[adm07]

Hi!
So I know there are quite a few of Celiacs that put ON weight instead of losing it. One theory I heard is that the body is so malnourished of vitamins that it holds on to every calorie and the metabolism slows down. For those of you who were undiagnosed and overweight, did you deal with anemia issues?

Let me know what you think, it's very interesting to me.

Thanks!

[soulcurrent]

For me, it was Skittles. My nutritionist told me I needed to take in more calories so I started snacking on Skittles.. I'm an emotional eater and candy is a comfort food and I overdid it, as I have a tendency to do. But I have a good metabolism so a week or two without them and I'm back to my normal weight.

[Glamour]

It seems that gluten free baked items and snack foods have just as much calorie, sugar and fat content, if not more than regular food items.


Are you talking about celiacs that eat very little but still gain weight?



I was terribly anemic and fat. Poor quality diet. Too many carbs and empty calories from starches and grains.

[mcphena]

I am definitely one that was undiagnosed and gained weight. I gained 30 lbs all at once in one month and no one could figure out why. I gained all this weight AFTER giving birth to 3 children and not gaining, so my metabolism WAS normal once, but no longer. Now I am overweight, diagnosed with celiac, and I haven't lost ONE OUNCE of weight despite eating a LOT less than normal for me, which wasn't a lot in the first place. I might eat a salad and a smoothie made with just fruit and rice milk, and the next day I would weigh 2 or 3 lbs more! I wish I could understand it, it's very discouraging. I'm hoping once I heal things will start to turn around for me. Oh, and yes I am anemic too.

[adm07]

I'm talking about the ones that gain weight instead of lose weight while eating gluten and being undiagnosed. Not just overeating on gluten free foods. Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

[gf_soph]

Just my thoughts, but perhaps it has something to do with what can be absorbed when your gut is damaged by gluten?

We hear a lot about the malabsorption that can happen (iron, b12, protein, vitamins), but my understanding is that simple sugars can be absorbed very early on in digestion. So perhaps the body is absorbing some of the calories in the food but little of the nutrients, and you end up craving extra food to get the nutrients? Sorry if that is badly explained!

For me it happened the other way around - before I gave up gluten the major D i was getting led to weight loss and major malabsorption. When I went gluten-free it was then that I got crazy food cravings and started putting on excess weight -I think that my body was effectively starving, so once I started being able to absorb food it grabs hold of every calorie it can get. Hope that makes sense!

[homemaker]

I was overweight before going gluten-free. Before I went gluten-free I had terrible constipation, bloating and gas. It was as if my body was trying to hold onto the the food forever...perhaps to squeeze every ounce of nutrients out of what I ate....I had no anemia....
Today, being gluten-free for only 6 weeks...I can say that my body feels starving...I am so hungry...I feel like I can eat my own right arm.
I am more hungry now than when I was pregnant !
I am trying to feed my body the good stuff, I am taking a vitamin supplement & Omega Oils. I get worried that I will gain more weight, but I think if I stick to only the good foods and stay away from the "baked" stuff...and then hopefully my hunger will level off..
I do think the hunger is finally starting to slow up a bit...as I get better at determining what my body is asking for...
So although I had constipation and I was overweight, I do think my body was still starved in so many ways....
Hope this answers some questions....

[amberlynn]

That's why my doctor wouldn't test me! He said that I hadn't had a significant weight loss.

Reason being... I was HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. I'd eat, then an hour later be starving again b/c (I'm assuming) that my body wasn't getting what it needed and my brain kept telling me that I needed to eat MORE. It didn't really matter what I ate. I didn't gain weight quite so dramatically, but 3 years ago (before I got pregnant with my 2nd), I weighed 110 lbs. Before I started my diet I was nearly 150 (I'm 5 feet tall, so that's a little overweight, but not terribly horrible). And I go to the gym 3-4 days a week. Just no matter how hard I tried, I could NOT lose it. Very frustrating.

Since starting the diet, I've dropped 6 lbs.

[adm07]

Thanks everyone!
From what I gather, the Celiacs that gained weight did so because their body was starving for more nutrients, so this lead to overeating.
very interesting..

[mcphena]

that might be the case with some but wasn't with me. like I said earlier, I gained 30 lbs in one month for no reason, with no change in eating.

[Swimmr]

I subconsciously thought I could pig out on the gluten free baked stuff and be ok....ummm, WRONG! lol

If you eat less frequently, your body will hold on to whatever it is regardless if its gluten free or not. Your metabolism slows down and you store fat.

Eat small portions just more frequently throughout the day to build your metabolism back up. A common misconception is eating less meals a day.

I did lose weight when I went gluten free, but after being gluten free it was hard to lose more. I have, finally though after a year of trying.

[adm07]

mcphena, on Nov 12 2009, 10:31 AM, said:

that might be the case with some but wasn't with me. like I said earlier, I gained 30 lbs in one month for no reason, with no change in eating.

Yeah, I understand you, another theory I heard, which I mentioned above is that no matter how much you eat the body holds on to every calorie (because it wants nutrients) and therefore slows the metabolism. That's just a theory though.

[debnak]

adm07, on Nov 11 2009, 06:28 PM, said:

Hi!
So I know there are quite a few of Celiacs that put ON weight instead of losing it. One theory I heard is that the body is so malnourished of vitamins that it holds on to every calorie and the metabolism slows down. For those of you who were undiagnosed and overweight, did you deal with anemia issues?

Let me know what you think, it's very interesting to me.

Thanks!

Hi there,

That is how I was diagnosed with Celiacs. I was very anemic and the doctor kept digging and digging and finally found out the cause.

[carsondcat]

I was undiagnosed and underweight with anaemia and low Hb i ended up having to have a hysterectomy last year!! so no i don't think my anaemia was dealt with....

[angieInCA]

I was one of those that had normal weight for most of my life until about 6 years ago. Suddenly i started putting on unexplained weight. The Dr's just said I was over 40 and it was to be expected. I lived on a diet. For over a year I lived on 1200 calories a day and gained 20 lbs. All told by the time I was diagnosed I was 50 lbs overweight.

My GI said that weight gain during undiagnoses is very common. He believes the body is in constant starvation mode and the metabolizm shuts down and the body clings to every calorie consumed. Since going gluten-free I have yoyoed with 20 lbs. I think my metabolizm is trying to wake up. I'm stabalized and not yoyoing anymore so hopefully I can start to see some weight loss. I still need to lose about 40 lbs.