[cmichelle]

Hello, everyone. I am not new here but I hadn't been here for a while thanks to life events keeping us very busy around here. So I forgot my old password and needed to make a new account. I was Spruette a while back.

NOW. We're caught up.

My metabolism is soooo not normal. Going gluten-free three years ago, I thought would help it but actually it is a bit worse.

What gluten-free and GERD friendly treatments are there to help speed that puppy up? I sometimes go DAYS without a BM. I know that is probably too much information but we are all celiacs, we have all been through it all. I thought my digestive tract would get better and faster but no change. My levels are perfect every blood test and my recent biopsy and endoscopy and colonoscopy in August told my doctor and I that I am controlling the Celiac very very well. But still where is my metabolism?

I have gained SO much weight and really do not eat that much. Fiber supplements make me sick for some reason (well the pills and powders like Fibercon and Metamucil.) So what else is there to naturally kick up that metabolism? It is like food and fats go in and NEVER come out! My body is a trap for it. Please any suggestions would be wonderful and greatly appreciated.

P.S. Caffeine is not an option since I have GERD and LPR.
P.S.S. I have Lupus as well so some exercises are out of the question as well.

[cmichelle]

hightop girl, on Apr 6 2008, 10:25 PM, said:

I shouldn't even post a reply because I am so new to this, I have no answers. But... I have the same problem. I hope someone has some answers out there because my weight is climbing.

No, really your reply is even helpful in telling me I am NOT alone. It is so strange - I was thinking that my metabolism would increase thanks to a better digestive tract but it has slowed down immensely. Thanks for the reply.

[RiceGuy]

My first thought is magnesium. Not only is it vital to practically every bodily function, but it can get your digestive tract moving like nothing else I've ever heard of. Try one of the powdered forms, preferably in orange juice (or other acidic juice). The juice will greatly magnify the absorption, thus the effectiveness. According to statistics, approximately 70% of Americans are deficient in magnesium.

The other thing which comes to mind is coconut oil. It gets digested and burned very easy, raising the metabolism/thyroid function.

[flourgirl]

No answers here. After dropping so much weight pre-diagnosis, I got used to being very thin, and I confess I enjoyed the small size. Now that I'm gluten-free, in the last month Im blowing up like a balloon. I can't say that I overeat, and I do get exercise. My muscle tone is finally shaping back up. For the first time in my life I'm accumulating fat around my waist (and I don't like it!!! ) I don't know what to change to get rid of it. I DO know that pre celiac I was hyperthyroid, but my last test showed normal range. Go figure! I'd like to hear from others about possible solutions, too. Thanks!

[cmichelle]

Thanks you for the magnesium suggestion and the coconut oil. I can not have orange juice because of LPR - my voice box is "on fire" according to my ENT. I would need to take it with something low in acid content. But that is certainly something I am willing to try.

Truthfully, and I know this is going to sound awful, I thought of going back on gluten long enough to lose the weight. Right before I went on this, I had lost soooo much weight. I also felt kind of happy about that even though I was sicker than a dog, I liked that I was losing weight without even TRYING. Everyone kept saying "Are you dieting, you have lost so much weight." I would tell them "Nope." It felt wonderful to at least keep getting skinny without trying. Though I know it was tearing my body up and what was around the corner is not worth it.

But I so want my figure back and I am pretty desperate to find it! I will try the magnesium powder thing first but can I substitute the orange juice with something else because my doctor will SCREAM if I drink orange juice even once right now since we are trying to heal my esophagus.

Thanks again for the suggestions and support!

[RiceGuy]

Ah, ok. Then I will suggest magnesium in capsule form. Again, the acidic forms are better absorbed, so magnesium citrate would be my suggestion. Here is one such product: http://www.nowfoods.com/index.php?action=i...mp;item_id=3379

After your additional responses, I would say the coconut oil is not as likely to give you what you are looking for, especially if there are acute nutrient deficiencies (which seems to be the case).

[AliB]

You can add me to this one, too! I really thought that once I had dropped gluten my body would start to sort itself out and I would lose weight. Yeah, in my dreams. I've always had a problem with carbs but now I only have to look at the stuff and I put on yet another lb!

What the heck is going on here?!! Before gluten-free I had lost nearly 3 stone but it has been creeping back on and I am not a happy bunny. Short of going on a Food-free diet I don't know what to do!

[superbeansprout]

I would say there are probably a few essential oils out there either in oil form or pill form that you can take to help with that situation. I guess in the old days, parents used to give castor oil to their kids to help them NOT be constipated, and to keep them regular. Also bananas have a lot of potassium, which can help that as well. as well as avocado also has good essential oils. You could just be one of those people who doesn't have a BM every day...some people only go once or twice a week!
Another thing you may want to check into is those "normal" ranges for thyroid...the ranges changed a few years ago, yet most doctors still go by the old "normal". Also, one theory of thought on thyroid levels is that everyone is different...one person in the middle of the normal range may still feel really crappy, but when they adjust medication to make them in the lower of the range they feel fine. and yet another person may feel much better in the higher end of the range. So, just because you're in the normal range for thyroid levels, doesn't necessarily mean you are at YOUR best level. Even slight changes to your thyroid levels can make a huge difference in weight gain, and regularity.

