pixiegirl

Well its been said in this thread a number of times that we each have to find our own way and what works for each of us, and that is so true.

I said that I watch my weight constantly and don't go over my 5 pound limit, which is true, however at one point in time I did gain weight. I was at the end of my marriage and very unhappy at the time. I gained about 30 pounds and carried it around for about a year. When I finally got divorced I was just ready for a change and I hated how I looked, for me I had to sort of reach a rock bottom to have the will power to actually lose weight.

I went on a pretty strict diet and started to lose it. I'll tell you there is nothing like seeing the pounds drop off to help you stick to your diet. I lost it over the course of 3 months. It was after that I vowed never to gain more then a few pounds again, it was just too hard to take it off.

I am nothing if not disciplined, my job requires it and so over time its become a part of my personality. And so I allow myself few treats every day, even when I'm in the diet mode. Usually its a 100 calorie bag of popcorn and a few Hershey's kisses or a small piece of dark chocolate. For me if I don't have some chocolate I do feel deprived and then end up falling off the diet. But again you have to be really disciplined to only eat a small piece.

I guess for those of you that feel deprived when you diet you need to find some sort of reward so that doesn't happen because in my experience it can foil a diet every time. Shopping, chocolate, a glass of wine every few days... whatever floats your boat. Also when i diet I get rid of big bags of tortilla chips and such, its far easier not to eat them when they are not here! I'll go out and purchase 100 calorie bags of stuff and put a sign in my pantry: Only 1 treat a day! We use to have a dish out with Hershey's Kissables in it and I can't tell you how often I'd walk by and grab a "few". They add up. So on top of just going on a diet I think one needs to sit down and figure out where your diet downfalls are and how you will avoid them AHEAD OF TIME. I'm one of those Oprah type people: I will not eat after 7 pm. The only time that rule changes is when I go on vacation or its some special occasion.

Good luck. Susan

I eat out a lot too and if I'm not trying to lose weight I order what I want to, but I rarely finish it all I often bring some of it home. If I am in the weight loss mode I stick with fish and salad and veggies, or chicken, much plainer food. But we still enjoy going out (no cooking, no clean up, etc.). I usually splurge when we are out to dinner and have wine.

I know its hard to change your thinking around but I don't feel like I give up much by going gluten-free, I was so ill prior to finding out I had celiac that it was a relief to me that I could just take gluten out of my diet and feel so good.

Since then I've found I have food allergies too, so I can't have nuts, peanuts. I am allergic to but can eat in small amounts, tomato, lettuce, beans, squash. But I don't feel I'm giving up a lot, I'm health and happy.

Susan

Yes I didn't mean to sound argumentative and just like you I didn't want anyone to think that I thought taking in only 900 calories a day was a good way to lose weight. In my book its a good way to ruin your health.

I am very "into" being healthy... exercise, eating right, maintaining my weight, being positive and centered. For the most part I eat whatever I want too, I just eat the stuff with more calories in smaller portions. I don't want to make it sound easy either, like I said before its an every day thing for me and I know my sister in law struggles with her weight every day. Its certainly not easy.

And we put so much stock into being a certain weight, but whether you are at that weight or not, try and enjoy life.

Susan!

Well I'd like to add those are general guidelines and everyone's metabolism isn't exactly the same.

I also want to make it clear that I wasn't implying she should eat 900 calories a day, that isn't healthy at all. I was just making the point that if one was eating 900 calories a day for weeks at a time, and they have no metabolic disorders, the bottom line is that you are going to lose weight. (and I do understand how the body slows down your metabolism if you don't get enough calories but you will still ultimately lose weight if you continue very very low calories)

Personally when I need to lose a few pounds (I never let myself go more then 5 lbs over my ideal weight) I go to about 1300 - 1500 calories a day and its gone quickly.

Just wanted to make sure no one thought that 900 calories is a good idea.

Susan

Chocolate is big with me, so is Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream (ok its got dairy but these are some of the things I eat). I love Enjoy Life snickerdoodles. Enjoy life has a lot of good snacks. I've been eating those gluten-free candy canes (bought after Christmas at half price!)

Susan

Hmm.... I'm not sure what direction to approach this so I guess I'll hit all the stops... If you are gluten-free and feeling healthy again and you really are eating only 900 calories for say a couple weeks at a time and not losing a pound then there is something wrong and you need a doctor to evaluate your situation. I'm not sure but you might ask your doctor for a consult with an endocrinologist (i think they cover metabolism and such). But if I were you I'd keep a food diary for about a month or so, so you can prove that you have really been trying and its not working. A food diary should include everything that goes into your mouth, including water, gum, and just a sip or taste of this or that. If you have an HMO you might be able to get a consult with a dietitian.

