pixiegirl

For my first week of gluten-free (i've only been gluten-free for 4 weeks now) I was exhausted but I wasn't eating any carbs then either.... now I've added back rice and potatoes and such and that seems to have upped my energy level some.

I think you have to remind yourself that this is a process, most of us ate gluten for years when we shouldn't have so I feel it will take a while for me to feel totally wonderful again. However for me, the intestional symptoms were so bad that just that alone being better is enough for me. For the past 8 years I swear I've spent half my life in the bathroom. I'm done with that now!!

Susan

I've only been diagnosed as IBS, for 8 years now.... I had some blood tests for Celiac and they came back normal. Today I sent in my genetic testing for Entero Labs so I will know more in a few weeks. However, the only thing that has helped me is going gluten-free. I tried everything else, drugs, diet changes, lactose changes but nothing helped. I went gluten-free 4 weeks ago and all my symptoms are gone.

So the doctor can "label" me IBS or anything he likes, but I'm gluten-free, period.

Susan

Well I day dream about pizza, we have a chic chic pizza place by us and i miss their Pesto Splash pizza.

susan

Where do I get a gluten-free free card to give to these managers??

Thanks for your help,

susan

Tiffany,

I tried to see your recipes but it said that I was unauthorized to enter your web site.

I'm only 4 or 5 weeks gluten-free so I can't really say yet, however I'm an eater and there are very few foods I don't like.

Since going gluten-free I've started to try and eat more healthy and I have cut out all chocolate and most sweets totally. I'm eating very little refined carbs and eating more basic foods.

I never ate things like potato chips before and still don't, I'm one of those that watches my weight like a hawk... I have a lot of clothes (shopaholic) and I can't get any bigger or they won't fit and I won't buy anything, not one piece, a size bigger, to me that just gives me permission to get bigger.

So far I don't really miss anything other then pizza and I tried a mix to make a gluten-free pizza crust and so far I'd rather do without.

Susan

Well since I found out I need to be gluten-free (about 4 or 5 weeks ago) I decided this was a perfect time for me to be healthier.... and initially its easier to go gluten-free if you cut your diet down to more basic stuff.... on top of that I wanted to lose about 7 pounds (my clothes are too tight and I can't afford a new wardrobe) so I started the Carbohydrates Addict's Diet at the same time as my gluten-free. (i won't go into the whole diet thing but it tries to limit most carbs to just your evening meal). And btw I've lost 5 lbs as of today and I've never once been hungry.

So for breakfast I usually have eggs, scrambled, omlet, always with veggies (in the omlet or I love sliced cherry tomatoes with salt and balsamic vinegar).

For lunch I almost always have a salad with chicken, tuna, cheese, eggs whatever is left over... or I make a stir fry (la choy soy sauce is gluten-free) I love salad! I use Newmans Own lowfat italian (its gluten-free).

For dinner I eat "regular" (i.e. not low carb) fish, chicken and on rare occasion steak with a veggie (usually sauted in olive oil and garlic) and potatoes or rice or gluten-free pasta. I eat fruit and milk at dinner too. Sometimes I have gluten-free bread or crackers with it. Once in a while I'll have gluten-free pound cake or short bread cookies after dinner.

I've not been hungry at all, I've lost weight and for the most part I feel so much better now. I do take calcium and some other supplements, I drink Lactaid milk with 50% more calcium in my tea.

Also for some who may be concerned about my egg eating, my bad cholestrol levels are so low and my good so high, that last time I had it tested (less then a year ago) my doctor told me I would "never" have to worry about artery/heart disease. Its been low like this all my life. I also use salt which some people don't or can't use but I have very low blood pressure too, so I use salt and drink a lot of water (both boost up your blood pressure some).

Pretty basic but again I feel really good.

Susan

I'm only 4 weeks into this and I've made one or two mistakes.... it comes with the territory we are learning a whole new thing... a totally different way to shop, eat and cook. If you were on a new job, or learning a new skill... you'd be far less hard on yourself. You wouldn't expect to be a good tennis player after one lesson or even after one year. It takes time.

You are right your kids do depend on you to make the right choices for them and it seems like you've taken that very seriously and you have done the best you can. Part of life is all about mistakes and hopefully learning from them. Keep telling yourself that your kids are on the path to a healthy life and its a journey... every day new foods, new products, and what not are introduced and we will have to look at and evaluate those... we do the best we can. Mistakes happen and guilt won't fix them. When you make them just tell yourself that you now know about that product.

