Forgive Me For I've Been Bad

[NoGluGirl 5]

Dear JerryK,

We were wondering where you have been! I am like Darlin' Deb, I do not get tempted to cheat. My health issues caused by it were too severe. I have such a violent reaction, cheating is not tempting. I miss Big Macs and Fries, but I have another way around that. I am going to get those "Top Secret Recipes" books, and use gluten-free substitutions. It will work! I know I can do it! All it takes is a little effort!

Dear Ed_G,

I think you will be surprised what we can have! I have a present for you to welcome you to the forum! I have a list that should really help. This is overwhelming. I went through this with myself six months ago. You spend most of your day cooking and cleaning obsessively. The rest you are on the phone with reps from companies trying to find out what is safe. I decided to save you the trouble!

1. There are a number of things in the regular grocery that are safe. Some things are labeled already. Wal-Mart's Great Value brand has numerous things you can eat.

2. For the love of God use Coupons on items you are allowed to eat. People can get them and print them out online even. Call some of the local stores and ask if they accept online coupons.

3. Check the ads online and in the newspaper. You would be surprised how many people do not do this.

4. Some items like rice flour and rice noodles are safe to buy at the Chinese or oriental market. The merchants are more than happy to help you if you cannot read the label.

Now, here is my list of great things to get you started:

Condiments:

Smart Balance Margerine

Crisco Shortening

Crisco Oil

Pompeiian Olive Oil

Great Value soy sauce

Heinz Ketchup

Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce (all Lea & Perrins Products are safe)

Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce

Kraft French Fat-Free Salad Dressing

Kraft Thousand Island Fat-Free Salad Dressing

Pace Picante Sauce

Ortega Salsa

All Classico Red and *White sauces

All Jif Peanut Butters including Smooth Sensations

Welch's Grape Jelly

Cool Whip*

Philadelphia Cream Cheese*

Miracle Whip

Daisy Sour Cream (fat-free, low-fat, regular)*

Snack Foods:

Utz Potato Chips (Found at Sam

[darlindeb25 5]

A friend of mine who is a sports medicine doctor swears by her chiropractic for carpal tunnel, as do several violinists I know....They all say that the chiropractor fixes it in 1-3 visits, as opposed to surgery and months of PT.

Might be worth checking out, Darlindeb!

FiddleFaddle--that would be great, I wonder if they can do full body repair! Carpal tunnel is part of peripheral neuropathy, for me anyways, and I'm afraid a chiropractor can't fix it, but thanks for the idea.

[Piccolo 6]

Jerry,

Welcome back. I had wondered what happened to you. As for me I don't even think of cheating. I remember the few times I have been so dizzy I couldn't stand up and I don't want to feel that bad again.

Susan

[confused 1]

I think about cheating all the time, it must be the gene type lol. But the thing is I dont. Last night the kids wanted pizza and i ordered them my favorite pepperonis lovers, and it looked so good. But my ss and I sat and had fruit and veggies. And i was happy with that.

But to be honest I think if i had like 2 days to feel like crap, i think i might cheat just once to remind myself how bad i use to feel. But i never have 2 days to waste on one good thing to eat, so I guess I will never cheat lol

paula

[GeoffCJ 0]

I think about cheating all the time, but my reactions are bad enough that I haven't done it. I've had a few miserable accidental glutenings.

But if I had a once a month free pass, it sure wouldn't be Mc Donalds. I'd be at Woodstocks Pizza for the Pizza buffet. And a pitcher of beer!

Geoff

[hathor 0]

OK, we'll forgive you. I think you've been punished enough.

I'm still getting some accidental glutenings (or caseining or eggings or soyings or yeastings) but slowly that stupid stick is making some impact on me. I've learned that I can not go with things that "may have traces of" or "made with equipment shared with," etc. At the beginning, I thought I could. Either my body is getting more sensitive or it is learning what it is like to feel normal (that is, what I feel like when I don't eat what I shouldn't). I hate to imagine what some croutons would do to me.

Doesn't mean I don't fantasize about something I can't have. Maybe if I'm on death row and given a last meal I can have an Egg McMuffin. I think that contains everything I can't have, and undoubtedly scores of chemicals & additives that are none too good for me. Then I wouldn't mind being executed because I would feel so bloody awful.

