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Okay. I cheated. Well, I’m not sure cheated is an appropriate term. I was having some pretty bad PMS related cravings in the past few days so on Friday I had a chicken Caesar salad w/ Parmesan cheese. My dairy indiscretion of the week. Guess what? I think I’m lactose intolerant. Who knew? All these years I thought I just had a bad stomach. Just a handful of shredded Parmesan cheese and I was in quite a bit of gastro distress! Lesson learned.
Sunday I was craving pizza in the worst way. My family usually eats pizza every Friday night, and we have done so for years and years and I have missed the tradition since starting this plan. We tried gluten free pizza crusts and they were nasty. So last Friday we had Chinese, but it just wasn’t the same. By Sunday I was in full-on craving mode, and I guess Bill doesn’t really care as much about the diet change, so he ordered us up some pizza. After a few bites I realized that it wasn’t the crust I was craving, but the gooey-cheesy-goodness part, so I scraped it off of the crust and ate it. I did that a couple of more times, and I was a happy girl! So from now on we can order pizza and I just won’t eat the crust 
Luckily, I had consumed so little of the crust that my stomach didn’t bother me at all. By the way, I should point out that mozzarella cheese doesn’t bother me in the least. Neither does goat cheese or feta. I did discover last night that even a little blue cheese will make me all rumbly in my tummy, so I won’t go looking for that anymore.
As for the diet coke free, it has been a breeze. I learned a long time ago that the only way to truly break a habit is to replace it with another healthier or better one. Many people do this automatically when they quit smoking, by starting to eat more. Many people who quit drinking become food addicts as well, I’ve seen it happen firsthand to people I loved. The key is to choose a healthy habit to begin concurrent with quitting the bad one. I searched around and found a healthy beverage to replace diet coke with . One that gives my mouth and throat that same kind of burn, but in a good way. So I am now addicted to Cherry Pharm and wondering if I will have to transport it to Orlando or if I can find it there when I head to Disney! You can order it online from the maker, but, even with the free shipping, it’s not cheap. I get it at my local Wegmans for $15.99 an eight-pack, which is just fine by me. The makers of Cherry Pharm make a number of claims about the product among them:
- Lessen pain and speed recovery from exercise.
- Clinically proven to improve sleep.
- Clinically proven antioxidant leader
Here’s my claim: it tastes great! It is insanely tart and as my husband puts it, tastes like the middle of a cherry pie. It wakes my mouth up, and I look forward to lunch time so I can have my fix. In the morning I have a glass of pineapple juice, which is supposed to be very good with water retention, and is great for a bunch of other things like not drinking diet coke in the morning 
I have also removed all artificial sweeteners and corn syrup from my diet for the last 30 days and I will continue to do that. You have to carefully read labels, but there are many things now being made with real cane sugar. When Passover comes around again you Coke fans will be able to stock up on kosher coke with real sugar instead of corn syrup! it still has all the other bad stuff in it, but at least it’s slightly more okay
What’s the weight loss total so far? Five pounds. If I were to lose five pounds a month, by New Year’s Eve I would be twenty pounds lighter and that’s not too shabby at all!!! That would put me back in my size 14’s and I would be thrilled with that!
More importantly, I am sticking to this lifestyle change because of how I feel. Other than those few miscues with trying to slip contraband food into my diet, my stomach has felt so good. I don’t even think about it anymore. If you have stomach problems you know what I mean. That fear of leaving the house without Pepcid, Immodium or Tums, and being somewhere that you can’t easily buy it. Staring at a restaurant menu silently asking yourself what you think might set your stomach off tonight. Will it be cream sauces or spices. If only there had been a way to know for sure, but it often seems so random. Sometimes something will make you violently ill and another it won’t bother you at all. No more of that for me. I eat gluten and dairy free and nothing bothers me. It seems I can eat mashed potatoes in limited quantities with no problem, but when I ate potato chips at Gracie’s party it causes a problem, so I’ll stick to sweet potato chips which are fine. I’ll save my mashed potatoes for a Thanksgiving treat.
The absolute best thing about my new gluten and dairy free life I have saved for last. I am now the Energizer Bunny on speed!! It’s almost annoying. It has been so long since I have had this much energy, that I am making myself a little nuts. I cleaned my kitchen before leaving the house today! I never clean!!! Especially not in the morning! I get home from work and instead of having to force myself to play with Gracie, and grunt through a few chores I am Little Miss Pep. I go around the house straightening up and doing things that need to be done, and I’m not forcing myself. It is easy to do!
