Gluten -- I Cheated And It Was So Good

[DingoGirl]

Ok Susan,

If you're serious, I think you should wait until you feel fabulous before you make yourself feel really crappy!

Best wishes,

Matilda

excellent idea......

[nikki-uk]

My confession to you is, I have never in my whole life eaten a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Now I will never, ever eat one. How sad is that? But guess what, I won't ever miss it! If I were ever to have a big gluten-fest I would have get on a plane, go back to England, and have a proper doughnut. And proper cake. And fish and chips. I might even go to Scotland and have a deep-fried pork pie. Or a deep-fried battered Snickers bar...

Now you're talking!!

Although hubby is the coeliac,I'm G.F too as my skin doesn't like gluten (eczema)

I walked past a fish and chip shop the other day-and it smelt sooo good!(whilst muttering under my breath 'must resist' as a mantra!)

Seriously though,although hubby has a definitive diagnosis (biopsy)he sometimes talks about cheating.

We have endless hypothetical 'if you were going to cheat,what would it be with' conversations.

He doesn't really get 'strong' glutened symptoms other than night sweats-at least I don't think he does,he's been on the diet 2 yrs now and hasn't cheated since very early on in the dx.

As Matilda said,if you've suffered from depression,adding gluten is only going to make things worse and my hubby has suffered from big time depression-so I always talk him out of it.

You know,-for all hubby's talk,I don't think he'd actually go through with it.

We've had rows where he yelled he's had enough and he's gonna 'eat what he wants'.

but when push comes to shove he admitted he couldn't go through with it (thankfully).

Guys-step away from the gluten-Please!!!

[L.A.]

So I hate to ask but has anyone else done this?

Basically I have been good and clear of gluten for about a year now. And then the other day I just odrered a bucket of KFC.. and about 1 hour later I order a regular pizza.

What the heck was I doing??? I'm "mostly" feeling ok, but just wondering if anyone else has done something stupid like this.'

Only in my dreams...

[casnco]

It is so good to hear so many of you have such strong resolve. I have been gluten free for 2.5 yrs. AND I WANT TO EAT NORMAL!!! Not all of the time...but a pizza shop pizza and a beer keep appearing in my dreams! I have been thinking about trying it out to see what happens. Although I have been thinking about it for over a year. I am somewhat of a chicken. Friday night I did eat tortilla chips at a local Mexican Resturant that I was pretty sure where CC. The worst reaction was brain fog. Not pleasant but if planned might be tolerable for a piece or two of pizza. Then again that isn't eating normal is it? If I have to take so much though to gluten myself. Well, I am rambleing, but I really would like to cheat (yes, cheat myself) and probably will at some point. Regardless of the outcome. One last thought on this topic however. I fear nothing noticable will happen and I will loose my families support. Probably the biggest reason I haven't done it yet.

[elonwy]

I wanted to clarify my cheating urges. I've been reading along, and want to be sure that what I was trying to say about why I wanted to cheat came across.

I didn't want to cheat because I really wanted the food, I wanted to cheat because I've been almost numb with rage and grief, and wanted to do something stupid and self-destructive to lash out, because the emotions were so intense. Like when you're upset, and you get really drunk even though you know its a bad idea.

That was my urge to cheat, not "oh it would be fun to have Popeye's". And I haven't cheated, and I'm doing much better, though it still hurts alot.

When I'm happy, I never want to cheat.

Peace.

Elonwy

[hineini]

My personal take on this:

The worst thing you could do right now is beat yourself up. As with anything involving self-discipline (stopping drinking, dieting, taking care of one's health, etc), beating oneself up is a SUREFIRE way to lapse again.

Yes, I have "cheated"... But I'm getting much better about things. Cheating used to mean caving and eating a bagel or pizza. Now cheating means risking cross-contamination... (ie eating something that could have been fried in the same oil as something gluteny)... Not knowingly eating something I know has gluten in it.

That said, if I was to cheat it would definitely be fried chicken or challah bread.