I've downloaded tons of food lists and I've turned them into a Master list. I've e-mailed a bunch of companies who's food I like and asked them if they were gluten free, I've received answers from everyone (except one vitamin company blew me off so I'm going to assume they are not gluten-free). Perhaps one day I will be able to shop gluten-free without the lists, but right now I need them. I'm in the learning phase.

You sound like your doing a wonderful job. As far as your health care goes... can you make calls to other doctors in your area, explain about the Celiac and ask if they have dealt with the problem before, if they will offer continued testing and more support. I've had good luck with making calls to doctors... I've had the nurses call me back with the info and next Thursday I'm going to see a new doctor that sounded like she'd care more then my current doc.

Remember no one is perfect and the quest for perfection is really a stressful waste of time (believe me I know this first hand), just continue to do your best.

Susan

Oh I have a close friend that does not eat wheat, she does not have any problems with it but says its the enemy, its just bad for you and early man was a meat eater so we should be to.

Anyhow she believe in the eat for your blood type thing and also food combining and she keeps telling me that I can eat wheat again or drink beer if I combine it right. Well.... I don't think so. But I do get tired of her going on and on about it.

Mostly it goes in one ear and out the other, my firm belief .... on just about anything (this applies to health issues as well as controversial issues of the day) is that we are all different and we need to figure out what works for us and do that.

Best, Susan

I went to our local Outback last night... I've only been gluten-free one month but I had a nice time, they seemed to know what they were doing and I'm sure I didn't get any cross contamination because I felt great last night and this morning. I'm so glad to have somewhere to go!

Susan

Thanks for the support everyone, I really needed it. I'm laying off the spinach and cabbage today, I hope that helps and I understand the 2 steps forward, one step back thing but darn, I was feeling so good. I do feel a bit better today and my belly is quiet so thats good. I actually had an early dinner at Outback Steak house and they seemed very aware of the gluten thing. So far I feel good.

Again, thanks for the support and the ideas!

Susan

I'm one of those in the gray area, so far all test negative but gluten-free diet really helped me for 4 weeks.... however... for some reason the runs have come back, not as bad as they were pre gluten-free but not good either. I know for sure I have not been glutened. I have only eaten at home and mostly just fresh foods.

I've been eating a lot of spinach and cabbage (don't ask why, i'm not sure, just a yen I guess and making stir frys a lot, using La Choy soy sauce which every list says is gluten-free and the ingrediets appear to be). I also went to Whole Foods Market and bought a gluten-free pound cake, its made by a popular gluten-free company (can't think of the name right now) but I'm pretty sure that is really gluten-free.

I'm not a huge milk drinker, I've always had Lactaid milk in my tea in the morning and thats it.

Sigh, so why did I go down hill? What happened, I'm so disappointed right now, I've been so careful and I was feeling so good and like I had said in a previous post all my symptoms miraculously disappeared. Well now I'm more then halfway back to where I started. My belly is grumbling constantly again. Oh well, was looking for ideas and wanted to vent, I'm so upset.

I received my entrolab stuff in the mail and will do it and send it in on monday but now I'm wondering if I need to do that full food allergy stuff with York. (going to go broke!)

thanks for listening! Susan

Because my cruise line is small (just 3 sailing ships) I had to deal with Holland America the parent company, but I found the contact info for them on my cruise lines web site, actually I e-mailed them first and then after e-mailing back and forth a few times I asked for a phone number and they called me and we seem to have worked it out.

I'm sure on the carnival web site, they have info about allergies and special diets, so check there or send them an e-mail, they were very responsive to me.

Susan

I just got my EntroLab stuff today and I sort of wondered the same thing... however I did see a couple of people post here that there results were negative. And on top of that I'm not sure why they would just diagnose every one positive for the heck of it, unless they own stock in a gluten free bread company or some such!

Susan

I don't want to start diet wars either because what I have learned over the years is that all our bodies are different and what works for me may not work for someone else, so I'm not saying that the diet I'm on it the best, the "right" one, or will even work for everyone. I've tried other diets and for me they either don't work or I can't stick to them, but this one I can... so I think with dieting... one has to try different things and see which work for them. My only advice is that over all to make a diet successful for years and years is that we have to sort of retrain ourselves, on good healthy food choices, portion sizes, etc. Thats why fad/starvation diets don't usually work for most people... they don't retrain how we eat, so you may lose weight on the watermelon diet but chances are you will gain it back down the line unless you eat watermelon every day of your life!

