Low Carb Diet With Celiac

[enigma]

A few months ago I started a low-carb hi-protein diet to try and lose 20 lbs. I've lost over 20 pounds and gained so much more! I can't believe how easy it is for a celiac to follow a low-carb diet. The recipes don't use wheat flour or hardly anything else that has gluten and the food tastes good, too. But what has surprised me is how much better I feel in every way. I sleep so much better (haven't had to use my Ambien hardly at all), my rosacea (puffy redness on my face) is much better, I haven't had any of the burning itchy patches this winter at all (DH?), and I have so much more energy. I can't imagine ever going back to eating the gluten-free starchy hi-carb foods I had been eating. No way! This way of eating has made coping with celiac disease (which I've had for 12 years) SO much better. Has anyone else had these dramatic results following such a diet?

[wolos]

Hello,

My daughter has diabetes (insulin dependent type 1) and celiac and doesn't eat meat. What are you generally eating?

[gf4life]

Hi Enigma,

I did try the high protein, low carb diet a few times, each time losing about 30 lbs. in two months. but at the time I did not know I had celiac disease, and I did have a hard time digesting the high amount of protein. I know that I did consume gluten in some foods during that time, so I know why I would have some of the symptoms remain. I now know that the reason I would feel bad after two months on the low carb diet was because my intestines were too stressed out and overworked. Once I get set in the gluten-free lifestyle, if I am not losing enough weight (since I am 60lbs overweight) then I might try low carb gluten-free. I did feel a bit better while low carb (for a while), and when gluten-free I can tell when I had too many carbs. I think everyone needs to find a balance that works for them. Another good diet to look into that is easily adaptable to the gluten-free lifestyle is Eat Right 4 Your Type. It also has some really good info to offer. Good luck with the weight loss.

God bless.

Mariann

[wclemens]

Enigma, I have, I have! (Tried a low carb, high protein diet as a way of life.) All my life I was battling my weight, being barely five feet tall and small boned. First I found the Atkins diet during the 1970s but I would lose 20 pounds, then couldn't stay on the diet and would put the weight back on.

Halleleujah, in 1996 or so I found The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, devised by Drs. Richard and Rachel Heller. It is basically the Atkins Diet with a one hour "reward meal" each day of any foods or drinks you can tolerate. I'm now 107 pounds and staying that way.

Mariann, I also follow the Eat Right for Your Blood Type diet, and being O negative, our gluten free diet goes right along with it. I am also allergic to all milk, dairy, egg whites and yeast, so I stay away from those too.

Wolo, I have gone vegetarian, or rather vegan two times, and just came back to eating meat again a few months ago, because I was losing weight too fast and seemed to be getting weak. When on that diet I ate low carb vegetables any time I wanted, with fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. during my one hour reward meal. I was always eating tostadas with refried beans for dinner, rice, sweet potatoes, etc.

It is so good to be able to read all your responses to how you are feeling and the various diets that are working for each of you. Best wishes to all. Welda

[enigma]

Wolos, concerning your daughter with diabetes: I really wish you would pick up a copy of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution because he talks about the diabetes epidemic in this country and explains how he believes it is a direct result of over carbo-loading in the American diet. The book has accounts of his patients who were "cured" of diabetes following his advice. Although it might be more difficult to follow the diet while not eating meat, it can be done. The book has a recipe section for vegetarians. I eat a variety of things but I do eat a lot of eggs, cheese and meat (and I LOVE it!) and lots of low-carb vegetables. As soon as I leave this site I'm going to make a cheese, sweet onion and bacon omelette! I'm still amazed that I can eat this well, lose weight, stay gluten-free and feel this great. Lots of luck to you with your daughter, and to everyone else trying to get healthy and/or lose weight.

[Guest LisaB]

Hey guys,

Can someone post a list of which veggies are low carb? I know that I am a carb addict, so I can try...but I would have to ease into it, I am an addict after all!

Lisa

[wclemens]

Low carb vegetables include green beans, cauliflower, lettuce, radishes, green onions, olives (really a fruit), celery, alfalfa sprouts, bamboo shoots, Brussels sprouts, okra, cabbage, cucumbers, all greens, green peppers, asparagus, endive, kale, kohlrabi, mushrooms parsley, spinach, wax beans, arugula, snap beans, 1/4 tomato, onions as seasoning only, dill pickles, garlic, horseradish.

