Eliminating Wheat- What is your experience??

I decided to try going paleo at the beginning of the year, as my weight had crept up and I had been reading quite a bit about eating that way to lose weight and become healthier. Thought it would be worth a try. So I eliminated wheat and other grains, as well as dairy. I did not count calories or limit quantities. To my surprise, I not only lost about 5 lbs in the first 3 weeks, but my energy level went through the roof!

I joined MFP to track my protein in February because I wanted to make sure I got enough for my weight training. I continued to lose, and lowered my original goal weight by 4 lbs. I'm still losing and considering lowering my goal again. I added dairy back into my diet (mainly yogurt but also some cheese) after the first few weeks.

One effect of eating this way is that's it's supposed to help with allergies. I am always skeptical of those types of claims, but the fact is that my terrible pollen allergies were much improved this spring. And not because the pollen counts have been lower. Could be coincidence, but I find it interesting!

In short, my experience with eliminating grains has been very good, and I have no intention of adding them back into my diet. I don't miss them at all. I know some people here are strongly opposed to eliminating any "food group". The fact is that"food groups" are a man made concept. It is very possible to get all the nutrients in grain from other sources. However, someone who loves breads, pastas and pastries probably would feel deprived if they eliminated them from their diet.

Do you have Celiac Disease? If not then why cut out gluten entirely?

Do you have Celiac Disease? If not then why cut out gluten entirely?

I would say if you are not a coeliac - than just lower your levels, but don't cut it out completely.

Cutting whole foods out from your diet ends up giving you an allergy, and it's not sustainable.

Do you have Celiac Disease? If not then why cut out gluten entirely?

I would say if you are not a coeliac - than just lower your levels, but don't cut it out completely.

Cutting whole foods out from your diet ends up giving you an allergy, and it's not sustainable.

Errr, no. :huh:

What they should have asked is - are you having digestive issues? Major bloating? If so, have you gotten tested? That would be the first step if you're serious about cutting wheat.

I eat wheat/barley/rye free and I have for a year and half now. Why? I noticed I always felt like crap. Both of my sisters are celiac, and I was just putting it off for fear of changing my lifestyle. I ended up getting tested, and thankfully I am not celiac, but I do have a mild reaction to most forms of gluten.

Thus being said, why am I wheat/barley/rye free and not gluten free? It took a good two years of trial and error to figure out which foods bothered me more than others. Oats I have barely any adverse reactions from, and I can still eat it now with no issues

AND giving it up was super easy! I barely have issues now as there are so many non-gluten products, not unlike when my sister was first diagnosed over 10 years ago and no one knew what gluten was. Though, there are tons of other things you can eat such as rice, potatoes, etc, I barely even notice it and a great excuse to skip all the cakes and goodies people try and make you eat at work!


ETA: spelling. It's early, derp.

I'll tell you what food I see to have digestive problems with which pisses me off - QUINOA

Has anyone else experienced this?

Its not much fun and can be quite expensive to do long term, but as someone with Ciliac, the other option is even less enjoyable.

I cut it out on a whim and was so shocked by how much difference it made to me. I do not have coeliac but I guess maybe I have some type of intolerance, although I've never been tested. I lost a couple inches around my middle from loss of bloating and stopped getting the indigestion that I had always had (but never known was even indigestion, I just thought it was normal digestion). My GI issues sorted themselves out after a couple months too.

For me the main difference I noticed was in my mood. I was cranky and depressed and anxious and didn't sleep so well and since giving up gluten I feel 1000x times better. I wake up with energy and while I have the odd day of being in a bad mood I am so much happier in general. I do notice that if I slip up and eat a couple days of gluten meals I begin to feel grumpy pretty quickly.

I see no benefit of having wheat in my diet, there are no nutrients that I can't get elsewhere and I replaced wheat products with veggies, which are so much more nutrient dense anyway. After a couple months of not eating it, bread, pasta, cereal are just not interesting to me. I don't miss them and have zero intention of eating them again. Maybe it is all in my head etc. but I feel so much better and that is what matters to me.

I would say try it for a month, full on, zero wheat and see how you feel. You might be one of those lucky people who has no reaction to it but it might make you feel better, especially if you are replacing wheat with vegetables.

I have Celiac disease, and have been gluten free for over 10 years. Going gluten free literally gave me my life back. I also gained about 60#, but then that's why I am here.

I'll tell you what food I see to have digestive problems with which pisses me off - QUINOA

Has anyone else experienced this?

YES!!! I tell people this and they look at me like I'm crazy!!

OP: what kind of results are you looking for by eliminating wheat? If you're talking in terms of weight loss, eliminating wheat and replacing it with gluten free processed alternatives isn't going to make much of a difference. If you have digestive and/or other issues, then go for it and see how you feel. In either case, try not to replace it with other processed foods but with healthier, whole food alternatives.

My experience - I eliminated wheat (but not gluten) a couple years ago and found that I no longer suffered from weekly migraines. Then, almost a year ago, I got super sick - tired all the time, digestive issues, hair falling out, fainting daily, super fast weight loss - my body had stopped absorbing nutrients and I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. In the mean time, my doctor suggested I give up gluten entirely. While I'm not back to normal, I have much more energy since my body is now absorbing nutrients again. My point is, "results" giving up wheat and/or gluten all depend on what kind of results you are looking for.

ETA: I am NOT trying to say that giving up gluten "cured" my autoimmune disorder. Far from it. But it has helped my quality of life immensely.

better digestion, less gas and constipation.:blushing:

I tried cutting it out (all grain, in fact) for a couple of weeks because I wanted to see if it actually made a difference to me, and also I thought it might be an easy way to cut calories, since I don't care that much about bread (unless it's really good bread, which is only on offer rarely), dislike cold cereal, and figured I could live without pasta or sweets involving flour for a while. It wasn't difficult at all, but it didn't seem to make any difference for me, so I decided the hassle of not being able to buy a sandwich on occasion wasn't worth it. I eat it kind of sparingly because the calorie cost has to be worth the pleasure, that's all.

I've got health issues so I tried an elimination diet to see if it would make a difference. It did not, and I happily went back to eating cookies after.

Wheat is just fine. It is a freak show out there .. and one internet so called expert says to eliminate and never eat wheat. What's next .. sugar ?

So .. I just had 100g or "Wheat Squares" aka Shreddies this morning. Well ... 400 calories and lot of goodness later, that was breakfast. Well part of breakfast.

I personally couldn't care less what all the fitness freaks say .. I am going to eat real food and enjoy doing so.

:drinker: