A few questions..
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
A few questions..
Going to the GF store today and stock up on a few things. I'm going to keep a food log as well. My question is how do I know what agree's with me and what does not. Like I eat breakfast I'm ok then I eat a lunch then I'm in the bathroom within the hour of lunch. Is it what I had for breakfast or my lunch? I guess getting the entrolab testing is the best way to go. I just cant really afford it quite yet. Thanks everyone Allen
Sometimes I want to be at home, so I can be next to the throne!
Hi Allen!
That's the million dollar question! Especially initially, it is difficult to know, because when the gut is inflamed it has an increased transit time. Different foods cause different reactions in different people. Your food log should help a lot. Some foods cause an immediate, battery-acid type reaction. Others may cause D or a soft BM hours later. Some cause sour stomach or bloating. Still others may cause aches/pains/fatigue a day or two later. It is important to log in all of these things to be able to see relationships. I think your idea to get enterolab testing is a good one. It is money well-spent for most of us.
I think the best advice for a newbie is to eat pure (plain) food as much as possible. Plain grilled meat or chicken, well-cooked, easy-to digest veggies/fruits, and perhaps plain rice. No dairy, gluten, or legumes (soy, beans of any kind, peanuts). And as few processed foods as possible - many of the additives in GF processed make me sick.
Good luck, and keep us posted!
Love,
Polly
That's the million dollar question! Especially initially, it is difficult to know, because when the gut is inflamed it has an increased transit time. Different foods cause different reactions in different people. Your food log should help a lot. Some foods cause an immediate, battery-acid type reaction. Others may cause D or a soft BM hours later. Some cause sour stomach or bloating. Still others may cause aches/pains/fatigue a day or two later. It is important to log in all of these things to be able to see relationships. I think your idea to get enterolab testing is a good one. It is money well-spent for most of us.
I think the best advice for a newbie is to eat pure (plain) food as much as possible. Plain grilled meat or chicken, well-cooked, easy-to digest veggies/fruits, and perhaps plain rice. No dairy, gluten, or legumes (soy, beans of any kind, peanuts). And as few processed foods as possible - many of the additives in GF processed make me sick.
Good luck, and keep us posted!
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Allen,
I think that's a great question. I think it's even possible that you could be reacting at lunchtime to something you ate the night before. Timing seems to be an individual thing. It does seem to me that my morning symptoms are from my evening meal, based on how I've been cautiously proceeding. SO - if *I* were having your symptoms, I would blame breakfast (or what I ate the night before) rather than lunch, because it has typically taken me more than an hour to react. BUT that might not be the same for you.
I spent a few weeks eating Very Boringly - things I was pretty sure were safe (chicken broth, applesauce, banana, turkey), and very little variation. I ate them about 90% of the time, and if I added in something new, and felt worse the next day, I was pretty sure what to blame it on. By the time I got really tired of eating the same thing for breakfast lunch and (mostly) dinner, I was feeling a little more rested and stable and ready to try a few new foods.
For me, that first week or two especially, I don't even think I was reacting to specific foods - just having a giant inflammatory reaction, and would have had D if I just drank water and breathed air. Now that I've got my system calmed down, I feel more confident that a change in how I feel is related to a specific food.
I hope you are feeling better overall,
Sara
I think that's a great question. I think it's even possible that you could be reacting at lunchtime to something you ate the night before. Timing seems to be an individual thing. It does seem to me that my morning symptoms are from my evening meal, based on how I've been cautiously proceeding. SO - if *I* were having your symptoms, I would blame breakfast (or what I ate the night before) rather than lunch, because it has typically taken me more than an hour to react. BUT that might not be the same for you.
I spent a few weeks eating Very Boringly - things I was pretty sure were safe (chicken broth, applesauce, banana, turkey), and very little variation. I ate them about 90% of the time, and if I added in something new, and felt worse the next day, I was pretty sure what to blame it on. By the time I got really tired of eating the same thing for breakfast lunch and (mostly) dinner, I was feeling a little more rested and stable and ready to try a few new foods.
For me, that first week or two especially, I don't even think I was reacting to specific foods - just having a giant inflammatory reaction, and would have had D if I just drank water and breathed air. Now that I've got my system calmed down, I feel more confident that a change in how I feel is related to a specific food.
