Does anyone else have a CONFIRMED carbohydrate intolerance?

RachelsReboot

I am wondering if anyone else here has a confirmed carbohydrate intolerance and if so how do you ward off low carb haters? I am tired of battling with the rest of the world about what I eat. I previously lost over 200lbs with the help of gastric bypass and was then diagnosed with primary carbohydrate intolerance due to the absence of a digestive enzyme normally found in saliva. Now I have gained 100 back, my only reason was just giving up on trying to do what was best for me. I can not seem to get it through my families thick heads nor my boyfriends that I have been medically diagnosed with carbohydrate intolerance. My body can not utilize carbohydrates the way a normal person can. This is why I gain an enormous amount of weight very quickly(not to mention start feeling like crap) even when restricting calories if I don't also restrict carbs. I don't think enough people do the research and half of the obese people out there probably could be diagnosed if their physicians had the proper education. I know the best thing for me is just to ignore people but I feel so isolated. When I so what I am supposed to do I can drop 5 to 10 pounds in a week but then they are all over me about how I am going to make myself sick again and I am left completely alone without a support system because I isolate myself.

MsMouseMouse

Hi, There are lots of people on here that follow low carb diets.
Just go to search on the line above where you post and just write in Low carb and you
will see lots of questions and answers on that subject.
Remember you are the only one in charge of and responsible for you.
Good luck.

chammich

I haven't been confirmed but I should get tested. Carbs are not good for me and if I eat anything carby I will gain a pound or two in one day. Sometimes people just don't understand unless they are in your shoes. This is one reason why I didn't get a bypass because it helps the problem of being obese but doesn't' actually solve the issue.

Have you looked into Paleo eating? It's the only way I can eat without binging or gaining weight. Even with Paleo I still have to count calories.

Hang in there!

TeeferTiger

Education is the key. You need to explain to them/print something off that shows/tells them exactly what will happen to you if you eat these items.

I'd also perhaps ask to see a dietician and get them to work out an eating plan for you, that way you've got "back up" and you're doing it correctly.

They're only worried that you're going to do more harm than good, so it needs explaining and/or medical back up to show that it's causing more damage if you ate how they think you should.

hope516

I am not, but I can imagine how hard it must be! I am more sorry that you don't have positive people in your life that can understand your struggle! That stress can only make things worse I am sure! I wish you the best and hope you find some support :flowerforyou:

RachelsReboot

Education is the key. You need to explain to them/print something off that shows/tells them exactly what will happen to you if you eat these items.

I'd also perhaps ask to see a dietician and get them to work out an eating plan for you, that way you've got "back up" and you're doing it correctly.

They're only worried that you're going to do more harm than good, so it needs explaining and/or medical back up to show that it's causing more damage if you ate how they think you should.

I do follow a dieticians plan and they are convinced that my doctor and dietician are all quack jobs LOL. I think it's hopeless with them, I am just going to have to find my support outside of my family and friends and make new friends.

russellma

This is a very interesting post and is the first time I've heard of actual carb intolerance, which is very different from insulin resistance.

Would it help to explain that your condition is very similar to lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance? Those are conditions that normal people can relate to more easily because they are better known. Most people understand that they are conditions that people can't help and certainly wouldn't choose, but ignoring the condition and eating things that they are intolerant to causes a reaction. While the reaction for lactose and gluten is physical sickness, the reaction for people with carb intolerance is weight gain and feeling terrible.

Also, I believe there are products available that you can take to help your body break those down. Maybe you could talk to your doctor about what he/she thinks about those supplements with amylase that you could keep on hand?

PaleoPath4Lyfe

I am wondering if anyone else here has a confirmed carbohydrate intolerance and if so how do you ward off low carb haters? I am tired of battling with the rest of the world about what I eat. I previously lost over 200lbs with the help of gastric bypass and was then diagnosed with primary carbohydrate intolerance due to the absence of a digestive enzyme normally found in saliva. Now I have gained 100 back, my only reason was just giving up on trying to do what was best for me. I can not seem to get it through my families thick heads nor my boyfriends that I have been medically diagnosed with carbohydrate intolerance. My body can not utilize carbohydrates the way a normal person can. This is why I gain an enormous amount of weight very quickly(not to mention start feeling like crap) even when restricting calories if I don't also restrict carbs. I don't think enough people do the research and half of the obese people out there probably could be diagnosed if their physicians had the proper education. I know the best thing for me is just to ignore people but I feel so isolated. When I so what I am supposed to do I can drop 5 to 10 pounds in a week but then they are all over me about how I am going to make myself sick again and I am left completely alone without a support system because I isolate myself.

I tell the haters that carbs are not a necessity for healthy living (which they are not) and that eating fat, protein and the small amount of carbs in the form of fruits and vegeetables is not unhealthy.

That usually shuts them up.

dsolomon001

I am a true CI person. i do not eat any sugars, grains, legumes, sweet fruits or starches.

spottedkathy

Hi! I follow a low carb diet and have been very successful. I try to eat less than 30 each day but usually never go over 50. It works for me. Feel free to add me!

JudieJudes

I dont have a carb intolerance but I have tested positive for yeast, egg yolk, egg white, all dairy and brazil nuts. I just eat my way around those issues

celticath

I know your post was from 1 1/2 years ago, but I just now saw it. I did a search last night on Carb sensitivity and found your message. I am not confirmed carb intolerant, but I have suspected for many years that I was carb sensitive. I took a test online last night and found that I answered all the questions that showed me to be carb intolerant. Now I know why I gain weight so easily when I go off a carb restricted diet. I think today, 1 1/2 years later, there are more people who have come to the realization that they cannot handle carbs the way other people can. I realize now that I will not be able to eat starches the way I used to. My body simply doesn't process those fast enough and causes my body to turn those calories into fat. Please let me know how you're doing. I'd like to have a weight loss partner, if you would like.

