Tired Of Being Fat

[sparkles]

My doctor is suggesting I look into surgery to lose weight. I was overweight when I went gluten-free about 220, lost 30# right at first, and have since gained the weight back plus more.... Now I am really struggling with weight loss. My doc has suggested the surgery to lose weight but I am looking at it and wondering why I would want surgery that uses malabsorbtion as one of the ways weight is lost when I have natural malabsorbtion and never did lose weight because of that. At this point, I am having so much joint pain that I cannot exercise and am truely frustrated. I am also diabetic which also contributes to weight loss difficulty. I do not tolerate the artificial sweetners so the diet foods that are gluten-free are off limits because of the sweetners. Are there any of you out there who have had the surgery???? I know that exercise is a true key to weight loss but I can hardly walk anymore. I also have diabetic neuropathy and at this point have gone off meds because of side effects. I am tired of being fat, tired of pain, and tired of having to constantly think about what I am going to eat because of calories....sugar...and gluten. I've even thought of going back on gluten just so I can throw up and have diahrea all the time but then I remember that even then I didn't lose weight!!!

[Ursa Major]

Hello Sparkles, and welcome to this board. I have been in your shoes (except for the diabetes), with awful pain, fibromyalgia, and was pretty much completely handicapped and unable to do any exercise. And I was gaining and gaining weight, until by last October I was 238 pounds! And that despite having chronic diarrhea all summer last year and not being able to eat.

I find that ALL starches make me gain weight, not just grains and sugar. So, I rarely even bake gluten free, because if I would, and eat it myself, I would gain all the weight back that I have lost these past six months (30 pounds this far).

I figured out (through links somebody posted here) that I am also intolerant to lectins and salicylates. The lectins were causing the crippling joint and back pain, and the non-functioning joints (buckling knees on the stairs for instance), and the salicylates caused the overall general pain, feeling like I am on fire pretty much.

It sounds to me like you have intolerances other than gluten as well, and that you might need to stop eating starches. You can easily get all the carbs you need from vegetables (I can't eat fruits now, except for peeled pears), NOBODY needs grains or their substitutes to get enough carbs, that's a myth.

Check out the links in my signature for more information, if you are interested.

The surgery your doctor recommends is an absolutely terrible idea. You will set yourself up for more severe problems down the road if you do it. I say, find yourself a doctor who knows what he is doing, this one does not.

[sparkles]

Hello Sparkles, and welcome to this board. I have been in your shoes (except for the diabetes), with awful pain, fibromyalgia, and was pretty much completely handicapped and unable to do any exercise. And I was gaining and gaining weight, until by last October I was 238 pounds! And that despite having chronic diarrhea all summer last year and not being able to eat.

I find that ALL starches make me gain weight, not just grains and sugar. So, I rarely even bake gluten free, because if I would, and eat it myself, I would gain all the weight back that I have lost these past six months (30 pounds this far).

I figured out (through links somebody posted here) that I am also intolerant to lectins and salicylates. The lectins were causing the crippling joint and back pain, and the non-functioning joints (buckling knees on the stairs for instance), and the salicylates caused the overall general pain, feeling like I am on fire pretty much.

It sounds to me like you have intolerances other than gluten as well, and that you might need to stop eating starches. You can easily get all the carbs you need from vegetables (I can't eat fruits now, except for peeled pears), NOBODY needs grains or their substitutes to get enough carbs, that's a myth.

Check out the links in my signature for more information, if you are interested.

The surgery your doctor recommends is an absolutely terrible idea. You will set yourself up for more severe problems down the road if you do it. I say, find yourself a doctor who knows what he is doing, this one does not.

So Ursala, WHAT do you eat? I looked at the list of foods that your intolerances won't allow and WOW... I thought gluten-free was overwhelming.... It looks to me like there isn't much on your food list. I know that I am sounding very whiny but I can't even imagine how you deal with cooking much less eating at friends' houses or going out to eat. When I first went gluten-free I ate only lettuce with lemon or oil and vinegar and hamburger and once in awhile a baked potato with butter. Maybe that is why I felt so much better than I do now.... But I can't imagine what I would cook for my husband if I eliminate everything on those lists. I feel like I was beginning to get a handle on my life again and now this.... Right now it is just too overwelming. But please do tell me what you do eat.....

