Can Anyone Help Me?

[AfterAll]

I am so frustrated because I just do not know what is going on with my body.  I feel like my body is failing me and I am not old enough for that to be happening yet.  I have a call into my gastro and am awaiting a call back.

 

Let me give you some history and maybe someone can shed some light on this for me.

 

• I am 31 years old.
• I was a gymnast for 15 years as a kid and teen, and have always been in decent shape, worked out with varying intensity and stayed around the same size and weight, give or take 5 lbs.
• I am the mother of 2.  I had one child via natural delivery at 28 years old and one at 30 years old via emergency c-section.
• I have severe GERD and a hiatal hernia and can really only function with Aciphex daily (dx at 26) or else I cannot really eat and constantly feel like I am going to vomit.
• I also cannot drink milk, eat ice cream, or anything rich, creamy, or greasy without stomach problems (started in my teens).  I can eat cheese and yogurt though.
• I started noticing symptoms of Celiac after having my second child last year but was not sure if they were simply post partum symptoms or something more: hair loss & broken hair, inability to lose weight, depression, joint pain, exhaustion, worsening and more severe stomach pains after eating most foods, my first 2 cavities ever, etc. 
• I had a biopsy and blood test to confirm that I had celiacs, an ulcer, and several food allergies last May, about 5 months after giving birth.

I have been mostly gluten free since June.  I say mostly because I never intentionally eat gluten, but occassionally something will sneak in and I end up with a stomachache, achy joints, and napping for 2-3 hours immediately following a glutening.  I make a lot of my own food, and do not eat that much processed gluten-free food.

• From June- November my weight stayed about the same, roughly 5-7 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight (and I was still not at a year post partum).
• November- December, I suddenly lost the rest of the pregnancy weight and went back to my pre-pregnancy weight (at just about 1 year post partum) without doing anything in particular.
• I began taking 50mg of Zoloft during this time and adjusted fine to it.
• My gums have been bleeding when I brush my teeth.
• I have had 2 abcesses and staph infections on my face since November, which is odd (they were pimples that turned into infections)
• My hair is brittle and broken- I have always had great, shiny, silky hair.
• I have been eating 1200 calories per day and walking briskly, uphill for at least 30 minutes on the treadmill, 5-6 days per week and I have GAINED almost 10 lbs in 2 months.
• The fat is all in my stomach (which was always totally flat), my back, which is weird, and my arms.
• I cut back to 25mg of Zoloft per day because I feel fine emotionally and on the off chance it is making me gain weight, I want to get off of it ASAP.

Sample of what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast- Bakery on Main Cranberry Nut Granola Bar

                Coffee (KCup) with 2 tsp of International Delight, Dairy Free Creamer

Lunch-     3/4 of plain Costco Hamburger

                12 Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries

                 1 bag of BBQ Pop Chips

                 Snapple, Arnold Palmer

Snack-      1 snack sized bag of Planters Trail Mix with Peanuts, raisins, and m&ms

                 3 Joyva Jelly Rings (my vice, Passover candy)

                 16oz bottle of water while on the treadmill

Dinner-     Cheesesteak that I made in the crockpot from lean Sirloin (it had Progresso French Onion Soup, worchestire sauce, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, onion, and mushroom on it).  I did not eat any bread, or cheese, or any of the home made oven baked french fries that I made for everyone else.

                 Diet Soda

 

Why am I GAINING weight?  How many less calories will I need to eat than 1200 to lose weight?  Why am I so friggin tired ALL THE TIME?  I went to bed at 10, woke up at 5:30 for work and literally COULD NOT open my eyes this morning.

 

Sorry about the whining, but I am so frustated.  Thanks if you read all of this any have any advice 

 

[shadowicewolf]

Getting tested at this point would probably result in false negatives.

However, i can help a bit with the GERD. I cannot take meds for it, because i became intolerent to them. It made everything worse. As a result, i have to watch everything i eat. No grasy, fatty or rich. I also have to watch how much i eat when it comes to chease because of the richness of it.

If you have been taking the same medication for it for so long suggests that your body has become used to it, thus making it less effective.

[nvsmom]

Have you had your thyroid checked? Over 10% of celiacs have thyroid issues, which is higher than the regular population. Hashimoto's (hypothyroidism) is the most common and fits your symptoms very well; Graves disease is the hyper aspect of it.

 

These are the most common tests for hypothyroidism:

• TPO Antibodies - Should be virtually zero
• TSH - Should be close to a 1, if it is beyond a 3 it is usually considered subclinically hypothyroid. Lab ranges vary though; mine goes to a 6 and I feel poorly at that level even though my doctor insists I am normal.
• Free T4 and Free T3 - Both should be in the 50-75% range of your lab's normal reference range. These are the hormones available in your blood that are available to be used and are considered to be a more reliable test than the old total T4 or T3 tests.

If you do get tested, make sure you get copies of your labs and research your results if the doctor claims you are normal.  The normal ranges are notoriously wide and often will cause a patient to to brushed off. That happened to me for about 15 years. I kept believeing my doctor when he told me my TSH was normal (or close to it) without knowing it is not the best test to find hypothyroidism in everyone. Insist on all of the above tests if you can.

 

Best wishes.

[twe0708]

I am so frustrated because I just do not know what is going on with my body.  I feel like my body is failing me and I am not old enough for that to be happening yet.  I have a call into my gastro and am awaiting a call back.

