Anyone else with food allergies/intolerances?

rosehippy77 · March 2013

Hi all,
I am newly signed up here and have been tracking my calories for the last 10 days or so after buying lots of lovely new clothes a couple weeks back then realizing when I tried to put them on they were waaaaay too tight!

Not surprising really as I've spent the past 6 months feeding my insatiable sweet tooth and have spectacularly fallen off of the gluten and dairy free diet that I have been on the past couple of years since discovering my food intolerances. I am so disappointed with myself, not only have I put on around 20 pounds when I had been doing really well last summer, I have made myself fatigued, bloated and just generally unwell! What was I thinking?!!

The problem is that once I cheat and eat one thing that I shouldn't, I then have said "well, I may as well go ahead and eat gluten the rest of the day then"! slippery slope to massive weight gain!

I just wondered if any of you have similar experience with sticking to not just a healthy diet, but a restricted one due to food allergies and intolerances?

Dragonnade · March 2013

I'm kinda iffy with starch. Mashed potato is a huge no-no, though I tend to be OK with a small portion of roast/boiled taters for some reason. Also iffy with lactose.

I tend to find hanging out in the bathroom worried about one end or the other makes me re-evaluate why I ate stuff I shouldn't and consider if it was really worth it.

Pizza in Rome = worth it.
Cream and port sauce = not worth it.

Perhaps more relevant though, I've found that if I have a small amount of whatever, I'm generally all right. If I throw in the towel for the day, it all goes wrong and my guts take anywhere from 24 hours to a few days to resettle. We all fall off the wagon, but minimizing the effects is vital.

I've also found that exercise really helps. I want less alcohol, cigarettes and cake when I'm feeling awesome from a run.

shellplen · March 2013

Your not on your own. I lost nearly 2 stone a couple of years ago. I put on all but 9lbs of it. Sooo this wk I decided to give myself a shake and cos I,ll be 44 tomoro(maybe it's my mid life wake up call) to get back on track. I discovered I'm intolerant all of a sudden to gravy and cream and also that my favourite bread bloated me to high heaven. I,very managed to lose 3lb this week, by simply cutting my portion size. I,my not great at self control, so that's why I joined myfitnesspal. I plan what I'm going to have so im not tempted to cheat.

rosehippy77 · March 2013

Hey guys, thanks for replies, Dragonnade that made me giggle with the worth it/not worth it comment!

I am loving this site as it really helps me think about what I'm putting in my mouth every day and I am really enjoying being "back on the wagon" with keeping control of the foods that I'm intolerant to. It's tricky when everyone else in my household eats normally and then when it comes mealtimes if DH is having say, a tortilla wrap with his dinner and there's no gluten free alternative for me, it's very easy to say, "what the heck, I'll just have one too then start over tomorrow!"
But yes, I do notice that now that I'm back to sticking to gluten free and limited dairy if I have just one thing it will take 24-48hrs to get rid of the consequent symptoms of the food lapse and it really isn't worth it.
I think what I need is to take the "all or nothing" approach and really stick to it! I have to say when I was sticking to it right up to late summer last year I felt amazing, and will keep that in mind for this year.
The key to success with sticking to a restricted diet for intolerances I think must surely lie with more planning and organisation on my part!

shellplen I wish you Happy Birthday for tomorrow, I hope you have a lovely day!

JessHealthKick · March 2013

Heya!

Yeah I am with you in regards to the intolerance thing. I only really realised I had a problem with gluten when I tried gluten free for a week when I started my new 'healthy lifestyle' just to see what it was like. I had recently been very sick, with every symptom of influenza bar the actual diagnosis of influenza. Anyway, once I had pasta again I was so sick all night and had painful stomach cramps. I find this happens when I have almost any product containing flour now, unless it is in small doses. Pizza (fresh pizza, not crappy Pizza Hut) seems to be OK (thank goodness) but I was naughty and had some steamed veggie buns (I am in a town famous for them at the moment) which resulted in me being bed ridden all morning today

THIS stopped me from being on the slopes snowboarding in the morning as I'm holidaying, so I was very unhappy!