I certainly am not in the medical field but I consider myself an expert on weight loss. I've watched my weight every single day of my life. People often laugh when I tell them I'm an expert they say, "oh right, your thin!" I'm thin because I watch everything that goes in my mouth.

My sister in law has gained a lot of weight over the past 5 years (change of life stuff) and she told me for a year that she was only eating 1000 calories a day and was not losing any weight. I kept telling her it was impossible. I went out there last summer for 2 weeks and she managed to lose 6 pounds while I was there. There is nothing wrong with her metabolism she just didn't count calories well. A nibble of this and sip of that, just a bite, and a glass of wine (which usually turns into 2).

Most people I know diet like this: day 1: really good on 1000 calorie diet. day 2: pretty good but had 1 cookie. day 3: did ok but had a few snacks. day 4-7: totally screwed it up.

The bottom line is that for someone your size that IS in good health, if you eat 900 calories and exercise every day you WILL lose weight. Its hard, believe me I know it. Have you tried any of those online diet places (e-diet I think and I know weight watchers has one too). I'm sure there are lots of people here that would be willing to offer advice and encouragement (maybe we should start a gluten-free dieting thread), myself included (I can be sort of boot camp however which I'm sure is apparent from my post).

In a nutshell this is what I do when I need to lose weight: walk 3 miles every single day, no days off (I have a big dog). I eat mainly fruits, veggies, protein. NO white in my diet (no rice, potatoes, cereal, baked goods, etc.) drink more water with lemon.

Here is how I live when I don't need to lose weight: walk 3 miles every single day, no days off (I have a big dog). I eat mainly fruits, veggies, protein. drink more water with lemon. I have an occasional glass of wine. I eat small amounts of rice or potatoes or a cookie or trail mix or power bar or even ice cream when I feel like it (but no more then once a day). The key with this stuff is small amounts. I love sweets too - chocolate and ice cream are way up on my list!

When I tell this to people sometimes I hear: but I want to enjoy my life. I'm a firm believer that our enjoyment in life shouldn't be centered around food. Hey I love to eat and drink, and I eat in good restaurants often and really savor it, but i get my real enjoyment from my family, my dog, my boyfriend, my friends, books, walking, my job, hiking, the beach, shopping, etc. Its a change of mindset and for the past 10 years or so... my glass is way more then half full, its positively brimming.

I'm 53, 5'7" I'm 2 pounds under my high school weight (I'm 119 this morning), healthy, happy, active. I really believe good health is a powerful key to happiness.

I really believe that anyone in good health can lose weight but I know first hand its not easy and to do it we can all use a lot of help, ideas and encouragement.

Good luck! Susan

Yes I did and he insisted that I still didn't have celiac. Needless to say I changed doctors. Some people just can't admit they are wrong.

Susan

Yes I think a whole lot more research on Celiac is sorely needed. I have celiac (with double DQ2) and so does my mom (who is back to eating gluten as her doctor insists that she has IBS and that at her "age" its not necessary to be totally gluten-free and she chooses to believe him because she can't "live" without bread). My dad died of a stroke 6 years ago but for at least 20+ years suffered from GI issues. My brother has all sorts of GI issues as well. And my daughter tested "slightly positive" for Celiac. I'm the only one who is gluten-free. My daughter is trying to go gluten-free right now but fails about every 3rd day. She is 16 and has life threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts and hates that she now has something else to make her different. I do feel for her, its harder as a teen. She goes to the movies at the mall with her bf and girlfriends and they want to get dinner after. There is not one restaurant at our little local crummy mall that she can eat at. Sigh.

Susan

Hmmm well let me say I'd be happy with a pill that would help with accidental glutenings! As I've said many times I travel often and it does happen occasionally to me when I'm on the road. Over all I've had very very good luck (not to mention how careful I am) eating in restaurants all over the country, in canada, mexico and the caribbean.

But I thought the pill was administered not after you thought you got gluten but prior to eating? (I could be wrong on this I'm certainly not part of any study) If that's so, it must be intended for use when you think you "might" be glutened as opposed to after its happened. So even though I'd certainly not take it and eat pizza, I think a lot of people would take it and then try... say... french fries that were fried in common oil. I guess the point I'm trying to make (well if any point at all, its early and I tend to like to talk around things), is that you are all saying its for accidental glutenings but if you take it prior to eating then it sort of doesn't fall in the category of "unbeknownst". Ya have to know its likely to happen (which when you order pizza in a regular restaurant you can be pretty sure of!).

It will be interesting to see how much gluten this pill can block... But again I'd certainly take it at my friends homes, that is the one location that I'm constantly glutened at! (they do try but I think their kitchens must be covered in flour). The other place I'm glutened at constantly is little breakfast joints.

Oh well I need another cup of tea!

