Introduction, bite blocks, and gluten free soft foods...oh my!

[Johanimal]

Hi there,

I'm brand new here and thought I'd introduce myself.

I'm Johanna, I'm 30 and have had my braces for 18 days. I never knew I needed braces until I needed them *right away*, so it's been kind of a rocky transition and there may have been some stages of grief represented. I also have an autoimmune disease that impacts my teeth, so it's going to be quite the year of learning!

The bite blocks are by far the hardest to work with. I have lost 8 pounds and haven't been able to run (my stress relief of choice) without getting lightheaded. I'm allergic to gluten and have been eating a lot of protein shakes and just started reintroducing tofu, but I'm still feeling very low energy. Before braces, I ate a fresh vegetables all day every day, and I haven't found a way to make up for those yet. I just started making gluten free matzoh ball soup, which is my current favorite. I am committed to making this work, but I just thought I'd share where I'm at today.

Do you have any brilliant ideas? I'll loop back and fill you all in.

[djspeece]

No brilliant ideas here, but welcome to the club and good luck!

[ItsFreyja]

Wow, 8 pounds is a lot of weight loss in 18 days. No wonder you're feeling lightheaded.

My proteins of choice on my bad days are mostly legume-based (think hummus and other bean purees) and dairy-based. I am hurting from an adjustment yesterday and am planning on a big bowl of tuna salad (hold the celery) for lunch today.

I had bite blocks for 8 months and I was able to eat more or less normally after the first month, so hopefully you will start to feel better about chewing soon. It will definitely get easier, so hang in there!

[dobiraru]

8 pounds is good for weight loss.
https://reshapeready.com

[MetalMouth77]

So sorry this has been such a struggle for you. I would say you can eat vegetables you just need to cook them to soften them. I made a vegetable soup with cannelloni beans in preparation for my braces this week.

[Oversmite]

That sounds horrible! I've struggled too, but I've actually put on a few kg because my body freaks out and goes "HOARD THE WEIGHT!!"

One thing that has been helping with my vegetable intake is smoothies! You can throw some broccoli, baby spinach and half a banana into a blender with almond milk (or regular milk, your call!) and make a great tasting smoothie. Good for keeping up iron, potassium and B12. It might be fun to experiment with different flavours :)


-MM