Help please!

I've been following the BTD for 10 months as a secretor, and 6 months as a non-secretor and this is still bothering me. Food is no longer fun, or a treat. It's just fuel to stop me getting wobbly and falling over. I never think "Wow that was DELICIOUS" any more. Some recipes work better than others, but none give me that "yum factor" that I used to get.

I don't mind preparing food for DH, in fact I enjoy getting quite creative in the kitchen. But I'm aware that it's mainly to get the "That was DELICIOUS" reaction from him, not from me.

What's wrong with me? What can I do about it?  

Squirrel,  this is what worked for me:

*  focusing on what I can eat rather than what I can't eat...eliminates that deprived feeling

*  replace food items rather than just eliminating, e.g. rice for wheat, rice crackers for bread, homemade sauces & gravies instead of store-bought bottled

*  remembering that the 'yum feeling' might just be the addictive feeling of allergy reuptake (bread & wheat are so addictive)

*  striving for the 'wow' feeling throughout the day rather than just a hit after a meal

Hope this helps    

Thanks Shells.
We have very little non-compliant items in our kitchen so that I can't obsess about what I can't have. You're right, that does help the deprived feeling. Obviously there are some things that DH eats, like mozzarella cheese which I can't, but I can work around that. He has his own shelves in the fridge and cupboard!
Replacing items is not so easy because the O-non diet is supposed to be pretty much grain-free, and I've always eaten grains.
I think you're very right about the addictive feeling of something bad, especially wheat. That's what I was afraid of, that the yum factor, artificial though it was, is no longer available to me if I eat right.
I don't get a wow feeling at all, not during meals or between them. I don't feel much different on the diet from how I felt before it, I just feel rubbish now if I eat avoids. DH really enjoys his food. Why can't I? Maybe there's something I'm missing here.

Can't you have like a piece of chocolate from time to time?  Did you try the bars Dr.D makes?  Supposedly they are compliant for anyone.  Although they do have rice in them, I think.  Those are so good I go banana's when I eat them.  

There's gotta be stuff out there that would knock your socks off that you maybe haven't tried yet.  To me, most fruit tastes way better than any candy bar out there.  For instance, I've had grapefruit the last couple mornings and I haven't had one in years.  Oh WOW!!!!!!  Those are awesome.  And beneficial for me.

I hope something zings ya, because I like eating food now more than I have in years by following the diet.  I was used to eating so many things out of a box.  Noodles, etc.  Everything tastes like too much salt.

Most of the time, throughout my life, I’ve eaten because I have to, not because I enjoy it.  Then my son started doing the cooking and WOW that is delicious came through loud and clear.  While he’s cooking up one of his stews I get hungrier and hungrier just smelling it.  Try having your hubby make you a meal once in awhile.  Getting something new & different from a restaurant will do it for me also.  

When we get into a rut and eat the same things all the time, it is no longer exciting.

you need some zing...maybe a garlicky pesto sauce slathered over rice or millet or quinoa! Or some indian spiced recipes..indian spices are so good for us! Or a grilled filet mignon with buttery mushrooms...

I was kind of in that rut also, after eating at a very high level of compliance for my blood type for nearly a decade.  I ended up switching over to the Genotype diet and it gave a whole new twist to my kitchen habits.  I'm enjoying food and variety again, and getting creative in food preparation.  The GTD isn't for everyone, like my daughter who is sticking with her blood type diet, but it's working great for me.

How about some mushrooms and onions fried in ghee with garlic, then add some pieces of meat. Or how about fried veggies in an omelet with Ezekiel bread?

I think I can do with these O NS foods. I've been back on BTD for 3 weeks today. Try some sauteed walnuts in ghee with garlic powder and sea salt.

Maybe you could add more sea salt to your foods. We have to use our imagination. I haven't eaten an avoid in 3 weeks and I don't intend to.

The way I look at it is : I don't want my food to be too delicious. If it was too delicious I'd probably eat too much of it, and that's not good.

I would suggest you eat in peace and savor your food without any distractions...close your eyes and concentrate on the taste and texture of your food

Quoted from Victoria

I'm enjoying food and variety again, and getting creative in food preparation.

This is what turns me on.  I've only made one thing since being on the GTD that was a dud.  I've been very pleasantly surprised at the rest of the foods...

