I was told last week that I was allergic to gluten, dairy, chicken and egg whites, and that I needed to lay off sugar. Since those foods are pretty much what I have been eating for the last 55 years, I guess I’ve developed an intolerance for them. Anyway, I’m very pleased to report that for the last 7 days, I have not eaten anything made with wheat (and relatives: rhy, barley, bulgar, etc, or oats), sugar, milk, cheese, chicken, or eggs (how can the yolk be good for me if the white and the chicken are not?) .
I’ve had a few moments of self-pity and frustration, but I decied to start looking at what I could eat, and I added back to my diet things that I had been avoiding due to fat, such as nuts and beef. I’ve eaten some fish–I do best when I cook it, and I have never been a fry cook. I bought amaranth and quinoa today to learn how to cook with them to have a few carbs in my diet along with the veggies. I was also told to cut back on the amount of meat that i have been eating…not much other than chicken.
It really hasn’t been too hard yet, but my first lesson is to remember to look at what is good for me, and not what is bad. It really makes a difference where you look. I’m learning to go to the produce section in the grocery store (thats SC for supermarket) and then dodge through the flower department to stay out of the deli to get whatever housekeeping supplies I need. There really isn’t much food in the food market these days.
I do miss cheese, and after I get used to the idea that I can live without it, I might try some of the soy substitutes. I don’t like drinking soy milk (or cow milk for that matter) and it is almost always sweetened. Same thing with soy ice cream and other such. I’ve been amazed how sweet fruit is when I am not full of sugar myself. (Southern women often say “sugar” because they are too nice to use the other common s-word expletive.) I have no idea if I have lost weight, because for once, I am NOT dieting. I am LIVE-IT-ing as Richard-the-diet-guy says. I can even go to Golden Corral and overeat, yet avoid my problem foods.
This is very liberating in a surprising sense. I have not been successful in staying ona diet for any length of time since I was first married in my twenties, first time cooking and housekeeping on a tight budget. I never knew how low my weight went, maybe down as low as 130-140 lbs. My size 14 dresses were much too big for me.
But, now at roughly 2.5 times that much, brought on by neglegence and addicitive behaviors towards food, I am able to eat comfortably with lots of alternatives. The emotional outlook is the primary challenge, and my friend, Life Coach Patti Thomas, is helping me with EFT sessions and general counseling. her website is at http://www.clearsky,com. I am not her affiliate–she is a great coach, and anyone who is in the upstate SC area might want to contact her. She offers a free 5-minute phone consultation if you sign up for her newsletter.
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