See Progress… Lose cravings!
Posted by Mike in Mike's JourneyJan 21st, 2009 | 12 responses
As I sit in a friend’s aparment, he is eating pasta and is enjoying a beer… for the first time, I doesn’t bother me!!!
In my first 20 days of eating gluten free, I have lost over 10lbs. I’m not starving myself or really concentrating on cutting calories, I’m just cutting out the gluten. Seeing a lower number on the scale almost every day so far, has kept my spirits high and mind on the right track. In the past when I have tried to eat gluten free, it would drive me crazy to watch people eat pizza and drink beer. As of today, I can say that I am over it.
I’m sure in the future, I will start to crave those foods again. Does anyone have an experice that is similar, or the opposite?
12 Responses to “See Progress… Lose cravings!”
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There are so many other options – I love the gluten free pretzels, pizza and pasta. I am not really tempted by foods with food – I’m not too picky, so to find an alternate it pretty easy. I am always amazed at how many other options there are that we can eat.
Have you found gluten free beer yet? It isn’t bad.
Here are the ones I have tried:
1. Greens Amber Ale from Belgium – this one is my favorite! They have three flavors…amber, pale and dark.
2. New Grist beer from Lakefront Brewery in Milwaulkee, WI. This one is also very good and I recommend drinking it out of a cold glass versus a bottle. For some reason it isn’t very good out of the bottle.
3. Redbridge beer from AB
The above are found at Whole Foods, and places like Friar Tuck’s.
Check them out if you haven’t already!
Elena:
I have tried most of the gluten free beers including a few that aren’t on your list, but have not seen the Greens Amber Ale. I haven’t really liked any, especially not Red Bridge. I’m a Bud Light lover, and don’t think anything can replace it. I do like Woodchuck, an apple cider beer. It is very sweet, so you can’t drink a lot of them.
I understand that liquor(excluding rum and tequila) are in that “iffy” category of being gluten free. I can always fall back to Tanqueray. BUT a nice fresh, ice cold, refreshing Bud Light will always hit the spot!
I experienced the same weight loss when I went off gluten. I ended up losing 30 pounds in a little over a month! It’s funny what our bodies do when we keep it inflamed all the time.
I also lost 10lbs in the first month of GF. You’ll find that the texture of what remains feels different too. Not so… spongy and almost rotten. It’s great when you can see results immediately.
Craving, not so much. What _is_ hard is when you’re excluded from participating in social functions because you can’t eat the eg. cake. It makes you cranky! This sets in after about 3 months. Then you adjust again.
Alcohol = much debate. Here’s what I’ve been told by celiac researchers: the gluten molecules are too large to pass through the distillation process, so drinks like (wheat) vodka etc. are safe. What makes it unsafe is when mash is added back in _after_ distillation, like with certain whiskeys. Also, same beverage produced in different countries can be safe/unsafe. Smirnoff coolers in Canada are GF, but in the States they are malted. Go figure.
Adding to Poppy’s discussion of alcohol, some Tequilas have caramel coloring added which can be made from wheat. If you stick to 100% agave tequilas you should be fine (and those are the best ones anyway)!
I have been GF for 5 years and I have no complaints. I lost a lot of weight but mainly I was seriously sick from head to toe and now I feel great. This insures that gluten is not a temptation for me. If I go to a party, I either take my own snacks or just don’t eat. I guess eating out is the only time I feel I sacrifice but it is becoming easier and easier to eat out.
Hi Mike,
I’ve found that the cravings never came back. That’s not to say that I don’t want some specific type of food occasionally but never enough to cheat. I’d suggest taking a look Here and Here regarding alcohol. I have not any problems with distilled spirits.
Hi Mike,
the cravings seem to be the hardest for me too. I have tried a beer made by Bairds Tale that tasted just like I remember beer. I’m not a big beer drinker but those that are that I’ve talked to say it’s alot like Bud. The Margeritas are a better match to me.
My husband mourned the loss of beer. He thought maybe after not having his favorites for a year the GF would taste good to him. Didn’t work. Here is his advice: Drink the first four VERY FAST. The fifth one tastes pretty good!
LOL @ Janelle
I’ll have to try that or 4 tequila shots first. GF beer is too expensive to drink that quickly.
My daughter, now 5YO, has been GF for about a year. She was painfully thin before her diagnosis, but she’s gained 10 pounds in the last year of being GF. I’ve lost 10 lbs. Go figure.
Can anyone who has been GF for over 15 years tell me if you now suffer from constant diarreah? Although I follow the GF diet as closely as possible, for the past few years I’ve dealt with this issue. Any advice?