[Ursa Major]

Okay, you're right, my list of allowed foods is limited, but you get used to it. I pretty much eat stir fry for every meal. I eat meat or fish and certain vegetables (I try to vary things as much as I can) even for breakfast. Often I eat only one meal a day, because I can't be bothered, and just have salad with tuna for a second meal.

So, this is what I had for brunch today (I had a friend over, and she LOVES my cooking!): A stir fry with ground beef, shallots, brussel sprouts, celery, green cabbage and a few of those little carrots for a bit of colour (I can't have too many carrots). I drank chamomile tea after lunch, and had a peeled pear for a snack in the afternoon.

For supper I ate some green salad and a can of tuna on top, with a dressing made with the juice of half a lime, cold pressed sunflower oil (the only oil I can still have), maple syrup and sea salt. It's really nice.

Tomorrow I will have salmon fillets for breakfast, with rutabaga and more cabbage, and shallot. I will season the salmon with sea salt and lime juice (it's lower in salicylate than lemon juice). I am out of pears, but will have a peeled golden delicious apple for a change. Which is fine, since I am only having things for breakfast that have extremely low or no salicylate content.

You are asking what I do about going out...........I don't. I might go out for tea and bring my own snacks, while others have cake or whatever they eat. I usually go only to one friend's house, and she and her husband (he is our pastor, and a very dear friend, too) go out of their way to keep me safe. And I have her (them) over to our house as well.

When my daughter-in-law gave our second daughter a baby shower for her first baby a week and a half ago, I only ate some celery off the veggie tray I brought, and the pear crisp I brought (made with buckwheat flour, arrowroot flour, lard, cold pressed sunflower oil, maple syrup, some white sugar, lime juice and pears). Everybody likes the pear crisp, and I am able to have a treat, too. I made myself some supper when I got home.

It's very tricky and tedious. But now I am able to exercise again (I go swimming with one of my daughters, and play table tennis in a club, and hadn't been able to go for years), and I feel so much better!

Also, today I put on my sandals, and realized how swollen my feet must have been all these years (I've had them for four years), even when they didn't look swollen. Because I had to readjust all the straps, those sandals were just hanging on my feet!

I also sleep well, without waking up, have stopped taking codeine 24 hours a day........in fact, I've stopped all painkillers, unless I have a bad headache or migraine.........and those are getting few and far between.

I tell you, without the gluten free diet (and everything else free it seems), I might be in a wheelchair by now, I sure was heading that way. As it is, I am slowly but surely losing weight and getting better. Even my Tourette tics have decreased a lot (of course, they haven't stopped altogether), I am not as easily unsettled (as in having autistic meltdowns with sensory overload), and I am not so tired all the time (still need more sleep than others, but it's getting better........it's only been six months).

So, look at what you gain, rather than what you have to give up, if you try my diet.

The foods that contain no salicylates and lectins, meaning you can eat as much as you want are: Banana, lime, peeled pear. Bamboo shoots, green/white cabbage, celery, iceberg lettuce, rutabaga. Buckwheat, millet. Poppy seeds. Maple syrup, white sugar. All meat and fish except for liver and shellfish. Cold pressed sunflower oil. Cocoa. Chamomile tea, home made pear juice, water.

The ones that are very low in salicylates, and are allowed in moderation are: Peeled golden delicious apples, paw paw, pomegranate, tamarillo. Brussel sprouts, chives, garlic, leek, red cabbage, shallot. Cashew nuts. Dried fennel, fresh parsley. Liver, shellfish.

The ones that are low (and some people with salicylate intolerance can't tolerate those even), and you can have some once in a while are: Fresh figs, lemon, mango, passion fruit, persimmon, peeled red delicious apple, rhubarb. Fresh asparagus, beetroot, cauliflower, green beans, onion, marrow, white peeled potato, pumpkin, turnip. Frozen spinach. Hazelnuts, pecan, sunflower seeds. Fresh coriander leaves.

