13 replies to this topic

[mario]

Ok, whats the deal with this weight gain...I gained 5 pounds since last tuesday.. I'm not complianing or anything but, everyones freakin out hear, everyone knows me as skinny Mario,, I also never gained wieght since 18 years old..was always under weight..my doc is freakin out..must be the uncle bens and, the meat and, bananas..

[kejohe]

I actually lost weight when I went gluten-free for my son, but my son started gaining weight. I think it depends on the person. If you were really uderweight before you went gluten-free, you probably weren't absorbing most of the nutrients from the foods you were ingesting, now that your gluten-free, your body is making up for lost time.

Also, I have heard that the body has a "self preservation" trait. So that if it has gotten used to being deprived of fat and nutrients, when it begins to get them, it will store anything and everything in case it gets deprived again. I'm not a doc, so I don't know if this is true, but it makes sense to me.

[JsBaby_G]

I too was REALLY underweight pre diagnosis (under 100 lbs) and now I can't seem to stop gaining weight!!! I'm trying to lose again, you are not alone.

[celiacfreeman]

gained 20 pound and I need it TO STOP
ANY suggestion beside eating gluten???
I need to loose the special bread and bagels I guess, there sooo fattening.

[lovegrov]

I got you beat, I gained 50, although I've now lost 30 of that.

I don't eat those incredibly fattening (and expensive) gluten-free breads and treats. I started watching my portions and realized I was still eating huge amounts of food just like I did before going gluten-free. Except now I'm absorbing all those calories and fat that I wasn't absorbing before. I did sort of a modified Weight Watchers, not one of the low-carb things. And I started exercising. Walking every day and lifting weights 2-3 times a week.

[jasa]

Totally fed up with this 'weight gain' business. When I first went gluten-free, everything was fine... Now a few months in, body has gone mad and as you say is absorbing every nutrient available. In an effort to stave off the inevitable, I joined the gym and upped my rowing so basically I get a good work out of about 1.5hrs at least five times a week - and yet still the weight is piling on.
How is this possible??
Okay, so my nickname used to be 'stringbean' and maybe at times I was a little underweight but I am rapidly approaching the dangerous zone of being 'comfortable' and described as 'healthy looking' (which in my world means, ever so slightly chubby).
I don't know if its because I spend all day eating carbs - rice, rice-cakes, gluten free pasta, potatoes... Please - any ideas on what I can eat so I still have the energy to exercise yet my waist stays a nice 25" as it should be would be fantastic. Have finally gotten over the whole wanting to burst into tears in the supermarket thing, now am just approaching it whenever I see myself walking past a mirror. Wonderful. Fantastic. GRRR.

[travelthomas]

When it comes to weight gain and loss, this is what I have noticed. When I get hungry it is for a purpose. My body needs something, either calories for energy, or nutrients to maintain my organs and glands. When my body calls for nutrients, and I feed it nutrient poor food, like breads, pasta, chips, and junk food, it keeps calling for more food to get the nutrients it needs. When it doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, I will gorge myself to the point where I feel like I just ate a Thanksgiving meal, and still want to eat. The program in my brain will not shut off until it gets the nutrients it needs to function. Over time, if I keep starving my body of nutrients, it will start putting on weight because all I am feeding is my fat cells.

When I choose to completely ignore my body signals to eat, I lose too much weight and go the other way.

When I eat nutrient rich food, like brown rice, fresh vegetables, salmon, nuts, and fruit, my body weight goes back to normal, as does my health.

Fat is a symptom of malnutrition.

[plantime]

It sure is!! Most fat people have moderate to severe anemia. Have you consulted a weight/height chart? Maybe what you are considering "chubby" is actually in your normal range. You might try eating more protein instead of bread and pasta, you will feel full longer, as it takes longer to digest.

[kvogt]

I've put on about 40 pounds. I thnk part of it comes from eating everyting on the table for 44 years, then getting normal gut function. I must have a stomach the size of a basketball. I probably don't need half or less of what I'm accustomed to eating, but I struggle to eat less to feel satisfied. I'm now trying to eat much less, more often. Sort of trickle the food in - just enough to stop wanting food, but nowhere near enough to feel full. I'm finding all this much harder than giving up those comfort foods.

Regarding carbohydrates, you don't need massive amounts of them to have energy for exercise. A little bit goes a long way. I actually feel I have more energy the less I eat. You won't recover from your workout quite as fast, but you probably won't gain the weight, either.

[LisaP]

I gained too. I went from 106 soon after diagnosis to 130 in 2 months! I was shocked. My body absorbs anything. I got mad, b/c my clothes did not fit. I just want to loose about 10 lbs, so I do not have to buy a whole new wardrobe and I like being 120. So I decided to get serious. I got the South Beach Diet and once I started reading the recipes and menus, I bought the new South Beach Diet Cookbook as well. They have pretty simple recipes that we can eat. It focuses on fresh vegtables and lean protiens, and good fats. (Sound familiar?) I lost 3 lbs by just not eating all the gluten-free carbs before I even started the diet seriously.

What I found interesting is that alot of the gluten-free flours have higher calories and some have a higher glycemic index (sugar content) so our bodies crave more carbs faster. So, not only are our bodies absorbing more, in many cases, our breads, cookies, etc. have more calories than the wheat flour ones! No fair!

Anyway, if you want a plan for loosing the weight, check out South Beach. You will feel better on the inside and out!

