Im 13. Gluten Free 7 Weeks And Still Get Bloated

[runningcrazy]

So ive been gluten free 7 weeks and have noticed some good improvements like no daily headaches or stomach aches. the only problem is i get bloated all the time.

I feel very full soon, but i dont want to only eat a few bits because i dont want to lose weight. im 5'5 and 100lbs, before i was gluten free i was 80lbs and people were calling me anorexic and stuff.

But it bothers me to get bloated. Its not super awful like HUGE but it sometimes gets very bloated and large.

Its not all fat, im a cross country runner and track distance runner and i also eat a very healthy dairy free, vegetarian diet as well as gluten free.

Like its worse if i am sort of constipated. that was my main symptom. And, its wierd. since school started, i only go on the weekends. Its really annoying because during the summer i would go EVERY single morning and it would be a lot. Now i go 5 days, then a lot on the weekend, 5 days, weekend, etc. its been like that for 3 weeks now!

In the morning its *usually* not too bloated, but once i eat its more, by the end of the day its pretty bloated. I havent really changed my eating, besides i guess different times since school. I still take my magnesium and psyllium, but i want the bloating to go!!

So does it sometimes take awhile for some things to fix? like ive seen some people say the bloating was automatically gone and others say it tooke months.

[Wolicki]

So ive been gluten free 7 weeks and have noticed some good improvements like no daily headaches or stomach aches. the only problem is i get bloated all the time.

I feel very full soon, but i dont want to only eat a few bits because i dont want to lose weight. im 5'5 and 100lbs, before i was gluten free i was 80lbs and people were calling me anorexic and stuff.

But it bothers me to get bloated. Its not super awful like HUGE but it sometimes gets very bloated and large.

Its not all fat, im a cross country runner and track distance runner and i also eat a very healthy dairy free, vegetarian diet as well as gluten free.

Like its worse if i am sort of constipated. that was my main symptom. And, its wierd. since school started, i only go on the weekends. Its really annoying because during the summer i would go EVERY single morning and it would be a lot. Now i go 5 days, then a lot on the weekend, 5 days, weekend, etc. its been like that for 3 weeks now!

In the morning its *usually* not too bloated, but once i eat its more, by the end of the day its pretty bloated. I havent really changed my eating, besides i guess different times since school. I still take my magnesium and psyllium, but i want the bloating to go!!

So does it sometimes take awhile for some things to fix? like ive seen some people say the bloating was automatically gone and others say it tooke months.

Unfortunately, it takes a while. I don't know how long, but mine is finally getting better. I've been gluten-free for about 3 months. A week ago, my stomach was finally flat again Then I at a gluten-free hot dog, and I blew up again. I realized that I am not yet able to handle grains, so I eliminated them completely. My diet is no processed food (except for that hot dog) and it has gotten better.

Are you taking probiotics? they really helped me with the C.

Be patient and choose whole, natural foods. I wish there was a quick fix, but I haven't found it.

[Aeriya]

I have the same problem...I've been gluten-free for almost 10 months now, and it takes absolutely NOTHING for me to bloat up & look pregnant! It bothers me to the enth degree but I'm starting to accept that there's nothing I can do to help it. Breaks my heart to see myself looking so big for no reason in the mirror though - I follow a strict gluten-free diet, no processed foods and I eat as many probiotics as I can!

Any suggestions would be outstanding

[Nancym]

You might try to cut out dairy and see if that helps.

[Ahorsesoul]

It's boring, it's troublesome and we all hate to do it. Keep a food diary. It might not just be one item. It could be when you eat two items close together. Write down anything that goes into your mouth including candy, gum and drinks. Also note if you change toothpaste, mouthwash or anything else. If you use a different spice, what fast food places you've been to in case it's a cross contamination. Before long you'll see what's bothering your body.

[cat3883]

I have been gluten free 11 months. I feel alot better but I have problems with uncooked vegetables. They make be bloat really bad. If I eat them cooked I am fine. My nutritionist explained to me that it can take up to 2 years for our small intestine to heal completely so even though we are gluten free we still have a compromised digestive system. Keep a food diary an pay close attention to it. You may find that something you wouldnt even dream of is causing the bloating. Good luck to you.

[The Fluffy Assassin]

So ive been gluten free 7 weeks and have noticed some good improvements like no daily headaches or stomach aches. the only problem is i get bloated all the time.

I feel very full soon, but i dont want to only eat a few bits because i dont want to lose weight. im 5'5 and 100lbs, before i was gluten free i was 80lbs and people were calling me anorexic and stuff.

But it bothers me to get bloated. Its not super awful like HUGE but it sometimes gets very bloated and large.

Its not all fat, im a cross country runner and track distance runner and i also eat a very healthy dairy free, vegetarian diet as well as gluten free.

Like its worse if i am sort of constipated. that was my main symptom. And, its wierd. since school started, i only go on the weekends. Its really annoying because during the summer i would go EVERY single morning and it would be a lot. Now i go 5 days, then a lot on the weekend, 5 days, weekend, etc. its been like that for 3 weeks now!

In the morning its *usually* not too bloated, but once i eat its more, by the end of the day its pretty bloated. I havent really changed my eating, besides i guess different times since school. I still take my magnesium and psyllium, but i want the bloating to go!!

So does it sometimes take awhile for some things to fix? like ive seen some people say the bloating was automatically gone and others say it tooke months.

Assuming you're getting sufficient fiber from your vegetarian diet, you might want to stop the psyllium. Bloating and feelings of fullness are normal side effects.

