Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Gluten-Free Free

What?
That makes sense right?
After 3 1/2 months of being totally gluten free,
I, now can have gluten.
So I'm free from having to be gluten free!
Simeon seems to be tolerating it and is still happy.
Wow.
The things we mamas do for our kiddos.
Actually, I found out that I liked being gluten free.
I didn't even know what gluten was til I had to get rid of it.
(it's basically anything with wheat in it, or anything with flour in it)
No pasta, cheerios, granola bars, or bread of any kind,
 except well...the rice flour varieties, I quickly got sick of those.

I found with adding gluten back into my diet,
I'm hungrier, actually feeling like I'm starving.
I'm feeling more bloated and well, just fat

OK, so I am fat, but I just had a baby 5 months ago!
I figured that in the past 13 years, I've been either
pregnant or nursing for about 11 1/2 of those years
so
I can be fat
and
I have time to lose it
And
I will lose it!

I've been doing the Weight Watcher's plan
for a few weeks now and have lost 9 lbs.
(it was 10 Sunday and 9 on Monday,
 I have to go with 9 because Monday is my weigh in day)

Yes, I weigh when I'm not supposed to, it's so hard to stay away from that darn scale!
I have 10 lbs to lose to get to where I was before Simeon
and about 50-60 to lose to get to my ultimate goal!

My point is, I'm staying gluten free.
I'm not as worried about the "may contain wheat" labels though.
I feel better

(and that milk I had stored in my freezer....I never could throw it and still have it--yay!)


19 comments:

  1. I had tried to put Max on a gluetin free diet back when he was first diagnosed with autism. There has been a theory that putting children who are on the spectrum on a gluten free diet can help reduce the symptoms of autism. I don't know if it's true or not. At any rate, I didn't last very long with putting Max on this gluten free diet for two reasons: 1, I found out you had to be very disciplined about sticking to it and really look at the labels of ingredients and 2, I didn't like my reason for putting Max on a gluten free diet. It felt like I wasn't accepting the autism or something. Since then, I've come to terms with it, with him and the autism. I may put him back on a gluten free diet if it helps him deal with life a little bit more and make things less stressful for him. And I may do it with him--it sounds like such a healthier way of living!

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  2. Becky--Simeon's doctor told me he'd probably grow out of it, but that if I felt better I might want to stay that way, and I thought "is he crazy?" but now, I see why. It would also be easy to eat all bad things, like ice cream, french fries, chips, chocolate....etc...but it's still about making healthy choices, just a little narrower. I always fill up on veggies and have fruit smoothies and lots of dairy. (yogurt, kefir and cheese)

    You could try it for a couple months and see if it makes a difference with him, if it does, it would be worth it for the long run. Once you know what you CAN have, it's pretty easy. Basically the only fast food I can have is Taco Bell's tostadas....if we go out to eat, I have a salad and bring my own dressing.

    Try it, give me a call, I'd love to talk about it with you, if it helps. (if you have questions)
    Chex cereals have lots of options too (which is good for kiddos)

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  3. Jamie Jo, I lost a lot of weight when I first went gluten free. Unlike you, I can't go back without getting really sick. I have gotten used to being grain free/almost paleo and so have the kiddos. My kids love it. If we go out, we go to NYF (which is as safe as it gets when you're grain free). We do a lot of veggies, fruit and cheese to fill up. One of the kids bakes bread for lunch each day.

    It is amazing at the graces we receive when we give in to God's will and not our own. I truly believe that God wants us to be healthy and gives us a little nudge once in a while.

    Simeon is really looking great! Those eyes make me melt, though. I am glad that he is thriving so well. God Bless.

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  4. I found that I have so much more energy when I stay away from grains. But I love to make bread so I don't give it up completely! I just wanted to encourage you on weight watchers. I think it is such a reasonable plan. Tonight I fed my kids fresh pasta and homemade sauce and didn't eat it. I know the pasta makes me feel sluggish, but darn it looked good!

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  5. Awesome Jamie! You are such a good mama to have gone gluten free. I went dairy free for Dominic when he was little and although it about killed me, I lost tons of weight fast and I somehow didn't mind doing it because it was for him. After the initial shock! I have about the same amount to lose as you. I should totally be your weight loss buddy! But that would require motivation on my part. Sigh.

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  6. I want to go grain free! I tried when I had just gotten preggo with Kolbe and lasted about a week. How did you get the energy to go through the time of terrible detox though while you had a newborn?

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  7. I did the gluten free thing with Little Man for about a month. He had growth problems and we realized pretty quickly that gluten/wheat wasn't the the real problem. But it was *hard* going without it just for a month. I'm a terrible carb-aholic. Bread and pasta….mmmm. Anywho, this last Lent Mark and I went raw/vegan for the entire duration (except Sundays, lol) and the final three days of the Triduum we did a juice fast. I felt SO dang good come Easter!! Half of me was looking forward to the Easter feast, but the other half was dreading coming off of my restricted diet. Honestly, I can't believe I made it through it and then was hesitant to go off of it. I never would have thought that about myself. I lost weight, felt energetic, started the Couch to 5K program, and best of all, Mark said my skin glowed. :) That always feels good to hear, especially from your husband! So, I guess what I'm dithering on about is that I understand what your saying about now wanting to stay on the no gluten food. You're off to a great new start, Jamie, and I know that your going to continue with your success! Sure wish we lived closer. God bless you and little Simeon!