[SunnyDyRain 1]

This reminds me of what my psychologist always said, " I know you feel better, it's the drugs, you can't stop staking the drugs just because you feel better! Then you won't feel better! "

Ironically, I decided that the depression was better than the Drugs.

Now i'm finding that gluten free is helping my depression.... excecpt when I dwell on all the gluten goodies I can't have.

[kbtoyssni 5]

Hey Jerry,

Sounds like you need to print out this post and tape it to your fridge so in a few months when you feel good again you'll have a constant reminder. I also recommend taping a picture of those adorable girls in your picture (your daughters?) next to it to remind you that it's not just you who's affected when you eat gluten.

[NoGluGirl 5]

Dear Fiddle-Faddle,

That chiropractor sounds like he could work wonders! I type all of the time. I worry about getting Carpal Tunnel. My mother had it. She ended up having surgery! I am an artist, so you can imagine how much I need my hands. I draw and write constantly. I go through a ream of paper a week!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[JerryK 5]

Hey Jerry,

Sounds like you need to print out this post and tape it to your fridge so in a few months when you feel good again you'll have a constant reminder. I also recommend taping a picture of those adorable girls in your picture (your daughters?) next to it to remind you that it's not just you who's affected when you eat gluten.

I just need intervention. I need come here more than once every two months

Those little girls are my nieces. They are such cuties.... My kids are old nasty teenagers

[Ed_G 0]

NoGluGirl,

Thanks for the help. Actually I was in a venting mood last night, and the thread is reminding me of the frustrations of living with celiac. Thanks for being patient with me allowing me to vent.

Ed in Md

[Nancym 4]

Howdy, hope everyone remembers me...at least somebody

So it's been several months since I went gluten-free..and I have a problem. My problem is that after a few weeks, I feel NORMAL. I don't feel great, I don't feel terrible...I feel normal.

Didn't you post almost this exact same thing a couple months back?

Don't blame it on your lack of official diagnosis, there's plenty of people with the official diagnosis that have the same issues.

At least you get some good strong signals that what you're doing is hurting you, some of us don't get that until we've really gone way overboard.

[CMCM 3]

Hey Jerry...you're baaacccckkk!

Oh yes, the old "gluten reaction amnesia" cheat session. In my first year I succumbed more than a few times thinking "maybe it has gone away." Now I'm not tempted much at all, thank goodness. That will happen with you, too. I guess it takes awhile for the reality of "thou shalt not eat a crumb of gluten ever again" to sink in, and then you finally just accept it. I'm down to just a couple of things that make me consider it from time to time.....but mostly I just think about cheating for a half second or so before rationality sets in. Basically, the consequences just aren't worth it to me any more! I think I've learned to associate the various gluten goodies with the after-effects, and that's enough to discourage me from indulging.

[confused 1]

Maybe we need to make Jerry some kind of sign that is over the toilet Maybe with one of his little poems from him or his brother, or some new saying, that says ........................... omg i just got brain fog, i cant think of saying, someone help me out

paula

[loco_ladi 3]

had to eat a choco chip cookie with the kids

"cause your special" has a chocolate chip cookie mix thats just awesome even my hubby says they aren't to bad.

brownies

had those also, hubby thought they were the gluten laced variety... he insists I make more!

Today I bought the stuff to make my own coffee cake, will have to go to work tonight but I am making it when I get home, with enough willpower the stuff we really miss can be found or made.....

can't remember who it was about the pizza.... I found a pizza crust, needs a tad bit of work as it tastes more like a pita bread than a pizza crust but working on it, and found today hormel pepperoni is clearly marked gluten free on the packaging, so you are 2 steps closer to your pepperoni lovers pizza!

I personally am doing my best to adhere to the diet, self diagnosed and all, I feel better and most of my symptoms are slowly, ever so slowly starting to fade, I look forward to the day I can say I feel "normal" as for cravings, yeah I get them but that just makes me work harder to find them that I can eat.

[confusedks 1]

hey everybody,

i totally understand cheating a little. all it took for me was one time with famous amos chocolate cookies (which was doubly bad...dairy and gluten!!!!!!!!!!) and i havent cheated on purpose since. i felt ssssooooo bad i remembered and have no problem remembering how i felt after. sometimes it takes cheating to get you to enough of a bottom to not do it again, or at least way less.

