I Am Starving!

[Mia H]

I went gluten-free for 3 months, took a 3 week (worthless) gluten challenge that made me sooooo sick and now I am 2 weeks back into gluten-free.

When I was gluten-free for the 3 months, towards the end of the 3 months my hypoglycemia started to get much better. After this 3 week gluten challenge I feel like I am back at ground zero! I am starving all the time and cannot get full. I am assuming it is that I am not absorbing properly.

Are there any food that are easier to absorb even if your gut is damaged? Any advice on how to get full?

I just ordered my enterolab test yesterday. Can't wait for the results! Will post when I get 'em.

Mia

[gabrielle]

I have the same problem. But also I feel like I eat the same foods over and over again- and that's not good either. I find it very hard to have variety with this diet. They only variety I get is how many different ways I can top a rice cake. Hmm, I think there should be a nutritionist on this board that could give us all some hints on nutritional variation and more caloric dense food.

I know brown rice is really good for your gut- but it won't exactly make you full.

[kabowman]

I ate lots and lots of potatoes - with lots and lots of protein because of sugar issues - I am pre-diabetic - the meat seemed to help balance the starch of the potatoes. Of course, I gained weight but I was finally full!!!

I don't need to do that as much but I do seem to eat more than a lot of people and I am not that overweight.

[Nancym]

I always find protein and fat to be things that keep my blood sugar stable and thus reduce the nasty hunger you get with hypoglycemia. So I'd eat meat, nuts, avocado, eggs, stuff like that.

[Mia H]

I always find protein and fat to be things that keep my blood sugar stable and thus reduce the nasty hunger you get with hypoglycemia. So I'd eat meat, nuts, avocado, eggs, stuff like that.

It seems like if I don't eat a lot of protein for breakfast I am behind the 8 ball the rest of the day. For breakfast I have: 2 eggs, 1 pc bacon, 1 bowl gluten-free cereal with whole milk, 1 pc fruit, 1 bowl yogurt and 1 cup tea with 2 tsp sugar.

I am worried about how little variety I eat. Does anyone know of a good book on how to eat balaced healthy gluten-free?

Mia

[Ursa Major]

I find that fat is the answer, if you're always hungry. Fat and meat. Without enough of either I feel like starving and overeat on starchy, sugary foods, which make me gain weight.

And it is a myth that animal fats are bad for you and make you fat. Your body NEEDS saturated fats to function properly. They're not the enemy, hydrogenated fats, grains, starches and sugar (and sugar substitutes) are.

Rice cakes don't have any fat. If you eat a lot of those, that will do absolutely nothing to satisfy you. You might as well eat paper. They're good to put underneath things, of course. But you can't live on them.

[CarlaB]

I hated that never full feeling. I think we get so used to feeling bloated after eating gluten that when we go off it we take the lack of bloat as not feeling full. At least that's how it seemed with me. I don't think I'm any fuller now, just getting used to what it feels like to be normal.

[dionnek]

I'm always hungry too, but I just started this diet 5 days ago, so I'm hoping I get used to it! I actually got full last night - had a stuffed baked potato (baked the potatoes then mixed pulp with steamed broccoli, cream cheese, salt and pepper, and some shredded cheddar cheese on top) and a chicken/black bean/corn salad - it was yummy and filling. Got the stuffed potato idea from this group - thanks! I am always hungry during the day though - haven't figured out a good breakfast thing that I can eat at work. Right now just eating fruit (tried making gluten free muffins last night but that didn't turn out so well).

[GravStars]

I went gluten-free for 3 months, took a 3 week (worthless) gluten challenge that made me sooooo sick and now I am 2 weeks back into gluten-free.

When I was gluten-free for the 3 months, towards the end of the 3 months my hypoglycemia started to get much better. After this 3 week gluten challenge I feel like I am back at ground zero! I am starving all the time and cannot get full. I am assuming it is that I am not absorbing properly.

Are there any food that are easier to absorb even if your gut is damaged? Any advice on how to get full?

I just ordered my enterolab test yesterday. Can't wait for the results! Will post when I get 'em.

Mia

just curious, how long into the gluten-free diet before you started to feel better, was it gradual or more immediate and obvious improvement?

[Future-MrsCornell]

I'm new to this and still awaiting diagnosis, but I like eating and a variety of foods. Try looking up different Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipies. Many of the meals are centered around beans, like hummus! I love hummus. I am working on a recepie for flat bread made from garfava flour. I'll let ya know how it turns out.

[Mia H]

just curious, how long into the gluten-free diet before you started to feel better, was it gradual or more immediate and obvious improvement?

You know, I didn't really know how much better I was until I tried bread again and got so sick and remembered, oh yeah, this is how horrible I felt all the time.

I have adrenal fatigue on top of this. I guess your cortisol is supposed to be 13-25 in the morning and mine was 4! I think I need to heal my gut and then my adrenal glands can heal too. It's hard though, I keep getting these waves of feeling like I am wearing a lead suit. It usually hits me around 3pm and lasts till 6-7pm.

I think I was a month into the gluten-free diet before the lead suits stopped. But now that I did the 3 week challenge they are back.

Does anyone else get lead suits? and when did theirs go away?

Mia

[flagbabyds]

I NEVER get full!!!!!!!!!!!!

They actually did a study at the stanford celiac clinic, and they found out that 50% of celiacs who are completely healed and doing very well, still don't absorb as well as normal people without celiac.

I am for sure one of those people, you might just be on of them. I eat sooo much, even more than you do for breakfast. I eat a 3 egg omlette w/ spinanch, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and cheese w/ a lactaid. the 3 pieces of Whole Foods bread, and maybe so bacon and other stuff, I eat soooo much, and w/ lots of fruit, and I am hungry by 8:00 I eat that at 7:15 before school.

Beef is what fills me up the most, but it still only lasts for 1-2 hours at best. You should be happy, just being able to eat and not gaining weight.

I feel you! I'm under 100 pounds and eat that much at every meal, plus like 5-6 snacks per day.