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Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to reply to me! Your
support and understanding are much appreciated. I have had a much better
week than I thought I would, and I owe a lot to your support. I fully
intend to "summarize in detail", if that's possible, but first I just
want to say that staying away from refined sugar and concentrating on
eating complex carbohydrates in combination with protein has made a 180
degree difference in my mindset.

Now, for more detail...

I received 35 responses in 4.5 days. Wow. I do intend to reply to each
of you personally, but first I want to summarize our discussion for the
list.

Most people recommended giving in to my cravings in some form or another
because my body was lacking nutrients. I guess what I forgot to tell you
before is that I was craving mostly sugars, then carbos secondarily.
(When I occasionally crave proteins and salad, of course I have no
problem giving in to those!;) ) It's when I know there's rice flour
chocolate chip cookies in the freezer that I go out of control. But
that's not cool because I'm also hypoglycemic, and eating any type of
refined sugar makes me crazy. So, thank you all SO MUCH for your recipes
for cookies and cakes, etc., but I think I'll be much better off trying
to stay as far as possible from refined sugar. I have to admit to eating
a few cookies this week, but with a degree of restraint that I was not
feeling before I started eating more protein and complex carbos. (At
least I'm not eating the whole box in one sitting now....)

In fact, a lot of people recommended staying completely away from
refined sugar, as it is addictive, and the more we eat, the more we
want. I have had a much better week because I haven't eaten as much.
Recommended "healthier" fixes were popcorn, gf buns w/ cheese melted on
top, and of course, fruit.

Many people recommended exercise, as it raises our energy levels, and it
takes our minds off eating. However, when reading chapter upon chapter
of political theory, it's going to be hard for me to get up and go for a
run every time I want a cookie. But I'll try!!!!

I received one incredible message, which I would like to include here.
Basically, it is a great story on complex carbohydrates mixed with
protein, which I've found has made me a much more pleasant person...
A lot of you specifically requested to be updated on what I learned this
week, and I think this one response pretty much covers what is going to
help me, personally. Maybe it will help you, too.  ->

 "I'm 32, too, and tho not diagnosed, have just gone GF in the last 3
months. When i first stopped eating gluten my appetite nromalized--but
for me that meant eating less. However, from time to time i have days
when i can't stop eating. I expect your increased appetitie is because
your body is suddenly realizing that there are _nutrients_ in food, and
it is just _begging_ you for more nutrients. I recommend investing is
some high quality foods, like quinoa, unrefined cold pressed olive oil,
flax seed oil, fresh organic fruits and vegetables, nuts (raw unsalted),
organic brown rice, tofu or tempeh (if you can eat soy), miso, real
organic acidophilus yogurt, lots of greens like romaine, collards,
spinach, etc. I emphasize organic because organically grown foods truly
are more nutritious than commercially grown grains and vegetables, plus
they have fewer indigestible/harmful chemicals on &in them, which are
difficult for your body to process, and it uses up precious nutrients to
metabolize petrochemicals and preservatives.
Avoid as much as possible chips, fried things, candy, because they give
you a load of calories, which your body may be screaming for, but little
nutrition. At one point, while on the treadmill at the gymn, i looked up
at the bank of TVs and saw image after image of some gleeful face
chomping into a huge greasy burger--and, shocking to me as a 16 year
vegetarian--actually moaned with desire for a burger! Now that has NEVER
happened to me before, so i was fairly appalled, but thought about it a
while and realized that i had been building muscles and really needed
protein. So ate a big salad loaded with chickpeas, pumkin seeds, and a
gooey tahini dressing, and was completely satisfied.  It was a reminder
that our bodies may be sending
fairly specific messages about what they really want, but we may have to
apply a little thought to narrow down our options to something that
supplies the craved nutrients without resorting to junk food.
I have found that eating only raw oils, in dressings or drizzled on top
of food, satisfies what used to be temper-tantrum-level cravings for
onion rings, tempura, fried mushrooms, etc. The higher quality the oil,
the better, because the better it is the more nutrients you'll get out
of it. And lastly, get a good, comprehensive, food based
multivitamin/mineral and take lots of them. And for those cravings at
work, when you are surrounded by nothing but doritos, carry about 3 lbs
of fruit with you. You may need that much to get through the first few
days without snacking on the wrong things. (i did.) When i am trying to
change a dietary habit, i find i can't just say, "I'm
never going to eat (blank) again in my entire life, cross my heart and
hope to die." All that approach gives me is obsessive cravings for
"blank". ;) so I commit to two weeks without a given food. Sometimes
post notes to myself, or better yet, have someone else write them. (DONT
YOU DARE! What's wrong with you you can't go without CHIPS?) At the end
of the two weeks i have usually broken the habitual aspects of eating
that food and no longer miss it very much. So anyaway i think that if
you focus on eating truly nourishing foods, in other words, capitulate
to your cravings in a constructive way, they will
shut up and go away. But you have probably been malnourished a long
time, so you may have several months of some degree of struggle ahead.
hope this helps,"

(Thank you to the source - kr)

One more thing to note:

One person stressed taking multi-vitamins which contain glutamine (not
gluten!) and chromium. I just bought some. If anyone wants to know how
they're working, please feel free to contact me in two weeks or so...

In final, I'm feeling more secure than I have in a long time. Thank you.
Also, this list has helped me to locate another celiac in Arizona, and
it turns out she lives about 1000 feet from where I do.

I'm baking rice flour banana bread tomorrow.  :)

Take care to all,

Kristin