People often ask, why did you name your site “Fat Celiac”?
It wasn’t a marketing scheme or a branding exercise.
It was the definition of someone who didn’t fit the stereotype of what a person with celiac disease was supposed to look like.
Some find the name offensive.
Others immediately recognize themselves in it.
The truth is — the name was never meant to be clever branding, but I kinda think it is (wink, wink).
When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I thought I finally had an explanation for how I felt. I also thought — based on everything I had ever seen or read — that I would lose weight once I started a gluten-free diet.
At the time, the cultural picture of celiac disease was very narrow.
Thin. Frail. Malnourished.
That was the image everywhere — in articles, online groups, even in doctors’ offices.
That was not me.
After diagnosis, my weight went up. And then it kept going up.
I tried to fix it. I tried every diet I could find that promised “healing.” Paleo. Keto. Whole30. AIP. SCD. IF.
Anything that offered the possibility that if I just did it correctly enough, my body would normalize.
It didn’t.
At one point I gained weight during a three-day juice fast. I still don’t understand how that is possible, but it happened.
I eat mostly whole foods. I rarely rely on processed gluten-free foods. I cook constantly. I experiment constantly. Recently I’ve been pushing myself to add even more vegetables and plant-forward meals — roasted cauliflower, green sauces, soups thickened with cashews instead of cream.
My husband has lost 40 pounds eating the same meals.
I haven’t lost anything.
So the name “Fat Celiac” became a way to say something out loud I hadn’t seen anyone acknowledge:
Not all celiac patients are thin.
Not all celiac patients lose weight.
Not all celiac patients look like the brochures.
Some of us struggle with the exact opposite problem.
And that’s okay.
Just because I didn’t fit the stereotype doesn’t mean my body is wrong.
Maybe the stereotype is wrong.
So, I own it.
Also, not fitting the stereotype creates a strange experience.
You get judged differently.
You get assumptions.
You get questions that are really accusations.
You get doctors trying to reconcile what they expect a celiac patient to look like with the person sitting in front of them.
I’ve had the labs, the thyroid testing, and the secondary condition checks.
Nothing else is wrong.
I simply have celiac disease and a body that doesn’t respond the way people expect it to.
As for the logo, the logo is a woman because I am a woman.
The body shape is intentional because it reflects my body.
The logo is green because I like green and celiac disease awareness ribbons are green.
She’s evolved a bit over time and I have some more evolutions I’m working on.
I see myself in that little green, ponytailed icon. She is me in my most simple form.
I give a lot to these posts.
Mostly, it’s me trying to understand this disease and share what I learn along the way.
I hope you see the wisdom and courage in that little pot-bellied, pony-tailed figure and she helps you live your gluten-free life with courage and grace.