Help.. I Need Support Please

[shae22]

Hi, I need some moral support. I found out I am celiac a little over a year ago... but for some reason I seem to tell myself that I"m not.. especially when I feel good. So I eat gluten and I pay for it. I use to get D but now it's constipation and with in days I am sick (cold like symptons). Not to mention that bloated tummy...yuck. Why do I do this to myself??? Then when I'm sick I just keep going on eating badly. Am I the only one with no will power??

[dbmamaz]

I had been off milk and wheat due to 'allergic reaction' as an infant, and I'd thougth for years that i'd feel better if I quit them. Finally this past fall, i was ready. If you arent ready yet, you arent ready. However, realize that the longer you eat gluten, the sicker you will become, the more likely you are to get secondary problems (including cancer) and the longer it will take for you to heal once you make the comittment.

If you do want to try, just make sure to get yourself substitute foods that you really love. Be prepared with your own treats when you go out. Dont buy the stuff you love and keep it in the house - make your family eat what you eat, as much as possible. Look at the food, and imagine how you'll feel tomorrow (that always works for me!).

I have heard there are lots of folks who cheat ... many of the ppl here were so very sick for so long, they have serious fear of that suffering keeping them from it. No one can tell you what to do . . . its your body and your choice .. .

[flourgirl]

I know it's hard to change habits, and to "give up" many foods that are tied emotionally to our feeling of and need for feeling of well being. I think you have to convince yourself on both conscious and sub conscious levels that these foods are not good, will not make you feel good, and as a matter of fact are poison to your very existence! I tell myself, when tempted, that this is rat poison. I NEVER EVER want to feel this sick again, nor will I do anything to endanger my survival as a whole, healthy human being.

I would advise that you read everything you can. Look at all of the associative manifestations of Celiac Disease, so that you can make an informed choice not to expose yourself to these crippling problems. I look at my mother, who has been diagnosed years ago with IBS, who went on to have arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, several miscarriages, and finally breast cancer, and more. I cry to think that with the information we have today....she may have been able to avoid being so ill, and having so much pain for most of her life. I will not be in that position. Unfortunately, I can't convince her to change her ways, she thinks she's too old at this point to do anything different. In my mind, anyone who has the information, and in light of the results, really has no options.

If you are able.....take the time to reflect why it is that you are resistant to change. Is there anything in your psyche that gains something from being sick? It can be hard to admit something like that, but it happens. You may need time to really understand the ramifications of eating "poisons", to convince yourself that you can be healthy and happy without those things. Set a goal, even if it's only for today, each day, to eat only those things that are good for you. In that way, you can develope new "habits", one day at a time. Hope this helps, even a little. I'm pulling for you!

[lizard00]

Welcome to the forum!!! Glad to see you are using it for it's purpose: support

I understand about the eating it and then eating more. Back in Dec, I ate some pizza. This was when, even though I knew that gluten was bad for me, I didn't know if I had celiac or not, so I figure it was ok. Then, as I felt bad, I ate more pizza the next day. Because hey, I already feel bad, who cares! I'll just eat more because I like it and I already feel bad, so if I'm going to feel bad, I might as well eat something that tastes good. Sound familiar? LOL

But, you do have to be ready to make a change. You have to finally decide on your own that you feel bad, you're tired of it, you know what to do, so you're going to do it. It's like quitting smoking, until you decide to quit for yourself, you fail.

I would encourage you though, to make sure you fully understand the ramifications of ingoring your illness. It's not pretty down the road, and it would be awful to carry that regret. It seems totally overwhelming at first, but it becomes second nature. The temptations get less and less with each day that you feel better. And eventually, the gluten-free bread doesn't taste so bad.

Hope you feel better soon!!

[Respira]

I used to do the same thing, I finally realized that I did this when I was feeling deprived, feeling sorry for myself, feeling how unfair it was, feeling it can't be true...etc. But it normally would start with feeling deprived. I have found that having special treats on hand has helped. When I am feeling deprived I either have a treat or do something special for myself. I also talk out loud to myself when I am tempted to eat something I shouldn't ie: "Have you lost your mind?", "oh great! Let's be sick for the next week, that'll be fun!" etc.

[shae22]

thank you all for your advice. I will take it to heart and work on getting well. I have gone off gluten for about 6 months back when I first found out and man I did feel like a different person. It's just so easy with a husband and two kids who can eat anything to stay off gluten. But I am going to take it one day at a time and I am going to hit the health food store today for some gluten free treats. I also found gluten free donuts online..... who would have thought?? Now if only they made gluten free pizza that tastes as good as the pizzeria type. Thanks again for your support.

[flourgirl]

Did you know that you can have Pizza? Gluten Free Pizza? I have tried the mix to make the dough and added our own toppings. It's not so bad. I'm looking for a recipe for pizza dough that's closer to the "real" thing...eventually I'll find it. Look at it as an adventure....keep trying all the "new stuff" until you build an arsenal of all of the things you like. Bet you find lots of new foods that you like just fine.

[kitten37]

I am a HUGE foodie and Italian to boot. I tried to go off gluten about 2 years ago after a specialist suggested it might "help" but not in giving me a "this is what's wrong with you." In that time I felt so much better but as time went on I slowly started eating things I shouldn't have....remembering the feel/taste of certain things and just being plain lazy about it. Trying to deny what was what.

I have just re started not eating the things I shouldn't and the temptation for the bad things is always there because that's what is easily available and what westerners associate "comfort foods" with.

However there are soooooo many more options out there for people who don't like to cook and for those who do the opportunities are endless to make yourself super tasty treats and meals so you don

[Guest hightop girl]

I think you nailed it! We (or maybe just me) thought food was life, but it isn't. I have had to make that brain shift in the last few months from living to eat, to eating to live. There are lots of things I used to like that the gluten free substitutes just don't do justice to. At first I thought I would really miss them, but I am trying to use this as a time to try new foods, things I never thought about liking. t

I do miss comfort food when I am stressed. My daughter had her ACL reconstructed last week. We ordered pizza for her and my husband and I had a salad. I thought I might come completely unglued just from the smell, but in the end I lived. I hope this gets easier with time.

[curlyfries]

I totally agree hightop girl! I have been overweight for a long time. Before I knew what was wrong with me, if my stomach hurt, I would eat something else, hoping it would calm my stomach [usually ice cream]. After I realized my gluten intolerance, I couldn't do it all at once--- I did it in stages. Now that I am gluten-free [and dairy free BTW ] I am ready to deal with my weight by that same realization. I just can't put that much importance on something that has been poisoning me. I have not attempted to replace my favorites. I have found new favorites that are healthier. And when I do occasionally get that feeling of being deprived, I go for my new favorite treat----gluten-free/DF chocolate/chocolate chip cookie dipped in peanut butter [maybe two !] YUMM!!!

[AliB]

You have to do a bit of 'psych-ing' up here.

Keep telling yourself that the stuff is evil, it is killing you and you are better off without it. It is deceptively and insidiously poisoning you. You have seen the non-gluten 'light' and are way, way better off than all those thousands of poor people out there who do not know why they are suffering, that all they need to be doing is to not eat gluten.

You are now free.

Just out of interest, I have gone right back to basics to give my gut a real healing kick-start. I have dropped not just gluten but dairy, sugar and most carbs and am just eating plain unprocessed meats, fish and poultry, fruits and veg, honey and nuts and plenty of water - there is plenty of choice within those foods groups. Already, after just 2 months I can now eat eggs and the other day I had some cheese without any problem. Ok so I can't stuff on the 'easy' open-a-packet-and-stuff-it-in stuff any more but so what, I am feeling a lot better off without it!