Foods containing moderate amounts (a rare treat, and never more than one a day at most): Custard apple, kiwi fruit, pear with peel. Carrot, lettuces other than iceberg, mushrooms. Coconut, walnuts. Rose hip tea.

I suggest you try cutting out (on top of gluten, of course) all lectins and salicylate high foods for a couple of weeks.

Then try one lectin group for one day (like rice and corn, no gluten containing grains). Wait a couple of days to see if you react. Write down how you feel. Wait a couple of days and try another group (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers..........they're high in both lectins AND salicylates). Next eggs. Then dairy. After you determine if they're a problem, go for the salicylates. Basically, what I did there, was take six baby Aspirin (you chew them and that way they don't just go right through you), and ate some honey, almonds, mint candy, an orange and some grapes. The next day I felt like I was on fire! Pretty dramatic. Needless to say, I had to take codeine for a couple of days and didn't go to church (stupidly, I ate all that stuff on a Saturday).

Anyway, I am not telling you what to do, that's up to you. I am just giving you a good idea of what to do to figure it out. It really isn't too hard. The hard part comes when you try to stick to all the restrictions, and reading all the labels, and rarely being able to figure out what you're reacting to any given time, because there are too many possibilities. I never eat any prepared foods any more, because it simply isn't possible. If I (or my friend) haven't prepared it from scratch, I won't eat it. Period. It isn't worth feeling sick and aching to take the chance.

Okay, see what you think. You can always PM me if you want my e-mail address. I won't post it in a public forum.

[tarnalberry]

you note that you can't walk... can you swim? that's much easier on the joints. even just walking laps in water is much easier on the joints because you're not supporting as much weight, but because you're working against the viscosity of the water, it's still good exercise.

[Rachel--24]

Sparkles,

I'm kind of on the opposite end here because I'm trying to gain weight and have always wanted to gain....even before I lost 25 lbs. from being sick. What I want to say is this...I agree with Ursula, doing the surgery is very risky. There are much healthier ways to lose weight. I know of someone who recently felt the surgery was something that was necessary for her (it wasn't) but the doctor wouldnt do it. She decided to go to Mexico to have it done and she never came back. She left behind 2 children. I'm not sure what went wrong with the surgery but any time you go in for a procedure like that you put yourself at risk. I think since its not a life or death situation you should think of other ways you can lose some weight.

I was pretty much a junk food junkie and never ate fruits or veggies. When I got sick and lost weight I ended up having to change my diet drastically...to only meat, fish and veggies. I went through withdrawls but then I felt better and I got used to what I was eating and it wasnt that bad. The worst part for me was not being able to gain any of my weight back because of this healthy diet. Everyone always tells me how they would love to have the "illness" I have so they can lose some weight. I tell them "believe me, you dont want what I have...but anyone can lose weight if they eat meat, fish, vegies and some fruit...you dont even have to be sick to eat healthy."

[plantime]

I am an overweight celiac. I have been trying weight watchers to lose weight, but when I stick to their plan, I start having low blood sugar problems. One thing I have noticed for myself, is that when I have a lot of vivid dreams, I start gaining weight, no matter how little I eat. I was on Lexapro for sleep disorder and anxiety, and I lost weight. I have been off the Lexapro for a year (could not afford it), and I gained all the weight back, even though I eat less and exercise more. It makes me wonder if the amount of deep sleep one gets has a lot to do with weight.

[Jnkmnky]

I don't like the surgery idea at all.... But it's up to you. I'm looking into trying the "mediterranian diet" since I decided to become a vegetarian. It has lots of nuts, beans, fruits and veggies with some fish and poultry. Maybe if you went a route that just radically changed your diet, removed all processed foods and ate natural foods, you'd find yourself losing weight? Diet foods are terrible. I think fake sugar is chemical warfare. I'm a few lbs overweight, though. And I don't have your health issues. But I want to tell you that jumping up and down, sweating to the oldies with Richard Simmons or working out for hours is NOT necessary to lose weight. All I love to do is lift weights and walk. No big deal. Keeps the weight off just as good as any intense plan. And I think power walking is silly. I just walk.