I hope you are feeling better overall,
Sara
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Gabes-Apg
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I figured out my intolerances via elimination.
as per Polly's suggestion eat well cooked plain type meals, not more than 3 or 4 items in each meal for a week or so, when you are having fairly consistent type BMs, then start to introduce new food items, try small amount one day, wait 24 hours, have a larger serve of that item wait 24 hours and then try it the third time on the third day, if then if there is no change to BM's and there are not other major symptoms, embrace trying another new item.
our systems at this stage are like a babies digestion system, so it is not unusual to have D or smelly runny type BM when you first have an ingredient that you havent eaten for a while, that is why I suggest having small amount the first time and then have some larger portions the following days. by day 3 or 4 you will know if it is Yes food or a No food.
Symptoms to look out for are stomach gurgling 2 - 8 hours after eating that ingredient, any discomfort or pain, and of course if the BM changes.
as you may have noticed there is extensive discussions about Mast Cell and histamine reactions to ingredients. If there is an ingredient that your body is reacting to but it is not a MC reaction, you will have things like itcy mouth, sneezing, itchy skin etc. as i said this i not a MC reaction, but it is still a reaction that your body is telling you about. Whether it be a MC reaction or a Mast cell histamine reaction it is still putting your body under a bit of stress so I tend to avoid items that cause either reaction
hope this helps
as per Polly's suggestion eat well cooked plain type meals, not more than 3 or 4 items in each meal for a week or so, when you are having fairly consistent type BMs, then start to introduce new food items, try small amount one day, wait 24 hours, have a larger serve of that item wait 24 hours and then try it the third time on the third day, if then if there is no change to BM's and there are not other major symptoms, embrace trying another new item.
our systems at this stage are like a babies digestion system, so it is not unusual to have D or smelly runny type BM when you first have an ingredient that you havent eaten for a while, that is why I suggest having small amount the first time and then have some larger portions the following days. by day 3 or 4 you will know if it is Yes food or a No food.
Symptoms to look out for are stomach gurgling 2 - 8 hours after eating that ingredient, any discomfort or pain, and of course if the BM changes.
as you may have noticed there is extensive discussions about Mast Cell and histamine reactions to ingredients. If there is an ingredient that your body is reacting to but it is not a MC reaction, you will have things like itcy mouth, sneezing, itchy skin etc. as i said this i not a MC reaction, but it is still a reaction that your body is telling you about. Whether it be a MC reaction or a Mast cell histamine reaction it is still putting your body under a bit of stress so I tend to avoid items that cause either reaction
hope this helps
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Hi Al,
I'm pretty new at all of this too and trying to figure things out. I am waiting for tests from Enterolab, which I won't get for another 2 weeks. The price for being tested for gluten, dairy, soy, and egg has changed and a bit more reasonable. $279.00 plus cost for shipping and kit, so it's about $300.00. I certainly didn't want to spend that on a test, would rather had gotten a new end table for the living room, but . . . LOL I think once I get a better handle on what my body doesn't want I'll be a lot better off. For me it's easier than elimination. Although, I have figured out that dairy is something I need to stay away from.
Usually, I react in the morning to whatever I ate the day before, but when I was having dairy at breakfast I would react almost immediately. So I'm thinking that if you've eaten something that you really have an intolerance to, you may react after a short period. I'm just guessing and I'm sure we all react differently. I eat lots of plain foods too.
Good luck figuring things out.
Nancy
I'm pretty new at all of this too and trying to figure things out. I am waiting for tests from Enterolab, which I won't get for another 2 weeks. The price for being tested for gluten, dairy, soy, and egg has changed and a bit more reasonable. $279.00 plus cost for shipping and kit, so it's about $300.00. I certainly didn't want to spend that on a test, would rather had gotten a new end table for the living room, but . . . LOL I think once I get a better handle on what my body doesn't want I'll be a lot better off. For me it's easier than elimination. Although, I have figured out that dairy is something I need to stay away from.
Usually, I react in the morning to whatever I ate the day before, but when I was having dairy at breakfast I would react almost immediately. So I'm thinking that if you've eaten something that you really have an intolerance to, you may react after a short period. I'm just guessing and I'm sure we all react differently. I eat lots of plain foods too.
Good luck figuring things out.
Nancy
Hi Al,
Yes, my weight fluctuated between thin and skeletal for several years until I got my MC under control. I think it happens to everyone. Some of us even have two wardrobes in different sizes..I do! BTW, you've gotten great advice on the diet issues. Keeping it simple until you have time to heal may be boring, but its better than the alternative...
