Celiac/eating Disorder/anxiety

[kakattack]

hey everyone...

basically i admitted to my boyfriend this past week i have an eating disorder

i feel like im anorexic with anxiety problems and gluten/dairy..possibly nut..intolerant

im 19, 5'2, 90 pounds...bmi 16.5

im scared to eat because for the past 2 weeks i wake up in the middle of the night with horrible stomach cramps and then im in the bathroom for 20-30 minutes (not a huge surprise considering i just got diagnosed with gluten intolerance within the past 6 months) and i have diarhia...sorry tmi

but im getting help soon, im just scared of telling my parents and most importantly

i dont want to die

and also

what are these cramps?

im living off of baby food, gluten-free breads, fruit and chex

help me please

i dont know what to do

please help me :blink: :unsure: :(

[RiceGuy]

First, how long have you been gluten-free? It can take some time for things to heal. Some of the common effects of Celiac include neurological problems. So your anxiety may be heightened or caused by gluten. Same with the eating disorder. It would not surprise me if both these issues resolved on a gluten-free diet.

However, given the diet you outlined, I think it may be contributing to the problems you mentioned. Not all Chex cereals are gluten-free, and there are certainly better things you could be eating at this stage of recovery. I would also suggest avoiding the gluten-free breads until you feel better. They are typically mostly carbs, so it's easy to end up eating too much of it.

I'd recommend whole foods - fresh veggies, fruits, etc. Try to avoid as much processed foods as you can. Also, since dairy is often a problem at first, you might find it extremely helpful, or even necessary, to avoid that for a while too.

As for the anxiety, one thing you can do right now is to begin taking a sublingual methylcobalamin (active form of vitamin B12). Take at least 3mg per day. There is no known level of toxicity for B12, so take all you want. A B-complex is probably a good idea too. Other nutrients may also be needed, but I'd start with those. You may find this helps with the eating disorder too.

Don't overlook the possibility of other top allergens causing problems for you. Soy, corn, nuts, eggs, etc can be problematic, especially when the gut is still trying to heal.

Do keep us posted!

I hope you feel better soon!

[ang1e0251]

You might not be able to tolerate the gluten-free breads yet, I know they do a number on me. I think you should back off to a basic diet of meats, vegetables and nuts ( if there are any you can tolerate). Only eat food you prepare yourself, very simply. No dairy, no alternative grains to start with. After you start to feel better, you can add new foods but only one at a time for at least four days to see how you react. That way you can wean out foods you react to. Keep a food journal and note how you feel every day too. That helps you narrow down problem foods. I wouldn't eat fruit in the very beginning. My system was too damaged to tolerate them. They would cause the cramps in my stomach and intestine. You need time to heal and calm your system. Later you will probably be able to again reintroduce fruits and maybe dairy. But for now, be kind to yourself.

[ranger]

Whoa! Take a deep breath and relax. Just because you'r thin and scared to eat, does not make you anorexic. I'm 5'4", and got down to 84 lbs! Skinny. I've gained 11 lbs. in 3 months on the gluten-free diet. So there's hope. I'm also not glued to the bathroom anymore (still go too much, but it takes time). Why are you afraid to tell your parents? Would you be afraid to tell them if you were diabetic or had mono or some other illness? I also have just started the b-12 _ seems like good advice for you. I think it's helping me. Please don't be afraid. You can live a long healthy and happy life if you get on and stay on the gluten-free diet. It may seem hard at first, but it gets easier. Good Luck to you.

[Lexi]

Hi. I want you to know that you are not alone. I have suffered with an eating disorder for many years. Luckily, now at age 37, I have it mostly under control. But, I am still a bit obsessed with my weight, and it causes me a lot of anxiety. At this point, I just want to feel healthy more than anything else. The most important thing you can do is to tell people you trust so you have a support system. I finally told my best friend and my boyfreind when I was a teenager. They were very understanding and supportive. My Mom never really understood though. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about a year ago. It has been HARD, but it's getting a little easier with each passing day. If you ever want to talk - feel free to PM me.

[kakattack]

yeah everything i eat is on a gluten free diet

ive been on this diet since like august 08

im very picky so the only meat i eat is chicken,

not a big veggie eater, im a fruit girl...i can do potatos

and im scared to tell my parents because they are sorta the reason...

and i know i have an ED, no doubt about it

what kind of doctors do you recommend? this is the one im going to see... sugermen... Open Original Shared Link

i dont know what to eat? you give me examples but im totally clueless!!

[ranger]

I really don't know what you can eat. Do you cook? Do you have acces to a kitchen? Do you have other food problems? I can tell you what I eat, but I love veges, and I have to limit my fruit intake ( diabetic). For breakfast, I have a vege omelette, or some fried mush and sausage, or a poached egg in marinara. Mid am I have a piece of fruit with some gluten-free crackers. Lunch is usually homade soup with a little gluten-free bread or cracker. Dinner is usually a meat, vege, and starch - sometimes, some kind of casserole, or stir fry. Polenta, fried much, corn muffin things made with cornmeal seem to sooth my stomach, but they are difficult for others. I usually have some cheese and gluten-free crackers or popcorn before bed. The trick is to eat healthy and simply at first. Keeping a food diary is useful. Since you and I need to gain wight, I try to put in a cookie or cake in there somewhere. I watch a lot of lose wight diet shows and do the opposite! Hope any of this helps.

[Welda Johnson]

Hi,

I hope you're feeling better. It is pretty daunting when you first start this diet, especially because so many of the foods out there contain some form of gluten or dairy. I've learned that all grains, all milk & dairy, egg whites, yeast, casein, whey, maltodextrin, modified food starch and msg upset my system, but what you probably need to do is follow the advice of those in the previous messages and keep a journal of the foods you eat and how your body responds.

I always eat fruit for breakfast, then soy protein powder made into a cookie dough (I add a sweetener called Stevia, cinnamon and vanilla) a couple of hours later. For lunch I usually have a green salad filled with green onions, tomatoes, red onions, red bell pepper, and sometimes cooked cauliflower, asparagus, and broccoli, or I just eat the cooked green vegetables without the salad. I've been craving potatoes, so I'm eating baked potatoes with margarine that is made of soy or vegetable oils, because butter contains milk or milk derivatives. I also eat refried beans, rice, tamales, and corn tortillas.

How do you do with meat, poultry and fish? I don't eat them often because sometimes they give me problems, but occasionally I eat chicken or fish. Steak, chicken, salmon, filet of sole, tuna--all those might be good to try.

Maybe you could try some Mrs. Leeper's corn spaghetti, corn lasagna, or corn noodles, as well as the pastas made from rice. They're pretty basic, and I've found that Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce is good on them, as well as Dennison's Chili. Vegan Gourmet Monterey Jack cheese has no milk derivatives, and you can also find ice cream made of soy that you could mix with soy milk & chocolate for a shake, or with strawberries, etc. for a smoothie. There are lots of new crackers and cookies out now that are gluten free/milk & dairy free. Some stores have special GLUTEN-FREE tags sticking out of the shelves where those items are. That really helps.

Have you looked on the internet for gluten-free, milk & dairy free products? There are so many places on the web now that will deliver items right to your door, and you can spend all the time you want browsing their aisles. It is so convenient to just place your order, then have it arrive at your door a couple of days later.

I wish you well as you continue on your new journey toward renewed health. Always, Welda

[Wenmin]

This list might help. I used it often when I was first diagnosed. I still use it often today. Print you a copy and bring it to the grocery store when you shop.

homepage.mac.com/sholland/celiac/GFfoodlist.pdf

Hope this helps