Aly1

Oh, I meant to ask everyone, what about lentils and chick peas and such things? I was thinking that these might be good non-meat options for upping my protein, but I don't know where they stand carb-wise...

Wow, there are so many good suggestions, I confess with my wicked brain fog I find it all a bit overwhelming! I think I will have to create a doc and pull out all your ideas and see what will work for me.

I was a near-vegetarian for over a decade and only started eating lean red meat 2 years ago when I was pregnant. I...tolerate and very occasionally enjoy it now so upping it is a challenge to what seems to be a built-in yuck factor. Of course I will try to do it :OP since I don't want to be that person that no one can see when she turns sideways.

I have been eating home made gluten-free muffins the past couple of days that my dear hubby baked for me and they seem to be agreeing with me. I am holding at 103 lbs so at least that's a start anyway. I wonder though if muffins might be too high in carbs? I am confused about nutrition in general. I'm not sure what my carb level should be and how much of a concern it is. It is relevant because I have had a yeast / candida problem for 15 months straight, no joke, so I do have to keep that in mind.

Lots of you suggest upping my fat intake but isn't that bad for heart health (or am I just programmed to think that way??)

As far as diabetes is concerned - I had gestational diabetes (not surprising as I was pregnant at age 40, pretty common) for which I tested my blood daily and which I was able to control entirely by my diet. After my pregnancy all they did was a straight blood test (don't recall if it was fasting but I'm inclined to say it wasn't. I was a little confused but the doc said they could tell from that.?) In any case my mom and I have always had to avoid not only sugars but a whole bunch of foods that whack out our blood sugar and cause a whole host of other symptoms (ha! for the first time I feel I can say that to a group of people who probably won't find it weird or surprising or be skeptical of it!). This most recent problem with my blood sugars was totally related to eating all that brown rice syrup, which I thought was okay for diabetics but turns out is not. As I said before, I can tolerate diabetic-approved sweeteners. Stevia would be *perfect* and also great for the yeast problem except it is literally the 1 thing that gives me gastro problems. I don't even get gastro problems from gluten...

Okay this is getting way too long, I do apologize. I will go start pulling info from all your suggestions and try to formulate a fattening plan!

Thanks for your replies, I do appreciate it. I will go and buy a lot of nuts tomorrow! And look into some of the other suggestions you both made. Missy'sMom, you sound just like me! Though I have been tested and am not diabetic, I just have wonky blood sugar issues if I eat the wrong things.

The breakfast thing is tough for me because the idea of having a meat or hot cereal in the morning grosses me out. I have had cold breakfast cereal my entire life. I can do bacon...maybe I'll start there.

I am wondering about adding protein powders / maybe having a juice and protein shake in the morning? Is it possible to take in too much protein (health-wise)?

I already know it's all worth it, given how I was starting to feel before this setback, but I've gotta say, this still really sucks.

On the advice of my doctor, I went gluten-free about 3 months ago - more stringently so 2 months ago - and started to feel so much better. It would be an essay to write my medical history so I will skip that for now. But I was starting to see some real results for the first time in a decade, being gluten-free.

Problem is, I keep losing weight. I am little to begin with at 5'2 but as of 2 weeks ago my weight was down to 97 lbs, the thinnest I have been since about age 14! It was just getting scary, so I decided I had to do whatever it took to gain weight. I switched from my gluten-free cereal and started making home-made granola, and made almond butter rice crispie treats with the same cereal for snacks, and started eating these things constantly. My weight began to come up (I gained 5 lbs in 3 days!) but I also started feeling REALLY REALLY BAD.

I cannot tolerate any sugar other than the sort that diabetics would use and discovered that I do not react well at all to what I was using as a sweetener (brown rice syrup). I know that the syrup is one reason for my feeling lousy but I am now worried, what if I can't tolerate oats (I've had problems with granola in the past and have read that many of us can't eat oats. I did use gluten-free ones.) and therefore I don't want to make a new batch of granola and perhaps make this horrible feeling last any longer. I also discovered that the gluten-free rice cereal that I've been eating is sweetened with brown rice syrup too! So I can't make my rice krispie treats and have nothing "safe" for breakfast.

My weight is going down again and I am hungry and miserable and feeling physically terrible. I don't know what to eat to fatten myself up. I have heard that many processed gluten-free foods come with CC issues...I just want to feel better. Can anyone help me. I feel like crying right now as I write this.

Other info: Can't have dairy, corn, eggs, sugar (though I can have fructose...) My lunch and dinners I eat as much as I can of veggies and lean meat or chicken, and brown rice. Breakfasts I have no idea what to do now. And I need fattening snacks as I am really hungry in between meals, clearly a sign my body needs more food.

One thing I would like to add is nuts, but do those need to be certified gluten-free? I am so overwhelmed right now and all I want to do is eat some things that won't result in my feeling terrible.

I went to Mayo and they didn't correctly diagnose me! So you've yourself a trip and more aggravation!

I am new to the board and your post really struck a chord with me. Over the years I have also been treated like a hypochondriac and having all my issues be dismissed by the people I care about. I totally get the need to have an official diagnosis so that you can tell everyone exactly what's wrong with you - to have a recognized disease to point to - and have doctors backing you up. I really hope you are able to get that; I won't because I just can't go through a gluten challenge on the hopes of getting it. Good luck!

In my personal experience I did not know I was reacting to gluten until I removed it from my diet for a couple I months, and then began eating it again, at which point I really reacted to it. I'm not sure if that's the case -I am only a few months gluten free - but that's how it was for me.

I am right there with you. I had chronic pain for years that started with tendinitis in my wrists and culminated with severe bone pain and fatigue (I have numerous symptoms but those two are the biggest) that out me in a wheelchair. Every doc - even went to Mayo clinic - found nothing. It gets so depressing when you are seriously ill and everyone says you are fine.

A new doc ran a celiac panel on me 6 months ago and it came back negative. Nothing new there, tests always show nothing for me. BUT - went gluten free 3 months ago and am seeing major differences. Mostly in how I feel when I break my diet. I now feel truly horrible whenever I eat anything with gluten. I am watching to see how my overall health does but I do find myself wishing for a celiac diagnosis to legitimize a decade of suffering...

Wish that was here in the U.S. !