However, my boyfriend does the South Beach Diet and he has had great success with it, but when I read the book the first couple of weeks are low carb. I realize that after those first couple of weeks you get to add carbs again, but for people like me that literally get sick without some carbohydrates I can't even do the 2 weeks, I get dizzy, sick to my stomach, really ill.

So again, there are a lot of great diets out there but I firmly believe that each person has to find the one that works well for them.

Susan

I thought I posted to this topic before but can't find my post so I will do it again. I'm mostly thin but I have to really watch my weight these past 5 years or so, or I start to gain and I don't know about all you people but I can't afford a new wardrobe so I can't really start gaining weight..... wow as you get older (at least for me) your metabolism changes...

I love carbs... I have tried the Atkins, South Beach and without any carbs at all I feel terrible, I get crabby, brain symptoms, headache, I'm not kidding after 3 days on the Atkins I was lying on the couch moaning feeling like I was sick enough for the emergency room (my husband, who is now my ex husband, was begging me to eat some carbs, I finally did and got back to normal within hours). I'm sorry but I can see eating all that meat and thinking that is healthy.

So my friend lost almost 40 lbs. on the Carb's Addict Diet and he has been on it in a modified way for 3 years. He now says he can't imagine eating any other way, he swore to me his carb cravings went away. So I bought the book (and instead of trying to post it here, there are a number of simple parts to the diet, let me say its out in paper back and I bought it at Barnes and Noble for under $6. - the full title is The Carbohydrates Addict Diet and Life span Program for people in their 40's, 50's and beyond... they have just the plain Carbohydrates Addicts Diet too I guess its for younger people but the diet is the exact same... the one I had has challanges in it you can try after you have been on the diet for a while).

I went on the diet which is sort of a modified high protien diet, you don't have to weigh or measure anything, you just need to keep your protein portions and veggie portions in certain amounts, for example at breakfast you need to keep the protein and veggies each 1/2 your meal, you can eat as much as you want as long as the % is half of one and half of another (same at lunch btw), at dinner the proprotions are 1/3 protein, 1/3 low carbs veggies and 1/3 carbs of your choice.

Because you get carbs every single day I didn't get that sick feeling like I did on other low carb diets, and its so easy to do... I'm eating so healthy now and yes I've lost weight and I'm keeping it off without trying. I really think this book is worth eating. My friend who has been on it for years now created his own maintenance phase.... he is on the diet sunday - thursday and on Friday and Saturday eats how he likes... he made up this maintenance phase because he was losing too much weight (if you can imagine such a thing!).

Not only did I feel good, lose weight, sleep well, but I'm never hungry on it (it does allow snacks too but I've never had them). If really low carb diets don't work for you then you should try this one.

Susan

On the east coast we have Legal Seafood restaurants and I know they have one in Palm Beach, Florida too.

I was in one today and I asked if they had a gluten free menu and she said not now but in about 3 weeks we will, we've all been trained about it and are very aware of gluten problems and allergy issues. She told me to pick something I wanted to eat and she would discuss it with the chef. I choose a tuna lunch with veggies and it said it would be served on pilaf... (I know I can't eat pilaf but I wanted to see if they knew.

Well she came out and told me that I could get it on wild rice or jasmine rice but that the pilaf had gluten in it. She also told me they use seperate utensils to make and and such. I'm going to guess they did it exactly right because I ate it hours ago and I feel wonderful.

Susan

To recap my story, 8 years of digestive problems, supposedly have IBS, chronic diarrhea. I go to my doctor and get tested for celiac 3 weeks ago, right after I have the test I start to eat totally gluten free and in less then a week every single symptom I've had is magically gone.

Then the doctor calls me up and tells me all my blood work is totally normal (I had lots done) and that the tests for celiac are all negative. I asked that they send the test results to me and I got them today. I'd like to know if anyone can help me understand them.

The tests ordered were: endomysial iga, gliadin abs, reticulin abs.

this is what the results say:

endomysial iga: negative

gliadin abs, gliadin igg ab: 2.5 (negative is less then 25)

gliadin iga ab: 5.1 (negative is less then 25)

reticulin abs: negative (at 1:20 dilution)

So it seems like every test I had was very very negative, right? How does one explain the change I had by taking gluten out of my diet? How do I find out if I can eat gluten or not?

