Need advice

Shadow87

I'm trying to lose weight, doing P90X as well as reading the Abs Diet and 6 Weeks to Skinny Jeans, but it's just so depressing when so many of the recipes call for items with wheat in them...anyone have any advice on how to get around that, or have any good GF recipes that are cheap/easy to find ingredients? I feel like I'm not eating as healthy as I should be or would like to, but I really just have no idea where to start... and it's so aggravating that people think you just automatically shed weight when you have celiac's or go Gluten Free...I actually gained weight after the initial loss caused by a diet change when I was diagnosed-and because it took them 12 years to diagnose it I have trouble with absorbing nutrients and even the tiniest bit of gluten causes a severe reaction in me...

pdworkman

Yup, I gained weight when going gluten free as well. It was a November, and I had to do lots of baking to figure out some Christmas treats that would be good for my family, bread recipes that would work, etc.

Anyway, I am grain-free, vegetarian, dairy free, and multiple allergies. I cook from scratch and eat lots of whole foods. Have a look at my diary if you like.

brandiuntz

I eat a lot more vegetables with my protein (meat). I have days where I eat rice, or quinoa (check it out, an excellent grain), but I focus on getting my carbs from fruit, veggies, beans, and some diary. I decided not to "replace" wheat/gluten grains with another grain, especially all the GF products. I have those on occasion (and more power to those that enjoy them regularly), but I realized it was better for me to change the focus of my meals to vegetables, beans, and protein.

caroleslaststand

I got acquainted with a lot of recipe websites and I keep an eye out for gluten free recipes. I get new recipes all the time and a lot of them are excellent: Allrecipes.com, Betty Crocker, Better Homes and Gardens, My Daily Moment, Mr. Food - sometimes they feature some new gf recipes, but you can also use their index to see what they've got available for gluten free recipes.

There are also quite a few blogs out there kept by GF cooks who experiment with new recipes and are happy to share. Just type into your search engine "gluten free (name of dish here) and, I promise, you'll get more than one recipe. I even found one for gluten free phylo dough, so maybe some day I can make Baklava again. It may put me into a diabetic coma, but hey....

And - if you're a brave and/or creative cook, don't walk away from a recipe just because it has some gluten rich food in the ingredients. Ask yourself if you could convert it to gluten free. You probably can. I guess I like to live dangerously. I'm temporarily disabled, so on food stamps and I still experiment with recipes and run the risk of ruining something (and I can't afford to waste anything) - but I haven't wrecked anything yet.

For example - I recently found a meat loaf recipe that I wanted to try and all I had to do was use gluten free bread for that part of the recipe. This past holiday season my cooking was the best it had been in years, because I cruised the internet looking for likely gluten free recipes for the traditional dishes. It all turned out great. Even the dressing was great and everything gluten free. It won't come to you overnight, but think of it as a new hobby and you'll become reasonably skilled before too long.

There's also a lot to be said for eating more meals that are simply generous servings of vegetables steamed and /or raw with some kind of protein (meat or beans) on the side. I often just steam up a huge bowl of veggies and put an ounce of grated cheese on it - or just eat it as is. I feel more in control of the calories when I don't have to type a whole recipe into the food log area.

JackLeaMason

If you want to lose weight stay off of sugar too. Gluten free baking is still loaded with calories from sweeteners and your blood sugar will still be an issue. Replace your starches with brown rice and potatoes with skin and chick peas, beans and lentils, search the Indian and Thai foods recipes for new experiments. These ethnic foods are historically gluten free and relatively inexpensive to make at home.

If you want something more simple. Make a baked potato pizza. Cut a left over baked potato in half so you have two flat sides skin down on an oven safe plate. Mash it down flat with your hands or the bottom of a glass to a uniform thickness. Cover the potato with your favorite pizza sauce then cover with mozzarella or your favorite cheese and toppings. Put the plate in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes and check. Sometimes I move it up to the broiler for a minute to bubble up and brown the cheese.

If that's too much work and you still have a sweet-tooth, try Lara Bars. Cherry pie is my favorite. Just almonds dates and sour cherries.

Purplegal

I hardly ever look for gluten free recipes...I just convert regular recipes to gluten free. Almost anything that calls for flour I use Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour....there are many choices out there but that is what I use. Then just add about 1 tsp of guar or xantham gum per cup of flour....usually turns out great!
Breadcrumbs- yup just use GF...you can even buy GF breadcrumbs now if so inclined....soy sauce I use Braggs Amino Acids, can never tell a difference.

Hope this helps!

SilentRenegade

I eat a lot more vegetables with my protein (meat). I have days where I eat rice, or quinoa (check it out, an excellent grain), but I focus on getting my carbs from fruit, veggies, beans, and some diary. I decided not to "replace" wheat/gluten grains with another grain, especially all the GF products. I have those on occasion (and more power to those that enjoy them regularly), but I realized it was better for me to change the focus of my meals to vegetables, beans, and protein.

This is exactly what I started doing. I'm not a huge fan of the GF replacement products because I feel they are loaded with other stuff. So instead, I just don't eat bread and pasta.

Also what somebody else said, look at a recipe and make it GF. There are also many websites that have GF recipes, and if you have an iPhone or iPad, there's a ton of recipe apps that you can ask for GF (allrecipes.com). I would do a major Google search too.