1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:
And now just go ahead and make that first post!
Hi. I've been on CC for several months now, not so much to lose weight as to lose weight and make sure I'm still eating fairly well (my partner was concerned I wasn't eating well enough). I tend toward being underweight but gained some weight over the past several months that I wanted to lose.
I'm usually very active--I do mixed-martial arts, running, snowboarding, rock climbing--but I've been sick off an on for a year, so my activity level has gone down a bit. And since October, I've been sick non-stop, one thing after another, and had gained 10 lbs. After tons of tests and scans, they decided to check me for food allergies.
Two days ago, I got the results from my doctor, and I'm feeling really panicked about the whole thing. I've been vegan for 15 years and I don't generally feel like my diet is limited, but finding out that I have allergies to gluten, soy, chocolate, oats, orange, peanuts, malt... good god! I don't know what to eat!
Obviously, I'm most worried about the gluten. It seems like it's in everything I usually eat, at home and at restaurants. I don't cook much... I go out to eat a lot, with clients and with friends, and I already feel on the spot when I have to ask questions about what's in the food. Now I can see it's going to be even harder. I'm just nervous, and honestly, food has always stressed me out anyway. And now it's even more stressful.
I'm hoping that by joining this group, I'll get some ideas and maybe feel less panicked about this. I hope there are other vegans here.... I looked at a lot of gluten-free products that had other things I'm allergic to, like eggs and cheese.
And I guess here are the mundane details about my life (if anyone is still reading after this looooooong post):
I'm a self-employed project and account manager. I work mostly with small businesses, helping them develop marketing campaigns. I'm 34, I live in Seattle, my dog died recently but I still have my cat, no kids yet. My closest friend+ is a police officer, pilot, and health freak. He is a great motivator and I glean a lot of encouragement from his own efforts at being fit and healthy.
Hello to my fellow gluten-intolerants,
I had always been that annoying skinny girl who doesn't pay attention to what she eats until I found out I was a celiac. My metabolism had lost its fervor when I got to college, and the undiagnosed celiac bloated me big time. So not only did I gain weight, but I felt enormous from the bloat.
As a kid my mom refused to have a scale in the house, and always said if your pants don't fit and you haven't grown taller, you should lay off the cookies. We ate natural and organic before it was trendy, and I was constantly active through high school in sports, marching band, and just playing outside. My family are grazers, and I've always eaten 5+ times per day. This has become somewhat of a problem being in college, as I go cruising for snacks even if I'm not hungry. I don't consider myself fat, but I was terribly out of shape with no muscle tone until I started going to the gym 3x/week in January. This is the heaviest I've ever been, and I joined CC to monitor my nutrition as well as lose a couple pounds along the way. I think now that celiac deprives me of most of my favorite foods, I tend to indulge in the few treats I can have when feeling sorry for myself. My best weight was about 135, so I'm hoping to get down there eventually.
Some fun facts, I'm in college for music history and thanks to celiac I don't have a dining hall meal plan at school. The cafeteria was certainly responsible for some of my freshman 15. I'm from Connecticut (the normal part, not the Gold Coast) and go to school in Hartford. My boyfriend goes to school with me, and has been incredible during this gluten free adjustment. He asks more questions at restaurants than I do.
A word in regards to gluten free products: watch out! Always read the labels, because many product replacements for us GIs are incredibly unhealthy. Glutino frozen mac and cheese has over 1000 mG of sodium!
Original Post by dlind:
Happy New Year All!!
I have been on CC and sites similar for a few years. I was diagnosed with Celiac's about 6 months ago and proud to say I made it through my first Italian Christmas without a meltdown. (of course I brought my own food and cookies). I am getting married in about a year and want to make sure my weight doesn't spiral out of hand in either direction. I am a personal trainer in the Northern New Jersey area and exercise 6 days a week, so I really need to make sure I am eating the right things for my training. I love to cook and am in need of some tasty meals. I am also trying to learn italian to speak to my future in-laws. Anyone know how to explain Celiac's Disease in italian???
dlind:
There is a website called Celiac Travel that has cards in 42 languages to explain Celiac while in restaurants and hotels abroad. Here is a link to the Italian card:
http://www.celiactravel.com/gluten-free-cards /21-italian.html
I used the German card during the chapter on food in my German class! The translations are very good as far as I know. Ciao!
How many out there stay strickly gluten free? I'm finding it so hard not to cheat. My real down fall is breads and then we go out to dinner and "what the heck" eat something I love but know I'm not suppose to. I did make some killer chocochip cookies this weekend, using the Nestle Toll House receipe except I used "Moma's Coconut Blend" baking mix for the flour plus 2 tesp Xathum gum.
Hey, I am gluten free because I actually have ciliac disease. When ever I do eat anything with gluten in it I get really sick and it is not fun. I know moments after i eat something not right. There are alot of good gluten free foods out there now. I have been on the diet for 3 years now. I am 18. I am the only one in my family with it which makes it even harder. The brand "glutino" tastes just like real food. lol.
good luck!
