I have been gluten-free for about 4 months now, just before Halloween 2008. I did a lot of research into this disease and found that it fit ALL my symptoms to a T.

I have an issue with this "gluten-free diet" that I'm on and was wondering if anyone has experienced this...

I am what doctors call "morbid obese". I haven't lost much in the way of pounds yet, but I am expecting it. I've lost inches...lots of inches. I'm down 1 pants size, 1 shirt size (and counting) 1 bra size and 2 shoe sizes...I didn't even know you could loose shoe sizes like this, and this has happened in the past month. The tops of my feet hurt like nobody's business and my hands are about the same. I can feel it in my bones, and I haven't felt them in almost 20 years. Any suggestions from the "gluten free" community?

Hi Tabbiekatz!

I too am obese (BMI now a bit under 40).
I've been diagnosed and gluten-free about 4 weeks now.
I pee'd a lot the first week, and my clothes are looser.
I'm surprised I don't have a lot of weight loss,
only 4 pounds, because it looks like I've lost 20!

But I'll take it.....

It sounds like what you are experiencing is the LACK of bloating you probably had in your pre-gluten-free days. I was down to 98 pounds the week I got really sick yet I looked about 4 months preggers because of the bloating. You will also lose a lot of water weight because you probably are not ingesting much processed food anymore and that is loaded with salt and sugar. Feet and hands will notice this, first off.

I think once you heal from Celiac, you can count calories and be amazed at how much easier it will be to drop the weight! Good luck!

I was surprised how much my urinary output increased when I went gluten-free, all that liquid had been going to my bowels before.

After a year and a half later, my weight on the scale is the same but people are always commenting on my "weight loss" and how good I look now.

Kate

This may/may not be relevant but I have nerve damage in my feet from diabetes and was reading that if blood sugars normalize and nerves start to heal, a person can feel alot of pain at first as the healing takes place.

The water weight makes a lot of since...I've been tested for diabetes more than once in my life. My grandmother had it later on in life and I guess I'm just paranoid at the thought that I'd have it as well. She also had thyroid cancer, and a few other ailments that she suffered from. I'm guessing I got the gene from her.

Thanks! I did notice that my kidneys where working again...lol! I do have to watch the sugar intake though. I've been worried about it as of late. I drink way too much coffee for one person. (about a pot a day) and it needs to be sweet. I've tried the pink and blue packets and they make me sick. I'm going to try stevia here soon, but it is so expensive! Maybe I'll grow it this year?

The one thing about my weight is that it is evenly proportioned. I do look a little preggers, but my body (ie..big arms and large legs) just make it look normal (even though I have no behind..lol).

It will go faster. My first month, I lost 20 pounds (guessing it's the water weight) and I'm slowly loosing about 1 lb a week. It's amazing how much I eat now. I'm getting the big "double meat" platters at work with baked potato, instead of a big mac and fries. It cost's more, but I feel better for it. Sucks that taco bell puts soy sauce in everything though. I found a really good Mexican drive through I can go to when I don't want to cook, but even that gets old.
I try to eat more grains and veggies than meat though. Potatoes don't help much, but they don't serve rice here at our cafeteria. They do have frito's though
Cottage cheese. OMG! if you where ever lactose intolerant before, you won't be anymore...I couldn't get enough of the stuff....I went through 2 buckets (the large containers at the store) a week. It's calmed down now, but the cravings come and go. Listen to your body. It will tell you what you need.

Thank God for Mexican food!!!!!
I cook a lot at home, which has made the transition easier.
We're living off of Mexican and Meditteranean food,
since they both have a lot of rice recipes.
I have refused thus far trying the gluten-free pasta and bread.
I'm hoping when I finally break down and try it,
I will have forgotten what glutenized stuff tastes like.
That way I won't be comparing them.

Oh, and I'm diabetic and have polycystic ovaries.
Sucks to be me. Oh, well, we'll always have raspberries...

Hey Tabbiekatz!, how's it going.

Lost another pound this week, so it looks like we're on the same schedule!

There are a ton of alternative sweeteners out there. Splenda, Truvia, Lo Han, many are made quite naturally and all, IMHO, are better for you than sugar.

I was once morbidly obese and can say that weight loss doesn't happen quite the way you would expect. There would be times when I would lose a lot of pounds but my body stayed the same shape. Then there would be times when my body would change drastically but no pounds came off. I started excersizing a lot and I reached a pont where my body got smaller and the pounds increased. This was from increased muscle mass.

