College

[theycallmewheatthins]

I am 19 and just got diagnosed with celiac, its been real hard on me and my body. I am a dedicated runner and went from being state champion in the 800m to a no body because of this disease. I find it extremely hard not to cheat and when i mean cheat i mean on accident. (ill feel the side effects later and know i ate wheat) i get really tired, too the point where i can sleep for 13 hours and feel like i didnt sleep at all. is anyone else going through similiar problems? because im having a hard time with coping with this. any suggestions/comments/concerns are appreciated. thanks so much.

[NorthernElf]

Hi,

It's tough, I know. I often use exercise as a remedy for a glutening, mind you these days any glutenings are very accidental, usually just a cross contamination thing since I am very careful what I eat. Research is your best defense - I scour these forums and the internet for information. If I don't know if it is safe, I don't eat it. It did take me a couple of years to get to this point, accepting things rather than fighting them. I've told people that eating gluten is like choosing to have a combination of a flu and a bad hangover. Who wants to do that to themselves ? On purpose ? Knowledge is truly your best weapon to all but eliminate 'accidental' glutenings.

Stupid things...

Smarties in Canada are not gluten free, but M&Ms are.

Rice Krispies (and most other cereals) have barley malt in them.

Wheat starch can show up as a flavoring in canned icing.

A plain burger patty in a restaurant may not be enough since they may toast their buns on the same grill.

Fries are usually a no no because nuggets & onion rings use the same oil...so I eat New York fries but the risk is still there due to their toppings.

Most soy sauces have wheat in them - never made sense to me that Japanese cuisine would even include wheat.

Last but not least - other people don't get it. It just doesn't help us !

[LuvMoosic4life]

I am also a runner and in college. Although I don't compete and havent been diagnosed with celiacs, I have found the the reason behind half of my running problems is a reaction to gluten. I tried going gluten free and had so much energy to run it was amazing, and I just felt so great. Before I knew gluten was the problem, my main concern was making it through a run without having to run to the bathroom. This is not good being a distance runner. I also would get horrible fatigue in my muscles. It would take a good mile before endorphines would kick in and the pain would be gone. I also never understood why I couldnt make it up a flight of stairs without it feeling like I had burning bricks in my calves and legs. I tried taking days off from running at a time figuring I was over doing myself, but it never helped, the fatgued feeling wouldnt go away, I went like this for 7 years thinking it just must be the way I am... I've always wanted to train for a marathon, but i know there would be no possible way for me to make it through w/o having to stop ten millon times to go to the bathroom. I have no problem when I'm gluten free.

[gfgypsyqueen]

If you were a former state champ in running you must be very driven and goal oriented. This disease sucks at times. No one will disagree with that. But, this disease is a blessign in a way - no meds and no side effects to manage the disease. I had many meds with side effects that made it impossible to run or ride a bike let alone think through a problem.

Keep a log of what you ate and how you feel - it made a huge difference for me. Track your glutenings and what effects it has on you and how long until the reaction ends. Start a running log and set reasonable goals. You will see that remaining gluten-free will give you the strength and the ability that you used to have. Soon you will be back to the track meets and winning races again.

Search this site and find the carb loading meals that other Celiacs use for preping for a race.

Hope you feel better.

[ar8]

Hey there- I am also a distance runner who had hope to train for a marathon this fall, but due to fatigue, and feeling like I am about to get injured/like I am overtraining everytime i try to Run hard two days in a row (more than 4-5 miles at 15-30 seconds/mile less than race pace), and just not getting "better" after a day of rest, I have almost given up. I don't seem to get faster despite incorporating various strategies to avoid overtraining (cross train, days of rest, etc) I have returned to a previous effort to go gluten free and see if it helps (I also have a bathroom issue that flares up often when i run-- bad diarrhea). I seems to have improved after a stint of gluten free and decreasing coffee consumption. I saw your april post and was wondering if you are currently gluten free and if your running has improved since then? How long did it take if so? Did you ever get tested? Did you take a lot of time off to recover or just push through?

I am hoping that I can continue to run (though at a decreased level) while I recover from what I believe is a gluten problem. I have a history of anemia, "IBS," and general fatigue, as well as blood sugar issues and elevated liver enzymes, all of which fits with gluten intolerance. I am actually hopeful that this is my problem as I can FIX it. My knees and hips hurt and my ankles have had many problems despite not doing more than maybe 25-30 miles/week, and often far less. I used to run 8 miles a day at an intense pace, no problem.

I was tested with enterolab, which reported I had gluten intolerance though of course this is not an accepted testing method. I just don't know. Anyway your post struck me in its similarity to my problems and I just wanted to touch base and ask a few q's!