Overwhelmed With Diet

[jemms]

I feel out of control, like I will never lose the weight I have or feel good again. I found out I am gluten intolerant, casein intolerant, wheat intolerant, no rice, no tomatoes, no garlic, no peanuts among other things. I still have to eat the gluten before my endoscopy is done in a month. I am supposed to be on this 4 day rotation diet so that I dont eat the same things everyday. This is driving me CRAZY!!!! I dont know what to eat and at times I just start binge eating. HELP!!

[mushroom]

Oh, I AM sorry you are feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it does all seem too much to start with. I believe the answer lies in planning what you are going to eat ahead of time. Make out a four-day rotational schedule, do a shopping trip and make sure you have all things you need in your pantry/refrigerator. If you are cooking only for yourself then you can make double or quadruple quantities and freeze meals so that you can just take them out of the freezer and pop them in the microwave. Don't forget to schedule snacks too - this is often when temptation takes over. Plan out your fruits, nuts, veggie snacks, cheese, crackers, whatever your diet permits, so you always have something on hand when the munchies hit because this is usually when we go off the rails.

[T.H.]

Don't forget to schedule snacks too - this is often when temptation takes over. Plan out your fruits, nuts, veggie snacks, cheese, crackers, whatever your diet permits, so you always have something on hand when the munchies hit because this is usually when we go off the rails.

I'd second that. If you know what you tend to crave, it helps to plan that for every day. Like if you crave sweets, make sure you have lots of fruit, or a little spoon of honey and such, as a snack. If fat is what gets you, make sure you have some more fattening treats that are healthy, like some types of nuts, or make some simple guacamole and eat it with a little meat, or some homemade hummus - that's usually quick, and you can dip the veggies in it and give yourself a little fat/salt boost that can kick some of the cravings.

Making a meal plan definitely helps me, too. Although I HATE planning, because i never know what I'll feel like. So I make a few different menu plans, some more work and some less, and then just pick the one that works for me on a particular day, if that makes sense?

When I don't plan, the more tired I get, the worse my eating gets, and then I feel worse and get more tired, and it just spirals down. :-(

[Takala]

What a bummer.

Lost my original reply, grrr.

I know this sounds counter intuitive, but try eating some good fats to feel sated, such as coconut milk, olive oil, nuts, avocado. Almonds are very versatile, (and can be ground up for almond meals in the blender cheaper than buying the flour) as is coconut milk and coconut flour. Also coconut oil for cooking/baking.

Don't worry about the weight now, just find out what you can eat first. If you want to try a lower carb diet, eat more green vegetables, fruits, protein, and good fats.

For carbs, potatoes and beans. Sounds like corn might work, also. Buckwheat kasha and quinoa. Corn pasta may work for you. Pasta sauces can be made with an olive oil, basil, and almond base. Cheese substitute can be made out of cashews.

Here is a rice free pancake/flatbread. This really works without an egg, and it's very easy:

This makes a good sized flatbread, but If you want something thicker and sturdier, that can be cut in half for a half circle shaped regular sandwich, you can use an egg for most of the liquid.

You can make tasty whole grain gluten free bread in a bowl in the microwave, out of ground almonds, sorghum, and amaranth, no rice required.

If corn works, corn tortillas (Mission) are gluten free. There is also a thing like a rice cake called a corn thin.

Sample meal: Mash up beans on stovetop in pan, with some cumin, apple cider vinegar, salt, and your preferred form of hot chile pepper, such as fresh jalapeno or tabasco or bottled chile pepper spice. Cook fried egg. Spread beans on tortilla, top with egg and sliced avocado.

Bean sprouts can be cooked and used as a substitute for rice noodles, if cooking Thai food. Coconut milk can be used as a base for curry sauces for chicken. Cashews or almonds can substitute for peanuts. Quinoa can also be cooked, then scrambled with an egg and some meat and veggies. There is also a Japanese pancake sort of thing, a snack food, that starts out with sauteed shredded cabbage, to which an egg batter with some flour is added, and this works with gluten free flour. I can make it, but the real name of it is escaping me at the moment, it's one of those things that is much better than its description. Okonomiyaki. Open Original Shared Link

Eggs - keep hard boiled eggs on hand.

Also, you can make brownies out of things like black beans, go ahead and google gluten free black bean brownies, this is a mainstream recipe that crossed over to the gluten free aisle, and it's very good and it works.

[jemms]

Thank you all for your replies. I feel more at ease now. Takala thank you so much for the recipes. I printed them out and am excited to try them, they sound delicious!! Day by day...

I agree I need to plan more, then I wont feel so out of control. Thank you all for taking the time to respond.