Slim in six and other adventures

Hello. I just realized it has been a really long time since I posted anything. I have been pretty busy with my sick puppy (actual dog not a euphemism) and my class. I have been working out though not as regularly as I would like but I have lost 5lbs. Yeah. Some success other than inches. I have lost a few inches as well.
My biggest news and what I am trying to deal with other than my poor dog, is that I have to start an entirely new lifestyle as far as eating is concerned. I went to see a new doctor here because I needed to establish a doctor and have my thyroid tested. She is an MD but also specializes in natural medicine and nutrition. In short she is the doctor I want to be when I grow up except I will be a DO. Anyway, she was wonderful and took her time talking with me. When she told me she also specialized in natural medicine she said it almost apologetically, not sure if it is viewed as wonderful in TX. So, she told me she thinks I need to quit all sugar and go on a gluten free diet. I know you are thinking that this is just another crazy doctor preaching the latest eating fad. I did too until she gave me the reasons, then I found I could not argue with her.
First, the gluten free is because she believes I may have this thing called Celiac Disease. Not as tragic as it sounds it is just an intolerance to gluten. For those of you who are wondering what the heck gluten is, it is in all the good stuff bread, pasta and basically anything made with wheat. I am already familiar as my stepfather and one of my favorite honorary nephews eat gluten free.
I should mention that in addition to this I had already decided to give up meat for the most part. I will make exceptions because I can't see myself not having ham on Christmas. Overall though I will eat only fish. Mainly because I already gave up red meat and I just don't really care if my meals have meat in them or not. I have decided to eat only what I really want not just what I think I am supposed to. It has been working too, I have actually started to crave fruit, which I did not even like before.
Back to the gluten free and sugar free living of my future. The doctor said I may have this intolerance to gluten based on a number of symptoms I get weekly, many of them are gastrointestinal, similar to lactose intolerance or irritable bowel. Also she told me it is likely that I am not lactose intolerant as I thought, my inability to digest milk is being caused by my flare ups from the gluten. The reason she wants me to quit sugar ( and this is the one that may kill me cause she means all simple carbohydrate) is due to the rapid blood sugar changes I experience some days and the resulting cortisol that they produce.
Cortisol is a stress hormone, when we were hunters and gatherers we used cortisol as one of our "fight or flight" hormones, now that we no longer have to protect ourselves from the woolly mammoth our body secretes cortisol when we are stressed. Our body also secretes insulin along with the cortisol, which in turn makes us crave carbohydrate ( our quick energy source to help us in flight) and we eat sugars, then our body secretes more insulin to digest the sugar and the cortisol makes us store the "energy" we have just taken in and we get fatter because we eat more and more carbohydrate. I am sure I am explaining that whole process badly but it made a lot of sense when the doctor said it because I experience blood sugar highs and lows sometimes that leave me sweating and shaking and with the feeling that I have to eat something with sugar in it now. This is I guess the overproduction of insulin and by eating sugar I am perpetuating this cycle.
So, the bottom line is no sugar and no gluten, oh and no meat by choice. So what will I eat and am I actually going to try to eat this crazy way? I will try anything once, I have been fighting my body for years and if this allows me to be the weight I want and feel good that is what is important not pasta. Right? Don't think I won't be finding some ways to have gluten free bread and pasta. I am also allowing myself one cheat meal a week because I like to eat in restaurants and gluten free, sugar free and meat free in a restaurant will not happen. Plus I just don't want to be the person who makes the dining out all about what I can't eat. I have several friends who are vegetarians in varying degrees ( some eat fish, some don't) and they don't make a big deal out of it, they just order what they can on a menu. I am going cold turkey on all these things because I know that if I don't I will not quit them. Once I do we will see how crazy and cranky I become.