Depressed

[jesscarmel]

Hi

Ive been gluten free since March and since then i've put on some weight. in reality its not that much i geuss (7 pounds) but im short and i look awful. i'm getting married in december and im just feeeling really sad that all this had to happen before my wedding. i know im absorbing food for the first time but when i look in the mirror that doesnt make me feel better. has anyone else been depressed about this? i have 3 and a half months until my wedding and im hoping to lose the weight. im also moving next week and i plan to join a new gym and maybe get a few personal training sessions to help me.

Jess

p.s i posted this in "coping wiht celiac" but somehow it got here too- sorry abuot the double post- not sure why this happened

[sillyyak]

Yes I have also put on weight. I am noticing that it is also very difficult to lose weight. I think because the diet is a high protein and high sugar diet. You have to be careful about your sugar intake on this diet as well. I think this diet might increase one's risk for diabetes, but I am not sure if any studies have been done on this. Just my thought as to why weight gain might be a common problem.

[Debbie65]

Hi,

Cheer up.

First of all, you´re right 7 pounds is nothing and is easy to lose without too much effort.

Try not to eat the gluten-free treats at the moment(if you do), stick to chicken, fish, fruit & veggies, don´t keep eating until you feel full, eat little and often rather than having most calories at one sitting in the form af a main meal, try to have (2) 30 minute walks each day(apparently this burns stored fat whereas strenuous excercise burns available carbs first) And make sure you drink enough water as this stops water retention and helps the fat burning process.

Also I have a problem with potatoes, rice and pasta which make me feel bloated and nauseus, perhaps you do too.

These things work for me, when I pig out at the holidays or if I´m feeling particularly low and comfort eat I can shed the few extra pounds and feel normal again within a fairly short time.

Hope this helps a little.

Take care.

[gfp]

I have to agree with others that the gluten free treats etc. is a hige trap. I guess we all like making excuses that "well its gluten-free" and so many people seem to fall into eating more bread/pasta than they did before ....

People don't just gain or loose weight overnight... it usually involves the body switching from one stage and going to the oppostite. This makes it a little dissapointing, its easy to feel its not working but its just the body going from one phase to the other.

I don't really agree on walking, its a pretty inefficent way to loose weight if you are time limited. If you are not its excellent but you need to be spending a long time walking to burn off the same calories....

try to have (2) 30 minute walks each day(apparently this burns stored fat whereas strenuous excercise burns available carbs first)

This is sort of true but it doesn't actually help much because you still have the energy from the carbs and although it takes energy for those to be stored as fat it actually still leaves them!

Its an excellent way to maintain your weight .... but not an efficient way to burn it. Having said that any exersize you enjoy is good! My mum walks 10 miles a day evey day... (and across the countryside, up and down hills) and is still a few pounds over weight but in pretty good shape for a nearly 70yr old.

If you really wanna loose weight then walking a lot will certainly work.... I just got back from Italy where I was walking 14-16 hours per day, up and down hills carrying packs in 40C (105F) and higher and probably lost 10lbs in 2 weeks.... (I don't know cause I don't and won't own scales)

On another thread I posted a calories burned per hour chart for different "exersizes" ... these include ironing and vacuuming, square dancing and tennis ... etc .etc. but you can find these pretty easily with google.

I don't really think 2x30 minute walks is "exersize" in a lot of ways... 2x30 minute walks is what everyone should be doing who expects to be at least able to enjoy an active retirement....

i plan to join a new gym and maybe get a few personal training sessions to help me.

I think this is an excellent start.... get with it and don't delay....

Open Original Shared Link

Walking in a park at moderate speed burns 130kCal/hr .. this sounds OK until you compare this to driving in heavy traffic at 120kCal/hr or

Busily cleaning house, doing laundry, hanging clothes outside on clothesline, going up and down stairs, cleaning refrigerator, picking up clothes (doing a lot of bending over and picking up items) which is the same at 130 kCal/hr!

*Swimming for pleasure, no time limits, no stress. This can only be considered aerobic if it is continuous for 20 - 30 minutes without stopping at your THR (as I said 15 mins is 3 steps forward and 2 back!)

