Anyone else with extremely restricted diets?

penrbrown
penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
edited October 2 in Food and Nutrition
I am gluten-free (allergic to wheat, barley, yeast and potatoes - so I decided I may as well just go all the way and call myself gluten-free) and allergic to milk, chocolate, apples and nuts. As you can imagine my diet is extremely restricted. Despite this I've managed to pack on the pounds just like everybody else.

I'm finding it VERY difficult to calorie count because so much of my food has to be made from scratch. At the moment I am just trying to practice portion control as opposed to strict calorie watching, I just find it easier...

I'm just hoping to connect with others who also have restricted diets already (due to circumstances out of their control). How do you cope with calorie counting? How do you handle already having so much cut out and then having to cut MORE out to lose weight?

Any suggestions or recipes would be appreciated too btw. :) Please feel free to private message me your gluten-free recipes! I'm actually really new at the gluten-free thing (just found out this past spring that I was allergic to wheat, barley and yeast) so I need all the help I can get.

Thank you!!! I look forward to hearing from others who struggle with difficult diets within dieting. ;)

Replies

  • mfrank47
    mfrank47 Posts: 3 Member
    I have some similar problems, I am lactose intolerant to the EXTREME, and really really have to be careful.
    You need to find a good supermarket - Whole Foods or the like, a "green " supermarket -Publix, which is our local Florida supermarket has some "green" stores. Stick to as many non-processed foods as possible, but there are some things out there.....
    Cheerios has a number of gluten-free cereals, a company called Vann's makes gluten free waffles and pancakes. Vegan products work as well - try soy milk and soy products. There are also lactaid added products, Green Valley makes a nice yogurt that has the lactase bacillus added to it so you can digest........
    Also, have you tried japanese food - like sushi? no gluten or dairy there!
    If you crave chocolate, stick to the darkest dark you can get (without being too bitter) its the milk in milk chocolate you probably have problems with
    Check bread labels some are made without gluten or milk.
    I wish you the best -
  • singer201
    singer201 Posts: 562 Member
    If you are cooking only for yourself, that makes it easier. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store for whole, non-processed foods--veggies, fruits, meats. Start with a variety of raw veggies with whatever permitted condiment to dip in (I eat a container/plate of veggies for dinner every day). Use the RECIPE function on your home page to enter your own recipes. Keep your entrees simple until you get the hang of cooking within your dietary restrictions. I broil or bake beef, pork, chicken with simple marinades or sauces. If you make more than one serving, freeze or refrigerate the leftovers for easy meals later in the week. If you can eat eggs, use them for breakfast often--the protein keeps you full until lunch time. Portion control is your friend, and planning your meals for the day in the morning will help you maintain control of the calorie count.
  • Grumpelina
    Grumpelina Posts: 56 Member
    No lactose or onions in this house, which can be quite hard in the shops as *everything* has lactose, oinions or onion powder.

    I just cook from scratch and am getting quite good at it now, if you ask me.

    Weighing ingredients and portion control are where it's at.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions ladies. :)

    I'm allergic to chocolate. Allergic to yeast so even gluten-free breads are a no. I've been looking for an EASY yeast free-gluten free recipe but the only one I found requires an ingredient I CANNOT FIND nut-free... what is WITH that? Haha. I'm kind of screwed on all ends because if it's gluten-free it's usually nut-full... and if it's nut-free it usually has milk or gluten.

    I'm just going to stick to portion control for now, I think. Calorie counting is just too difficult when you have to make everything straight from scratch. I kind of 'guess' at calorie intake just to keep a running tally but I know it's most likely inaccurate.

    I will try the RECIPE function! Thanks for mentioning that singer. We'll see if it works for me...

    Everything DOES have onions or lactose... it's funny how we don't notice what IS in our food until it's toxic to us, eh?
  • hightopps
    hightopps Posts: 26
    I am a vegan. I'm allergic to milk and mushrooms, and have an intolerance to meat/eggs. So a quick recap of what I don't eat: milk, butter, eggs, beef, poultry, fish, and mushrooms. I've also had several stints of going gluten-free (for health reasons and I lived with a friend who had Celiac).

    Try looking at primal or paleo diets. I know that they emphasize low carb, high protein meals. I'd also look into Eat to Live, which is the vegan version of that, IMHO.

    I know that I feel better about my options when I think about what I CAN eat, as opposed to what I can't. I've been trying a whole bunch of new foods and really diversified my diet.

    I really recommend the following websites. Both are vegan and contain gluten-free recipes. They're also really, really delicious. Just look out for nuts and apples!

    http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/tag/gluten-free
    http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/tag/gluten-free/ (not all of her recipes have chocolate- she provides a lot of nutrient-rich foods that are scrumptious!)
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