I have been doing so well with the gluten free diet and I am feeling GREAT! My skin is amazingly better and smoother and clearer and prettier.....yay.
Well, last night I was out to supper and had a delicious salad and my dining companion was enjoying some pizza. She tempted me to a slice and I took her up on it because I had decided that after 2 full weeks gluten free and much improved, I wanted to see if this was really going to be a psoriasis solution for me...cutting out the wheat, not eating regular pizza.
Well........................YES, totally gluten allergy here. One piece of pizza and I woke up covered in my regular spots with the psoriasis. Not as bad as it was 2 weeks ago, but a definite flair. No more gluten here. I give up. I want my skin back and I will pick vanity over my yummy yummy gluten.
Showing posts with label Wheat Free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wheat Free. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Wheat Free Updates
I am VERY surprised at how satisfied I am NOT eating wheat!
I am NOT hungry or feeling like I NEED to eat all of the time.
That is not to say that I am not eating when I am not hungry.....
I just don't feel the urge to munch, I am feeling in control. Now, I just need to listen to my body a little better.
I got on the scale this morning and I am down 3 pounds. I feel like this is going to work, for many reasons, but one is the most obvious to me....
I have psoriasis. For years it was quite mild and contained to my elbows and knees. As I have gotten older, it has been spreading....elbows, knees, scalp, calves, back, lower arms, upper arms, tush.....the feeling of being completely out of control when it comes to this.......there is no cure for psoriasis, it really bothers me some days and makes me self conscious to wear my favorite things like sleeveless dresses.
A few years ago, I tried being vegan as a solution to help my psoriasis. I knew of a former friend who had cured his very severe case by being vegan and he was most helped by cutting out eggs......For me, it didn't get better when I tried the vegan lifestyle, it actually got worse after a while. Everyone is different. At this time, I was also on the verge of taking the final plunge and breaking up with Awful, so it may have flared from stress (another thing that brings it on), too. It was horrible.
Dermatologists will tell you that there is little scientific evidence between psoriasis and diet, but psoriasis sufferers will try anything to control it. Being healthiest (healthy diet, exercise, no smoking, very little drinking) is a way to minimize symptoms. When I was at my thinnest, my psoriasis was the best it had ever been. I know there are multiple reasons why I need to lose this weight for real.
Back to the wheat.....well, since I have been mostly wheat free (there has been a few bites of birthday cake and some questionable items that may have had gluten in them), my psoriasis has improved greatly.....When I had tried the vegan diet, I was eating MOSTLY wheat, so this may have been a reason why my psoriasis flared so badly. Now, I have seen a 50 percent improvement in less than 2 weeks. I have a feeling that if I continue to eat like this, I may be able to reduce it even further. I am feeling hopeful about my psoriasis for the first time in years.
I also tried on jeans that haven't fit in ever and I could button them....they were skin tight, but I haven't been able to get them over my knees in over 3 years. WOW. I am so much less bloated, even if the scale isn't where I would truly like it to be....EXCITED!
I will keep you posted and have a wonderful day!
I am NOT hungry or feeling like I NEED to eat all of the time.
That is not to say that I am not eating when I am not hungry.....
I just don't feel the urge to munch, I am feeling in control. Now, I just need to listen to my body a little better.
I got on the scale this morning and I am down 3 pounds. I feel like this is going to work, for many reasons, but one is the most obvious to me....
I have psoriasis. For years it was quite mild and contained to my elbows and knees. As I have gotten older, it has been spreading....elbows, knees, scalp, calves, back, lower arms, upper arms, tush.....the feeling of being completely out of control when it comes to this.......there is no cure for psoriasis, it really bothers me some days and makes me self conscious to wear my favorite things like sleeveless dresses.
A few years ago, I tried being vegan as a solution to help my psoriasis. I knew of a former friend who had cured his very severe case by being vegan and he was most helped by cutting out eggs......For me, it didn't get better when I tried the vegan lifestyle, it actually got worse after a while. Everyone is different. At this time, I was also on the verge of taking the final plunge and breaking up with Awful, so it may have flared from stress (another thing that brings it on), too. It was horrible.
Dermatologists will tell you that there is little scientific evidence between psoriasis and diet, but psoriasis sufferers will try anything to control it. Being healthiest (healthy diet, exercise, no smoking, very little drinking) is a way to minimize symptoms. When I was at my thinnest, my psoriasis was the best it had ever been. I know there are multiple reasons why I need to lose this weight for real.
Back to the wheat.....well, since I have been mostly wheat free (there has been a few bites of birthday cake and some questionable items that may have had gluten in them), my psoriasis has improved greatly.....When I had tried the vegan diet, I was eating MOSTLY wheat, so this may have been a reason why my psoriasis flared so badly. Now, I have seen a 50 percent improvement in less than 2 weeks. I have a feeling that if I continue to eat like this, I may be able to reduce it even further. I am feeling hopeful about my psoriasis for the first time in years.
I also tried on jeans that haven't fit in ever and I could button them....they were skin tight, but I haven't been able to get them over my knees in over 3 years. WOW. I am so much less bloated, even if the scale isn't where I would truly like it to be....EXCITED!