Susan

I'm not sure I'd buy the statistic if I saw one! There are so many undiagnosed Celiac's that I'm not sure a % of current celiac's would be representative and probably won't be until doctors are more open to making a celiac diagnosis.

I will say that from reading this list and talking to other celiac's it sure seems like a lot of us have other issues going on. I have allergies and eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

But I wish there was a lot more study on autoimmune system disorders.

Susan

I hope they don't start consolidating manufacturing... GFP has products that are gluten-free and peanut/tree nut free and I think think Glutino does. Its very difficult to find flours, mixes, and gluten-free products that are both. Thanks for the address I'll write to him and ask him to keep them nut free.

Susan

Add me to the list of people that get drunk on a single glass of wine. I was never a big drinker but I certainly, over the course of an evening that included dinner drink more then a single glass.

Now after a small glass of wine I'm actually tipsy and if I have even 1.5 I'm a goner! My boyfriend calls me a cheap drunk (he's teasing me of course he's so careful with my gluten issues).

Susan

For what its worth I didn't have any symptoms of Celiac until I was pregnant, that was my trigger I guess. It took me 11 years to figure out what was wrong with me. I went gluten-free on my own too and felt far better (not 100% but 80% better maybe) after just a few days. I ended up doing an entrolab test and found out I have both of the main celiac genes. But honestly I didn't need that to go gluten-free I was feeling so much better.

But I know I have it I don't need a biopsy (I did have one for another reason but by that time I had been gluten-free for 2 years) because every single time I've goofed with gluten I get soooo sick. Unlike some people here that say they miss gluten items (bread, pizza) I don't... they make me so ill that there is no joy associated with them for me.

I do eat gluten-free pizza (Chebe) and make my own bread but very rarely I've pretty much lost a lot of desire for simple carbs. I still like rice and potatoes and I eat rice pasta from time to time but I don't crave carbs any more.

Good luck!

Susan

I'm on Cape Cod. When I went gluten-free about 6 years ago that made most of my symptoms go away. I had a good GI dr. and did have blood tests for EOS disease and they were really in the ok range.

Then I was scoped and I had tons of areas that tested positive for EGID (eosinophilic gastroenteritis intestinal disease).

So I don't think a blood test is the be all and end all for that.

I'm glad your continuing to look for issues, it certainly can take a long time!

Susan

Good for you!

Its never been hard for me to be gluten-free, I don't even think of eating gluten because i get so ill. I'm actually to the point where I don't much miss bread or cookies, I've found gluten-free alternatives.

I love chocolate and ice cream so when others are having gluten desserts I'm able to still eat sweet things that I love.

Susan

I couldn't live without my iPod, iPhone, iMac....

for a non Apple mp3 player try Amazon. Actually Walmart has online music too.

Open Original Shared Link

Enjoy!

Susan

I have a few friends that are doctors and I think that most go into medicine with good intentions, so why do so many end up being not as warm and fuzzy as we patients would like?

From some of the stories I hear from my md friends... its because doctors and police fall into the exact same thing with their "clients". They all lie. And after years of that, you begin to distrust them. Every doctor I know says the same thing, patients lie about every thing. Now that may not be you and I but sadly it does apparently apply to a lot of people. Patients lie about their medical history, their past surgeries, their current state of medical health.

I am quite friendly with a plastic surgeon and the lies he hears every single day are so over the top. People are so desperate to get a nose tweak or breast implants that they will lie about current medical conditions (like heart attacks!!!) to get the work done. And when he asks for medical records and orders things like ekg, they continue to lie! He told me about one person that wanted some work done and when he got the medical records this person had a heart attack just months before!!! When confronted they first denied the heart attack and finally ended up saying they had no idea it would make a difference. They were literally willing to risk their life to get rid of a few wrinkles. From what I've heard fully honest patients are the exception.

So I think doctors get to a point where they feel a lot/most patients lie to them. And I'm not sure any medical school in the world can fix it so people don't get jaded. But I guess I'd like them to remember that a few of us are honest.

More importantly is this: I'd like them to be taught that Celiac is actually not a rare disease. My former doctor told me (he's in his late 50's) that when he was in medical school this is what they were taught about Celiac: Its an extremely rare disease and you will probably NOT see a case of it in your entire medical career. That was it. (and he went to Yale). So what I'd really like to see is doctors being taught that virtually 1 in 100 people have Celiac so more then likely he will see a case of it every single week. Just that alone would make a huge difference, if they just had an open mind.

Susan

I never had DH diagnosed either but I do think I had it, for years I had dark purple spots on my skin, it didn't look like classic DH but it did go away (slowly) after I went gluten-free. On top of the dark purple rashes I also had small red bumps and other various rashes, some itchy, some not. And for the most part they are all gone too.

I think when we are ingesting gluten and shouldn't be it just messes up our entire immune system.

