Anyone have success from eliminating wheat?

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Replies

  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    Did it for a bit, went on a Wheat Belly trip, it makes no difference to me, I don't have a diagnosed issue though (thankfully).
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I was miserable when I "accidentally" cut out grains in an otherwise mostly whole food diet. I say "accidentally" because i went like 2 months eating essentially paleo but not thinking about it that way.

    It did unthinkable things with my poop that was cured by adding back oatmeal and PB&J's.

    I was probably getting 40-60 grams of fiber from fruit and veggies at the time, so it wasn't just a lack of fiber (most grains are not as great of fiber sources in the foods typically consumed as made out anyway).

    Pretty much the same thing here! I have never been a big bread lover, but if I have a grilled cheese with avocado once and French toast once, I am regular. Otherwise I am miserable for 2-3 days a week with all the fruit/veg fiber in the world. It's like magic ;-)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i'm allergic so it's made a huge difference for me..

    no more skin rashes, no more headaches, less coughing and sneezing.

    weight loss wise it hasnt made a difference because i just replace those calories with something else
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    I had to remove all gluten (wheat & barley products) from my diet due to intollerance issues. It helped with my joint pain, bloating, bowel issues, and sleeplessness. It was not a miracle weight loss though. I still have to work just as hard to lose weight as I did before, it is just now I have to be very careful and read labels.

    If you do not have celiacs or an allergy I do not think this is the way you want to go to lose weight.

    This. I actually gained 20+ pounds eating processed GF foods after my celiac diagnosis. I have now found a bread that isn't mostly added sugar and eat it in moderation.

    On the other hand, it won't hurt you to not eat it. It is just very hard to do especially during the holidays. -
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
    Yes. It makes a huge difference if you are sensitive to wheat. There is a spectrum of sensitivity to gluten-- not everyone's experience is going to be the same. It impacts people's health to different degrees so you have to figure out if its an issue for you. I am gluten intolerant- there are some very severe physical/ allergy related reactions that happen when I eat wheat, rye or barley and their by-products.

    As for mood and how you feel-- I started having issues with depression when I was around 11 yrs old- before the age of drugs and was just told to "be happy, nothing was wrong with me". I started having extreme anxiety in my early twenties. Stomache problems and headaches forced me to consider going gluten free. Its been 2 years since I went gluten free- I only have bouts of depression and anxiety when I screw up or someone glutens me. For me there is a huge correlation between mood and my coping skills and the foods I eat.

    Its more about health changes than weight changes though.
    Its not a good dieting strategy unless you are willing to put in the work to make sure you arent nutrient deficient.

    Feel free to friend me or message me if you want more details of my experiences going GF.
  • 33Freya
    33Freya Posts: 468 Member
    Me! I had great success with cutting out wheat, but not because wheat is bad- more because many bad things have wheat in them!
    Cookies, cakes, pies, many gravies, biscuits, most deep-fried foods, etc etc etc.

    Also because when I get near pasta, I don't wanna stop eating it- seems that I always over eat with pasta :) It's like I turn into an alien vaccuum or something. :embarassed:

    When I gave up wheat, I felt spacy for a week. After that, I felt great, and it wasn't very difficult- mainly because now if I want a tortilla or a piece of bread, I'll have it. I still choose to avoid pasta though (LOVE Spaghetti squash).
  • LadyCopper28
    LadyCopper28 Posts: 5
    I've been eating Primal/gluten free for almost exactly two years. It started as a one-month experiment because I thought it was probably just a fad, but decided to try it. SOME of the issues I was having before I started were: Constant inflammation (my skin looked bright red in all photos, I thought I just sunburned really really easily), joint pain, very low energy, unstoppable sugar cravings, inability to lose weight, depression, panic attacks, bad cramps... In less than a week I lost more than 3 inches around my waist and an equal amount around my hips, began losing fat, and had more energy. At the end of the month I tried reintroducing wheat and decided I don't at all like what wheat does to me! I never, every had actual stomach problems from wheat, but every time I have some it brings back some joint pain, my skin looks bad, I feel grumpy, etc. I ended up losing more than 40 pounds so far and keeping it off this entire time.

    I don't recommend people just stop eating wheat cold turkey without researching it, but if you are sensitive it can change your life. Try it for at least 3 weeks, though, in order to really see if it works for you. I've learned a lot while I've been doing this and one thing I do is supplement some with potassium - turned out that my chocolate cravings, which greatly lessened after I went Primal, were mostly due to needing potassium.

    If you do try eliminating wheat, first research how to make meals you will LOVE. Don't try to eat the same processed foods, just the GF version. Grain free eating should feel rather luxurious and like you are being spoiled. It does take work and time, especially at first, in order to make sure you get enough of all the nutrients.
  • Tashia_HH
    Tashia_HH Posts: 99 Member
    I had to remove all gluten (wheat & barley products) from my diet due to intollerance issues. It helped with my joint pain, bloating, bowel issues, and sleeplessness. It was not a miracle weight loss though. I still have to work just as hard to lose weight as I did before, it is just now I have to be very careful and read labels.

