Cutting out Grain Q's

[JTA Mom]

I'm thinking of cutting out grains from my diet. The last time I did that was when I had to do a complete elimination diet for ds, and I lost a ton of weight while on it (7lbs one week, 4lbs another). I felt better though--more energy, my bm production went through the roof (had been dealing with low supply before), clearer skin, etc.

Weight-wise, I'm currently FAR above (a bit over 200lbs, and I'm 5'3'') where I want to be, so part of it is wanting to lose the weight. The other part is realizing that maybe the reason I lost so much weight was because one grain (or maybe all of them) was not mixing well with my body. I have a few other food sensitivities (all dairy, bell peppers), so having grain sensitivities doesn't surprise me. Ds is sensitive to corn too, so there might be a genetic thing there.

Anyways, before I ramble on too much, what is the safest way of doing this? I'm still nursing ds (he's 15 mos) and it makes up about 80% of his diet. While doing the elimination diet, I ate a ton of meat, a lot of olive oil, nuts, seeds, and veggies like squashes & sweet potatoes. I always felt hungry, no matter how much I ate. Also, as I mentioned, I was losing weight like crazy. Any other time I've 'dieted' I only lose a pound or two a week, no matter how drastic my calorie cutback. I'm afraid losing weight that quickly though will release toxins. I don't want to lose weight & become healthy if it will hurt my son. Is there any way to combat this? I'm not going to wean ds. He's on the small side and is sensitive to a few things in his diet--I don't want to take away the one complete food source he has.

I'd love to start my grain-free trial and feel better though. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Ami

[quietserena]

Maybe cutting out all grains is too big of a step? Would you consider cutting out just the ones you suspect and then going from there?

I cut out gluten first and it took me some time to get used to it. In the past few weeks, rice has been going too, though not completely gone. No one here particularly likes quinoa but we don't seem to react to corn so we've had grits for breakfast a few mornings (when it used to be rice).

When I first cut gluten out, I felt hungry quite a bit too. I made extra food for meals (usually, beans) but in the end I realized I wasn't more hungry, it was just that I was used to the idea that unless there's some sort of 'bread' at the meal, then I'm not getting enough food in me. Also, I think for me, there's a different kind of 'full' when I don't eat grains.

I'm not 100% grain free, not even close. But I do better on a low grain diet. For the moment, gluten is a big nono, but when we go out to other people's houses, then at least I have the options of corn and rice. Somehow it makes me feel better to have some options. Grain free and visiting a vegetarian friend for dinner would be.. nearly disastrous hehe.

[crunchy_mama]

Two things I have figured out help me w/ being grain free; having enough fat and other carbs. I don't do a lot of carbs, but need some to balance everything out- like a piece of fruit here or there.

[Staciemao]

You know, I may get destroyed for even suggesting this, but I'm not too worried about toxins from weight loss getting into breastmilk. GASP!!!

The thing is, we were equipped with other systems to aid us in getting rid of toxins. We have a liver. We have kidneys. The amount of toxins secreting in breastmilk has got to be minimal.

Drink a lot of water, make sure that you are getting some probiotics (kefir, yogurt...probably not kombucha) and go for it.

I am nearly grain free too (although I still have a lot of bad days ) and the other thing that helps me is to get plenty of greens. BIG salads with plenty of protein and dressing are my best friend.

[TwilightJoy]

I thought I'd pop in here to subscribe because I'm really considering going grain free. I guess I'm confused on what "grain free" means?

Can you have popcorn? Potatoes? Corn? Quinoa? Wild rice? Wheatgrass juice?

Thanks for answers if you know any of those!

[Ruthla]

How long did you remain grain-free last time? IT's not that unusual to lose 7 lbs of water weight when beginning a new "diet" but then weight loss typically slows down significantly. Even losing 4lbs a week might not be unreasonable if you have over 100 lbs to lose, for example. I'm not sure how heavy you were when you did the elimination diet, or how long you remained on it. Was it just those 2 weeks?

I'd recomend cutting back on grains slowly, rather than going cold-turkey. You could do this by cutting out one form of grain at a time (say, cut out all wheat, then cut out other gluten containing grains, or start out cutting out gluten and then cut back on rice, corn, and quinoa) and don't cut out more than one food per week. Or you could cut back on total portions of grains rather than cutting out any specific foods. BUt it sounds like you're already corn-free?

Alternatively, try keeping your carb intake around the same as it is now- potatoes aren't a grain so you can safely include those in a "grain free" diet- although corn in any form or quinoa would be considered grains.

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by quietserena

Maybe cutting out all grains is too big of a step? Would you consider cutting out just the ones you suspect and then going from there?

I cut out gluten first and it took me some time to get used to it. In the past few weeks, rice has been going too, though not completely gone. No one here particularly likes quinoa but we don't seem to react to corn so we've had grits for breakfast a few mornings (when it used to be rice).

When I first cut gluten out, I felt hungry quite a bit too. I made extra food for meals (usually, beans) but in the end I realized I wasn't more hungry, it was just that I was used to the idea that unless there's some sort of 'bread' at the meal, then I'm not getting enough food in me. Also, I think for me, there's a different kind of 'full' when I don't eat grains.

I'm not 100% grain free, not even close. But I do better on a low grain diet. For the moment, gluten is a big nono, but when we go out to other people's houses, then at least I have the options of corn and rice. Somehow it makes me feel better to have some options. Grain free and visiting a vegetarian friend for dinner would be.. nearly disastrous hehe.

