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Dear listmates,

I realized I shouldn't be eating gluten about three and a half years ago
and have been GF since.  Since then, I have noticed that I have gained
some weight (5-10 pounds).  I am a small-boned woman, so these pounds
make a big difference.  After some soul searching and a big hint from
God, I realized I am eating larger portions than I have previously in my
life.  Especially since I have been eating gluten-free, I often ate
because I THOUGHT I needed food or because I wanted to reward myself for
something rather than because I was actively hungry.  At some point
along the way, I developed an attitude that I DESERVED as much food as I
wanted (rather than being content with eating what my body NEEDED)
because there are so many foods I can't eat.  I also realized that I was
thinking constantly about food and that I woke up thinking about what I
would eat each day.  I now believe this is harmful, because we begin to
love and fantasise what we focus on.

My initial ideas about my newly developed bad attitude towards food were
enhanced by the book "The Weigh Down Diet" by Gwen Shamblin.  If any of
you have participated in Weigh Down classes through your churches, you'll
recognize the theories I have mentioned.  To those of you who haven't heard of
this book before, it was written by a Christian woman to explain her belief
that people are overweight because we eat more than we need.  She goes on to
explain that we can stop eating when we aren't hungry by replacing our
greed for food with greed for God.

I know new members of the list often write in panic to ask what they can do to
prevent weight gain or get rid of the excess.  I have already lost 5 pounds
since I realized my problem, and am not freaked out about this.  My questions
are, rather, has anyone else experienced this attitude that they deserve more
food because of having to be so careful about our diet?  Have you noticed
other unhealthy attitudes towards food that have developed since becoming
gluten-free?  I am interested in discussion about our shared experiences and
in what other list members have noticed about their eating habits since
becoming gluten-free.

Christie in Chandler, AZ