These are from the list in The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, by Drs. Richard and Rachel Heller, both from families with a history of Diabetes, both wishing to lose weight and maintain a diet conducive to avoiding Diabetes. Welda

[Guest LisaB]

Thanks Welda!

I just want to say that I really appreciate you on these boards (new and old, I had just joined the old board Lisa@amt was my reg. over there). You are so quick to help others and make sure to patiently inform new ones. Thank you!

Lisa

[enigma]

LisaB,

Allow me to add a few vegetables to Welda's list (I know these work because I just lost lots of weight while eating them!): yellow squash (which I lightly battered in cornmeal and fried - heavenly!), zucchini (also fried - remember oil has no carbohydrates!), green beans (French or Italian or fresh - the fresh ones are delicious roasted), and I use sweet onion in lots of dishes, just kept to a minimum, and also after I really began losing the weight I had no trouble adding in a few more carbs daily so I began eating fresh new or red potatoes (they have the lowest carbs of the potatoes) and I was still able to keep losing weight! It was amazing to me how well I could eat and still lose weight. I am within 5 lbs. of my goal and see no problem in maintaining. And the difference in how much better I feel since giving up sugar and all those carbs is unbelievable! If you decide to try it I hope it works as well for you.

[Guest LisaB]

Thank you enigma!

How much weight did you lose and in what time frame. After being maybe too thin until I was 30 or so (sick the whole time, but I could eat everything in sight and not gain a pound) I put on 40 lbs in 3 years. Now that I am gluten-free and dairy is limited, I lost 15 lbs and a lot of swelling has gone down in my limbs especially, but I am still 25-30 lbs overweight and the weight loss seems to have come to a halt sooooo....

Thanks for the tips,

Lisa

[wclemens]

LisaB,

Thank you!

Welda

[enigma]

LisaB,

I began a low carb diet about the middle of August and by Thanksgiving I had lost a little over 20 lbs. That's a little slower than I had hoped to lose it but I have had no trouble keeping it off even with eating more during the holidays. So I am very happy with the results and especially with how I feel! I plan to get back to the low carb routine (under 50 a day) to lose my last 5-7 lbs. At first I only allowed myself 20-25 carbs a day and then once I really began losing I increased it a little. It honestly hasn't been that hard and I had tried other diets that were hard to stay on and I couldn't lose the weight. Good luck to you if you decide to try it and please let me know how you're doing!

[judy04]

Hi everyone,

I just heard on CNN last night that people on lo carb diets are

angry because drug companies don't label the Rx bottles about

how many carbs are used as fillers!!oooooooohh, if they only

knew!

[Connie R-E]

Carb counter

Open Original Shared Link

Protien counter

Open Original Shared Link

Just some good info--if you're into that sort of thing!

Connie

[amfcsg]

My father has been diagnosed with celiac disease and I have just gone for testing as they say it runs in families. I was following the carbohydrate addict diet for some time. I felt great and lost weight. I went off the diet because of all the controversy over it. Has anyone heard about kidney damage when following the diet long term. I found I was eating much healthier when on the diet and now that I'm off of it I've gained 30 lbs that I can't shed. What do you think?

[Guest ~wAvE WeT sAnD~]

Hi Enigma!

Both of my parents are on the South Beach diet (they're reached the "maintenance" portion--so I'll be having gluten-free/low carb meals from now until I graduate). It's very easy to combine aspects into one diet--a lot of South Beach dishes are already gluten-free, and if not, tapioca, potato, or all-purpose flour can be used as a substitute. I don't know which low card diet you're on, but I hope this helps and that you find out what works best for you!!!

Best Wishes,

[FreyaUSA]

I "do" the South Beach Diet, too. I've lost the weight I wanted, but the way of eating has become second nature: lowfat meats and dairy, lots of fresh vegis and fruit (especially during the summer...yum!) controlled amounts of "grains" (2-3 servings a day with 1/2 c being a serving), little to no bad fats... Works great for me. It also makes being gluten free fairly a no brainer. I only have a few things a day that would include gluten (healthy muffins, a random tortilla wrap, a little rice/pasta for dinner) and those have been easy to tweak with my dietary restrictions.

[enigma]

amfcsq - Hi! Good luck with your testing. Can I give some advice? If you are having ANY symptoms of celiac disease and your tests come back negative I urge you to still follow the gluten-free diet. Now, concerning the low carb diets - I have lost 25 pounds and kept it off for nearly a year by eating low carb (probably around 50 carbs a day, on average) and I just had a pretty extensive yearly physical and everything associated with my heart checked out great. I haven't heard of any kidney damage caused by a low carb diet, but I'll be on the alert for that. I've just always heard warnings of heart problems but my husband and I both checked out good in that area. (He also did the low carb and lost 30 pounds.) We eat sensibly, not a whole lot of red meat, mostly chicken and fish, and vegetables, but we do eat lots of "regular" dairy products instead of the light or low fat ones. (The light and low or no fat ones have more carbs!) I hate that you felt the need to abandon the diet and have gained your weight back. But all of us must do what we feel is best for our health. If you do have to go gluten-free, the low carb diet is really the easiest to do. Let us know how your test results come out.

[lilliexx]

i am just starting the south beach diet. i have researched it and it seems very reasonable. i was always against the atkins diet, but this one seems a lot more health conscious. most of the recipes are gluten free, so i am excited about starting this diet. i spent the first 3 months of my gluten-free life eating tons of rice pasta ad corn tortillias and now my pants are getting tight.

basically with the south beach diet, you cut out sugar and starch for two weeks and then you bring it back in limited amounts! we'll see what happens.

[wclemens]

Hi amfcsq,

I have been on the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet for the past 7 years, and I feel wonderful. I have never had any kinds of problems since going on it, especially kidney problems, which I know about, because my mother's family has an incurable kidney disease called Polycystic Kidney Disease. My sister, brother, and I are the only ones in the family not to have it. I have experienced many miracles in my life! I have to avoid all grains, milk, dairy, egg whites, and yeast, but I really enjoy the diet, especially the one hour reward meal. I weigh 106 pounds today, and am five feet tall. Hope this helps. Welda

[FreyaUSA]

lilliexx,

How have you been doing with SB? Here's a great website to check out, if you're interested. The best recipes anywhere! Open Original Shared Link

Good luck!

[pixiegirl]

I thought I posted to this topic before but can't find my post so I will do it again. I'm mostly thin but I have to really watch my weight these past 5 years or so, or I start to gain and I don't know about all you people but I can't afford a new wardrobe so I can't really start gaining weight..... wow as you get older (at least for me) your metabolism changes...

I love carbs... I have tried the Atkins, South Beach and without any carbs at all I feel terrible, I get crabby, brain symptoms, headache, I'm not kidding after 3 days on the Atkins I was lying on the couch moaning feeling like I was sick enough for the emergency room (my husband, who is now my ex husband, was begging me to eat some carbs, I finally did and got back to normal within hours). I'm sorry but I can see eating all that meat and thinking that is healthy.

So my friend lost almost 40 lbs. on the Carb's Addict Diet and he has been on it in a modified way for 3 years. He now says he can't imagine eating any other way, he swore to me his carb cravings went away. So I bought the book (and instead of trying to post it here, there are a number of simple parts to the diet, let me say its out in paper back and I bought it at Barnes and Noble for under $6. - the full title is The Carbohydrates Addict Diet and Life span Program for people in their 40's, 50's and beyond... they have just the plain Carbohydrates Addicts Diet too I guess its for younger people but the diet is the exact same... the one I had has challanges in it you can try after you have been on the diet for a while).

I went on the diet which is sort of a modified high protien diet, you don't have to weigh or measure anything, you just need to keep your protein portions and veggie portions in certain amounts, for example at breakfast you need to keep the protein and veggies each 1/2 your meal, you can eat as much as you want as long as the % is half of one and half of another (same at lunch btw), at dinner the proprotions are 1/3 protein, 1/3 low carbs veggies and 1/3 carbs of your choice.

Because you get carbs every single day I didn't get that sick feeling like I did on other low carb diets, and its so easy to do... I'm eating so healthy now and yes I've lost weight and I'm keeping it off without trying. I really think this book is worth eating. My friend who has been on it for years now created his own maintenance phase.... he is on the diet sunday - thursday and on Friday and Saturday eats how he likes... he made up this maintenance phase because he was losing too much weight (if you can imagine such a thing!).

Not only did I feel good, lose weight, sleep well, but I'm never hungry on it (it does allow snacks too but I've never had them). If really low carb diets don't work for you then you should try this one.

Susan

[FreyaUSA]

I hope this doesn't start sounding like "diet wars!" Lol! I HAVE to point out that South Beach is NOT a low carb diet. It's a GOOD carb diet. I eat lots of carbs everyday. Mainly carbs, in fact, because with my gastro probs, I've lost the ability to eat almost all meats without some upset (I can have a little -- like 4 ozs --chicken, turkey or fish a day, but that's it) and my ability to eat most saturated fats has been gone for nearly 2 decades (thus, I could not eat the junk that Atkins people eat if I wanted to.)