Mags
Yes, my weight fluctuated between thin and skeletal for several years until I got my MC under control. I think it happens to everyone. Some of us even have two wardrobes in different sizes..I do! BTW, you've gotten great advice on the diet issues. Keeping it simple until you have time to heal may be boring, but its better than the alternative...
Mags
Allen,
It seems that the majority here have had trouble keeping weight on - but not everyone. I've never been overweight, but never been under, either. I have fluctuated, but not drastically - right now, after dropping a bunch of pounds in one fell swoop, I seem to be drifting slightly downward. But I had a few pounds to spare, so I'm not worried. I can't tell whether the weight loss is because I'm not healed enough, so not absorbing nutrients fully... or maybe "the boring diet" is a new best-selling advice book I should be writing ;)
Are you up and down a lot, and are you keeping your strength up?
Best,
Sara
It seems that the majority here have had trouble keeping weight on - but not everyone. I've never been overweight, but never been under, either. I have fluctuated, but not drastically - right now, after dropping a bunch of pounds in one fell swoop, I seem to be drifting slightly downward. But I had a few pounds to spare, so I'm not worried. I can't tell whether the weight loss is because I'm not healed enough, so not absorbing nutrients fully... or maybe "the boring diet" is a new best-selling advice book I should be writing ;)
Are you up and down a lot, and are you keeping your strength up?
Best,
Sara
Al,
I've never been overweight or underweight, even after MC. My body seems to want to maintain a certain weight, and I usually eat big portions. However, when I started the GF/DF/SF diet I lost 8 lbs in 2 months, mostly due to not knowing what to eat and therefore starving myself much of the time. But I also noticed that once gluten was out of my system, I wasn't hungry anymore. It was much easier to eat for sustenance. The hunger pangs and cravings were gone (I do believe gluten is addictive now). I'm 5'4" and 120 lbs now. I think I weighed this much when I graduated high school! But I do maintain 2 wardrobes - the "I can't believe I'm a size 4 again", and the "it won't last forever" old clothes.
I've never been overweight or underweight, even after MC. My body seems to want to maintain a certain weight, and I usually eat big portions. However, when I started the GF/DF/SF diet I lost 8 lbs in 2 months, mostly due to not knowing what to eat and therefore starving myself much of the time. But I also noticed that once gluten was out of my system, I wasn't hungry anymore. It was much easier to eat for sustenance. The hunger pangs and cravings were gone (I do believe gluten is addictive now). I'm 5'4" and 120 lbs now. I think I weighed this much when I graduated high school! But I do maintain 2 wardrobes - the "I can't believe I'm a size 4 again", and the "it won't last forever" old clothes.
Karen,
My weight dropped to 91.5 lbs. (I'm 5' 2") and that's when I decided I needed to add calories to my diet. My weight loss wasn't due to malabsorption, but because of insufficient calories. I began eating smooth almond nut butter. Two tablespoons contain 180 calories. I spread it on rice crackers or corn chips, but occasionally have eaten it off of a spoon.
In addition, I figured out which grains and starches I could tolerate and I began making muffins, puddings, pancakes and waffles, all soft on the gut. I personally don't think GF grains are bad for MCers, but I do think they need to be tested just like any other foods. I also think they should be eaten as flour or coarse-ground meal that is well-cooked.
Since I began eating those three categories of items, I have gained 10 lbs. back and my body fat has risen from 11% to 20%.
Gloria
My weight dropped to 91.5 lbs. (I'm 5' 2") and that's when I decided I needed to add calories to my diet. My weight loss wasn't due to malabsorption, but because of insufficient calories. I began eating smooth almond nut butter. Two tablespoons contain 180 calories. I spread it on rice crackers or corn chips, but occasionally have eaten it off of a spoon.
In addition, I figured out which grains and starches I could tolerate and I began making muffins, puddings, pancakes and waffles, all soft on the gut. I personally don't think GF grains are bad for MCers, but I do think they need to be tested just like any other foods. I also think they should be eaten as flour or coarse-ground meal that is well-cooked.
Since I began eating those three categories of items, I have gained 10 lbs. back and my body fat has risen from 11% to 20%.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Karen, I'm relatively new to this, but my first line of defense was replacing the water I've always been drinking with something more calorie laden.
My secret weapons are homemade chicken broth (drank it like coffee or tea or water - a lot); coconut water (not a lot of calories, but the potassium helps and it's more calories than water=zero, you can dilute it if that helps); and almond milk. I also added almond meal from Trader Joe's to my applesauce after the first couple of weeks. Now that I'm making homemade almond milk, I have some experiments in mind for the pulp that's left behind.
