Could I Be Intolerant? Please Help!

[MissPJ]

Hi, a couple months ago I was talking with a friend about food allergies and intolerances. He mentioned the only thing he can't eat was soft scoop icecream, which I too had a bad experience. I googledt. the ingredients and then realised that gluten was in icecream... I never knew, in fact, I never knew gluten was wheat! I started researching gluten insensitivity and realised I ticked a lot of boxes. Depression, obesity, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, cravings and hunger, migraines.. I decided to just try the gluten free diet for a while and see what happens.

Within 3 days of going completely gluten free, I felt like I was on a mixture of speed and antidepressants.. I was so HAPPY, i had more energy, i even talked a mile-a-minute. In the first month I also started to lose weight easily. I dropped around 12kg without going to the gym. I was so excited to get back into my gym regime to back up all this excess energy. I did slip up a couple of times in the beginning, first I'd get really bad heartburn at night, which would stay for about 2-3 days, as well as bad gas and bloating. After the 3 days of being "glutened" the happy feelings came back, and I felt on top of the world again.

I'm now maybe 2 months into the diet, and everything seems to have stopped. The happy, euphoric sensations are gone, I am beginning to feel just as tired and lazy as before. I even feel like I may have put ON weight in the last week or so, despite sticking to a good gluten free diet, and exercising 3 times a week. I know when I get depressed I feel like I put on about 20kg, so I don't know whether that was in my head or not. Last weekend I decided to eat some bread, just so I knew that this diet is right for me.. but nothing! No reaction at all. I feel like I'm slipping back to how I was before gluten-free and I don't know why.

I'm really scared that I'm not gluten intolerant at all, I was so excited to finally find something that worked for me. I've struggled with my weight all my life, and to think I might have an answer was a miracle. To be back to square one will be a nightmare. I can't lose weight no matter what I try.

Has anyone else had a similar experience, or do you think I'm not gluten intolerant after all?

Any help greatly appreciated, I am just feeling really lost at the moment..

[mushroom]

Hi, a couple months ago I was talking with a friend about food allergies and intolerances. He mentioned the only thing he can't eat was soft scoop icecream, which I too had a bad experience. I googledt. the ingredients and then realised that gluten was in icecream... I never knew, in fact, I never knew gluten was wheat! I started researching gluten insensitivity and realised I ticked a lot of boxes. Depression, obesity, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, cravings and hunger, migraines.. I decided to just try the gluten free diet for a while and see what happens.

Within 3 days of going completely gluten free, I felt like I was on a mixture of speed and antidepressants.. I was so HAPPY, i had more energy, i even talked a mile-a-minute. In the first month I also started to lose weight easily. I dropped around 12kg without going to the gym. I was so excited to get back into my gym regime to back up all this excess energy. I did slip up a couple of times in the beginning, first I'd get really bad heartburn at night, which would stay for about 2-3 days, as well as bad gas and bloating. After the 3 days of being "glutened" the happy feelings came back, and I felt on top of the world again.

I'm now maybe 2 months into the diet, and everything seems to have stopped. The happy, euphoric sensations are gone, I am beginning to feel just as tired and lazy as before. I even feel like I may have put ON weight in the last week or so, despite sticking to a good gluten free diet, and exercising 3 times a week. I know when I get depressed I feel like I put on about 20kg, so I don't know whether that was in my head or not. Last weekend I decided to eat some bread, just so I knew that this diet is right for me.. but nothing! No reaction at all. I feel like I'm slipping back to how I was before gluten-free and I don't know why.

I'm really scared that I'm not gluten intolerant at all, I was so excited to finally find something that worked for me. I've struggled with my weight all my life, and to think I might have an answer was a miracle. To be back to square one will be a nightmare. I can't lose weight no matter what I try.

Has anyone else had a similar experience, or do you think I'm not gluten intolerant after all?

Any help greatly appreciated, I am just feeling really lost at the moment..

Hi, MissPJ, and welcome to the forum.

The gluten free diet does have its ups and downs. Don't give up on it so quickly. You may be deficient in other nutrients too, and these deficiencies may be dragging you down. It took me over a year to discover that I was deficient in Vit. D, B12, folate, and was hypthyroid, and lots of gluten intolerant folks become iron deficient as well. If you have not had all these nutrient levels checked, you should, because they could be dragging you down. That initial burst of energy and weight loss comes about after you lift the burden of the gluten off your body. Then it settles down and it's like it says to you, "All right, so now what are you going to do about this??" This is often also when other food intolerances make their presence known for some, and we all think, "Oh no, I thought I got that problem licked. Wotinell is happening now?" I have gained back all the weight I lost after going gluten free, but have just started taking meds for my thyroid and hope that will help. I do know that I cannot eat gluten, or corn, or soy, or potatoes, and at the moment, citric acid. My lactose intolerance is improving (that's probably what was getting you with the ice cream--how are you with milk and cream??--and I hope later I can have citric acid again.

I also am self-diagnosed because the doctors didn't have a clue, but I have no doubt that my diagnosis is correct. Just because you don't have a piece of paper with the word "celiac" on it, does not mean that you are wrong. Stick with the diet, get your nutrient levels checked by your primary care physician, keep exercising, and I hope you can work your way through this. Obviously, if all your nutrients are fine (and when I say "fine" I don't mean LOW normal--you should be in mid-range, not at the bottom because the ranges are much too wide) then you willl need to re-evaluate. But it is much too early to give up on it. Stick with it and have faith

[MissPJ]

Hi, MissPJ, and welcome to the forum.

The gluten free diet does have its ups and downs. Don't give up on it so quickly. You may be deficient in other nutrients too, and these deficiencies may be dragging you down. It took me over a year to discover that I was deficient in Vit. D, B12, folate, and was hypthyroid, and lots of gluten intolerant folks become iron deficient as well. If you have not had all these nutrient levels checked, you should, because they could be dragging you down. That initial burst of energy and weight loss comes about after you lift the burden of the gluten off your body. Then it settles down and it's like it says to you, "All right, so now what are you going to do about this??" This is often also when other food intolerances make their presence known for some, and we all think, "Oh no, I thought I got that problem licked. Wotinell is happening now?" I have gained back all the weight I lost after going gluten free, but have just started taking meds for my thyroid and hope that will help. I do know that I cannot eat gluten, or corn, or soy, or potatoes, and at the moment, citric acid. My lactose intolerance is improving (that's probably what was getting you with the ice cream--how are you with milk and cream??--and I hope later I can have citric acid again.

I also am self-diagnosed because the doctors didn't have a clue, but I have no doubt that my diagnosis is correct. Just because you don't have a piece of paper with the word "celiac" on it, does not mean that you are wrong. Stick with the diet, get your nutrient levels checked by your primary care physician, keep exercising, and I hope you can work your way through this. Obviously, if all your nutrients are fine (and when I say "fine" I don't mean LOW normal--you should be in mid-range, not at the bottom because the ranges are much too wide) then you willl need to re-evaluate. But it is much too early to give up on it. Stick with it and have faith

Thank you so much for the reply, I just really needed the reassurance I'm doing the right thing. I know the diet is better for my health.. the biggest thing is the lack of cravings for junk food. I am determined to stick to the gluten free diet. It's not hard at all.

I think you're right about the lactose intolerance also, and I had a suspicion that corn might be giving me some troubles also. I've been having corn thins and salmon for lunch, so I might swap back to rice thins.

The lack of symptoms to gluten now still bugs me though.. i think I just want that bad reaction so I KNOW I can't eat gluten, is this normal?

Thanks again