 

Let me give you some history and maybe someone can shed some light on this for me.

 

• I am 31 years old.
• I was a gymnast for 15 years as a kid and teen, and have always been in decent shape, worked out with varying intensity and stayed around the same size and weight, give or take 5 lbs.
• I am the mother of 2.  I had one child via natural delivery at 28 years old and one at 30 years old via emergency c-section.
• I have severe GERD and a hiatal hernia and can really only function with Aciphex daily (dx at 26) or else I cannot really eat and constantly feel like I am going to vomit.
• I also cannot drink milk, eat ice cream, or anything rich, creamy, or greasy without stomach problems (started in my teens).  I can eat cheese and yogurt though.
• I started noticing symptoms of Celiac after having my second child last year but was not sure if they were simply post partum symptoms or something more: hair loss & broken hair, inability to lose weight, depression, joint pain, exhaustion, worsening and more severe stomach pains after eating most foods, my first 2 cavities ever, etc. 
• I had a biopsy and blood test to confirm that I had celiacs, an ulcer, and several food allergies last May, about 5 months after giving birth.

I have been mostly gluten free since June.  I say mostly because I never intentionally eat gluten, but occassionally something will sneak in and I end up with a stomachache, achy joints, and napping for 2-3 hours immediately following a glutening.  I make a lot of my own food, and do not eat that much processed gluten-free food.

• From June- November my weight stayed about the same, roughly 5-7 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight (and I was still not at a year post partum).
• November- December, I suddenly lost the rest of the pregnancy weight and went back to my pre-pregnancy weight (at just about 1 year post partum) without doing anything in particular.
• I began taking 50mg of Zoloft during this time and adjusted fine to it.
• My gums have been bleeding when I brush my teeth.
• I have had 2 abcesses and staph infections on my face since November, which is odd (they were pimples that turned into infections)
• My hair is brittle and broken- I have always had great, shiny, silky hair.
• I have been eating 1200 calories per day and walking briskly, uphill for at least 30 minutes on the treadmill, 5-6 days per week and I have GAINED almost 10 lbs in 2 months.
• The fat is all in my stomach (which was always totally flat), my back, which is weird, and my arms.
• I cut back to 25mg of Zoloft per day because I feel fine emotionally and on the off chance it is making me gain weight, I want to get off of it ASAP.

Sample of what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast- Bakery on Main Cranberry Nut Granola Bar

                Coffee (KCup) with 2 tsp of International Delight, Dairy Free Creamer

Lunch-     3/4 of plain Costco Hamburger

                12 Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries

                 1 bag of BBQ Pop Chips

                 Snapple, Arnold Palmer

Snack-      1 snack sized bag of Planters Trail Mix with Peanuts, raisins, and m&ms

                 3 Joyva Jelly Rings (my vice, Passover candy)

                 16oz bottle of water while on the treadmill

Dinner-     Cheesesteak that I made in the crockpot from lean Sirloin (it had Progresso French Onion Soup, worchestire sauce, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, onion, and mushroom on it).  I did not eat any bread, or cheese, or any of the home made oven baked french fries that I made for everyone else.

                 Diet Soda

 

Why am I GAINING weight?  How many less calories will I need to eat than 1200 to lose weight?  Why am I so friggin tired ALL THE TIME?  I went to bed at 10, woke up at 5:30 for work and literally COULD NOT open my eyes this morning.

 

Sorry about the whining, but I am so frustated.  Thanks if you read all of this any have any advice 

If you figure it out, please let me know.  I have gained weight too and I never had a problem before.  Mine is all in the stomach too and I am having problems with fatigue.  Have you had your thyroid checked?   I am trying thyroid medication to see if that helps since my thyroid tests were a little off - hypothyroid.  Good luck!

[hannahisabrooks]

Hello!

I am so frustrated because I just do not know what is going on with my body.  I feel like my body is failing me and I am not old enough for that to be happening yet.  I have a call into my gastro and am awaiting a call back.

 

Let me give you some history and maybe someone can shed some light on this for me.

 

• I am 31 years old.
• I was a gymnast for 15 years as a kid and teen, and have always been in decent shape, worked out with varying intensity and stayed around the same size and weight, give or take 5 lbs.
• I am the mother of 2.  I had one child via natural delivery at 28 years old and one at 30 years old via emergency c-section.
• I have severe GERD and a hiatal hernia and can really only function with Aciphex daily (dx at 26) or else I cannot really eat and constantly feel like I am going to vomit.
• I also cannot drink milk, eat ice cream, or anything rich, creamy, or greasy without stomach problems (started in my teens).  I can eat cheese and yogurt though.
• I started noticing symptoms of Celiac after having my second child last year but was not sure if they were simply post partum symptoms or something more: hair loss & broken hair, inability to lose weight, depression, joint pain, exhaustion, worsening and more severe stomach pains after eating most foods, my first 2 cavities ever, etc. 
• I had a biopsy and blood test to confirm that I had celiacs, an ulcer, and several food allergies last May, about 5 months after giving birth.

I have been mostly gluten free since June.  I say mostly because I never intentionally eat gluten, but occassionally something will sneak in and I end up with a stomachache, achy joints, and napping for 2-3 hours immediately following a glutening.  I make a lot of my own food, and do not eat that much processed gluten-free food.