I will keep you posted and have a wonderful day!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Thank You, Kitchen Product Find, and Wheat Free Recipe
First and foremost, thank you readers for the wonderful and supportive comments regarding me being stuck. You all are right and I appreciate the advice and I took it all to heart. I woke up early this morning, made a list of what needs to be done, and I am moving right along. I am feeling good and positive. I need to live in my present, so I can enjoy my future, no regrets. THANK YOU THANK YOU! I appreciate you taking the time to share your wisdom, it means a lot to me.
A few years ago when I was still living with Awful, I became obsessed with making soup. I was looking for comfort anyway possible and soup seemed to do the immediate trick, I was a soup machine. Any and every veggie eventually became a soup: asparagus, cauliflower, squash, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, potato......I am totally going to make some yummy soup for lunch tomorrow!
In my quest for the perfect soup, I discovered that I needed an appliance to make everything blend, so I could have a dreamy consistency without adding a ton of cream, butter, and fat. Enter the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender.....heaven!
I use it to mix/make so many things: soups, salad dressing, lemonade, hot chocolate, sangria, smoothies, etc. I also use it to beat my eggs for fluffy omelets and to work my butter into dry mixes for baking. It truly is an AWESOME product.
This morning, I was in the mood for something yummy and I felt like starting the day with a hearty wheat free breakfast to keep me on track. Armed with my hand blender, I decided to make wheat free banana pancakes, a recipe that I have seen on many cooking blogs and have always wanted to try. It is super simple and not too messy.
Recipe:
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 whole eggs
- Dash of cinnamon
- Dash of vanilla extract
- Cooking spray or butter for pan
Optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, blueberries
Directions:
1. Beat eggs, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth with no lumps. Use your hand blender for best results!
2. Stir in any of your optional mix-ins (I had mine plain this morning, YUM!)
3. Heat a skillet or frying pan and grease as needed
4. Pour batter into the warm pan just as you would with pancake batter and turn flame to low heat.
5. When pancakes begin to bubble and the edges solidify, flip, and cook until golden on both sides.
6. ENJOY! I did with maple syrup, they tasted JUST like pancakes and the banana flavor is VERY subtle if you are not a banana fan.
These babies kept me full until lunch time and I think this will be my go to breakfast for a while, SO SATISFYING!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
-
A few years ago when I was still living with Awful, I became obsessed with making soup. I was looking for comfort anyway possible and soup seemed to do the immediate trick, I was a soup machine. Any and every veggie eventually became a soup: asparagus, cauliflower, squash, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, potato......I am totally going to make some yummy soup for lunch tomorrow!
In my quest for the perfect soup, I discovered that I needed an appliance to make everything blend, so I could have a dreamy consistency without adding a ton of cream, butter, and fat. Enter the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender.....heaven!
I use it to mix/make so many things: soups, salad dressing, lemonade, hot chocolate, sangria, smoothies, etc. I also use it to beat my eggs for fluffy omelets and to work my butter into dry mixes for baking. It truly is an AWESOME product.
This morning, I was in the mood for something yummy and I felt like starting the day with a hearty wheat free breakfast to keep me on track. Armed with my hand blender, I decided to make wheat free banana pancakes, a recipe that I have seen on many cooking blogs and have always wanted to try. It is super simple and not too messy.
Recipe:
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 whole eggs
- Dash of cinnamon
- Dash of vanilla extract
- Cooking spray or butter for pan
Optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, blueberries
Directions:
1. Beat eggs, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth with no lumps. Use your hand blender for best results!
2. Stir in any of your optional mix-ins (I had mine plain this morning, YUM!)
3. Heat a skillet or frying pan and grease as needed
4. Pour batter into the warm pan just as you would with pancake batter and turn flame to low heat.
5. When pancakes begin to bubble and the edges solidify, flip, and cook until golden on both sides.
6. ENJOY! I did with maple syrup, they tasted JUST like pancakes and the banana flavor is VERY subtle if you are not a banana fan.
These babies kept me full until lunch time and I think this will be my go to breakfast for a while, SO SATISFYING!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
-
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Wheat Free
Alright.....I am SO not into fad diets. I have always believed that calories in and calories burned will help me lose weight. I know that the times that I have been successful with my weight loss, it has been because of my diet mostly (or lack of because I starved myself)...the workouts help tone, but I can't eat whatever I want just because I head to the gym.
I am always looking for the easy fix. 20 years after my first diet, I am STILL trying to figure out what will work for me, it is exhausting and I am going to conquer it. I know I will.
I am so sick of riding the weight roller coaster: restrict, binge, restrict, binge, restrict, etc.
As I shared last week, I have been journaling my food patterns and lately, it became very clear to me that processed wheat (crackers, bread, bagels, cookies, and cereal specifically) give me the urge to binge. I researched it and I am not the only person that cannot control themselves with these items once they start.
