[lele123]

ronapa, on Feb 1 2004, 09:54 PM, said:

I understand that recent studies have shown that as many people with Celiac are overweight as underweight but I have a question for underweight people.

I'm a middle aged man who has always been very underweight no matter how much I ate. After coming to this site I'm beginning to wonder if I may have Celiac and am considering testing. I have some of the syptoms-many trips to the bathroom (4-5 times a day is normal) but only occasional diarrhea-but food does seem to go right through me.

I was wondering if any of you have had a hard time gaining weight until you were finally diagnosed, then after you went glutten free were you able to gain weight?


thanks, Ron

[lele123]

I sympathize as I have always been underweight even though I eat fine. I am now 47 and still underweight after being on a strict gluten free diet for 12 years. I have to take enzymes everytime I eat so the food will digest. I also have food allergies and can only have a small amouont of dairy, sugar and oil. So all the things that make one gain weight I cannot have much of. The practitioners have all told me I have a week spleen and I attribute that as to why my arms and legs are twigs. Underweight runs in my family but I am the skinniest.
Well....I'm just happy for the days when I feel good and have energy.

[ranger]

I am 5'4"" and got down to 86 lbs. A walking skelatin. Been gluten free for 7 months and have slowly gained 10 lbs. I'm going to add some exercise now that I'm feeling stronger. My dumb doc saw nothing wrong with a thin woman losing 25 lbs. in a few months! I don't have any faith in the medical community anymore.

[Gemini]

ronapa, on Feb 2 2004, 01:54 AM, said:

I understand that recent studies have shown that as many people with Celiac are overweight as underweight but I have a question for underweight people.

I'm a middle aged man who has always been very underweight no matter how much I ate. After coming to this site I'm beginning to wonder if I may have Celiac and am considering testing. I have some of the syptoms-many trips to the bathroom (4-5 times a day is normal) but only occasional diarrhea-but food does seem to go right through me.

I was wondering if any of you have had a hard time gaining weight until you were finally diagnosed, then after you went glutten free were you able to gain weight?


thanks, Ron

Hi Ron,
I am 5'4" tall and my weight was down to 97 pounds at time of diagnosis. I started to gain weight around the 6 month mark and today, 4 years later, I am a healthy 112 pounds and holding. I am 50 years old so have to watch what I eat now. If you have celiac disease and stay on a strict gluten-free diet so healing will occur, you should be able to gain weight. FYI, pre-diagnosis I was able to eat 3,000 calories a day and never got my weight over 105 pounds....ever.

[ScottyB!!!]

i am tall and skinny. always have been my whole life and just thought it was a high metabolism. no matter how much i ate, i couldn't put on any weight, period. i'm 6 foot and right around 133-136. to put it lightly, i'm a freaking stick!!! i also have pectus excavatum (not that bad, but still noticeable), but all this has added up to a 'bad' body image complex that i had problems dealing with throughout high school. when i got to college, i matured and made great friends. now, i couldnt careless what other people think, its a waste of time and emotions to let that stuff bother you.



after about 3-4 weeks of 99% gluten free diet and some good rock climbing trips, i've noticed some weight gain around my core, arms, and shoulders. i've always been active and never let my low body weight hold me back, so i'm gonna stick with the diet (duh) and just try to increase my caloric intake to 3000+ a day in hopes that i get some meat on my bones!!


i just found this site and plan on keeping my diet and progress updated. any other young men that have a similar experience?

[spent]

ScottyB!!!, on Jul 30 2009, 01:19 PM, said:

i am tall and skinny. always have been my whole life and just thought it was a high metabolism. no matter how much i ate, i couldn't put on any weight, period. i'm 6 foot and right around 133-136. to put it lightly, i'm a freaking stick!!! i also have pectus excavatum (not that bad, but still noticeable), but all this has added up to a 'bad' body image complex that i had problems dealing with throughout high school. when i got to college, i matured and made great friends. now, i couldnt careless what other people think, its a waste of time and emotions to let that stuff bother you.



after about 3-4 weeks of 99% gluten free diet and some good rock climbing trips, i've noticed some weight gain around my core, arms, and shoulders. i've always been active and never let my low body weight hold me back, so i'm gonna stick with the diet (duh) and just try to increase my caloric intake to 3000+ a day in hopes that i get some meat on my bones!!


i just found this site and plan on keeping my diet and progress updated. any other young men that have a similar experience?

