Can I Cheat?

[lonewolf 0]

I am so impressed that pizza fed 5 people - I would eat the entire thing - it looks DELICIOUS!!!!

I actually had 2 that size. It's an 18" pan, so they were large pizzas. They actually served 7 (kids, hubby and me) with only 2 pieces left over.

[dhramos2003 0]

Man-oh-man.

Not to sound sexist, but it is almost always men who "cheat". I don't understand it, but it must have to do with the different ways in which men and women view their bodies and health. I do, however, understand the desire to have a beer and a pizza. BUT! You are risking long term health issues (such as those mentioned previously, including intestinal lymphoma, neurological conditions such as ataxia and pheripheral neuropathy - uncoordinated muscle movement and nerve damage in the extremities - along with muscle weakness, depression, cognitive disfunction, etc., etc). Just because you do not feel sick does not mean there is no damage being done. And every time your intestines have to regrow vili, your body will have malabsorption issues and possible vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which can add up over the long term.

I know the secret hope, that one day you'll wake up and your life can go back to the way it was. Trust me, I really know. I couldn't even talk about this without crying for over a year. The good news is that the cravings will eventually go away. I have been gluten-free for three years. My health has been slowly improving, and I can't imagine going back to the way I used to feel.

There is a lot of misinformation out there, and my experience has been that doctors really do not know what this disease is all about. If you can, try to find a wholistic/alternative medicine doctor with digestive disorder experience. There is also a lot of information on the web, here at this site and the celiac sprue association (CSA). CSA publishes a binder of "safe" foods you can purchase.

For gluten-free beer, try New Grist (call your local liquor store and ask them to special order it - they distribute just about everywhere), Ramapo Valley (you can order it straight on line, but shipping is expensive) and Bard's Tale Beer (they distribute to most of the east coast and midwest, but they haven't made it to the west yet - you can also order that on-line, but again, shipping is expensive).

Of course you can make your own decision about your health. But before you start to reintroduce gluten, I would do some googling on the long term health effects of celiac disease.

Take care,

zax

i just wanted to let you know its not only men who cheat i am a stay at home mother of a 2yr that loves to share things with me i cheat all the time and i pay for it in the end. and about the fact that maybe women see there bodys diff. then men is why we dont cheat isnt true thats the other reason i cheat i would love to lose more weight and why not be able to enjoy the foods im eating since they make me sick and i get to lose the weight it balences its self out and eventually when i am thin enough in my oppinion i hope i will stick to the diet but i love gettin all the advise from here and hopfully that will help me in deciding to stay on the diet but its so hard when i know absoultly no one that has ot or any real suport other then finding this group

[VydorScope 31]

While there are broad sweeping differences between men and women...I do not think cheating on this diet is one of them.

[tiredofdoctors!!! 2]

This may convince you not to cheat:

http://jnnp.bmjjournals.com/cgi/reprint/72/5/560

If you saw how I walk, the things that I can't do, all because of gluten, you wouldn't ever cheat.

[Guest southgoingzax]

Hey everyone!!! Okay, so I mis-spoke!! I was trying to make a slight joke/play on the meaning of the word "cheat" (hence why it was in quotes).In addition, it has been my experience, that is all, that male celiacs cheat more, are diagnosed later, or REFUSE to get tested (like the men in my family). From what I know, it seems to hold true.

In regards to dhramos2003 - I really hope you can get some help to figure out your health and body image issues. Because the truth is, you will likely gain weight once you start getting healthy. And you shouldn't keep doing that to yourself, it's very damaging to your overall health. I went from 120 pounds sick to 136 pounds healthy. Do I wish I was skinnier? You bet. But I'm trying to lose weight by jogging and working out, NOT by eating gluten. And I wouldn't go back to being that sick for ANYTHING. Not even for a body that looked good in a swimsuit.

I hope you can reconsider your actions. I know it's hard, but in the long term you will be hurting everyone in your family, not just yourself. And I'm sure your daughter would tell you that she would rather have a slightly overweight mom who can't share her food than no mother at all.

Good luck,

zax

[CarlaB 22]

I agree with Zax (LOL, huh, Zax ). It is bad to use your reaction to gluten as a weight loss tool. It is a bulemic line of thought. Get healthy and lose weight in a healthy way so that you maintain your weight loss. Eating gluten to cause diarrhea for weight loss is no different than taking a laxative for it. I agree, the idea is tempting ... but bad all the same. Good old fashioned exercise along with a healthy diet will do wonders.

I understand from the Mom standpoint ... I have children myself ... how about taking a pretend bite? My kids always seemed happy if I even pretended to accept their yummy treats.

[DavidB 0]

I finally talked to a doctor who explained that if I cheat I will kill Villi and then when they grow back is the problem. They can mutate and cause cancer. Thanks to everyone who responded. BTW - I have not cheated since : )

[Lisa 464]

I finally talked to a doctor who explained that if I cheat I will kill Villi and then when they grow back is the problem. They can mutate and cause cancer. Thanks to everyone who responded. BTW - I have not cheated since : )

Glad that you are doing well David - two years later