Fast Weight Loss

[smallquiltpieces]

after having 2 bowls of pasta one night and not being able to get out of bed the next day due to fatigue, I googled gluten free. Out of the online test I took I realized that it might be the problem(s) behind my constant dark circles, borderline anemia, IBS and constipation, asthma, allegies to 30 different food/ environment items, and the list went on. That day I decided to start a gluten free life.

 

I've done well avoiding all things gluten with the exception of having half a burger bun ( which made me hit the sack for a 5 hour nap). In fact I can't believe how full I get on plates of fruits, vegetables and cheeses.

 

My DH is worried because in a weeks time I've lost 12 pounds. I feel better, my asthma is not as bad, I have a little more energy but still needing a nap ( i contribute it to my age and several critters in bed!), though not as long. The weird thing was day 5 I felt crampy and full but that seems to have passed. I still have days where I can't eat because i have a horrible full feeling. Should I be worried over the weight loss and full feeling?

 

I'm hoping it helps my asthma induced allergy to MSG. I try to avoid it as much as possible.

 

Laura

[Lisa]

Welcome Laura,

 

I would continue to eat gluten and have your primary care doctor test you for a full celiac panel. No need to speculate, just go for the testing.

 

Here is the FULL panel you need to be tested for:

 

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA
Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG
Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA
Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and IgG
Total Serum IgA

 

Good luck.

[Ghosty]

I might be missing it but I don't see how long it took you to lose the 12 pounds?  If it was a short amount of time, just getting rid of grains could result in weight loss from water weight, glycogen stores and waste.  If you're worried seeing a doc is your best bet.

 

Keep in mind that regardless of whether gluten is good or bad for you, grains do contain a lot of calories.  So if you have cut them, you may be low on calories, or at least significantly lower than you were.  You may need to make up those calories somewhere else (this of course depends on how many calories you need vs how many you're taking in).  Just something to think about.

 

Also, just reading your post...whether you have an official gluten intolerance / sensitivity it seems you have your answer on whether grains are affecting you negatively. 

[Juliebove]

Gluten isn't my issue, but I have multiple food intolerances.  When I changed my diet, I immediately dropped 10 pounds and multiple health problems cleared up.  You may have celiac or you may have a gluten or wheat intolerance.  You may also have gastroparesis.  That's delayed stomach emptying.  And it can make you feel full when you haven't eaten.  You may also have diabetes because some of your symptoms sound like that.  But...  Neither celiac nor diabetes can be diagnosed by symptoms alone.  If you haven't been tested for these things, you should. 

[suzanne 1234]

after having 2 bowls of pasta one night and not being able to get out of bed the next day due to fatigue, I googled gluten free. Out of the online test I took I realized that it might be the problem(s) behind my constant dark circles, borderline anemia, IBS and constipation, asthma, allegies to 30 different food/ environment items, and the list went on. That day I decided to start a gluten free life.

 

I've done well avoiding all things gluten with the exception of having half a burger bun ( which made me hit the sack for a 5 hour nap). In fact I can't believe how full I get on plates of fruits, vegetables and cheeses.

 

My DH is worried because in a weeks time I've lost 12 pounds. I feel better, my asthma is not as bad, I have a little more energy but still needing a nap ( i contribute it to my age and several critters in bed!), though not as long. The weird thing was day 5 I felt crampy and full but that seems to have passed. I still have days where I can't eat because i have a horrible full feeling. Should I be worried over the weight loss and full feeling?

 

I'm hoping it helps my asthma induced allergy to MSG. I try to avoid it as much as possible.

 

Laura

Hi laura i was diagonsed with celiac disease 2 years ago,i have gluten free foods but over the last few months the weight is just falling of me which is worrying me,also it does not matter what i eat or drink i keep doubling over in a lot of pain with my top of the stomach and it is also worrying me,I seen my gp who as also advised me not to drink any milk or juice but cant seem to find anything else i can have to drink which wont effect me.I am also very tired all the time and all i do is sleep.

[janpell]

When I first went gluten free I lost a lot of weight for my body. I probably lost 15-20 lbs within 4 months and I was at an ideal weight previously, and was eating a lot. I had to eat all day long so as not to lose too much weight on an elimination diet. I found once I started to heal I started to gain weight again. Now, I feel I have to watch how I eat as before I went gluten free I wasn't getting proper absorption so I was able to eat as much as I wanted so now I am training myself to eat a reasonable amount of food, which is pretty tough after years of gorging. People used to ask me if there was something wrong with me when I lost the weight and how I should go the doctor and the like. It was tough because I was feeling so good but apparently looking so bad, lol. I hope you are keeping a food journal, documenting everything helps a lot. I recently started old foods (although no gluten, ever) back into my diet at it seems to be going okay so far, fingers crossed.

[taynichaf]

Although I did'nt lose that much weight, in about days of eating gluten free i droped like 5 pounds without even trying! For a year now, i've been eating healthy and exercising, but I just could not lose any weight! (unfortunatly, "healthy food" includes wheat and whole grains) These 5 days of being gluten free, I ate a whole package of gluten free cookies in one sitting, TONS of KIND/lara bars, two packs of rice cakes, I think two jars of peanut butter.. and the list goes on. Anyways, during these days i was STARVING! I just could not get full! I thought something was just really wrong with me, but I think it's just actually that I couldnt feel my hunger for so long due to gluten.

 

Anywayssssss.. Maybe you have other intolerances? Or maybe your body just needs more time to adjust. Also, in the days when I didnt eat gluten I did not exercise at all, and I was sooooo tired, but I finally felt like I would get good sleep!

[pricklypear1971]

It may be fluid. I lost a bit going gluten-free - noticed I was less puffy but didn't weigh.

We are tweaking my thyroid meds and I just lost 4-6 lbs in a week...and again it's fluid.

Both celiac and hashimotos are autoimmune diseases, which are known to cause/come with inflammation. Some people lower inflammation tremendously and quickly going gluten-free.

It could also be from a diet lower in refined foods...many of us drop them in the beginning in our quest for gluten-free foods.

[Ksee]

Did your activity level go up with your energy? If so, you could also be burning a lot more calories than before. 

[Deaminated Marcus]

When I went gluten free I had a burst of energy and I could exercise and lose weight

and my tendons were no longer getting injured.

The first 10 lbs came off in a jiffy.

[taynichaf]

I don't think that you should be worried... I have rapid weight loss on a gluten free diet as well. But if this persists and you get down to an unhealthy weight THEN your should worry, lol. But from what i've read, most of these weight thinks level out eventually... Just give your body some time to heal

 

 

Ohh... and go get tested before it's too late!!

[Lisa]

Well, I guess Laura has not been back since her first post on 3-20-13