Ezekiel bread is flourless, but there is still malt and barley in it, which means it still contains gluten. Food For Life (the company that makes Ezekiel bread) makes a gluten free bread made from rice flour that you can get at Trader Joe's. I've also heard that Udi's brand gluten free bread is pretty good and most resembles regular sandwich bread.

If you can eat dairy, try greek yogurt for breakfast. It has carbs, but it also has a lot of protein. Trader Joe's also makes a very good gluten free granola that I put in my yogurt sometimes.

Also, try to get your carbs from fruit and veggies rather than bread or pasta (even if it's gluten free, it still has carbs!). I had breakfast for dinner last night: eggs with chicken sausage and potatoes. Next time I'll add some veggies as well. Snacks seem to be the hardest for me, because it is so easy to grab some chips or eat a bowl of gluten free cereal, which is all carbs carbs carbs. Try some string cheese or a piece of fruit instead.

Hope that helps!

I've been using MyFitnessPal since January, I think, but I only just decided to look into joining a group. This one seemed to fit nicely for me as I am hypothyroid with hashimoto's. As I was perusing the posts, this one attracked my attention because I also eat gluten free. Over a year ago, I went to see a homeopathic doctor. They gave me a blood test to determine food allergies. It came up with diary, eggs, and gluten being delayed allergies of mine. Now these tests check for IGG antibodies are are controversial. Most mainstream doctors don't believe you can test for food allergies this way. So that always left me with some question about whether these were really a problem for me. Initially I was off cow dairy, eggs, and gluten for several months. I went off one day by having pizza at a relatives house. Shortly after this, I had a blood test for thyroid antibodies and they were down in the 30s from the 400s that they have always been in the last 10 years. More and more research is showing a link between gluten problems and thyroid problems. It is one of those "which came first, the chicken or the egg" situations. Does gluten cause thyroid problems or thyroid problems cause gluten issues? Anyhow, through various on an off use of gluten over the last year, I have found that I blow up like a balloon when I eat gluten. I will gain a couple of pounds in a couple of days. Also, many times I start having digestive issues after being on it a week or so. This has pretty much encouraged me to stay off of it, although I do have some for special occasions.

Staying off of gluten has really become fairly easy for me. There is a type of pasta(Ancient Harvest) made of quinoa and corn that tastes almost totally like regluar pasta. It is much better than rice pasta. I used it for pasta salad, mac and cheese, and american chop suey. Also, tacos in hard shells are something I eat with my own seasoning on the meat. Potatoes and rice are also options with dinner. There is a type of bread that is good sold in the frozen aisle called Udis white sandwich bread. It wouln't be that great for a regular sandwich but it is great as toast or as a grilled ham and cheese sandwhich.

That being said, you also said you are tired of working out constantly and not shedding pounds. Around the time I joined MyFitnessPal, I started exercising. I started by doing a jogging program on the treadmill 3-4 times a week and strength training two days a week. I started eating healthier. Nothing came off. I tried some things like calorie counting and calorie cycling. Nothing really came off. Over two months and I only lost 2 pounds. I did lost some inches due to the incease in exercise and muscle building but the weight would not budge.

I think I may have finally stumbled on to something, though. Earlier this week I stopped eating sugar and dairy in addition to gluten. I was so frustated with exercising and not losing anything. I based it on the Fat Resistance Diet and the Primal Blueprint. I am counting calories, sort of. I eat only 1200 non vegetable calories a day. I let my vegetable intake be determined by my hunger. I think I probably average around 1400 or 1500 calories. I'm not sure if the lack of sugar or dairy is the big change but so far(knock on wood) the weight is falling off.

I know I shouldn't weight myself every day but the first day I lost .9 pounds, the second 1 pound, and the third 1 pound. I know this trend can't continue at that rate, but this may finally be something that is working for me. I just thought I would share that because of your comment about not losing.