I'm doing pretty well with not "cheating" now... Because I'm fully aware now of exactly how sick I get, and if anything I get sicker than I ever did before when I ingest gluten. It's just not worth it.

Even though what you did might have been a dumb decision, you're definitely not alone, as the temptation is always there and some of us struggle more than others with sticking to our gluten-free diet (especially when stress levels get high, or when we don't actually have blatant symptoms after getting glutened... which makes it easier to be in denial about how bad it is to eat gluten).

PS These days when I want to cheat it's for similar reasons as Elonwyn, which is having a moment when I'm overwhelmed and depressed and hating my life... and wanting to do something self-destructive or wanting to go back into denial.

[Confused in Iowa]

So I hate to ask but has anyone else done this?

Basically I have been good and clear of gluten for about a year now. And then the other day I just odrered a bucket of KFC.. and about 1 hour later I order a regular pizza.

What the heck was I doing??? I'm "mostly" feeling ok, but just wondering if anyone else has done something stupid like this.'

I could see how that could happen in my families situation. My son who is 11 was diagnosed just a few months ago...we've done really well with eliminating all gluten from his diet, although he never had any stomach problems, in fact we wouldn't know he had celiac disease but due to his juvenile diabetes, they found in a yearly blood screening. His villae are not flattened out, they are only "droopy".

But, since going gluten free, I've noticed a whole new little boy. He's so much happier and easy to get along with. He used to have quite the little temper and would get angry at the drop of a hat..but he's so easy going now it doesn't seem like the same little boy.

But I can see how it'd happen to want to cheat.....i guess more so with someone like my son who doesn't have any physical complications from gluten. But in our busy lifestyle with football games, etc. i've thought man, just to run through McDonalds and get supper would be sooo nice. But I don't do it...I like the new little boy I have now...even tho it does require me to be more domestic with cooking than I care to be! I'm getting used to it. I figure it's my responsibility to do everything I can to help him...if he gets older and has the desire to cheat, then nothing I can do...I'm praying he'll always stay so he doesn't get as sick as it sounds everyone else does. I feel for you all.

[CarlaB]

Some have mentioned eating gluten in their dreams .... whenever I do that, I realize I just ate gluten and get really upset that I'll spend the next 8 days sick!! What I want to know is why I can't just be happy eating gluten in my dreams!!!

Confused, if your so has had yearly testing, I would guess that he just hadn't gotten really sick from it yet. Now that he's off gluten, his reactions are likely to be much more noticeable. Think of it like someone whose quit smoking. At first, they can cheat and it won't make them feel bad. Their health will start to improve overall, then at some point just one cigarette might make them feel ill. This is how it is with many people when they go gluten-free. Many of us also never knew what it felt like to feel good, so we didn't realize how bad we felt. Now when we get gluten and feel bad again, we feel it!

[All-about-March]

I just 'cheated' this past Saturday.....and am still paying the price!

Why? So many ridiculous reasons that barely related to the food itself, and I've exhausted myself from trying to justify why (to my boyfriend as well as myself).....futile b/c there was no sane justification for it.

I never had any 'reactions' to gluten prior to diagnosis, or at least none that I was aware of. Now after being gluten free for 2 months, apparently I DO react. I never knew the body could possibly hold that much air!! I think I could have powered at least one hot air balloon at the fall fair this weekend. Lucky for me the 'noises' were obsured by the noise from the tractor-pull and odours from the manure lingering in the air!

Three days later, and I still feel horrible. Bloated with distended tummy, cramps from shoulders to ankles, funky and itchy rash on my chest, back and upper arms, and my mood is pretty bad too - weepy and very irritable.

Even though I thought is was THE best burger I ever had....will I ever have another one? Nope. As much discomfort as I went through though, I now have my answer as to how I react, so I shall take that as my lesson learned and move on to accepting and perfecting this diet - why would I knowingly put myself through this again?

(ok, the muffin I also had with coffee a couple of hours after the burger, was in fact THE best muffin I've ever had....)

