21 days of gluten free, because wheat is so addictive and toxic

hilla1996 · August 2020

I am starting 21 days of gluten free nutrition

I noticed that I binge alot when and I cant control my intake at all

does anyone want to join me?

I hope to lose around 5 pounds.

kimny72 · August 2020

Wheat is not generally addictive or toxic. Of course if you have celiac disease you should avoid it. Regardless, I do hope your 21 days go well and you see whatever benefits you're hoping for.

I've found wheat products to be a filling and nutritious part of my diet

hilla1996 · August 2020

i find that if i have one cookie I am not satisfied until I finish them all

But I can eat one apple or one banana

I think wheat that is processed does not register correctly with our brain

especially wheat and sugar combo

TeaBea · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

i find that if i have one cookie I am not satisfied until I finish them all

But I can eat one apple or one banana

I think wheat that is processed does not register correctly with our brain

especially wheat and sugar combo

Wheat is one ingredient (of many) found in a lot of recipes for baked goods.

I can combine ground oats, oats, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon and apples to come up with a really yummy apple crisp. Could I eat the whole pan? Sure. Sooner or later it's going to come down to BEHAVIORAL changes. Learning how to eat in moderation instead of jumping to the conclusion.....that's certain things are addictive.

I'm not celiac, and I'm not going to eliminate baked goods forever.

AnnPT77 · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

i find that if i have one cookie I am not satisfied until I finish them all

But I can eat one apple or one banana

I think wheat that is processed does not register correctly with our brain

especially wheat and sugar combo

You might want to take a look at how much fat is in that cookie, vs. the apple or banana, too.

It's true that many people find very calorie-dense, nutrition-sparse foods (like many cookies) very easy to over-eat. Human history, which mostly involved risks of starvation, not risks of obesity, installed circuits in our body that like consuming fats and carbs when available, for the calories.

When the fatty/carby foods are low in nutrients, and not very filling, the body can easily eat more, and may crave more. Some of that craving may simply be because of that fat/sugar reward thing, or because the foods aren't nutritious or voluminous enough to say "down boy" to our appetite hormones. I'd caution that many gluten-free commercially-available foods are also calorie dense, and nutrition sparse, so may not be very filling either.

Maybe consider trying to shift your eating in a more generally nutrient dense, filling direction, rather than demonizing one food or one type of protein (gluten per se is a protein, not a carb, BTW).

For me, making it a point to eat several whole fruit servings daily greatly reduced my cravings for less nutrient-dense sweet treats. Now, a lot of the basic grocery-store-esque sweet treats aren't even appealing, don't taste good. Too sweet, and *just* sweet, no interesting flavors. Every once in a while, I might eat a good homemade cookie, but I don't crave those things. (The fruit trick doesn't work for everyone, but others here have said it did, for them, too. Might be worth a try.)

Even if that doesn't help you, I'd suggest that striving to get overall well-rounded good nutrition is a better, healthier and more productive route than eliminating foods (that you're not allergic to, or equivalent). By "overall good nutrition", I mean an adequate amount of protein, an adequate amount of healthy fats, and plenty of varied, colorful veggies and fruits for micronutrients and fiber.

Your call, though.

Some people do find that eliminating their trigger foods is helpful for weight loss, but "gluten" or "wheat" is a pretty broad category. (Do you ever over-eat cooked whole wheat berries as a side or breakfast dish? Maybe try it, as a diagnostic.) If you don't plan to drop those foods from your life forever, what's your planned path to maintaining your preferred weight permanently?

Whatever path you choose, good luck with the weight loss, sincerely!

L1zardQueen · August 2020

Cookies have fat, sugar and flour. Of course, those ingredients are winning. I can’t eat them either, I rarely buy them anymore nor bake them.

rheddmobile · August 2020

Having a gluten sensitivity isn’t at all the same thing as having a craving for quick carbs. I’m reasonably certain, based on your description of your behavior, that you would eat a whole box of rice-flour based gluten-free cookies just as quickly, if they tasted as good.

If baked goods are a trigger food for you, by all means cut them out of your life until such a time as you feel more able to moderate them. 21 days sounds like a good trial period. I have trigger foods that I have gradually learned to moderate, such as Pepperidge Farm Brussels cookies, and ones that I will never taste again because I just can’t manage them, such as Coke. What works for you won’t be what works for anyone else. That’s okay, as long as it works for you.

lgfrie · August 2020

My wife has had Celiac's for 9 years. A single molecule of gluten will make her sick for days and days - as a result, our house is 100 % gluten free. No wheat. barley, soy sauce, etc etc etc. No packaged foods for the most part, since "natural flavors" in the ingredients list often includes gluten. no beer, a lot of wines pass through barrels that were used for bourbon and therefore have trace gluten so those are out too. And so on, you get the idea. Even "Certified gluten free" foods sometimes make her sick, and that is the highest, regulated standard for gluten-free that exists, 20 ppm.

