Yesterday marked 1 completed month of our gluten and dairy free diet, and I am proud to say I made it through without cheating!
Week 1 was full of challenges, we just weren't prepared for the magnitude of our lifestyle change. Cheese and gluten seemed to be in everything I enjoy. I will admit, I was hungry and frustrated and had a little breakdown in the grocery store the first day. We were trying to make gluten/dairy free recipes from helpful websites but it was all so overwhelming. We both got really sick bellies around day 5 and had a pretty miserable weekend because of it.
Luckily, we survived week 1 and got our shit together to start week 2 on a better foot. We sat down and made a list of all of the things we like to eat, then went to the grocery store with a plan to buy the ingredients for those recipes with just gluten and dairy free substitutes. This plan seemed to work a lot better for our opposite schedules. We did some grocery store recon and found better options at many different places. I started cooking up meals that we could split into 2 containers for each of our fridges, and we found some snack foods that weren't terrible. Week 2 I started to notice that I wasn't feeling sick nearly as often as the last 3 months.
Week 2 we also started trying to go out to eat at restaurants that offer gluten free options. I have had varying degrees with success with the ones I have tried so far. (I will probably write a whole blog about what has worked and what hasn't, but I will say Gluten free pizza crust with lots of veggies and no cheese from Firehouse or Monical's really aren't bad, and Flat Top was a win on all accounts.)
Week 3 and 4 went by with no hiccups, we seemed to have settled into it and while occasionally Cecil might forget at work and cheat a little, she is completely entitled to that since she is only doing this to be nice to me anyway. Some challenges in the last month included a birthday dinner with my best friend and Mother's Day dinner, that they had to plan around restaurants that offer gluten free options and a wedding where I wasn't sure I would be able to eat anything at the reception. The most frustrating part about the diet, in fact, is when I have to make plans in advance for times that should just be care free and fun. I also feel really bad when my restrictions affect others. Overall, I feel a lot better but I have had a few days where I was reminded that my issues aren't completely gone.
We are working our way through a list of Gluten free beers that aren't supposed to be terrible, which we have also had varying degrees of success with. Memorial Day weekend, we tried a few different beers that weren't bad and actually found one that I loved!
My doctor recommended I try this diet for a month, then slowly introduce 1 food at a time back into my diet to see how my system handles it, and to hopefully pinpoint what is causing the issues. Since day 1, I knew that first food would be cheese. I am just really not a fan of the imitation cheese, while it is better than nothing, there is no imitation for real cheese. Last night, we made cheeseburgers and they were delicious! My tummy did grumble about it a little at work, but for the most part I didn't feel terrible. I am not going to push my luck though, I will probably forgo the cheese today to let my system adjust.
There have been many times in the last month that my attitude has been less than stellar, but I really appreciate all of the support I have received from family, friends and Cecil. Yesterday, I presented Cecil with a thank you gift for making it 1 month GFDF with me, even though she didn't have to. It was a bag full of "cheat" foods, for those days that she just really wants something with cheese or gluten in it. I understand that this diet is less than ideal, and it means so much to me that she is not only supporting me while I do it, but she is doing it with me to keep me motivated. That right there is love, ladies and gentlemen.
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