Hi, sorry to hear about the result. Just one thing. Are the "other" food allergies secondary or primary? When I found out I could not eat gluten I was told that I had to stay away from lactose as well. But that was a secondary allergy and a result of the first one. The good thing was that after about a year I got over the secondary allergy and can again drink milk (know not good for a vegan, but the idea).
So, perhaps you will be able to slowly reintroduce some of the other food items into your diet.
I used to be lactose intolerant. I also have had my gallbladder taken out so my diet also has to be low fat. I am also allergic to red grapes and red wine... (same thing i know)
I will never be able to eat gluten but tis ok.
I am glad i can eat milk products again though cause I LOVE my icecream. :)
BerlinMike-
It sounds like the others might be secondary allergies, since my doctor says I'll be able to add some of them back into my diet in a "special" way. I hope so.
Mostly, I'm finding I miss chocolate... even more than gluten! Although, I was in Portland, OR this weekend, home of VooDooDonuts (they appparently make the best vegan donuts around, but i've never had a chance to try them), and I had a hard time resisting the donut craving. Oh well.
I am NOT getting enough protein... not even close. It's easy to find stuff to eat, actually. Just hard to find stuff to eat that meets my nutritional needs.
I have problems getting enough protein too. i've been drinking rice protein powder lately. I have the same problems getting nutritional needs because of the multiple allergies. I wish I could be just gluten free, it would be so much easier (also allergic to soy, egg, navy beans, casein, lactose, yeast, kidney beans, & cottage cheese). A lot of gluten free items have other allergens in them so it makes it hard. I get a lot of vitamin deficiencies too.
PS: I would miss chocolate too! The milk in it makes me sick. Although I can eat dark chocolate in small quantities without any incident, so thats something!
I was diagnosed in 9/06 after spending about a year being completely miserable - think of that time as the Dark Ages. Couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. The people at Kroger and Meijer I think thought I was some sort of junkie - I would often roam the aisles in the middle of the night after waking up with the world's worst heartburn, hoping to see *something* that would look remotely appetizing.
All things told, I lost about 30lbs in 4mths. 2wks in, primary MD did bloodwork - all normal except for super-high sed rate. Another 4wks, he ordered the barium studies & U/S - all normal except for reflux. Another 2wks, he said it was irritable bowl and "female stress" (I could've smacked him) and suggested eating - get this - a bowl of ALL-BRAN every morning!!! I was supposed to try that for a month and then follow-up... I managed about 5 days before even looking at a cereal bowl made me want to urp.
When I finally managed to get him to admit defeat and send me to a gastro MD, the gastro immediately ordered an EGD and *presto* - my celiac diagnosis. I have never been so happy and so mad at the same time! My vit D and vit B12 levels were in the toilet, ab titers sky high, but now I knew how to treat them.
I was never a bread/pasta person anyway, and I can still eat Doritos. What it *not* good was gaining back the 30lbs plus another 15! I'm 5'8" and at 187, so have about 47lbs to lose. I don't know what it is about celiac, maybe that now I'm actually absorbing what I eat, but the lbs just don't come off like they used to. I love to bake, the fancy fruit-filled torte stuff, so while I convert all that to GF I have to make sure to find people to act as "quality control" for me so I don't keep gaining.
Other than that, I'm a former freelance musician, now back in school for biotech. Have a small lab in my basement for doing orchid tissue culture and other odds-n-ends experiments, work in the veggie garden in the summers, and snowshoe in the winters. Hope this group will help keep me in the weight-loss game/mindset and will try to help others do the same!
cellostix
Lactose intolerance often goes away after following a GF diet for awhile (acquired lactase deficiency). Celiac disease results in blunted villi in your small intestine. Lactase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose into sugars your body can use, is present in *most* people in sufficient quantities in the small intestine. The villi help hold the lactase in place long enough for it to do its job. When the villi are blunted or disappear completely in celiacs, lactase can't stick around to digest lactose. So once your intestine starts to heal, the lactase can build up again and hopefully reduce/elimination your lactose intolerance.
In most people, expression (production) of the lactase enzyme starts to slow down as you grow older. There are *very* few people with primary lactase deficiencies. So, if your lactose intolerance symptoms coincided with your celiac symptoms, chances are good that they will both improve together as well.
cellostix
I am so glad I found you all. I have been recently diagnosised with Celiac Disease and getting very confused. I am also gaining weight that I have been trying to lose.
1. I have been overweight my entire life. I seem to lose then regain.
2. I have just started to count calories. As long as I can locate an item and measure it I seem ok.
3. New to Celiac Disease and need support.
3. I do corporate public affairs for a global company so I do run into stressful situations. I am married with two wonderful children and have a bassette hound named Daisy. I have joined our local gym and really enjoying it. I am doing the treadmill as well as pilates and yoga.
