Craving Sweets...

[Guest imsohungry]

Hey everybody,

I've been reading a lot of these posts and noticing a common theme in many of them... SWEETS, SUGAR, and CHOCOLATE!

O.K.

Here is my issue. Most days I crave sweets very often, and I stay fatigued. I literally want to gag if I smell "real food," but show me a candy bar, and my mouth waters.

I've gotten where I hate to eat. I only really like bread and sugar and milk, but I am ALWAYS tired and have muscle/joint aches, constipation, dermatitis, and headaches. I usually feel worse after I eat. My husband says that he finds it hard to believe that I feel better if I skip lunch, but honestly, as soon as I eat, I feel icky again. The most frusterating thing is that I can't relate it just to gluten.

I'm not hypoglycemic (according to bloodwork). How do I know if I am lactose or yeast intolerant? Or could I be sugar-intolerant? How do I know? I am willing to cut things from my diet, but I am just so confused!

This morning, I had 3 pieces of bacon, a bowl of grits, and orange juice for breakfast (which I thought was a good breakfast)...but I immediately got so tired that I could hardly stay awake and my head started aching! UGGGGHHH! I could just cry.

I'm trying so hard to feel better. Oh, well. Any suggestions??? Hope to hear from somebody soon.

Much hugs. -Julie

[Deby]

Julie,

I can't be any help except to say that I share a lot of your same symptoms. I don't feel bad after eating though, at least not all of the time. But I DO CRAVE SUGAR!

My sister went on a sugar purge. It seemed like an awful diet, but it only lasted a month. This was supposed to stop some process, firmintation maybe ~

She complained the whole time going through it and she doesn't have celiac disease. I'm already soooo restricted, I can't imagine restricting another thing. I'm about ready to ask my doc for a pep pill!!

[LynnR]

For me - my problems are chocolate . . . candy bars, cake, hot cocoa, etc. I could never get enough of it. In the past, I would even have chocolate bars in the morning. If I saw them, I had to have them. I knew that I had to do something about this. So I got them all out of the house which was very difficult for me to do. But at the same time, it helped me out greatly.

Now when I have something with chocolate it in i.e. ice cream or occasionally cake I no longer crave it. Even my cravings for sweets are entirely gone. I do eat cookies & ice cream on a daily basis because I want it not because I crave it. It tastes so much better to me now too.

[sunflower]

Hi guys,

I can relate - I have the same problem. Have you ever considered yeast (Candida) overgrowth as the reason of craving sweets?

There are threads about it on this site:

Open Original Shared Link

and

Open Original Shared Link

[Guest imsohungry]

Thank you so much for the feedback (and links...I looked at them)

Gosh, this is so frustrating. I wish I knew the answer! I feel like, after all of these years, I am "on-to-something" with the gluten and food intolerance problems. I just need to keep researching!

I took a nap this morning at work. I didn't have a choice; I was awake one minute and then so sleepy that I couldn't sit up the next minute. The only thing that I had eaten this morning before it occurred was gluten-free rice milk over gluten-free rice cereal.

What is wrong with me??????? I know that I also have lupus and epilepsy, and I am on medication for both. I don't consider myself a hypochondriac; in fact, I rarely complain, and my work often doesn't know when I have had a week full of seizures...because I come in to the office anyway (what good would it do to complain about it...seizures are a fact of life for me).

Thanks for letting me vent. I am learning and trying and frustrated. You all are great!

Hugs and blessings. -Julie

[Maggie1956]

Wow, I'm finding out that a lot of what I thought was just MY problems, are really common for a lot of coeliacs.

I crave sugary food something chronic. I can't eat proper chocolate because of migraines. I've assumed I'm allergic to it. But if I get anywhere near white chocolate, I eat the lot in one sitting. It seems like a real addiction...is it maybe?

Actually anything sweet is a real temptation, but I am beginning to think that I feel aweful afterwards from having it.

Julie, I know what you mean when you say you're always falling asleep. I am constantly really exhausted too.

I have celiac disease, CF (ME) and am hypothoid. It is so strange to actually have the diagnosis now. I've felt sick for a lot of years and wondered why.

I am at the end of my first day gluten-free, and although I feel as bad as I did yesterday, I guess it will improve over time.

Thanks for all the messages on the boards. I've been trying to take it all in.

Hang in there Julie.

Maggie

[Mballerina]

I have the same thing, real food makes me gag but sweets are great. My thinking is that my digestive system is so raw and unable to break things down that i start to crave food that is digested really easily which is sweets and simple sugars. I really really believe this because even if i want an apples or a piece of meat i can't swallow it.

[dbuhl79]

Well, the odd thing since all my problems started, I hardly crave sweets. In fact my appetite, is ridiculously small.

But, looking at what a lot of you say you're drawn to or eat more frequently, simple sugars, candy, chocolate. I'm wondering if all of you are eating enough of a balance of carbs and proteins? I ask this really from the prospective as a former marathon runner etc.. I tried atkins ages ago and it was extremely difficult for me to carry on a day, particularly exercising etc. w/o the carbs I was accustomed to.

