Gluten-Free 2+ Months!

I am beyond thrilled to report that I have been GF for a little over 2 months. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. My mind and body are telling me the hardest part is over. I have broken the tumultuous pattern of tapering on and off with my gluten habit-filled relapses. The greatest part is I that I no longer feel like I am struggling to make the right decisions. I have the support from my family, my partner, and my friends. Most importantly, I have the support of myself. I no longer need to turn to others to help me say 'no' to the delicious slice of carrot cake at the table.

My physical self is feeling wonderful. My stomach aches and pains have nearly disappeared, I have more strength than I did, few headaches, the itchy patches of skin that I once had have diminished, and my overall energy level has immensely increased. On an interesting note, my emotional well-being has taken a change for the better. Somehow by deleting gluten, I have gained a sufficient amount of self awareness and confidence. People wouldn't guess that I am the self conscious type, but don't be fooled, we all have our doubts. My doubts arrive during the times I ate enormous amounts of gluten. Especially, while hiding behind pasta and bread products (my classic go to comfort foods). My emotional messiness was only exacerbated by the gluten.

I am particularly appreciative of my strength in making healthy food choices now because next week is Thanksgiving and therefore starts the holiday feasting. I would be dishonest if I said I wasn't a little worried about making the right choices, but I spoke to my family and assured them I cannot go back to eating gluten. Of course, they are very supportive. My family has seen the damage that gluten has caused first hand. They were with me in the emergency room visits and hospital stays. They are amazed that it came to an end by simply cutting gluten from my diet.

Once again this has proven to be an interesting and life changing process. Each new step reveals something new.Speaking of new, I have been recording recipes that I am going to share soon. What is everyone else doing for Thanksgiving? Anyone have a delicious gluten free recipe or tip? Please, feel free to share.

1 month

I am happy to report I have not had an ounce of gluten for 1 month. I have never made it this far and I am certainly proud. I am still experiencing some of the symptoms including the cravings, but overall, I feel so good.

Another process of detoxing is unfolding. However, this is more of a mental detox. A couple weeks ago I read an article about the physical damage stress has on the body. I am currently taking a break from being a therapist so I really do not have much stress on my shoulders. I gain my income from being a nanny for several different families and I love it. The article really had me thinking about faulty or unhealthy relationships in our lives (you know, the ones we put an exorbitant amount of effort into and receive nothing in return) are a source of stress. How appropriate would it be for me to rid those stress producing non-reciprocated relationships in my life? Very appropriate. My objective throughout this entire process is to embrace a healthier lifestyle.  Sometimes we have to release the unhealthy relationships (no matter how hard it may be) around us. From now on I am replacing stressful relationships by surrounding myself with wonderful, meaningful, and authentic relationships full of love and laughter. The truth is, this process wasn't hard once I realized what I wanted and I am truly blessed to have such amazing relationships all around me. So far, just like the gluten detox, there are periods of grief and some cravings, and  the impulse to try and 'fix' the relationship are there. In order to rid stress and embrace a healthier self, I cannot be the 'fixer' anymore. It was a revelation to accept this and I encourage others to explore this concept as well.

Others who have become gluten-free or who are detoxifying from other food allergies know the power of transformation. Once you begin to feel better, you want to change something else to increase the goodness. Taking a step further and eliminating stressful relationships (especially the ones taking an emotional and physical toll on the body) was another way for me to embrace the new me. I am curious about other strategies people use to handle major sources of stress; especially, during the detox process. What do you do in times of stress? What is your vice? Whatever it may be, I hope you find yourself in a healthier state of mind once you let it go.

Milestone: Two weeks + 2

16 days.

I have been gluten-free for 16 days. This is a new record. The longest time I have stuck with the GF lifestyle is 14 days. I have made it over the second hump. I have changed up my diet a lot in the last 16 days. I even tried to do something pretty drastic and go on a juice fast for 15 days. We recently watched a documentary called, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." It was truly an inspiration to become healthy. I do want to lose weight but my primary goal is to be healthy. I thought I could accomplish both in a fairly short amount of time by juicing. After two days of juicing, I was having stomach pains and I was feeling pretty sick. After consulting with some close friends and reading up on people who juice and have gluten allergies/Celiac Disease I realized I should have taken the proper precautions because I have such a sensitive stomach. People who suffer from gluten often have a lot of stomach issues. It turns out the acid in juice can further irritate the stomach and intestines if the digestion system has not healed. As my friends told me this and I researched the ramifications of it, I decided to stop. I still think juicing is a good way to detox and train your body to crave healthy foods, but I am going to wait months (it can take the body 6-12 months of detoxing from gluten to completely heal) before attempting to do so again.