During the first 8 of the 9 years we've eaten gluten free we GAINED weight. Gluten-free is an allergy strategy, not a diet strategy. Only when we started counting calories did the weight from all that delicious gluten-free food start falling off. Don't fool yourself about gluten. It's very easy to swap something in for gluten and overeat it. It's the habit of overeating, binging, and overindulging that needs to be brought to heel, not the gluten.

Diatonic12 · August 2020

A long, long time ago, I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was gluten-full. I've belonged to a couple of dieting clubs including those who believe in food group elimination. The food group eliminators kicked gluten to the curb via self-diagnosis. Self-diagnosis won't hold up with medical professionals.

When you've got the real deal ^^^ you'll know it. Ooo, you can be gluten sensitive without the full blown gluten allergy. Binge eating comes in all forms including massive rationalization and excuses. I know. I know.
I'm not riding on my high horse and I am not a Bot. I repeat, I am not a Bot.

Everyone has their dues in life to pay and I've paid through the nose. There was a hook in my jaw. Twenty one days of gluten-free living won't fix binge eating. We don't know your details. If you're just getting this binge eating then start a brutally strict diet immediately to overcompensate thing kicked off, think twice. These kind of cycles can last someone for an entire lifetime.

Don't start none. Won't be none.

psychod787 · August 2020

AnnPT77 wrote: »

hilla1996 wrote: »

i find that if i have one cookie I am not satisfied until I finish them all

But I can eat one apple or one banana

I think wheat that is processed does not register correctly with our brain

especially wheat and sugar combo

You might want to take a look at how much fat is in that cookie, vs. the apple or banana, too.

It's true that many people find very calorie-dense, nutrition-sparse foods (like many cookies) very easy to over-eat. Human history, which mostly involved risks of starvation, not risks of obesity, installed circuits in our body that like consuming fats and carbs when available, for the calories.

When the fatty/carby foods are low in nutrients, and not very filling, the body can easily eat more, and may crave more. Some of that craving may simply be because of that fat/sugar reward thing, or because the foods aren't nutritious or voluminous enough to say "down boy" to our appetite hormones. I'd caution that many gluten-free commercially-available foods are also calorie dense, and nutrition sparse, so may not be very filling either.

Maybe consider trying to shift your eating in a more generally nutrient dense, filling direction, rather than demonizing one food or one type of protein (gluten per se is a protein, not a carb, BTW).

For me, making it a point to eat several whole fruit servings daily greatly reduced my cravings for less nutrient-dense sweet treats. Now, a lot of the basic grocery-store-esque sweet treats aren't even appealing, don't taste good. Too sweet, and *just* sweet, no interesting flavors. Every once in a while, I might eat a good homemade cookie, but I don't crave those things. (The fruit trick doesn't work for everyone, but others here have said it did, for them, too. Might be worth a try.)

Even if that doesn't help you, I'd suggest that striving to get overall well-rounded good nutrition is a better, healthier and more productive route than eliminating foods (that you're not allergic to, or equivalent). By "overall good nutrition", I mean an adequate amount of protein, an adequate amount of healthy fats, and plenty of varied, colorful veggies and fruits for micronutrients and fiber.

Your call, though.

Some people do find that eliminating their trigger foods is helpful for weight loss, but "gluten" or "wheat" is a pretty broad category. (Do you ever over-eat cooked whole wheat berries as a side or breakfast dish? Maybe try it, as a diagnostic.) If you don't plan to drop those foods from your life forever, what's your planned path to maintaining your preferred weight permanently?

Whatever path you choose, good luck with the weight loss, sincerely!

<---- pokes his head in the door to comment on flour in cookies vs fat .... See's his wonderfully chiseled Aunt Granny has already attacked that beast......
<

goes back to bed

Ddsb11 · August 2020

My early day binges were based off an all or nothing mentality. Believing those were “bad” foods, the deprivation turned into binges. I think there’s a lot of psychology behind binges rather than specific ingredients.

MikePfirrman · August 2020

lgfrie wrote: »

My wife has had Celiac's for 9 years. A single molecule of gluten will make her sick for days and days - as a result, our house is 100 % gluten free. No wheat. barley, soy sauce, etc etc etc. No packaged foods for the most part, since "natural flavors" in the ingredients list often includes gluten. no beer, a lot of wines pass through barrels that were used for bourbon and therefore have trace gluten so those are out too. And so on, you get the idea. Even "Certified gluten free" foods sometimes make her sick, and that is the highest, regulated standard for gluten-free that exists, 20 ppm.

During the first 8 of the 9 years we've eaten gluten free we GAINED weight. Gluten-free is an allergy strategy, not a diet strategy. Only when we started counting calories did the weight from all that delicious gluten-free food start falling off. Don't fool yourself about gluten. It's very easy to swap something in for gluten and overeat it. It's the habit of overeating, binging, and overindulging that needs to be brought to heel, not the gluten.

I found out I was Celiac around four or five years ago. I can easily gain weight.

