Extreme Hunger....

[thomas3000]

Infections like giardia, cryptosporidium parvum, E. Hystolitica, H. Pylori, Candida overgrowth, Ascaris(roundworm) and many more can upset digestive function. Celiacs often have one or more of these infections, so it wouldn't hurt to rule these out with a comprehensive stool test. Many times if you have symptoms after going gluten free, these infections may be the cause. There aren't that many good labs out there who specialize in parasitology though...I know celiacs personally who live completely normal lives after eradicated these infections. Giardia can paint a wall over the digestive tract and cause malabsorption. Cryptosporidium can go where it wants to. I would definitely get a test done...

[Rachel--24]

Ahhh....there you are...I just knew a full explanation was on the way.

[thomas3000]

I just don't like people suffering needlessly out there..

[Rachel--24]

Yeah...I know. Neither do I.

[morrigan]

I am new and have been gluten-free for only a week. I already feel somewhat better but I also have the same feeling like I haven't eaten in days and it seems like after I eat somthing it only keeps me full for a little while. I also had an extreme drop in energy today where I stayed in bed almost all day and I am wondering if this is also normal. I don't take any vitamins because when I was younger I always noticed vitamins made me feel sick after I took them. I am sure I should probably take them now but I don't know what kind.

So if you do find out what causes the extreme hunger let me know also. Good luck.

[CaliGirl]

My dad got me taking Usana vitamins (www.Lame Advertisement) after I told him how terrible I was feeling. I have been taking them for three weeks, I think, and I feel better already. Less anxiety, lethargy, chest pains, headaches, fatigue, etc. I don't know if I am experiencing a placebo effect or not, but as long as it works, I'll take them!

I eat such strange food in strange amounts at strange times of the day, I'm sure my body isn't getting everything I need from my food, so it just makes sense for me to take vitamins. They are gluten free, of course!

Vitamins are usually pretty good about labelling all sources. Usana is supposedly very easily absorbed (which most vitamins are not--check out Consumer Reports' analysis of vitamins).

Hope this helps.

[bluelotus]

Just found this thread and am glad I am not the only one that has those odd hunger attacks. I too get dizzy, moody, sweaty, whatever when the hunger hits, and it comes on so fast! My father-in-law is a diabetic, so I had him test my blood sugar one night, and it was fine, so not too worried about diabetes. I have only been gluten-free since Nov. with several mistakes (some recent), but I haven't really noticed if my hunger attacks are associated with being glutened. I also notice that, in general, I am hungier than I ever was while eating gluten.......but that likely is a result from the more limited food choices (esp. since I can't tolerate egg, dairy, or corn either). Thanks all, glad I am not alone.

[mtcurna]

Rachel

This is the 1st time I've posted but had to respond. Since you state you had radio active Iodine I assume you take thyroid hormone. If you haven't had your levels checked in a while, I strongly suggest you do so. I've been taking thyriod for over 20 years and had all kinds of trouble regulating the dosage. No one could tell me why I tested high some times and low some times without changing the dosage. Seems it was related to variable malabsorption due to gluten. I went gluten-free about 12 months ago and have had to reduce my thyroid dosage twice. One of the symthoms of too much thyroid is hunger - as your body revs up it needs more food. I also find that if I 'slip' and eat gluten, my absorption of the thyroid hormone is affected and I develop 'underactive' symptoms that vary depending on how big the slip was - which determines how bad the malaborption is. Just one more variable to take into consideration.

Don't know if this is your issue but something to consider.

Good Luck

Mary

[Rachel--24]

Mary,

Guess what! You are right on the money when you say it could be my thyroid.

I test my thyroid quite frequently (every 3 months). I used to test every month when all these symptoms first started. My numbers were all over the place back then but always in the "normal" range. Well we both know the normal range is quite big. Ever since I started eating healthier back in April my numbers were pretty stable. Now that I went gluten-free besides the "hunger spells" I also started getting bad headaches. Wasnt thinking of my thyroid though. Last week I talked to my Endo about my latest results. My T4 and T3 were upper end of normal (borderline)but TSH was low. He said if I wasnt experiencing symptoms we could leave it alone. He said the numbers could be changing if I had damage/malabsorption and am now healing. Now that I'm gluten-free we will have to watch closely and probably reduce doses. I told him I would stay on the same dose for now. The next day I got another bad headache and it reminded me of the type I used to get when I was hyper. DUH! I decided to lower my dose and haven't had a headache since...its been less than a week though. I'm pretty sure I was having hyper symptoms with the hunger spells as well. Before going gluten-free I would have recognized these symptoms (also my hair fell ot quite a bit) but I was so focused on the diet that I was thinking everything was related to changes my body was going through w/out gluten.

