Week 3 Observations

I have now completed 3 weeks of my new gluten-free lifestyle. And what have I noticed? Have I noticed any difference yet? Here are my observations so far...

• I have lost a shed load of weight! Particularly from my bottom half. And now none of my trousers/jeans fit! I was quite slim before but now I look skeletal and there is no way that I would ever choose to lose weight by dieting so this is out of my control. My ribs and hip bones and collarbone are also more visible. I want to know, is it normal to lose so much weight in such a short space of time on a gluten-free diet? I haven't actually weighed myself yet to see exactly how much weight I have lost but it is really obvious to me (and now others) that I have lost the weight. 

• I have found that I am not as hungry as I used to be in between meals and don't need to snack as much (this can only be a good thing, surely?)

• I get full a lot quicker when eating a meal and my portion sizes have therefore got smaller as a result. (Again not necessarily a bad thing).

• I am also craving sweet things. I never used to be a sweet or dessert person, I always craved savoury foods like crisps and bread but now I am the complete opposite and only want sweet foods. I am discovering a whole new taste sensation that I never knew I possessed. Maybe this is because a lot of gluten-free products do contain quite a lot of sugar, I don't know, but it's definitely something new to me.

Now I know everybody is different but I am keen to hear other people's experiences in the first few weeks of going gluten-free. Is this normal? Do let me know.

I am also quite disappointed that I haven't really noticed a big change yet in my symptoms, for example, the tiredness and exhaustion, but I know these things take time. I am finally seeing a dietician next week so I am hoping that they will be able to give me some proper help.

That's all for now!

E



Let's go gluten-free

At the weekend I attempted my first ever gluten free shop at Sainsbury’s in preparation for Monday (my first day gluten free). It did seem a little daunting at first walking in to the supermarket clutching my shopping list and not having a clue where to start. But as I had made a list of exactly everything that I needed to get me through the first few days (breakfast, packed lunches for work, and a couple of evening meals that me and my non-Coeliac husband could both eat) there was no way I was going to stray from the list. 

The first thing I can say is the shop took me about twice as long to do because I was reading every single label on every item I wanted to buy but I did expect this. Surprisingly I found pretty much everything I needed and it was nowhere near as stressful as I thought shopping might be. With a bit of practice I'm sure I'll be zooming around the supermarket once I know what I like and can eat.

The price of gluten-free bread, however, is a killer – I paid £2.90 for a half loaf of Genius bread, which, compared to a full size loaf of ‘normal’ bread which I could have got for roughly 80p (supermarket own brand) seems daylight robbery to someone who has no choice but to buy this type of bread. I am therefore going to attempt to make my own bread from scratch at the weekend to compare the taste and cost between the two. Any recipes would be muchly appreciated!

To view the full Genius range see their website for more info

I am now 4 days in to my gluten-free lifestyle and feeling optimistic. My husband made a beautiful gluten-free chilli with rice on the first night (it happens to be my favourite meal) and the only thing we needed to change from our original recipe in order to make it gluten free was use a gluten-free beef stock. We decided to use Knorr’s stock cubes as Oxo cubes are a definite no-no. Look out for a recipe in future blog posts.

The final countdown

I am counting down the days now until I go gluten-free. On Saturday I go for my endoscopy (I have already tested positive on a blood test and there is also a family history of Coeliacs). My doctor says I can then start cutting gluten out of my diet but I will also need help from a dietician. Hopefully the dietician will give me lots of help and advice because at the moment I am feeling a bit daunted and overwhelmed by the whole thing!

The good thing is hopefully no more exhaustion, lethargy, persistent sore throat, swollen glands, headaches, and dizziness! I have been suffering for about 8 months with these symptoms and I can't wait to feel better! At first my GP thought I had glandular fever, then it was M.E. (or  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and it was only last month that they found out I was a Coeliac. It's weird, but I have only recently begun to suffer with stomach symptoms.  Has anybody else had a similar experience of hardly any or even no stomach symptoms?

In the meantime I have begun to think about changing my diet and the steps I will need to take. There are so many things to think about. It's going to be a big lifestyle change and I know I won't be able to eat all the things I love to eat now. I have many questions too:

• What am I actually going to be able to eat?
• Am I going to be able to go out for meals with friends/family?
•  Is it expensive buying gluten-free products in supermarkets?
• Can I get any food on prescription?
• Am I going to be restricted when I go on holiday (especially abroad) as to what food I can eat?
• How many restaurants are out there that cater for Coeliacs? And can you really trust the chef to prepare the food properly too?

I guess only time will tell.

I am still researching and learning about my new way of life so I'd love to hear your experiences too.