the celiac disease from somebody (and her dad lived to 85 in good health), my grandmother likely got stomach cancer because of Celiac disease.

You see, Missy, this is what happens when celiacs aren't on a gluten free diet. My parents and grandmother didn't know, but you do. You owe it to your family to look after your health, so you'll be around for them! Plus, you don't want to go through having cancer, I hope.

I hope I caught it early enough to not follow in my parent's footsteps. I know that five years on a completely gluten free diet will bring my cancer risk back down to the average risk. I will do my very best to get well, and to avoid gluten like the plague it is.

[Guest nini]

I believe my Grandmother had Celiac... she was never dx'ed with it. My Grandmother died when she was 60. She was always very thin, but she loved to cook and eat... the whole family always joked about the family tummy troubles... My grandma smoked all her life (which I've read that a lot of celiacs self medicate by smoking) and she was extremely sensitive to fragrances. Female problems run rampant in my family, and I seemed to be going down the same path until I was dx'ed with Celiac almost 3 years ago.

My reactions to gluten are instantaneous and very painful and embarrassing, so their is no temptation for me to cheat whatsoever. If I see something that I really miss (like Krispy Kreme donuts) I just repeat over and over to myself that it is poison. Would I willingly ingest poison? No.

I also believe that my mom and my aunt and my uncles all have this... I think my sister and her kids do too... but they won't listen to me. Ultimately YOU are the only person that can control what goes into your mouth. Do you want to continue to be ill, or do you want to increase your chances of having a long healthy life? As for me, I want to live to be over 100 and still have all of my faculties about me!

[Becky6]

My whole family has stomach issues as well. so does my husband and now my daughter. I have only been gluten-free for a month and I do miss stuff but then remember how much better I feel now! I will never put gluten in my mouth again for that reason! It must be hard feeling no different while eating gluten but just know that you are getting damage and your insides are feeling bad even if you are not!

[ianm]

I agree with Ursula about the Dangerous Grains book. After reading that I had absolutely no desire to eat anything made with wheat ever again.

[jerseyangel]

I agree . When I was reading it, it was hard to put down.

[lovegrov]

I was so sick fropm celiac that I find i have few problems sticking to the diet. Sure there are some things I miss, but I found some other things I like. Undiagnosed celiac nearly killed me, so I'm happy to stick to it.

richard

[Rachel--24]

I don't want to go back to my old "normal" diet EVER because of how sick I was. I'll do whatever I have to to live a healthy happy life. I'm actually envious of those who only have to avoid gluten. I have to avoid other foods as well and in my opinion living gluten-free is really not that hard once you are consistent with it. It comes natural to me now and its only been about 5 months but I'm committed to it. I think if you cheat it would be that much harder to give up gluten....much like quitting smoking. Once you start again...its that much harder.

My advice: Stick to the diet 100%....and oh yeah....read Dangerous Grains. If that book doesnt convince you...nothing will.

[Jnkmnky]

You know Missy, I just finally started reading the book "Dangerous Grains" yesterday (I'm almost done, I can't put it down). You need to read that, and you'll NEVER be tempted again to have anything with gluten in it. Because you'll want to avoid all the autoimmune diseases, and you don't want to die of cancer, either. The evidence the authors present is just too compelling. Gluten is a poison, period. You wouldn't knowingly eat rat poison, either.

I tried to post a link to the book on amazon .com, but had trouble. It's easy enough to find, though.

I agree. And I put the link to Amazon with the Dangerous Grain book in my signature to get as many people as possible to read that dang book. It changed my way of thinking entirely. I eat to live instead of live to eat, now. Corny, I know, but it's a mindset that impacts your ability to stick with the diet. Myself and two of my kids came up neg for celiac disease, but reading that book convinced me to go gluten-free despite the results.