I Am Still Fat!

[Dylanm]

I have been wheat free since December.  The main reason I made the shift in my diet was because I read Wheat Belly.  I have noticed great changes with my health.  I sleep better, have more energy, digestion is much better, skin looks better, and I overall FEEL better.  The one thing that I have not noticed is the weight loss.  I have not lost 1 pound.  Now, I know what you are thinking "this guy is obviously replacing the carbs with carbs".  The truth is, I eat the best I have ever eaten in my life.  I don't eat processed foods, chips, or sweets.  I have a Nutribullet smoothie every morning, eat nuts and seeds, lots of fruits and veggies... I still have not lost 1 pound... I have eliminated GMO foods... still not 1 pound...

 

This is very odd for myself as before I was very yoyo.  I would gain and then with little effort, I would lose. 

 

I am wondering if any of you have any suggestions or similar problems.  Is there something that I am not being told or should I just stick it out and expect it to fall off shortly?

[GottaSki]

Hi Dylan!

 

I wouldn't worry about weight loss just yet -- if you were not absorbing nutrients it can take a while for your system to re-set even with drastic diet change.  Keep eating well and get as much exercise as possible and those pesky extra pounds should start dropping off.

[captaincrab55]

What's your daily calorie intake???

[Ciel121]

I have had the same problem and I have been gluten-free to 4 years. I mean I did lose some weight, but not much and I had to work hard for it. It goes so slowly. I have a Nutribullet too and eat only organic. Yet at some point I realized that as wonderful and healthy as those smoothies are avocado, nuts and lots of fruit smoothies are very high in calories. I realized I need to get enough veggies, enough protein and enough fiber. I tried lowering my calorie intake and started reading Tracy Anderson's book about weight loss. It targets women, but has so many good tips. I realized I need to make more veggie smoothies and just fewer smoothies because I could drink up to 3-5 a day. Now I just keep in the morning and add spinach, kale, carrots and other veggies.  Tracy Anderson also mentions that you can work out and not lose the weight you want...I suppose it's the kind of exercise and muscle confusion that helps. I'm experimenting with that now. I heard PX90 really works from a close friend who is very healthy and slim.

  After going gluten-free I did notice one benefit, I can maintain my weight. It is much more stable, so when it does come off it is easy to keep off. That's always good.

[kareng]

The gluten free diet isn't for weight loss. It has nothing to do with reducing calories, fats, carbs, etc. To lose weight, you need to reduce calories/ burn more than you take in. Nuts & smoothies are healthier than eating the same amount calories as a Big Mac, but they still have the same amount of calories.

[IrishHeart]

Here's my fail-proof diet plan: Eat less, exercise more.  sounds simple, but it works.

[mushroom]

Here's my fail-proof diet plan: Eat less, exercise more.  sounds simple, but it works.

 

And how many undiagnosed celiacs who do this and keep gaining have been told this???

[IrishHeart]

And how many undiagnosed celiacs who do this and keep gaining have been told this???

 

I dunno, how many?  you will notice I said "sounds simple". 

Karen said almost  the same thing "burn more than you take in"

Smoothies may not be very low-cal.

 

When I was undiagnosed, I lost 90 lbs.  and when I went gluten-free after DX, I gained 40 ( 30 I did not need)

That's why I am at the gym. LOL

 

well,  if Dylan is an undiagnosed celiac, maybe he should go back on gluten and be tested ?  to be sure he isn't missing something?  IMHO

 

But I do not blame him one bit if he does not want to eat it ever again!! I know I wouldn't.

[Adalaide]

If he is an undiagnosed celiac who is eating gluten free (not wheat free, gluten free as there is a HUGE DIFFERENCE!), I don't see there being a barrier to weight loss other than the possibility of an additional underlying medical condition.

 

Quite possible though is simply a diet of high calorie smoothies which are pushed as healthy being used instead of a well balanced low calorie diet with an appropriate amount of exercise. Also, this may be killer, and you can do all sorts of "treats" and still lose weight, but Domino's pizza is A: not gluten free and B: not suitable for someone trying to lose weight. Prepackaged and other prepared foods need to go if you truly want to make a go of it because they are nothing but empty calorie bombs. The smoothies aren't empty, but are still calorie bombs and you need to switch to simple things like eating actual fruits and vegetables and enough real protein like a burger or steak to go with that exercise.

[Rachelcooks]

Hi, 

I eat a clean diet similar to what you described.  I am also slow to lose weight but it is coming down bit by bit.  I know that some people who have damage from celiac never really retained nutrients prior to going gluten-free and as a result could lose weight or be very thin no matter what was being eaten.  I've never been that person.  That said, today I decided to (try) to stop paying attention to the scale and just track my body measurements.  How do your clothes fit?  I ask just because, though my weight hasn't really decreased, since starting to eat a very clean diet my weight has gone down very little but my waist size (and other body measurements) have decreased much more dramatically. I'm wondering if you have a similar situation? I figure that if I feel good and am getting smaller I'm not going to pay so much attention to the numbers.