South Beach stresses eating carbs that are low on the glycemic index/load. Ones that for people who are diabetic, pre-diabetic, etc. will help regulate their blood sugar, keeping it nice and even throughout the day. It's also meant to help with cholestrol problems. A friend of mine doing the diet with me got his cholesterol first from 225 to 175 (on Liptor alone) but it's 115 now (with Lipitor AND South Beach.) He is also no longer pre-diabetic.

The other great thing about it is that there is no counting or weighing. You have a list of good, basic foods you can have, guidelines for when/how to eat (so that your metabolism is maximized and you do not get hunger attacks or sugar lows) and you just go with it.

There are two phases to the diet, the first is for 2 weeks ONLY and this is where people misunderstand it and tend to lump it with Atkins. Phase one is limiting. You basically cut out all grains, starchy foods, refined/processed foods and sugars from your diet. But, if you replace these bad carbs with good ones (beans are an excellent source of low glycemic carbs that fill and seem to fill the spot where breads used to fill) you will not even feel this slump very much. It's two weeks only and for people who do not have much weight to lose, the recommendation is you skip it and go directly to Phase 2. What phase 1 does is help you get rid of cravings. It WORKS, but you also go into a withdrawel if you're used to eating tons of grains and sugars. By the end of the two weeks, though, the cravings are gone.

Starting a gluten free diet by using Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet is amazingly easy! In two weeks you will have removed 99% of the gluten from your diet without even working on it (the rest is in stuff like soy sauce.) I know this because this is how I discovered I was gluten intolerant. I'd done such a good job of it that when I had a small whole wheat pita my first day on Phase 2, I thought I was going to die. (We all know the routine here )

Phase 2 of South Beach you slowly reintroduce whole grains and fruit back into your eating. The recommendation is that you eat 3 servings of grains and 3 servings of fruit a day. This is NOT a low carb diet!

Borrow, rent or buy the book and read it! I live by the glycemic load these days. A wonderful site for getting more information is: Open Original Shared Link This is also an excellent site for gluten free recipes. People are always coming up with snacks, meals, breakfasts, desserts... that are made without refined flour. There are also recipes that substitute bean flours for wheat flour.

I also know several people who do what they call "Weight Watchers on the Beach." For them, not having specific amounts to eat bothered them, but they wanted the healthier, less refined foods that SB advocates. One woman has gone from 289 to 220 in six months and is still going strong (and this is not unusual.) I went from 175 to 145 in the same amount of time (I'm 5'9") and have been having no trouble maintaining this. Eating gluten-free and eating following the South Beach's maintenance phase is no problem at all.

I have to state again, though: SOUTH BEACH IS NOT A LOW CARB DIET! Think of it as a low CRAP, good fats (advocating olive and canola oil, low fat dairy and lean meats) diet. I've also heard WW has come out with a new plan that is very similar...

[pixiegirl]

I don't want to start diet wars either because what I have learned over the years is that all our bodies are different and what works for me may not work for someone else, so I'm not saying that the diet I'm on it the best, the "right" one, or will even work for everyone. I've tried other diets and for me they either don't work or I can't stick to them, but this one I can... so I think with dieting... one has to try different things and see which work for them. My only advice is that over all to make a diet successful for years and years is that we have to sort of retrain ourselves, on good healthy food choices, portion sizes, etc. Thats why fad/starvation diets don't usually work for most people... they don't retrain how we eat, so you may lose weight on the watermelon diet but chances are you will gain it back down the line unless you eat watermelon every day of your life!

However, my boyfriend does the South Beach Diet and he has had great success with it, but when I read the book the first couple of weeks are low carb. I realize that after those first couple of weeks you get to add carbs again, but for people like me that literally get sick without some carbohydrates I can't even do the 2 weeks, I get dizzy, sick to my stomach, really ill.

So again, there are a lot of great diets out there but I firmly believe that each person has to find the one that works well for them.

Susan

[yhalifax]

Hi

Low Carb diet WILL NOT hurt your kidneys.

A lot of people think so but it's just not true.

The belief probably came from the fact that if your kidneys are already damaged (when you need dialysis) than they can't process protein. Obviously low carb/high protein is dangerous for you then but not if you have normal kidney function.

I actually have Polysistic Kidney Disease. My kidneys however funtion at 100% and I've been doing low carb for ages without problems.