Always Hungry

[pirateswin]

I am 22, and a full-time college student. I also manage a climbing wall on campus for the Outdoor Program, teach climbing classes and recently began the trip leading program so I can lead outdoor trips on the weekends. I also have three dogs, a cat and a bird. Basically, I'm very busy.

I was diagnosed several years ago with a major gluten intolerance. I am also not supposed to eat eggs, dairy, soy or sugar.

I weigh 125 lbs, and lose weight if I don't eat massive quantities of food every day. So for a long time, I did not adhere to any diet, preferring to eat whatever I could get my hands on. But it has come to the point where my intense stomach pains, exhaustion, headaches, anxiety, yeast buildup and general malaise are no longer tolerable, especially considering my active lifestyle.

So here is my question: What the hell do I eat to stay full? No matter how much soup, rice and beans I ingest, I am STILL starving afterward. I cannot get full and I am always hungry whenever I try to avoid the foods I can't eat. Does anybody have any ideas, as far as simple, filling and nutritious meals that contain high protein and can fit into my crazy life?

I'm tired of feeling like poop, but I'm also tired of going to bed hungry and fearing weight loss.

Help?

[missy'smom]

Lots of protein, preferrably from meat, will help you. It can actually stall weight loss and help with weight gain, if needed. It may take some experimentation to figure out how much you need. I need about 5-6 oz. every meal to keep my weight on. It works. With all my numerous dietary restrictions, major categories off limits, protein alone has worked well for me. As for convenient sources? Hmmm.... I tend to stay home and cook alot plus with my restrictions so many things have fallen off my radar...

canned or pouch tuna, salmon and chicken, individual servings, easy open tops are available, carry some along, plop on a purchased side salad, order individual dressing packets from minimus.biz or request lemon wedges and oil, vinegar and oil and add salt and pepper if desired

there are bars called youbars(custom made) and tanka bars that are high protein, low-carb, the tanka bars are buffalo meat and cranberries

Welshire Farms and Old Wisconsin make shelf stable beef/turkey sausage sticks/bites that are gluten-free-you'd have to check for other ingredients

Many folks with diabetes who are low-carb carry around tins of sardines, anchovies etc. I've tried some tinned smoked tuna fillets that were good-found in the gourmet grocery section. If the carbs are not a problem, they are good with crackers.

nuts, nut butters, I even eat coconut oil by the spoonful, sometimes with a bit of very dark chocolate-85%

[missy'smom]

I couldn't see your words when I was posting so here are some more thoughts.

I'll just add, that Costco Kirkland brand tuna is soy-free, but requires a can opener.

The rice, beans etc. just spike your blood sugar which makes you feel hungry still. Protein gives a slower, more stable energy release so that will make you feel satisfied longer.

avacados are healthy and filling and have good fats and calories

[Takala]

The symptom of always being hungry is another symptom of untreated gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Your body is telling you that it is out of vital nutrients, and the way it says it is by making you "feel hungry."

Once you get your diet balanced, for your particular metabolism, then you won't get that feeling anymore, and once you stop poisoning yourself with gluten, the intestines heal up and you will not have to worry about weight loss.

You may have to make your life slightly less crazy in the meantime to make your overall health work. Or you can keep this up and eventually get other conditions that are even worse, such as early bone loss, arthritis, gallbladder, thyroid problems....

Most people on a low carbohydrate diet really struggle with it until they add in enough high quality FATS to act as slow burning, long lasting fuel. If you try to eat a gluten free diet as a typical high carbohydrate diet, vegetarian oriented (you said soup, rice, beans.... ) you are going to make this really difficult, as your body is telling you. If you cannot digest lactose (milk sugar) in dairy, you may be able to after you heal, and be able to eat cheeses, butter, and safe gluten-free yogurt again. In the mean time, you need to think GOOD FATS. Eggs, avocados, nuts, safe gluten free peanut butter, dark chocolate, coconut milk, olive oil all are ways you can add fat to the diet. Gluten free mayonnaise (best foods is labeled as such) also works if you can tolerate soy.

For example, a quick gluten-free bread may be made in the microwave in a cereal bowl or little ramekin, with nut meal, seed meals, egg, some added high protein seeds for texture/taste, and a bit of olive oil. You can get an inexpensive blender and dedicate it to grinding almonds and gluten free, and they grind up REALLY fast. Beat the egg in the bowl with a dollop of honey or molasses or other sweetener, a little bit of olive oil, a bit of pure apple cider vinegar, and a spoon or two of water or gluten free nut milk. Add the almond meal, some other high protein gluten free flours if you wish, such as amaranth (high protein, retards mold, doesn't need xanthan gum like this) and a bit of baking powder and a pinch of salt, mix it up to a batter, and microwave it right in the bowl. This can be done in a few minutes start to finish every day and you end up with one to two servings of quick, high protein gluten free bread that is also higher in fat than conventional bread. I will also make a bigger batch of this in a small cast iron skillet with olive oil, then run it under the broiler to finish it. It stores well in the refrigerator and can be toasted or microwaved. I guarantee if you eat something like this with a piece of warm, dark chocolate melted between the slices you will gain, weight, don't ask me how I proved this.

You can also start putting coconut milk in your coffee or tea or smoothies. Hard boiled eggs are not only high protein, but they pack well. A rice cake or corn tortilla, leftover buckwheat pancake, some string cheese, gluten free pepperoni or lunchmeat, a hard boiled egg is not the most romantic snack or fast lunch but it is safe and gluten free. Add a piece of fruit and some sort of vegetable and you're set.

