Andrea shared her photos and 3-month Wheat Belly experience.
“April 4th was day 90. I’m down 22 lbs and 15 inches. But, more importantly, I’m free of joint pain, swelling, headaches, and feeling like a slave to sugar and carbs. My PCOS symptoms are much improved. This is the first time in years I’ve posted a full body pic. I think I look about 8 months pregnant in the pic on the left, but my youngest is 14, lol.
“If someone would have told me 3 months ago that I wouldn’t have any cravings for sugary, starchy foods, I would have called them a liar. My whole life has been filled with donuts, cakes, breads and pastas. Now the sweetest thing I eat are berries and I love it. I’m FREE!!! Free to eat good, healthy foods and fats and feel FULL, not miserably bloated all the time. Thank you Wheat Belly and Dr Davis. I still have a ways to go but, thanks to you, I’m so much closer than I was.”
Pretty spectacular, eh? I share wonderful stories like Andrea’s to drive home the point: the Wheat Belly lifestyle is not just about losing weight. It is about regaining control over health, inflammation, appetite, endocrine disruption—all the phenomena disrupted in peculiar ways by wheat and grains. Just look at Andrea’s eyes—they’re bigger, along with loss of the swelling/inflammation to the right and left of her mouth, so much so that she almost looks like a different person.
Food advice provided through the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the familiar USDA food pyramid and food plate are not just wrongheaded collections of dietary advice that make you gain weight; they also impair health in many ways, just as Andrea experienced, now relieved of several health problems by doing the OPPOSITE of their advice. And, though she does not mention it, she will also be reversing many, if not most, of the health problems associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS, by living the Wheat Belly lifestyle.
Do this before irreversible health issues set in, such as type 1 diabetes; type 2 diabetes involving damage to the pancreatic beta cells and kidneys; stroke from hypertension; dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure; coronary disease and heart attack; dementia from inflammation, glycation, and autoimmunity triggered by gliadin, to name a few. Thankfully, most chronic health problems like those experienced by Andrea are reversible with this lifestyle because she did it early enough in life. You should do so also and not live to regret the day that you missed the opportunity to take back control over your life and health.
I am very proud for you and believe this diet has worked miracles for you and a lot of other people including myself! I have endometriosis very bad and it has only been through prayer that I have the 5 kids that I have. I have also had 5 miscarriages . This past year I was going to go in and have major surgery done to have endometreosis removed . Which would of probably been an hysterectomy , maybe bowel sectioning maybe even a colonoscopy bag, and had my diaphragm cut through to take a look at my lungs to see if endo was the thing wrecking havoc there. Well I decided against all that and trust God to help me some how. Well He brought me to this diet. I have been on it for about 2 months and am now 6 weeks pregnant! There is no way I should be expecting again with all that endo going on! But the question I have is with this diet and being pregnant is there any supplements I should be taking? I’m taking vit. C and Bcomplex and prenatal vitamins. But I am very tired all the time and now I have started in with a little morning sickness. Not being able to eat crackers what do you suggest I eat? I don’t want to have another miscarriage just because I’m not doing taking something. If anybody has an educated answer I would be grateful !
Rhonda wrote: «I have endometriosis…»
If you haven’t already, be sure to see:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2013/02/wheat-and-endometriosis/
and it’s not the only report of relief.
«…with this diet and being pregnant is there any supplements I should be taking?»
Before we can address that, we need to know what Wheat Belly information you are relying on, for example the original 2011 book, Wheat Belly Total Health (2014) or just this blog.
We also need to know what medications you are on, such as NSAIDs and antibiotics.
Have you had thyroid status assessed (beyond just TSH)?
«I’m taking vit. C and Bcomplex and prenatal vitamins.»
Vitamin C isn’t prominently promoted under Wheat Belly, but what dose are you taking?
B-complex raises the possible issue of being incompatible with your methylation status (this is an epigenetic matter). What product are you using?
What product is the prenatal vitamins?
What you didn’t mention is the key micronutrients Wheat Belly does strongly encourage, such as Vitamin D, iodine, Omega 3 DHA&EPA, magnesium and daily prebiotic fiber (perhaps with a course of a quality probiotic to reverse any microbiome impact from meds).
«But I am very tired all the time and now I have started in with a little morning sickness.»
There are any number of possibilities for the fatigue, but the questions above need to be answered before we can explore that.
«Not being able to eat crackers what do you suggest I eat?»
Any Wheat Belly-safe food or snack should be fine.
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Here is an answer to all your questions. No I haven’t seen the blog on endometreosis . I’ll have to check that out!
My friend has read both books and I bought both, but I am just starting to read Wheat Belly Total Health. I don’t have much time to read so I’m basically going off of what my friend has told me until I can read the books myself. I also have 2 type 1 diabetics in my house, (my husband and my son) so I wanted to start the diet right away instead of waiting on the time to read the book! I do plan on reading the book though!
