Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

What Are Some Ways I Can Stay Focused And On Track?

wilem008

By wilem008
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

wilem008 Contributor
wilem008
Posted

I cheat on my diet all the time and I suffer for it!

Its stupid I know but when I went gluten free I had to cut out all the foods I love - especially bread!

I make myself gluten-free bread and I have gluten-free pasta but I eat at restaurants (a few times a week) a lot too and thats where the problems occur!

I guess I just feel left out. Everyone orders garlic bread and I have to sit there and pretend I dont want any....I sneak myself a little piece when I know full well that I shouldnt!

How can I control my cravings - How can I stay focused?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


smiles Rookie
smiles
Posted

Wilem,

changing your diet is not easy, but as you know any little amount of gluten can hurt you if you have celiac/gluten intolerance. i know what you mean about the whole going out to dinner thing. before i decided to go gluten free, i was eating everything and going out everywhere to eat 5 or 6 days a week.

what has helped me stay on it was avoiding going out to eat as much and trying to limit the places i go to to to gluten friendly only. luckily i have been able to find 2 restaurants. one is a privately owned restaurant. the other is bonefish grill. if there are any by you, check them out. the food is good.

as for the bread thing, i know it is not easy. what helps me is to eat something light beforehand. that way i won't be salavating for the evil bread and can focus on my drink or the conversation. it really does help. i also try to keep snacks with me all the time and try and eat a lot throughout the day so that i never feel starved. starving will make you want to cheat. some snacks i keep with me are vegetables such as carrots or rice crackers. i also keep a beverage with me at all times. sometimes i think i am hungry when i am really just thirsty. you can also make things ahead of time such as breads, muffins, whatever and freeze them.

lastly, i focus on the foods i can have rather than on the foods i can not have. when i am in the supermarket i do not even look at the foods i can't have. it takes a lot of commitment and time. i also found that once i was able to completely cut out the gluten the cravings for it started to go away. i now look at gluten like it is poison.

do not beat yourself up if at first you are having trouble. this is normal. it may take several months before you are able to completely cut it out. the important thing is you are on the right path. i hope this has helped. :)

home-based-mom Contributor
home-based-mom
Posted
I cheat on my diet all the time and I suffer for it!

Its stupid I know but when I went gluten free I had to cut out all the foods I love - especially bread!

I make myself gluten-free bread and I have gluten-free pasta but I eat at restaurants (a few times a week) a lot too and thats where the problems occur!

I guess I just feel left out. Everyone orders garlic bread and I have to sit there and pretend I dont want any....I sneak myself a little piece when I know full well that I shouldnt!

How can I control my cravings - How can I stay focused?

Suggestions:

1) Remember how sick you get and focus on that.

2) Take gluten-free garlic bread with you. Eat yours when they eat theirs.

3) Don't pretend you don't want any. Pretend it's dog poop and is contaminating everything it touches and everyone who is touching it.

4) This is tough but read posts and signatures on this forum about members parents, aunts, and uncles. Pay attention to the debilitating health issues. These people spent a lifetime eating gluten but shouldn't have and suffered immensely with cancers, pain and emotional issues among others. Ditch the victim mentality (poor me I can't eat garlic bread) and Praise The Lord that you have information that has enabled you to take a very simple step to take charge of your own health and keep from ending up that way.

5) Remember you can't change that you have celiac or gluten intolerance. You CAN change your attitude. It's like that cheesy saying goes: Success comes in CANS. :P

Salem Rookie
Salem
Posted

I used to go to a restaurant starving hungry. When the bread came, I would dive in. The next day I would be laying on the couch wanting to die. So stupid! Now I eat a bit before I go out so I won't be tempted to eat the bread.

For me, bread was like crack. I craved it, but it was killing me. I needed to stop eating bread to stop the cravings. Now I can look at (glutenous) bread and it doesn't look good to me. I think of the bloating, the pain, the brain-fog. I'm not interested anymore. No bread is worth that pain.

samcarter Contributor
samcarter
Posted

Every week my family and I go to a wonderful restaurant that serves piping hot, delicious sourdough bread at the table. I used to dive into that basket like I was starving. (I usually was--we walk to the restaurant and it's about 1/2 mile or more).

I manage to not eat any while buttering some for my kids, by remembering how awful I feel when I eat gluten. How depressed I get, lethargic and the gas and bloating. Sometimes I bring a couple of homemade gluten free pancakes, to spread with butter, but I'd rather just go without than use a substitute. I get a soda, which I love and don't have the rest of the week, and enjoy that. I make sure to eat something before we head out so I'm not that hungry.

