Vanessa shared her “before” and “after” photos and her experience following the Wheat Belly lifestyle:
“I am 34 years old, married, and the mother of four. Last September, I read Wheat Belly and started gluten-free, sugar-free eating on October 6th, 2014. This way of eating really does change one’s body and way of life. It’s so important to watch those sugars and any gluten food, because those cravings wreak havoc! It makes it harder to get back to doing things right.
“I started on October 6th, 2014 and had a starting weight of 226 lbs. I now weigh 143.”
(Just to be clear to any newcomers reading this, Wheat Belly is often characterized as a “gluten-free” lifestyle; this is not quite right. It is a grain-free lifestyle that ends up being gluten-free, since only grains contain the gluten protein. Being grain-free is far more powerful than being gluten-free.)
Vanessa’s story is a great reminder that wheat and grains are more than just sources of carbohydrates; they act as appetite stimulants due to several effects:
Gliadin protein-derived opiates–that bind to the opiate receptors of the human brain, triggering appetite and addictive eating behavior.
Leptin blockade–Leptin is the hormone of satiety, blocked by other gliadin-derived peptides and perhaps by the lectin protein of wheat and related grains, wheat germ agglutinin.
High blood sugars–that are followed by low blood sugars, with the lows accompanied by mental fog, fatigue, and hunger in a 90- to 120-minute cycle. This is due to the unique carbohydrate of wheat and grains, amylopectin A, unusually susceptible to digestion by the enzyme amylase in saliva and stomach.
The weight gain effects of wheat and grains are further amplified by insulin resistance that develops due to the high blood sugar effect, insulin resistance and inflammation that worsens as visceral belly fat grows, and by undesirable changes in bowel flora to accommodate to the unnatural consumption of wheat and grains, something that humans are not fully adapted to consuming.
Put it all together and an experience like Vanessa’s can develop, not because she is “low-carb,” but because she has removed the powerful appetite-stimulating and metabolism-disrupting effects of the various components of wheat and grains.
I’m nearing an 11 lbs. loss. Got up this morning and was so afraid to step on the scales. With every diet I have tried, I am down a couple of lbs, then gain it right back. This time, however, I was down another 1/2 lb! Woo hoo. It has only been about 3 weeks, but I’m loving it. I was on Prednisone and blew up like a balloon. I had “moon face” and all. I have my face back, but Wheat Belly had definitely had something to do with that!
Wonderful story from Vanessa! I’m nearing a loss of 20kg (44lbs) and am really pleased with all the terrific changes this has bought to my life. Still a way to go, but I feel confident I will just keep losing a few kgs per month. I do have a query though. Back in the bad old days, when I ate grains and high sugar foods, my urine developed a sweet smell, I imagine it was a sign of excess sugar in my urine and possibly me developing insulin resistance. But even now, after 6 months in on the WB WOE, if I have a piece of fruit, my urine smells sweet again. Will my kidneys ever stop dumping sugar into my urine?
re: I’m nearing a loss of 20kg (44lbs) … Still a way to go, …
I take this to mean that weight loss is still going on. Be sure to see:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2012/06/i-lost-weight-and-my-cholesterol-went-up/
“A non-diabetic can even become transiently diabetic during weight loss.”
re: … developed a sweet smell, …
More useful information might be some fasting and postprandial blood glucose measurements, which are pretty inexpensive to do at home.
re: Will my kidneys ever stop dumping sugar into my urine?
Yes, when weight stabilizes, if elevated BG is what’s actually going on.
Thanks Bob. Just to clarify, prior to WB, my urine smelled sweet. It now doesn’t do this, unless I have something sugary to eat. I am thinking that this condition will always occur, and the WB WOE is the only way it can be controlled, but it may never go away?
re: … prior to WB, my urine smelled sweet. It now doesn’t do this, unless I have something sugary to eat.
Not having seen this come on the blog before, I did some searching, and you might want to as well. The sweet smell could be glucose or ketones. If it’s glucose, it often indicates indicate impaired insulin production (T1D, LADA or T2D with substantial beta cell loss). Ketones might be some other, apparently rare, metabolic problems.
As suggested earlier, checking your blood glucose with a meter is inexpensive and quite informative. If this odor phenomenon persists, it’s worth getting it looked at more seriously.
Although a low carb lifestyle can include “physiological insulin resistance”, I don’t see people who are wondering about PIR complaining about urine odor, so I’d tend to want to rule out more serious possibilities.