Totally New - Only Day 3

[nicsow]

I am new to this having been advised to go gluten free in a bid to help my digestive problems (bloating, water retention, gas - you know the score)

I have a couple of questions:

1. It's Day 4 and today I have more gas than ever, is this normal? Is my body getting rid of everything thats been building up in there?

2. When should I expect bloating to go? (I had been avoiding gluten and 5 days ago had a beer and pizza evening - not good at all

3. Will being gluten free stop me being hungry when I shouldnt be? I get hungry very quickly and if not fed am like a bear!!! (I'm not overeating, am 5ft 5 and 130 pounds but eat a lot!)

Thanks everyone

[mushroom]

Hi, and welcome to the board.

Did anyone think of testing you for celiac before telling you to go gluten free?? If they think gluten is the problem, now is the time to do it, before all the antibodies leave your system - actually, except for the pizza/beer bust it could already be too late without doing gluten loading again..

Now, to your question. It does take a while for everything to settle down once rid of gluten. Some of us also have to drop lactose from our diets (which can produce the same or similar GI symptoms to gluten) until healing takes place in the intestine.

A sure sign of gluten intolerance is to go off it for a while and then reintroduce it - the reaction is normally much stronger

Most people report being very hungry when they first go gluten free, I think because your body is craving all the nutrients it hasn't been able to absorb.

So did your doctor tell you to go gluten free? If so, I would ask him/her for the celiac testing, and also to run nutrient blood panels on you for things like Vit. B12, D, folate, ferritin (iron), magnesium, potassium, calciium, zinc in which you are likely to be deficient if this is our problem (and sounds like it is). You may not be celiac but it certainly sounds like you are gluten intolerant.

[SGWhiskers]

I'll agree with Mushroom. If you can talk your doctor into blood testing for celiac, now is the time. Don't go off gluten until the bloodwork is done (and biopsy if you want that). If you are off gluten when the bloodwork or biopsy is done, it will come back negative no matter what. If you go gluten free for any length of time, and decide you want an actual diagnosis, you will need to reintroduce gluten for 2-3 months at 4 slices of bread/day which can be pretty painful who has been off gluten for a while.

If you decide you don't care about a diagnosis, go ahead and stop the gluten now. Just be strict about it. It does take practice and edcuation though.

Many with GI symptoms of gluten intolerance/celiac will find some relief after a week or two. Not everyone though and certainly not a total fix. Be strict and be patient. If you are still eating dairy, stop. It will give you plenty of gas until you are nearly fully recovered.

By bloating, do you mean the gas or the swollen belly? If it is gas, see the above paragraph. If it is the swollen belly, that can take much longer. I would say it took me 6 months at least for my figure to really slim down. (Funny thing was that I gained 20 lbs and lost a pant size during this).

The hunger is likely to get worse for the next month or three. Give into it with healthy foods. Yellow/orange/dark green veggies and dense protiens are what your body needs while you are healing. Your body is going through a lot of work healing those intestines and restocking your vitamin/mineral shortages, so fuel it well. I made a pact with myself that I would eat very healthy for two years while my body healed. I told myself I wouldn't worry about any weight gain until I had spent time recovering. As it turned out, my body gained plenty of weight the first 12 months or so, but I kept getting compliments on my figure because I dropped a size and probably because my skin, hair, and posture looked better. Then I started slowly returning to my natural weight without trying. I literally ate almost not stop when I was first diagnosed and continue to have a healthy appetite. Keep healthy food in your car, purse, briefcase, pockets, pantry and anywhere else it will fit. Nuts and dried fruit are your friend.