Anyone have WLS who has Gluten issues?

Hi

Just curious if there are some other folks out there who have all ready gone through this who have had to deal with avoiding gluten.  I'm gluten "intolerant".  Not sensitive to the point of worrying about cross contamination when cooking, or eating out, but have to eat gluten free.

So except for occasionally having some GF pasta, foods such as breads, etc., are all ready off the menu for me.  My NUT said to remind her so she would make sure she had GF protein shakes for me pre-op (GF Optifast? I can only imagine!)

So am I curious if there were any unique challenges that came along that I could plan for.  Thanks!

Which form of WLS are you having? I'd *think* that either the RNY or the DS would improve your intolerance, since it's my understanding that the part of the small intestine that reacts to gluten is the part that's bypassed, at least in the DS.

Hi

It's been recommended that I have RNY.  It would be really something if this alleviated my gluten issues.  I've not heard or read this before. 

I'm used to the lifestyle, and it's "healthier" I suppose, but I sure do miss some things.  I had actually read that folks can develop lactose intolerance, for example.  And I thought, please no! lol

Yeah, lactose intolerance can occur because bypassing part of the stomach reduces the amount of the enzyme lactase you have to help you digest lactose.

I don't think RNY would alleviate your gluten issues because only a relatively small part of the small intestine is bypassed.  The remaining small intestine would still have issues, I would think.

You should research the DS too. It bypasses a lot more of the small intestine than the RNY does, but not a lot of surgeons offer it. For me, it was well worth traveling to get it.

I'm also gluten intolerant and haven't had a problem post-op.  I don't do pasta and avoid most bread anyway.  And most of the protein shakes you'll find are GF.  Since you'll be focusing mostly on lean meat/fish and low-carb veggies, you shouldn't have any problems.  

thanks!  That's what I pretty much expected.  But I really want to go in to this as prepared as I can be. I know there will be enough to learn and wasn't sure if this was a big deal or not.  I don't think it is.

I have avoided all gluten products since my revision almost 4 years ago.  No real medical issues but more for personal preference.  I find that when I eat things with wheat like bread or crackers it triggers my cravings and I don't know when or how to stop.  Not eating them means I don't want them.  I also feel a lot better physically when I don't eat that and sugar.  The book Wheat Belly has a lot of good information.

Being gluten free is a non issue for me.  Just about every product has allergen information on the label so it's easy to avoid things with wheat.  Gluten free is kind of "in" right now so I see gluten free on everything.  There is even a gluten free bakery near me.  Almost every restaurant I go to has a gluten free menu as well.

I do eat gluten free things.  The difference is I can eat them and not develop cravings.  I have bought a lot of gluten free items on sale (because they can be damn expensive so when I find a bargain I take advantage of it).  I put them in my freezer until I need them.  Then I forget I have them.  That never happened with a regular loaf of bread.  I never threw out bread because it was moldy but if I leave gluten free bread in my refrigerator it usually goes bad before I can get to it.  That is why I freeze them.

Same with gluten free pasta and crackers.  I've had to toss boxes of those things out because they get so outdated.  I actually wind up tossing (or giving away) a lot of food because I tend to over buy food.  I still shop and cook like I am 240 lbs.  I am sort of a food hoarder.  If I had to I could eat months without ever setting foot in a store.

The only challenges I can think of are pot luck type settings.  Yesterday my work had a Cinco de Mayo potluck.  The day before I was at a baby shower.  I never ask hosts to accommodate my eating. I just bring along something that I can eat and make sure there is enough to share if anyone else chooses.

So gluten free crackers don't trigger your cravings?  I don't avoid gluten but I don't eat starchy cracker-type things because I can't stop eating those.  No Cheezits are permitted in my house!

Don't get me wrong.  I have to portion control anything that is snacky as in I could sit down with a box and mindlessly eat it all type foods, crackers, nuts, popcorn, stuff like that.  Just because it takes a lot to fill me up so I can keep eating and eating.  But if I do want something like that I can portion out whatever it is I want, like a serving of crackers, and have that.  Things like meat I can only eat so much but things that I can eat a lot of I portion out.

That said, I tend to forget I even have crackers in the house.  I probably have at least two boxes of Nut Thins in my cupboard right now because they were like $1 a box somewhere and I couldn't pass it up.  Then I take it home and forget I have them.  Until I clean out the pantry and check the expiration date and find out they expired in 2012, true story.  But like you, Cheezits wouldn't make it through the door.  I would open the box and eat them on the way home from the store.  So, even if they made gluten free Cheezits I wouldn't bother, either.  There are some things, even gluten and sugar free, that I have a hard time sticking to a normal portion so I just avoid those things.  No loss since there is much more I can eat then I can't.

ETA I think there is something in Cheezits that makes them addictive, like whatever they add to cigarettes.