I am not gluten free. I tried. I really did.

Randy lost 15-20 lbs within the first three weeks off gluten. People were coming up to him at work and asking if he is okay because the weight was dropping off so fast. He was able to move freely without his joints aching, could stay awake through an entire movie and woke up feeling good in the mornings. So I thought, “Well, *yeah*. Sign me up!”

Know what I learned? I learned that if you are not gluten intolerant/sensitive, stopping gluten actually does not benefit you much, if at all. In fact, in some cases, people actually *gain* weight. Guess which category I fit in? Yup. I picked up some of the pounds Randy lost.

But the other problem was how inconvenient it is when you’re home alone at mealtime without a car. I would go into the kitchen looking for a quick, easy lunch and discover nothing quick or easy to work with. There was no opening a can of soup; I had to make the soup. No sandwiches, either, unless I wanted to bake the bread. I mainly lived on leftovers. I don’t mind cooking meals when Randy is here to help eat them. I’m turning into Caroline Ingalls anyway; making my own cooking stocks, my own laundry soap, baking for fun. It’s a little scary, actually. But it means that learning a whole new style of cooking and baking isn’t a problem. What is a problem is how expensive the ingredients are, and how since I don’t need to spend extra money on gluten-free pasta, I’m not going to.

I have a couple of shelves set aside for my gluten-rich foods in a different cabinet than the ones we’ve been using all this time. I call them my Shelves Of Inappropriate Carbs. I keep canned soups, crackers, pasta and cans of Spaghettios in there. Don’t judge me. I like Spaghettios. Also, blue box mac and cheese, but since the not-even-remotely-cheese powder is Randy-approved, we usually end up using it and leaving me with little baggies of miniature macaroni.

We’re both much happier this way. He feels better now that he’s eating better, and I feel better now that I’m eating crap. Win/win! 🙂

 

Mitch