Another thing is that you MUST eat green vegetables. You can pack individual salads or cold cooked vegetables in all sorts of containers, like a sturdy zip lock baggie set inside another cup or container. Eat it out of the baggie. Olive oil and gluten free vinegar do not need refrigeration. For salad dressing, putting oil and vinegar in separate squirt bottles or cruets sprinklers for top dressing at home is the easiest, then sweetener or salt or herbs can be added.

For protein, what you can do is buy chicken and cook it all up at once, so you'd get four good sized servings out of each one, and keep it in the refrigerator for reheating. A lot of people also cook up a crock pot of filling stew or meat and vegetables during an off day, then eat out of that during the week.

Mexican food translates easy to gluten free, with drained, rinsed canned beans mashing up quickly into refried, rice, and corn tortillas, with some pre cooked taco meat, chicken, or even fish added with lettuce and other toppings.

Indian curries are also easy to make gluten free, and if yogurt and some sort of fat such as butter, ghee, or coconut oil is added to the sauce, that over rice with some lentils can be very filling. A big batch of basic curry sauce can be made and used for several meals.

Rice pasta with various sauces also can be a good option. Killer pesto can be made with olive oil, basil, any sort of nuts (protein again) and garlic, and then the cooked rice noodles tossed in to coat it. If you are cheese tolerant, that can then be added to it, also, or a cheese substitute.

Don't forget to get a new toaster, cutting boards, and check your other plastic ware- give it away and get new stuff so you don't cross contaminate yourself.

And start taking a gluten free multi vitamin, B complex, and calcium supplement. This also will help your body heal and that helps with cravings.

[Rowena]

Thanks for posting this question. I've recently discovered a I have a gluten intolerance and right now I'm always feeling hungry when I don't do the above mentioned suggestions. So I thank ye for posting this. As for what else ye can do, I have little to add, just make sure you eat the right amount of protein. I keep forgetting this simple fact, so I feel like I ain't eaten in days.

[precious831]

I'm hungry all the time too, I'm grain-free on top of being gluten-free. I eat all day long, I'm hungry every 2 hours. I eat a lot of meat, nuts, I use oils in my foods. I make smoothies with fruit and hemp milk. Still hungry. If you can eat nuts I suggest eating almonds because they're good for you.

[Mari]

There are severak thungs I have done to help the "hungry' feelings and reduce craving sweets and gain weight. I had Intestinal Candida which causes a person to feel hungry especially for sweets - used Candida Herbs and Neem. Bacterial overgrowths - used probiotics (goat's milk kefir worked best) and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Had a tangle of tapeworms and other parasites - used herbal parasite programs. Then I started eating about 1/2 watermelon a day for the past 4 months and this has really helped. I eat watermelon whenever I feel hungry. So doing this and eating my usual amount of food I've been able to gain 10 lbs. , I was emaciated and am now just a little slender.

[Marilyn R]

You've received great advice. I also suggest searching for lunch ideas on the forum.

Change is always difficult, but you'll learn new skills (like chopping, cooking, packing, preparedness.)

Lara Bars are spendy but good. It helps to eat every two or two and a half hours. You can pack PB and an apple with a peeler and knife if you don't want to deal it it in the morningwhen you're getting ready for work.

Wal-Mart has a great lunchbox in the camping section made by Ozark. It has room for lots of things. There's also a great spice kit from Ozark in the camping section that is a permanent addition to my lunch box.

Frozen pre-peeled & cooked shrimp purchased in bulk is great for adding protein as a snack on its own with a squirt of fresh lemon juice or in salads or soups. Your dogs will love the tails.

My most used kitchen utensils are three cutting boards in various sizes, a really good chef's knife, a mini food procesor (for making homemade hummus and pesto and other good stuff), a rice cooker, and a blender. I also use an electric tea kettle often to boil water for handwashing items that can't go in the dishwasher. (My kitchen isn't gluten-free, shared household.)

Good luck in your new life, many best wishes.

[Reba32]

Fats and protiens will have you feeling sated and full longer than eating complex carbs. Contrary to popular belief, you Do Not need complex carbs to be sports minded and active. Your muscles are made of protien, not potatoes. To build/mend muscles you need protien. And healthy fats are an excellent source of energy.

Turn your food pyramid upside down.

[bridgetm]

I've been having the same problem since going gluten-free in the spring. I was finally able to lose the weight I had had tried so hard to lose all through high school, but now I'm still losing and at a rate that has my doctor concerned (I get a raised eyebrow every time he sees my chart). I used to take advantage of the campus caf breakfasts and load up on protein with a healthy dose of carbs in addition to some fruit every morning. Though I do that at home, I haven't been so motivated as to keep this up when cooking for myself in a dorm lounge. After my last weigh-in it looks as if I do not have a choice anymore.

I used to keep some protein shakes around for that afternoon slide or more importantly to refuel for an afternoon knee-rehab session. I always went for the lactose free ones and it was an easy transition to both lactose and gluten-free. However, I am now also soy free and have yet to find a shake that does not contain one of those three things. Boost: lactose and gluten-free but with soy lecithin. EAS: same story. Muscle Milk: gluten-free, but true to its name not lactose free. I found some peanut-protein bars (Macro Bar... tasty!), but I'm really missing the shakes. Does anyone know of any, in packaged or powdered form?

[pirateswin]

Wow! Lots of good suggestions! Thank you so much! I'm going shopping tomorrow, and I will get most of the things on these lists.

Special thanks to Takala- You really gave me somewhere to go.

I had no idea the rice and beans were just making me hungrier! Crazy. I still have lots to learn...