Scott

Sounds just like me. I am a 6 ft 3 in male and weight 150lbs. I am just now 20 so it was easy to dismiss my lack of girth as "still growing". Over the last couple years, I have put forth several efforts to gain weight by both consuming several thousand calories daily and rigorously lifting weights. My end results netted me achy joints and constant gas/bloating/etc but no weight gain. Well, suprise suprise, after nearly 8 months of back and forth trips to the doctor, it was discovered that I have elevated gliadin antibodies. I just had a biopsy last Monday and have been gluten free now for a week and a half. While of course I don't expect anything dramatic right away, I have noticed some obvious added muscle on my forearms so hopefully that is a sign of good things to come. I am making sure that I am eating graciously but my bowel movements still are infrequent and my stool is abnormal which, to me, are a good indications that my digestive system is still a long way from a full recovery. Once those two things normalize, I will probably head back to the gym and start a 3000+ diet. I figure my calories are best spent for recovery right now.

I'll keep you informed on my progress and I will be interested on updates from you as well.

Shane

[Chuck8268]

lcmcafee2, on Mar 16 2005, 11:39 AM, said:

I am new to all this and it is so good to read that there are others! I am 5'8" and am just now getting up to 114 pounds. Most of my teen/adult life I have had to struggle to maintain 100 pounds (I am 46) In the last few years I would add weight then lose it, so at any given time I would weigh either 140 pounds or less. When I would lose it, it would be quickly. In hind-sight I now realize it was probably symptoms of Celiac and something I would be eating. This last time I went down to 107, that was three weeks after the doctor told me to eat gluten-free! I lost 10 pounds in three weeks. It is very frustrating I agree with the others, and the is little "sympathy" for underweight folks. I cannot tell you hao many times I have hear "I'll give you some of my extra weight", "wish I had your problem" "be happy your not like me...." Even my mom says ... "you would look so much better if you put on more weight" Good thing I have a good sence of humor or I would be crazy. I love this site and am anxious to continue "talking" with folks that "are there and trying that"
Laura in Ohio

I was the same way all my life a 6 ft 165 pound man.I would go thru tiny gain/loss spurts which people always noticed. As I got older my symtoms worsened to a point at age 39, I had constant diarrea.Went to docs,did 6 weeks worht of testing, couldnt find anything.Put me on sterioids which helped for awhile,off and on steriods for 6 yrs til he died.Went to ned doc,she diagnosed me right away.The next 6 months I went from 136 to 190.And weight gain just stopped/.I ride a bike alot,so I`ll probably maintain that weight.People now say,wow you look so much better

Chuck

[spent]

Chuck8268, on Aug 16 2009, 03:10 AM, said:

I was the same way all my life a 6 ft 165 pound man.I would go thru tiny gain/loss spurts which people always noticed. As I got older my symtoms worsened to a point at age 39, I had constant diarrea.Went to docs,did 6 weeks worht of testing, couldnt find anything.Put me on sterioids which helped for awhile,off and on steriods for 6 yrs til he died.Went to ned doc,she diagnosed me right away.The next 6 months I went from 136 to 190.And weight gain just stopped/.I ride a bike alot,so I`ll probably maintain that weight.People now say,wow you look so much better

Chuck

Wow, nearly 60 pounds. I would be happy to gain half of that!!

Did you put forth any extra effort to put on the weight? I am also interested about your timeline. You said 6 months; how soon did you really start noticing the extra pounds? Was it a pretty steady gain over the 6 months?

Thanks
Shane

[JAMR]

I am a 52 year old male and have probably unknowingly had gluten issues all my life. I was a skinny kid, worked hard to gain weight as an adult and managed somewhat altho at 6ft 3, maximum weight was 180lbs/82kg. Went on gluten-free diet 1 year ago, after losing 5kg in 6 months, and 5 kg before that over a couple of years. Weight is now 74kg/163lb after a low of 72kg.

