I'm Getting Fat

[designerstubble]

My trusted friends!

I'm getting fat! Ok, I eat very basic food, fruit and veg, rice, an egg every 2/3 days...no dairy except butter... My downfalls are handmade crisps and the odd glass of wine at weekends...Otherwise I'm very pure!!

So, since being off gluten I have gained a whopping 17pounds? How why! My thyroid tested ok (big lab ranges here in uk).

Ok, so I'd like to cut down and restrict my calories but I'm worried about nutrition. I'm already worried that I don't get enough vits and minerals like selenium, calcium, b's, zinc etc (according to a nutrition counter app I only accrue between 50-75% of the RDA)... Obviously being celiac I hesitate to cut back. But I actually feel horrible, I can't get into my clothes, it's impairing my running and exercise. And I look horrible.

Does anyone know any thing about rda's and whether we should all be hitting them everyday? I read conflicting data, I know I prob don't absorb what I should as It is so worry about calorie counting now!!

Anyone else have trouble with flab?!!

[AlwaysLearning]

I'm gaining weight more so than I ever have before, though age isn't on my side on this one either. I think I'm up by about nine pounds in the past nine months. I know that plenty of my issue is that I've been eating too much and not the right things, especially in the first six months when I went through the phases of buying all of the gluten-free products so that I didn't feel deprived, then cooked lots of really rich foods in my own kitchen ... so that I didn't feel deprived. I'm back to a more normal routine for me, but I still have a penchant for the high-calorie foods so I'm trying to curb that.

At first, I also seemed to crave food all of the time. I don't think this was emotional. I got tested for vitamin deficiencies and had some which may have been why my brain was telling me to eat more. Getting those straightened out does seem to be helping.

But I've told myself that I'm not going to worry about my waistline until I get my vitamin D levels up again. Vitamin D is more like a hormone and deficiencies are linked to weight gain.

I'd also be wary of the gluten-free equivalents of many gluten-free foods because they are higher in calories (and often lower in fiber). 

I'm also trying to up my exercise a bit in frequency, just adding a few more 30-45 minutes walks into my week. I know that it will be more difficult to lose weight now that my body isn't dropping weight without even trying, but I'm trying to stay focused on my health rather than worrying about my size for now.

[nvsmom]

I gain weight for two reasons it seems: 1. When I don't feel well (under treated thyroid, over tired, or sickness) or 2. When I eat too many carbs and sugar, which is often what I do when I don't feel well. If I am feeling good, the weight comes off easier and I eat less carbs. Right now I am consciously making my diet very low carb and high fat, and the weight is coming off pretty easily.

What works for me is low carbs (no starches except the equivalent of half a cup of rice a week, just veggies and some fruits) and increased fats like mayo on a hamburger patty or coconut milk/cream in my coffee. It takes a week or so to get used to that way of eating but it helps curb my appetite by quite a bit once I am settled in. It works for me and could work for you too.

Plus, gluten-free baked goods are higher in sugars and starches,which are as good as sugar. The crisps are probably something to consider as a rare treat... Don't you hate it that treats need to be restricted... Not fair! LOL

You might want to re-assess your health too. Are you getting adequate sleep? Thyroid is fine? Stress isn't excessive? For me, feeling well is more than half the battle.

[designerstubble]

I gain weight for two reasons it seems: 1. When I don't feel well (under treated thyroid, over tired, or sickness) or 2. When I eat too many carbs and sugar, which is often what I do when I don't feel well. If I am feeling good, the weight comes off easier and I eat less carbs. Right now I am consciously making my diet very low carb and high fat, and the weight is coming off pretty easily.

What works for me is low carbs (no starches except the equivalent of half a cup of rice a week, just veggies and some fruits) and increased fats like mayo on a hamburger patty or coconut milk/cream in my coffee. It takes a week or so to get used to that way of eating but it helps curb my appetite by quite a bit once I am settled in. It works for me and could work for you too.

Plus, gluten-free baked goods are higher in sugars and starches,which are as good as sugar. The crisps are probably something to consider as a rare treat... Don't you hate it that treats need to be restricted... Not fair! LOL

You might want to re-assess your health too. Are you getting adequate sleep? Thyroid is fine? Stress isn't excessive? For me, feeling well is more than half the battle.