• From June- November my weight stayed about the same, roughly 5-7 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight (and I was still not at a year post partum).
• November- December, I suddenly lost the rest of the pregnancy weight and went back to my pre-pregnancy weight (at just about 1 year post partum) without doing anything in particular.
• I began taking 50mg of Zoloft during this time and adjusted fine to it.
• My gums have been bleeding when I brush my teeth.
• I have had 2 abcesses and staph infections on my face since November, which is odd (they were pimples that turned into infections)
• My hair is brittle and broken- I have always had great, shiny, silky hair.
• I have been eating 1200 calories per day and walking briskly, uphill for at least 30 minutes on the treadmill, 5-6 days per week and I have GAINED almost 10 lbs in 2 months.
• The fat is all in my stomach (which was always totally flat), my back, which is weird, and my arms.
• I cut back to 25mg of Zoloft per day because I feel fine emotionally and on the off chance it is making me gain weight, I want to get off of it ASAP.

Sample of what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast- Bakery on Main Cranberry Nut Granola Bar

                Coffee (KCup) with 2 tsp of International Delight, Dairy Free Creamer

Lunch-     3/4 of plain Costco Hamburger

                12 Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries

                 1 bag of BBQ Pop Chips

                 Snapple, Arnold Palmer

Snack-      1 snack sized bag of Planters Trail Mix with Peanuts, raisins, and m&ms

                 3 Joyva Jelly Rings (my vice, Passover candy)

                 16oz bottle of water while on the treadmill

Dinner-     Cheesesteak that I made in the crockpot from lean Sirloin (it had Progresso French Onion Soup, worchestire sauce, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, onion, and mushroom on it).  I did not eat any bread, or cheese, or any of the home made oven baked french fries that I made for everyone else.

                 Diet Soda

 

Why am I GAINING weight?  How many less calories will I need to eat than 1200 to lose weight?  Why am I so friggin tired ALL THE TIME?  I went to bed at 10, woke up at 5:30 for work and literally COULD NOT open my eyes this morning.

 

Sorry about the whining, but I am so frustated.  Thanks if you read all of this any have any advice 

 

I am newly diagnosed, so I'm sure others can give you much better advice but I just wanted to say how I don't think your primary focus should be your weight right now. It is something important that you should monitor, but right now you need to focus on healing and making sure you're the best you can be for your children. I think your weight will go up and down for a bit until you get things under control. I myself lost a good deal of weight after going gluten-free just five months ago, which was when I was diagnosed, but now I've gained much of it back. And every time I accidently eat gluten, I gain some and then I lose some.

 

I also had problems with my gums and teeth. I had to have gum graft surgery and I even developed gingivitis. Every time I eat gluten my joints swell and Im in pain for weeks. After being as careful as possible, meaning I have completely given up packaged food, dairy and most nightshades, I have slowly been getting better. I'm not saying you should give up those things, this is just what has worked out for me. For example, I am not eating any nuts or seeds unless they are processed in a plant that is gluten free because I'm worried about cross-contamination. Only have taking these steps have I started to heal a bit.

[AfterAll]

Have you had your thyroid checked? Over 10% of celiacs have thyroid issues, which is higher than the regular population. Hashimoto's (hypothyroidism) is the most common and fits your symptoms very well; Graves disease is the hyper aspect of it.

 

These are the most common tests for hypothyroidism:

• TPO Antibodies - Should be virtually zero
• TSH - Should be close to a 1, if it is beyond a 3 it is usually considered subclinically hypothyroid. Lab ranges vary though; mine goes to a 6 and I feel poorly at that level even though my doctor insists I am normal.
• Free T4 and Free T3 - Both should be in the 50-75% range of your lab's normal reference range. These are the hormones available in your blood that are available to be used and are considered to be a more reliable test than the old total T4 or T3 tests.

If you do get tested, make sure you get copies of your labs and research your results if the doctor claims you are normal.  The normal ranges are notoriously wide and often will cause a patient to to brushed off. That happened to me for about 15 years. I kept believeing my doctor when he told me my TSH was normal (or close to it) without knowing it is not the best test to find hypothyroidism in everyone. Insist on all of the above tests if you can.

 

Best wishes.

 It is on my list of things to talk about with the doctor.  He sent me an rx to test my vitamin levels months ago, but I never got around to doing it bc I felt better... that was before I started gaining weight like mad.

[Takala]

Ah, uhm, eh.....   

 do not eat that much processed gluten-free food.

 

granola bar

coffee creamer

ore ida fries

bbq chips

snapple

plantars mix with m&ms

jellyrings candy 

french onion soup mix, worschestire sauce

diet soda

_______________

whew!  

 

Let's compare that to what I ate yesterday (btw, I am not built like, and would never pass for a gymnast, because I do other sports/exercise, plus farm chores, plus I'm much older, so bear with me)  Yesterday was a "rest" day for me to recover from what I did on Sunday, so I tried to eat less, I will usually have another small protein meal with some good fats in this mix.  

