Starving-please Help

[Twinmom+1]

I have been Gluten Free for 6 weeks and I am having a hard time. I am starving, what I eat only keeps me satiated for about an hour, maybe 1.5 tops. I consulted with a dietician and he told me to do what I am already doing, which is eat protein & carbs together.

Usually this is what I eat in a day:

Breakfast-

2 eggs with corn tortillas and salsa OR cereal with almond milk and banana.

Snack-

Snack bar, usually a Larabar or something like it (gluten free of course)

Lunch-

Tuna or chicken salad with rice crackers or almond crackers, carrots and a piece of fruit

Snack-

Almonds or almond butter with rice crackers and a piece of fruit OR avocado with baked corn chips

Dinner-

Meat

potato or rice

Veggie

(I stay fuller in the evening after dinner)

I have to add that even though I am eating pretty healthy, I have gained a few pounds. Also, sometimes because I am not that full at lunch I will eat a lot of the crackers.

Any suggestions are welcome. I do want to add that I am avoiding dairy and added sugar.

I feel so hopeless. I am grieving over not having some of my favorite foods every again in my life is quite depressing. Gaining weight is not helping matters, especially when I am so damn hungry all the time.

PLEASE HELP...

Twinmom...

[Janessa]

I know how you feel, when I first went gluten free I was starving no matter how much I ate but the good news is that does go away eventually ( does come back when I get glutened though)

And I know this seems contradictory, since you said you gained weight, but adding in more fat (good fats) into my diet helps me feel full longer and I have lost weight without trying when I do that.

[msmini14]

You are hungry because your body is playing catch up. You will put on weight because your body can now absorb its food. I put on weight also and I couldnt stop eating for the life of me when I first went gluten free. What helped me with my cravings was peanut butter.

You have a good diet going on so I would keep with that, but like I said you are playing catch up right now.

I wish the best of luck to you =)

[Takala]

I am so happy you listed what you are eating already. This is easy to fix. Add in more (good) fats such as from coconut milk and olive oil, and green vegetables. You're loading yourself up with carbs and fruit sugars which don't have that much staying power.

For instance, if you drink coffee or tea, try adding a bit of coconut milk to it.

Let's look at your lunch, for another example. The tuna or chicken salad is good, and hopefully you've put lots of mayo or olive oil on it for the fat. But you're eating it with rice crackers, which burn out really fast. And carrots, which are very high sugar. Add in the fruit, and it's too much fast burning carbohydrate and fructose right now for where you are metabolically. A few hours ago you snacked on another larabar, which is also high in fruit sugars. You need to put a green vegetable in there. Also, try a bulkier form of the rice, or expand the carb offering to a piece of home made gluten-free bread with sorghum or amaranth or quinoa flour and nuts in it, all higher proteins. With your carbs, remember, the more combining of different types of grains and nut meals you can do, the better your body can obtain the correct mix of amino acids needed to get the full benefit of the proteins.

Once again, at dinner, there's a potato, another form of "white," simple carbohydrate. Don't get me wrong, I love potatoes, but they have to be a treat for me because they are a type of carb that is so easily processed by our digestive track they spike the blood sugar fairly quickly, followed by a crash and hunger. Make sure that potato always has a green vegetable in the meal with it. Try dressing the potato with extra virgin olive oil. If you add in non lactose dairy later, you can try putting a big glop of gluten-free yogurt on it with the olive oil and salt.

And a jar of gluten-free peanut butter and a big spoon is great for emergencies

Try eating that almond butter on celery or apples instead of rice crackers.

Also, you will find that if you take a gluten free B vitamin complex, and a calcium and magnesium supplement, that will help with the cravings. If you eat too much fruit sugars and don't get enough magnesium, the body does not handle the fructose well and it in turn messes up you calcium levels.

[mikehall117]

I am really glad you posted this because I am experiencing exactly the same. I have been gluten-free for 2 weeks and low carb for 2 months before that and I am now eating a normal gluten-free diet. I am constantly hungry and this is almost certianly due to the high-GI foods that are burning off really quickly and leaving me hungry. I am trying to switch to a lower GI intake with more protein and hope that my appetite returns to normal, otherwise I am going to get fat!

[Nancym]

Get more protein and fat at breakfast. I'd have a few slices of bacon with those eggs. Cereal is a lousy thing to eat. Just makes your blood sugar skyrocket and the resulting insulin response will leave you hungry shortly.

[Twinmom+1]

Wow!!! Thank you so much for the replies. I am paying attention and will make the changes needed.

I want to add that my RD has put me on a gluten free multi-vitamin but it only has 250 mg of magnesium. I think I will supplement that.

Thanks again and I welcome more responses!!!

Twinmom

[ang1e0251]

All good advice so far. I agree with adding the protein to breakfast and the coconut milk, the kind with full cream. Watch out for those alternate flours. They are higher carb than their counterparts. It's true they're gone in a flash. Nuts are a very good snack as well as cheese if there is any you can tolerate. They have some staying power. Also avocados are very good for you.

Go with the flow until your body says it's satisfied. It is playing catch up and needs the high (good) fats it's asking for. Let it. Eventually it will normalize.

You are not taking nearly enough magnesium. Neither was I. You can learn more about it at www.drcarolyndean.com

[SGWhiskers]

I ate literally non stop for 2.5 months and was always thirsty. I'm at 8 months, and still eat as much if not more than hubby although the urgency has subsided. When I accidentally gluten myself, I become ravenous a few days later. I've gained about 15 lbs, which I will worry about after my 2 year anniversary.

Moral of the story. This will pass as your body heals. Keep filling yourself with high nutrient foods and help your body heal.

[gc111]

I learned of Celiac at 47... stopped eating gluten, and within 10 days; started eating everything of quality I could get my hands on. I'll never forget one night, eating 3 chicken breasts with all the sides... and this rabid eating went on for 4 months!!

3 1/2 yrs later, I now have a normal appetite, but it took about 2 yrs to get to that point. This seems somewhat unusual, so I may have other health issues... but haven't confirmed yet.

From the time I figured out having Celiac until now, I've lost roughly 60-70 lbs... even doing so while eating for 2, maybe 3!!

:-)

[pele]

I agree about eating more fat and protein. We are conditioned to buy low fat foods, so you may need to break that habit. Buy chicken with the skin on, don't buy the lowest fat cuts of meat. If you don't like bacon, add a quarter pound of ground meat to your 2 eggs at breakfast, and skip the tortillas. Grass-fed beef supposedly has healthy fat.

If you are not using coconut oil, google it for more info.

[mysecretcurse]

Yeah, this happens to everyone I think. I was starving like a madperson for a long time after I first went on the diet. It got a little better after awhile, but whenever I get accidentally glutened I spend the next week eating massive amounts of food. My apetite is insane! I'm also only 120 pounds and 5'8'' so it's really weird. People are always amazed at how much I can eat.

[happygirl]

"Q: I feel hungry all the time. Is that normal?

Yes, it is very common. Your body is making up for the time it wasn't fully absorbing foods. Hunger levels tend to normalize within the first months after eliminating gluten and beginning a well balanced diet of gluten-free foods."

from: Open Original Shared Link

[emcmaster]

Carbs don't satiate me for long, especially quick digesting ones like dried fruit, cereal, or crackers.

The protein + fat combo is what works for me. Truthfully the only reason I eat carbs is because I like the way they taste. They do little for actually keeping me full.