[cmichelle]

I have hypothyroidism. Get this, SOMETIMES. It underproduces sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't. Doctors wont treat it yet because sometimes my levels come back normal and sometimes they don't but they said it is too mild to treat when it doesn't. But then my aunt has been taking meds for her thyroid for ages and still has the weight she can't shed so I have very little confidence it would make me shed weight either. Unless my thyroid was REALLY SEVERELY underproducing - I don't know... I mean that is what the doctor said but at the same time, doctors misdiagnosed and mistreated my Celiac for more than 10 years before I found a good doctor who found it. I don't have a lot of faith in the medical world sometimes.

Thanks for all the feedback. Oils - my dad does a spoon full of some sort of oil, forgot which. I just figured it was because he was a senior citizen but maybe I should take it too if it will help out.

Which oils are not fattening and will speed up metabolism however? Aren't some fattening? I thought I read that somewhere. Maybe I am mistaken.

[RiceGuy]

cmichelle, on Apr 7 2008, 08:34 PM, said:

Which oils are not fattening and will speed up metabolism however? Aren't some fattening? I thought I read that somewhere. Maybe I am mistaken.

Any oil would be fattening IF your body decides to store it rather than burn it. That being said, coconut oil is the one which stands out as being less likely to put on weight. This is because unlike other oils, coconut oil is about half medium chain fatty acids, which happen to be very easy for the body to absorb and burn. Studies seem to indicate that the average person will likely burn it for fuel before storing it. This has been shown to help raise thyroid function, thus aiding in losing weight. However, that probably doesn't mean everyone will see weight reducing effects from coconut oil. But it is one of the healthiest oils in the world, so if you are going to use oil for cooking or baking, that would appear to be the most preferable for someone trying to lose weight. Besides, it's delicious, and is a solid up to about 76°F, so it can be used like butter on toast or whatever. Coconut oil also has a decent smoke point, so you can use it to make popcorn too, which is soooo yummy!

[RiceGuy]

hightop girl, on Apr 8 2008, 06:43 AM, said:

would it have any benefits for those of us with no thyroid? (coconut oil)

Apparently so, because it gives the body quick energy.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention something else I read: If memory serves, when burned by the body, coconut oil lends an extra molecule which the body can then use to burn body fat. From what I've read, animal fats are the most likely to put on weight because the body can't break it down as easily, but the extra molecule from coconut oil can be attached to the long chain fatty acid, giving the body an easier way to break it down.

[darlindeb25]

Sometimes, it's the adrenal glands, and not the thyroid that is the problem. My metabolism just seemed to die. When I didn't know about celiac disease, I gianed weight, when I am malnorished, I gain. Gluten does not normally make me lose, it makes me gain. My sister loses, go figure! So, when I start gaining, I know something is wrong with my system.

When I was trying to jump-start my metabolism, a doctor told me I had to trick it. She said to eat 100 calories every 2 hours, all day long, up too around 1200 calories--which was a lot for me to eat. Keep track of what you eat, write everything down, so you can see what you are doing. One meal could be 2 ozs of cheese, if you eat cheese, one meal, a small apple, 2 tbs of peanut butter, if you like it. Then walk for 20 mins each day--you always have to add exercise, if you want to lose. I hate the word exercise too, but it's the only way to lose and firm up. I will admit, there was so much more going on with me at the time this doctor put me on this regiment, I also had to have a hysterectomy, so I fell away from this.

This January, I got a UTI, and was glutened by a medication. I had a very difficult time getting over that glutening, my immune system must have went into overkill. I just could not get my tummy back to it's normal. In March, my best friend told me I had lost weight, I thought he was joking, which I should know better, he would never joke about my weight with me. A week later, I jumped on my scales, and even thought it was broken. Finally, he got on my scales, and jokingly said, "Well, it is about 1# different from mine. So, does that mean YOU HAVE LOST WEIGHT???" I have lost 26# since January, I am delighted. I think, with the glutening, the tummy upset, the weight loss, I finally have jumpstarted my metabolism.

I will tell you this much--I have eliminated all high fructose corn syrup from my diet. It's not good for any of us anyways, and if you read ingredients, it's in so much. It adds #'s we don't need. I watch my carbs because I also feel they are bad for me. I am intolerant of so much. I am in the process of giving up sweeteners, which I have used for over 40 yrs. I also gave up caffiene--I will never give up coffee!!! I do not EVER drink soda. Watch the gluten free flours too, they are very high in calories, and they are also high in carbs.

Hang in there!