JUST DIAGNOSED WITH CELIAC

• By Loonsgirl
• Reply 3248116
• July 28, 2012 at 11:13 pm
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I never lost weight before I was diagnosed - I wish I could have! LOL... But I went through bouts of both diarrhea and constipation. My doctor told me it all depended on how your body reacts. I was being tested by the time I was 4 yrs old, was given a diagnosis of IBS at 12 yrs old and then finally got a celiac diagnosis at 38. It's been amazing how my health has changed since I've followed the diet!

• By sha13
• Reply 3249031
• July 29, 2012 at 12:06 pm
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Yeah, I have the other end of diarrhea and stay constipated all of the time. No fun at all!! Doing research yesterday, I found out that a lot of people have the constiipation issue and not the diarrhea!! I guess somebody needs to tell the doctors that!! I have been gluten free for about a week and I can already tell I have more energy. Amazing:0
I gained about 8 lbs while on the Prednisone and I am really committed to getting it off. I lost 3 lbs last week!! I am not going to get into the baking and using GF flours yet...I will save the sweets for a celebration!! What is your favorite substitute for flour? I just checked at our local Kroger store and was shocked at how expensive almond flour was...any tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated:)
Thanks for your reply...have a HAPPY DAY!! Sha

• By HeatherIrene
• Reply 3251236
• July 30, 2012 at 11:02 am
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I've never lost weight, wish I would! I do have diarrhea with it though, it is definitely no fun. The types of flour sometimes depend on what you're making. I used to use spelt flour which I LOVE however it is not GF, just wheat free :( The last week or so I've been experimenting with an almond flour mix and it seems to be ok. They make some great cook books though! I recently got two new ones. Gluten-Free on a Shoestring by Nicole Hunn, along with The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread by Bette Hagman. They are both great! The gluten-free on a shoestring gives you tips on what to buy, where, how to save money (since eating GF can be VERY expensive!) and the bakes bread one talks a lot about different flours. Both have great recipes! Good luck to everyone!

• By Marwood
• Reply 3270440
• August 6, 2012 at 7:21 pm
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Hi Sha13,
I did not lose weight before I was diagnosed. Just as Loonsgirl shared, I had one and the other and it was named everything from a gastric ulcer for the abdominal pain (I was 14 years old and there was no testing done) to “IBS” as a young adult. I was not diagnosed with CD until I was just shy of 50 years old. It was 3-4 years of strict gluten free living to get my GI symptoms calmed down. But … I did feel much better after just weeks of eating gluten-free. About GF products, the price is high but for me it is easier to purchase GF mixes for baking, as I do not bake regularly enough to purchase all the various items, most have a limited shelf life and the overall expense would be much higher. Do stay away from oats at least for the first 6 months. Then, if you want to eat them, introduce GF oats in small quantities and ask your doctor to run the blood tests to see if consuming the oats causes an autoimmune response. I have read that some with Celiac Disease do not tolerate oats at all. I hope that you do well and feel better each day.
Best wishes to all!

• By lilceliaclady
• Reply 3355650
• September 7, 2012 at 12:36 pm
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I am 67 yrs old & diagnosed in Jan 2011 w/Celiac. After many years of misdiagnoses my most apparent symptoms of pain, cramping, diarrhea & losing weight were dramatic. Other body issues have taken their tole also add to that Fibromyalgia which is associated w/Celiac. I, as many have added food intolerances to complicate the issue. When I started feeling better I tried cooking w/GF flours etc. quickly tiring of spending the extra money for them. Not only that most of the recipes are of breads, sweets & other foods I don't need anyway so it didn't take long to gain the weight back. I take Probiotics, supplements, eat protein bars & try to be diligent as well as back basics eating. Celiac sites have various companies they support which make GF all purpose flours as well as easy mixes for various sweets. We each have our own individual needs so listening to our own bodies is most important but using Celiac sites can help navigate through the challenges. :)

• By lilceliaclady
• Reply 3371522
• September 13, 2012 at 10:04 am
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Symptoms vary person to person as you know. Most Celiacs have diarrhea but some do have constipation. Almost 2 yrs ago I was finally diagnosed w/Celiac after years of being misdiagnosed so my symptoms were dramatic. I found Celiac sites helpful each giving more insites towards helping yourself to better healthful living. Early diagnsoses is helpful & you will find symptoms subside until you ingest gluten so you might want to be diligent as Celiac will not dissappear from your life. Good luck!

• By lilceliaclady
• Reply 3371633 · In reply to 3249031 by sha13
• September 13, 2012 at 10:37 am
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It's all a 'mind set'...by that I mean I spend the 1st year after my diagnosis putting together a notebook filled with safe/unsafe foods, safe/unsafe ingredients, a culinary explanation of 'all' flours, recipes etc. These are helpful to refer to as you become more aware of reading labels of 'everything' going in your mouth & on your body. After all the frustration of 'what can I eat?', I finally decided I didn't need all the foods made with flours anyway! I'm an older woman not needing to cook or make goodies for children so etc so I changed my 'mind' of craving them too 'my health & well being is more important than eating the cookies, brownies & cakes, breads etc.. Believe me it took about 1 1/2 years to get there. My husband can eat those things & some I make for him and it loes not bother me anymore as the concequences are to difficult to deal with. For flours check Celiac sites for vendors like BettyCrocker, Jules flour, Bob's Red Mill are a few sugestions. Visit your health food stores to get some ideas as well as instant mixes for sweets. Google gluten free flours for more suggestions. Some are now 1 to 1 ratio for regular recipes. They are more costly which is another reason I decided to stop spending money of the 'sweets & breads' endeavors. I found it to be trial & error as some recipes your will like & some you won't thus more time & money spent. Good luck!

• By sha13
• Reply 3372158 · In reply to 3371633 by lilceliaclady
• September 13, 2012 at 1:09 pm
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Thanks for the advice..I am in agreement with you about not needing the sweets and baked goods. I made that determination when I saw how much it was going to cost just to have something sweet! I didn't even want to go there. In making that determination, I have found other things that are just as good to satisfy my "sweet tooth"...mostly fruits and nuts etc. Every now and then I will have some dark chocolate or something. I feel sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better now that I have been glueten free for almost 3 months now. Like you, it isn't worth the consequences to "cheat a little". Have a great day!