It turns me on to make something that is great tasting and most of all so healthy.  

I've really gotten hooked on sweet potatoes and ghee... man ghee brings out all the sweetness of the potato.  If I'm really feeling in need of sweet, I just add some agave.  Delish!

get those bone broths going!
add veggies and sweet potatoes or compliant grain to it and you have very nutritious and comforting meals!

Squirrel, you don't have any depression issues do you?

I have always LOVED food.  But I can tell when things are going blue for me when nothing hits the spot.  It's all blah.  You know you've gotta eat otherwise you'll go all shaky and nauseous but yek, what to have?

Only a suggestion and I hope it's something much simpler for you.  Best Wishes  

Quoted from Lola

get those bone broths going!
add veggies and sweet potatoes or compliant grain to it and you have very nutritious and comforting meals!

My son made soup bone soup for the first time last week with vegetables and it was absolutely delicious.  It was the first time I had ever had it.  I love the bone marrow that came out of it.

Caz:  When I get upset, I don’t want to eat either.  Nothing looks appetizing to me.  

Squirrel, have a look-see at this thread. If you love the 4 ingredients, you'll love this. With or w/o the burger.  
http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?m-1207071927/s-8/highlight-Lunch+from+Heaven/#num8

Maybe I wish I had this problem! I like to eat too much. I wish I didn't get so hungry.
Eating & cooking take so much time.

Quoted from Mrs T O+

I wish I didn't get so hungry.Eating & cooking take so much time.

Do you feel like you are hungry too often or too often are you've just eaten? and yes, cooking takes so long.........and clean up.  

When I get depressed about food and I feel like I'm fixing the same ole, same ole thing all the time, I take a trip to the library and check out a dozen foreign cookbooks.  I do the best with Indonesian and Indian cookbooks because I can then avoid all the wheat and dairy and corn.  You still have to tweak some of the recipes, but boy, do they taste good.  I can get excited about cooking again when I just read through some cookbooks (nothing American, though).

It's odd, I don't mind the cooking and preparing - I enjoy being creative in the kitchen, and I like making tasty meals - but by the time they're ready to eat I'm just not interested any more. I know they're tasty, and I can tell which are nicer than others. I do suffer (still  ) with mouth ulcers which makes eating very painful sometimes. Maybe these coincide with/indicate a lowered immune system/fighting off some bug which would have sapped my appetite anyway. Does anyone else get mouth ulcers?

I'd forgotten about depression. It's a possibility. When I gave up wheat, to start with I felt a lot better and realised that I'd probably been depressed for most of my life without realising that how I felt was abnormal. I thought everyone had to fight to be positive, just some people were better at it than others. Well you would, wouldn't you? But now even with no wheat in my diet, I kind of feel the same again. I very definitely do not want to go on any anti-depressants though. What else besides wheat can cause depression?

Quoted from Squirrel

What else besides wheat can cause depression?

white sugar? how are you w/ dairy? these 2 things cause trouble for me. BIG trouble.

Definitely wheat and sugar are MAJOR culprits!!  Sometimes I feel like I'm in a coma when I've indulged in too much of them - rotten    Or I go the other way and become a MONSTER!!

I'm not sure about the dairy but Dr D says in the Fatigue book that wheat and dairy are the 1st foods that must go.  For me depression and fatigue seem to go hand in hand.

My husband found this Aust website that has a questionnaire - http://www.beyondblue.org.au   - this put me on the track to seeing my naturopath (who gave me lots more questionnaires) and having some herbal remedies prescribed which really helped.

Quoted Text

What else besides wheat can cause depression?

lack of purpose, or project and exercise.....create a routine, personally designed by you,one you thrive in, and do with spirit! something you look forward to on a daily basis!
exercise is our prozac!

Lifes no fun with no yum factor,

Agree that exercise might be best - but I know its hard in singapore with the heat, humidity and pollution

Quoted from Lola

lack of purpose, or project and exercise.....create a routine, personally designed by you,one you thrive in, and do with spirit! something you look forward to on a daily basis!
exercise is our prozac!

Lola, I think you are so right!  Thank you for reminding us of this  

If I were a Brit in Singapore I might feel a little homesick and displaced.