Self-discipline - where is it when you need it?

Don't you hate it when you have a good day planned and suddenly you don't feel you can make it? That is what happened to me today. My friend, Estelle, and I planned to get together and submit some of our work, but I had to cancel. I was going to help her with electronic submissions which I learned more about in Robert King's class at the Moss Library recently. 

Estelle and I have many poems and short prose pieces stored away that have never seen the light of day. We talk about our plans on the phone, but life keeps getting in the way of doing what we plan. In my case life, lately, has come in the form of some malady that keeps me feeling blah all the time. At first it came with pain in my back and my front, but now with a wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Rob Peck, my back pain is gone, unless I lift something or sit at the computer too long. 

I have been counseled to try a gluten-free diet. I did some research and even bought a few gluten-free items at the grocery store, but I am not thrilled with what I've found. I made gluten-free biscuits that turned out pretty well, but I used a biscuit mix and the sugar content is high. It seems that rice and oats are Okay but most bread, rye, whole wheat, and white wheat, the ones I like, are made with gluten and therefore off my diet. So, how can I make a sandwich? Right now with fresh tomatoes available, how can I have a BLT? 

I wonder if I bought a bread machine, could I make bread with rice flour or gluten-free ingredients?

Dr. Peck even thinks I should avoid dairy! If I can't have cheese and butter, and bread, what is left that's good? I remember my father saying, when he was about my age, "Eating is about the only enjoyment I have left."

I still find quite a few things that are fun besides eating, but our social lives are built around food, having lunch with friends, going on a picnic, looking forward to a special dinner at a nice restaurant. 

Food was not high on Barry's list. He could go all day and not think about eating. He ate to live and that was it. His favorite meals consisted of hot dogs or pizza. But I made sure his meals included vegetables and fresh foods when I cooked for him. After his heart attack, when he was in his early fifties, he relied on me to cook heart healthy for him. I did my best. He dutifully ate turnip greens, cabbage, green beans and salads. 

I think I could eat gluten free if only I had someone come in and prepare that food for me. But when I go into my kitchen, I seem to only think of what I want, not what I should eat. And lately my GI tract is not food-friendly - not even for those old comfort foods I used to eat. 

I daydream about going to a fancy spa and having someone plan healthy meals and activities that bring back my energy and enthusiasm. Sounds like I have no self-discipline, doesn't it? I am just tired of having to think about food - what I can or cannot eat - what to buy at the store - what to do with what I have in my pantry and refrigerator. 

One of my affirmations I read each day says, "You've got everything you need to succeed. Believe it!" 

I believe I can do what I need to do to get back on the road to good health. I'll begin tomorrow.

Do you have any advice on how to stick with a diet or plan? Have you had success with gluten free living?