Anyone gluten-free on here?

BeesKnees181
BeesKnees181 Posts: 166 Member
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I was gluten free for 2 years, because of a gluten and wheat intolerance. I noticed improvements in the way I felt almost immediately; I could tell my body was functioning the way it should. Due to some health issues and a new career, I had to leave behind gluten freedom for a while. I have noticed the effects and am looking for some inspiration to get back on the 'ol gluten free wagon. Anyone else out there?
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Replies

  • caite19
    caite19 Posts: 100
    We are dairy free due to an allergy with my son and an intolerance I have. I can handle cheese and yogurt though. Good luck :)
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    I've been gluten free/low carb since last august after reading about a link between wheat and hypothyroidism causing problems and making weight loss difficult.

    Before this diet I had spent 3 months calories counting and only lost 3lbs a month after first week I lost 7lbs, and about 16lbs in first month. I felt I ahd more energy so spent more time on wii and exercise pedals and its worked for me so far.. I was surprised how much it helped with tummy shrinking too I lost 13" off tummy!

    I do still allow a mini yorkshire pudding on a sunday but swapped regular bread for gluten free (1-2 times a week) and found a nice gluten free choc brownie and most meals I skip the carbs.. potatoes, rice etc just meat or fish with salad or veg. I do have oats for breakfast (or fruit sometimes) I've lost 32lbs so I'll prob stick to it until I reach my goal weight.. maybe stay mostly wheat free but reintroduce some more carbs like Quinoa instead of white rice/pasta once a week.
  • KBGirts
    KBGirts Posts: 882 Member
    I don't have a medical reason, but I am choosing to start a paleo diet which foregoes all grains. I am looking forward to feeling healthier and having more energy. Just keep in mind how much better you are going to feel!!
  • LyneLM
    LyneLM Posts: 76 Member
    Hi there!

    Starting July 2011, I have been gluten-free as my doctor suspected a semi-latent gluten intolerance which is now full-blown due to fibromyalgia trigerrred by a not so smart career move.

    Being gluten-free has greatly improved the pain in my joints, eliminated the stomach pains and most of my digestive discomforts.

    I had put on weight in the last year due to fibro; being gluten-free has made easier for me to loose 20 pounds since October; needless to say the weightloss also has helped me gain energy and improve my overall health!

    Welcome back to the club!
  • Gluten free here for... 6 years. Myself and one daughter have celiac disease. One daughter and one son are "gluten intolerant."
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
    Paleo eater here... might want to check out the Paleo group.
  • I found out last May that I have Celiac disease, so I've been gluten-free since then. I've had weight gain issues, and decided to get on a weight loss plan. I used to do Weight Watchers, and had great success. Now that I have to eat gluten free, it's become harder to find things that are lower in carbs, etc. Any suggestions out there would be helpful!!
  • I'm gluten free as well Three years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac - and after eating whatever I wanted for almost 30 years it was quite the switch. But I've noticed that even those 3 short years the options for food has increased so much. There is way more available and finding gluten free food in stores seems to be way more common. Definitely looking forward to what it'll be like in a few more years.
  • WendyKing1974
    WendyKing1974 Posts: 80 Member
    I have 2 kids that are completely GF due to an intolerance. I only fix GF meals for dinner, but I occasionally will eat something with gluten in it.
  • ikkin32dvs
    ikkin32dvs Posts: 16 Member
    I just went GF ten days ago due to Celiac.... going strong so far :) My mom has been for five years. Good luck ;)
  • I'm also Gluten free due to Celiac disease. Its been just over a year for me, and I was extremely ill before i switched. Now I feel amazing!
  • scrubbie1
    scrubbie1 Posts: 9 Member
    I have been gluten-free for about 6 months, due to a diagnosis of celiac (which took over a year to discover). Chest pain, joint pain and abdominal pain are gone and I feel so much better!

    My Doc referred me to the Whole 9 website, which is basically a paleo plan, and I pretty much follow that, although I do occasionally have oatmeal or rice. I have found that many "gluten free" products and also milk can still cause symptoms, so I quit using them.