 

Thanks NSV! Yes, the crispies are a problem!! I get to the weekend and feel like i deserve them!!! Along with the wine! You see I don't eat meat, I'm dairy intolerant and corn intolerant... My diet is very healthy, fruit and veg and rice, eggs. I don't touch processed foods... except the crisps!! I eat an avocado every day, which is high fat but they are so good for you that i dont want to cut it out... what worries me is that if i restrit my diet I won't get adequate nutrition... I worry as I have come so far trying to sort myself out ( I was in a really bad way last year)... I don't EVER want to be there again... Aaaaaagh!!!

[designerstubble]

I'm gaining weight more so than I ever have before, though age isn't on my side on this one either. I think I'm up by about nine pounds in the past nine months. I know that plenty of my issue is that I've been eating too much and not the right things, especially in the first six months when I went through the phases of buying all of the gluten-free products so that I didn't feel deprived, then cooked lots of really rich foods in my own kitchen ... so that I didn't feel deprived. I'm back to a more normal routine for me, but I still have a penchant for the high-calorie foods so I'm trying to curb that.

At first, I also seemed to crave food all of the time. I don't think this was emotional. I got tested for vitamin deficiencies and had some which may have been why my brain was telling me to eat more. Getting those straightened out does seem to be helping.

But I've told myself that I'm not going to worry about my waistline until I get my vitamin D levels up again. Vitamin D is more like a hormone and deficiencies are linked to weight gain.

I'd also be wary of the gluten-free equivalents of many gluten-free foods because they are higher in calories (and often lower in fiber). 

I'm also trying to up my exercise a bit in frequency, just adding a few more 30-45 minutes walks into my week. I know that it will be more difficult to lose weight now that my body isn't dropping weight without even trying, but I'm trying to stay focused on my health rather than worrying about my size for now.

Thank you!

 You know my vit d levels were awful at diagnosis, I was 40 (range 75-150)... my last test showed them to be at 71, about 3 months ago... so I know they are getting better, but i think I might just supplement occasionally too (I live in the UK, even our summers are rubbish!!)... I exercise 3 times per week, one 5km run and 2 taekwondo sessions (tough!)... and i feel ok generally.... except for hairloss (that yet hasn't resolved)... and FATNESS!!!! you are right though... maybe I need to chill and let my body be fat for a bit.. it's just that i hate it, and have no clothes! i don't touch gluten free alternative food btw, i only eat whole food... and i am vegetarian!

thanks again, i will do as you suggest, focus on health!!

[IrishHeart]

If it's any consolation, I have gained 40 lbs. since diagnosis.   ok, maybe I was very thin (after dropping 90 lbs. and could stand to gain a few)

but I did not need 40 back on!

 

The first 15 months, I put on about 10 slowly, then suddenly, I zoomed past 15, 20. 25. I am not kidding when I say I never saw any of that coming. Within one month, I had put that weight on....and I was stunned.... oops.

 

My GI doc said. "No worries! You were starving, your gut healed and you started absorbing.Your weight will level off. I only care about your energy level and the fact you are not dying anymore. You're not fat!!  (Yeah, doc, thanks, I get that part but my pants are too tight and I feel sluggy) lol

 

But I finally was able to exercise after 2 years of wasting muscles and so, I thought the weight would drop right off. 

 

er, nope. It's Not my thyroid, not lack of activity, not because I am a "bad eater", but mostly because I eat too many carbs. I know it, but

I seem to desire them and they make me feel better than if I cut them out entirely. So, I read about carbs/protein and how much our bodies need them and I have started a low carb,  more protein and veggies diet and I'll let you know how that works out. (yes, I admit that I like cookies and goodies, but I have to be judicious in how much I indulge myself.) I read The Gluten Free Edge by 2 fellow celiacs. (Bronski and Jory)

 

As for the hair loss/thinness, I suffered that as well and this year, it has finally started to come back.yaay!

