Stress and diets

As many runners will attest to, running is a great way of venting stress. While it is still important to be careful and not injure yourself during a hard run, it really is a great way of taking out your troubles. This morning, I woke up stressed. It was the weirdest thing because I never really get stressed out about things; a little high strung, but not really stressed. Why stressed first thing in the morning? Well, I had a dream about cake. I love cake and have always had a sweet tooth. Recently, I was diagnosed with having an intolerance to gluten. This should be no surprise, as my oldest daughter has full on Celiac Disease, and my youngest is also sensitive to gluten. So, per my doctor's recommendation, I gave it up, cold turkey.

At first, no issues. I simply cleaned out the cabinets and fridge, and made sure to stay away from the grocery store bakery. I also found some gluten free treats for that sweet tooth. However, I find that I still crave the sweets I used to enjoy: cookies, cakes, pies, all the stuff that I packed on my rear end! Sure, the GF sweets are ok, but they lack the texture. Luckily, Pamela's Products makes an excellent pancake and baking mix. While I have only tried the pancake recipe, I am excited to try the coffee cake recipe.

There is good news to following the diet that is best for my body: I have dropped more than 10 pounds pretty  effortlessly. I actually dropped most of the weight before I started running. While running, though, I have only shed another 2 pounds. I am sure this is mostly due to water retention and letting my stomach get the better of me. I tend to overdo it on the cheese (hey, I gotta have something, right?) when I make eggs. I also snack on GF cereal (Chex Cinammon is so yummy). And, one of my favorite junk food indulgences is Starbuck's Java Chip Frappacino. GF and so yummy! Yes, I know, full of calories and fat, but so yummy! I only allow one per week, and that is only if I had attained a goal (Can anyone say a 5K in less than 28?!).

I always try to remember that being GF isn't the worst thing in the world. A friend of mine has a son who cannot ingest Gluten, Eggs, Dairy and most anything kids love. The poor kid is stuck with adult food forever. She is glad to find the reason for his ailments that have plagued him for years, but it still sucks for that poor guy.

Many like to equate GF to the Atkins diet, especially at restaurants. The two are very dissimilar. On Atkins, there are very few option. Green leafy veggies, limited amounts of fruit, meat and cheese. However, on a GF diet, all fruits and veggies are allowed, as well as natural ice cream (read the ingredients), grains (oats, rice and corn, but no bulgher, wheat, rye or barley), meats, dairy, etc. It really is much easier than most imagine. But, I never forget the indulgence of a huge piece of German Chocolate cake and the moist texture GF flour just cannot provide.