I am an overweight celiac. I have been trying weight watchers to lose weight, but when I stick to their plan, I start having low blood sugar problems. One thing I have noticed for myself, is that when I have a lot of vivid dreams, I start gaining weight, no matter how little I eat. I was on Lexapro for sleep disorder and anxiety, and I lost weight. I have been off the Lexapro for a year (could not afford it), and I gained all the weight back, even though I eat less and exercise more. It makes me wonder if the amount of deep sleep one gets has a lot to do with weight.

deep sleep, lots of sleep is crucial to weight loss. One way to get a good night's sleep is weight bearing exercise. I'm not talking about going to the gym and lifting 30lb weights, you start where you need to start. When I started, I was using 3lbs!!! And I was SORE the next day!!! But I slept like the dead because my body was concentrating on repairing the microscopic tears that result when you work your muscles. It's incredible how weight-bearing exercise works. I choose it over aerobic. I hate sweating.

[Jenn2005]

Hi. I just wanted to share my sister's story with you. She had the gastric bypass surgery and for the first 2 years everything went fine. She lost over 100 pounds and was very happy. She did have to go to the doctor on a regular schedule in the begining for regular blood work and she had to have some vitamin injections (B12) and she has to take liquid vitamins for the rest of her life. There are a lot of foods she can no longer eat because they make her sick and she can't eat a lot at a time. In the last 4 months she has become very ill. She got a cold and it turned into pneumonia. The doctor gave her antibiotics but she couldn't absorb them and she ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks. While there they discovered that her iron was alarmingly low and she had to have blood transfusions and she now has to take iron supplements, her heart has also started acting up (racing at 155 - 165 beats per minute) so now she has to take meds for that and see a cardiologist. She just had to have a hysterctomy 2 weeks ago to try and get the anemia under control. She has black circles under her eyes and she says she lives on tums because she always has a sour stomach. All of this is branching from the gastric surgery. She does not have Celiac but when I was telling my husband about all of her problems with not absorbing he said she basically paid to get Celiac.

I think the problem with this surgery is the doctors don't really know the long term effects of the surgery. I'm afraid my sister will be dealing with this nightmare the rest of her life and she just turned 31. Hope you come up with the decision that is right for you. Good luck.

Jennifer

[tiffjake]

* I don't like the surgery idea at all....

* All I love to do is lift weights and walk. No big deal. Keeps the weight off just as good as any intense plan. And I think power walking is silly. I just walk.

* deep sleep, lots of sleep is crucial to weight loss.

* I choose it over aerobic. I hate sweating.

Sparkles, I totally agree with the above points by Jnkmnky. I have tried IT ALL and I am now a wonderful 265 lbs (sarcastic on the "wonderful" part). The bottom line is this, burn more calories than you take in. That might mean eating fewer calories, or burning more. Having problems with foods just means that we have to run our food through a "filter" before deciding if they are ok to eat. If it is gluten free, then we CAN eat it. That dosen't mean that we should. LOL! I have eaten so much gluten-free junk to make up for not being able to eat bread! I think I would have lost more weight in the last 6 months if I didn't do that. I love gluten-free brownies and fillets and potatoes!!!! But I have started walking a mile on my treadmil about 4 times a week and I have lost 12 lbs in the last 2 months. It isn't great, but it is a start. And I know that I will have to cut back on the brownies and cookies and stuff. Just because it is gluten-free, doesn't mean that it is low sugar/low fat. If you want, maybe we could start a weight loss thread and we could encourage each other and work together!?!? Let me know what you think......

[plantime]

Tiffany, 12 lbs in 8 weeks is quite good! I lost 10 in the last 8 weeks, so I am impressed with how hard you have worked! A weightloss thread would be nice. We tried it once before, but people kind of just drifted off, and my cpu broke down.

[tiffjake]

Tiffany, 12 lbs in 8 weeks is quite good! I lost 10 in the last 8 weeks, so I am impressed with how hard you have worked! A weightloss thread would be nice. We tried it once before, but people kind of just drifted off, and my cpu broke down.

Well, I think we should try a new one, you up for it? We would need to keep it "up" so new people see it and join....

[Guest nini]

I have two relatives that have had the surgery and know several other people that have had it... ALL of them are continuing to have MAJOR health issues because of it. The surgery does not fix the reason why you can't lose weight, it only forces your body into starvation. It is NOT a healthy way to lose weight at all and extremely dangerous.

