Over the past 4 years since being diagnosed with gluten intolerance it has become trendy to go on a gluten free “diet.”  Friends, let me tell you something up front. If you are going gluten free as a part of a weight loss plan, you will be discouraged.

Here is what usually happens.
1. Decision is made to go gluten free to lose weight
2. You go shopping and find replacements for your gluten filled food like gluten free bread, cereal, pasta, cookies, cakes, brownies… it’s all out there.
3. You eat the “healthier” gluten free options.
4. You gain weight.

This is exactly what happened to me when I switched to gluten free. Now granted I was not changing to a gluten free diet to lose weight, but I thought it might be an added benefit!  The first dinner after being diagnosed was overwhelming. I didn’t know how to cook gluten free so I ordered a gluten free pizza. I still order gluten free pizza, but now I know the trade off.

After 1 ½ years of being gluten free I realized that I had gained weight and that even though I was feeling better, overall… I was still not as energetic, clear minded or healthy as I wanted to be. I knew something was still wrong.  Our parish nurse kept raving about the book, “Wheat Belly” and so I decided to trust her and give it a try.

This book changed  how I think about food.

It was as if someone had flipped on the switch. I read scientific facts about nutrition, our bodies and blood sugar and it all made sense.

Yes- the gluten intolerance was wreaking havoc on my body. I cleared out the gluten… good enough, right?

If it was good enough to just clear out the gluten, why was I still feeling so horrible?

I needed to clear out the grains and sugars.

I needed a high fat, low carb lifestyle.

So I switched. I was desperate to feel better. Desperate for a solution other than medications. It took no convincing. I knew this was what I needed to do.

Want to know what happened?  Stay Tuned for Part 2!

 

Are you on a gluten free diet and still not feeling as healthy as you had hoped?