 

a small apple, sliced

handful of almonds

an ounce of hard cheese

coconut milk and fat free milk in decaf coffee 

 

a spinach salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers,  with baked chicken breast and some freshly grated cheddar cheese for protein

salad sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar and salt

half a small baked potato with yogurt

 

snack(s) 

a tiny mandarin orange, 2 dried dates, a cherry larabar, decaf home brewed tea, (stevia sweetened) another piece of cheese, and a brown rice cake to be the cheese "cracker"

 

tilapia fish, dipped in egg, then in amaranth&buckwheat&bluecorn gluten-free flours mixed together, sauteed in olive oil,  with homemade mustard sauce using store bought mayo 

broccoli

homemade baked sweet potato fries with olive oil

water with fresh lemon squeeze

________

 

You will notice that I am eating several servings of fresh fruit and green vegetables per day, and really limiting grain carbs compared to a person with a "normal" metabolism.  I am not a person with a normal metabolism, I have an auto immune disease, and several other related conditions associated with it.  Yet the traditional dietary media keeps trying to insist that I am nutritionally deprived, or even worse, must be borderline neurotic, since I cannot eat massive amounts of grains that regular people eat.   I am too sensitive to trace gluten and oat cross contamination to eat commercially prepared grain foods, so I try to limit my indulgence in processed foods to as little as possible, so they don't slay me when I do have a little of them - and even then I'm really careful and avoid ones that I have reacted to in the past, even if dozens of people on the internet swear they are "safely gluten free" - I don't care, if I literally see my joints puff up, along with my face starting to break out and my vision going wonkers because my eyes are trying to cross, that's my sign. 

 

When people in my age group were growing up, we were taught to cook from scratch both at home and at school in "home economics" classes (how quaint) on the theory that we would be doing this as a lifetime endeavor.  While I did not like the classes at the time, I did learn something. It is possible to make food from basic ingredients that is better than cafeteria food.   We also had this food theory, before the dreadful, awful "Food Pyramid," called the "Basic Four" that humans should try to eat a balanced diet of dairy, proteins, fruits, and vegetables.  There was very little of this semi-vegan, low fat nonsense that the USDA and the grain subsidy lobby subsequently foisted upon the general public here in the USA in 1992, that all people should be eating a whopping 7 to 10 servings of grain a day, and that meat/proteins from dairy should be the least consumed, with a tiny amount of margarine or oil at the little pointed tip.  Of course, not knowing any better at the time, I did end up going on this route, and that is probably the least healthy I have ever been. (see here for the history of the Pyramid Open Original Shared Link ) 

 

The only thing they've done right, is in 2011 they've finally scrapped the Pyramid Failure to make America Thin & Healthy for this "My Plate" routine, but they still have the ongoing low fat obsession.  The reason I am bringing this up is to put your food choices in context with the times that you were raised in, if you are only 31, you were just hitting adolescence right when the Grain Pyramid from Hades was taking over our national pastime of talking about what is the best thing to eat to lose weight.  And you, as a result of winning the auto immune disease lottery,   now have heartburn so bad you can't make it through a day without antacid meds.  But your diet day seems to be lacking in the "fresh fruits and green vegetables" department, rather severely.  You're still counting calories, but you need to be shifting your thinking to what it is that makes your body work better, not what it is that is "low calorie" besides avoiding gluten.  I will never diss anyone for eating potatoes in place of grains, since most of these dietitians saying dumb things re: glutenfree to the media haven't had a bad glutening from a "gluten free" product, or they aren't struggling with ongoing damage of being undiagnosed for decades, but you may want to switch more to a type of "whole foods," really basic diet.  And you have to eat some kind of good fats, or your skin is going to dry out, and your hair is going to look pathetic and your brain is going to be deprived. 

 

Every meal, the New Basic Four:  A fruit, a veg, a protein, a fat.  

 

And you may want to try to wean off the diet sodas, as some of them seem to be associated with weight gain, anyway, besides the side effects from the artificial sweeteners triggering cravings. 

 

A few of us have had to go to a "gluten free at home" household, my husband suggested this, after watching me get waylaid really badly one too many times from accidental glutenings.  Since he also cooks, it makes it simpler to avoid the bad things in the pantry if they are not there to begin with.  If he goes to the store, he will lay out the items on the counter for me to read the labels before we shelve them. And it's just easier to cook the same thing for everybody, with the same utensils, and the leftovers are then safe. 

 

Of course, a lot of people, including myself, are going to tell you to get your thyroid antibodies checked, also.  But thyroid meds still can't fix a diet missing vegetables and fruits. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pegleg84]

Looking at your diet, there's a few things that scream potential CC: worceshire sauce? You sure that was gluten-free? It usually isn't. Are any of the snacks made on the same lines or could have hidden gluten? (I don't think all pop-chips are gluten-free) It might be time for a big label-check. You'd be surprised what you'll find. There is also a chance of cc in your kitchen if your family is still eating gluten (not to say you have to make your household entirely gluten-free, but might need to make sure no cross contamination is going on).

 

As for the weight, the sudden gain could partly be due to the fact that your gut is healing and your body is finally absorbing everything that you eat. Which is a good thing, really, and it will be a bit tougher to keep it off. I lost 10lb in 2 months before going gluten-free, so putting it back on was a good thing (my pants fit again!) but it settled out.

 

As Takala suggests, you might want to reassess your diet, not just the gluten-free aspect of it. The more whole foods and less processed the better. Veggies should take priority over grains (though I still eat rice, corn and oats almost every day), and good fats. Oh, and drop the diet soda. That stuff is awful for you.

 

Get your vitamin levels and such tested as well. It'll give you an idea of what's ok and what's missing.

 

Don't worry about the weight so much, Worry about whether your gut is happy or not first.

 

Good luck!

[Rhea48]

I have hypothyroidism, and celiac.  My lactose intolerance has disappeared since making the following dietary changes. 

