Only Day 7 of Gluten Free

[MrsPeterson17]

I was diagnosed with celiac after spending the first 23 years of my life suffering from symptoms and being misdiagnosed. FINALLY I have the answer I've been waiting for. Today marks day 7 gluten free... I must say I feel a tremendous difference in my energy level and feel like I don't need my ADHD medication as much. My constant eczema is clearing up slowly but it's better than I've ever seen it!

But I am SO SO SO hungry. I wake up every two hours at night with a growling tummy and drinking a glass of water doesn't settle it. Throughout the day I cannot get enough to eat and enough water to drink. I'm very new to this, is this normal?? Will this adjust? I've also had to pee every hour. 

 I gained about 20lbs from celiac and I have lost 6lbs since going gluten free this week. I'm assuming water weight. . My stomach pains are still very prominent but my doctor says the damage needs some time to adjust and heal if possible. But now I'm just feeling intense hunger pain no matter how much I eat. I am still 5lbs overweight and so I really do not want to overeat. But my goodness I have no idea how else to control this. Before my diagnosis I was struggling with having zero appetite. Now I'm completely opposite ?

Thanks for being willing to be patient and share your knowledge with the newbie! ❤️

[Jmg]

Hello and welcome

The first few days/weeks/months on the diet can be a little strange! You will have good days and bad days and progress isn't always linear, but you will get there. Take a little time out to read this thread, there's lot's of good advice in there!

Your doctor is right, it's about healing and allowing your stomach to make the most of the food you do eat. Your hunger at the moment is perhaps a sign that your body is craving nutrients. You need to eat as well as possible at this stage to give the healing process all the help you can. 

1 hour ago, MrsPeterson17 said:

 I am still 5lbs overweight and so I really do not want to overeat. But my goodness I have no idea how else to control this. Before my diagnosis I was struggling with having zero appetite. Now I'm completely opposite ?

Before when you ate it was causing your body stress. Now your body is finally receiving the nutrients its been craving and it's telling you 'more please!' - If you can stick to fresh unprocessed foods as much as possible you will benefit from it. Fruit, Vegetables, eggs, fish, unprocessed meat. Protein will fill you up for longer as will foods with a low GI rating. 

But try not to worry too much about weight on a day to day basis. The diet at this stage is not about losing weight but getting healthy.  The gluten free diet also cuts out a lot of empty calories in bread, pasta, baked goods etc, so if you avoid the gluten free replacements, which are often even higher in fat and sugar, then some weight will come off in a healthy way. 

You will hopefully have a lot more nice surprises as the healing process takes place. Be happy, you have an answer and you'll continue to get better as the diet continues. Best of luck!

[MrsPeterson17]

Thank you so much for the reassurance! That makes me feel a lot better and ease some of the anxiety going through this lifestyle change. 

It is so amazing to me how much our bodies are impacted by things they don't respond well too. 

Luckily I haven't discovered much of the gluten free replacements yet. I'll definitely avoid those through this beginning phase until I start feeling better especially when I feel like I can eat all day long! 

The list of foods with the low GI rating was super helpful also!

Thank you for taking the time to offer some advice. I need all the pointers I can get at this point! 

[Jmg]

1 hour ago, MrsPeterson17 said:

Thank you for taking the time to offer some advice. I need all the pointers I can get at this point! 

You're most welcome

Everyone here was once in your position and remembers just how confusing and sometimes scary it could be. The good news is that as you get more experienced in the diet that feeling lifts. The noisy tummy quietens down. You may get unexpected health bonuses, I had chronic lower back pain for 20 years which suddenly resolved, who would've guessed? 

Use this site and the experiences of the people on it to help you through the tough times. If you're ever feeling isolated or excluded from your gluten munching friends come on here and vent, we've been there  

It may not always feel like it and at times you'll feel some grief and resentment, but you will look back on this time as the moment you got your life back. There's no cheesecake, bagel, pizza or doughnut in the world that can rival that feeling. 

[Treece68]

When I first went gluten free it took me 4 1/2 weeks to feel 100%.  I know this because I kept track of my symptoms and how I felt every day. I have noticed that when I get glutinated I know I'm starting to heal when I am out of control hungry so I know how you feel.  I agree with one of the posters above eat as healthfully as possible until you feel better it does help a lot.

[cyclinglady]

Eat.  You are most likely deficient in something and your body want it.  Just reach for nourishing food instead of junk to help with healing.  You can ask your doctor to check for deficiencies.  Sometimes supplementation is need for a while.  

Welcome to the forum!

 

[MrsPeterson17]

2 hours ago, Treece68 said:

When I first went gluten free it took me 4 1/2 weeks to feel 100%.  I know this because I kept track of my symptoms and how I felt every day. I have noticed that when I get glutinated I know I'm starting to heal when I am out of control hungry so I know how you feel.  I agree with one of the posters above eat as healthfully as possible until you feel better it does help a lot.

Thank you! Eating gluten will never feel tempting after experiencing what it is like to get it all out of my system. As dumb as it sounds, I thought those foods were going to somewhat tempt me and that this was going to be hard. But, I feel no desire whatsoever knowing how terrible this feels and the hard part is not being tempted to eat things I'm not supposed to... the hard part is learning all the small details of celiac disease that I am unaware of and dealing with the physical discomforts that should not last forever. Thanks again for the advice!

[MrsPeterson17]

41 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

Eat.  You are most likely deficient in something and your body want it.  Just reach for nourishing food instead of junk to help with healing.  You can ask your doctor to check for deficiencies.  Sometimes supplementation is need for a while.  

Welcome to the forum!

 

Thank you so much! Today I prepared enough smaller meals that I could eat throughout the day while I'm at work to hopefully give my body what it's looking for and not feel completely starving. I follow up with my doctor tomorrow and I will for sure ask about checking for deficiencies. He did recommend drinking digestive greens the first 30 days and that is helping a lot. Thanks again for the advice. I'm so naive to most of this information that it helps a ton. Especially coming from others who have gone through the same thing. 

[Jmg]

24 minutes ago, MrsPeterson17 said:

Thank you so much! Today I prepared enough smaller meals that I could eat throughout the day while I'm at work to hopefully give my body what it's looking for and not feel completely starving. I follow up with my doctor tomorrow and I will for sure ask about checking for deficiencies. He did recommend drinking digestive greens the first 30 days and that is helping a lot. Thanks again for the advice. I'm so naive to most of this information that it helps a ton. Especially coming from others who have gone through the same thing. 

I discovered omelettes for breakfast after I went on the diet. It gave me a chance to incorporate more vegetables by stirfrying them first and using them as a filling. A 2 egg omelette with spinach, peppers and mushroom filling sets me up for the day and because of the protein in the eggs I didn't 'crash' at 11am and start snacking.  I switch the fillings each day, onions, avocados, kale, bacon etc. so it doesn't get boring. 

[Ennis-TX]

I am always snacking on nuts, seeds, almond butter, and protein shakes, full fat, and high fiber foods help you stay full longer. I use vegan protein powders like NutraKey V-pro , MRM veggie elite , etc so no issues and dairy free.

PS if you ever get those crazy random cravings or need foods I complied a comprehensive list of gluten-free food alternatives and where to get gluten free foods

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/117090-gluten-free-food-alternatives-list/

 

[Emily W]

On 6/27/2017 at 10:03 PM, MrsPeterson17 said:

Today marks day 7 gluten free... I must say I feel a tremendous difference in my energy level and feel like I don't need my ADHD medication as much

I am so happy for you! I am finding the exact opposite. I am also day 7 of being gluten free and I am EXHAUSTED. All hours of the day. Has anyone else had this experience?