Anyone here had success with a gluten free diet?

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fadedgray
fadedgray Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
So i looked up the symptoms of someone who could be gluten sensitive and I have most of them. I want to go gluten free for a month or 2 and see if it makes a difference. Hopefully those things that bother me go away, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. I really want to see if this is my problem.
So thats my main reason but also if I could lose weight with that, I wont be mad :)

Anyone on here have success with losing weight on a gluten free diet and did you do it for that or you are gluten sensitive (or you have celiac disease)?

Thank you.

Replies

  • chulie
    chulie Posts: 282
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    So i looked up the symptoms of someone who could be gluten sensitive and I have most of them. I want to go gluten free for a month or 2 and see if it makes a difference. Hopefully those things that bother me go away, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. I really want to see if this is my problem.
    So thats my main reason but also if I could lose weight with that, I wont be mad :)

    Anyone on here have success with losing weight on a gluten free diet and did you do it for that or you are gluten sensitive (or you have celiac disease)?

    Thank you.
    I do not follow a gluten free diet but my mother has for about 4 years now. She was advised by her dr because no matter how much weight she would lose she would always have a bloated tummy and has sever pains after eating. After 4 years, she's lost a small amount of weight, but it really has changed her life in other ways. She feels better, looks better and her digestion has improved enormously!!! No more pains after eating. Going gluten free definitely isn't going to help you drop weight, but if your doing it for the right reasons, it is succesful. Gluten free stuff is just as high in calories as any other food! So unless you plan to follow MFP along with it, going gluten free alone will not help you lose weight....
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
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    Yes! The most significant change for me is in how I feel. It can be for weight loss, or not, depending on how you go about it. If you cut out the high calorie/high carb gluten containing items and replace them with fresh veggies and fruit, you get more nutritional content for less calories. If you just replace them with "gluten free" options, not so much. Many of the alternative flours have higher calories. I went gluten free about a year ago, and felt great. I know that I am at least mildly gluten intollerant, and tested highly reactive to almost all grains on the IGG/IGE allergy tests. So I also rarely ate any grains, sugar or other processed foods.

    This summer I was out of state travelling for six weeks and eating out for all meals without control of where we stopped all the time, and went back to eating them. I didn't really gain any weight back, but didn't feel as well. I've dealt with swelling, indigestion, and other mild irritations, but when my mom was recently diagnosed with hashimotos and celiac, that was the extra kick I needed to get back on 100% gluten free.

    I read tons of information on gluten intollerance last year, and would recommend "Wheat Belly" by William Davis and "Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf . Paleo Solution is obviously a Paleo Diet book, however the author Robb has personal experience with serious health issues related to gluten intollerance and it's a more science based read than some of the others. His website and podcasts have most if not all of the info and are completely free. His motto is "Try it for 30 Days and See How You Feel, Look and Perform". It's totally worth it.

    As far as weight loss, I think that the change in body composition pound for pound is what I noticed the most. Before being gluten free I lost 20lbs and 2" off my waist. Since going gluten fee I've only lost another 10lbs, but it's also been an additional 2" off my waist and a drop in bra band size.

    ETA: One other thing that I just thought of. Giving up gluten completely changed my eating habits in a way I never thought possible. I used to eat five times a day. If I didn't have at least a little something every 4 to 5 hours, I would get headaches and be cranky, after a couple months of ditching the grains, I can easily eat just twice a day without any ill affects. I rarely feel the need or even desire to snack. It's very liberating.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    I eat Primal and feel like my appetite is better controlled, I eat more appropriate portions and that I have consistent energy throughout the day. Highly recommend it.
  • CoachJenniferM
    CoachJenniferM Posts: 7
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    I gave up gluten about a year ago. Never officially diagnosed as "gluten intolerant," "gluten-sensitive," or with "celiac's", but like you, I found I had a lot of similar symptoms. One thing I noticed immediately is that the pot belly I'd had my entire life (to the point where people asked me when I was due when I wasn't pregnant) went away after two weeks!!! That was enough for me.

    Having gone without it for so long, though, if I do happen to have some I get very sick. (severe gas pains, migraines, even nausea) so I just don't have it anymore because I think it's not worth it.

    I always tell people to just give it a try and see how it feels. If you feel better and notice a difference in your well-being, great! If not, then try something else. Good luck!

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