[NoGluGirl 5]

NoGluGirl,

Thanks for the help. Actually I was in a venting mood last night, and the thread is reminding me of the frustrations of living with celiac. Thanks for being patient with me allowing me to vent.

Ed in Md

Dear Ed,

You are so welcome! Sometimes you have to complain! We all do our fair share! Whether it is about being frustrated by the disease, or insensitive, inconsiderate relatives (my usual complaint), you have to vent sometime! Letting all stay bottled up until you explode is unhealthy and hinders your healing further. It is easy to feel hopeless on this diet, especially in the beginning! Don't worry, I play around in the kitchen all the time. I have an idea for some ultimate iced brownies. I am pretty confident they will work out. I will send you the recipe as soon as I accomplish it. This will be before the end of the week!

Dear confused,

I think that sign above Jerry's toilet would be a great idea! Also, we should create the Ten Gluten-Free Commandments. He needs to stick them on his refrigerator. Then he has no excuse to forget! It will be right there looking him in the face!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[sfm 1]

Jerry, I don't have an official diagnosis either, but all I can say is that I must dislike the bathroom more than you. No, I'm never tempted to cheat. I remember the feeling all too well. Besides, IF I were going to cheat, it certainly wouldn't be CROUTONS!

Right - at least let it be a huge slice of apple pie or something!!!

I have been dealing with being cross-contaminated lately, because I have become complacent (read: lazy), and I guess I haven't quite realized how important it is to avoid all possibilities of contamination.

I actually wear gloves when preparing my children's food (my daughter teased me that I'm doing surgery on their food). I realize that I have to replace all my tupperware and cookware (as if I haven't read that at least ten times on this site ).

Jerry, I have an extreme reaction to small amounts of gluten (like you), so I know how that feels. How about instead of a slip, we call it a "convincer?"

Sheryll

[UR Groovy 0]

Howdy, hope everyone remembers me...at least somebody

...

I start to doubt...I start to believe there was nothing wrong, I start to believe it was all in my head.

JerryK,

How could anyone forget you? You're quite unforgettable - in a good way.

So anyway, the more times you get sick, the less times you'll be tempted. I'm not celiac diagnosed, but do have a seemingly unrelated auto-immune response. Maybe once a week, I convince myself, if only for a moment, that it's "all in my head" - like I'm chasing rainbows. But, then, I remember what happens when I blow it.

The one I can't seem to shake goes something like this:

I get the 2 second memory lapse followed by disappointment.

This is the one where my eye catches sight of, OR my brain thinks of a cinnamon roll or a hamburger bun and for a moment my brain goes through 5 phases.

Denial: Mmmmmmm

Anger: Crap - I can't do it

Bargaining: Well, maybe just this once. Then, I kill the desire - pull back my hand.

Depression: I feel that let down ... that disappointment - again

Acceptance: Finally, afterwards, I reach acceptance again. It's a simple fact - if I were to eat it, I'd get sick.

This all goes down for me in a matter of seconds. I never eat it, but I go throught this mind trip maybe 4 or 5 times a day still. The bummed out phase sometimes lingers a while. I think that's the dangerous one.

I'm not necessarily comparing this to the death of a loved one, but it sure seems similar.

[Fiddle-Faddle 18]

hey everybody,

i totally understand cheating a little. all it took for me was one time with famous amos chocolate cookies (which was doubly bad...dairy and gluten!!!!!!!!!!) and i havent cheated on purpose since.

Famous Amos cookies? Really? Gee, I always thought they tasted like sweetened sawdust even when I could eat gluten.

What I loved were Freihofer chocolate chip cookies.

Luckily, there's a great gluten-free recipe that tastes almost exactly like them:

http://foodphilosopher.com/assets/docs/0603gluten.cfm

It's the second recipe down, and it's so amazingly good, I have never had ANYBODY notice they were different from regular Tollhouse home made cookies. This is the flour mix it uses :

6 cups brown rice flour (extra finely ground if you can find it)

2 cups potato starch

1 cup tapioca starch

Enjoy!

[Nantzie 2]

How about instead of a slip, we call it a "convincer?"

Sheryll

I like that!

Nancy