 

I agree with the posters who suggest that you might have hypothyroidism.  You have all the classic symptoms.  If you cannot tolerate gluten, you should strive to be 100% gluten free.  Celiacs are generally lactose intolerant.  This often disappears once you rid your diet of all gluten products.  Another irritant that is found in most chocolate and many other products that are labelled gluten free is soy lecithin.  Check the labels of all commercially prepared foods, as many if not most contain soy lecithin.  I suspect, although have yet to confirm that the ingredient labelled soy lecithin is actually a wheat by-product.  Many soya sauces are made from fermented wheat.  I was an avid consumer of Prevacid and other prescription medications until I made these dietary changes.  

[AfterAll]

Ah, uhm, eh..... 

 

granola bar

coffee creamer

ore ida fries

bbq chips

snapple

plantars mix with m&ms

jellyrings candy 

french onion soup mix, worschestire sauce

diet soda

_______________

whew!  

 

Let's compare that to what I ate yesterday (btw, I am not built like, and would never pass for a gymnast, because I do other sports/exercise, plus farm chores, plus I'm much older, so bear with me)  Yesterday was a "rest" day for me to recover from what I did on Sunday, so I tried to eat less, I will usually have another small protein meal with some good fats in this mix.  

 

a small apple, sliced

handful of almonds

an ounce of hard cheese

coconut milk and fat free milk in decaf coffee 

 

a spinach salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers,  with baked chicken breast and some freshly grated cheddar cheese for protein

salad sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar and salt

half a small baked potato with yogurt

 

snack(s) 

a tiny mandarin orange, 2 dried dates, a cherry larabar, decaf home brewed tea, (stevia sweetened) another piece of cheese, and a brown rice cake to be the cheese "cracker"

 

tilapia fish, dipped in egg, then in amaranth&buckwheat&bluecorn gluten-free flours mixed together, sauteed in olive oil,  with homemade mustard sauce using store bought mayo 

broccoli

homemade baked sweet potato fries with olive oil

water with fresh lemon squeeze

________

 

You will notice that I am eating several servings of fresh fruit and green vegetables per day, and really limiting grain carbs compared to a person with a "normal" metabolism.  I am not a person with a normal metabolism, I have an auto immune disease, and several other related conditions associated with it.  Yet the traditional dietary media keeps trying to insist that I am nutritionally deprived, or even worse, must be borderline neurotic, since I cannot eat massive amounts of grains that regular people eat.   I am too sensitive to trace gluten and oat cross contamination to eat commercially prepared grain foods, so I try to limit my indulgence in processed foods to as little as possible, so they don't slay me when I do have a little of them - and even then I'm really careful and avoid ones that I have reacted to in the past, even if dozens of people on the internet swear they are "safely gluten free" - I don't care, if I literally see my joints puff up, along with my face starting to break out and my vision going wonkers because my eyes are trying to cross, that's my sign. 

 

When people in my age group were growing up, we were taught to cook from scratch both at home and at school in "home economics" classes (how quaint) on the theory that we would be doing this as a lifetime endeavor.  While I did not like the classes at the time, I did learn something. It is possible to make food from basic ingredients that is better than cafeteria food.   We also had this food theory, before the dreadful, awful "Food Pyramid," called the "Basic Four" that humans should try to eat a balanced diet of dairy, proteins, fruits, and vegetables.  There was very little of this semi-vegan, low fat nonsense that the USDA and the grain subsidy lobby subsequently foisted upon the general public here in the USA in 1992, that all people should be eating a whopping 7 to 10 servings of grain a day, and that meat/proteins from dairy should be the least consumed, with a tiny amount of margarine or oil at the little pointed tip.  Of course, not knowing any better at the time, I did end up going on this route, and that is probably the least healthy I have ever been. (see here for the history of the Pyramid Open Original Shared Link ) 

 

The only thing they've done right, is in 2011 they've finally scrapped the Pyramid Failure to make America Thin & Healthy for this "My Plate" routine, but they still have the ongoing low fat obsession.  The reason I am bringing this up is to put your food choices in context with the times that you were raised in, if you are only 31, you were just hitting adolescence right when the Grain Pyramid from Hades was taking over our national pastime of talking about what is the best thing to eat to lose weight.  And you, as a result of winning the auto immune disease lottery,   now have heartburn so bad you can't make it through a day without antacid meds.  But your diet day seems to be lacking in the "fresh fruits and green vegetables" department, rather severely.  You're still counting calories, but you need to be shifting your thinking to what it is that makes your body work better, not what it is that is "low calorie" besides avoiding gluten.  I will never diss anyone for eating potatoes in place of grains, since most of these dietitians saying dumb things re: glutenfree to the media haven't had a bad glutening from a "gluten free" product, or they aren't struggling with ongoing damage of being undiagnosed for decades, but you may want to switch more to a type of "whole foods," really basic diet.  And you have to eat some kind of good fats, or your skin is going to dry out, and your hair is going to look pathetic and your brain is going to be deprived. 

 

Every meal, the New Basic Four:  A fruit, a veg, a protein, a fat.  

 

And you may want to try to wean off the diet sodas, as some of them seem to be associated with weight gain, anyway, besides the side effects from the artificial sweeteners triggering cravings. 

 

A few of us have had to go to a "gluten free at home" household, my husband suggested this, after watching me get waylaid really badly one too many times from accidental glutenings.  Since he also cooks, it makes it simpler to avoid the bad things in the pantry if they are not there to begin with.  If he goes to the store, he will lay out the items on the counter for me to read the labels before we shelve them. And it's just easier to cook the same thing for everybody, with the same utensils, and the leftovers are then safe. 