Hi, Sollyn. I really don't count my carbs at all, I just leave out any that aren't fruits or vegetables for the most part. I imagine once I get down to my goal weight, I will be able to add rice and gluten free pasta back in. Right now, it is just too hard to stay at a reasonable calorie level while eating those. One book I read, "The Fat Resistance Diet" says that it isn't just an issue of what you eat that can cause problems. It is an issue of what you don't eat as well. He recommends a huge amount of fruits and vegetables a day, and specifically ones that fight inflammation. At first I tried following this by just adding in lots of healthy fruits and vegetables, but it didn't really make a difference until I eliminated sugar(like he recommends) and also dairy(my own personal choice). When I say "sugar", I don't mean sugars found in fruits and such. I mean items with added sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup. That pretty much takes out most things that are processed or premade. I will say that I do have a tad bit of sugar in some italian dressing and balsamic dressing for my lunch salad.

I struggled for awhile with what to have for breakfast. I have never been a huge breakfast eater and used to just have coffee every morning for the last few years. That is another habit(coffee), that I am trying to break. I don't have a lot of time to make breakfast in the morning and I don't really care for eggs, ham, or bacon. I can eat them once in awhile but it isn't something I'd want every day. Since I'm not eating gluten, sugar, or dairy, that cuts out a lot of traditional breakfast type foods. What I started doing is making a smoothy. I buy lite coconut milk in a can from the asian food isle at the grocery store. It does have a lot of calories but it has some things in it that are really good for you and the fat helps to fill you up. Milk isn't an option with no dairy. In the morning I have been taking 2/3 of a cup of the coconut milk and add 1/3 of a cup of apple juice. I found that orange juice made it too tart. Then I add 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries(or peaches), 3/4 a cup of frozen cherries, and 1 tbsp of flax seed meal. I blend them all together, put them in a coffee travel mug, and bring it to work with a spoon. This gets in a lot of vitamins that the book I read suggested. It also tastes great. It has around 300 calories, but that is a reasonable breakfast amount. For lunch at work everyday I bring a salad with a mix of different vegetables. I don't measure or count vegetables at all (unless they are starchy like peas or corn). If I have leftover chicken or steak, I put 4 ounces of that on. If not, I put about 200 calories worth of nuts. I also bring a little container with 2 tbsp of salad dressing, which is the serving size. Not counting the vegetables, it ends up being about 300 calories. Around 2pm, I am ready for a snack. I have been having carrots, celery, or sometimes rice crackers dipped in hummus. I measure the hummus out on a plate because it is very easy to overeat. I do need to come up with some other snack ideas because sometimes I am hungry again before dinner. Dinner has been 4-5 ounces of a protein and two vegetables. I'm not afraid to use olive oil or a non dairy spread to spruce up the taste of the vegetables, although I do measure the amount. One night I might have asparagus in a little olive oil and salt and some carrots. Another night I might have a mixed vegetable bag and some green beans. Another night I might have some squash and spinach. I have two because it makes the plate look more colorful an appetizing and also without a rice or pasta, I need a second vegetable to feel full. Then later at night, I save some calories for a fruit dessert(melon, an orange, or cherries).

My plan is to allow myself a cheat day every seven days. I will still stay gluten and dairy free, but it will be a day I will have rice or gf pasta and a sweet treat(they have some good gluten free and dairy free cookie mixes at the store). I'm doing this because it helps me to stay strong when I know I have a sweet day to look forward to. I also am doing it to have a higher calorie day to help me not plateau. Lastly, I don't think sugar is that bad as long as it is a treat once in awhile and not everyday like I was eating.

I'm not sure what the long term results are going to be yet, but I am definately hopeful since I am seeing some losses now. I hope some of this gives you some ideas to try!

Hi Kajero, that is great advice. I think I will look up the diets.
How are you finding your energy levels on this regime. I think I am looking for good health to go with the weight loss. This sounds like a good starting point.
Thank you once again. :flowerforyou:

Thanks all for all the wonderful responses! I am looking forward to some change and hope that some of these tricks will get my body in gear. I had some new blood work done and it turns out that I am neither hyper nor hypo but do have autoimmune antithyroid disease... so something is causing my body to attack my thyroid and it is unclear what... so I am going to stick with hard work and dedication and see where it takes me!

Hi, I have SLE and a host of other autoimmune illnesses. one of which is antithyroid disease. Symptoms include exhaustion and weight gain! It took my doctor another 2 years to finally diagnose the underlying cause of it. I felt like a hypercondriact! Now ten years on I am finally well enough to start to look after myself properly! Hence being here!
Good luck and well done on your efforts.