gluten free

[Paigeg]

anyone have success with dropping wheat from their diet and losing weight?  Any luck or experience with eliminating weight and it helping other problems like asthma?

[OrigamiKoi]

I'm Gluten intolerant and it runs in my family. I would advise you only drop gluten if you have celiac or an intolerance. It is not bad for you otherwise.

I did find I dropped about 10 pounds when I stopped eating it because I was so ill eating it that my body was essentially swollen. However, a lot of people gain weight due to the highly processed guten free versions of things. I was, mostly, disinterested in them, which is why I think I lost the weight.

[julsbh70]

Back in 2012, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I had read the book Wheat Belly as it was suggested to by a friend and realized I was suffering from so many of the symptoms. I have been gluten free ever since. I immediately dropped 15 lbs. in a week. I rarely eat the gluten free replacement products. For me, going gluten free wasn't about losing weight. It was for healing my body. I no longer suffer from daily headaches, joint pain, numerous gastro issues, and my migraines are less severe and I don't get nearly as many. One of the biggest things I noticed going gluten free was that I no longer suffer from hunger pangs. It is pretty much a drug free appetite suppressent. I used to suffer from hypoglycemic symptoms like 2 hours after eating gluten and now I no longer do.

[Theresab]

I went on the Blood Sugar Solution diet to control insulin resistance. The first 6 weeks no gluten, sugar, caffeine, alcohol or dairy. I lost 30 pounds. But I have discovered that many of my other problems like digestive issues, headaches, food cravings, rosacea, lack of energy etc, seems to be caused by gluten. I have been off it for 3 months now. If I have accidentally eaten some gluten my mood changes and I feel awful.

[lochnessholly]

I completely agree. I have celiac disease and when I stopped eating gluten I dropped about 15 pounds the first 4 months just because my body was so sick it basically held onto everything because it couldn't process it effeciently. Now that I've been eating gluten, I've gained the weight back and I'm sick.

If you go gluten free, do not eat pre-processed foods if you can help it.  A lot of them are just as unhealthy. From scratch is the way to go.

[carl669]

in 9 months, i've lost about 87 lbs.  i dropped wheat (in addition to dropping sugar, rice and potatoes).  basically, i switched over to low carb eating.  i hesitate to say "diet", because that implies it's a temporary thing.  

[Liz67]

I have had success, but what I have had to learn is that you DON'T HAVE TO EAT GLUTEN FREE PRODUCTS. I felt I had to eat gluten free and started eating more carbs than needed. I now do more veggies and fruit first and then have a gf carb once in a while. I got so wrapped in eating gf... I went overboard on that and forgot there are many gf food made by nature and my body needed those more that mucho carbs. Don't get me wrong I love carbs, but in moderation has helped me lose 50 lbs. 

[JanMcC80]

     I have Celiac and I could not get better until I eliminated ALL of the gluten from my life - not just my diet.  I use gluten free products that go IN and ON my body.  Anything I eat and everything that goes on my body - shampoo's, creams, gells, make up, etc, etc.

     Even then I was having problems, serious ones like Diarrhea, general weakness, tired quickly.  For some reason I realized I had never checked the only medication I take.  I did have gluten in it.  My doctor changed it and I haven't felt this good in about 5 years.

     Everything in my home that can touch me, inside or out, is gluten free.  I am holding my weight between 115 lbs and 120 lbs and eat whenever/whatever I want drink coffee, ginger ale, and wine - of course water.  My previous weight ranged between 130 and 140 lb.  

     So don't just cut out products with wheat - many products have 'preservatives' in them and you have no idea what that preservative is.  I eat meat from a meat market that has not been infused with chemicals to keep it 'fresh' in the store.

     I am 80 years old and like feeling good - not draggy and running to the bathroom every 1/2 hour.  I walk in chest deep water at the YMCA and do a 30 minute Yoga set alternately, Monday through Saturday. Take Sunday off.  I have a 55 degree cob angle in my lower spine (scoliosis) and it is easier to control the pain with my glutten free diet.

     It requires research, research, research - but if well worth the time if you want to eat the 'good stuff' and still feel good.

     Be careful when you eat.  There are a LOT of restaurants with GF menu's now though.  Do the research.  I have a long shopping list if you would like a copy, let me know.

[groundzero]

I'm not gluten intolerant, but my husband is, and he's the cook, so ... I'm now gluten-free too, at least at home. I don't know that I lost much weight just because of that (also it coincideded with my getting my Fitbit), but I did lose my belly--the feeling/look that it was bloated. Also I sleep a bit better. For me the changes aren't dramatic enough that I'd avoid gluten totally, but as long as it's easy and I do get some benefits, why not?