For me I only began to recover weight around 8 months into the gluten-free diet, tho I am sure I made some mistakes along the way. Had a definite problem with some other foods and probably food contaminated with gluten, which knocked me back for a few months.

So it looks like my intestines took 6 months plus to recover enough to reabsorb food and gain weight, also assisted by enzymes, glutamine, and some gut flora supplements. Being healthier also allowed me to exercise (weights, swimming etc) which boosted my appetite. Even at this rate of quite normal exercise and diet routines (plus the enzymes etc) my weight gain has only been 1 or 2 kg per month.

I have assumed that there has been some damage to my gut that is recoverable (my iridologist tells me I have no permanent gut damage at this stage), but at my age it probably takes a while to regain all that has been lost over the years.

Also find that after gluten mistakes my sensitivity is far higher than before. Also complicated by other food reactions, milk, cashews, soy and some unknowns.

[Wolicki]

I was down to 97 pounds (at 6 ft tall) and nearly dead before I finally got diagnosed. What worked for me was peanut butter! It will put some weight on rather quickly. I got in hte bad habit of dipping a spoon in to the jar many times per day. Like a big cereal spoon
Now PB is my evil nemesis- I can't stay away from it, but I don't want to get fat either, so I only buy crunchy PB for my kids (I don't care for the chunks). Hope that helps!

[Candice4]

Wow, is all I can say after reading this post. Just to know that I am not alone.

[Chuck8268]

spent, on Aug 16 2009, 08:08 PM, said:

Wow, nearly 60 pounds. I would be happy to gain half of that!!

Did you put forth any extra effort to put on the weight? I am also interested about your timeline. You said 6 months; how soon did you really start noticing the extra pounds? Was it a pretty steady gain over the 6 months?

Thanks
Shane

Shane
I kinda did put in extra effort to gain.Lots of potatoes,rice,etc.But we are all different in healing.My theory anyways.All I know my gain just stopped,like a light switch when I got to that certain weight.Hope this helps you

Chuck

[mamies8]

I also am VERY thin. I have been gluten-free now 2 1/2 years and while I have managed to gain 15 lbs. since then it still isn't enough. Our society says it''s "rude" to comment on someone who is over weight, yet it's open season on those who are thin. If I hear one more person say "do you ever eat?" or "you're skinny as a twig!" I'm gonna crack! It hurts my feelings:( I am very blessed to have a husband who loves me no matter what, but when I look in the mirror and wish my body matched a womans form and not a girls, it feels hopeless. I will say that as time has gone on I have found that eating foods high in the "good" fat like avacodos help. Meats, cheese(if dairy is on your ok list), and gluten-free pasta help with weight gain!

[DougE]

I was underweight my whole life. Then when I went GL at the age of 50, I gained 15 to 20 lbs and have been stable at that. I have been lucky as I am now at a good weight. A friend of mine who was underweight before going gluten-free, gained too much weight afterwards and had to work at taking the extra weight off. I suspect everyone is a bit different.

[chatycady]

I've been gluten free for about 3 years. I wasn't heavy before, 5'4" and 135 lbs. Since going gluten free and having to eliminate lots of food (dairy, grains, sugar etc.) I am under 120. I too get rude comments. I don't like how I look at all. My legs are like tooth picks. I eat a lot! Or I think I do. I have a lot of trouble with carbs - so stick with fruits, veggies and meat and yogurt.
Can't do nuts. Here's what I usually eat

3 eggs scrambled in butter
piece of fruit and yogurt.
double serving of meat with veggies, 1+ cup of yogurt (lactose free)
more fruit
1/3 hamburger with onions, veggies with butter
1+ cup yogurt
dill pickels
olives
carrot sticks, celery, cauliflower for crunch snacks.

And I keep loosing weight - although much slower now. I pray I stop soon.

I am active and have tons of energy. I just would like some padding. My tail bone started hurting a couple weeks ago and I think it's because of the weight loss.

Life goes on!