 

Of course, a lot of people, including myself, are going to tell you to get your thyroid antibodies checked, also.  But thyroid meds still can't fix a diet missing vegetables and fruits. 

 

Thanks for the response.

 

I guess that is a good point.  Not to make excuses, and I am sure other people are in the same boat, but I work full time and so does my husband, and we have 2 young kids and I just finished my second Masters and he finished his first in addition to working, so preparing everything from scratch isn't going to happen.  I meant more along the lines of I am not eating crazy amounts of specifically labeled gluten-free foods, like breads, waffles, pastas, frozen dinners, etc.  Today for lunch I had organic turkey, ham and provolone with a bit of honey mustard on a corn tortilla.  For a snack I had a yogurt with some bakery on main granola.  I thought I was eating pretty healthy.

 

I used to eat a salad before every dinner... I should go back to doing that.  I cannot eat MOST fresh fruits and vegetables because they make my mouth swell and itch which is somehow related to my seasonal allergies... I forget how.  Given that... it is difficult for me to incorporate them into my diet.  Do you have any suggestions for that?  I can and do eat cooked veggies and fruits- but I know that is not the same.

 

As for the gluten-free at home... that is not going to happen.  I have 2 small kids, a husband, and my sister living with me- it is just too expensive and restrictive to cook that way.  When I am making something like spaghetti and meatballs for example... I make the meatballs with gluten-free breadcrumbs for everyone, then I make 2 seperate pastas, one for me and one for them, and either jarred sauce like Classico that does not have Gluten, or from scratch, depending how motivated I am that day.  I am careful about keeping the foods seperate, and I have all of my gluten-free ingredients and whatnot seperated in the cabinets.  I am the only one who cooks, so while CC is a possibility, it is not that likely, at least I don't think.

[AfterAll]

Looking at your diet, there's a few things that scream potential CC: worceshire sauce? You sure that was gluten-free? It usually isn't. Are any of the snacks made on the same lines or could have hidden gluten? (I don't think all pop-chips are gluten-free) It might be time for a big label-check. You'd be surprised what you'll find. There is also a chance of cc in your kitchen if your family is still eating gluten (not to say you have to make your household entirely gluten-free, but might need to make sure no cross contamination is going on).

 

As for the weight, the sudden gain could partly be due to the fact that your gut is healing and your body is finally absorbing everything that you eat. Which is a good thing, really, and it will be a bit tougher to keep it off. I lost 10lb in 2 months before going gluten-free, so putting it back on was a good thing (my pants fit again!) but it settled out.

 

As Takala suggests, you might want to reassess your diet, not just the gluten-free aspect of it. The more whole foods and less processed the better. Veggies should take priority over grains (though I still eat rice, corn and oats almost every day), and good fats. Oh, and drop the diet soda. That stuff is awful for you.

 

Get your vitamin levels and such tested as well. It'll give you an idea of what's ok and what's missing.

 

Don't worry about the weight so much, Worry about whether your gut is happy or not first.

 

Good luck!

 Don't flog me, but is worchestire sauce not gluten-free?  I thought I had checked it in the past, but I will have to look again when I get home.  I am pretty careful about checking things before I use them, but I will def look more closely.

 

The Pop Chips I ate were labeled gluten-free.

 

There is always a chance for CC, of course, but I am pretty careful about it.

 

I can't NOT worry about the weight gain.  This is just my issue, I guess.  I have always been around the same weight and size and now I am suddenly not and I am not okay with it... and I also don't feel better, so it is not really a trade off.

[GFinDC]

Hi AfterAll,

 

Some of your symptoms sound like hypothyroidism and some of them sound like possible gall bladder symptoms.  Or they could be side affects of low stomach acid (causing poor digestion)  caused by the medication you are taking.  The side affects for Aciphex are listed below.  They sound pretty serious to me.  It sounds like they get more serious over time too.  Low stomach acid is a bad thing for people.  The acid in your stomach kills hostile pathogens that can invade your gut and make you sick.  Without that acid as a line of defense, well, you just don't have that line of defense.   Plus the acid is there to break down your foods and help prepare them for proper digestion.   It is really breaking the digestive process to get rid of the stomach acid.  Stomach acid tends to decrease naturally as you age.  Some of us take Betaine HCL to help increase stomach acid to compensate.   I saw an story once where they estimated that about 48 to 50% of people are infected with H. Pylori.  It's is very common.  H. Pylori likes a low stomach acid environment.  So you really shouldn't stay on acid blockers for a long time.

 

Open Original Shared Link

• Symptom relief does not rule out other serious stomach conditions.
• Serious allergic reactions may occur. Tell your doctor if you have a rash, face swelling, throat tightness, or difficulty breathing.
• Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) medicines may increase your risk of getting severe diarrhea. This diarrhea may be caused by an infection (Clostridium difficile) in your intestines. If you have watery stool, stomach pain, and fever that does not go away, call your doctor immediately.
• People who are taking multiple daily doses of PPI medicines for a long period of time may have an increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, or spine.
• Low magnesium can happen in some people who take a PPI medicine for at least 3 months. Tell your doctor right away if you experience any of these symptoms: seizures, dizziness, abnormal or fast heartbeat, jitteriness, jerking movements or shaking (tremors), muscle weakness, spasms of the hands and feet, cramps or muscle aches, or spasm of the voice box.
• In adolescents, the most common side effects with ACIPHEX include headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
• In adults, the most common side effects with ACIPHEX include pain, sore throat, gas, infection, and constipation.
• Before taking ACIPHEX, tell your doctor if you are taking any of these medicines: atazanavir, digoxin, iron salts, ketoconazole, warfarin, or methotrexate.

