I've been on Atkins so I haven't had much wheat for months. I used to get really congested and cough a lot after eating and it stopped after starting Atkins. I've noticed that this also happens after I eat high fiber whole wheat tortillas for an occasional treat.

I've been very down lately and off Atkins (but still watching what I eat). Just now I ate a Weight Watchers spaghetti meal and got congested immediately after and had to cough a lot.

What could this be? A possible gluten intolerance?

First, I'm not a health professional, so I'd advise you to see one, but it sounds like an actual allergy to wheat rather than gluten intolerance. Allergies can occur any time after the first exposure to a substance and can manifest in many different ways. My son's allergic to eggs and gets nauseous from eating too much egg. My granddaughter is allergic to shrimp and gets an itchy mouth and congestion right after eating anything with shrimp in it.

A good general physician or an allergist can do a simple blood test to determine whether you have an allergy to wheat.

Have you noticed any reactions to anything else, such as barley or oats?

I was actually going to have some oatmeal for dinner tonight. If I have the same reaction I'll post.

I did have some gluten free pizza on my birthday and I remember having a cough afterward too. I don't know what the pizza has in it, there were no nutrition facts on the website.

I didn't have oatmeal for dinner, I had two small tacos in whole wheat tortillas with a few spoonfuls of spanish rice. I didn't notice any coughing.

This morning I was 1lb down after bouncing around the low 220s for weeks. I thought that adding back more carbs would make my weight go up, but I experienced a pretty big drop instead. Weird. I'm just going to calorie count and not limit my carbs today either and see what happens.

I haven't noticed any cravings which is surprising.