Diatonic12 · August 2020

@psychod787 I was hoping you'd talk about green-plant membranes. Thylakoids. How they decrease the urges for highly palatable foods. I listen to everything you say and I put it to practice. I've been eating those greens on a daily basis and it absolutely works. Some things you remember and you just can't help it. Dem bones, dem bones, dem bones have a memory. Everything does.

Courtscan2 · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

i find that if i have one cookie I am not satisfied until I finish them all

But I can eat one apple or one banana

I think wheat that is processed does not register correctly with our brain

especially wheat and sugar combo

As mentioned, cookies have a lot more to them than just wheat. Would you do the same with plain bread? If you ate a slice of plain bread, would you then be tempted to scarf the whole loaf? I just find it odd that you've identified the wheat in the cookie, rather than the sugar, butter, egg, whatever whatever.

Diatonic12 · August 2020

@msalicia07 Understood and appreciated. The psychology behind the binge rather than the specific ingredients. Powerful right there.

Different triggers for everyone. Bread or cookies. Pizza or chips. Soda or ice cream. Chocolate or gummy bears. Salted peanuts or donuts. Cinnamon rolls or cake. Cheesecake or brownies. It's endless.

One of the funniest things about women's magazines is the diet in the middle and the next few pages are loaded to the gills with recipes for every dessert under the sun. Slick marketing tricks everywhere you look. The hook in the jaw is the brand new diet. The excitement never ends.

springlering62 · August 2020

Diatonic12 wrote: »

One of the funniest things about women's magazines is the diet in the middle and the next few pages are loaded to the gills with recipes for every dessert under the sun. Slick marketing tricks everywhere you look. The hook in the jaw is the brand new diet. The excitement never ends.

I bought a women’s magazine the other day for the first time in years and am still traumatized by the recipes. Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies? Oh, my.

I could eat my weight in frozen blueberries topped with blueberry balsamic. No wheat there. There’s nothing magic about wheat (unless you’re medically prevented).

I still eat bread but not gobs of it. Although I do recollect telling hubs at dinner tonight, as I stared dreamily into space and savored every bite, “Nothing beats a piece of buttered homemade bread.”

Diatonic12 · August 2020

You're sooo right, @springlering62 . Good food fixes everything. I've added more greens in and I like it, a lorra lorra. It was only 50 degrees here today. The weather has broken and there's snow on the mountain tops. Fall is here and winter will be here on Labor Day. Homemade bread. Ooo-ou là là!!

missysippy930 · August 2020

Every culture has a type of bread. It’s a staple food item throughout the world and made from many different grains.

Doing what works best for each of us is important, so if this works for you, that’s wonderful.

Moderation of all foods, and staying within your calorie budget, are good tools to develop, for lifelong weight control. No food is bad. Eating more than your body burns, consistently, leads to weight gain over time, no matter where the calories come from.

Your life, your choices.

missysippy930 · August 2020

BTW OP, why are you saying wheat is toxic? Do you have celiac disease?

NovusDies · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

i find that if i have one cookie I am not satisfied until I finish them all

But I can eat one apple or one banana

I think wheat that is processed does not register correctly with our brain

especially wheat and sugar combo

Don't feel too bad with all the disagrees (none from me). It is easy to get taken in by some of the internet theories for why we behave the way we do. It is very commonly blamed on modern processing of food and how it does this or that to our brain or our insulin.

You say that if you eat a cookie you are not satisfied until you finish them all. The part you are missing is the part where being satisfied is not actually a thing you must do. You are also missing the part where you are probably NOT satisfied when you finish the last cookie - you are just out of cookies.

Changing habits comes from recognizing that they are habits. If you often indulge in immediate gratification your cravings have increased in intensity and probably frequency. They likely feel urgent and when you choose or circumstances prevent you from indulging there is probably some unpleasantness. It will pass and in time if you keep delaying gratification or sometimes denying it the intensity should lessen.

My cravings were once the kid in the store that got so accustomed to getting the candy that it would throw tantrums if I didn't indulge. I had to teach the kid that it would get the candy on my terms only. Now I seldom even get cravings because the kid figures it is not worth the effort.

Dogmom1978 · August 2020

Blaming an ingredient or food is just an excuse. We all make them at one point or another.

My big excuse was stress. I was too stressed to weigh and log my calories. I was too stressed to eat healthy. I ended up gaining over 70 lbs. Then I developed an overactive thyroid. I had heart palpitations and my hands would shake uncontrollably. Lost over 70 lbs with the overactive thyroid still eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. If it wasn’t for the potential heart failure, I probably wouldn’t have treated the thyroid. But I did and gained back 80 lbs because of all the life stress, work stress, etc.

Now I weigh and log everything. I eat what I want when I want but moderation is key. Instead of 3 or 4 slices of pizza, I have a maximum of 2. Instead of a bag of cookies, I eat 3. No more excuses and I have lost 25 lbs so far.

You can easily gain a ton of weight without eating the cookies. I doubt you will be able to stop eating them forever if you enjoy them. You need to take control of your behavior and learn how to eat them in moderation. Otherwise, you are destined to yo yo for years.

21 days of gluten free, because wheat is so addictive and toxic

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