If you need gluten-free support and recipe chat, don't hesitate to add me

I LOVE JAPANESE RICE so luckily gluten free isn't that painful for me. I'd prefer it to rice-free any day!

rosehippy77 · March 2013

Ahhh sushi! My favourite!

That's interesting you say about the Flu symptoms, that was originally how I discovered my Gluten intolerance.
For ages after my youngest son was born I just felt like I had Flu coming on with all the fuzzy head and body/limbs aching every single day which always came on at dinner time! I had put it down to the newborn baby fatigue, but then after 6 months I looked into it as it was just dragging on and on and I hated feeling that way, so after a bit of research and trying gluten free I couldn't believe how well I felt after a couple of weeks sticking rigidly to gluten & dairy free.
I lost 10pounds in the first month too, which was an added bonus.
Which is why I'm so annoyed with myself now, I had a fabulous head start and blew it over this winter!

I keep meaning to go on amazon and buy that book " Japanese women don't get old or fat" it looks really interesting, and surely there must be something in that with the mainly rice based diet.
Thanks jessicalysenk, I'll add you then, look forward to catching up again soon, for now I'm off to go shopping for red T-shirts for my kids school comic relief day fundraiser tomorrow. Does walking super fast around a shopping mall count as excercise? lol
ttfn! x

marshallexi · March 2013

Like Dragonnade above, the symptoms usually put me right off. I'm very allergic to cow's milk (proteins go straight through stomach lining, body thinks it's an infection, tries to attack it, very poorly Alex for a few days) but I've learned that if I boil it I can get away with adding it to my diet. Fine for when you're out and you want a coffee (can you heat the milk please?) but I daren't let myself go near the stuff at any other times. Thus I can eat cheese in small quantities, but then my skin breaks out (another wonderful symptom) and as I'm a bit vain then that puts me off the stuff too.

I guess with dairy there are so many lovely alternatives (nut milks, soya yogurts etc) that I tend not to miss it. Occasionally I want to drink the cow's milk straight from the bottle out of the fridge, but I think of the pain and it puts me off.

Wheat I'm mildly sensitive to, so if I hammer it I feel like I'm going to slip into a coma. Again, I try to be positive and look at all the great substitutes out there (so I'll eat italian breadsticks and crackers as opposed to bread) but occasionally a pizza will happen - I just make sure it's infrequent, on an evening and that I have digestive enzymes in the house.

It's all about finding your balance and what sacrifices you are willing to make to be healthy.

SweetestLibby · March 2013

I'm soy intolerant and it's added to so many foods! I can take it in low doses with mild discomfort but eating something like edamame or tofu is a HUGE no-no. I ate it once - accidentally while having dinner with a friend and it was miserable!

shellplen · March 2013

Thank you, had a lovely day. Bit of. Over indulgence but what the heck, I'll try to be good tomoro.

shandi_b · March 2013

I've suspected food allergy / intolerance for a while now and my normal GP has just dismissed it out of hand. But after suffering with constant sinus and mucous problems for 2 years and lately joint pain in my fingers (that would get better with an antihistamine) I found a doctor that specialises in allergies that I didn't need a referral for. So, yesterday I was used as a pin cushion when they did the allergy testing and I have high positive reactions to wheat, dairy, rye, coffee, potatoes and beef.

The doctor told me that it doesn't have to be a life threatening reaction to be an allergy and the body doesn't always respond in what people think as a typical allergic response (rash and swelling). My response of flu like symptoms, joint pain, heachaches and sinus are quite common reactions.

My challenge now is to avoid dairy, beef, potato and wheat.....rye and coffee will be the easier ones to avoid. The other ones will be a lot harder as they are in most of my favorite foods

Feel free to add me if you would like a friend with food allergy challenges as well

Nige_Gsy · March 2013

Diagnosed as gluten, gliadin, egg, dairy, and ginger intolerant in November 2011.

Happy to share my journey if it's of any interest / benefit to anyone.

sunnyskys2013 · March 2013

I can't eat gluten, apples, oranges and bananas. I have been gluten free for 14 month's. I have gotten gluten a few time unknowingly and it makes me really sick, so i never cheat.

Anyone else with food allergies/intolerances?

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