Good luck

[outthere39]

I have been thin all my life, and since going gluten free I have put on ten pounds.
But that has been where I have been stuck at. I am also an extremely active person, I walk a lot and am on my feet anywhere from 5 to 10 hours a day.
I need to put on about 15 more pounds. I am still battling my way up the weight chart.
Richard

[burdee]

After struggling for at least 10 years with 'IBS' symptoms, I FINALLY learned I had celiac almost 2 months ago and immediately began eating 'gluten free'. When I stopped experiencing the pain, I could easily overeat, because the painful bloating from consuming gluten no longer made me feel prematurely full. Rather than eating from pain (of starving because I dreaded eating) to pain (of feeling bloated after unknowingly consuming gluten), I could actually enjoy meals. So eating became pleasurable again. I also noticed that gluten-free breads and cookies were at least 50% higher in calories than my gluten-ful favorites. But I ALSO noticed that the gluten-free varieties were more dense and therefore more satisfying. I was SOOO glad to be free of pain that I didn't expect or desire gluten free foods to taste 'just like' the gluten-full kinds. If I tried to eat gluten free foods in the same way I ate those gluten-full counterparts, I suspect I would have gained more and more weight as my body healed and absorbed more nutrients.

HOWEVER, I learned 3 years ago through a program called ThinWithin (a nondiet, grace oriented approach to lasting weight control) that I could trust my BODY to tell me when and how much food it needed to maintain my ideal weight, IF I obeyed my hunger and satisfaction cues to only begin to eat when I was truly, physiologically hungry and stop eating when I felt satisfied. Learning that I had celiac disease helped me understand why I previously could eat sooooo much more (and actually was hungry for soooo much more) and still maintain my weight, than other women my age and size. Now that my intestines are healing and I'm eating those dense, higher calorie gluten free carbs (along with my regular healthy diet of vegies, fruits, proteins and fats), I find that I am satisfied with much LESS food. One of those teeny slices of gluten free bread (with peanut butter and jam), a small piece of fruit and a latte for breakfast lasts me 4-6 hours. Whereas, the gluten-full cereals or toast I previously ate only lasted me 2-4 hours. I needed SOOO much more of the gluten-full stuff to feel full--and then I really didn't feel satisfied--probably because I wasn't absorbing the nutrients. Of course, I learned through ThinWithin to let my stomach tell me when and how much to eat, rather than my eyes (to take mega portions and 'clean my plate') or my heart (to soothe negative emotions). So going from gluten-full to gluten-free allowed me to eat much less for more satisfaction. I don't mind the higher priced gluten-free breads and pastries, because they last so much longer, because I don't NEED as much to feel satisfied.

I also suspected that gluten-free starches (made with rice flour, etc.) might be higher on the glycemic index and make my blood sugar peak and plummet after meals. However, I have in later years combined the high glycemic foods (like breads and cereals) with low glycemic stuff (fiber from fruits and vegies, fats and proteins) so I wouldn't experience those glycemic peaks and valleys. So I did the same with gluten-free foods, eating cookies only with cheese and apples for MEALS, not snacks, and bread with eggs or peanut butter, etc. I also purposely chose higher fiber varieties of gluten-free breads and cookies (since constipation was initially one of my 'symptoms'). Amazingly, I found that the gluten-free breads did NOT produce those reactive hypoglycemic symptoms I previously experienced from the gluten-full starches, even when I nibbled a bit while I was preparing a meal. Perhaps my previous reactive hypoglycemia resulted from consuming gluten-full foods which my body did NOT absorb. Since my intestines didn't digest the rest of the nutrients from the gluten containing breads (after digesting the simple sugars), I just received a big sugar load from the gluten filled stuff. Whatever happened, I felt much shakier and unsatisfied after eating much MORE gluten containing foods and NOW feel much more stable and satisfied after eating much LESS gluten-free starches (which I balance with proteins and fats).

So I don't believe people recovering from celiac have to gain UNWANTED weight, if they listen to their bodies and obey their hunger and satisfaction cues. Their bodies will need LESS gluten free foods. So if they obey their body cues, they will consume only the amount of calories they need to maintain a healthy body weight. Of course, if they were underweight, their bodies will add weight to reach their healthy ideal. HOWEVER, if they had developed irresponsible eating habits like eating to celebrate, cope with stress, numb painful feelings, or for any reason other than physical hunger, their bodies will no longer let them 'get away with' excess calories, once their intestines recover.

I'm really glad gluten-free foods are so calorie dense and satisfying. I hated having to eat every 3-4 hours. I really like being able to survive just fine on only 3 meals a day rather than 3 plus 2 snacks because I was so hungry all the time. I really enjoy experiencing normal hunger, rather than low blood sugar, shaky hunger, when I need to eat. I'm so happy to be finally free of intestinal pain that I'm focussing on substitution NOT deprivation.

There's not ONE gluten-full food I can't substitute with healthier (pain-free) gluten free varieties. Oh WAIT--I take that back. I used to eat cardboard tasting High Fiber (gluten-full) cereal to cope with my ongoing constipation (which was symptomatic of celiac). ("IBS" diets recommended lots of high fiber cereals to cope with the constipation--just the opposite of what I needed!) I haven't found a gluten free substitute for that high fiber gluten filled cardboard yet. But I don't need to. Healing my intestines has finally resolved that lifelong 'regularity problem'. I've eaten enough high fiber cereal to last for a lifetime. It's great to eat peanut butter and jam on gluten free toast or my homemade gluten free date nut bread for breakfast. I love being free of 'fiber for regularity' worries as well as that excruciating pain!!