    If you do not have celiacs or an allergy I do not think this is the way you want to go to lose weight.

    ^^This is why I did it. The joint pain from this was awful for me. It's better since I stopped eating it.
  • Wildflower0106
    Wildflower0106 Posts: 247 Member
    If wheat causes you problems or you simply don't like then don't eat it. If you don't have any medical need to eliminate wheat then you don't have to in order to lose weight and be healthy. A calorie deficit is what you will ultimately need to lose weight.

    Eliminate it from your diet for and see if it makes a difference...

    DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! If I ate a dinner of steak, butter, salad and oil I would be sick for days. We won't all respond to foods the same way.
  • RunningRichelle
    RunningRichelle Posts: 346 Member
    A few people have told me recently that they have stopped eating wheat and it has really given them a lot of success with weight loss and improved mood, energy, etc...does anyone on here have any experience from eliminating (or cutting back on) wheat? Not looking for a fad or quick fix, just always looking to improve upon what I'm already doing.

    I cut grains (including wheat) and added sugars in June. Added more avocados and meat and coconut oil in.

    Had the same 500-ish calorie deficit as I had previously been running. I had, to that point, pretty much been at a plateau for about a month, even with the moderate deficit.

    Promptly lost about 7 more pounds over the next month. Same amount of calories, different composition.

    So, contrary to what a lot of people like to deadpan and shout and snark about on here, a calorie turned out not to be just a calorie, and now I'm at maintenance a helluva lot sooner than I would've been following the pure calories in/calories out dogma.

    Best wishes, hope your thread doesn't get hijacked.

    Edit for spelling.
  • madame0vary
    madame0vary Posts: 1
    I'm on the keto diet and have cut out wheat and other carbs. I'm 75 lbs down since I started this diet on February 1st. I felt awful the first few days because of the carb withdrawals, but after that was over I feel amazing. People say "Oh I don't want to eat this bread in front of you!" because they think that I do nothing but crave bread, but you don't miss it after the first few days. Sure I smell garlic cheesy bread and think OMG that smells so good, but I just keep on going because I've never had success like this in a diet before.
  • missigus
    missigus Posts: 207 Member
    I have been eliminating wheat/gluten for the past 5 weeks. I was having a lot of stomach issues, not to mention feeling exhausted. I have not gone grain free, I still eat quinoa, rice and corn products and even Ezekiel bread occasionally. I have only gotten rid of the gluten per my dr's advice to see if it would help. Within 1 week I felt better. The bloating is so much better and I have much more energy. I did eat a pecan roll one day after the break from it to see what would happen and OMG I blew up like a balloon! Obviously, I can't digest gluten, some people can be very sensitive or allergic without having full blown celiac disease. I am reading a really interesting book called "Wheat Belly" It explains how the wheat of the biblical days is nothing like the genetically mutated, extra gluten rich form of wheat/grass seed we eat today. It is an interesting read. It's helping me understand why so many people may be having issues tolerating it these days. I think if your feeling better not eating it- then don't, there are plenty of other healthy grains without gluten in them to round out your diet if needed. I haven't had a change in weight, but then I didn't eliminate it for that purpose. I just did it to feel better mainly. I am not sure I believe in being grain free completely even though the results are great for many. I'm probably more aligned with the hunter/gatherer nomadic way of eating if I had to pick a trend, but I think variety and moderation is important.
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    Try it and see how you feel? For me, I feel best when I don't eat wheat. I may be sensitive to it, but as my doc says, "if it feels good, go with it". So if I want to avoid bloating and IBS issues, I stay away from it.

    Also, I would echo what someone else said about feeling tired... if I eat anything with gluten in it, I'm basically asleep within an hour. So you might see if that is something that fits your profile.
  • lauramarina71
    lauramarina71 Posts: 3 Member
    I recently detected an intolerance for wheat/gluten. I wasn't completely thrilled that I had to change my diet (do you know how many food products contain wheat/gluten??), but I have managed. And you can find some amazing foods out there that taste just as good as the wheat-filled ones. I have to add that, in the first week of dropping wheat it, I lost 5 lbs - I looked at that as a bonus. ;) It's totally up to you, tho, whether you give it up or not, but just letting you know that it's possible and worth a try. I feel so much better without it (and I don't mean just the problems because of the intolerance) - energy levels are up, my memory is getting better, and I don't feel like crap after a meal. Good luck in your decision. xo
  • lovesdogs1960
    lovesdogs1960 Posts: 12
    You have lost 69 lbs. so just keep on doin what you are doin! Great job...I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 2 yrs. ago so I have to eat gluten free...You could cut out the bread if you like but continue with the complex carbs and good grains like oats, barley, bulgar etc...I do miss barley in my soup but use alot of quinoa now.
  • SairahRose
    SairahRose Posts: 412 Member
    I tried to eliminate wheat from my diet once.

