Bun-less burgers with bacon, cheese and BBQ sauce on top and a side of potato wedges. Not the healthiest of dinners but gluten-free and just what I needed.

The pain in my side from earlier has gone and I’m feeling ok. Although I’m still nervous about coming off the steroids, I think I’ll continue to be alright if I’m careful with my food. I’m going to try and have a bit more fruit (I’ve had only the occasional satsuma since coming out of hospital last month), and I’m going to try and stick to as gluten-free a diet as I can. I’ll go back to making gluten-free brownies soon. I might also try a few gluten-free cookie recipes a go too; it’s almost Halloween so I might try some of the themed recipes I’ve seen.

I’ve stuck with what I said I would eat for dinner (left over pizza, and yogurt for after) but I’ve also had some (read: loads) biscuits. Kind of regretting it because they weren’t gluten-free and I have a small food-baby now but I don’t feel as stuffed and uncomfortable as I did yesterday. I’ve only gone over my calorie count by a little bit so I don’t feel guilty. I’ll be having a small lunch again tomorrow, and if I continue like that for the rest of the week, I should start to feel quite a bit better. Gluten-free cereal, crackers and cheese, and chicken with pasta will very likely be on the menu for this week. Wish me luck!

I’m trying to be good today. I’ve only had one caramel tea this morning and for lunch I had gluten-free cereal with milk and a packet of low calorie, gluten-free crisps. I know I said I shouldn’t really have crisps but I was still a little hungry after the cereal. Tonight though, I’ve got left over thin and crispy pizza and a fruit yoghurt. It takes me under my daily calorie count but given how much I’ve eaten recently, I’m sure I won’t starve.

My stomach has bloated a tiny bit but I think I’ll be ok. I’m trying to drink more today but my headache from this morning is threatening to return. I hope this afternoon goes quickly.

I’ve eaten too much again!

I did the stupid thing and had a big dinner instead of a smaller one. I think I’ll need to eat smaller meals for a while; my stomach has bloated and is a little painful and I’ve also had quite a bit of gluten over the last couple of days which doesn’t help with the bloat.

It’s annoying that I keep wanting to just eat the things that I know aren’t good for me! I’m trying really hard to avoid as much gluten as I can (although I know I don’t need to avoid it completely), as well as listen to my gut and stop eating when it tells me I’m full. Problem is, I think my appetite has increased more recently so I’m feeling like I’m hungry when I’m not. Maybe I should drink more and then I might not feel hungry for food as much. I have read that the feeling of thirst is usually mistaken for the feeling of hunger so maybe that’s it?

I’ve also developed a slight addiction to Arizona branded Iced Tea. It’s really refreshing and the cans last me a good few hours each. I think I’ll have to stock up on them and maybe invest in some low calorie/gluten-free snacks. I’ve found most crisps are gluten-free but are also high in calories/low in nutritional value so I probably shouldn’t eat too many. I haven’t made any gluten-free brownies for this week but I will likely make a batch next week when I have more time/spoons to do so.

Anyway, I think an early night is in order so I can digest all the rubbish I’ve eaten today and get enough sleep so I can get up for work tomorrow. It’s a good week off but I really wish I wasn’t going back to work yet; I just want a day where I don’t have to do anything; I’ve done something every day since I’ve been off work so it doesn’t feel like I’ve stopped really. I think the few hours I spent at the hospital, having my infusion, were the first I’ve spent not doing anything this whole week! Hopefully, it means I’ll sleep better. I can only hope.

My infusion is almost done but I’m feeling quite tired. I’ve eaten a fair bit already (they gave out sandwiches today as well as tea and coffee) so I don’t think I’ll want much for dinner tonight.

I ended up eating quite a bit for dinner last night so I may have to be a bit careful for a few days incase I over eat and agitate my gut.

And I’m home

Had a great few days in Lincoln with my sister but now I am home. Last nights dinner was really good; the restaurant didn’t have a separate gluten free menu but did mark which dishes were gluten free. However, just to be awkward, I didn’t choose one of those. Instead, I had a burger without the bun. It was really nice and meant I had room for a bubblegum ice cream and M&M sundae for after. I didn’t bloat but still had enough to eat to reach/go slightly over my daily calorie count.

Today wasn’t too bad either; we went to Toby Carvery for breakfast and left Lincoln shortly after. Even though I don’t normally eat breakfast, I enjoy going to Toby Carvery; they do a full cooked breakfast buffet (so things like bacon, sausage, beans, eggs, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes ect.) so you can go back as many times as you want, which means I was full after one plate. It also means I won’t be hungry for a while, so dinner tonight will likely be small.

Visited Lincoln Castle today. They had a farmers market in the grounds which made me quite hungry but I resisted the urge to buy a hot dog.

I’ve been having some stomach pain today so I’m thinking I should probably go easy at dinner tonight. Because I’m visiting my sister (and my parents have come up too), it means we’ll be going out for dinner tonight so I’ll need to see if wherever we go has a gluten-free menu so I don’t agitate my stomach any further. I go home tomorrow so I’d rather not be feeling ill; it’ll be a four hour drive which I don’t want to make any longer by needing to stop every five minutes for a bathroom break.

I made it up the hill! I’m relaxing now with another cup of tea. The sun is out so I’ll take a walk around the cathedral a bit later.

I’ve sort of cheated already today; I’ve had a regular scone with jam and cream for lunch/snack so I could take my afternoon meds. I’m hoping because it was a small scone, I don’t bloat.

glutenfreecuppatea:

This is super cute & gluten free + dairy free 😊👸🏼 what are your favourite gluten free Christmas foodie items?! 🎄 #glutenfreeuk #glutenfreeeats #glutenfreechristmas #glutenfreegingerbread #glutenfreetreats #glutenfreedairyfree #glutenfreexmas #christmascookies #tescofreefrom #glutenfree #glutenfreeliving #glutenfreelife #glutenfreefoodporn #foodporn #wheatfree #foodie #foodblog

I will have to investigate Tesco’s free-from range at some point.

Holiday start!

So I’ve been to gym again today. I did mostly leg weights but did a little bit on the cross-trainer as well. I’ve noticed my bad knee doesn’t like the cross-trainer too much though so I might have to give up on that and stick to a brisk walk on the treadmill instead.

I’ve also been cooking again; truffles are chilling in the fridge and just need to be covered in chocolate at some point, and the latest batch of brownies are on the cooling rack. I’ll be taking the brownies with me to Lincoln on Wednesday so I’m not allowing myself to eat any of them until then.

As for my symptoms, my bloating has gone down quite a bit now that I’m taking only four steroids a day, and even though my appetite is quite low at the moment, I’m able to eat normally. I’m sticking to a reduced-gluten diet at the moment so I’m feeling quite a bit better. I did have a little pain in my left side over the weekend but that’s gone now as have the headaches (mostly).

For those interested, the rats are getting new bedding this afternoon so I’ll be having fun trying to get them out of the cage; they won’t let me pick them up yet.