Tennis, Doubles, Square Dancing: 350 per hour

So really you can't say joining a square dancing group isn't social! But its nearly 3x the efficiency of walking.

But the real shocker is Reading, Watching TV, Sitting (some brain activity) 75 per hour is over half of moderate walking..... and this is the real point.

Do you spend an hour doing something double the efficiency of sitting at a desk or watching TV or 5x-6x ? or even 10x

*Bicycycling, (12 - 14 mph) (working at your THR for 20 - 30 minutes without stopping) 530 per hour

*Stairclimbing in a gym, 125 - 140 sets of stairs (10 stairs to a set) (working at your THR for 20 - 30 minutes without stopping) 600 per hour

*Exercising using an Elliptial Rider or Rowing Machine, (working at your THR for 20 - 30 minutes without stopping) 850 per hour

Source: Compiled by Helen Ann, Public Health Educator using various health education resources including Utah State University textbooks

(edited bits out for brevity so check the original.....)

The thing is choose something efficent ... you have a timetable that is completely realistic ...

What I tend to do is a compromise.... I enjoy walking but its a waste of time (I mean this in its literal sense) to do it to loose weight. Most people are time restricted, its the nature of our lives.

Most manual workers spend more time doing exersize at double or triple walking at 3mph .... working on a building site etc. but many eating crap .... you can pretty much figure out for yourself that many of them are not skinny !

So back to what do I do..... I do an hour or so of high aerobic activity during the week.... every day. This might be rollerblading, running or cycling. (but could be any of the exersizes from the link!) and at weekends I walk for pleasure.... at least one of the days. If I am going out I will walk to a bar.... (You can do this in Paris, I guess not in Chicago) at the other end of Paris (I have a place I walk to that involves all the hills in Paris and is 4-5 miles) and walk back afterwards.... when I go shopping I take a backpack and walk... and once a week I do a bigger shop and walk to a supermarket a bit further away that has lots of "treats" like artichokes in Olive oil and canned tomatoes or such. Its not the closest place I can get this stuff but its just a decent distance away ...

When I'm in a rush I take the metro (subway) but then I (usually) walk up the stairs instead of the lift or escalator and sometimes take a stop or two before.

On vacation I just walked because I had the time and other than museums this is what I wanted to do.... the only exception was sitting in trains but other than this almost every day was spent waking up, having breakfast and walking until dinner at 8PM with a small lunch stop (most days but not all) ... 3-4 days of 14 we sat on the beach but we walked to the beach (4-5 miles and a lot of altitude) and then i also swam for 1-2 hours... (it wasn't the closest beach... that was the point) ....

[jesscarmel]

thanks everyone for the great suggestions! when i first went gluten-free i defintley bought all those gluten-free goodies like the brownies, cookies etc.... i would normally not buy them so why i bought them after being gluten-free who knows? i guess i felt bad for myself. i dont buy them anymore but occasionally have a cookie after dinner. im moving this week and will join the gym as soon as i move. i have 3 months to get in shape so hope thats enough. my wedding dress was a bit tight- oy

[gfp]

thanks everyone for the great suggestions! when i first went gluten-free i defintley bought all those gluten-free goodies like the brownies, cookies etc.... i would normally not buy them so why i bought them after being gluten-free who knows? i guess i felt bad for myself. i dont buy them anymore but occasionally have a cookie after dinner.

I think its just human nature... something gets taken away so we compensate.

It doesn't really matter in a way.... especially once we realise .... but I think lots of us do the same.

There is also the "it says gluten-free" on the packet syndrome and not to put to fine a point on it we live in a product driven society.

im moving this week and will join the gym as soon as i move. i have 3 months to get in shape so hope thats enough. my wedding dress was a bit tight- oy

Well moving sure as heck is exersize!

You really don't have that much to loose, 3 months should be fine, just remember it takes some time to turn around.

You could usually gain a week just buying a home exersize video/dvd.and doing an hour a day.. but considering your moving this is probably not very practical!

Read the link page.... look at those calories and you will realise that you can turn moving itnto a workout.....

Some of the stuff is quite surprising... like vacuuming... and packing boxes and stuff is pretty much a workout in itself

[TinkerbellSwt]

I am too dealing with weight gain issues. I only wish mine was 7 pounds. I know that makes you feel awful as your wedding is coming and such, I am sure you will look beautiful on that day either way.

