The Cheese/Gluten Chronicles

Aussieabroad asked how did I narrow my problems down to cheese and I wrote this one day at work in response to her that I never sent so I thought I'd post it here:

Well, I have known that I was lactose intolerant to some degree for quite awhile. It has gotten worse over time and since I had the DS, it's gotten even worse so I have been avoiding the things that have, in the past, caused some minor issues, but now cause semi-major issues, like milk, ice cream, etc. However, I never thought cheese could be a problem because I have eaten it my whole life without any gas or cramps or anything when I ate it, only when I drank milk or ate ice cream. In March, I decided to eat much cleaner and to avoid anything high in carbs/sugar so I started snacking on cheese cubes for a mid-afternoon snack. On a typical day I'd eat 4-6 slices of cheese and maybe 1-2 more ounces in cheese cubes so that was a lot. During this whole time I had constant constipation and then a little light went off. Sometime ago, someone posted a comment on this blog and noted that cheese was notorious for causing constipation and I thought "hmmm....maybe there's something to that." So I did a little research and found some supporting although not definitive evidence and thought I'd try it, couldn't hurt. I think the proof is in the pudding. I've dropped over 10 lbs in like 4-5 days (now 16 lbs in 11 days). Now, I've also gone as gluten free as I can. I had been enjoying Nature's Own Double Fiber wheat bread for several weeks and prior to that had enjoyed La Tortilla Low Carb Whole Wheat tortillas for about 6 months. Cutting those types of things out has worked wonders

It really is amazing. What's interesting is that as it seems like as long as I stay away from all dairy (except for butter, that's one thing I haven't given up BUT I have reduced my intake) and not eat any products with gluten I am good. No gas, no edema, no stalls. Last Sunday I tested that theory, well at least a part of it anyway with the whole Bloomin' Onion thing at Outback. I ate with two other people and they had no problems, me I was hurting for four days and just today I feel back to normal. It kinda sucks that I haven't been at my peak weight loss efficiency because of cheese/gluten consumption, but I am happy I did figure something out and now I can continue on my journey with even more tools to success.

Speaking of, I weighed in at 362.4 this morning. Woo-hoo! I have the day off so I am going to get some work done for my business, hope my tummy settles down a little more and relax. Tomorrow and Sunday promise to be fun-filled and jam packed. BTW, I did get my camera and progress photos will be on the way.