Just Started A Trial gluten-free Diet...

[AliceW]

Duh!

How long does it take before you stop making silly mistakes like that? It's silly...I did lots of homework, made sure my medications and even my makeup were gluten-free, then ate something totally full of gluten in a moment of inattention.

I really want to be 100% gluten free, because I want to know for sure whether or not avoiding gluten helps me before I decide whether or not to make the gluten-free diet permanent. It's only been a couple of days so far, so I assume you stop doing things like that eventually.

Alice

[happygirl]

Hey girl,

No joke, last night as I was signing off my computer, I thought about you and wondered how you were doing. And here you are!!!

We ALL make silly mistakes...everyone takes a little bit different amount of time. For me it was a roller coaster...from not thinking about it, to worrying about it, to being so paranoid, to learning, to "normalizing". I'm not sure what the best advice is....but just keep trying. Seriously, we have all done it, some more than others but we have all made mistakes. We learn, we move on, we promise to keep learning and keep being careful. Don't worry too much....just resolve to be better! And yes, the amount of mistakes usually does decline. Read the line in my signature...it is what I tell myself everyday!!!! (Seriously!!!)

You are brave---starting it around the holidays! I am proud of you for jumping in and trying it.

Take care!!

Laura

[Chiana]

I'm only like 3 or 4 days in, but I've found gluten-y foods to be out of sight, out of mind. My bread-y/cracker-y/noodle-y items are in a drawer, and my gluten-free alternatives are on the counter. When I'm hungry, grab something on the counter.

[jenngolightly]

I'm only like 3 or 4 days in, but I've found gluten-y foods to be out of sight, out of mind. My bread-y/cracker-y/noodle-y items are in a drawer, and my gluten-free alternatives are on the counter. When I'm hungry, grab something on the counter.

When I first started, I bought bright, 1"x3" neon labels from the office supply store and wrote in black magic marker "gluten free". Then I went around the kitchen and marked everything that I could eat with the labels. This not only helped me, but the people I lived with. They knew that they could fix dinner with anything with the labels. They knew to keep their gluten-y hands out of the labeled chip bags. Actually, they couldn't eat my labeled chips because I had limited foods available and they could eat all the gluten-y food in the kitchen. I labeled all the condiments - we had double of everything. Mine had labels, theirs didn't. They could use the margarine with no label and get bread crumbs in it. My margarine was always clean. Canned goods were labeled. Cereal was labeled. Spices were labeled. Pasta was labeled. I went hog-wiled on the labels!

We all felt much safer when I did that. My kids and husband weren't paranoid that they'd fix me something with gluten, or contaminate something that I wanted to eat. I always knew right away when I went to the pantry what I could and could not eat.

[MelindaLee]

It took a few weeks before I made these kind of mistakes...but then it was things like signing up for lunch with my daughter...only to realize that there would be no way I could eat school food...or for my friends wedding. Duh! (Actually, the caterer at the wedding was amazing and made me a grilled chicken breast and there were no problems!) I still "forget" sometimes when I am going places, but by now I have learned to carry Kind bars and Nut Crunch bars with me EVERYWHERE!

[Skylark]

The instant stomachache was enough to have me not making mistakes pretty fast!

Have you been tested for celiac? The tests don't work if you're gluten-free and not everyone is comfortable with self-diagnosis. I see from your previous posts that you tried the diet before and I guess you stopped for some reason?

[Monklady123]

Well....I've been at this gluten-free diet for several months now -- I guess since before the summer -- and I almost cc'd myself last night! I was cooking regular spaghetti for my kids and without thinking I almost ate a noodle to see if they were done! oy... And that was RIGHT after I had put rice on for myself, knowing that I couldn't eat those noodles! It's mindless stuff like that that gets me.