I am now the heaviest I have ever been. I never ever thought I could weigh as much as I do now. I get some exercise with my son around.. walking a bit and such.. but I dont get much time yet to really get into an exercise routine. Life just gets in the way. I know I should just take the time for myself, but nap time for him is time for me to catch up on housework.

So I am also extremely depressed. I am also medicated for this. I wonder if it is b/c my body is finally ingesting the foods I eat. I dont eat bad. I eat fresh veggies at every meal, a light breakfast and a normal size home made lunch.

Well I hope you can get into a routine for yourself also. And congrats on the move and your impending wedding! My wedding was cancelled last year the day before it was supposed to be b/c I was in the hospital near death as they were still feeding me rolls!!

[gfp]

I am too dealing with weight gain issues. I only wish mine was 7 pounds. I know that makes you feel awful as your wedding is coming and such, I am sure you will look beautiful on that day either way.

I am now the heaviest I have ever been. I never ever thought I could weigh as much as I do now. I get some exercise with my son around.. walking a bit and such.. but I dont get much time yet to really get into an exercise routine. Life just gets in the way. I know I should just take the time for myself, but nap time for him is time for me to catch up on housework.

So I am also extremely depressed. I am also medicated for this. I wonder if it is b/c my body is finally ingesting the foods I eat. I dont eat bad. I eat fresh veggies at every meal, a light breakfast and a normal size home made lunch.

Well I hope you can get into a routine for yourself also. And congrats on the move and your impending wedding! My wedding was cancelled last year the day before it was supposed to be b/c I was in the hospital near death as they were still feeding me rolls!!

Well if that's your son in the photo life cannot be so bad

Your medication is unlikely to be helping getting into exersizing or your energy levels, especially if its a serotonin inhibitor however you should NEVER try withdrawal from this yourself .... if you don't knopw then read the product information ... never take any medicine for depression long term without reading the side effects and risks ...

I know I should just take the time for myself, but nap time for him is time for me to catch up on housework.

I don't know your circumstances but any help you can get to take time for yourself is time well spent.

Humans are not really designed to be able to bring up a kid alone... we are pack animals with a large amount of shared help. You should not be embarassed about asking for help in this from relatives, the father or whomever you trust to do it.

[jesscarmel]

I am too dealing with weight gain issues. I only wish mine was 7 pounds. I know that makes you feel awful as your wedding is coming and such, I am sure you will look beautiful on that day either way.

I am now the heaviest I have ever been. I never ever thought I could weigh as much as I do now. I get some exercise with my son around.. walking a bit and such.. but I dont get much time yet to really get into an exercise routine. Life just gets in the way. I know I should just take the time for myself, but nap time for him is time for me to catch up on housework.

So I am also extremely depressed. I am also medicated for this. I wonder if it is b/c my body is finally ingesting the foods I eat. I dont eat bad. I eat fresh veggies at every meal, a light breakfast and a normal size home made lunch.

Well I hope you can get into a routine for yourself also. And congrats on the move and your impending wedding! My wedding was cancelled last year the day before it was supposed to be b/c I was in the hospital near death as they were still feeding me rolls!!

i think it really is the wedding factor with the weight gain that is getting me so down. otherwise i probably woouldn't be so upset about it. bad timing i geuss. i cant believe your wedding was cancelled- did you end up having it? your son is so cute! i'm also on antidepressants- celexa for depression and anxiety.

everyone has given me great advice and i appreciat people taking the time to write back.

i geuss moving will be some good excercise!!!

[TinkerbellSwt]

I havent had my wedding yet. The reception hall was really nice and gave us a credit towards it. As this would have been my second wedding we didnt go as lavish as my first. (but I am a lot happier this time around!!)

Yes that is my little miracle in the pic. Thank you for the compliments on him. He is truely an angel.

I am also on medications for bi polar disorder. I take nortriptolyene for depression, depakote as a mood stabalizer, just started lamictal as we are trying to replace the depakote (too many side effects and I have been on it for years) and seroquel to help me sleep. I am a regular pharmacy!

They say people gain weight on depakote. I am hoping once this is out of my "cocktail" I will begin naturally to lose weight.