[Matilda]

Some have mentioned eating gluten in their dreams .... whenever I do that, I realize I just ate gluten and get really upset that I'll spend the next 8 days sick!! What I want to know is why I can't just be happy eating gluten in my dreams!!!

Hi Carla,

I've had exactly those kind of gluten-anxiety dreams. I never enjoy the gluten I eat in my dreams! It's such a shame to waste the dream just being anxious.

Hi Beth,

Welcome! I can't manage 2 quotes at once, but I thought what you said about being asymptomatic before, but getting symptoms after being gluten-free, was very interesting. In a way it's a pain in the butt to be reactive, in another way it's useful because it helps you keep yourself healthy and sure that you're not exposing yourself to long-term problems.

Lots of people seem to become more sensitive the longer they're gluten-free.

Other people have posted that their spouses, who are only gluten-free by association, seem to react badly to gluten when they haven't had it for a while. I never thought this would happen to my DH, who drinks beer most days, and I've never thought of him as gluten-free. He's gradually eaten less and less gluten over the last 18 months though. The last 2 times he's had pizza he's had diarrhoea and fluey symptoms. I don't know what this means, but I'm starting to wonder!!

Best wishes,

Matilda

[heathen]

i occasionally watch the children of a lady in our neighborhood, and she has a celiac friend who cheats often because her reactions aren't as bad as they used to be. i think her friend's cheating gives this lady a wrong impression of the seriousness of the condition. when i told her about my diagnosis, (she was offering me forbidden snacks) she acted like it's just a minor annoyance in life that we can occasionally ignore.

but i am often tempted--especially since i work with kids whose snack food revolves around wheat. if i were going to cheat, it would be chicken fried steak with white gravy (yeah, yeah, i live in the south), but it's a slippery slope that i don't want to slide down, especially since i haven't even been gluten-free a year yet. but i totally understand and empathize with the urge.

if only we had a gluten-patch that mimics our favorite gluten-rich foods... with the 12 step program.

[MauriceGreene]

i occasionally watch the children of a lady in our neighborhood, and she has a celiac friend who cheats often because her reactions aren't as bad as they used to be. i think her friend's cheating gives this lady a wrong impression of the seriousness of the condition. when i told her about my diagnosis, (she was offering me forbidden snacks) she acted like it's just a minor annoyance in life that we can occasionally ignore.

but i am often tempted--especially since i work with kids whose snack food revolves around wheat. if i were going to cheat, it would be chicken fried steak with white gravy (yeah, yeah, i live in the south), but it's a slippery slope that i don't want to slide down, especially since i haven't even been gluten-free a year yet. but i totally understand and empathize with the urge.

if only we had a gluten-patch that mimics our favorite gluten-rich foods... with the 12 step program.

That pisses me off so much. My friend's neighbor does the exact same thing, he's gluten intolerant and has gluten in little snacks and cheats quite often. Its people like these who make you look crazy when you adhere to a completely gluten free diet

[skoki-mom]

Even though I thought is was THE best burger I ever had....

OMG, you had a burger!! That is the number one thing I would cheat on if I ever just said to hell with it and decided to cheat in a big way! I have dreams about how good it would taste.

[katrinamaria]

i think about it.... i think ok, one day i'm just going to eat...

1) Papa John's pizza

2) Cinnabon cinnamon roll

3) cheese balls

4) my mom's buttermilk best ever brownies

and just deal with it......but then i think about when i get accidentally glutened on something minor and i can't imagine how i would feel after that.....so i just move on. but i'm still sad when i smell those things

[TriticusToxicum]

Chinese food...General Tso's Chicken...

What's that?

The Chinese delivery just arrived?

Oh, if you could only smell my office right now...the place reeks of chinese food...

None for me...thanks

Co-workers - harumpf!

They did gobble up the gluten-free Namaste chocolate cake a made for a birthday party yesterday.