When I was dx'ed with Celiac 3 years ago, I weighed 260 pounds... (at five foot two)... I was a roly poly mess. Anyway, 3 years later I now weigh 155 pounds and feel so much better. I still don't excersize other than the physical aspect of doing massage therapy (my career). So how have I lost the weight? I attribute it to eating a diet of foods that are naturally gluten free and not filling up on the high carb gluten-free replacement products. I eat a lot of salads because I really like salads. I also practice portion control. I serve my food on the small salad plate instead of a dinner plate and I do not go back for seconds. When I first started doing that I did feel hungrier, but after a little while I found I just did not have the appetite that I used to have and I fill up much quicker. I do not drink milk, soda, iced teas or juices on a reguar basis. I allow myself one cup of coffee in the morning, but drink water the rest of the time. I do allow myself to have small amounts of treats whenever I get a craving, but again, I limit the portions. Allow myself a taste or two and then put it away and save it for another day! I eat as much fruit or vegetables as I want, my protein serving is never bigger than the size of my closed fist, and I do not use hydrogenated oils in cooking. I stick with real butter, olive oil or canola oil. I use very little salt in my cooking. I flavor my foods with more pepper, garlic and other spices.

again, DO NOT do the surgery, good luck with it and feel free to ask me any questions you have.

[kabowman]

I know someone who had the surgery - she lost a bunch of weight. However, she didn't change her lifestyle - didn't add exercise in, didn't adjust her activity level (no food issues), doesn't have any health issues to prevent activity, and now, 2 years later, is putting the weight BACK ON.

My sister-in-law, who had health issues to start with, had it done last summer and now has non-stop health problems.

I don't think it is for everyone but it is a personal choice.

[jkmunchkin]

I was actually talking about this with a co-worker the other day (not for me. I don't remember how it came up), and he was saying he has heard of people dying from complications of the surgery a few years later and that it actually decreases your life expectancy by about 7 or 8 years.

[jerseyangel]

I think that, for sure, the weightloss surgery should be a last resort. I do know a woman, however, that had it done two years ago. She needed serious eye surgery, and her doctor would not do that surgery at her weight. She had the surgery, went through recovery, etc. and then successfully had the eye surgery. Today, she is doing very well. I think every case is different.

[eKatherine]

If you don't lose weight when you change your diet, then being hefty is probably just a genetic thing for you.

Rapidly losing weight is not good for your health, regardless of what you read. Your body will interpret it as starvation, and you will get those same symptoms. The surgery is even worse, as you can never go back.

My mother put my father on a strict weight-loss diet about 5 years ago. After a lifetime of lots of fatty meat (at the age of 80+) she put him on 3 meals a day of whole-grain cereal in spite of his lactose intolerance, plus one cooked meal. He lost over 100 pounds in that year, and was becoming forgetful. Another year and he showed Parkinson's, and now he is in a nursing home. Coincidence? Well, she's still bringing him foods he can't or shouldn't eat, even according to the doctors, who haven't considered celiac.

I know of a woman posting on a long hair forum who lost over 100 pounds in a year on Weight Watchers. By the end of the year, she no longer had long hair, and kept wondering why. I'm sure her doctors were telling her, as we read so often, that it is so much healthier to be thin that we should get there as quickly as possible.

Like the old joke, "The operation was a success, but the patient died."

Prejudice against portliness will prevent them from doing realistic studies of the long-term effects of these surguries. Thin=healthy. Fat=unhealthy. They don't need to know anything else.

[Ursa Major]

Sparkles, here is a good article for you to read, to show you the dangers of gastric bypass surgery. After reading this, I hope you won't even consider it any more. It is better to be overweight, than dead! And I am sure that eventually you will start losing weight again. I think you started gaining again, because now your body is taking up nutrients again, because your villi are coming back. Give it some time, and limit your starches!

Open Original Shared Link

[gf4life]

Hi Sparkles, I really need to share this story with you...