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  8. I think blogger ate me comment, so I'll try again.

    So glad you are not having to worry so much with gluten free and that Simeon is able to tolerate it better. He looks terrific, as does Jedi!

    You're not fat at all, and 9 lbs. lost is a great thing. Be patient with yourself~

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  9. I am so glad to hear that Simeon can tolerate the gluten! Meanwhile, we are still getting used to me eating dairy-free. Tony picked up Subway for dinner last night and got the bread with cheese on top for me without even thinking. Oh, well. The leftover cole slaw was good!

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  10. How interesting. I personally notice a difference between the nights I eat wheat pasta and the nights I eat my sons' quinoa pasta. Rice pasta reacts the same as wheat for me.

    On a similar note, did you know that type 1 diabetes and celiac disease are often found together at some point? Meaning, those with type 1 have a higher incidence of celiac disease, and often the individual is aymptomatic but have the autoimmune response and gut damage. It's routine to screen type 1 kids nowadays but I'm not sure if that's something you've ever discussed with the doctor. Just throwing that out there. :)

    Glad Simeon isn't so fussy about it now!

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  11. I LOVE Weight Watchers!! It's such a great way of teaching us to eat everything in moderation, in small portions, and then load up on fruits and veggies. You're doing awesome so far (and I may be just a teeny bit jealous!!) Simeon looks wonderful and I'm glad your milk didn't go to waste :)

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  12. Some of the gluten free things are awesome like crackers made from rice or nuts. However I have prepared some muffins that I went by the directions and had to throw away when cooked. I will still go with some gluten free stuff but I love some whole wheat bread now and then. Good luck with your continued efforts.
    Hugs,
    Odie

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  13. I think it's pretty significant when your body tells you something. It sounds like you may have some gluten intollerance yourself. I don't have any signs when I eat something bad, but sometimes I wish I did! I think it's good when our bodies give us signs. It means we are doing something right or wrong in what we are putting in it.

    What convinced me to be more healthy and not eat processed food (including processed grains) is learning about how traditional cultures didn't eat the same quality of grains as we eat now. They prepared/fermented/soaked grains before making breads. And ground their grains the same day they ate them. They did not use extremely high heat (to make the puffed wheat, rice, corn) to make the cereals that we eat today. all the processes that are used to prepare our grains today strip nutrients and make the grains harder to digest- which eventually makes us intolerant. Lately I have been reading, Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. the Weston A. Price website is good too.
    I've come to the conclusion that the Paleo diet is healthy, but not necessary if you properly prepare grains. I LOVE my bread! I could never give up grains, so this was a good solution for me.

    as far as autism being cured by diet. It's true. Read GAPS diet by dr. Natasha Campell Mcbride. she cured her daughter's autism and hundreds more. Now her books is helping countless people cure their children's autism. It does work if you stick to it the strict diet and heal the gut. there is a TON of blogs/testimonies.

    Our diet is sooo important. God wants us to be happy and fully functioning and we can only do that if we are healthy. I am glad to hear your body is telling you something and you are listening!

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  14. wow, 10 pounds. that's amazing Jamie Jo. awesome news. I never knew what gluten was until I read it here! I should probably get off gluten because I too get so bloated after eating. thank goodness S is not rejecting the gluten. A little here and there is soo tasty!! ;)

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  15. I have nothing to contribute about gluten but I just had to say-- that picture of your boys is absolutely adorable! :)

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  16. Look at them sweet sweet boys. Glad to hear you can have a little bit of this and that and baby is ok.

    I am not one to comment on diet. We eat anything and everything. The good and the bad. My kids are so skinny any restrictions and they might ...blow away...or die!

    My sister ellie just took Riley off of diary and has seen a HUGE HUGE HUGE improvement in her behavior.

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  17. Hi jamie jo.

    I am currently doing a fruit and vegetable detox. It's been hard...I'm not gonna lie...but I can't believe how much better I already feel. Plus, even though I have not technically been diagnosed with Type 2...I just feel it coming on if I don't get this eating thing under control! With gestational 3X, I am at high risk for Type 2. :(

    I am working with a nutritionist/dietician through my husband's employer's Wellness Plan. Basically, I get to do a Weight-Watcher-like program for free!

    We are going to gradually reintroduce carbohydrates into my meal plan, but she was fairly adamant about how wheat/carb-heavy meals cause us to hold onto the water causing a big jump on the scale. And sure, one can slough it off over a couple days, but never feels too good during that time!

    I feel sooooo "skinny" and have only lost about 4lbs. I have as much to lose as you from 10+ years of miscarriages, babies, and nursing, but I'm ready to tackle getting healthy...can we be weight loss partners? I'll be your cheerleader!

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