About Ten Days In.... Yikes!

[beatha]

Hi there,

So I am newly gluten-free - do not have a firm Celiac diagnosis due to insurance issues, but long story short I am 100% certain that I am either a Celiac sufferer or gluten intolerant.

But here's the deal - the first week gluten-free, felt great, like this veil of crud was lifted. Made it through a road trip for an athletic event (in which I was a participant, no less!) by bringing snacks and getting creative with meals. But now, the last two days I have been DYING to eat wheat. I am even overeating on veggies, meat and such to stay full so as to not eat gluten-filled foods.

Probably doesn't help that I am the cookie mom for my daughter's troop and thus literally have boxes of Girl Scout cookies everywhere... but still! They have been in the house the whole time, why now?

Things were fine at first (I am about a week and a half in - started Monday before last)... it is just the last couple of days. I just finished a big bowl of gluten free corn cereal with agave nectar to sweeten, and it did not even sort of tame the beast.

PLEASE ADVISE... what is going on, and what can I do about it? I cannot go back to how I felt a couple of weeks ago, I suffered immensely for three years before figuring out how to get better.

Thank you for anything you can offer,

Beatha

[Dixiebell]

Welcome to the forum Beatha.

It sounds to me like you are having withdrawls. You could try to eat more protein to help keep you full and possibly eat more meals and snacks throughout the day.

Can I ask what food you are craving? We might be able to help you with a gluten-free sub.

[beatha]

Welcome to the forum Beatha.

It sounds to me like you are having withdrawls. You could try to eat more protein to help keep you full and possibly eat more meals and snacks throughout the day.

Can I ask what food you are craving? We might be able to help you with a gluten-free sub.

Cookies, cake, just something sweet, goopy, and chewy. Just ran errands and was literally daydreaming about chocolate cake while driving... this is bizarre!

I have tried swapping in gluten-free cereal & fresh fruit for the sweetness, even nuts for the chewiness... but not a good fit thus far. I have some oatmeal in the house, but as it is Quaker oats I am leery to touch it - when I've had it in the past, it has caused some serious stomach issues.

How long does withdrawal typically last? Is this a result of my body flushing out the results of previously eaten gluten or something?

[horseshoe]

Hi there !

Sounds like withdrawal to me. A lot of food that we eat these days (processed stuff that contains wheat, hf corn-syrup, etc) has drug like effects on our bodies-- drug like in that these foods sort of stimulate the pleasure centers of the brains and prompts dopamine (a neurotransmitter) to be produced (brain science isn't my forte, and it's still a strange field, so a lot of what I'm saying here is surmising and logic.) This makes us happy. So going off of these foods that we have been conditioned to eat since we could eat foods (breads etc...) has the same sort of effect as if we quit smoking, or doing drugs. Suddenly those happy centers of our brains aren't being stimulated by the constant consumption of our friendly drug gluten. So then we have withdrawals.

Unfortunately there's not much we can do about it . Eventually the cravings will go away, but that might take time. It's like smoking... smokers crave nicotine long after they've quit.

Hang in there.

[Dixiebell]

Betty Crocker has some gluten free goodies and on the live gluten freely website they have many

recipies to make with the mixes.

Open Original Shared Link

Gluten Free Brownie Mix

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Gluten Free Devil

[eatmeat4good]

This is probably the most unhelpful advice, but it is the truth.

I ate a Snickers every single day of my first month gluten free and I loved it.

It was my reward for staying off gluten and eating all meat and veggies all day long.

I eventually lost the craving for them too.

Now 1/4 of a Snicker bar is entirely too sweet for me.

But for that first month....

I'm tellin ya...

Snickers really satisfies!

If you are a stronger woman than I am...you will politely ignore this advice!!

[horseshoe]

*has a snickers fantasy*

Good grief. Now I want one .

[StacyA]

Cream cheese helped me through the cravings. I made cream cheese frosting (cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, sometimes also whipping cream/cool whip - there's a ton of different variations) and put it on a lot: cupcakes made with Betty Crocker chocolate cake, pumpkin rolls with gluten-free flour, Morning Glory cupcakes, strawberries...

Maybe it was the smooth, creamyness of it (I miss the gooeyness of gluteny stuff). I'm not sure. Also, dark chocolate also helps in the release of some nice neurotransmitters in the brain - Dove has always been safe for me.

