Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • 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

Gluten-free And Not Gaining Weight

maya

Recommended Posts

maya Newbie
maya
Posted

Hi. My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease about three months ago. During the first month of gluten-free eating, she gained a full pound and ate like there was no tomorrow. The next month, she lost a half pound. This month she has only gained 5 ounces. Her moods have improved as have her bowels, but I know she should be gaining weight more rapidly. Anyone experience this as well? Any suggestions?

Thanks for you help,

Maya

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ryebaby0 Enthusiast
ryebaby0
Posted

How old is your daughter? (I'm thinking she's not gaining much if she's 5 or 6, but maybe you have a little one here...) Think in terms of percentage. I agree with you, she ought to be gaining more weight than that. Our son kept _losing_ weight once gluten-free and he turned out to have quite a few other things going wrong with him. Waiting for him to gain turned out to be a mistake. I would definitely talk to your pediatrician and/or set up an appointment with a dietician or nutritionist -- I know it sounds unnecessary, but ours was such a big help, I would never do without her. Once my son was on the proper meds and completely gluten-free/allergen free (check EVERYTHING she's eating -- medications, etc.) he gained about 25 pounds over 5 months. (He was hospitalized for some of that time, too)

In the meantime -- pediasure, or carnation instant breakfast if she can tolerate milk products. Peanut butter. Olive oil and rice (that's all my son ate for about 3 weeks, for every single meal) Almonds. Soy pudding if it doesn't bother her. Put margarine on everything. See if your health insurance will pay for elemental formula if your doctor prescribes it (Modulen or Peptamen).

Let us know how she is. Get yourself answers that make sense!

maya Newbie
maya
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for your input. Kayla just turned 2 a couple weeks ago. She can't have dairy and doesn't really like peanut butter. Thank goodness she is a fan of avocados and olives! What are some things we should have her tested for? We already checked for cystic fibrosis and (thank goodness), she does not have this. I am now wondering whether she has other food intolerances that are keeping her from gaining weight.

It's nice to hear from someone who went through the same thing. Thanks.

Maya

flagbabyds Collaborator
flagbabyds
Posted

Is she having olives in vinegar? if they are preserved then they may have gluten in them. If they are fresh olives(not from a jar) then they should be fine.

celiac3270 Collaborator
celiac3270
Posted
Hi. My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease about three months ago. During the first month of gluten-free eating, she gained a full pound and ate like there was no tomorrow. The next month, she lost a half pound. This month she has only gained 5 ounces. Her moods have improved as have her bowels, but I know she should be gaining weight more rapidly. Anyone experience this as well? Any suggestions?

Hi...I've been on the diet for over four months, and want to share my weight experiences. Pre-diagnosis, I was five feet tall, thirteen years old, and 70 pounds. When I'd get sick with symptoms, I'd drop a pound or two. In the beginning I quickly gained...maybe 6 or 7 pounds. Since then I've stayed around 77 or 78. Mood improvements and formed bowels show improvment, so it's probably not some hidden gluten source. Not everyone gains weight at the start and a nutritionist I went to (who works with famous adult celiac doctor, Dr. Green) said that (this was when I was two months into the diet, already) I shouldn't expect to see a lot of weight gain in the beginning. A kid I know who's been on the diet for a year has gained around 15-20 pounds overall. I've gained about 8 pounds in four months...it should come over time.... :)

maya Newbie
maya
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for all the good advice. We have a doctor's appointment later this month and I am praying that some of the changes we are making help her grow. In the mean time, at least she is a MUCH happier little girl.

Take care,

Maya

NaomiR Newbie
NaomiR
Posted

Maya,

Just out of curiosity how much does your daughter weigh? I know we are not supposed to compare children but I am trying to establish a guideline for my youngest. I posted yesterday about our experience.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


maya Newbie
maya
Posted
  • Author

Kayla is 25 months old. The last time we weighed her, she was 21 pounds. She has been between 20 and 21 pounds for the past year so we are hoping that she very quickly starts gaining weight (we hope).

Maya

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,171
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    kyle68j
    Newest Member
    kyle68j
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • DAR girl
      Celiac and allergic to common subs and adds in prepared foods

      By DAR girl · Posted

      Looking for help sourcing gluten-free products that do not contain potato or corn derived ingredients. I have other autoimmune conditions (Psoriatic Arthritis and Sjogrens) so I’m looking for prepared foods as I have fatigue and cannot devote a lot of time to baking my own treats. 
    • Scott Adams
      Disregarded

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I am so sorry you're going through this. It's completely understandable to feel frustrated, stressed, and disregarded after such a long and difficult health journey. It's exhausting to constantly advocate for yourself, especially when you're dealing with so many symptoms and positive diagnoses like SIBO, while still feeling unwell. The fact that you have been diligently following the diet without relief is a clear sign that something else is going on, and your doctors should be investigating other causes or complications, not dismissing your very real suffering. 
    • Oldturdle
      Paying for my own Celiac screening at WalkInLab so a positive result doesn’t become part of my medical history

      By Oldturdle · Posted

      It is just so sad that health care in the United States has come to this.  Health insurance should be available to everyone, not just the healthy or the rich.  My heart goes out to you.  I would not hesitate to have the test and pay for it myself.  My big concern would be how you could keep the results truly private.  I am sure that ultimately, you could not.  A.I. is getting more and more pervasive, and all data is available somewhere.  I don't know if you could give a fake name, or pay for your test with cash.  I certainly would not disclose any positive results on a private insurance application.  As I understand it, for an official diagnosis, an MD needs to review your labs and make the call.  If you end up in the ER, or some other situation, just request a gluten free diet, and say it is because you feel better when you don't eat gluten.      Hang in there, though.  Medicare is not that far away for you, and it will remove a lot of stress from your health care concerns.  You will even be able to "come out of the closet" about being Celiac!
    • plumbago
      Paying for my own Celiac screening at WalkInLab so a positive result doesn’t become part of my medical history

      By plumbago · Posted

      Yes, I've posted a few times about two companies: Request a Test and Ulta Labs. Also, pretty much we can all request any test we want (with the possible exception of the N protein Covid test and I'm sure a couple of others) with Lab Corp (or Pixel by Lab Corp) and Quest. I much prefer Lab Corp for their professionalism, ease of service and having it together administratively, at least in DC. And just so you know, Request a Test uses Lab Corp and Quest anyway, while Ulta Labs uses only Quest. Ulta Labs is cheaper than Request a Test, but I am tired of dealing with Quest, so I don't use them so much.
    • Scott Adams
      Does Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov site have filters for gluten?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      PS - I think you meant this site, but I don't believe it has been updated in years: http://glutenfreedrugs.com/ so it is best to use: You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
×
×
  • Create New...