Serena, thanks for the input. The thing is I don't know which ones I'm sensitive to. I know I do better on corn, but I can't have that with ds. Breaking myself of wheat is so hard. Hmmm, maybe that's the grain to focus on? I find myself breaking down to have some wheat product. I don't get that way with barley or rye or any other gluten grains. Just wheat. The thought of no bread, no cookies () no biscuits...aack! I know that I don't do well at all with oatmeal, no matter how it's prepared, so it might not even be a gluten thing. So much to think about!

Originally Posted by crunchy_mama

Two things I have figured out help me w/ being grain free; having enough fat and other carbs. I don't do a lot of carbs, but need some to balance everything out- like a piece of fruit here or there.

On the elimination diet I was supposed to watch my carb intake too--which I never did. I could eat pounds & pounds of meat & still be hungry. I was really liberal with the oil & butter too. Do you find that the denser carbs (like apples, pumpkin) help more with the hunger pangs than less dense ones (like greens)?

Originally Posted by Staciemao

You know, I may get destroyed for even suggesting this, but I'm not too worried about toxins from weight loss getting into breastmilk. GASP!!!

The thing is, we were equipped with other systems to aid us in getting rid of toxins. We have a liver. We have kidneys. The amount of toxins secreting in breastmilk has got to be minimal.

Drink a lot of water, make sure that you are getting some probiotics (kefir, yogurt...probably not kombucha) and go for it.

I am nearly grain free too (although I still have a lot of bad days ) and the other thing that helps me is to get plenty of greens. BIG salads with plenty of protein and dressing are my best friend.

Thanks, Staciemao! I just have had it drilled into my head how bad losing weight fast is while bf, like the horrible toxins will run to my boobs & stay there! lol Do you know of any probiotics I can take that aren't dairy based? I find myself reacting to the milk protein itself, so yogurt, while better tolerated than straight milk, still gets a reaction.

Originally Posted by Ruthla

How long did you remain grain-free last time? IT's not that unusual to lose 7 lbs of water weight when beginning a new "diet" but then weight loss typically slows down significantly. Even losing 4lbs a week might not be unreasonable if you have over 100 lbs to lose, for example. I'm not sure how heavy you were when you did the elimination diet, or how long you remained on it. Was it just those 2 weeks?

I'd recomend cutting back on grains slowly, rather than going cold-turkey. You could do this by cutting out one form of grain at a time (say, cut out all wheat, then cut out other gluten containing grains, or start out cutting out gluten and then cut back on rice, corn, and quinoa) and don't cut out more than one food per week. Or you could cut back on total portions of grains rather than cutting out any specific foods. BUt it sounds like you're already corn-free?

Alternatively, try keeping your carb intake around the same as it is now- potatoes aren't a grain so you can safely include those in a "grain free" diet- although corn in any form or quinoa would be considered grains.

I was on the elimination diet for about a month. I had to be really strict in the first two weeks, then I started adding back one grain at a time. Once I started adding in rice, then wheat, the weight loss slowed down a LOT & then stopped. I was about 2 mos post-partum at the time, so that might have had to do with the fast weight loss too. The thing is, the weight I've lost while being really strict on the ED has been permanent, even to today. I started at 214 before the elimination diet and am usually around 203-204 nowadays. And yes, I'm corn-free due to ds. I've already upped my potato intake, so it's good to know I don't need to get rid of it, lol.

As for the water weight--I've never lost weight so fast, no matter how drastic previous diet changes. It just seems tied to the grain-free diet. Also, the weird thing was that my milk production went through the roof. I was constantly leaking milk everywhere, lol. I dunno if that would offset any water loss, but it was interesting to be down a lot in pounds while still wearing a wet shirt.


I'm going to think about the gradual approach vs. cold turkey. Those of you who have cut grains out gradually, did you have really intense cravings for the grains you cut out? Did eating other grains ease or exaccerbate the cravings, if you had them?When I first cut out everything, I craved the foods from the 'do not eat list' but after a while, it went away. Of course, once re-introduced, I ate a lot of rice & wheat.

Thanks!

Ami

[Staciemao]

Hey Ami!

So, the reason that I would go cold turkey is because for me, grains are an addiction. If I have them AT ALL, they are all I want. It's wheat, corn, oats, spelt, quinoa, rice...all of them. If I don't eat them I don't want them, and my gut bacteria are much much happier. But if you are looking to cut one only, I'd start with wheat. If you are having cravings for wheat, you probably have an allergy to wheat. JMO.

As far as sources for probiotics that aren't dairy...well, I'm a bad person to ask. I raise dairy goats so we eat a LOT of yogurt and dairy kefir. I do know that kombucha is a good source of probiotics, but it also can cause a pretty strong detox effect so if you're concerned about toxins in your milk it might not be the best choice. I have heard people also talk about water kefir, but I have sooooo many things culturing in my house already that I haven't paid a whole lot of attention.

If I were you, I might try some goat or sheep yogurt. A lot of times when people think they're reacting to the proteins in milk, they are actually reacting to the fat. Goat's fat globules are much smaller than cow's and therefore much easier for your body to absorb. Of course, if you've already BTDT, feel free to ignore me.

Good luck!

Stacie