The Power of Food and Allergies - Being Allergic to Wheat

So - it's been a week since I've gone gluten-free. And the results are amazing! Little did I know, but I must have been allergic to wheat as well as soy.

Here's the tally:
No more post nasal drip, stuffy/runny nose, itchy eyes.
No more night-time leg cramps.
Energy has returned!

And now for some unpredicted results:
I am once again losing weight. For years I've been struggling with my weight. And it doesn't help that we have a family history of an under-active thyroid condition. Every year I get my thyroid checked, and every year we have the same results - all normal. But I didn't understand why, though despite my healthy diet and exercise program I couldn't lose weight. It didn't make sense! Two years ago, I sat in my doctor's office on the verge of tears. We talked for a bit, I showed her what I ate (kept a chart for two months!), and she listened.I explained that if my husband ate what I did, he loses weight in no time (he's done it before and really annoyed the hell out of me!. Her only comments were, "well, your thyroid is normal, and everyone's metabolism is different." She put me on a prescription that would help boost my metabolism and assist in losing weight. And it worked, I'd lost 15 pounds. I kept the weight off for a few months, then it all returned (and then some). I tried and tried to lose weight on my own. Salads without dressing, extra exercise, etc, the whole works. Nada. Not even a pound! Back to see the doctor I went. And again she placed me on a prescription. However, this time the weight didn't come off as quickly, and after three months I'd only lost 8 pounds. Yes, a loss, but still. . . it didn't make sense to me!
So, I go on this gluten-free diet (expecting it to help with other symptoms), and voila! In one week, I've lost one pound, and I'm thrilled! I'm not into fast weight loss diets, so even knowing that what I've eaten, combined with the exercise I've done can result in a loss (ANY loss) - I'm overjoyed!

Another unexpected joy: I've not worn my engagement ring for years. Honestly, my fingers had become larger. I chalked it up to child birth, and weight gain, though even last time when I'd lost 15 pounds, the ring still didn't fit. So, this morning I'm walking around the house and my toe ring was flopping around, and it felt very weird. I thought somehow it had been bent out of shape or something. I bent down to find it was just fine, nothing wrong with the toe ring. Hmmm, odd, I thought. It seemed like somehow my toe ring had been mysteriously replaced with a much larger sized one overnight. So after a bit more reflection, I wondered. . . could my engagement ring fit? I pull the ring out of my jewelery box - and, YES! It fit! Actually, it seemed almost loose too, and spun several times throughout the day (yes, I've had it on all day!)

So, to sum this up:
I can add wheat to my 'allergy' list.

And as my husband said, "you know, life is funny. You're writing a book about food allergies, and now you come to learn you're also allergic to wheat. Talk about real research."

My thoughts - as Alanis Morissete would sing, 'Isn't it Ironic'?

Posted in: food allergies,gluten-free