I started on a gluten-free diet in May, 2008, after our youngest daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease (I have since realized that the skin rash that I had been battling for 3 years was DH, even though it didn't itch like most peoples' do). I started out at 275 pounds. I am now down to 237 (38 pounds in 10 months!), but you are right about the "shrinking" that takes place. I, too, am down several clothes sizes, and I look like I have lost MUCH more weight than the scales show. I KNOW that I am going to lose most, if not all, of the excess weight - it may take a few years, but I figure it took a LONG time to put it all on, so I can be patient!

I keep telling everyone who will listen that a gluten-free diet will do the same for them, regardless of if they have celiac disease or not. They can't believe that we (our family) can eat all of these "high-fat" foods, not worry about portions and/or calories, not exercise, and STILL look so good. This is BY FAR the easiest "diet" that I have ever been on, and I couldn't be happier! Best of all, all of my bloodwork numbers are going down (except HDL, which is going up!) - take THAT, all you skinny dieters!

Yes, what you are experiencing is normal, and I have a feeling that you will be like me and find yourself losing most of your excess weight over time. I have read on this forum about people who have lost 100+ pounds without even trying, so there is a lot to this gluten-free "thing". I have been doing a lot of personal research as to the reasons that this is so, and I really think that it boils down to our bodies finally being "full" since our intestines are finally absorbing all of the nutrients that we eat.

Congratulations, and welcome to the "losing" side!

Teresa Koch
Fort Worth, Texas

Thank you!!! I feel wonderful. I did have to up my vitamin b intake a bit, I was tired and couldn't wake up for a week, not wanting to move. Found out that I was a little anemic, and my regular vitamins weren't doing great. I did a lot of research in what types of vitamins and minerals where in wheat, and it came up primarily to vitamin b. Other than that, I can now feel my ribs, even though I've actually gained 4 lbs last week. There is a scale at work that I use every Monday. Being a woman...I look at it as water weight (you know, for the stranger that visits once a month???lol).

Actually, right now I'm fluctuating. I'll loose 5 lbs, then gain it back agian and I don't know how, other than excersize....lol spelling.
But my body is still shrinking, little bits at a time. I can now feel my ribs which I haven't felt in along time and my hair is getting thicker. Believe me, this is a good thing.

Oops - read next post.....

If it helps any, the entire time that I have been gluten-free, my weight has also fluctuated. I figure this is due to losing the "water" weight from fat loss, then gaining some weight back when the fat is converted into muscle mass. I have definitely seen a marked difference in my muscle tone, and I haven't exercised one bit! You will probably find, as I have, that your weight continues to steadily go down, despite the fluctuations.

Incidentally, I have told my husband that I am "conducting a scientific experiment" - I am thinking that a gluten-free "diet" will benefit EVERYONE, and best of all, you get to eat all of the foods that you love. In order to "prove" this theory, I decided to only have one variable. I told my husband that I CAN'T give up my Cokes and sugar, and I CAN'T exercise, because then I will never know WHAT caused the weight loss / muscle tone change.......

Pretty clever, huh?

Teresa K.

That is great! I need to borrow that one!!!

Hi,

I am newly gluten-free/DF and I've noticed this past week that I have to urinate every hour if not more. I almost thought there was something wrong with me. Thanks for explaining.

Wow - after reading this, I realized that I went down a shoe size... I never realized that that could be from water weight lost after going gluten-free. Weird how you have an "epiphany moment" like that sometimes...

And that I was urinating more often, too, after my diagnosis. It's weird how you don't think of these things that are so glaringly obvious until months after the fact.

same happened to me
anyone notice that with constant 'd' even tho following strict gluten-free, sf, low oxalate and low night shade eating program.............that................
i don't loose weight when 'd' happens
I've had 'd' for 5 weeks
trying different things with drs............lost 2 pounds in this time
i don't eat much as just can't eat
course selling the house and getting it ready for the market hasn't been easy with eating limitation.

i know for me stress and alot of physical exersertion will make my fibro flare which it has.
it was under control for 5+ years while going gluten-free with the dx.
Always been obese.

hope to hear some feed back on 'd' and holding weight or gaining it.
the closermine powder for Habba syndrome did work for awhile but not now.
another call to Dr. is in order today i know but saw this and wanted to weigh HA in on the topic.