[AfterAll]

Hi AfterAll,

 

Some of your symptoms sound like hypothyroidism and some of them sound like possible gall bladder symptoms.  Or they could be side affects of low stomach acid (causing poor digestion)  caused by the medication you are taking.  The side affects for Aciphex are listed below.  They sound pretty serious to me.  It sounds like they get more serious over time too.  Low stomach acid is a bad thing for people.  The acid in your stomach kills hostile pathogens that can invade your gut and make you sick.  Without that acid as a line of defense, well, you just don't have that line of defense.   Plus the acid is there to break down your foods and help prepare them for proper digestion.   It is really breaking the digestive process to get rid of the stomach acid.  Stomach acid tends to decrease naturally as you age.  Some of us take Betaine HCL to help increase stomach acid to compensate.   I saw an story once where they estimated that about 48 to 50% of people are infected with H. Pylori.  It's is very common.  H. Pylori likes a low stomach acid environment.  So you really shouldn't stay on acid blockers for a long time.

 

Open Original Shared Link

• Symptom relief does not rule out other serious stomach conditions.
• Serious allergic reactions may occur. Tell your doctor if you have a rash, face swelling, throat tightness, or difficulty breathing.
• Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) medicines may increase your risk of getting severe diarrhea. This diarrhea may be caused by an infection (Clostridium difficile) in your intestines. If you have watery stool, stomach pain, and fever that does not go away, call your doctor immediately.
• People who are taking multiple daily doses of PPI medicines for a long period of time may have an increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, or spine.
• Low magnesium can happen in some people who take a PPI medicine for at least 3 months. Tell your doctor right away if you experience any of these symptoms: seizures, dizziness, abnormal or fast heartbeat, jitteriness, jerking movements or shaking (tremors), muscle weakness, spasms of the hands and feet, cramps or muscle aches, or spasm of the voice box.
• In adolescents, the most common side effects with ACIPHEX include headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
• In adults, the most common side effects with ACIPHEX include pain, sore throat, gas, infection, and constipation.
• Before taking ACIPHEX, tell your doctor if you are taking any of these medicines: atazanavir, digoxin, iron salts, ketoconazole, warfarin, or methotrexate.

Mother F-er!  I am infected with H Pylori... I have a friggin ulcer that won't go away.  I am going to see the doctor in a month.  I will add this to the list of things to discuss with him.  Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

[starrytrekchic]

You won't like this...but you MUST eat more! And I'm saying that as someone who successfully lost 80 pounds and who has kept it off for several years. Any diet that restricts your calories to 1200 will fail, even if you didn't have celiac disease (I'll tell you why this complicates things later). It's not a maintainable amount to eat, because you will not get enough vitamins, minerals, and energy from it.

 

The absolute minimum daily caloric count is 1300 for a diet. 1300 is not a maintainable number for long term weight maintenance (1800 is.) Also, never keep the same daily caloric intake. If you keep a consistent number like 1300, your body will adjust to that number. It will conserve energy and lower your metabolism until that number is sufficient, which means you'll never lose the weight. Instead, vary your calorie intake daily (say, 1300 one day, 1500 the next, 1800 the next.) Don't be afraid to occasionally go over 1800, even when trying to lose weight. It will make the adjustment to weight maintenance much easier, and will prevent you from gaining the weight back when you go off the diet. For weight loss, an ideal average caloric intake over a week is around 1500-1600/day (I'm assuming you're of average build; otherwise the number will vary accordingly.)

 

Now, that said, right now you should not be dieting. Dieting is a shock to the system, and you've already received a shock by having celiac disease. Your body is in starvation mode due to loss of absorption over the years, and dieting will prolong this and make it more difficult to recover. Starvation mode is also counter-productive to weight loss--it will make any weight loss much more difficult to achieve, or even impossible. Your body needs healing right now. You will have temporary weight gain, but this is absolutely okay. Once your body feels like it's healing, your weight will even out, then you can work on losing any unnecessary weight.

 

One other thing: you should absolutely get your thyroid and vitamin levels checked. The weight on the stomach is likely bloating, but the back and arms is more indicative of thyroid trouble.

 

Also, be very careful with what you're eating. You can't assume anything is safe. A product from one brand (like Worchester Sauce) might be okay. From another brand, it might contain wheat. For a third, it might be cross-contaminated in factory. You literally have to check every single product you buy, from any different brand, to make sure that a) it contains no gluten, and it wasn't processed on any shared lines with gluten. Otherwise, you'll delay healing.

[tarnalberry]

What are your doctors saying about this?  Besides gluten, I would talk to your doc about thyroid issues.  Post partum thyroid changes are not uncommon, and they can swing, back and forth, for a while unless you get them treated.

 

As for diet - I don't see much in the way of veggies, but a fair amount of carbs.  You might need to reduce carbs, increase protein/fat - that works well for some people.  But if I don't get enough fruits and veggies, I start to get tired, and just taking a vitamin doesn't cut it.

