#Wheat-Free Day 7 and Counting

Today is Day 7 of my experiment with giving up wheat.  If you want to read about why I am doing this I will refer you to this post rather than repeating it all in this one.

Going into the first day I armed myself with a package of rice cakes and a bag of brown rice rotini.  I was afraid that I might experience bread/cracker/junk snack withdrawals and thought that rice cakes with peanut butter and banana or Nutella would be a healthier solution.  And yes,  I know I can eat spaghetti squash instead of pasta, but not all the time.

After dinner I read the ingredient list on the box of M&M Italian Meatballs that I had used in our pasta topping and found they contain wheat.  Good grief.

Determined to be more vigilant with processed food on Day 2, I made sure to take gluten-free Taste of Nature bars along on our morning walk.  I had eaten a gluten-free cereal with yogurt and strawberries for breakfast, but knew I would need a mid-morning snack... and I did. 

Brown rice with our dinner was an easy choice - in the past I might have used faro or barley in this particular dish but chose the rice instead to avoid not only the wheat (faro) but the gluten in the barley as well.

I did eat a few Finn Crisp crackers and some cheese later in the evening.. rye flour, no wheat.

On the morning of day 3 I noticed that the edema in my right foot and leg was gone and much reduced in my left foot and leg... I weighed myself and was delighted to see I had lost 4 pounds.  Yes, water.  But I am thrilled.  The Captain spotted it right away too.

I ate a rice cake with my lunch, brown rice again at dinner, and popcorn in the evening.

Where has that sugar-monster gone? My sweet tooth seems to have gone into hiding.

Day 4 I ate a spoonful of that same gluten-free cereal and some yogurt and strawberries before heading out for a walk in the morning... then had a substantial breakfast of flourless whey protein pancakes with berries when we got back.

That was the only grains I ate all day.  I can hardly believe that!

At cocktail 'time' The Captain poured us each a glass of red wine and I opened a package of Skinny Crisps from my a Healthy Surprise shipment.... gluten-free almond flour crackers with an onion flavor.  They are wonderful and filled the need to munch with the glass of wine.  In the past wine has always set off my sugar cravings, but I think that the almond crackers must have helped offset that because it didn't happen.

We had some potatoes at dinner, for a change.

Day 5 presented a few challenges.  The morinng went well and it was a busy day... Canada Day and we walked to the Inner Harbour after lunch.  None of the food booths held any appeal for either of us and we came home at enjoyed some of the Frozen Vanilla Protein Pops that I had made.

Later I nibbled on a rice cake with peanut butter and Nutella.  And at dinner I had a huge salad with a veggie burger and some melted cheese... Later I ate rye crackers with cheese and then another rice cake with peanut butter.  All in all not a lot of calories for the whole day, but I seemed to be craving the carby stuff in the evening. Not sweet, but carby none the less.

I checked my veggie burger box for ingredients, and see they contain wheat gluten.

Yesterday I had a quinoa based salad at lunch time. Was a nice change with beans and lots of crunchy veggies.

In the afternoon I baked a banana bread using almond flour, with a few chocolate chips... It was delicious... I ate 2 pieces of it.  Then froze the rest - not because I couldn't leave it alone, but because I normally do that with baked treats.

But later I ate more rye crackers, brown rice pasta at dinner, then more rye crackers and a rice cake before bed.  Was it the chocolate chips that made me want more carbs?  But again, just carbs and not sugar necessarily.  I wasn't reaching for chocolate, or wanting jam or cookies... but crackers and something to munch.

I am a bit puffier again in the legs this past couple of days.  And the scale is up 2 pounds this moring. 

Looking back over the week I have some early observations that may or may not hold true as my experiment continues:

1. I need to be more vigilant in reading labels. I was shocked to find wheat in both the processed meatballs and veggie burgers.
2. The processed carbs such as rice cakes, brown rice pasta, rye crackers, chocolate chips, and Nutella cause my blood sugar to spike and set of the 'carb-craving' cycle.   I am going to avoid them and see it that helps with that problem.
3. I am not having any problems staying within my normal calorie range using almond flour and coconut flour in my pancakes and baked goods.  And the almond flour banana bread didn't make me feel like I should eat the whole thing like a regular wheat-flour cookie or 2 may have done. 
4. The edema and water retention may be a bigger problem (gluten) than just wheat - will keep any eye on that. 

Thanks to everyone who left comments on my last post about this subject. I appreciate all of the encouragement and good news stories you shared with me.

I realize that 7 days is not nearly long enough to make any real assessment, so I shall carry on... and keep ya posted!

not my own but sure is cute!