starrytrekchic

Most cookware is fine. I'd replace anything wooden (spoons, rolling pin, cutting board) and anything with a fine mesh (strainers, collanders.) The toaster will have to be replaced. The only reason I'd replace pans is if they had cooked on grease that won't come off...and in that case, you can delay replacing them by putting foil between them and the food when you cook.

 

Otherwise, just clean things really well (and replace your sponges if you're cleaning dishes with those.)

My symptoms definitely went from chronic to acute.

 

Before, I constantly felt bad. Diarrhea, eye-ataxia, a whole host of stuff attributed to low vitamin levels (covered in bruises, no night vision, brittle/thinning/faded hair), random migraines, bloating, constant hunger, weight gain. My stomach area would hurt most days, leading me to be curled up in a fetal position. I also got very confused after eating, and I was constantly exhausted.

 

Now, I have rolling queasiness and nausea starting about 15 minutes after getting glutened. It's much stronger than any stomach problems I had before going gluten-free. Sometimes I still have migraines, ataxia (eye, speech, walking, using my hands), a "high" feeling, confusion, and either constipation or diarrhea after a glutening. Everything goes away in a few days, though, and all my long-term problem (like vitamin deficiency) are gone. I feel mostly fine between glutenings. Lots of things have improved.

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.

Hi, welcome.

A couple of things: celiac disease can be triggered in people with the right genetic profile. Pregnancy is a common trigger.

The reason you're feeling better after cutting out gassy/fatty foods is that they're difficult to digest. When your intestines are damaged, like yours are, they get really difficult to digest. The good news is, once you're gluten free long enough, your intestines will heal and you'll be able to add all those foods back into your diet without the bad side effects. Not being able to eat them right now is simply a symptom of the disease.

And yes, your tests and symptoms are overwhelmingly conclusive for celiac disease.

I just moved here, so I'm still learning places to eat. We ate at Sofra once--it was very good. Also at Col Mustard's on 124th--that food was different from any thing I've had, but good. The Dish and the Runaway Spoon didn't have too much both veggie and gluten free, and what I got was too salty, but you might have luck with something else.

There are a lot of places I can eat here...but a lot are a little pricey for regularly eating at! We've eaten at an Indian place downtown several times, but I can't remember the name offhand.

I eat at Boston Pizza a lot. One of their salads made me sick once, but I've never had a problem with their pizzas. There was also a place at the City Centre that made me sick, but I don't remember the name.

I checked out the Duchess Bake Shop, but I wasn't convinced their stuff wasn't cross-contaminated, so I didn't try anything. I'm going to try MRKT downtown soon. They have daily gluten-free stuff.

Oh, and at Kinnickinnick's headquarters, of course! That's only a few blocks from where I live, so I've stopped in for fresh bagels, dinner rolls, and muffins. Plus they seem to have the cheapest gluten-free stuff in the city (their store carries stuff from other manufacturers too.)