I take collagen supplements for my connective tissue and muscle pain, so that may be why. All the other suggestions for hair regrowth (it's your thyroid, it's your B vitamins, it's your hormones, etc) were not exactly true. Those supplements did squat for me. I think it was just a matter of time.

 

Hang in there! 

[1desperateladysaved]

My weight has been stable even though it is suspected that I am carrying too much water weight.  I am eating about a TBSP of fat per meal.  it helps you feel full and keeps you there.  Also, it gives me energy.  I eat nutrient dense protein.  I take in small amounts of fruit.  I have been eating nut flower muffins, and coconut milk smoothies.  I have vegetables every meal and I try to have plenty.  I am healing and starting to absorb better.  At first I thought I should not reply, because I did not have the overweight, but then maybe something I am doing is helping keep my weight. down.

 

D

[nvsmom]

Ah yes.... the hair loss. I had a lot of hair loss about10 months ago and again about 2 months ago. It makes for really awkward hairstyles when it grows in, doesn't it?  Blech!  LOL

[designerstubble]

If it's any consolation, I have gained 40 lbs. since diagnosis.   ok, maybe I was very thin (after dropping 90 lbs. and could stand to gain a few)

but I did not need 40 back on!

 

The first 15 months, I put on about 10 slowly, then suddenly, I zoomed past 15, 20. 25. I am not kidding when I say I never saw any of that coming. Within one month, I had put that weight on....and I was stunned.... oops.

 

My GI doc said. "No worries! You were starving, your gut healed and you started absorbing.Your weight will level off. I only care about your energy level and the fact you are not dying anymore. You're not fat!!  (Yeah, doc, thanks, I get that part but my pants are too tight and I feel sluggy) lol

 

But I finally was able to exercise after 2 years of wasting muscles and so, I thought the weight would drop right off. 

 

er, nope. It's Not my thyroid, not lack of activity, not because I am a "bad eater", but mostly because I eat too many carbs. I know it, but

I seem to desire them and they make me feel better than if I cut them out entirely. So, I read about carbs/protein and how much our bodies need them and I have started a low carb,  more protein and veggies diet and I'll let you know how that works out. (yes, I admit that I like cookies and goodies, but I have to be judicious in how much I indulge myself.) I read The Gluten Free Edge by 2 fellow celiacs. (Bronski and Jory)

 

As for the hair loss/thinness, I suffered that as well and this year, it has finally started to come back.yaay!

I take collagen supplements for my connective tissue and muscle pain, so that may be why. All the other suggestions for hair regrowth (it's your thyroid, it's your B vitamins, it's your hormones, etc) were not exactly true. Those supplements did squat for me. I think it was just a matter of time.

 

Hang in there! 

Thanks Irish Heart, thats a comfort to be honest, I have put on about 20lbs...Ugh! I know it's the potato chips! Ha! It's hard as my diet is sooo very limited as I suffer from odd reactions to foods since being gluten free (not GI reactions, more asthmatic and hives)... so i have a 'safe' list. And i do sometimes abuse the crisps!! Apart from that, my diet is clean! And pure! 

Interesting about what you say about carbs/protein... I am carb heavy I guess as my staples have been rice and spuds (yummy), but i have recently got my eggs back so i eat eggs 2/3 times a week... Really helps actually in satisfaction from food rating! Hopefully it will help my hair too as I know I have low on the protein side of things (can't eat seeds as I get eczema from them, and my son is allergic to nuts so we don't have in house! And I'm veggie.... So, eggs are great at the moment! I guess it's still early days perhaps?? I'm 10 months gluten-free now...feeling ok mostly, hairloss... i'll give that more time as you suggest... and even my very loose bowels (sorry) are, well, still loose...but if I am not mistaken... slightly better...

Time, time, time!I guess our bodies take a hammering and bugger up all sorts of systems within the body.... I know my adrenals are bad, so that's gotta affect alot surely? Fingers crossed my body plays nicely soon, starts growing some nice hair and stops storing all the flab!!!! ;D

[designerstubble]

My weight has been stable even though it is suspected that I am carrying too much water weight.  I am eating about a TBSP of fat per meal.  it helps you feel full and keeps you there.  Also, it gives me energy.  I eat nutrient dense protein.  I take in small amounts of fruit.  I have been eating nut flower muffins, and coconut milk smoothies.  I have vegetables every meal and I try to have plenty.  I am healing and starting to absorb better.  At first I thought I should not reply, because I did not have the overweight, but then maybe something I am doing is helping keep my weight. down.

