Newly Diagnosed

[kristie51270]

Hi,

I was recently diagnosed through blood work with Celiacs. My IGA level was a 75, I was told normal range is 1-19. The nurse that called told me to immediate go Gluten free until I go to the GI doctor which I go to in two days. I have been gluten free for two weeks now. My symptoms are definitely improved(stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea). I have to admit though that I am having a hard time with the diet. I have read alot on the internet since being diagnosed and what I read over and over is that the processed and packaged gluten free foods will put alot of weight on people with Celiacs. I have always been right around 129 lbs..I am 5'5".About a year and a half ago for no apparent reason, I put on 12 pounds. I have always worked out at least 3 days a week and kind of watched what I ate. Since the weight gain I have upped my exercise drastically, added weights, done the Weight Watchers points system(which always worked in the past to take weight off) and absolutely nothing has worked. I have taken off about 3 lbs since going gluten free, probably water weight, but I am very afraid that I will start putting on more. I know that 12 lbs probably doesn't sound like alot but for me it is since I have always been very good at managing my weight and this weight seems to be stuck on me and the thought of putting more on while managing this disease is scary. I definitely am going to continue to follow the diet because I am starting to feel better. One thing I have noticed that has not gotten better since going gluten free but actually is worse is the tiredness. I am not a napper and for the past few weeks sleeping is all I think about. Can anyone give me any advice or feedback on the diet, weight gain/loss, tiredness,what to expect? Thank you!

[ravenwoodglass]

Not everyone gains weight on the diet and usually those that do are folks that were underweight to begine with. I lost weight in the first month, about 20 lbs and was afraid it would just keep dropping but it leveled out after that month and I have stayed steady.

As to the tiredness you may be going throught withdrawl, quite a few of us do, and if you are it should lift fairly soon as long as you are careful with the diet.

Do take it easy with specialty gluten free foods and go with whole unprocessed foods as much as you can at first. It will help you heal fastest and keep down the risk of cross contamination.

Welcome to the board, ask any questions you need to, read as much as you can and I hope your feeling much better soon.

[sb2178]

Yes, ditto the time will heal comment. And patience!

You may want to check with the GI to make sure they don't want you to still be on a gluten containing diet for a biopsy (if you were willing to consider one).

A few concrete examples of whole foods to explore:

grains- kasha, millet, wild rice, brown rice

beans (as digestion will tolerate) - lentils, black, pinto, kidney, etc

vegetables - everything you like! cooked is generally easier at first and starchy veg are easy to use to replace former carb sources like bread

fruits - ditto the veg

nuts & seeds - sunflower, almond, flaxseeds, sesame, etc

dairy (again, as you can tolerate) - yogurt, hard cheeses, etc

As long as you don't go too crazy with the fake Oreos, you'll be fine! Small doses of Oreos and Betty Crocker mix cupcakes may be helpful during the grieving period ;-)