Susan

i know its hard to do but mom's often have to be meanies, comes with the territory! Again this is about good health so its so important.

Good luck!

Boy do I agree with the above poster. Its your house, I'm assuming your doing them a favor by letting them move in... I'd tell them the house is gluten free - period the end. When they want gluten they can go to the grocery store and eat the junk in their car. Or go to a restaurant and have it.

This disease could permanently effect your daughters health, the fact that your other daughter and her boy friend "try" isn't enough. I'd say ok we tried it, its not working and now the house is gluten-free. Done. If they can't abide by the rules of the house, find another house.

Susan

I just want to sort of correct something that a poster sort of said above. It was about how people with nut allergies have the same problem as people with gluten issues in that some manufacturers put warning labels on their food to cover their butts.

I don't think that any manufacturer does this unless they feel there is a slight chance, regardless of how small, that the forbidden food could end up in the product. And I'm one person that, although it does limit our choices, I'm glad they do it. If they are not entirely sure they can't keep say peanuts out of their food I want to know about it.

Please don't ever think that a warning label can be ignore for people that have food allergies... many of them are anaphylactic, my daughter is and when we see those cover your butt warning labels we steer clear of that product. Just the slightest hint of peanut would send her to the hospital, she could easily die, the epi pen does not work for every single person, every single time. She actually has severe reactions to peanut oil in the air (so any place that serves peanuts is out, like a baseball game).

We both have to be gluten-free so I do understand how sick just a tiny bit of gluten can make me, but I'm not anaphylactic and when someone is, its a whole different ball game. I had a neighbor once do just what the poster above spoke about, she was giving my daughter candy canes that clearly said on the package that they were made in the same factory as peanuts products and that there was a chance of cross contamination. I asked her what the heck she was thinking and she said, "really what is the chance that there is a peanut in a candy cane? You know that chance might be VERY small but I'm sure not willing to bet my daughters life on it!

So its not quite the same, but I get the point she was making. In regards to gluten I can't tell you how many times I've tried items that have that cross contamination warning on them and have ended up sick. Not always but its happened a number of times.

Susan

I think then, if you eat gluten-free flour and pop a multi vitamin you'd be all set.

Susan

Its just so hard to compare and I'm not sure what the point is... if you can't have gluten, then you can't have it regardless of if its a tad more nutritious then rice bread. Make a point of giving your kids healthy foods in other ways.

I'm really made that Jerry Seinfeld's wife (and a few others) wrote those books about sneaking stuff in your kids foods, I was doing that 16 years ago, I thought everyone did it! If I had done a book I'd probably be financially independent now! Darn.

If they like red sauce you can sneak just about anything in that! In gluten-free baked products you can put in other grains that are gluten-free, flax seed, nuts, etc. My daughter went thru a Kraft Mac and Cheese stage (prior to us being gluten-free) and I snuck in sweet potato, carrots, and butternut squash! (all the same color right).

Just be creative!

Susan

Like everyone else has said, its time for a new job. I know that can be a daunting thing to do, especially when your not feeling well, but I really think another sort of job will be better for your health. If you are a waitress or like food service you can probably work in another sort of restaurant, but I'd pick one that doesn't do a lot of on site baking! Think: book store!

I've been gluten-free for over 6 years now and I'm not sure if you've noticed that so many people on this list that have signatures often include other health issues they have and if you start reading those signatures it becomes clear pretty fast that a whole bunch of us have a lot of other health and GI sort of issues going on. I know, just like so many here, I do too.

I never (to my knowledge) had an allergy before and now all of a sudden I have tons... food and environmental. On top of that I also have eosinophilic gastroenteritis another sort of GI disease. It's my feeling that my Celiac disease went untreated for so long (11 years) and it being a sort of auto immune disorder that our immune systems get very messed up and hence the other health issues and allergies so many of us seem to have.

So my point is, the quest for all of us Celiac people of good health... usually takes a while. I'd start with the job and trying to be as gluten-free at home as you can. This forum is so willing to help you with questions and ideas. If I hadn't found all these great people I know I'd still be sick. I'd have never considered shampoo, body lotions, my dog food, etc. So start asking questions.... I know there are a lot of over the counter meds and Rx meds that do contain gluten so ask here or call the manufacturer. At least nowadays almost every company has allergy information (and gluten info) at their fingertips.

Look at it as an adventure to better health, its going to be a journey, it certainly was for me, but I did get better, it took a while but its worth it!

Susan

Yep I did miss you were dairy free... some of Annie's dressings are soy and dairy free as well as being gluten free. I have bought Drew's salad dressings and they clearly mark on each variety what it is free of. Seeds of change has some that are dairy and soy free too.

Sorry for the mix up, its was I get for checking in her before 6 am!

Susan