Susan

I've only been gluten free for 3 weeks but I've lost 4 lbs and my stomach is so flat because I'm not bloated or gassy.

As with anything it depends on your food choices.. if you eat potato chips and candy all day you'll gain weight. In my case I'm eating less processed foods and its working. I feel so much healthier. Chicken, fish, pork, occasional steak, lots of veggies, fruit, I have made some gluten-free Pantry Spice cake but I've only been having a small slice once a day as a treat. So far so good.

I think once you look into it you'll see you can diet and be gluten-free.

Susan

Hmmmm, well the ingredients in my A1 Sauce (garlic flavor) are:

(an * by the ones I'm not sure are gluten-free)

tomato puree

vinegar

molasses

corn syrup

salt

raisin paste

roasted garlic puree

*spice

orange puree

dried garlic

dried onions

*carmel color

*natural flavor

sugar

tamarind

It has no warning for gluten, or wheat ingredients but I'm just not sure.

Susan

Since I'm new at this (just over 3 weeks) I still just forget and eat stuff, darn! I had Lea and Perrins Worchester Sauce and I'm not sure if its ok, it looks ok but what do I know.

I didn't eat the A1 Sauce but I do love the stuff and would like to know if I can use it in the future. I went to the Kraft web site and they don't list any real nutritional information about it. Shame on them!

Does anyone know?

Susan

I'm writing to myself on this topic, but I wanted to be fair about it incase in the future someone needs this info.

Yesterday Holland America called us, they are the parent company for our Windstar Cruise. We have 2 issues, my gluten problem and my daughter has a life threatening peanut and tree nut allergy.

They were very nice on the phone and I felt like they really wanted to help. She did say that they won't carry any gluten free breads for me, or pastas, I'm going a really small ship and they just "can't do that. I might bring a loaf of my own bread for breakfast toast! She said they hate to promise everything will be perfect because there is only one kitchen on board and there is a small issue of cross contamination (and I guess there is everywhere we go) but she has notified the boat, the ships doctor (for my daughter) and the chef. She said when we arrive on the boat to go and talk with the dining room manager and the chef, they know we are coming and that they will do everything they can to accomodate us. She said the staff does deal with food allergies all the time and are very aware of the issues of seperate utensils and cross contamination.

So after talking with them I felt much better. I did however buy a supplemental medical insurance policy that includes airlifting my daughter off the boat if we need too. I did this on our first cruise too so its a peace of mind thing.

Thanks hope this helps someone.

Susan

I can't find these flours locally, if someone finds them online could they post that info here. thanks!

Susan

Its getting harder and harder to take a vacation. The cruise line just e-mailed me and told me that they can't accomodate my daughters life threatening peanut allergy now. The cruise line is Windstar, which is owned by the same company as Holland America and Carnival. Its a luxury cruise line and they can't help me with gluten or peanuts. Sigh. Now I'm not sure what to do, they said they only have one kitchen on the boat and there could be cross contamination. We have been on a number of cruises and they all had one kitchen too, as a matter of fact every hotel we stay at and every restaurant we eat in only has one kitchen.

Life can get so complicated, I'm so torn on what to do.

Susan

Hi Welcome and I'm new too! I think the adjustment to having celiac disease is made easier or more difficult depending on how you ate before. For me and I'm so new at this I only have a few weeks under my belt, but eating at home is not so difficult. I went and downloaded off of web sites lists of gluten-free food that can be found in my regular store and then I went to the web sites of foods I like, like Hood Milk, Newman's Own and many of them list foods they make that are gluten free. At home we have always eaten very little processed or packaged food so that made it a bit easier for me, I think.

I was big on eating out and I'm disappointed that I won't be doing that as much. I posted in another part of this forum that I'm taking a cruise at Christmas and we notified the Cruise line that I need a gluten free diet and they said they can't do gluten free diets, its Windstar Cruises fyi. However they think there is enough food that I can eat there that is gluten-free. I'm doubting that but I'm still taking the cruise.

So I think you may find that after doing some research eating at home is pretty easy.

Any how, again welcome and I'm sure you will figure it out and it will become second nature.

Susan