gluten-free Since March - Went From 124Lbs To 140 Lbs...ugh

[ruthie-ray]

Hi All,

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in early March and have been gluten-free since that time.  I was already a fairly healthy eater before going gluten-free.  I don't buy any of the gluten-free snacks/prepackaged goods.  I mostly eat only foods that are naturally gluten-free, with the exception of Chex and a few peices of chocolate here and there.  Most of my diet consists of Grilled/baked fishes and chicken, potatos, gluten-free rice, some red meat or ground turkey, 2 egg and spinach, pepper, mushroom, omeletts, salads, tacos with grilled meat on steamed corn tortillas, beans, nuts, fruits, smoothies that I I know are low-cal, since I make them myself with fruit and a little bit of yogurt, yogurt, string cheeses.  I have my occasional chocolate (which is gluten-free) and my big VICE is coke-a-cola, since I allow myself 2 each day.  I am 100% sure that my calorie intake and food (in amount) has decreased since turning Celiac.  I work out 3-5 days a week, walking approximately 6-8 miles/week along with mild strength training.  It is so frustrating that I have gained such a large amount of weight, in such a short amount of time, when I am consuming LESS calories.  I count them in everything I eat and prepare.  I've gone from about 280 calories in drinks (2 cokes) + 1500 in food to 280 calories in drinks to 1100 in food calories and my workout is the same.  I've gained 16 lbs in 4 months.  Nothing in my closet fits.  I'm going to cut out the 280 beverage calories and switch to coffee with only 30 calories of creamer and see if that helps, but as I said, I've already reduced my calories and I'm packing on the pounds.  I'm wondering if going gluten-free is affecting my metabolism in other ways or if I was so malnurished (I was likely Celiac for about 10 years) that my body feels obligated to pack on the pounds from the nutrients I am now getting.  If anyone has experienced this and has a herb or something you can take to balance everything out, please let me know.

Thanks,

Ruth

[pricklypear1971]

Get your thyroid and hormones checked.

I went through a losing weight phase, then a gaining phase...granted, I do have thyroid disease but I do understand the speed at which it happens. I think my gain was from two things: villi started working (to some degree), and my thyroid continued to deteriorate, also further affecting my hormones.

You probably aren't doing anything wrong with your diet. It's probably hormones and/or thyroid.

[Salax]

I second the Thyroid checking. I have Hashimoto's.....thyroid isues/disease and celiac disease seem to a quite a common pair.

[ruthie-ray]

Get your thyroid and hormones checked.

I went through a losing weight phase, then a gaining phase...granted, I do have thyroid disease but I do understand the speed at which it happens. I think my gain was from two things: villi started working (to some degree), and my thyroid continued to deteriorate, also further affecting my hormones.

You probably aren't doing anything wrong with your diet. It's probably hormones and/or thyroid.

Thank you.  I will look into that.

[ruthie-ray]

I second the Thyroid checking. I have Hashimoto's.....thyroid isues/disease and celiac disease seem to a quite a common pair.

Thank you. 

[Mom-of-Two]

I don't know, my GI tested everything thyroid including Hashi's, every test for everything has been normal but I haven't lost an ounce since being diagnosed 18 months ago and being strictly gluten-free.

I heard so much about the amount of weight I would lose, I was praying it was the one positive in the whole crappy diagnosis!

Just letting you know you're not alone, I don't get it either!

[AlwaysLearning]

If there is one down side of going gluten free for me, I think it might be that I no longer have those mysterious periods where I lost 10 pounds in a month without trying, despite eating out more when the food was high in calories. Duh, I know now that it was the gluten.

When I first went gluten free, I did buy a whole bunch of gluten-free products I wouldn't normally, like cookies or muffins, just to avoid feeling deprived. Then there was the phase where I got into the kitchen and was trying out new recipes, often higher in calories than my previous norm. But both of those calmed down after the first six months. And I know that I'll probably gain weight if I eat the way I did before I went gluten free, simply because my body is now absorbing nutrients that used to go right through me. And I'm trying to avoid pre-made products that contain any sort of flours because they are higher in calories than their gluten-free counterparts.

But I also suspect that my vitamin deficiencies play a role, not only making me have cravings that can't be met no matter how much I eat, but one of them, vitamin D is actually associated with weight gain and inability to lose.

So yeah, I'd get my vitamin levels tested too. 

[frieze]

.....and, unless you weigh everything, it may be a portion control issue...