Gluten Free

I am going to start my gluten free diet on Monday.  I am a little nervous.  It doesn't feel so bad right now, but when I get a craving for something big and bread-like, I guess we will see how I manage.  I have always had a terrible time with will power when it comes to food, but I think there comes a time when you need to decide what is important. 

My plan at this point is to give this a try for a few months and then reevaluate how I am feeling.  I am sure in that time I will go for some blood work to keep an eye on my thyroid hormone levels.  I will talk with my doctor about this lifestyle change next time I see her, but since I still plan to keep taking my medication I don't see any reason to talk to a doctor before I start this diet.

I think that my biggest anxieties lay with not really being able to eat out.  Or being very selective about what I can eat when we do eat out.  We enjoy eating out.  I know that in the scheme of things, this is a pretty small thing to be worried about, but it's up there.  I also worry about traveling.  If this is something that works for me, this will be a forever thing, and I do expect that we will go on holidays at some point.  I guess in time I will become familiar with what I can and can't eat, or what I should avoid if I am uncertain about it.  I will also need to learn to plan ahead.  If I am eating away from home, I may need to bring some food along.

I have been reading a lot of websites, and searching specific foods and ingredients, and honestly, there are a lot of things that don't have gluten in them.  I just have to be careful of anything that is processed/prepackaged/etc.  Some things that I thought for sure would be off limits are okay.  The more I read about this, the more manageable it seems.  However, this is coming before I have officially started.  This is coming from someone who has never been on a restrictive diet before.  Well, I suppose I did go dairy free for a time in the past, but it wasn't hard to do when each time I ate dairy I ended up with diarrhea.  I don't know if gluten is what is making my immune system attack my thyroid, but I feel like it is a small price to pay if it will help me feel well again.

I am really thankful for my supportive hubby during this time.  I know that he was initially apprehensive about this change.  I am sure he still is somewhat.  But he did tell me today that he is excited for a new challenge.  He is not going to eat gluten free, but he will support me.  We have even talked of starting a gluten free food blog.  We had toyed with a food blog for a while, but now figured that a gluten free food blog might be a bit more a niche (though I know there are lots of them, just not as many as there are regular food blogs).