nutrify:

I generally try to stay strong about my style of eating b/c I truly believe in it, from my personal experience and from the scientific literature I’ve studied. I know that my body gets hurt by gluten (and tells me about it); I can feel grains messing with digestion - they always get lodged in stomach and make me feel so heavy; rice makes me feel bloated like I’m going to explode; sugar is unsatisfying - I get all the joy before eating it, but get little enjoyment during and just crave more afterwards. With time, I’m getting deeper understanding by listening to my body - I’m noticing there are quite a few fruits that also feel unsatisfactory (certain apples, persimmons, oranges) vs. potatoes I handle really well.

But honestly it is tough to stay strong every day - it’s hard for me to find satisfying lunch options around campus, unless it’s a salad which is tough to eat in winter-time. I want something warm! that’s not a sandwich or pasta or chili with beans… My bf loves veggies but also loves ordering out and getting fried foods etc. So I am constantly surrounded by food I shouldn’t eat, even though both bf and friends fully support me in my choices (which I appreciate).

So sometimes my strength is at a big low… and then finally a cooking show comes on (bf lovesss watching cooking/diners.driveins.dives/manv.food/phantom.gourmet shows) where they don’t use any flour… and it’s all meats and veggies… and then Matthew Mcconaughey took that slice of pork and went over to the grease leftover from baking, added half a stick of melted butter, and soaked his piece of pork in it! And then ate it all with his hands. And Guy joined him as well! They rounded out the meal with no sugar margaritas. It was seriously a foodgasm.

So I google M. Mcconaughey and learn that he follows paleo… and from the looks of it - a high fat version. And I just felt so good. It felt so nice to see someone on TV eat the way that I do. Esp someone who looks so in shape ;)

Do any of you guys live in a house where you’re the odd man out? Any tips for staying true?

I know so exactly what you mean. I’m basically on a 0-carb diet, meaning that there are no intentional carbs i.e. as close to zero as you can get while eating natural foods.

So I started to cook separate meals for myself. Then my daughter started reacting stronger to gluten, so now she is gluten-free. And we started cooking extra for her as well.

Now, when I prepare a meal on weekends, I basically cook at least three combinations of different dishes so there is something for everyone. We turned cooking into a family past-time. We all cook together and it’s usually a motley array of foods.

My issue wasn’t actually staying true once the effects became evident: I lost a lot of weight, my digestion improved, and so on. Once that happened, it became a self-fulfilling prophesy, because all of a sudden it’s a clear choice: either continue to stay strong, or go back the way things used to be. I faltered once and then felt it for almost 1 ½ weeks that’s all I needed for motivation.