We don't really buy any special 'gluten free' products, unless you count rice noodles instead of wheat noodles. That was really the only change our diet required, other than not eating bread. I don't eat anything in place of bread, I just don't have bread anymore. I thought I would miss it far more than I do.

[mllbrown]

I have a whole host of medical issues which my doctor believes is related to possible celiac...i have not had any gluten now for 2.5 weeks and the more outward issues (eczema, bloating, gas, nausea) disappeared within the first week of my "no gluten" diet.  I am now on heavy vitamin supplementation because it seems my body wasn't able to absorb much in the way of nutrients.  Interesting to point out I am 75 pounds overweight.  So one CAN be eating way too much and not getting all the nutrients they need.  I find SUGAR is also a big issue for me.  Just read that excess sugar (whether actual sugar or sugars from too many cheap carbs) causes your body to constantly believe it is hungry -- yup that was me.  Doctor put me on a fairly strict elimination diet which I have been on for 2.5 weeks and have lost 9 pounds with seriously no effort at all.  Could be water weight...who knows.  But it's nice to see the scale moving.  And I feel AMAZING!  

[HelenaFitbit]

It's great to see you all in the forums! 

@Paigeg I will agree with @OrigamiKoi on this; going Gluten Free is not the equivalent of losing weight, same with a vegan or even a paleo approach. Cutting out a food group won't mean you will lose weight. 

I recommend to make a caloric budget and stick to it, without ruling out any food groups, if you have an existing condition; it's best to check with your Doctor if a dietary approach can be done. 

Happy stepping! 

[TMFIT]

@mllbrown 

My wife is a 3rd generation diagnosed Celiac.  They have genetic testing now to determine whether you have either the dq2 or dq8 gene, which you must have in order to have Celiac disease. If this is the first time you have been on a strict Gluten free diet, and you have Celiac, the next time you eat gluten will make you very sick. Celiac is a tough disease to confirn. The blood test is not very accurate as you almost have to be binge gluten eating, and extremely sick, to get a positive result.

All of the issues you were having, plus a couple extras, my wife suffered with for years. Have you noticed a change in heart rate or mental accuity since going gluten free?

[RexFeral]

I dropped all sugar and grains from my diet and lost 100+ pounds. I did it instinctively at first because I had no idea what was happening to me. I just got fed up of going to the doctor with a million mysterious health issues and an enormous amount of weight to get no answers whatsoever. It was just the typical, loose weight/eat less recommendation but no information on how to do just that. Every time I ate less, I didn't loose a single pound and my health issues got worse. I couldn't exercise because I was just too heavy and walking on a cane. I decided to do the opposite of what I was being told and it worked. I started loosing weight and feeling better. 

Recently, I also began reading books like Wheat Belly and Good Calories Bad Calories and finally understand what was happening to me. I fine tuned my diet even more with the new information and here I am, 360 degree turn around. 

My husband was recently diagnosed with Celiac so I am fine tuning his diet as well. I just stay away from the stuff. Its not needed. We spent millions of years without it and we are just not evolved to use it in any useful way. Will it provide energy? Yes but at the cost of massive pollution in your body. Just like sugar, its garbage "food".

[mllbrown]

Ohhhh, yes, I have noticed a heart rate difference!  FitBit was telling me my heart rate (before elimination diet) was in the mid to high 70's and about a week into the elimination diet, I had dropped the HR significantly.  I am now regularly in the low to mid 50's every day.  Started coming off of the elimination diet for the past 5 days or so, and guess what??  I am back into the low 70's.  

As far as mental aquity, yes, I totally feel more "on it."  I would have so many times where I couldn't remember if I did a certain task or not, then I would obsess on whether or not I did it, then I would have to go make SURE I did it, then I would re-check that I did it a couple of more times before I could put it to rest. Now I can simply think about it for a moment and KNOW I did it.  

The other thing is since coming out of the elimination diet, I am not sleeping well again.  I am wide awake super early, but can't fall back to sleep.  I toss and turn and wallow in anxiety.  The anxiety that seems to be coupled with whatever I'm having problems with as far as food is pretty much the worst part.  I really didn't have that while I successfully working the elimination diet.  Soooo...back on track today (until Thanksgiving, that is...old habits die hard...).

Living this way feels AMAZING!  But what's weird is how much of a mental thing it all is.  I KNOW I feel soooo much better, but I have a hard time with not being able to eat certain (traditional) foods sometimes.  (Gluten free versions don't always do a great job at mimicing food stuffs)...and once I start back on the gluten, especially the gluten AND sugar combo, it's all over.  I'll wake up 3 months from now in a food fog, feeling horrible, having gained 20 pounds and wondering how I got so far off track.

Anybody else have those issues?  I'd love to hear how you're coping with that.

THANKS!!!