Overweight but not like I should be?

[Cari1030]

Hi! I was just wondering, has anyone else been dx with Celiac's and been overweight-but not like they really feel they should be? What I mean is, I have a terrible diet, I'm a sugar and carb nut, and I eat way more calories than I should, yet I don't gain. I'm about 20 pounds overweight, so not massively so, but I was 40 pounds overweight a couple of years ago and no matter what I eat, I don't gain. I actually still keep losing, slowly (I weighed around 184 about 6 months ago..now I'm 180 even). I always figured I just had a good metabolism but realistically, that makes no sense, I'm getting older, eating worse, and losing more, and most of my female family members are rather hefty. 

For the record, no Celiac dx, doctor won't test me, but I'm trying to get a sense of just how likely it is that I *could* have Celiac's because I'm thinking about paying out of pocket for a test. It's painful to do so because I'm a single mom of five. I realize I could just give up gluten and call it good, but it's a seriously expensive and difficult prospect for us, and I really don't want to give up my wheat products if I don't have an issue, and I'm concerned that if I did have it, some of my kids could too, as they also have some signs (including my 2nd youngest being super tiny-kiddo is going into 5th grade, almost 10, and he's the size of a 6 or 7 year old). 

[Ennis-TX]

Umm back when I was just starting college I weighed over 200lbs and had a 36-38" waist. I had several symptoms of the disease back then but they changed in my 20s after a incident and I dropped weight like crazy. Now days I struggle to gain weight and weigh about 130lb
Size and weight retention can happen with celiacs, our bodies are designed to try to store weight like crazy when starving the best it can. SO if your not absorbing all your nutrients you body tries to "stock the shelves" and when desperate will pull form said shelves eventually. Another cause is inflammation and water retention again can be attributed to a auto immune disease like celiac or food intolerance/sensitivity and it is proven that high sugar and carb diets can cause inflammation and water retention. You can look at the testing here but you have to keep eating gluten daily til you get testing done.
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Do you have anything like constipation (not going daily) Oily stools? Tried to remove dairy for a few weeks and felt better (lactose intolerance is common but often goes unnoticed til removed)  numbness or tingling in the and and fingers, teeth/dental issues, signs of iron, magnesium, b-vitamin, or vitamin D deficiency? Do look up those as they are common ones we can not absorb and the symptoms of deficiencies are often signs. There are 100s of symptoms not just these and everyone can present differently.

[pikakegirl]

I was 230lbs when diagnosed and in a panic to find gluten free i ate candy bars and spam. I lost 70lbs the first year. Must have been alot of water from inflamation. As i researched nutrition i began to eat organic and cut out all sugars, corn syrup, brown rice syrup. I lost another 20lbs. I was 130lbs my high school weight. When surgical menopause hit me 3 yrs ago i started gaining. I have gained 25lbs though i have a strict calorie diet. Probably my hormonal imbalance. There was a point i was frightened i would not stop losing and the drs didnt seem to care but it plateaued by itself. Now of course the drs are all over weight gain. Go figure.

[Cari1030]

Oops, posted this and then couldn't remember my log in. Haha. 

Yes, I have quite a number of symptoms of Celiac's, but, as most people know, it could very well be something else. I am chronically anemic, if I don't actively eat beef daily (I only know this because I donated plasma up until recently and it was a constant issue, whether I was donating or not...I also bruise horribly when I'm anemic and crave ice so it's easy for me to figure it out), but I haven't had anything else tested in about four years. My doc seriously will not test anything. She told me if I feel better off wheat, just stop eating it-even after I told her the reason I want to know is because there's a huge difference between something making me feel off and something actually damaging me. Feeling off? I'll still eat it. Killing myself slowly? You better believe I'll change my diet. I also have Sheehan's syndrome, which may be the reason for my issues. 

I decided for now, I'm doing an elimination diet to check for myself what all might be causing issues. I know I have to eat gluten prior to being tested for a long enough period as well, but at least this way I can really pinpoint if anything is being caused by my diet, vs just seeming that way, and then pinpoint if it's a gluten issue vs wheat vs something else entirely if I do see an improvement. If I really think it's gluten, I'll start eating it again and pay for the testing out of pocket (if all of this doesn't convince my doc :/

[Ennis-TX]

10 minutes ago, Cari1030 said:

Oops, posted this and then couldn't remember my log in. Haha. 