I am only on Naproxin as needed and now that I’m pregnant the endo goes into remission or whatever you want to call it, so I don’t take anything but Tylenol.
My thyroid has been checked by my dr and said it was in normal range, but an iridologist checked it and said it is off enough to cause problems and that my progesterone was low and those 2 things if fixed would cure my endo. I don’t know about all that or not. Never had the money yet to get what she wanted me to take.
I’m taking 1,000 mg of vit C and the B complex brand is Nature Made. The prenatal vit. I don’t know what brand it is. A friend of mine gave me some of their bottle until I can get some. I like Nature Sunshine products but they are expensive! We live on a very tight budget!
Thanks for your time and information! I really appreciate it!!
Rhonda wrote: «I also have 2 type 1 diabetics in my house, (my husband and my son)…»
Expect to need a lot less insulin. If you’ve read Bernstein’s “The Diabetes Solution” (and anyone with T1D needs to), be aware that the Wheat Belly dietary recommendations are right at the generally agreed ketotic/glycemic border, but can easily be made fully ketogenic by dialing down the net carbs further. On a keto diet, someone with T1D can minimize, and sometimes eliminate, the need for insulin.
«…so I wanted to start the diet right away instead of waiting on the time to read the book!»
The latest book, Wheat Belly 10-day Grain Detox is ideal for that, being a step-by-step first-10-days plan, with complete recipes.
«I am only on Naproxin as needed…»
As an NSAID, and the documented side effects support this, this is a very likely a gut biome antagonist. Gradually working up to the daily 20 grams of prebiotic fiber recommended by Wheat Belly Total Health (and 10-Day) helps with that. Whenever I’m on any meds, I also take a quality probiotic at the same time (which might be a budget issue).
«My thyroid has been checked by my dr and said it was in normal range…»
Normal, alas is not the same word as “healthy”, much less “optimal”, particularly when it comes to thyroid. Did you at least get number for TSH?
«…but an iridologist checked it and said it is off enough to cause problems…»
Any recollection of hypothyroid or hyperthyroid?
«Never had the money yet to get what she wanted me to take.»
Any recollection of what the proposed treatment was?
«I’m taking 1,000 mg of vit C and the B complex brand is Nature Made.»
Those are possibly unnecessary if you are getting enough from food, but are at least inexpensive. The WB Core Supplements need some attention:
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2015/12/when-to-take-wheat-belly-nutritional-supplements/
but defer the iodine until you check your medical records and get some rough notion of what’s going on with your thyroid.
«The prenatal vit. I don’t know what brand it is. A friend of mine gave me some of their bottle until I can get some.»
The majority of multivitamins on the market are a waste of money. They never contain enough of what we decide we need (like Vitamin D), usually contain things we don’t want at all (like calcium), and often don’t even contain what they claim (as reported by subscription site consumerlab dot com).
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Does the flour that is ground from the Einkorn grain have the same issues as those commonly used in commercial breads and baked products?
It is pretty expensive so l would like to know before l invest the money.
Thank you!
Louise Laczko wrote: «Does the flour that is ground from the Einkorn grain have the same issues as those commonly used in commercial breads and baked products?»
For all practical purposes, it has the same issues, although to a different degree, although is more likely to be organic, which might avoid a number of specific contemporary hazards unrelated to grain genetics.
Einkorn seems to be a phase everyone goes through on the path to grain-free (I think my family still has an unfinished bag of it from 2011).
Heirloom wheats are asked about frequently enough that I wrote up a standard FAQ type answer for the Wheat Free Forum: http://wheatfreeforum.com/index.php/topic,89.0.html
Heirloom wheats turn the Danger Dial down from 11 to perhaps 8. That dial goes to zero, and needs to.
«It is pretty expensive so l would like to know before l invest the money.»
The all-purpose baking mix available from Wheat Free Market (see link on any page here) is a better bet (and at zero on the Danger Dial), but is not necessarily a direct substitute for wheat flour in conventional recipes. It is called for in many Wheat Belly recipes (and the books also contain the formula for the mix).
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for lunch i had 1 bowl of hamburger with mushrooms and onions and i am so full. i know i would have been a diabteic amputee if not for doctor davis. i owe my life to him.
Wow, Andrea, you are off to a great start! Wheat Belly is not a diet. As you have found out, eating the Wheat Belly way cuts the cravings for carbs and lets us be satisfied with a wide choice of good filling nutritious food. I am holding my 2015 loss of over 35 pounds with no difficulty and will never go back to the foods that kept my weight seesawing for most of my life. I am 81 years old. Thank you Dr. Davis.
Andrea, you look terrific! Please warn your fella in the picture with you that this is going to cost someone – big time. My husband remarked when he saw that even my shoes no longer fit, that the book should come with a warning label. I was so happy I wanted to cry. Please do keep in touch with comments from time to time. We love hearing those stories to reaffirm that we’re not all delusional.
Congrats, Andrea!
She looks fantastic! She looks like she’s lost way more than 22lbs. Her face transformation is amazing!