I also eat more eggs than pre-MC (hope that's OK - doing Enterolab testing to be sure) and sweet potatoes - a sweet potato cooked towards mushy with poached eggs on top has become our new family breakfast treat - golden yummy. That would work with white potatoes (or greens - not a lot of calories, but great), or any pre-cooked grain/quinoa that works for you, if eggs are OK. It's easy, too - we had to reset our breakfast rituals, but only a little.
Also turkey broth - my husband found turkey wings at a great price, and they make a wonderfully rich broth, and the meat is more worth the effort to eat than with chicken wings. Just powering through a lot of broth kept me stable in the first weeks. And turkey pot-roast - very easy with a turkey breast (because it fits in the pot!), and it gives you days of food along with whatever your add-in possible ingredients might be.
Bananas are also a friend - not ideal to throw in the bottom of a purse ;) My worst time (both 'episodes' of MC) I just had no appetite, and then felt so icky I didn't recognize when I was hungry. But the potassium and general comfort level of a banana helped a lot.
What's your current list of "can-do" foods?
Best,
Sara
My secret weapons are homemade chicken broth (drank it like coffee or tea or water - a lot); coconut water (not a lot of calories, but the potassium helps and it's more calories than water=zero, you can dilute it if that helps); and almond milk. I also added almond meal from Trader Joe's to my applesauce after the first couple of weeks. Now that I'm making homemade almond milk, I have some experiments in mind for the pulp that's left behind.
I also eat more eggs than pre-MC (hope that's OK - doing Enterolab testing to be sure) and sweet potatoes - a sweet potato cooked towards mushy with poached eggs on top has become our new family breakfast treat - golden yummy. That would work with white potatoes (or greens - not a lot of calories, but great), or any pre-cooked grain/quinoa that works for you, if eggs are OK. It's easy, too - we had to reset our breakfast rituals, but only a little.
Also turkey broth - my husband found turkey wings at a great price, and they make a wonderfully rich broth, and the meat is more worth the effort to eat than with chicken wings. Just powering through a lot of broth kept me stable in the first weeks. And turkey pot-roast - very easy with a turkey breast (because it fits in the pot!), and it gives you days of food along with whatever your add-in possible ingredients might be.
Bananas are also a friend - not ideal to throw in the bottom of a purse ;) My worst time (both 'episodes' of MC) I just had no appetite, and then felt so icky I didn't recognize when I was hungry. But the potassium and general comfort level of a banana helped a lot.
What's your current list of "can-do" foods?
Best,
Sara
Karen,
I have a "secret weapon" I use both to maintain weight, and to get calories in when I don't feel like cooking and/or eating. My stepmom found a protein shake for me a couple of years ago that is GF, SF, DF, egg-free, etc. It is vegan (I'm not!), but has a complete protein profile with hemp, brown rice, alfalfa, cranberry and pea proteins. You can blend it with whatever "milk" you use, and add bananas, or additional fruit when you are feeling better. It's not cheap, but I don't know what I would do without it. I order it online from
genuinehealth.com but they also have a store locator on the website. I get the natural vanilla flavor. Be warned, the texture is not completely smooth, but the shakes have been a lifesaver for me.
Mags
I have a "secret weapon" I use both to maintain weight, and to get calories in when I don't feel like cooking and/or eating. My stepmom found a protein shake for me a couple of years ago that is GF, SF, DF, egg-free, etc. It is vegan (I'm not!), but has a complete protein profile with hemp, brown rice, alfalfa, cranberry and pea proteins. You can blend it with whatever "milk" you use, and add bananas, or additional fruit when you are feeling better. It's not cheap, but I don't know what I would do without it. I order it online from
genuinehealth.com but they also have a store locator on the website. I get the natural vanilla flavor. Be warned, the texture is not completely smooth, but the shakes have been a lifesaver for me.
Mags
Again I want to thank everyone for their advice! It is truly amazing everyone's knowledge on here! Has far as my weight goes I'm a bigger guy 5'10 245lb very muscular. I vary between 5-7 lbs most of the time and I don't eat much. Could be the frequency of my eating. I drive for a living and I generally eat at night when I get home. Eating is hard for me during the day because I'm not near a bathroom if you get my drift! 
Sometimes I want to be at home, so I can be next to the throne!