The most amazing thing happened last week. I had to keep going up and down my stairs, I don’t remember why, but I had to do it about three times in a row. I RAN up and down the stairs!!!! When I did it the last time I froze on the top step realizing what I was doing. Prior to that night, I cannot remember the last time I could run up stairs. Maybe eight years ago? I certainly haven’t been able to do it since having Gracie. My legs just didn’t have the strength, and I certainly didn’t have the energy. I am just stunned by this development, and it is worth every crumb of gluten laden bread I have given up! Mentally I feel more alert, less foggy and more focused. That is also a wonderful bonus.
So far I have to say that there has been no improvement on the sleep front, but I did buy Breathe Right Strips for hubby today, and if they don’t work I might just smother him in his sleep. Uh, just kidding. Seriously, I’m not sure if my sleep is a result of sharing a bed with a giant and a child or my own issues. Thanks to listening to Holosync at night before going to bed I fall off quickly and easily, but I do still wake up numerous times in the night.
Also there hasn’t been a reduction in spinal pain, but I am hopeful that as my weight decreases there will be less presure on my spine and the nerves and the pain will abate somewhat. I am also very aware that Rome wasn’t built in a day and it may take six months to a year of a true dietary change for my body to cleanse itself of toxins that may be causing or adding to the inflammation of my spinal tissue. I remain forever hopeful. I know in my heart that one day I will be pain free and I visualize myself as a woman in her 50’s going for her daily morning run every night before I go to sleep. (By the way I am so hot in my 50’s …it’s just amazing!)
Research that I have done has shown that overall eliminating gluten and dairy can be highly beneficial for all people, not just those with my blood type. Here’s some references that might be of interest:
- Study Finds 1 in 133 Americans May Have Celiac Disease
- Gluten Free Girl
- Gluten Free Gobsmacked
- Dairy Monsters
I would love to hear from anyone else out there who has adopted a similar lifestyle. How do you feel? How long did it take to see major change? Link me to great resources!!!
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I, too, have been gluten and dairy free for a month and all in all I feel so much better. Had a few bites of cheese cake the other day, and had terrible gas pains for 24 hours. So no more tasting cheese cake. I do not feel deprived at all and carnivore that I used to be; I do not miss beef. I have only lost 2 lbs, but that is wonderful for someone who could never, ever lose weight. Had major surgery in 1996 and I lost one poind. And I couldn’t swallow for a6 weeks. My female body is very sure that some day I will be stranded on s desert island with 3 men and it will be only me who is living when they rescue us - all because of my stored fat for this express purpose!!!!!
I have been gluten/dairy free for four years. Believe me, it gets easier! My naturopath started me on a restrictive diet when I saw her for rheumatoid arthritis. Within two months of being on the diet, my inflammation rates which were high, went to normal. It has taken longer to rid the pain and swelling of the RA but this year with my clean body, I was able to go off meds completely!!!! You don’t realize how gluten and dairy affect your body until you can clear it out for a while and let your body realize how happy it is without it. Cateepoo
http://www.thelifeandadventuresofcatepoo.blogspot.com/
I take very little gluten and dairy free products. I already knew some time ago that these were bad for me. I had a major eczema attack a few years back due to excessive toxins.
I like the idea of having a healthier breverage to replace coke or diet coke. I don’t drink coke at all in any case. However, I do see many of my friends having trouble giving up fizzy drinks. So your suggestion is definitely a good one that I can share with them.
At the rate you are going, I believe that you’re on track to look fabulous by the time you are 50. Keep at it and keep us posted!
Our house went gluten free about a year ago, because my 2 year old had arthritis. Removing all gluten completely eliminated the arthritis. It was amazing. Don’t buy any prepackaged gluten free stuff…look for good recipes on the internet. do a search for “gluten free” on recipezaar.com or go to glutenfreemommy.com or a host of others. Good luck!
I gave up Diet Coke about a month ago, and I still miss it at times. Don’t know why. There isn’t a thing in there that is remotely good for you. But my stomach thanks me. I am trying the Vegan approach to weight loss. I don’t like vegetables, so…you get the picture.
But seriously with wheat AND dairy allergies, and major concerns about the meat factory farms, it seemed like a reasonable way to go. Now all I have to worry about is eliminating the wheat, and I’m set to go. Good luck on your weight loss! G.
I found this place that sells all kind of Gluten Free food and snacks. http://www.WholeAndNatural.com. I had a great experience with them the last few times. Thanks to them I can have lots of yummy treats.