I guess I truelly did have malabsorption...there was some doubt about this from my HMO. The doctors there are really *brilliant*. I lost 25 lbs. but because their bloodtests were normal they still say no malabsorption. Enterolab results however say bad malabsorption. I actually havent seen a number higher than mine posted yet. Why would my thyroid numbers have been all over the place when I was eating gluten and testing monthly. How could the numbers go from low normal to high normal and back again with no dose changes? Now my numbers are steadily increasing...HELLO....it screams malabsorption to me!

Anyways, good call on that one...you were right.

[Rachel--24]

Also I'm still in the beginning stages of the diet. (2nd month). When I slip-up my appetite sharply decreases. I have to force myself to eat because I dont want to lose weight but I always do regardless of how much food I eat after I'm glutened. After about 5 days my appetite will pick up and I'm starving...can't get enough. Very much like those Hyper days. When I'm Hypo my appetite is barely there.

I don't think the whole reaction is related to absorption of meds though cuz it happens too fast. The meds have a long half-life so I don't think a small slip-up would cause Hypo symptoms but several small slip-ups or a huge slip-up would. I think I get such a rush from my meds cuz I'm on Armour (which has T3). The T3 works fast so I could literally go Hyper overnight if malabsorption heals. Good thing I lowered my dose.

[skbird]

Just found this thread and am glad I am not the only one that has those odd hunger attacks.  I too get dizzy, moody, sweaty, whatever when the hunger hits, and it comes on so fast!  My father-in-law is a diabetic, so I had him test my blood sugar one night, and it was fine, so not too worried about diabetes.  I have only been gluten-free since Nov. with several mistakes (some recent), but I haven't really noticed if my hunger attacks are associated with being glutened.  I also notice that, in general, I am hungier than I ever was while eating gluten.......but that likely is a result from the more limited food choices (esp. since I can't tolerate egg, dairy, or corn either).  Thanks all, glad I am not alone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wanted to point out these are CLASSIC hypoglycemia symptoms. Just testing your blood sugar once won't tell you much. I used to get like this all the time, then started chaning my diet. The proof was in the pudding when I got my own tester for blood sugar (Freestyle) and did two days of testing my sugar every 15 mins and kept track of what I ate, time of day, etc. I found I got the classic curve of blood sugar going up, then going down farther than my starting level, and then symptoms. When you have symptoms as you describe above, that is when your adreanl system has already kicked in and raised your blood sugar.

I was tested a bunch at doctors offices but that isn't accurate - you need to be tested right before you experience symptoms. They always said "oh you're fine." Well, when I got my test kit, I found that I would start at about 75 (American units) and would go up to about 95 30 mins after eating something with carbs in it, and then I would plummet down to 60 or lower about 60 mins after eating. When you drop too fast or too far, your adrenal system kicks in and raises your sugar, and causes an adrenaline rush, including shaking, sweating, confusion, mood swings, rapid heart beat, etc. Not all of that happens to all people, but that's a good sample of symptoms.

Sticking to a low glycemic diet will help this a lot, especially as you heal...

My best

Stephanie

[gabby]

Hi,

I had similar episodes a couple years ago that turned out to be my blood sugar rising very quickly. This usually would happen to me following a high-carb meal. This could be your body adjusting to your new way of eating....but it could also be a blood sugar problem. It is something worth checking into, especially if diabetes runs in your family. If your doctor isn't interested in helping you, then you can check it yourself. Just go to any drugstore and buy the cheapest blood sugar monitor they've got, plus a vial of test strips. Test your blood sugar before eating, then 30 minutes after eating. And make sure to test during your starving/dizzy phase.

Hope this helps

[tarnalberry]

Yep, classic hypoglycemia problems. You won't necessarily show up odd on a blood sugar test, but may still have the functional problems associated with your blood sugar changing too quickly. A "quick snack of sugar" is NOT the answer, as it will just continue the pendulum swinging. A small amount of carbs is important, but fat and protein to moderate the insulin response is vital as well.

[Guest BellyTimber]

Lay on a good supply of your favourite protein items (to beat the loss of AppetitE) during these times.

My nutritionist underlined how important is always eating protein with every carbohydrate.

Pulses together with potato, rice, bread etc make up a "complete" protein.

Nuts and seeds also have good protein levels.

That's before one starts on the cheese, meat or fish.

One probably shouldn't be too worried about levels of fats in naturally produced foods like nuts and meat, unless one has specific reasons of course, it's part of a balance.

I bought a bag of dried anchovies which I suck and nibble in between times ...

Eating often will be of help to you as well, even if you don't manage much at a time, and make sure there is enough protein as others have said.