    It was the worst, most hellish experience of my adult life.

    For thirty days I had the bread shakes. I would wake up in the middle of the night in cold grain sweats. About twenty days in I woke up in the middle of a wheat field in Oklahoma. My feet were bloody and my pajamas in tatters. Did I mention that I'm from Louisiana?

    Got so bad around day 25 that I thought I could hear amber waves of grain talking to me. Literally, telling me to put them inside me.

    I'm not hungry anymore, and I am no longer going through that pain. Join me. Eat the wheat. Let it rule you like the benevolent king it is. You shan't regret it. We promise.

    This. Join us. We have sandwiches.

    I'd like to, but the evil bread hates me for some reason :( I think I did something wrong.

    I have coeliacs. It's nasty. I miss bread, and real pasta, and real..well, real wheat. Weight loss is exactly the same with or without it, and I'd truly say don't cut things out unless you have an intolerance/allergy to something.
    Especially not wheat - it's too yummy >.>
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    That is only true of some people wheat doesn't effect everyone the same way. If you think you might be gluten sensitive it wouldn't be a bad idea to see a doc. I thought wheat what was bugging me for a long time. Turns out it was dairy.
  • Nimnyn
    Nimnyn Posts: 69 Member
    A few people have told me recently that they have stopped eating wheat and it has really given them a lot of success with weight loss and improved mood, energy, etc...does anyone on here have any experience from eliminating (or cutting back on) wheat? Not looking for a fad or quick fix, just always looking to improve upon what I'm already doing.

    Try cutting it out completely for 30 days, and see how you feel. It might not make any difference, but it could (depends what your general health is like). I've never had a doctor suggest cutting out wheat to help with anything, but it makes a huge difference to how I feel. I find that it helps me with asthma and menstrual issues.
  • katrinajMiles
    katrinajMiles Posts: 71 Member
    I've read of a few circumstances where people have said they never realised they were gluten intolerant until they cut it from their diet for a week or two. This happened to my best friend she noticed that she wasn't bloating or get cramps then when she went to the Dr they also explained a whole lot of different symptoms she had just lived with as she thought it was normal.

    I think there is no harm in trying it for two weeks and seeing if there is a difference as long as you replace the nutrients. For everyone saying 'OMG bread need sandwiches pasta etc.' these days there are so many products out there that you can replace them with and you wouldn't even know you weren't eating it.

    It's worth a try if your up for the challenge.
  • Deborah100660
    Deborah100660 Posts: 45 Member
    What you are talking about is a gluten free diet. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, and many grains. Oatmeal can contain small amounts of gluten. I have celiac disease which is a true allergy to gluten. I have to be on a gluten free diet. Corn, rice, millet, and quinoa are gluten free. This is not a balanced diet. It is deficient in vitamin B-12 and iron. My doctor checks my blood every 6 months. I take a gel cap ;multivitamin for increased absorbability. I have to take multiple supplements twice daily every day. People use the diet to "lose weight". There is not much scientific evidence to support this as a weight loss program. Grains are good sources of B vitamins. What you want to do is limit the wheat and when consuming it use whole grains and high fiber sources. The fiber reduces the net carbs in your diet, helps your gut and helps you to lose weight. I get most of my fiber through vegetables and fruits.

    Deborah
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    Eliminating gluten just happens to be a trend right now. Very few people actually need to do that.
  • courtneywiens
    courtneywiens Posts: 148 Member
    A few people have told me recently that they have stopped eating wheat and it has really given them a lot of success with weight loss and improved mood, energy, etc...does anyone on here have any experience from eliminating (or cutting back on) wheat? Not looking for a fad or quick fix, just always looking to improve upon what I'm already doing.

    I cut grains (including wheat) and added sugars in June. Added more avocados and meat and coconut oil in.

    Had the same 500-ish calorie deficit as I had previously been running. I had, to that point, pretty much been at a plateau for about a month, even with the moderate deficit.

    Promptly lost about 7 more pounds over the next month. Same amount of calories, different composition.

    So, contrary to what a lot of people like to deadpan and shout and snark about on here, a calorie turned out not to be just a calorie, and now I'm at maintenance a helluva lot sooner than I would've been following the pure calories in/calories out dogma.

    Best wishes, hope your thread doesn't get hijacked.

    Edit for spelling.

    Thanks for your insight that is really helpful! I do think composition is key. And yeah why are people so snarky on here! It's funny how people hide behind their keyboards and act all high and mighty and superior and rude when most people are just on here trying to better themselves. Quite sad actually. I appreciate helpful comments! :)

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