Yes, I have quite a number of symptoms of Celiac's, but, as most people know, it could very well be something else. I am chronically anemic, if I don't actively eat beef daily (I only know this because I donated plasma up until recently and it was a constant issue, whether I was donating or not...I also bruise horribly when I'm anemic and crave ice so it's easy for me to figure it out), but I haven't had anything else tested in about four years. My doc seriously will not test anything. She told me if I feel better off wheat, just stop eating it-even after I told her the reason I want to know is because there's a huge difference between something making me feel off and something actually damaging me. Feeling off? I'll still eat it. Killing myself slowly? You better believe I'll change my diet. I also have Sheehan's syndrome, which may be the reason for my issues. 

I decided for now, I'm doing an elimination diet to check for myself what all might be causing issues. I know I have to eat gluten prior to being tested for a long enough period as well, but at least this way I can really pinpoint if anything is being caused by my diet, vs just seeming that way, and then pinpoint if it's a gluten issue vs wheat vs something else entirely if I do see an improvement. If I really think it's gluten, I'll start eating it again and pay for the testing out of pocket (if all of this doesn't convince my doc ?

I turned to Raw Cocoa nibs, cocoa, and pea protein (seriously look at the iron content on Growing Naturals Pea Protein), I often make my own smoothies, and protein bars/crackers with it. My iron at one point was a 2.....I had the oddest cravings for chocolate covered dirt.....I just ate cocoa nibs instead and to this day eat about a 1/2 cup a day. My bleeding issues are from UC, has greatly improved using diet/supplements to stop the bleeding but I get the whole anemic, crappy feeling, crazy binge food craving things.

[cyclinglady]

Put your requests in writing.  Be direct and specific and list the reasons why you should get tested for celiac disease.  Your doctor should respond.  If you do have celiac disease and he refused to screen you despite your asking, he is setting himself up for a lawsuit.  Or....just get another doctor.  

[LilyR]

On 6/16/2018 at 8:20 AM, Ennis_TX said:

I turned to Raw Cocoa nibs, cocoa, and pea protein (seriously look at the iron content on Growing Naturals Pea Protein), I often make my own smoothies, and protein bars/crackers with it. My iron at one point was a 2.....I had the oddest cravings for chocolate covered dirt.....I just ate cocoa nibs instead and to this day eat about a 1/2 cup a day. My bleeding issues are from UC, has greatly improved using diet/supplements to stop the bleeding but I get the whole anemic, crappy feeling, crazy binge food craving things.

Are there health benefits to the cocoa nibs, or just a good snack for cravings when you can't eat candy with things like soy or corn syrup in it?  I have never tried a cocoa nib and never even heard of them before. Sounds interesting though. I did once have a drink that was made similar to brewing coffee, but it was I guess, like ground up cocoa nibs, or something like that?  It was not quite like hot chocolate, or coffee, sort of some in between thing.  It wasn't bad, but with no brewing instructions, it was hard to figure out how much to use with how much water.  It was interesting though. Makes me think of checking it out again. 

[Ennis-TX]

2 hours ago, LilyR said:

Are there health benefits to the cocoa nibs, or just a good snack for cravings when you can't eat candy with things like soy or corn syrup in it?  I have never tried a cocoa nib and never even heard of them before. Sounds interesting though. I did once have a drink that was made similar to brewing coffee, but it was I guess, like ground up cocoa nibs, or something like that?  It was not quite like hot chocolate, or coffee, sort of some in between thing.  It wasn't bad, but with no brewing instructions, it was hard to figure out how much to use with how much water.  It was interesting though. Makes me think of checking it out again. 

Crio Bru...its ground cocoa nibs your brew like coffee in a french press, they should have instructions...>,< I snack on them also. Cocoa nibs are chock full of iron, magnesium, healthy fats and tons of fiber, they have chemical compounds in them that give a blissful feeling, and energy, also very high in antioxidants.

[LilyR]

19 hours ago, Ennis_TX said:

Crio Bru...its ground cocoa nibs your brew like coffee in a french press, they should have instructions...>,< I snack on them also. Cocoa nibs are chock full of iron, magnesium, healthy fats and tons of fiber, they have chemical compounds in them that give a blissful feeling, and energy, also very high in antioxidants.

Thanks for the info.  A friend sent me some of their Crio Bru like a year or so ago (before I knew I had gluten issues), and I somehow lost the instructions for measurements that they sent with it.  And I used my regular coffee maker (auto drip) since I don't have a french press.  It wasn't bad though. Kind of different. I love hot beverages, especially in the fall and winter, so it was fun to try something new.  I should try the cocoa nibs.  Sounds healthy and I am desperate to find snacks.