Experience with an intolerance sabotaging efforts??

[ciarac]

Hi to all,

I have posted a few times here on this board and always love the helpful responses which I receive.
One or two of the times in which I have posted, I have spoken about my impatience and annoyance of not getting results of any kind within too short a time. I confess, I am still impatient.

I drink about one coffee a day, which I plan to give up.
I take coffee with milk, which I plan to give up, and occasionally I eat cheese. All these things will fall away in their own time.
Other than this, my diet ranges from 50 to 80% raw. I take spirulina supplements, always try to include a wide range of foods, I exercise regularly and I try to sleep sufficiently.

Alas, I still feel tired the whole time.

Last summer, I had to give up wheat because it made me feel super bad. Jippy stomach, super tired, depression...typical wheat intolerance symptoms. So, I told everyone I couldn't eat it, never ate it, and so avoided the symptoms. I didn't feel super but I at least didn't feel as bad as I did when I ate wheat.

Little by little, in time, wheat fell back into my diet and I found that I could eat it again without jippiness of stomach.
Foolishly, I took it that I could eat it without problems, without limitations. Saying that, when on my own, I never buy bread or pasta but when with people (especially in Spain, they have bread with everything) I would eat some bread or pasta or biscuit or whatever.

Anyway, now, the jippiness has slightly returned.

I did a small bit of research and realized that wheat intolerance is actually gluten intolerance. I know that ceoliac disease is an immunological reaction to gluten but I thought wheat intolerance was WHEAT intolerance, specifically, not all things containing gluten. I know see that if wheat effects me, rye, oats, beer, etc...may also effect me. Probably do, in fact.

My question, so, is if anyone here (i'm sure there are many of you) has experienced this kind of sabotage.
I mean to say, I by no means have a perfect diet. I need to give up coffee and dairy, or rather, I want to. But, I will give you an example of what I ate yesterday, which is an average day:


Half a fresh coconut for breakfast
A cup of coffee with milk (no sugar)
A few pieces of dark chocolate
A bowl of fresh gazpacho (tomato, onion, garlic, cucumber, red pepper, GNAM!) + two slices of toasted rye bread
A tomato, chickpea sprouts and avocado salad + two slices of rye bread


On top of this I had spirulina (good quality, Marcus Rohrer) and about 3.5 litres of water

I also exercised the entire day, cycling around looking for a job.
I had plenty of sleep the previous night.

Now, to me, this diet is not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than most peoples and yet, they seem all to feel better than I do! I don't want to whinge and complain, and I KNOW i have to give raw more of a chance, and I will, but...I don't know, something just doesn't add up for me.

Anyway, as I said, I'm looking for opinions and hopefully people that can relate to this situation.
Obviously, regardless of the answers received here, I will try to eliminate all glutinous products from my diet, because evidentally, it doesn't do me a whole lot of good.

But, anyone been in the same boat, where despite efforts, something seems to sabotage the goodness?
I dunno, I kind of feel that I am just not assimilating all the nutrients I put into my body.
And I read that intolerance can do this, cause malabsorbtion. Bah!

[Revvell]

Wheat and grains seem to be one of the hardest things for people to give up. It's taken me years to finally look at stuff containing wheat and know how really bad it is for me and how I react to it. Have patience on this.

You say you're tired all the time. You might wish to google caffeine and see what that's doing to your adrenals.

Also, milk/dairy products are in so many things. Here's a good site for you to peruse ~ notmilk.com.

It seems you don't eat much if that's your average day. Any reason for that?

And, before VFL comes on here, here's a suggestion... before drinking coffee, have a green smoothie (I make a Vita Mix container and drink throughout the day), then, if you still want the coffee, have it. See if that makes it easier to give up.

Revvellicious

[ciarac]

Hi Revvell,

Thanks for your reply.
I will research coffee some more but I have already looked into how tiring it can be, and you are right, it does some serious damage to the adrenals. Especially since in the past, on a ridiculous urge to lose weight, I used to have a coffee with sugar and run 6 miles. Strange how I didn't manage to keep that up....
That was years ago, but I think the coffee has worn the adrenals down, or similar...

