Decrease In Appetite

[bikrgrl]

Hi, i'm new here and have a quick question. Has anyone noticed a large decrease in appetite since going gluten free? i'm to the point that there are times that i have to force myself to eat something.

[sharkmom]

It's funny you say that because last night I was telling husband how after this first week of being gluten-free, my appetite has significantly decreased.

[OptimisticMom42]

Hi, i'm new here and have a quick question. Has anyone noticed a large decrease in appetite since going gluten free? i'm to the point that there are times that i have to force myself to eat something.

Well, I'm not starving all the time like I was before. But I do get hungry at meal times. Also I had not realized how bland milk and flour were. The foods I am still able to eat are so full of flavor that sometimes I can only eat a small portion. I've been using rice, rice chex or potato chips to fill the gap. But mostly I just go do something else and the hungry goes away. Does this make any sense at all? I must be eating enough because my weight is only going down a couple lbs a month.

Take Care,

OptimisticMom42

[samcarter]

Yes, this has happened. I still get hungry, and the hunger feels more real, but I am definitely snacking less because i'm having fewer cravings. Remember, those with celiac disease have poor absorption of nutrients, and the body's natural reaction to that is to try to get you to eat more, to get those nutrients! It's a vicious cycle.

When your body heals, and can absorb nutrients more efficiently, it's normal to feel like you're eating less than you used to---because you're not getting the signals to eat as much as you were before.

[darkhorse]

Right before I went Gluten-free Casein-free I constantly felt ridiculously hungry all day long. I would eat and then ten minutes later I would be hungry again. Now I'm not talking the hungry where you're bored or thinking about food. I mean the hungry where your stomach is growling and you feel like you are starving kind of hungry. But as soon as I would eat something I'd get nauseous because my stomach hurt from the gluten and dairy.

Now that I am Gluten-free Casein-free I can much more easily control portion size and I'm only hungry at meal times. It is nice because before I went Gluten-free Casein-free I started gaining weight rapidly, probably due to my increased hunger. I feel that my stomach and intestines are now able to do their job and my body is getting the nutrition it needs.

[Crayons574]

I think this is because, if you are gluten intolerant and are eating gluten, it will keep your body from absorbing the nutrients that it needs, so it will keep wanting more and more food until it gets those nutrients, even though it isn't. That is why many celiacs are mal-nourished before diagnosed. Since switching to gluten free, you're probably finally allowing your body to absorb the nutrients from your food. The more nutrients you eat, the quicker your body will get full, while feeling satisfied. That's why it takes eating a lot of high-processed foods to feel full to what seems like a bottomless pit and then you are hungry an hour later.

[shirleyujest]

Yes, I posted about my diminished reflux, but also that it feels like there was a disconnect between my hunger and nutritious foods and now they feel more connected. And specifically less hungry, I noticed I ate a gluten-free breakfast yesterday (eggs/cheese/chili scramble) at a local restaurant, and when I'd ordered it before I gobbled down the whole thing but yesterday I took 1/3 of it home.

However, not to the point of having to force myself to eat. Are you getting enough? Losing weight dramatically? Having discomfort? If yes you may want to talk to your doctor. If you are just eating healthy and just not starving by mealtime, it may be as the others said because you are finally getting the nutrients you need.