Although it can take up to a year or more for the body to rebuild itself, it is not uncommon to for people to feel immediate changes once they stop eating gluten. I have felt an immediate change in my body. However, as you have read, I have gone through ups and downs. I have felt less pressure and no pain in my stomach after eating but have felt ultra itchy at times. I have never felt this energized throughout the day and emotional at the end of others. Every time I have a craving for a giant roll or some gluten-filled pasta I remember the pain I feel when I consume it. The pain is a combination of all the worst stomach aches I have had all at once, plus headaches, plus the itchiness, plus the grumpiness, plus the depression etc... So, I can handle feeling each of these symptoms as they are mostly happening once at a time and on their way out of my body.

Cheers to what has been accomplished and for more days, months, years to come!

Day 10: Itchy Business

Whew, I promise my ambition for this blog is not to complain all the time. However, right now I am detoxing and I am finding it hard to talk about the pros of going gluten-free. I know there will be tons of benefits in the end, but the first couple weeks are the hardest. I think it's worse for me this time because I have been ultra-ubber picky with everything. I have made sure that absolutely not even a morsel of gluten has found its way into my stomach. I have made almost all our meals from scratch, and what wasn't made from scratch, the ingredients have been carefully examined. *A little confession: Previous times that I cut out gluten, I held on tight to my beloved ranch dressing (I was too afraid to read the label). Essentially, I was still fulfilling my body with small amounts of gluten. I have quickly learned that no matter the portion of gluten, it hurts me. Badly.

As I reported earlier in the week, things are mostly good but I was experiencing some skin crawling itchiness. That is still happening, only worse. For the last couple of days I didn't want to be physically touched by anyone. This is confusing to me because I am cuddle-monster. I love physical touch, giving and receiving hugs etc...Bottom line, it is not like me to not want to show affection in a physical way.

I have researched what detoxing looks like for lots of people, and to be honest, it's not too much different to how I feel when I eat gluten. I felt so uncomfortable yesterday that I was beginning to think some gluten somehow found its way into my dinner (which would have really surprised me!). So, I am ready for this emotional and physical roller coaster to end. On the other hand, it's been powerful to witness the healing power of the body. Not only do I feel the internal changes, but I am seeing physical changes.Yeah, I may have some red dry patches of skin, pimples, and itchiness, but I am glad that something is happening and my body is doing whatever it can to kick gluten out!

In the mean time, I think I need a good gf lotion. Any ideas?

Milestone: One Week

It has officially been 7 full days of being gluten-free. I can't believe the positive changes that have occurred already. One of the biggest and best feelings in the world happened on day 4 when I didn't have any trance of a stomach ache. Also, I have had completely "normal" trips to the bathroom, if you can catch my drift. Another benefit (huge deal), is that after I eat, I actually feel full and satisfied. This hasn't happened in years. I am always hungry. It is common for me to feel like I am nearly starving 30 minutes after a meal. It makes perfect sense to feel this way when the body isn't absorbing the proper nutrients, which is exactly what was happening when I ate a meal full of gluten.

Even though I am feelings great, the first 3 days were somewhat of an obstacle. I felt hungry, cranky, emotional, nauseated, my face started breaking out, and I was feeling a lot of fatigue. Every time I felt the urge to bite into a piece of bread (to fulfill the cravings I had), I remembered that I wouldn't feel this way forever. I checked-in with friends who assured me I would feel better soon. Their support was paramount to me not giving in this time. For the sake of being healthy I owed it to myself not to give in. I am truly a gluten-free giddy and lucky girl.

Overall, I wouldn't say I have completely detoxed. My face is still breaking out and I have a little bit of cravings at really weird moments (like in the middle of the night). If anyone can explain that to me, I would love to hear it. Also, for some reason I have been pretty itchy. Even down to the insides of my ears. It could be the allergens in the air with the seasonal change approaching. However, this type of itchiness is different. It feels like it's internal. It is kind of like my skin is crawling. At any rate, I would take these side effects any day over poisoning my body with gluten.