[beatha]

Thanks guys,

Such good responses... so I totally caved and ate some Samoas and Tagalongs... and am very sorry for that now. Literally.

But I see it as a learning experience - I slept like crap and feel about like that, too, so all that is left is I guess hydrate and move on?

This is very challenging... I find myself second guessing and bargaining, trying to talk myself out of something I know to be accurate. I thought I was done with the stages of grief but I guess not.

It took me a month to make the change to gluten-free, the whole time kicking and screaming, trying to convince myself that I don't want to be different, I'm NOT different. But who isn't different? If anything, I am grateful for this situation because I think I will learn a lot about myself while navigating through it...

[Lori2]

Just read an article recently stating that sugar was more addictive than cocaine.

[wheeleezdryver]

Hi and welcome!

I think a lot of us know how you're feeling

(trust me, I understand the 'I don't want to be different' thing!!)

I have some oatmeal in the house, but as it is Quaker oats I am leery to touch it - when I've had it in the past, it has caused some serious stomach issues.

You are correct to be leery of the Quaker oats... any oats that aren't certified gluten free are cross-contaminated with wheat-- they are either grown in a field near wheat, &/or processed on the same production lines as wheat.

[GFinDC]

You might find this article interesting. It's about gluten mimicking opiates in the brain and gluten withdrawal.

If you search for "gluten opiate" you will find lots of info on it. This articles doesn't mean you are a druggie, just that your brain can have a craving for gluten. The first step is admitting you have a problem?

Open Original Shared Link

[Jill0711]

I'm only a month and a half into this journey. I just wanted you to know that I felt exactly like you are describing when I eliminated gluten. It didn't help that because I was malabsorbing fat that my body craved it...and not the good kind. I will second the Snickers. They did help me get through that time. I will tell you that it does get better. I'm just now starting to feel like my appetite is leveling on and the cravings are lessening. Now if only I can eliminate sugar I'm starting a whole foods only eating plan on Monday to try to see what other intolerances I have. I expect to go through the withdrawals all over again. It completely stinks, but it is worth it. Hang in there. Take it one day at a time and don't beat yourself up. This is a learning process and your body goes crazy trying to process all the changes and begin to heal.

[txplowgirl]

Welcome to the forum. Yes, definetly withdrawals, to help with the cravings take 500 mgs of magnesium. That will help with those sugar cravings. You will have intense hunger pains for a while. Your body is finally getting the nutrients it needs and is craving all it can hold. So, eat more protiens like meats and nuts. That will fill you up and keep you satisfied longer. And, eat whenever you feel hungry. Your body is getting rid of the gluten and needs nutrition so eat when ever you feel like it. But only whole unprocessed foods, none of the gluten free foods because they are higher in carbs and sugars which will defeat the purpose. Hang in there it does get better.

[beatha]

Thank you so much to everyone that replied - the opiate connection makes a lot of sense!

I know this WILL get easier, eventually I expect it will become a new normal... but in the meantime... !

Thanks again

[Takala]

Typical American female diet is low fat high carb. A roller coaster of eating things that quickly break down into sugars, and then running out of fuel again.

Try eating more "good fats" such as coconut milk, coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, nuts. Put some mayo on things, for a treat. Cheese if you can tolerate it. More protein, more vegetables.

And try a gluten free calcium supplement, magnesium, B complex. Takes a while to get over the malnutrition. Your body interprets this as sugar cravings.

And chocolate rewards are entirely appropriate.

[pondy]

This is probably the most unhelpful advice, but it is the truth.

I ate a Snickers every single day of my first month gluten free and I loved it.

It was my reward for staying off gluten and eating all meat and veggies all day long.

I eventually lost the craving for them too.

Now 1/4 of a Snicker bar is entirely too sweet for me.

But for that first month....

I'm tellin ya...

Snickers really satisfies!

If you are a stronger woman than I am...you will politely ignore this advice!!

Snickers are gluten free? Whoa, Happy Days!!! You just made my week!

[Jenn624]

The Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies saved my the first couple weeks off gluten! Hershey Bars and M&Ms too! Now I don't really crave it too often...I am on month 3!