Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

weight loss

Kathryn85

By Kathryn85
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Kathryn85 Newbie
Kathryn85
Posted

I've been gluten free since January 2015 per doctor's orders. Found out that I'm Gluten Intolerant/ almost an Allergy. I've lost almost 20lbs. I've dropped 2 pant sizes and I seem to keep losing weight. My boobs are smaller, my pants are starting to fall off. When I was 18 I was a size 3. I do not want to be that tiny again. I'm at 130lbs and when I was 18 I weighed 103lbs. I'm 31 years old now in a size 5 from a size 7 and a 36 c cup. I don't eat much due to a crazy work schedule and depression/ anxiety which I'm not medicated for. I can't afford to go back to the doctor now that I've lost my medical insurance. I'm kinda at a loss on what to do. HELP! 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi Kathryn,

That's a bummer about the insurance.  If you are not going to do the doctor thing, then it might be well to consider yourself celiac and eat like a celiac for a year.  You'll need to avoid all wheat, rye, and barley.  That includes barley malt which is sometimes listed as just malt.

I don't know how you eat now.  But a good way to start the gluten-free diet is to eat only whole foods you cook yourself at home.  Skip all the processed gluten-free foods for a few months until you get the hang of things and start healing.  You should also cut out all dairy for a month to see if it affects you.

The thing about celiac is it is an immune reaction.  So it is not just a temporary stomach upset from eating a bad meal.  The immune system keeps attacking for weeks to months after exposure to gluten.   Allergies are an IgE immune response so somewhat different from celiac disease, which is IgG or IgA.  IgE responses (allergies) can cause breathing problems and possible asphyxiation.  So they are more immediately dangerous.

Weight loss is a typical celiac issue.  The immune attack damages the villi lining the small intestine.  Those villi are the parts that absorb nutrients into your bloodstream.  They also create enzymes that digest milk sugar.  Without the villi things don't work good as far as eating and digesting food.

Welcome  to the forum! :)

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

From what you posted, it simply sounds like you are not eating enough calories to sustain the weight you want.   Going gluten free is not a weight loss diet.  It is just leaving out wheat, barley and rye.   I think you need to take time to learn to prepare and cook for your busy lifestyle.   You might find that your anxiety diminishes when you do not have to rush around thinking about your next gluten free meal.  Be prepared.  Learn more about the diet and tips under our Coping section of the forum under the pinned Newbie thread.  

i wish you well.  

 

  • 1 month later...
SLLRunner Enthusiast
SLLRunner
Posted

I agree with the two previous posters that you need to eat more. There people with celiac who are overweight as well, and some who are of normal weight. Make all your foods at home and increase your portions. If you are not sure how much you should be eating, there are plenty of apps out there where you can enter your height, weight, age, gender and weight, put in you want to maintain (or gain a few pounds back if that's what you want), and let them come up with a calorie goal for you. This would require logging your food for awhile until you get an idea of how much you should eat to maintain. 

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted

Perhaps keep some nuts, seeds and gluten-free granola for snacking during the day, Add a handfuls in between meal times. Always have a emergency gluten-free bar, shake, meal replacement shake for on the go meals if you can not cook or have time to eat. I find BCAAs and Protein shakes between meals and before bed help to maintain weight. Eating a regular scheduled meal at least 3 times a day and several snacks should be your goal no skipping.

  • 2 months later...
razzle5150 Enthusiast
razzle5150
Posted

same here have lost 30 lbs and need to gain help

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted

Recently found 2 more protein powders that are working amazing for getting on muscle weight. I found adding pumpkin seed protein to my meals and before bed is really helping with recovery, seems it has a good ratio of zinc, iron, and other nutrients in it. I also found rotating my main blends from Nutrakey V-Pro to MRM Veggie Elite to help, And I absolutely fell in love with the flavor of MRM Sacha Inichi Powder, the stuff taste like those peanut butter girl scout cookies when mixed with a bit of a sweetener.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. SamAlvi
      - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing...
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable. The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body. So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days. Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte...
    3. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine?
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine. Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine. Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats. Meat, especially organ...
    5. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc. Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food....
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,871
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Koyanna
    Newest Member
    Koyanna
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.