Hope you are doing well and now seeing some weight loss!

[angeldotson]

I was diagnosed almost a year ago with celiac disease.  I have mostly cut all gluten and carbs out of my life and I have gained weight instead of loosing.  It has been a struggle.  When I was younger I could cut carbs and loose 5 pounds per week.  My doctor says that there are other factors such as hormones for instance that are effecting my weight loss.  I am trying to exercise 3 times a week as well.  Over all I generally feel better I am just not thinner. I don't know what the magic recipe for loosing weigh is. If someone out there has any suggestions that would be great

[pricklypear1971]

I was diagnosed almost a year ago with celiac disease. I have mostly cut all gluten and carbs out of my life and I have gained weight instead of loosing. It has been a struggle. When I was younger I could cut carbs and loose 5 pounds per week. My doctor says that there are other factors such as hormones for instance that are effecting my weight loss. I am trying to exercise 3 times a week as well. Over all I generally feel better I am just not thinner. I don't know what the magic recipe for loosing weigh is. If someone out there has any suggestions that would be great

Find a doctor who wil figure out your hormone issues and help you correct them. Start with thyroid.

[w8in4dave]

I am just a week into being Gluten Free and I can tell the weight difference! I am losing weight!! I have a short story! A friend of mine heard this thing on the radio , they were looking for people to do this guaranteed diet!! So ok her husband and herself went on this diet!! They were monitored , he lost , and lost and lost!! She said she followed that diet to the T!!!She never lost a lb. So they said there was something eles there that was wrong! After all kinds of test they did find what her problem was (I don't remember) But she has since lost like 25 lbs!! So there can always be an underlying condition. So if your eating less calories, and walking or exercising and burning calories, then you should be losing weight! Unless there is another reason!! Go to your Dr. !!!

[Ksee]

The typical clinical picture of Celiac disease is that of a thin person with a bloated, gassy belly (hence the term Wheat Belly). Most Celiacs will gain weight when gluten is removed unless there is another undiagnosed problem.

Gluten free was never intended as a weight loss treatment. Even though there may be an improved appearance with loss of belly distention, there is usually an overall weight gain.

[Nikki2777]

Make sure you're not overdoing it on the nuts and avocados.   It's easy to do and has caught me up as I make this transition.  Also, in the first few weeks, I would gorge on the gluten-free foods I found, "just in case" I couldn't find them later.  Had to stop that, too.

[Happy canary]

I can relate to Nikki2777 After having no weight issues for years, I came across some yummy gluten-free and egg free muffins about a month ago and have been over indulging. I have out on 2kg and now doing a 3 day juice fast and getting back into daily exercise to get that weight off. My butt expanded and my jeans were getting tight.

[LauraTX]

Hi Shailluis and welcome to the forum!  Do note that the person who originally posted this thread hasn't been on in over a year and hopefully their issue has passed.

[NatureChick]

Dylanm,

Though I haven't read Wheat Belly, I know enough about its content to know that it talks a lot about the problems in our current food industry. I think it is great that you have found inspiration to start eating more carefully and it makes perfect sense that you would start to feel better if your body is getting more of the nutrients that it needs. 

But I'm afraid that if you look for advice on the celiac forum, you're going to get people who are talking about organ damage from their autoimmune responses to gluten, and problems with weight gains or losses that aren't related to caloric intake and exercise, but instead are caused by vitamin deficiencies or hormone imbalances. We have problems with things like thyroid disease, weird drops in blood sugar levels, and malabsorption issues, just to name a few. 

From your original question where you say that you sleep better and have more energy eating a gluten free diet that also includes more healthy foods than you were eating before, I would presume that you don't have celiac. Those responses to the changes in your diet could arise simply by eliminating toxins and increasing nutrients. And in that case, you need to count your calories and exercise in order to lose weight, the same as anyone else.

If you do have a whole bunch of other symptoms that went away when you went gluten free that you didn't mention, then, of course, I may be wrong in my assumption that gluten isn't a problem for you. But the only way to really know is to do a gluten challenge and get tested.

But either way, congratulations on making changes to your diet that will ultimately make you healthier. Look up the calorie counts on those nuts you like, and you probably won't like them so much anymore. 

Oh, and there really isn't a typical pattern for weight loss or gain for celiacs who go gluten free. Some start out underweight due to malabsorption and they tend to gain when the damage from gluten heals. Some were overweight before going gluten free, and they might lose weight if their organs start to function more normally again. And for others, weight issues weren't a problem either before or after going gluten free. But no matter what, a gluten-free diet is not a weight-loss diet. 

[LauraTX]

Naturechick, the OP hasn't been on and active for over a year.