[haleym]

Aside from the gluten, I know that a few other things set me off... so listen to your body. Since you are a vegetarian, spinach has a certain acid in it that can bother your stomach unless you cook it a little. I know that I used to eat lots of raw spinach and had some problems with that. Other than that, I am also super duper lactose intolerant, so watch the dairy. Other common ones are eggs and beans that get people!

[wschmucks]

Hi there-- I has the exact same symptoms as you-- feeling full after a few bites, constipation, bloating. I am almost to my 1 year gluten-free mark and it is ALOT better. Two things made a difference to me: I went on the SCD for 6 months- this helped me find my baseline for feeling normal. Before that Icouldnt tell what bothered me because everything did! The other thing was having my thyroid hormones in the optimal zones. I was very slightly low on thyroid and most Drs would not have treated me, but when i was finally treated i swear my stomach problems disappeared! It was amazing. If you have more questions about the thyroid stuff PM me. I'm a runner too-- I ran Xcountry and track for Georgetown U. and Berkeley :-)

[runningcrazy]

Thanks for all the answers!!

I should have mentioned I am also dairy free and do take enzymes and probiotics. Hopefully it will start to improve some more, I'm thinkng since it's only been a little under 2 months it will start some improvement. Now to top that off the I've been sick and now the doctor has told me it's swine flu! So today all I have had is apple juice, gluten free tomato soup, and coconut milk icecream(yummy!) and even with just those 3 things I'm pretty bloated!

I'm definately going to keep not eating much processed foods if any, and thanks for the thing about spinach, I have a spinach salad in my lunch nearly every day!!

Thanks everyone all of your ideas and comments really help!

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

[Gfresh404]

Thanks for all the answers!!

I should have mentioned I am also dairy free and do take enzymes and probiotics. Hopefully it will start to improve some more, I'm thinkng since it's only been a little under 2 months it will start some improvement. Now to top that off the I've been sick and now the doctor has told me it's swine flu! So today all I have had is apple juice, gluten free tomato soup, and coconut milk icecream(yummy!) and even with just those 3 things I'm pretty bloated!

I'm definately going to keep not eating much processed foods if any, and thanks for the thing about spinach, I have a spinach salad in my lunch nearly every day!!

Thanks everyone all of your ideas and comments really help!

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

A lot of issues usually crop up when digestion becomes compromised as it does with Celiac. One of those issues is known as Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Basically the bad bacteria take over and it usually leads to bloating and is believed to be one of the main causes of IBS. For this I'd recommend enteric coated peppermint oil capsules. I took them for a while and they helped out a ton, always got rid of my bloating. The fact that you're taking probiotics is good but you need to kill off some of the bad guys first to make room for the good guys.

Enzymes are also good but with your vegetarian diet I would suspect you have a very low enzyme deficiency. But be careful, in my experience overdosing on enzymes can be uncomfortable too. I take Pancreatic enzymes with every I consume that has fat in it. Also, research has suggested that when these enzymes do not all get used up they just travel through the blood stream and end up back in the small intestine for the next meal.

I know you're a vegetarian so this is probably going to be impossible but try to cut back on as many insoluble fibers as you can. These do not dissolve in water and can irritate the delicate lining of people's intestines with IBDs. For veggies I usually stick to potatoes without the skin, carrots, and green peas. Virtually all other veggies have IS, which is very rough on the digestive system.

Good luck and hang in there!

[pufffee]

Hi there-- I has the exact same symptoms as you-- feeling full after a few bites, constipation, bloating. I am almost to my 1 year gluten-free mark and it is ALOT better. Two things made a difference to me: I went on the SCD for 6 months- this helped me find my baseline for feeling normal. Before that Icouldnt tell what bothered me because everything did! The other thing was having my thyroid hormones in the optimal zones. I was very slightly low on thyroid and most Drs would not have treated me, but when i was finally treated i swear my stomach problems disappeared! It was amazing. If you have more questions about the thyroid stuff PM me. I'm a runner too-- I ran Xcountry and track for Georgetown U. and Berkeley :-)

Hi There,

I am new to gluten free diet, week one to be exact. Every single day my stomach is bloated and gurgly. Very uncomfortable feeling. I also have diarrhea, Not constant, basically once a day when I have my bowel movement it is the same diarrhea. you will see my other post today, I do not have chrons, UC, SIBO, or lactose intolerance. Celiac is only a hunch right now. Blood and biopsy's were negative. But the third specialist I have seen says the Dr's need to take a least 6 biopsy's from small intestine to make definitive diagnosis and they did not. Plus my mom has Celiac so here I am trying. Obviously 1 week is not going to show improvements, but when do you think I should feel better, also, what is SCD?

[Wolicki]

Hi There,

I am new to gluten free diet, week one to be exact. Every single day my stomach is bloated and gurgly. Very uncomfortable feeling. I also have diarrhea, Not constant, basically once a day when I have my bowel movement it is the same diarrhea. you will see my other post today, I do not have chrons, UC, SIBO, or lactose intolerance. Celiac is only a hunch right now. Blood and biopsy's were negative. But the third specialist I have seen says the Dr's need to take a least 6 biopsy's from small intestine to make definitive diagnosis and they did not. Plus my mom has Celiac so here I am trying. Obviously 1 week is not going to show improvements, but when do you think I should feel better, also, what is SCD?

Hange in there, it does get better.

Check out the thread in diets and weight for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. It's helped a lot of people here. I've been resisting, but I think I might finally try it. Good luck to you!