 

(By the way, did you fully wean at 1yr?  I ask because that's a relatively common thing to occur, and it's also pretty common for the body to hold onto some pregnancy weight all through breastfeeding, and not drop the last 5ish pounds until baby is completely weaned.)

[AfterAll]

What are your doctors saying about this?  Besides gluten, I would talk to your doc about thyroid issues.  Post partum thyroid changes are not uncommon, and they can swing, back and forth, for a while unless you get them treated.

 

As for diet - I don't see much in the way of veggies, but a fair amount of carbs.  You might need to reduce carbs, increase protein/fat - that works well for some people.  But if I don't get enough fruits and veggies, I start to get tired, and just taking a vitamin doesn't cut it.

 

(By the way, did you fully wean at 1yr?  I ask because that's a relatively common thing to occur, and it's also pretty common for the body to hold onto some pregnancy weight all through breastfeeding, and not drop the last 5ish pounds until baby is completely weaned.)

I weaned at like 4 months and by about 1 year I had lost all of the 37lbs that I gained.  Then I gained back 10 in just 2 months.

[AfterAll]

You won't like this...but you MUST eat more! And I'm saying that as someone who successfully lost 80 pounds and who has kept it off for several years. Any diet that restricts your calories to 1200 will fail, even if you didn't have celiac disease (I'll tell you why this complicates things later). It's not a maintainable amount to eat, because you will not get enough vitamins, minerals, and energy from it.

 

The absolute minimum daily caloric count is 1300 for a diet. 1300 is not a maintainable number for long term weight maintenance (1800 is.) Also, never keep the same daily caloric intake. If you keep a consistent number like 1300, your body will adjust to that number. It will conserve energy and lower your metabolism until that number is sufficient, which means you'll never lose the weight. Instead, vary your calorie intake daily (say, 1300 one day, 1500 the next, 1800 the next.) Don't be afraid to occasionally go over 1800, even when trying to lose weight. It will make the adjustment to weight maintenance much easier, and will prevent you from gaining the weight back when you go off the diet. For weight loss, an ideal average caloric intake over a week is around 1500-1600/day (I'm assuming you're of average build; otherwise the number will vary accordingly.)

 

Now, that said, right now you should not be dieting. Dieting is a shock to the system, and you've already received a shock by having celiac disease. Your body is in starvation mode due to loss of absorption over the years, and dieting will prolong this and make it more difficult to recover. Starvation mode is also counter-productive to weight loss--it will make any weight loss much more difficult to achieve, or even impossible. Your body needs healing right now. You will have temporary weight gain, but this is absolutely okay. Once your body feels like it's healing, your weight will even out, then you can work on losing any unnecessary weight.

 

One other thing: you should absolutely get your thyroid and vitamin levels checked. The weight on the stomach is likely bloating, but the back and arms is more indicative of thyroid trouble.

 

Also, be very careful with what you're eating. You can't assume anything is safe. A product from one brand (like Worchester Sauce) might be okay. From another brand, it might contain wheat. For a third, it might be cross-contaminated in factory. You literally have to check every single product you buy, from any different brand, to make sure that a) it contains no gluten, and it wasn't processed on any shared lines with gluten. Otherwise, you'll delay healing.

Thank you!  I have eliminated dairy and pretty much all processed foods since I originally posted this because I KNOW something is not right, I am just not sure what it is.

 

I am going to get my vitamin levels tested in a little bit and am going to be seeing my gastro in a few weeks as well.

[GFinDC]

Hi Afterall,

 

For ulcers you can try DGL and mastic gum.  Blessed thistle may help too.  Betaine HCL makes stomach acid and that can help also.

[EricaM15]

Sample of what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast- Bakery on Main Cranberry Nut Granola Bar

                Coffee (KCup) with 2 tsp of International Delight, Dairy Free Creamer

Lunch-     3/4 of plain Costco Hamburger

                12 Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries

                 1 bag of BBQ Pop Chips

                 Snapple, Arnold Palmer

Snack-      1 snack sized bag of Planters Trail Mix with Peanuts, raisins, and m&ms

                 3 Joyva Jelly Rings (my vice, Passover candy)

                 16oz bottle of water while on the treadmill

Dinner-     Cheesesteak that I made in the crockpot from lean Sirloin (it had Progresso French Onion Soup, worchestire sauce, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, onion, and mushroom on it).  I did not eat any bread, or cheese, or any of the home made oven baked french fries that I made for everyone else.

                 Diet Soda

 

 

I'd recommend you try a whole foods diet rather than calorie restriction. Stay away from any processed foods, sauces, candies, etc. They all could potentially have gluten in them. I honestly can't trust anything that comes in a jar or can anymore because I can't recognize all the ingredients. I make all my dressings and sauces myself. Be careful about getting anything with more than five ingredients on the label. Foods with artificial flavoring and coloring can easily cause reactions in people with Celiac. You should also be careful about granola since many people with Celiac are sensitive to oats. If you're having cravings for candy, replace it with dried (unsweetened, unsulfured) fruit. Dates and figs are a great substitute. Also, the majority of your diet should be fresh fruits and vegetables. And just as a tip--raw, unsalted nuts and seeds are much healthier than when they're roasted. Raw nuts and seeds (avocado as well) do contain fat, but they have enzymes that can aid in weightloss, especially if you sprout them. Those enzymes are killed when they're roasted. They're also a very healthy, filling snack. I personally try to make it so that every calorie I consume has as much nutrition possible, so that's another thing to think about.