For real, when these foods touch my lips, I literally lose control. I zone out and feel myself slipping into bad and destructive habits. Yet, it is a safe and familiar place. I know it is bad, but it feels so good. I am like Eve with her apple or Pandora with her box....I know inside the outcome will be negative, but the instant pull of gratification is too strong for me to resist.
I am a food addict, a wheat addict specifically. Give me a bag of honey wheat pretzel rods or a box of Wheat Thins and I will black out until only crumbs are left. I will then feel so ashamed and defeated, that I will have to lay down in order to center myself. I fall asleep and wake up with a food hangover. It is self destructive behavior. I do it to myself.
For the last few days, I have been journaling my food choices and I have been trying to avoid wheat when I can. It is a good first step for me, I do not think I can avoid dairy, I love cheese too much and can control myself around it. It was always the vehicle for cheese (bread and crackers) that I couldn't stop myself around, not the cheese.
I am feeling very in control. A general eating day for me has been like this:
Breakfast -
2 eggs made in butter
1 slice of cheddar cheese melted on eggs
1 banana
Coffee with cream and sugar
Lunch -
1 cup brown rice
1 cup peas
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 TBSP butter melted on rice
3 oz of chicken breast
1/2 cup 4 percent cottage cheese
Snack -
1 small bag of kettle potato chips
1 tall vanilla latte made with 2 percent milk
Dinner -
3 cups of romaine lettuce
1 small tomato
1 small cucumber
1/4 cup of feta cheese
4 oz of steak
2 TBSP balsamic vinaigrette dressing
14 almonds
1 small apple
Snack -
4 cups of air popped popcorn with 1 TBSP of olive oil and 2 TBSPs of parmesan cheese
2 squares of dark chocolate
I have never been so satisfied. I am actually quite surprised. I am full after meals and snacks. Prior to this, I was starving all of the time. I literally counted the minutes between meals, ALL I could think about was my next opportunity to eat, I fantasized about it.
I am going to keep this up as long as I can because I am really feeling even and positive. For now, I am just practicing eating for satisfaction and not counting calories. I am trying to learn my hunger signals which are totally out of whack from years and years of eating for emotional fulfillment.
Once I get the hungry and full signals rewired, I will tackle calories, so I can continue on my weight loss journey. At this time, I just want to take one little baby step at a time, so I can get my head around it all.
I will keep you posted!
I am always looking for the easy fix. 20 years after my first diet, I am STILL trying to figure out what will work for me, it is exhausting and I am going to conquer it. I know I will.
I am so sick of riding the weight roller coaster: restrict, binge, restrict, binge, restrict, etc.
As I shared last week, I have been journaling my food patterns and lately, it became very clear to me that processed wheat (crackers, bread, bagels, cookies, and cereal specifically) give me the urge to binge. I researched it and I am not the only person that cannot control themselves with these items once they start.
For real, when these foods touch my lips, I literally lose control. I zone out and feel myself slipping into bad and destructive habits. Yet, it is a safe and familiar place. I know it is bad, but it feels so good. I am like Eve with her apple or Pandora with her box....I know inside the outcome will be negative, but the instant pull of gratification is too strong for me to resist.
I am a food addict, a wheat addict specifically. Give me a bag of honey wheat pretzel rods or a box of Wheat Thins and I will black out until only crumbs are left. I will then feel so ashamed and defeated, that I will have to lay down in order to center myself. I fall asleep and wake up with a food hangover. It is self destructive behavior. I do it to myself.
For the last few days, I have been journaling my food choices and I have been trying to avoid wheat when I can. It is a good first step for me, I do not think I can avoid dairy, I love cheese too much and can control myself around it. It was always the vehicle for cheese (bread and crackers) that I couldn't stop myself around, not the cheese.
I am feeling very in control. A general eating day for me has been like this:
Breakfast -
2 eggs made in butter
1 slice of cheddar cheese melted on eggs
1 banana
Coffee with cream and sugar
Lunch -
1 cup brown rice
1 cup peas
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 TBSP butter melted on rice
3 oz of chicken breast
1/2 cup 4 percent cottage cheese
Snack -
1 small bag of kettle potato chips
1 tall vanilla latte made with 2 percent milk
Dinner -
3 cups of romaine lettuce
1 small tomato
1 small cucumber
1/4 cup of feta cheese
4 oz of steak
2 TBSP balsamic vinaigrette dressing
14 almonds
1 small apple
Snack -
4 cups of air popped popcorn with 1 TBSP of olive oil and 2 TBSPs of parmesan cheese
2 squares of dark chocolate
I have never been so satisfied. I am actually quite surprised. I am full after meals and snacks. Prior to this, I was starving all of the time. I literally counted the minutes between meals, ALL I could think about was my next opportunity to eat, I fantasized about it.
I am going to keep this up as long as I can because I am really feeling even and positive. For now, I am just practicing eating for satisfaction and not counting calories. I am trying to learn my hunger signals which are totally out of whack from years and years of eating for emotional fulfillment.
Once I get the hungry and full signals rewired, I will tackle calories, so I can continue on my weight loss journey. At this time, I just want to take one little baby step at a time, so I can get my head around it all.
I will keep you posted!
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