I eat as much as I can hold whether my appetite is good or bad (!)

[Spencer88]

On 10/1/2005 at 10:17 PM, bluelotus said:

Just found this thread and am glad I am not the only one that has those odd hunger attacks. I too get dizzy, moody, sweaty, whatever when the hunger hits, and it comes on so fast! My father-in-law is a diabetic, so I had him test my blood sugar one night, and it was fine, so not too worried about diabetes. I have only been gluten-free since Nov. with several mistakes (some recent), but I haven't really noticed if my hunger attacks are associated with being glutened. I also notice that, in general, I am hungier than I ever was while eating gluten.......but that likely is a result from the more limited food choices (esp. since I can't tolerate egg, dairy, or corn either). Thanks all, glad I am not alone.

I know this was posted a long time ago but always good to follow up. I've been experiencing this extreme hunger at least once a week maybe once every other week. I was dx back in October of 2016 so fairly recently and I really didn't get a hold of this gluten free diet until mid November. So every now and again I'll notice the exact same symptoms mentioned above. Is their any relief to this as the years pass? 

Thank you for your support. 

[Ennis-TX]

It is a mix of your eating different foods, withdrawal cravings, deficiencies, and sometimes it is just caused by you eating less then you used to and needing more. I get the binge eats and end up eating a bunch of almonds, and avocados. I crave a blend of sweets, meats, and fats when I get these. I found upping my diet with a lot of fiber and eating more fats helped along with sipping on a high iron, magnesium (Plant based protein with MRM Veggie Elige or Nutrakey V-Pro) protein shake and almond snacks between meals.

[Spencer88]

8 hours ago, Ennis_TX said:

It is a mix of your eating different foods, withdrawal cravings, deficiencies, and sometimes it is just caused by you eating less then you used to and needing more. I get the binge eats and end up eating a bunch of almonds, and avocados. I crave a blend of sweets, meats, and fats when I get these. I found upping my diet with a lot of fiber and eating more fats helped along with sipping on a high iron, magnesium (Plant based protein with MRM Veggie Elige or Nutrakey V-Pro) protein shake and almond snacks between meals.

Thanks for the response Ennis! Yes I have noticed I'm eating around 400 to 500 less calories then what I used to eat not to mention on days that I would go out and eat at fast food places or restaurants. I've always tracked my foods (past 3 years) on MyFitnessPal. It's funny you mention that plant based protein shake. I just started drinking one of those (premade in a small box) from Plant Fusion vanilla flavor 150 calories with 18g of protein. Taste good but it's super expensive. About $3 for a premade box (one box is one serving). What plant protein product are you using?

I also noticed that many people on here say they experience this after getting gluten I can say with a lot of certainty that I experience this at least once a week and I have not been glutened she since December 25th 2016 (my mom did it, accidental of course). 

Anyways just looking for ideas to keep that hunger off. Example this morning took in more protein and cut back a little bit on my carbs to see if that makes a difference. 

Thanks!

[Ennis-TX]

1 hour ago, Spencer88 said:

Thanks for the response Ennis! Yes I have noticed I'm eating around 400 to 500 less calories then what I used to eat not to mention on days that I would go out and eat at fast food places or restaurants. I've always tracked my foods (past 3 years) on MyFitnessPal. It's funny you mention that plant based protein shake. I just started drinking one of those (premade in a small box) from Plant Fusion vanilla flavor 150 calories with 18g of protein. Taste good but it's super expensive. About $3 for a premade box (one box is one serving). What plant protein product are you using?

I also noticed that many people on here say they experience this after getting gluten I can say with a lot of certainty that I experience this at least once a week and I have not been glutened she since December 25th 2016 (my mom did it, accidental of course). 

Anyways just looking for ideas to keep that hunger off. Example this morning took in more protein and cut back a little bit on my carbs to see if that makes a difference. 

Thanks!

MRM Meal Replacement shake ($28 3lb Lucky Vitamin) is good snack, low sugar/carb, blend of fats and protein. I also sometimes just mix up my own with pure protein powder, using MRM Veggie Elite ($20-30 2lbs Amazon or lucky prices vary), or NutraKey V-Pro ($20-26 Amazon 2lb) Jarrow Optimal ($14 1lb Lucky vitamin) . I heard from a few others that Pioneer Labs makes a celiac meal replacement shake  ($18 Lucky Vitamin) just today that was suggested to me. And I have used a few tbsp of Nutrabiotic Rice Full Spectrum shake with my other protein powders to add other nutrients for snack shakes, but stopped using it when its price got way to high ($66 for 3lbs Lucky Vitamin )   

I did price checking and added where to find it cheapest and the price range found at different times from last few times I got them