    Also, eating out is a big question mark, so we do less of it, and save money as a result. :) When we do eat out, I've learned which restaurants in town have good GF menus. Surprisingly, the one with the largest variety of GF selections is Zio's Italian Restaurant. Any sauce over vegetables instead of pasta and pretty much good to go!
  • I'm trying a gluten free diet - just started with the new year - and hoping it will help with the aches and pains and general digestive discomfort. Still confused about what I can eat or not eat - recommendations for good resources are welcome. :smile:
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
    I've gone back and forth with gluten-free eating over the years. I've never bothered to get tested for celiac disease, because my symptoms don't fit the profile. I have allergic reactions to eating wheat...classic histamine response: hives, itching, swollen nasal passages, itchy mouth. Very annoying...but, they can be ignored if its something I really want to eat. So I ignored these symptoms for years (or just took benadryl).

    But I decided to really try it this time, and am finding it more doable than I have in the past. Alot of gluten free products have gotten quite good! (They use to taste like crap!) How hard it is to maintain does seem to depend on whether you are going gluten-free for celiac disease or for some other reason. If 99.5% gluten free is good enough for you, activities like eating out or eating at a friend's house can more easily be done, once you learn the not-so-obvious sources of wheat. Folks with celiac (so I've heard) have to avoid even trace amounts of wheat, and need to worry about cross-contamination...information that is not always easily procured.

    So although there are lots of internet resources, I would really make sure that the resource matches your level of need. So any "go gluten free for x health reason" source might be good for recipes and meal ideas, but if you want the low-down on eating out at X restaurant, or need to know the safety of any food that comes in a box or can that is not explicitly gluten free, make sure your source is intended for the celiac community, if that's your concern.
  • iheartyarn
    iheartyarn Posts: 141 Member
    i have been gluten free for about 6 years... currently i am forgoing all flours but still eating whole grains, i am also soy free, as well as a vegan, dabbling in a lot of raw foods.
  • I started GF on Jan 1st. I was having bad knee pain for 6 weeks and a few other problems possibly related to gluten. I've been overweight all my life. I've tried every diet including Atkins, Weight Watchers and South Beach. I'd always loose weight slowly then gain it all back quickly. It's been 15 days with no GF and I've lost 12lb! More importantly, ALL my cravings are gone! I actually have trouble getting up to my goal calories every day with an average of about 400 under. I find I loose weight faster if I don't starve myself but I'm just not hungry as often. I've been doing a caveman diet with a little dairy. If a caveman could eat it, then so can I. meat, fruit and veggies mostly with a little cheese. I also walk on the treadmill every day for 60 minutes with 10lb leg weights.

    This is the easiest weight I've ever lost and I don't feel deprived at all. Not even a thought about cheating. I've never felt this good. I will NEVER touch gluten again.
  • alladream
    alladream Posts: 261 Member
    I am a longtime vegetarian (over 30 years), and am avoiding wheat products now, since discovering that my waistline would actually go down two full inches within maybe 24 hours if I simply didn't eat anything like that for a few days, and then within half a day of eating pasta or a lot of bread, etc., the waistline would go up two full inches, even though the calories and bathroom habits etc. would not have changed otherwise. I find that really the majority of what i eat now is organic raw flax seeds, which I eat the way some people eat potato chips, and Greek-style yogurt and whatever vegetarian stew I make for the week, and some healthy fats like coconut oil. I find that I am getting more and more into organic raw grains and finding out what works for me. I just am losing interest in mainstream meals the majority of the time, even the vegetarian ones, and don't like sugar much at all--
  • Here, here! Gluten free & feeling much better for it for the last 12 years! :)