Hi all. I've been with CC since last October, and set myself a goal of losing 28 lbs before my 50th birthday. I've lost about 23, and am down to about 140, but my birthday is next week, and I don't think I'm going to make it. That's OK though, because I'll just keep plugging away, trying to shift those last 5 lbs. I'm pretty happy with my progress. I have been heavier in the past, close to 200 lbs, especially when I was on a preventative for migraines. Which leads me to the reason I adopted a gluten-free lifestyle. I tried the caveman (or Neanderthin) diet about three years ago, which meant giving up all grains, as well as dairy. I found that after a couple of weeks my weekly migraines virtually stopped. I gave up on the diet as too restrictive, but kept on with a gluten-free eating. Now the only time I have a bad headache is when I slip up and accidentally eat something with wheat or ground up corn. I used to miss bread and especially pizza alot, but I've adjusted to the fact I'll probably never be able to eat them again. Not having to face two or three days in bed each week with pain, nausea and vomiting makes it so worthwhile.
A little research on the internet showed me that there is a definite but little known connection between migraines and gluten intolerance. Has anyone else had any experience with this?
Hi, I've been listed as a member for quite awhile but haven't joined in. I've been overweight since about 2nd grade (looking at elementary school photos) and a few months ago began to put together all the different things I've learned about food to begin to eat healthy. I also have a suspicion I'm gluten intolerant -- bad stomach cramps when I eat wheat. So on December 1st I gave up wheat and started to count calories.
Wait when you hear me say the following so you don't think I'm treating my body bad; I eat 1,000-1,000 calories a day for two days and 1,200 to 1,400 on the third day. I'm not recommending this to anyone else, nor will I be doing this for long. I'm totally sedentary right now and have been for months -- I was bone on bone with my hip, no cartilage. I had hip surgery Feb. 3rd and will soon be released from my sedentary lifestyle. As I go back to a normal lifestyle, I'll definitely lift my calorie intake. I'll also be seeing my Naturopath at the end of the month and ask if he can check for Gluten Intolerance (I'm housebound now till I get released by my surgeon).
Other than this, I'm an avid cook and have tried a number of gluten free recipes which I hope to share. I love to take my dog for walks, hike, camp, garden, bike, get together with friends (preferably with me cooking for all of them!), etc.
I look forward to meeting many of you and learning how you've adjusted to gluten free!
I realized I am gluten-intolerant about 14 months ago. I thought that stubborn 15 lbs would simply melt away without bread, pasta cookies, etc. Wrong! So after trying every other diet known to woman kind, I'm trying the good old fashioned calorie counting method. I am going for a 10 pound loss; trying to be reasonable.
You didn't specify whether you had blood tests or food challenges for allergies. Blood tests give false positives quite often. Don't limit your diet that strictly until you've done food challenges with the doctor.
I've found I have to. The first six months gluten free, I would (cheat) but then I would have the stomach issues within a few minutes, I also get joint pain and feel like I got hit by a truck with fatigue within a few hours. I just found it wasn't worth it. I have never been tested for celiac because my doctor did not take me seriously, so I went gluten free on my own and once I realized this was the cause of all my symptoms I stayed that way, four years now. I wish now that I had changed doctors and been tested for celiacs, but most experts say I wouldn't test positive now. Whether you cheat or not just depends on how sick you get when you eat it or especially if you have celiac because you are doing a lot of damage to your intestines.
Hi, I'm Tammy. I relate to BritGal. I am self-diagnosed after a couple of years and several doctors non-diagnosis and putting me on steroids. I've been off of gluten now for around 5 years and feel a million times better (it was showing up as rashes, chronic fatigue and severe muscle pain for me). I met an expert on celiac last year and didn't test positive via blood/stool samples, but she said that she suspected it based on other stats (including candida overgrowth and low immune count) and didn't recommend going through an invasive biopsy to prove it.
I joined calorie counter yetserday. Mostly because I'm going back on a super strict diet (no sugar, no processed foods, low carbs for at least 1.5 years) to try and rid myself of the candida. I'm a virgo... logs and charts, etc. are really helpful for me, haha. If I keep track of what I eat I'm more prone to not cheating on the sugar. Also, over the past decade I had slowly gained about 15 lbs and worked to lose it last year. I've noticed my weight (over eating/not exercising enough) ooching up again over the winter, gained 5lbs, and want to nip it in the bud.
I feel like I really have the gf diet & lifestyle down and have a good handle on nutrition, so I'm happy to share if anyone has any questions, needs advice or encouragement. I'm actually thinking about teaching an adjusting to a gluten free life-style class at some point.
I'm 34, engaged, have a little fluffy dog, am an artist/healer. My partner and I are planning to start a yoga/shamanic retreat center on 100 acres of land near Austin, TX later this summer.
I'm Ashley, and I have always been a little overweight - even as a very young child. I joined calorie count to lose the weight I have put on since I have been married. When I was diagnosed as Gluten Intolerant, I had know it in my stomach (literally and figuratively) for a least three years. I would have stomach troubles anytime I ate anything with a good deal of wheat - a sandwich, a bowl of pasta, or a piece of cake. I have always had a love for food and cooking, so when I found out I could not have gluten, I found ways to make all the things I was missing (in fact the only thing I have not been able to master is southern style biscuits). After I got married, I made all these amazing dishes for my husband (which he loves), and of course I started gaining more weight - 15 pounds in one and half years to be exact. So, I want to take off that weight plus a little more, so that I can for once in my life be in the healthy weight range.
Age - 23
Height - 5'9.5"
CW - 198
GW - 160
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