Maybe take a food log of what you've been eating for awhile, and reflect back on it in 2 weeks, noting when you feel the most fatigued etc. You might find some interesting connections to the foods your eating. I know sugar can give me a great intial buzz get up and go, but I crash hard afterwards. Making me want to do things like, nap at work too.

Good luck, I hope..some of this shed some light for some one!!

[jaimek]

I too am complete opposite. I have been gluten-free for about 10 months now and recently I have not craved sweets at all. I used to have to have dessert after dinner every night and now I don't even think about dessert. Very strange.....

[YankeeDB]

imsohungry, I'm wondering if you have other food allergies, such as corn? (Thinking about the grits you had for breakfast?)

I did the York Labs allergies test (expensive but so worth it) and discovered I need to avoid: milk, yeast, eggs, soy, cashew, sunflower seeds and pears. Truly, if I avoid all these, I feel infinitely better.

I think enterolab is coming out soon with comprehensive food allergy tests too--I'd recommend them as well.

I did an experiment 2 days ago and had some salad dressing with vinegar in it (most vinegar has yeast) and am still feeling sluggish as a result. On the other hand, I've had days of literally dancing around in joy from the energy I've gleaned after years and years of fatigue.

Regarding the sweet tooth, I have a bit of that and recently discovered stevia, a natural sweetener without the energy-sapping properties of refined sugar.

Good luck!

[Guest imsohungry]

You all have such great (and varying) input! Which is exactly what I need as I am trying to examine this whole situation!

YankeeDB-

I hadn't considered a corn intolerance. My brother is allergic to any kind of fish, nuts, and, of all things, rice. He had one of those "prick tests" done at the allergist...he goes into anaphalactic shock (sp?) if he eats these foods. If he is allergic to rice, I suppose I could be allergic/intolerant to corn! Definitely, something to think about.

Tiffany,

It is interesting to hear that you sometimes have the same "gag" feeling toward "real" food as I do. I try to eat anyway, but sometimes I can't make myself...I'll literally heave when I force myself to eat when I get like that. It just isn't worth it.

Maggie,

Hang in there! You will feel better and better as time progresses. Thank you for your kind words. and Welcome to the forums!

Dana,

What you said about protein makes sense. I am actually trying to start a food diary (I even started a thread about it) Although I do not like most high-protein foods, I make sure I eat some protein. I try to eat a balanced/healthy breakfast. gluten-free granola cereal/milk, bacon/OJ/grits, etc. But it seems like no matter how hard I try I always hit bottom energy by mid-morning (9-11 am). However, I am going to document EXACTLY what I eat in hopes of catching something I've previously overlooked.

Many blessings and much hugs to all that have replied!

-Julie

[dbuhl79]

Julie,

Glad we all can help some! I just had a thought, you said that you hit a low spot around 9-11.. Perhaps around that time, you can have a small snack on the side, nuts or something that will boost your energy. Just a thought!!! Let us know how it goes!

[Maggie1956]

It is like a light has come on in my head since I started reading the posts here!

Recently, I have started gagging on some foods, mainly meat. It is really embarrasing when it happens in front of people. Trying to hide the fact that I cannot swallow it, or spit it out is simply aweful.

How do you handle it when in that situation Tiffany? I'm starting to feel like it's just best to stay home.

I'm freaking out a little today, because my husband's work dinner is tonight and I have to go with him.

Also, after really trying not to eat anymore gluten, I bought rice crisps yesterday which said they were 'gluten free'. I ate a couple, and immediately started feeling like a vice had been pulled around my stomach.

Then I read the fine print. It has soy sauce in it, doesn't it!

So, here we go again...I'll start my gluten-free diet afresh from now on. I guess I will learn by experience.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement everyone.

Maggie

[wclemens]

Hi,

I have Celiac and am intolerant of all grains, milk & dairy, egg whites and yeast. I have spent years learning the foods which affect me adversely, and now I never touch any of them, read labels diligently, and always work to remain gluten free.

However, even with eliminating all those foods, I often felt drained or overly tired, just as you are describing. I finally came across the book, The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, which said that those from families where diabetes is prevalent might have a tendency to eventually develop that disease (my mother had diabetes).

I immediately began following their diet, which involves eating only high-protein, low carbohydrate foods 23 hours a day, with one hour devoted to eating or drinking anything to which you are not intolerant. It sounded too good to be true!

Within a couple of weeks I was feeling good, losing weight, sleeping better, and having no times of letdown fatigue.

It works!

Now I eat chicken, chili burgers, steak, ribs, salmon, tuna, fish, salad, egg yolks, etc. for those 23 hours a day, and indulge in all kinds of treats for my one hour "reward meal" (that's what Richard and Rachel Heller call you one hour meal). They both went from being several hundred pounds of unhealthy flesh to normal weights and healthy lifestyles.

Hope this helps. Welda