 

D

Thank you! I think I may need to get some more protein in...I'm vegetarian... (cant have seeds, nuts, lentils peas due to my son allergies)... Might try fish soon... After my 1 year endo though... I want to know how healed I am....

[designerstubble]

Ah yes.... the hair loss. I had a lot of hair loss about10 months ago and again about 2 months ago. It makes for really awkward hairstyles when it grows in, doesn't it?  Blech!  LOL

Yeah, dunno what to do with my hair. I stupidly decided to go blonder (I have been dying dark like my natural colour for ages, except now i dye as I need to cover the grey!) but it has damaged my once nice glossy hair... So I have had heaps of breakage from the bleach, NOT what I wanted ... along with terrible hairloss, I now have crap brittle hair that breaks easily!!! I only did it as everyone told me at 40 I ought to go lighter, that it would blend in the grey!!! Silly meeeee!

Aaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhh!

[CeliacInSenegal]

Hey designerstubble,

 

Unless you are eating well over your BMR, restricting calories probably isn't the best way to go. Not giving your body the minimum it needs usually sets people up for failure. It's very hard to maintain your body in a deprived state, and doing so messes up the metabolism through muscle loss and hormonal changes, and then encourages the body to hoard any further calories it later gets as fat. Most people end up with a higher body fat composition than where they started. I would recommend you get a solid estimate of the BMR for a person of the weight you want to be and then not restrict under that. For myself as an active 5'8'' woman, I can eat 2200-2500 calories a day just to maintain my weight, so you should be able to eat at least that I would think.

 

A better approach might be to focus on increasing protein in your diet and building muscle to increase your metabolism. Are you sure you are getting at least the recommended daily amount of protein? (Open Original Shared Link) I know that's especially hard for vegetarians to get enough, but protein helps build muscle and has been shown to make you feel more satiated and reduce appetite. If you are having trouble getting enough through beans, eggs, and other sources, you could try looking for a protein powder that is suitable for vegetarians.

 

If the chips are just an ocassional indulgence, I don't think they should be causing you a huge problem. Chips do have a high glycemic index though, which could mess with your blood sugar and make you more likely to overeat generally. I was going to suggest replacing them with nuts, but I see your son has an allergy, so I guess that's a non-starter. I've heard they make bean chips, but I haven't had a chance to check them out myself. Maybe those might be a marginally better option? For your meals, if you are eating a lot of potatoes, you could try switching them out for lower glycemic index choices like millet or quinoa.

 

It also sounds like your training regimen is mainly cardio, though maybe the Karate involves some strength work. Doing a couple of short resistance training workouts per week should really help you build muscle and rev up your metabolism (as muscle burns more calories than fat just to maintain itself, and any kind of high intensity workout will leave you with revved up calorie burn for up to 24 hours). Depending on your body type, you should be able to see changes in about three weeks, just with two well-designed 30 minute strength workouts a week. Plyometrics like squat jumps and jumping lunges are great as well and don't require any weights.

 

For me personally, I've been really successful with the combination of a higher protein and fat, lower (but not absurdly so) carb lifestyle, along with exercise that focuses as much on resistance training as cardio. Before that I'd been eating too much pasta with no protein and doing many hours of cardio at the gym. But last year, I decided to switch my approach to health with the aim of changing my body composition, lowering fat and increasing muscle. It worked, and as a side effect, my metabolism shot up and I lost 15 pounds. What was brilliant was that I was doing half the amount of exercise I'd been doing before (but now with a mix of weights, plyometrics, and cardio), and eating as much as I wanted (but of much healther food, including plenty of protein, veg, and healthy fats). Even with the ups and downs of a lot of travel and periods where I couldn't eat as well or find the time to exercise (and not to mention the havoc that the undiagnosed celiac was wreaking on me), most of that weight stayed off without me worrying about it.