One of my closest friends has Celiac (although it continues to be undiagnosed) AND had the gastric bypass surgery. See she wouldn't admit to herself that she really had Celiac, even though her grandma had it and her daughter has it. She only had the DH rash, although it was persistent wasn't enough to make her stop gluten. She tried everything to get rid of the excess weight and her doctors recommender her for the surgery. I tried to talk her out of it, but she went ahead with it. At first she seemed okay. She couldn't eat anything without throwing up, and she basically lived on liquid vitamins blened into apple juice for the first 6 months...Now it has been about 2 years since the surgery. She has lost about 120 lbs and she has also lost her health. She had always been "healthy" before the surgery. Yeah, she has DH and yeah, she was overweight, but she never got a cold, or any infections, or was sick. Now she has had a chronic sinus infection for over a year, she has had pneumonia, she is ALWAYS sick with something, cold, bronchitis, stomach flu, migraines that knock her down for a week or more. She is so pale and sickly looking, too. Her doctor made her quit working at the elementary school because she was always picking up the germs. She wasn't there much anyhow, she was always calling in sick! She is a single mom and can't afford to call in sick all the time. Only one good thing came out of the surgery. She was basically forced to be gluten free for many months because she couldn't eat ANYTHING. When she started keeping food down she tried eating gluten, now not only does she get the DH rash when she eats gluten, but she also gets diarrhea and major pain. So she admits now that she has a problem with gluten and is gluten free, but was it worth it? Yeah she lost weight, but for what. To be sick for the rest of her life? She is probably gonna end up having to have sinus surgery to help get rid of her chronic sinus problem, and she is seeing about 6 different specialist trying to fix her problems. But the main problem is that she was already having malnutrition issues and after the surgery she went way down hill.

I highly recommend that you DO NOT have the surgery. I know how you feel about being overweight. I am an overweight Celiac also, but surgery is not the answer. I can't do very much exercise either because of joint problems, but I do swim, and I try to do some Yoga/Pilates to relax, tone and strengthen my body. I can only recommend that you try to find a pool to exercise in, eat healthy food choices and find some weight loss buddies to help encourage each other when you feel down. It really helps a lot to know that you have someone to support you and also to hold you accountable to sticking with your goals. I don't do artificial sweeteners either (they make me feel really sick and mess me up big time!). There are plenty of naturally gluten free foods out there that are healthful and tasty. You can PM me or email me if you want to spend some time seeing if we can come up with some food choices that you might like, or picking apart your regular diet to see what we can add to it to make it help more...

God bless,

Mariann

[Jnkmnky]

I have two relatives that have had the surgery and know several other people that have had it... ALL of them are continuing to have MAJOR health issues because of it. The surgery does not fix the reason why you can't lose weight, it only forces your body into starvation. It is NOT a healthy way to lose weight at all and extremely dangerous.

When I was dx'ed with Celiac 3 years ago, I weighed 260 pounds... (at five foot two)... I was a roly poly mess. Anyway, 3 years later I now weigh 155 pounds and feel so much better. I still don't excersize other than the physical aspect of doing massage therapy (my career). So how have I lost the weight? I attribute it to eating a diet of foods that are naturally gluten free and not filling up on the high carb gluten-free replacement products. I eat a lot of salads because I really like salads. I also practice portion control. I serve my food on the small salad plate instead of a dinner plate and I do not go back for seconds. When I first started doing that I did feel hungrier, but after a little while I found I just did not have the appetite that I used to have and I fill up much quicker. I do not drink milk, soda, iced teas or juices on a reguar basis. I allow myself one cup of coffee in the morning, but drink water the rest of the time. I do allow myself to have small amounts of treats whenever I get a craving, but again, I limit the portions. Allow myself a taste or two and then put it away and save it for another day! I eat as much fruit or vegetables as I want, my protein serving is never bigger than the size of my closed fist, and I do not use hydrogenated oils in cooking. I stick with real butter, olive oil or canola oil. I use very little salt in my cooking. I flavor my foods with more pepper, garlic and other spices.

again, DO NOT do the surgery, good luck with it and feel free to ask me any questions you have.

Nini, Congratulations! That's damned impressive!

[Robix]

One thing I have noticed for myself, is that when I have a lot of vivid dreams, I start gaining weight, no matter how little I eat. It makes me wonder if the amount of deep sleep one gets has a lot to do with weight.