[lonewolf]

I just read this whole thread. I have several food issues (see signature) and in the past 10 years have cheated very few times. Since discovering the whole gluten intolerance/Celiac thing, rather than just thinking I had a wheat allergy that I would overcome if I avoided it for long enough, I have not intentionally eaten any gluten at all. It's not even a temptation. I can't even imagine the consequences for me of eating a slice of real pizza or some KFC.

But I have cheated, even in the past couple of months on eggs (ate gluten-free bread and cookies made with them), dairy (a bite of REAL ice cream in addition to the butter) and soy (ate an Ener-G cracker and pretzels). To me, this seems like BIG cheating.

Maybe the worse your health was before you figured out the problem helps you stay on the straight and narrow.

[mamaw]

Confused in Iowa

Your son is so lucky he doesn't have severe damage. And I just wanted to say Thanks for being a good caring mother by not stopping at a fast food joint because its easy.....I also said that my youngest grandson is a new little boy And most of all we love the new boy, it's amazing how no wheat can change the actions of us...for the better of course. I'm not sure if I'll continue to love him when he gets in the mouthy teenage years!!!! Just kidding. We are just glad that he is now thriving...

Again it's not alway easy, this diet but you are doing what needs to be done for your little one. GREAT Parenting !!!!!!

blessings

mamaw

[emcmaster]

I have a habit of cheating once I get accidentally glutened. I get sick for about a week after any amount of gluten, dairy or high-fat foods, so extending my sickness by one day is sometimes worth it to me to eat what I want.

But I feel horribly guilty about it and feel like a failure for not being able to stick to my diet. I'm working on not bingeing once I know I've been glutened and it's a long road ahead of me.

[All-about-March]

OMG, you had a burger!! That is the number one thing I would cheat on if I ever just said to hell with it and decided to cheat in a big way! I have dreams about how good it would taste.

Yep! .....

And 5 days-post-cheat-with-best-burger.....still don't recommend it Ugh!

Lesson learned!

[TriticusToxicum]

Yep! .....

And 5 days-post-cheat-with-best-burger.....still don't recommend it Ugh!

Lesson learned!

Yeah, but was the bun light and fluffy? It stuck to the roof of your mouth, didn't it?

Oh, the good old days...

[CarlaB]

Yeah, but was the bun light and fluffy? It stuck to the roof of your mouth, didn't it?

Oh, the good old days...

Would I go all the way to Finland to have a Big Mac? YES!! The question is, would I ever come home??? Not till it got cold!

Would I get sick for a Big Mac? No way.

[TriticusToxicum]

I think I could be completely content to live gluten-free if there were just some normal textured bread/buns/rolls. When I was younger my grandmother would always make homemade rolls for the holidays. I would sit at the table and butter roll after warm spongy roll. It got to the point nobody would pass the rolls to me without first announcing "Richard wants the rolls, does anybody else want one before he finishes them?"

If I had a food science degree (is there such a thing?) I would make it my life's mission to replicate that delicate texture and chew.

Until that day you'll find me adding Xanthan gum... 1 tsp. at a time...

[CarlaB]

I like the Kinnikinnick bread, so I'm okay there. Plus, I'm only allowed two starchy carbs per day because of my adrenal fatigue .... but a decent hamburger bun would be great -- soft, doughy, white .... I actually miss dairy waaayyy more than gluten! I'd love a latte! (can't have coffee right now either, and I actually dream about it ....).

[TriticusToxicum]

It's true what they say, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...

Sorry you're missing out on lattes. I would be non-functional without my cardboard cup full of caffeine. Can you do those Coffeemate type flavored liquid creamers? A little goes a long way. I'm not a big fan, but i did use them when I treated myself to coffee during the temporary lactose intolerance phase of my recovery. They're probably even worse for you than dairy, corn syrup, artificial flavor and all...

I'll pray for a speedy recovery!

[jerseyangel]

The best gluten-free hamburger bun I've ever had was from Grandma Ferndons. Not *exactly* like a regular wheat one, but soft, fluffy and delicious.

The drawback--$20 shipping But sometimes...