 

About 10 months later, at the start of this year, I got diagnosed with Celiac. I was worried that my weight loss last year might have been partially due to malnourishment and that I'd put on weight as my gut healed. But, I've found that that hasn't been the case. A healthy diet is a healthy diet, I guess, and my weight has stayed stable. Plus, going gluten free at home was actually really easy, since it wasn't that different from how I'd already been eating. I still eat as much as I want, focusing on fresh, natural, unprocessed foods with lots of protein, veggies, nuts, and dairy. And when out with friends, I have no problem treating myself, including with far too many glasses of wine. What can you do? I learned to drink from the Brits.

 

Cheers.

[melsmith13]

If it's any consolation, I have gained 40 lbs. since diagnosis.   ok, maybe I was very thin (after dropping 90 lbs. and could stand to gain a few)

but I did not need 40 back on!

 

The first 15 months, I put on about 10 slowly, then suddenly, I zoomed past 15, 20. 25. I am not kidding when I say I never saw any of that coming. Within one month, I had put that weight on....and I was stunned.... oops.

 

My GI doc said. "No worries! You were starving, your gut healed and you started absorbing.Your weight will level off. I only care about your energy level and the fact you are not dying anymore. You're not fat!!  (Yeah, doc, thanks, I get that part but my pants are too tight and I feel sluggy) lol

 

But I finally was able to exercise after 2 years of wasting muscles and so, I thought the weight would drop right off. 

 

er, nope. It's Not my thyroid, not lack of activity, not because I am a "bad eater", but mostly because I eat too many carbs. I know it, but

I seem to desire them and they make me feel better than if I cut them out entirely. So, I read about carbs/protein and how much our bodies need them and I have started a low carb,  more protein and veggies diet and I'll let you know how that works out. (yes, I admit that I like cookies and goodies, but I have to be judicious in how much I indulge myself.) I read The Gluten Free Edge by 2 fellow celiacs. (Bronski and Jory)

 

As for the hair loss/thinness, I suffered that as well and this year, it has finally started to come back.yaay!

I take collagen supplements for my connective tissue and muscle pain, so that may be why. All the other suggestions for hair regrowth (it's your thyroid, it's your B vitamins, it's your hormones, etc) were not exactly true. Those supplements did squat for me. I think it was just a matter of time.

 

Hang in there! 

Right there with ya! almost 3 years post diagnosis and I've gained 20+ pounds outta nowhere. I monitor every thing I eat, count my calories, exercise and don't snack or eat anything processed...Yet the weight continues!. (oh and my labs are all normal).  My GI said the same thing..."It'll get better after your guy heals." Uh,...still waiting for that! It really sends me in a hate spiral because now I feel I have no control over my body-my actions are pointless. Sure, I may not die of GI cancer but I'll loathe myself for being a 2 ton heifer!! This disease has made me feel POWERLESS!! and it seems like it's just me sometimes

[eers03]

High carb and high sugar will absolutely do it.  How is it affecting your running?  How often and how far are you running?  Is it stressing your joints?  Are you feeling more winded?  If you can run, I would do it as often as possible and try to increase how far you are running, don't worry about how fast you are doing it.  Also, run on an empty-ish stomach.  Like, get out of the bed in the morning and go run before eating breakfast.  If you run in the evening and haven't eaten since lunch, go for your run before having dinner.

 

If running is too much, consider a bicycle?  Not a mountain bike but maybe a hybrid or a roadie.

 

If your odd glass of wine is truly one or two glasses, I wouldn't worry about it.  If your odd glass is more like half a bottle, dialing it back may help as well because when we drink, it slows our metabolism AND will dehydrate as well as make you hungrier.  Additionally, instead of letting your liver do everything else it needs to do, you've now forced it to deal with breaking down your alcohol.

 

Good luck!  I've gained about 40 pounds but I was drastically underweight.  I have been deliberately doing the opposite of some of my suggestions for the purpose of gaining :-)  I'm just now starting to dial back and adjust for being at more of a target weight.  Good luck.