How Many Of You Have These Multiple Issues:

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Hi, everyone,

I am trying to help a colleague's sister (someone I don't know well at all); I think she should at least rule celiac/gluten sensitivity out.

She seems interested in the possibility (she wanted to know how I'd lost my weight), but her family thinks that she is just weak and undisciplined--can't keep from eating cookies, etc. But I remember how STRONG those gluten cravings were, and how I lost 20 pounds practically overnight just from not eating gluten (even though I was eating plenty of other carbs).

So I'm wondering how many of you have the same issues that she has faced for years (diabetes, obesity, and bipolar syndrome), and how many of those issues improved upon a gluten-free diet.

I thought maybe I could print it out for her as a kind of motivation, should she want to try a gluten-free diet and see if it helps. I did tell her that the first two weeks off gluten were very difficult for me, craving-wise, but that they went away after 2 weeks, and then my pre-diabetes and weight both normalized--but I haven't had to deal with the bipolar syndrome, and I know at least one of you who has felt that gluten was a direct contributor to that.

Thanks!

[julirama723]

I'm very new with all of this, but I'll add my experience.

I was VERY obese just 2 years ago. Over 270 pounds. I would bake all of the time, eat dozens of cookies (in secret), live on fast food and pizza. Pretty gross. I felt like crap (and looked like crap, I saw a pic of myself looking like a whale and that is what made me decide to do something proactive) so I made major changes--I started exercising, and started following a low-carb plan. (Atkins to be exact.) I ate lots of healthy fats, lots of fresh vegetables, and moderate amounts of protein (Atkins is NOT a high-protein diet! It's actually a high-fat diet.) I reintroduced fresh dairy, nuts/seeds, berries and melon, wine/spirits, legumes, other fruits and starchy veggies with no issues. I had no problems losing weight until I reintroduced grains. My weight loss slowed tremendously, then stopped. The only time I seemed able to lose weight was when I'd eliminate grains again. But of course, hindsight is 20/20. I couldn't figure it out then, maybe it was denial?

Fast forward to February of 2008. At this point, my weight loss has stopped completely, and now I begin to GAIN weight (I also started to have GI symptoms like bloating, gas, cramps, constipation, etc.) I put on 20 pounds in a matter of months. After losing 100 pounds in a year, this scares the crud out of me. I still exercised religiously, ate healthy foods, drank lots of water, took supplements, etc. My carbs were not at a higher level than they'd been previously, the only difference was eating more grains. Wheat specifically, and I would make my own bread--of course, this was a nightmare, because I was using ALL whole-wheat flour (or a mix of wheat and rye!), so I'd have to add more gluten...

I had no clue what was going on until my mom was diagnosed as being celiac just a couple of months ago. My year of problems made sense. My symptoms made sense. I wasn't crazy. I wasn't a pig. I wasn't imagining things. I went gluten-free a few weeks ago and lost 5 pounds almost immediately and a LOT of bloat. (I am now on a gluten challenge, and I've gained the weight back, and then some.)

I do believe that if she has gluten-sensitivity/intolerance/celiac, going gluten-free will certainly help with weight loss, as long as she doesn't rely on gluten-free products--I mean all that junk made with potato starch and corn starch and rice flour. Those products are full of carbs and will spike blood sugar (well, mine at least!) Gluten-free junk food is still junk food! If she sticks with fresh foods, like fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, dairy (if she can handle it), eggs, and meats, she'll be on a path to weight loss AND health.

[henny]

several of my relatives (mother, uncles) have celiac, bipolar, and overweight issues. my mom is type 2 diabetic now as well, but she says it's a result of the bipolar meds.

I don't have bipolar, but I know for sure when I went gluten-free my general anxiety levels dropped tremendously, so I could see how untreated celiac could easily aggravate existing behavioral disorders. that's my non-medical opinion anyway