Newbie Looking For Gluten Challenge Advice/tips?

[Cpbatchelor]

Situation: 8 week gluten challenge starts 11/14 for my 1/9/15 endoscopy with biopsy.

 

Question: Anyone have an advice/tips (I know there are no tricks) that they are willing to share that helped with the aches and fatigue?

 

So I am a planner and have some time before I start the "official" challenge so I am working on creating my list of 5 glutenous treats I miss. I know I will probably not miss the pain they cause, but need something besides bread/cereal to help with the challenge, like Caramel Delight cookies, fried pickles, grandma's mac and cheese, good donut, etc. I also have some Collagen Joint Care that I keep around and plan on using in a smoothie daily to help my joints as they are going to ache. So anything anyone found that helped them with their challenge is game. I know I am going to struggle but was hoping that I could seek some tips from the pros who know my pain.

 

About Me: Not sure where to start but some background on what landed me here. Fall 2013 I was active (running, yoga, etc) but noticed that even with my clean eating I was not feeling as good as I thought I should. Adult acne was still flaring up and just didn't feel great. After waking up with stomach pain in Jan 2014 while in Napa after a heavy Italian meal (did not really each pasta) as if there was an alien trying to claw its way out of my body I realized I needed to get my nutrition in check further. I started and completed a Whole30 elimination diet. It starts with food and the 30 days opened my eyes to how amazing I can feel without grains, dairy, legumes, soy. I started reintroducing items into my diet, my grain day I had a bowl of oatmeal. Now I know that oats technically are not gluten grains they can be cross contaminated. These were not certified gluten free oats. Within 2 hours I felt like I had been hit by a bus. Body aches, fatigue, foggy brain, stomach pains, almost flu like symptoms. Tonsil stones that had gone away came back within a day of the meal Two weeks later tried gluten again this time with Kashi Cinnamon Harvest (was my fave) cereal with dinner. Woke up the next morning achy, tired, stomach ache, and a rash on my face. I thought food allergy, because my sister has a variety of allergies which require weekly shots. I have a pink and red dye allergy so it seemed to fit.  Started gluten free diet in March 2014. Saw allergist in May 2014, nope def not an allergy. All clear. Saw my PCP and talked to him about it all, he referred me to a gastroenterologist. Saw gastro in July 2014. Since I had been gluten free for months he told me that a 6-8 week gluten challenge would be needed if my DNA test came back with the gene and if the low fod-map diet did not help. Low fod-map did not help much, did not feel significantly better after 6 weeks (his recommendation. DNA test came back with DQ Heterogeneous of DQ2.5 (HLA DQA1*05:DQB1*0201). No one in my family has been diagnosed with Celiacs, now we know that does not mean they do not have it. But, the rate of colon cancer in my family is high. Yeah they are different parts of the digestive system but I feel that there could be some connection, who knows. So after months of going back and forth on whether I could do 6-8 weeks of eating food that makes me hurt, tired, foggy. Using work as an excuse, I am leading a huge project at work and we have been in crucial development periods the past few months. This project has been mine for over a year and my first as a lead and I was worried about letting my health get in the way. So yeah after all the thinking, debating, going back and forth, googling, I decided to do it. My PCP was helpful in letting me make the call, even though he did recommend I go with it. Yep, I am scared and worried but I know I have to put my big girl pants on and get through it. So here I am dealing with the pain and fatigue that came from a twix bar that I ate on purpose to make sure it was not all in my head Monday. As yes I worried that since it had been so long that it was all in my head, swift kick as a reminder of no it sure is not. So here I am.  

[BlessedMommy]

So I am a planner and have some time before I start the "official" challenge so I am working on creating my list of 5 glutenous treats I miss. I know I will probably not miss the pain they cause, but need something besides bread/cereal to help with the challenge, like Caramel Delight cookies, fried pickles, grandma's mac and cheese, good donut, etc. I also have some Collagen Joint Care that I keep around and plan on using in a smoothie daily to help my joints as they are going to ache. So anything anyone found that helped them with their challenge is game. I know I am going to struggle but was hoping that I could seek some tips from the pros who know my pain.

 

My #1 advice is not to go overboard on the gluten. Also, be cautious, if you're not used to currently eating certain foods regularly (like doughnuts) it might be best to reserve them for a special treat once a week or less. You don't want to send your body into shock by overloading on gluten or radically changing your current diet routine too much. Make sure that you're eating a healthy balanced diet with fruits, veggies, carbs, and protein. Then on top of that, make sure that you get at least 1-2 servings of glutenous foods per day.

 

You could simply have 1 grilled cheese sandwich per day in addition to whatever regular diet you're used to and that would cover your gluten requirements.

 

I personally overdid gluten while challenging. I felt horrible, developed serious complications, and I wound up in the hospital 10 days into it, thus eliminating my chance of ever getting a formal diagnosis. (unless science comes up with better testing methods)

 

My other thing that I could have done better was listen to my body a bit more. I had daily headaches and ignored them. The headaches lead to neurological complications.

 

I wish you luck and a clear answer! 

[Cpbatchelor]

My #1 advice is not to go overboard on the gluten. Also, be cautious, if you're not used to currently eating certain foods regularly (like doughnuts) it might be best to reserve them for a special treat once a week or less. You don't want to send your body into shock by overloading on gluten or radically changing your current diet routine too much. Make sure that you're eating a healthy balanced diet with fruits, veggies, carbs, and protein. Then on top of that, make sure that you get at least 1-2 servings of glutenous foods per day.

 

That is great advice! Thank you! I love the idea of reserving the treats for one day a week. I currently handle my gluten free diet that way, allowing a day each week where I loosen up the reins on my diet. May try that after my Saturday morning group runs as I know it is going to be hard to motivate myself to keep up with my running. A Saturday morning post run treat may be just the thing. 

 

I used to use myfitnesspal and thought about going back to keeping track of my food during the challenge not really for calories per se as I stopped counting those when I went to a more paleo listening to my body based diet. But more so that I can make sure that I am still eating a well balanced diet. I am still on the fence about the myfitnesspal as getting away from calorie counting was hard, but maybe just a simple journal of foods. 

 

Thank you for sharing the details of your story. I did not think about the possibility of going overboard, that is a great point. I will add that to my list. I figured I would make some goals and items for motivation for the challenge. As I know it will be hard and have an impact on how I feel and how I feel about myself. 

 

Thanks again! My fingers are def crossed for a clear answer.

[ravenwoodglass]

Hopefully your symptoms won't be too severe. It seems your body is clearly telling you that it doesn't want gluten. The best advice I can give you is to keep your doctor advised of your symptoms during the challenge. Mine had me call him once a week and was told to call immediately if symptoms got too severe. Some doctors will stop the challenge and diagnose when the reaction is too bad. 

I hope your reaction is not too severe. Do keep in mind there can be false negatives even after a challenge so when all is done listen to your body.