Hey Dessa,

Didn't see if anyone answered this post already, but yes there is a direct co-relation between deep sleep (or lack of it rather) and fat retention.

The growth hormone called Cortisol (which regulates tissue building, repair and fat elimination) is only released during the deep sleep cycle. Why? Its a survival of the fittest protection response left over from caveman days. If a caveman was in a dangerous circumstance and unable to get sleep and rest, then his body's hormonal system would be devoted to stress hormones, those responsible for the fight or flight mechanism.

Fascinating stuff isn't it?

When some of my athletes are having trouble ditching fat, or hit weight loss or training plateaus, one of the first thing I look at is how much deep sleep they are getting. Its one of the reasons some sleep aids cause weight gain, because although they may induce sleep, they inhibit deep sleep.

Hope this is helpful -

[plantime]

Robix, it is very helpful, thank you. I didn't know the specifics, and I only had my own experience to go on, so I wasn't sure if there was something to it, or I was just psychotic! A weightloss thread would be nice, I'll start one before I leave the board!

[lindzay]

"I have two relatives that have had the surgery and know several other people that have had it... ALL of them are continuing to have MAJOR health issues because of it. The surgery does not fix the reason why you can't lose weight, it only forces your body into starvation. It is NOT a healthy way to lose weight at all and extremely dangerous." Nini.

I read this statement and shook my head. This is not the case every time; and there are different ways this type of surgery can be performed. My wife is so happy she had her stomach made smaller and has lost weight successfully with few problems. True it could lead to some dangles under the arms etc. but that can be dealt with. She is not a Celiac; I am. The real problem with these surgeries is the patient himself or herself wanting to cram down the quantity of foods they had gotten used to eating. Also Diet Pop is your biggest enemy because it somehow stops the weight loss and prevents the goal weight being achieved.

Go here for any inquiries and great forum www.obesityhelp.com

The Duodenal Switch worked for my wife and I am so happy to see her dancing around in her new clothes.

[CarolAnne]

Hello, I'm new to the group. But I was looking for other Celiacs with overweight problems and stumbled in here. I'm 52 years young and 285 lbs right now. I've been Wheat free for over 20 years and Gluten-Free now for about 2 years. I've had all of the classic symptoms for years except for the weight loss. I've been gaining weight steadily all of my life. I finally got some straight answers from my homeopathic doctor that seems to have stopped the weight gain. I've been holding steady at 285 for six months and I think that's just wonderful!! I've hoping that if I can maintain this long enough I may actually start losing weight...but if I don't I'm not going to torture myself over it.

She told me that because my body has had a lifetime of losing vital nutrients that my body has learned to store everything 'just in case'. She says my body had become convinced I was starving to death and had slipped into 'emergency' mode many years ago. Because I went so long without learning I needed to be Gluten-Free that now my body feels that 'emergency' mode is just natural for me. She's put me on a high protien, low carb diet that seems to be working just fine. I don't eat anything white at all...rice, potato, sugar etc. I also stay away from anything diet, low-fat, no-fat, light - they all contain Gluten or Sugar - both no no's. I only eat real food as unprocessed as possible.

The other thing I've learned is that any of the Gluten-Free baked goods are EXTREMELY high on the Glycemic Index. So no breads, cookies, cakes etc either.

I don't have any milk problems...so one of the best things I've discoved is that Boost High Protien drink is Gluten-Free and is as close to natural ingredients as any of those drinks get.

As for the surgery I've seen you all talking about - I've decided against it. I work in the medical community and the actual medical description for those surgerys is 'medically induced starvation'. That alone convinced me it wasn't for me. My body is already convinced it's starving...I think that would only confuse matters even more. The recommended dialy calorie intake is only 800 calories a day for the rest of your life.

So I guess I'll stay fat for while and hope for good health instead. I'll worry about the fat later on.

[plantime]

Keep checking through the threads, we have a weightloss thread and a Weight Watchers thread, also a Specific Carbohydrate thread, and a few others I can't remember the names of. There are a lot of us that are overweight, and we try to support each other. Welcome to the Celiac Board!