You might want to order a gluten-free appetizer when you sit down, so you have something to nibble on while they're eating the garlic bread. Call ahead or check the menu online to see what you can eat. Usually what we're missing when we eat with others is just the feeling of sharing the same food, of all doing the same thing. It's hard to be the only one not eating.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Aretaeus Cappadocia
      - Aretaeus Cappadocia commented on Scott Adams's article in Spring 2026 Issue
      1

      How Social Media Algorithms Are Fueling Gluten Anxiety: TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram Trends

      Good, balanced analysis. I liked the comparison of the different platforms in this context. Fwiw, the same essay largely would work if you substitute any of many contemporary topics. As a moderator of this site, have you stepped back and considered how this site fits into this essay? Personally, I don't think I have enough visibility into the comments...
    2. Aretaeus Cappadocia
      - Aretaeus Cappadocia commented on Scott Adams's article in Spring 2026 Issue
      4

      The Dark Side of Gluten-Free: Counterfeit Labels and Global Food Safety Failures

      This is technical feedback for the moderators to consider: I don't know how much of the page layouts are automated, but on this particular story, immediately below the subheading "What “Gluten-Free Counterfeit” Really Means" is the image of a food product that is being promoted. For a moment I thought that the headline was referencing this product but the...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to MicG's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      Test interpretations

      Based on those results alone, it’s not possible to say you have celiac disease. The test that is usually most specific for celiac, tTG-IgA, is negative in your results, and the endomysial antibody (EMA) is also negative, which generally argues against active celiac disease. However, your deamidated gliadin IgA is elevated, and your total IgA level is also h...
    4. trents
      - trents replied to MicG's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      Test interpretations

      Since you compromised the validity of the antibody testing by experimenting with gluten withdrawal ahead of the testing, you are faced with two options: 1. Reintroduce significant amounts of gluten into your diet for a period of weeks, i.e., undertake a "gluten challenge". The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of at least 10g of gluten...
    5. suek54
      - suek54 replied to Kayla S's topic in Dermatitis Herpetiformis
      4

      Need advice for some relief!

      Hi Kayla Huge sympathies. I was diagnosed in December, after 8 months of the most awful rash, literally top to toe. Mine is a work in progress. Im on just 50mg dapsone at the moment but probably need an increased dose to properly put the lid on it. As you have been now glutened, I wondered whether it might be worth asking for a skin biopsy to finally...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,658
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Pope rome
    Newest Member
    Pope rome
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Test interpretations

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Based on those results alone, it’s not possible to say you have celiac disease. The test that is usually most specific for celiac, tTG-IgA, is negative in your results, and the endomysial antibody (EMA) is also negative, which generally argues against active celiac disease. However, your deamidated gliadin IgA is elevated, and your total IgA level is also high, which can sometimes affect how the other antibody tests behave. Another important factor is that you were reducing gluten before the test, which can lower antibody levels and make the results less reliable. Because of that, many doctors recommend a gluten challenge (eating gluten regularly for several weeks) before repeating blood tests or considering an endoscopy if symptoms and labs raise concern. It would be best to review these results with a gastroenterologist, who can interpret them in context and decide whether further testing is needed.
    • trents
      Test interpretations

      By trents · Posted

      Since you compromised the validity of the antibody testing by experimenting with gluten withdrawal ahead of the testing, you are faced with two options: 1. Reintroduce significant amounts of gluten into your diet for a period of weeks, i.e., undertake a "gluten challenge". The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of at least 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat-based bread) for at least two weeks leading up to the day of testing. Note: I would certainly give it more than two weeks to be sure. 2. Be willing to live with the ambiguity of not knowing whether gluten causes you problems because you have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we have tests for it. Celiac disease has an autoimmune base. NCGS does not. GI symptoms overlap. In the early stages of celiac disease, other body systems may not be showing stress or damage so, symptomatically, it would be difficult to distinguish between celiac disease and NCGS. Both conditions require elimination of gluten from the diet for symptom relief. Some experts feel that NCGS can be a precursor to celiac disease.
    • suek54
      Need advice for some relief!

      By suek54 · Posted

      Hi Kayla Huge sympathies. I was diagnosed in December, after 8 months of the most awful rash, literally top to toe. Mine is a work in progress. Im on just 50mg dapsone at the moment but probably need an increased dose to properly put the lid on it. As you have been now glutened, I wondered whether it might be worth asking for a skin biopsy to finally get a proper diagnosis? Sue  
    • MicG
      Test interpretations

      By MicG · Posted

      I had been eating reduced gluten until about 3 days before the test. I did realize that wasn’t ideal, but it was experimental to see if gluten was actually bothering me. One slip up with soy sauce and it was quite clear to me that it was, lol. 
    • trents
      Test interpretations

      By trents · Posted

      Possibly. Your total IGA (Immunoglobulin A, Qn, Serum) is actually high so you are not IGA deficient. In the absence of IGA deficiency, the most reliable celiac antibody test would be the t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA for which your score is within normal range. There are other things besides celiac disease that might cause an elevated DGP-IGA (Deamidated Gliadin Abs, lgA) for which you do have a positive score. It might also be of concern that your total IGA is elevated as that can indicate some other health problems, some of which are serious.  Had you been practicing a gluten free or a reduced gluten free diet prior to the blood draw? Talk to your physician about these things. I would also seek an endoscopy/biopsy of the small bowel to check for damage to the villous lining, which is the gold standard diagnostic test for celiac disease.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.