Help/glute/stomach Issues.

[kingsanom]

Hello everyone i have been bodybuilding for the past 5 years. With this lifestyle came large amounts of oats,carbohydrates and shakes etc.

Problem is i have had stomach issues for the past 3 years. No i did not see a doctor . I experience extreme discomfort throughout the day. I have stomach cramps, sometimes just conspitated on the bathroom. I eat a fairly high protein diet with moderate carbs and moderate fat.

Another thing i noticed is stomach distension, even though i am lean and ripped i notice the lower abdominal area by my intestines always feels bloated, pretty much like there is undigested food sitting there. It does not look healthy at all, really unnatural.

Yesterday i decided to go gluten free because i have nothing to lose either way. I have purchased cream of rice and grits as a substitute for my oats. My protein right now is as well gluten and lactose free.

Now i am wondering..have any of you celiacs experienced this stomach distention, is it very common? reversible?

And one last thing has anyone experienced with upping their fiber intake, as well digestive enzymes/ probiotics while they are on the gluten free diet?

[Chad Sines]

Mine has done it as well. Fiber can cause gas, undigested carbs that get into the lower intestines can. Could be fructose, could be lactose, or something else.

[GlutenFreeNewB]

I also get extremely bloated whenever I eat gluten, I believe it's fairly common. That's the first thing that went away when I went gluten-free. I'm taking probiotics, but I've always eaten a lot of fiber, so I can't say I've upped it at all.

[kingsanom]

It's def under my belly button where the discomfort sets in. Seems like undigested food for sure, neglected it for way too long the high carb/protein diet i consume. I believe i consume around 220g of protein a day and around 300 plus of carbohydrates. It was mainly quaker oats and rice. I am going to buy fiber tomorrow, i bought digestive enzymes today and i will be buying probiotics online.

[sa1937]

It's def under my belly button where the discomfort sets in. Seems like undigested food for sure, neglected it for way too long the high carb/protein diet i consume. I believe i consume around 220g of protein a day and around 300 plus of carbohydrates. It was mainly quaker oats and rice. I am going to buy fiber tomorrow, i bought digestive enzymes today and i will be buying probiotics online.

In the case of Quaker Oats, the risk of cross-contamination is just too great so you should give them up. Think of crop rotation (planted in a field that formerly had wheat), harvesting, transportation, processing and they may be unsafe even before the manufacturing process begins. So you really do need to give them up right away. A certain percentage of celiacs (10 to 15% I believe) cannot tolerate oats at all.

After you've been gluten-free for several months, you can introduce oats again but buy certified gluten-free oats only (I picked up Bob's Red Mill) but actually did not reintroduce them into my diet until I was gluten-free for about 9 months. I seem to do fine with them now but only have them occasionally.

The bottom line is that since you are newly diagnosed, you should really stick to a very simple whole foods diet...fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, etc. Many of us also had to give up milk and dairy products right away as we are lactose intolerant. Not saying you are but it is true for many of us.

And keep reading. I learned an awful lot by reading postings by others. It's definitely a learning process and seems rather overwhelming at first but trust me, it gets a lot easier as we become familiar with what things we need to avoid. In the meantime we become very proficient at reading labels.

Good luck and welcome to the forum. Feel free to ask any questions you may have as we are here to help make the transition easier.

Edit: Ooops, I should have read your first message more carefully as I see you have already replaced the oats and eliminated lactose. Sorry, I'm on my first cup of coffee.