More on WHEAT

This will probably be a convoluted post, but I'm trying to work out my thoughts on this ... so bare with me.

I have a friend (really, it's not me lol) who has health issues she's working on.  She's experimented with diet lots of time and never found conclusive results.  What she did find was that eliminating gluten foods helped her keep her weight under control.  Why?  Because those are her go-to binge, comfort foods.  With those out of the picture, she ate less food, less junk.

When she tried to moderate, people pushed her hard to join in, indulge just this once.  Lots of peer pressure.  Have a piece of cake.  Have a cookie.  Have some pizza.  And she did.

When she said she COULDN'T eat it, people left her alone.  Now she identifies herself as gluten-free.  No wiggle room, no choices to make, no exceptions.  She lives the life-style.  She embraces it, believes it.  Goes to rather extremes to ensure she walks the walk.

But it's not entirely true - she told me that herself.  Her justification is she wants to eliminate it to keep her weight under control (and feel her best); therefore, it's for her health and it's nobody's business as to why she's making this choice.  And the most interesting part is she's convinced HERSELF.  It's almost like SHE forgets the truth.  And it's working for her.

It's along the lines of Tony Robbins methodology.  In order to make things a MUST, you need to make the good BIGGER and the bad BIGGER so it BECOMES who you are with lasting results.  Exaggerate the truth to yourself.

To me, it seems like a lie.  I will admit, I judge it.  But now I'm wondering if I should follow the same method (yes, hypocrite in all my glory).  If eliminating wheat makes me feel better, why not make it an ABSOLUTE.  I did with certain dairy products (because I had to).  I miss ice cream, but I won't eat it ... ever.  No one has to know the details.  No one needs to be in my business.

If I make others support my diet restrictions, I will make myself do it too.  I won't ask others to do what I won't do.  Feeling well IS something that's important.  It's not a lie exactly.  The exaggerated truth can become my reality.

Whole30 also weighs in on this subject - ABSTAINER vs MODERATOR.  Wheat falls into a moderation category for me.  Maybe it needs to be abstinence.  Moderation gets me fall-off-the-wagon moments that are giving me tons of misery (bloats, sores, etc).  Whole30 also believes in the statement "I am ..."  It's powerful.  It changes your identity.  I am healthy.  I am fit.  I am an athlete.  You get the idea.

This is what happened with a soda habit from years ago.  I drank soda ALL DAY LONG.  I tried for years to moderate with rules ... no soda before noon, only on weekends, only 2 cans a day, gave it up for lent, gave it up during pregnancy ... but I always failed over the long run and returned to old habits.  Then I stopped cold turkey.  No exceptions.  EVER.  This was in the day before readily available bottled water and it was hard.  It took work.  I craved it for about a year.  I haven't had it for almost 20 years now.  The change came when I identified myself as someone who does not drink soda.  Not just something I wanted to do, not just something I chose in the moment.  I identified it to myself and to others.  There was no room for exception in that declaration, in that "I am" statement.

So back to wheat.  Maybe I need to live an "I am" statement for this too.  It would be hard at times, but not impossible.  I would never need to think about it, make a choice, argue in my head ... it's just the way it IS.  This is who I AM.  And that might actually make it easier than I think.  No more off-wagon misery from too much moderation.

This idea is enticing and a little exciting too.  But I want to make sure if I declare this, that I live this for the long run, not just in a moment.  I need to see how living wheat-free feels first.  If I get the results I expect (no more bloat, sores, feeling crappy) then I will make this a life statement.  If nothing changes, there is no point to giving it up and moderation is appropriate.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one.  It's been swirling in my head and I needed to spell it out for myself.

I've been off wheat for a few days and things are returning to normal.  It's going to take awhile to tell if it's just a coincidence or wheat-free is better for me.  Stay tuned ...