What Happens When You Quit Gluten For Two Months

Have you been considering quitting gluten but unsure of what would happen? Recently, I was having some joint pain among various issues and thought gluten may be the culprit, so I went cold turkey. Here’s what happens when you quit gluten for two months.

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Quitting Gluten

Quitting gluten seems like such a daunting task as it is in almost everything these days. Not to mention who wants to give up bread and pasta, right?

I completely understand the confusion, frustration, and fear giving up gluten brings to the table. But let me tell you, the fear of giving it up doesn’t even compare to the freedom you will feel once you do.

After having so many issues – bloating, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, anxiety, etc. I have never felt so free as when I gave up gluten. Quite the contrary to most doubts, I know!

For me, I simply went cold turkey in giving up gluten. East Sunday was the last day I had bread that contained gluten for months, and honestly I didn’t regret it one bit! I felt so free from all my aches, pains, and confusion I constantly felt.

Many people will give up gluten because they discover they have celiac disease or a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten. For me, it was simply I had all the signs and wanted to test for myself what was going on with my body. Sure enough, I felt better after cutting it out.

What is Gluten

Gluten is such a hype word in the nutrition and weight loss world, but what exactly is it?

Is it actually bad for you? Will you lose weight if you give it up?

First and foremost, let’s go over what gluten actually is. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye and depending on the person, it is triggering to their digestive tract and more.

To get a really good understanding of what gluten is and why it can be beneficial to eliminate it from your diet, I recommend reading the book Wheat Belly. I read this through the beginning of my journey and it really encouraged me to stay on track and give a better understanding of how it was affecting my body.

What Happens When You Give Up Gluten

Now depending on each ones own body, everyone will experience something a little different, especially if you have celiacs or the likes. This is my account of quitting gluten.

Removing gluten helped me with:

Joint Pain & Body Aches
Brain Fog & Mental Clarity
Painful Bloating
Constipation
Deeper Sleep

Joint Pain & Body Aches

Any time I would eat a gluten filled meal, my hands would swell causing joint pain starting in my fingers shooting through my wrists and up my arms into my shoulders, down my back and into my legs and feet.

It got so bad that I wasn’t able to do daily chores, open jars, stir with a spoon, or write with a pen.

Thankfully, quitting gluten eliminated this completely.

Brain Fog

I hadn’t realized how foggy my brain had become until I quit gluten and was quite literally able to think clearly and actually get tasks done without being in a haze.

Painful Bloating

I have always experienced painful bloating and I could never pinpoint the cause. I thought it was sugar, or maybe too much cheese, artificial sweeteners. And while I still think artificial sweeteners does this to me as well, gluten takes the cake when causing such painful bloating resulting in looking six months pregnant.

Constipation

After I got my footing, about a week into quitting gluten, I noticed that I was able to use the bathroom more regularly.

Yes, not the most pleasant topic to discuss but it is a main concern for many people with gluten sensitivities and intolerances.

Deeper Sleep

Before cutting gluten, my nights would be a mix of laying there awake, tossing and turning, and pure frustration. But after, I was getting much better, deep sleep. I was waking rested and refreshed, happy to get up for another day. Much different than before.

Cravings

Almost all ravings had stopped for me. I wasn’t constantly scourging the pantry or fridge for snacks and sweets. I quite literally stopped craving all the junk that I was eating before, even though it was “healthy” junk, I wasn’t craving it. Just real, wholesome food.

What Else to Expect

While the above was all benefits of cutting gluten, there were some downfalls that I experienced.

Acne

Once I was a few weeks into cutting gluten, I experienced more acne than I had in years. I felt like a 30 year old teenager the way I was breaking out!

Fortunately, in my research I found this was actually a good thing and meant my body was detoxing! Yay!

Frustration

As expected, I experienced a bit of frustration as I wasn’t always sure of what contained gluten and what didn’t. Many of the labeled as gluten free foods weren’t always the healthiest and were more snacky than anything. Also, I was hoping to lose some weight in this journey and didn’t feel like anything I was eating was helping with my sluggish belly.

Thankfully, I learned that most whole foods were naturally gluten free so I resorted to those instead of prepackaged foods.

Motivation

Once I learned what I could and couldn’t eat, what worked for my body, and saw a smidge of weight start coming off, I was ready to keep going!

The simple fact that my body was no longer aching and I could think clearly was drive enough to keep me going, even if I miss my sourdough toast every morning. The benefits greatly outweigh what I no longer can enjoy.

I may have to create some gluten free sourdough loaves!