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  • argintc
    argintc Posts: 4 Member
    I have been gluten free for over three years, after being diagnosed with Celiacs. But I still have stomach pain quit frequently. I have become very sensitive to even touching bread. I carry an Epi pen with me at all times because I have had my throat swell shut twice since being diagnosed. I also wear a medical bracelet that says I have Celiacs & lists the medications I am allergic too. Is anybody else as sensitive as I am?? I am looking for people who can relate to me.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    I have gone gluten free mostly because I had suspected my 17 year old daughter had a gluten issue. We went gluten free for her so she could see how she responded and it's been pretty amazing for her. Her skin has cleared up, she's got no more purple circles under her eyes and the fatigue she's been struggling with is dissipating. It's like she's been some kind of zombie but now she's coming back to life. We've done it as a family to make it easier for her but several of the rest of us have realized we feel a whole lot better too. I have long suspected my husband had a wheat issue and now that we're gluten free his eczema has begun to clear up. He's just admitted that I'm probably right and has been choosing gluten free foods when he's out on his own. I'm hoping that as he goes along he notices that he's feeling a lot better and sticks with it. We aren't paleo but we don't eat a whole lot of grains and baked goods (even gluten free) are reserved for treats. It is nice to have an occasional cupcake though. :) There is a GF group here on MFP if you search for it under groups.
  • HulasMom
    HulasMom Posts: 14 Member
    I was diagnosed with fibro in the last year and after much research I went on a gluten free,meat free diet. Amazingly almost all my fibro aches and pains have disappeared. I still have a bad day here and there, but for the most part I fell amazing! I believe my fibro was triggered after an incident at work 12 years ago, but didn't get the connection until 11 years later. Our bodies can only take so much stress before it cracks!
  • I am gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free... also free of amonds, pecans and avacados. The hardest part for me it that I own a gluten free and allergy friendly baking company, so I am around lots of yummy and 'safe' baked goods all day.
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
    im celiac and lactose intolerant. Unfortuantely i have not been careful enough and one of my biggest symptoms is malabsorbtion - specifically iron. I regualry have to go into hospital to have iron infusions intravenously... i need to get back on track also...

    Sauces are the hardest for me as i never really was a bread, pasta, wheat eater.... :(
  • kbw414
    kbw414 Posts: 194
    I've been GF for the past few months due to (seemingly) an intolerance. I was getting pains in my hands and leg bones after eating gluten. I have also suffered from debilitating endometriosis, so I was glad to give up gluten.

    I would suggest to anyone wanting to go completely GF to be very, very careful about eating out. I flew to visit relatives for the holidays and ate at a Chili's (there really weren't any good options) in the airport. Most menus will tell you to notify the server and the manager of your food allergy, so II told the waitress and the manager I NEEDED gluten free food. They seemed to be very unknowledgeable about what does or doesn't contain gluten, so I got a dry salad. Halfway through eating it, I uncovered half a crouton! I must have consumed some because it ruined my vacation; I had pain all week in my hands. It makes me angry when people don't take gluten intolerance/Celiac disease seriously the way other allergies are taken seriously. You can't just pick out the croutons, and if you're in the food business you should be knowledgeable about what you sell: food.

    Bulk bins at the health food store can be scary too if the gluten free flours are not separated from the gluten flours. The flour easily makes a mess and can contaminate the bin next to it. Luckily, as others have said, there are many good products coming out now!
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
    I am gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free... also free of amonds, pecans and avacados. The hardest part for me it that I own a gluten free and allergy friendly baking company, so I am around lots of yummy and 'safe' baked goods all day.

    can you send details of this company?
  • wendyapple
    wendyapple Posts: 323 Member
    i'm 99% gluten free by choice, and dairy free due to allergy, though i can tolerate greek yogurt.
  • LensLuvah
    LensLuvah Posts: 8 Member
    I am GF as of this past October. :) I've had Fibro since 1999, and a friend had suggested I try removing gluten from my diet. I did, and have felt SO much better! Now, if I have even a tiny bit of gluten, I have a severe reaction. But I'm too scared to go back on gluten to get the "official" celiac diagnosis.
  • I started a gluten-free lifestyle a month ago and noticed a huge difference! I'm going to stick with it! Add me and hopefully we can share some tips and recipes!
  • A month ago i signed up for SureSlim, when i got my results back it turned out that I have Celiacs (i was previously diagnosed with IBS too some years ago) I'm on their Gluten and Wheat free plan. With being a newby it's been quite a lot of work for me to restructure my whole eating plan. I also battled to lose weight, and since being on this I have lost an incredible amount of weight!
    I'm still tired and still have some troubles with the tunnel vision but it's due to low blood sugar which is fine. My dietitian said i should give my body some time to adjust, because I'm detoxing years and years of damage.

    I have to say my eating plan is becoming very enjoyable for me and I'm more aware of what i put into my body. :) Incredible to know that our processed foods are killing us and it's a slow painful death!

    :)
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