I will try the green smoothie trick.
Strangely, green smoothies with spinach makes me feel ill, perhaps I add to much spinach.
Thanks for the suggestions.

By the way, sometimes I eat more sometimes less. If I'm busy and exercising I generally don't eat so much, strangely.

[Dj 247]

The coffee won't be so hard to give up after a while. I started rewarding myself with a cup of really good coffee once a week. That way my head knew it was not forever and I was going to get to taste coffee again and my body got use to not having it. Even if I wanted to I could not drink more than one cup because I am so sensitive to it now. Lately I haven't even been going out for my coffee reward. I just don't think about it.

[bellabella]

Get Alissa's book. She will tell you why, for 30 days, you have to be 100%. Just do it!

I tried transitioning, a little here, improvements there. It just isn't the same. Coffee was the hardest thing for me, but now, I'm SO glad it's out of my system.

[barose]

I had to give up gluten two years ago. Right along with refined sugar, soy, dairy, etc. Raw is so liberating because I CAN have pasta (zucchini!) brownies and so on when I my diet was so limited before. Try to have what you CAN (and raw food is unlimited) have, not focus on what you cant.

You will not see any results if you continue to eat foods that you are intolerant to. If I ate something with gluten, I could blow up overnight.

[tanishamarshall]

Wow, Barose how did you find out you wshould not eat Gluten?

[barose]

I always had problems with digestion. I had to take 20-30 rounds of antibiotics as a kid because of chronic ear infections so I figured that was the cause. I was always bloated and gassy, but it started go get worse. I had horrible gas, bloating and pain daily, all the time. I didnt know what was causing it. Then I started to break out in psoriasis AND hives. From my chest down to my feet I was covered in them for weeks. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. After doing extensive research on the symptoms, I read online about a woman who had similar symptoms and found out she was gluten intolerant. I did an elimination diet and immediately felt better within a day. I stopped breaking out out and my belly felt much better. I also lost 10-15 lbs instantly. I experimented and ate something with gluten and felt horrible again, so I knew that was what was causing my problems.

[Lavendula]

I'm very familiar w/sabatoge, Ive done it before and have been doing it with my approach to my raw diet. We all have different nutritional needs and food intolerance/sensitivity issues. For instance I Know I have to limit my fruit and, get enough good fats, or I go off the deep end. But I have been doig high fruit and it is making me sicker, and therefore sabatoging all the other good things I'm doing. I have an autoimmune disease I am trying to deal with.
I had similar symptoms and reactions to gluten; wheat, oats barley and rye. I've been GF for about 3 years, I only eat it if I'm willing to suffer for crusty sourdough bread, not often.
Coffe has had some power over me the last year or so, but I had my last cup some 10 days ago. Though I bought 1/2 pound of my favorite organic fair trade Mexican that same day, it is just sitting there.
On balance: eliminate one food that has power over you at at ime
while establishing a good food habit that will give you power
don't be in bondage to food, whether it's good or bad

[cashewy]

I don't think this is sabotage, it is just the pain part of the learning curve. As we become healthier, we become more sensitive and that sensitivity can be a little much at times. Our body has a "homeostasis" and it will try to regulate to what is "normal" When we change our habits in either direction, we are giving our body information, so getting established in new habits takes some consistency. Eventually, you will regulate to a new homeostasis.

gluten, sugars etc are very acidic and also trigger any yeast, bacteria or parasites we may have....this makes them seem addictive as these elements if they are present in the gut will want to be "fed"

I first felt the effect of wheat 10 years ago when I started dating an italian man whose diet was essentially grapenuts, pasta and bread....I flip flopped for many years, ie... wheat free until I would foolishly think that I could make thanksgiving shortbread for people and not eat any........

anyway over the years it has become easier and easier and wheat just isn't even in my radar anymore

anyway, any of the blame, guilt, shame and discouragement I have indulged in over years around TRYING TO FEEL GREAT.....has certainly never helped me reach THAT goal....it has however shown me that those emotions can be related to eating that crap