Stage14

I don't have a carb intolerance, but Husband was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, so we are both following a restricted carb plan and we get a lot of grief from family who a) don't actually understand diabetes and b) don't understand why I would limit my diet when I am not the one who was ordered to by a doctor. So, I can at least relate to the emotional part of not having support from family and friends.

We have simply taken to saying "my eating habits are between my doctor and me. Thank you for your concern." And then ignoring any further discussion. It seems to be helping curb the worst of it, but it still sucks. Just remember that your first priority is to take care of YOU. If that means declining dinner invitations for awhile, then do it. Education may also help, but it hasn't with us so far. My family still flips out if H has a single small cookie while pushing pasta and bread on him like crazy.

CanadianSherry

I have confirmed Carbohydrate Intolerance but, oddly enough, mine is limited to complex carbohydrates. If I eat any kind of starch (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread), I feel absolutely terrible (extremely sleepy, weakness, internal shaking, dizziness, brain fog). I can, however, eat simple carbohydrates such as chocolate, ice-cream, candy, etc., and it doesn't affect me at all. Weird, huh? Apparently I'm missing an enzyme that helps me process complex carbohydrate.

srcritical

@CanadianSherr: I haven't been diagnosed, but my case looks like yours.

Profile: I'm male, 34yo, father, working full time, relatively fit (can run 10k no problems), within good range BMI. No medical condition aside chronic idiopathic tinnitus developed in the last 4 years. No diabetes, no allergies, no digestive tract condition (all ruled out by physicians).

1. For years (at least the last 6), I got constant post-meal fatigue and brain fog. To the point of finding it difficult to concentrate at work in the afternoon to flinging myself on the couch after dinner.

2. I did lots of testing during those years and fasting or atkins diet make me feel heaps better. But obviously less than perfect solution in my view.

3. I then tried different foods that have carbs in them, starting with the healthiest type first .. disaster.

4. At the moment, I can demolish a jar of nutella and I get full of energy. However, if I eat a handful of rice, pasta or potatoes, it food coma straight away.

So I'm wondering what causes this exactly. Is it an insufficiency in amylase? What's your take on it?

Cyndi10612

I have PCOS which causes insulin resistance and since I have been doing low carb I have dropped weight fast, have tons more energy and am starting to actually feel good about myself when I look in the mirror. So many ppl bash the Atkins diet. Friends and family will come up to me and say "Wow! Youve list weight. What have you been doing?" When I tell them I'm on Atkins a few have said right to my facet hat that is the worst diet, it is so unhealthy and it's bad for you. Even ppl on myfitness pal will bash you for posting a low carb community question! I never tell them it's bc I have pcos. That's to personal to get into and most ppl don't understand it anyways. I just say "well, it works for me" or "I'm just following my drs orders and he knows what best for me". You could also tell ppl that you have an insulin resistance and your body does not break down carbs/ sugars like the normal human body does. I also look at it as if I don't cut/ reduce my carbs, I will most likely develop diabetes. Most woman with insulin resistance WILL develop diabetes if they do not change their eating habits. I also hope to have children someday so going low carb and losing will greatly increase my chances of getting pregnant. Bottom line is you have to think about the reasons why YOU want to do this. Not what everyone else thinks. Eventually they will get used to it. You just have to be strong in the mean time and realize that you love yourself enough to make these changes to be a healthier happier you!

conniekat8

Heh, I have high protein intolerance (genetic, missing some protein processing enzymes), and I sort of feel your pain, because I get ganged up on as well. This whole Carbs vs. Protein things is too over the top.

Everyone needs to get to know themselves and eat what works for them.... and overzealous people... eh... I don't know really what to do with carb thumpers or protein thumpers or realy thumpers of any kind that can't just live and let live.

Nige_Gsy

I am wondering if anyone else here has a confirmed carbohydrate intolerance and if so how do you ward off low carb haters? I am tired of battling with the rest of the world about what I eat. I previously lost over 200lbs with the help of gastric bypass and was then diagnosed with primary carbohydrate intolerance due to the absence of a digestive enzyme normally found in saliva. Now I have gained 100 back, my only reason was just giving up on trying to do what was best for me. I can not seem to get it through my families thick heads nor my boyfriends that I have been medically diagnosed with carbohydrate intolerance. My body can not utilize carbohydrates the way a normal person can. This is why I gain an enormous amount of weight very quickly(not to mention start feeling like crap) even when restricting calories if I don't also restrict carbs. I don't think enough people do the research and half of the obese people out there probably could be diagnosed if their physicians had the proper education. I know the best thing for me is just to ignore people but I feel so isolated. When I so what I am supposed to do I can drop 5 to 10 pounds in a week but then they are all over me about how I am going to make myself sick again and I am left completely alone without a support system because I isolate myself.

Your thoughts are exactly the kind of issues that lead me to get my food intolerance tests done; that and the fact that I only ever lost weight on the Atkins diet. Now I've been diagnosed as dairy, egg, gluten and gliadin intolerant, and the weight falls off. But, I do know if I eat a carb heavy day as I feel yuk! Trouble is, unless you are really close to someone going through it / or who has been through it it seems that the majority of people put on blinkers and refuse to accept that you are "medically different to them". Keep on with MFP though, there are losts of low card threads, blogs, recipes about, and you will find it helps no end.