Day 2 - January 2, 2012

I know it's ONLY day 2...but I really struggled today at lunch. The school lunch was cheese sticks and they looked amazing. I ate a salad, carrots, hummus and some crackers. It was fine at the time, but I was starving an hour later! What I really need to figure out is how to feel full, because today I had a horrible headache because I didn't eat enough. We grilled an extra piece of chicken tonight to put on my salad tomorrow - hoping that will help.

I drank so much water today. I found that I constantly had to use the bathroom! I felt like one of my students! I was never a big fan of juices, so water it is. I feel better already.

I've also been tracking my calories on the 'My Fitness Pal' app on my iPhone. I only need to loose a few pounds, but I love how the app shows you what you've had to much of and what you need more of. I need potassium - but I hate bananas...suggestions?

Looking forward to being healthier and hopefully feeling better each day. On to day 3!

Day 1 - January 1, 2012

Day 1...very excited to be starting on this journey and very nervous at the same time. I promised myself that I would start the gluten free diet in 2012. Last September, I went to my family doctor and was complaining of leg pains during the night. She threw out words like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, etc. and I was immediately nervous. My blood tests came back with high ANA levels and she referred me to a rheumatologist. The only problem was that my appointment wasn't scheduled until mid Febuary. It has been many months of motrin and Icy Hot, and after to talking to many people, I have decided to try gluten free to see how my body reacts. It's going to take a complete lifestyle change for me. I have to admit that I spent December 31st enjoying my last McDonald's cheeseburger (and it was amazing).

I find that I'm googling like crazy already. Is there gluten in pork and saurkraut? As far as I know...no. My biggest feat today was saying no thank you to the roll on the side. Baby steps. After our New Year's Day feast, we headed to the grocery store to try to shop gluten free. Extremely expensive but hoping it's worth it. I got rice cakes, nuts, pnut butter (I think snacking is going to be really hard for me), veggies, beans, hummus, etc. I created a gluten free cabinet full of "goodies." I'm tackling this head on. I've bought gluten free apps with various recipes. But on top of gluten free, I also want to eat a lot healthier. Sooooo the 4.99 box of gluten free pasta stayed on the shelf and also the 4.99 loaf of gluten free bread.

I'm excited to start on this journey and would love all the help and support I can get! 2012 needs to be a healthy year for me. Eating out and eating junk has added a few pounds that need to go. Wish me luck!