where to start...or how i found will power

I've actually got tooooooo much to post about..I mean there's the eating, the gluten, the motivation factor..well..since it's most recent I'll start with the eating. As I mentioned yesterday, B and I gave up gluten mid-June. He was diagnosed with celiac disease. I was not. We all got tested and so far, just him. So, why go GF if I didn't need to. Well, here's the deal. B is a picky eater to begin with. He now has to take this a step further and cut a whole lot more food out. He also can't always eat what everyone else eats. He can't just go to a dinner, birthday party,movie,camp..well ANYWHERE without thinking about what he's going to be able to eat. He was also 11 and has a form of autism, high functioning, called aspergers syndrome. (sorry you'll be hearing lots about this..as it is my life and affects just about every aspect of it). I could not say to him, "no more gluten for you son" and go back and eat my gluten sandwich. I just couldn't do it. I felt to learn what it's like and to know what tastes good and to teach him how to advocate, order and navigate the glutenful world , this is what I needed to do.
So, we cleaned off some shelves in the pantry and freezer and that's our GF zone. We bought every GF product that looked remotely interesting. We began our GF life.  Now, unseasoned dairy,meat ,potatoes and fruit and veggies are gluten free....but he's a picky one.Most chocolate and sugary candies are GF too. We tried to replace what we were already eating with the gf substitutes..meaning we tried every GF pizza and cookie there was to try.
Here's the amazing part...during this GF period I have been around the most tempting of glutenful foods.. pizza ( my addiction), cookies, cakes, brownies, candybars, fresh bagels, bread...you name it and since June have only nibbled on gluten a handful of times.
I read labels, collected menus and articles, called restaurants ahead, questioned wait staff and managers,tried new recipes and always had a cooler of food packed, just in case.  The glutened food in the house didn't even  tempt me! I had discovered something amazing..I DO HAVE WILLPOWER! Interesting...
People say to me..."you don't do this GF thing when your son isn't around, do you?"...But I do.
First off, I wanna keep this new found will power going! Also, if I eat gluten...I think I will crave more and more and the GF stuff won't taste so good.

What's interesting is that even with all this willpower..I didn't lose any weight. Even passing up all that pizza, baked goods ,ect. Know why...I found GF replacements for all. Yum.

 And...to make GF taste decent- they often put extra  sugar and fat in. I will say something about  my eating habits since going GF. I now think before I eat things. I make better and healthier choices. I also feel better. I used to CRASH around 3-ish and would eat lots of "crap" /empty carbs to "feel better". I don't crash anymore.

Again, why couldn't I make these changes for myself? For my own health? I don't know. But I was not going to let my boy go it alone and will always be the Capitan of Team B. It's weird how things work out..who would have thought my son's lack of growth would lead me to find a treasure- MY WILL POWER and SELF CONTROL.

A side note- He feels so much better , mentally and physically, since removing gluten from the diet.
I can't wait for his 6 mos gf appt when they retest his gluten intolerance levels ( antibodies).

You never know what will lead you to find the strength you need. I just hope you all find yours.
Thanks for listening.
If you have any questions of need to chat about celiac or autism spectrum disorders, I'm here to lend an ear. I spend the majority of my life researching the two topics these days.