Gluten Free For A Week.

[Mey Marie]

I have been gluten free for about a week and am not having any D any more. But I am eating and eating. I'm not even hungry. I just can't stop eating and It is starting to make me sort of sick. Is this normal. I really don't like it.

[mushroom]

Other posters have reported initially being extremely hungry and going on an eating binge for a while. You should get over it soon.

[Gfresh404]

I have been gluten free for about a week and am not having any D any more. But I am eating and eating. I'm not even hungry. I just can't stop eating and It is starting to make me sort of sick. Is this normal. I really don't like it.

Yes, as Mushroom, it is very normal. I have been gluten-free for almost a year and still get extremely hungry sometimes.

You could try taking some digestive enzymes, that should help with the "sick" feeling.

[Wolicki]

My terrible hungries lasted about a month. I think it's because your body has been starved of nutrients. After a month or so, hunger went to "normal" but then for a month or so at dinner, I would be hungry, take two bites and feel stuffed. Now at 4 months I feel normal again. I felt like a slave to food for a while and wouldn't dare leave the house without snacks! Whew! Nice to be free of that! One day you will wake up and realize you're not constantly starving. Hang tight

[Dada2hapas]

You could try taking some digestive enzymes, that should help with the "sick" feeling.

As for "digestive enzymes", do you mean an amino acid supplement like L-glutamine, or something else? I've seen "digestive enzymes" posted quite a bit, and wonder where the terminology comes from. Are there products that advertise/claim this? Thanks!

[mushroom]

As for "digestive enzymes", do you mean an amino acid supplement like L-glutamine, or something else? I've seen "digestive enzymes" posted quite a bit, and wonder where the terminology comes from. Are there products that advertise/claim this? Thanks!

There appear to be two types of digestive enzymes: those with pancreatin--mainly amylase, protease, lactase, lipase,, some with sucrase and cellulase, and then some also contain papain and bromelain, or these are a separate supplement.

I have taken the whole lot at various times, either the first or second group, or in one capsule they were in combination. For a while there they were very necessary for the digestive process. My stool testing had shown that my pancreas was not producing sufficient digestive enzymes, and that test was quite correct. I used to take them with every meal. I don't take them any more, except when having some digestive difficulty.

[Gfresh404]

As for "digestive enzymes", do you mean an amino acid supplement like L-glutamine, or something else? I've seen "digestive enzymes" posted quite a bit, and wonder where the terminology comes from. Are there products that advertise/claim this? Thanks!

No, amino acids such as Glutamine or Tryptophan are not the same as digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes break down food and are produced in our mouth, stomach, pancreas, and gallbladder. Most Celiacs or Gluten Intolerant people develop these enzyme deficiencies due to malnourishment, that is why supplementation is often necessary.

Like Mushroom said, there are two different kinds of enzymes, animal based ones, such a Pancreatin and vegetable/microbial based ones. Pancreatic enzymes usually include a blend of lipase (to break down fats), amylase (to break down carbs), and protease (to break down protein). These are porcine enzymes, meaning they are taken from the pancreas of a pig. These enzymes tend to only work in the small intestine due to the ph level.

Vegetable/microbial on the other hand work almost everywhere. They start working right away in the stomach. Vegetable enzymes are usually taken straight from vegetables or sometimes even fruits such as pineapple (bromelain). Microbial enzymes work the same way except they are produced by microbial fermentation of a usually harmless bacterium.

You can find a ton of these on Vitacost.com. I only recommend this site because this is where I have found all of the lowest prices.

If you would like specific recommendations, go here: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=63133

[lindalee]

From what I have read, microwaving destroys enzymes.

Also-

Chew your food really, really good.

Don't drink right before or after your meal.

[Dada2hapas]

Yes, enzymes are proteins and they can be denatured by heating. All proteins are polypeptides, chains of many amino acids linked together.

Thank you for the replies. I'll look into these products. I read a few posts where folks refer to AA's as an enzyme supplement, and wondered what they were referring to.

[haleym]

Wow.... I was eating and eating after becoming gluten free too. And what seems to be one of my glutening symptoms (I am still learning the subtle responses my body has to small amounts) is wanting to eat things when not hungry.

Im almost 2 months into this, and it was interesting to go through. I put on 8 pounds (of muscle mass... Im a massage therapist, and my arms are finally getting muscley from work! ) after becoming gluten free, so dont worry too much about weight gain. I think that our bodies have to do some catching up when gluten has been impairing digestion.

Good luck... and happy eating! LOL

[homemaker]

I have been gluten free for about one month. The first two weeks seemed to go fine, my symptoms resolved and I was on the top of the world. Then the hungry horrors set in...and I swear I just about wanted to eat everything in sight!

Along with the hungry's were wild blood sugar swings...Mostly in the morning and other times it would just hit randomly...

It is the weirdest thing that has ever happen to me...It is really scary...I was not terribly thin nor was I emaciated prior to going gluten-free nor did I have diarrhea....I had more bloating and constipation prior to going gluten-free.....I do hope this levels out...Right now I am just trying to keep up with what my body is trying to tell me...which is EAT!