Why I don't eat gluten free snacks and junk food, even though I'm gluten free in weight maintenance

(Link)There was a GREAT article about gluten-free products over at Mark's Daily Apple (MDA)this week:

Two parts of the article that jumped out at me 

1. From Mark's Daily Apple:
"Of course, there is an important difference that distinguishes gluten-free from other faddish, market-driven diets: you don’t actually need gluten-free products to go gluten-free."

Karen's notes:  This is so true for me. To maintain a long term, large (70+ pounds) weight loss,  I eat protein, veggies, some berries or in season fruits and fats like avocados, coconut oil,  olive oil, and some avocado oil.   If I do have a snack, I'll have some 85% chocolate (most days after dinner) or some Nori- Sea Snax- salted seaweed sheets (popcorn substitute at the movies). 

If I ate gluten-free junk food, I' would be cutting out nutrient dense real food. And, grocery bills would be higher.  I did use a short term tool to transition with some gluten free process products from my weight loss days to transition from the Take Shape for Life program to a Paleo template. I found it helpful to wean myself off over a 6-8 week time frame early in weight maintenance. Once I did the Whole30 in Jan 2013, I eliminated almost all of my "snack" foods.

typical Costco and Trader Joes mix

 
_____________________________________________________________________________
 From Mark's Daily Apple:

2.  Checking with your medical professional and getting testing that may or may not work :
From MDA
 "As if giving up bread, pasta, and cake for more animals and plants is a dangerous undertaking that requires professional assistance. As if removing gluten and feeling loads better only to feel terrible upon a chance reintroduction is an unreliable way to determine if you should go gluten-free."

Karen's notes:  
Once I realized that gluten intolerance (along with processed sugar) was one key root cause of my emotional eating, acne, migraines, bloating, abdominal pain, gas and a contributor to my 70+ pounds of obesity.... I did not really need to confirm it with my doctor or get any lab tests. And, I work as a laboratory professional. My life's profession is lab testing. I am a self proclaimed lab geek. I've had no lab testing done for ceilac  markers.   I do not need a lab test, nor would my doctor order one.  I'm sick when I eat gluten, I'm well when I do not.

I did not realize how absolutely bad I was feeling with weight, pain, and the emotional toll until I was gluten free for 8-10 weeks. The brain fog lifted and the path was super clear. Pain is a huge motivator as are my normal sized clothes, my low inflammatory hs-CRP bio markers and lower blood pressure.

You can see the difference in the photos below. In the photo on the left I was eating Van's whole grain toaster waffles, cool whip, pasta, pizza, Lean Pockets, and Weight Watcher's frozen meals and gaining weight.  On the right side photos, I'm eating from a Paleo template, walking 10,000 steps+ per day, sleeping well, and  maintaining a 70 pound weigh loss and feeling 27 rather than 47. 

Here's what worked for me:
1. Getting off gluten for 8-10 weeks
2.  Transitioning to a Paleo/ primal template using some gluten free processed foods a SHORT amount of time
3.Grocery shopping for protein, veggies, berries, in season fruits, natural oils and spices
4. Connecting the dots, eliminating brain fog, problem solving and eliminating foods that made me feel sick and gave me pain.


Here's what did not work for me in the past:
1. Falling for the heart healthy gluten containing food claims. Van's toaster waffles did not keep me heart healthy or feeling well.
2. Not changing up my diet and eating whole, real foods. Just the basics.
3. Grocery shopping the 5 frozen Weight Watcher's meals for $10. I thought I was saving money and going to get to weight maintenance heaven. I never made that trip.
4. Never evaluating the effectiveness of my actions, foods, plans. Being in pain, being bloated, and never making the food connection.