One can only hope.

And you are right, I need to depend on others a bit for help with Colin. Maybe I will talk to my mom today about taking him one other day during the week. She takes him on Wednesdays so I can go to my therapist.

Again, thanks for letting me babble!!

[key]

I didn't get to read what everyone else said. I have gained about 3 lbs and I am 5'2inches. I "needed" to gain weight according to everyone that knew me. I just haven't been able to exercise since I moved and was on Lexapro for two months. I have only been off 3 weeks and I think I have lost some.

Here are my best weight loss tips. Eat a normal breakfast, lighter lunch and hardly any supper. I do this and it really will make you lose weight. Eat fruit for dinner. Also, calories are more important then exercise to lose weight, so try to cut back some. Another thing is what everyone said, don't eat the gluten free substitutes for stuff. Try eating all unprocessed food as much as possible. Speed walking is a great way to maintain weight and light weights.

Seven pounds is really possible to lose in three months. That isn't a huge amount, but I agree that it feels like it when you are short. It definitely makes a difference depending on how tall you are.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

Monica

[zip2play]

Keep in mind, if you were truly underweight due to Celiac, it will be normal for you to gain weight once your body is reacting correctly to food. I think here in America too much focus is made on being REALLY THIN! I think it is difficult to expect a normal person to stay that way!

I wish you both luck with losing. I too have gained since going Gluten free. I mean, HECK, when in doubt, I always know M&M's are gluten free!

Monica

OH and a comment on the walking. Walking is a GREAT way to lose weight...IF you aren't active prior to start walking. I don't think anyone should ever be discouraged from doing a form of exercise they love. If that is walking, well it is better than sitting on the coach!

[thenamesbabe]

now i am the opposite. I lost weight. really it fluxuated all over the place before, but now i've lost more. i thought it was vbecause i was starving all the time. I'm a small build anyways but i know i have other problems that might affect the loss.

[jesscarmel]

Keep in mind, if you were truly underweight due to Celiac, it will be normal for you to gain weight once your body is reacting correctly to food. I think here in America too much focus is made on being REALLY THIN! I think it is difficult to expect a normal person to stay that way!

I wish you both luck with losing. I too have gained since going Gluten free. I mean, HECK, when in doubt, I always know M&M's are gluten free!

Monica

OH and a comment on the walking. Walking is a GREAT way to lose weight...IF you aren't active prior to start walking. I don't think anyone should ever be discouraged from doing a form of exercise they love. If that is walking, well it is better than sitting on the coach!

Hi Monica

I should have clarified then when i got really sick in january i lost 12 pounds in a week, so i gained that back over a month oce i was able to eat again. so i was only really underweight for a couple of weeks. the seven pounds are on top of going back to my normal weight of about 118. i'm by no means "over weight" its just i feel really gross with the weight gain.

also im going to be walkig to work once i move next week and even though its only a ten minute walk its up and down quite a hill so i'm hoping that will help a bit. i noticed that hwen i got a car and stopped taking teh subway 2 yrs a go i put on a cuople of pounds and that wasnt much of a walk either so im hoping that will help a bit.

[Michi8]

I don't really agree on walking, its a pretty inefficent way to loose weight if you are time limited. If you are not its excellent but you need to be spending a long time walking to burn off the same calories....

(snipped)

Open Original Shared Link

Walking in a park at moderate speed burns 130kCal/hr .. this sounds OK until you compare this to driving in heavy traffic at 120kCal/hr or

I respectfully disagree with this information. Walking is a fantastic way to better health (and has more benefits than just burning calories.) Almost everyone can do it, it's easier on your joints than running or jogging, and it costs no money. Simply choosing to walk instead of driving (everyday) can make a significant difference in overall health and acheiving ideal weight.

The "walking at moderate speed" example from the linked website is an example of walking leisurely (without purpose)...a good, brisk walk burns up more than 130 calories, and way more calories than driving a car. Here are some comparisons between walking, jogging and running from the same website you linked: Open Original Shared Link

Personally, I was way fitter when I walked everywhere during my day (lived in a pedestrian friendly city & neighbourhood.) Now that I live in a suburb where I must rely on driving, I really miss the time I spent walking and really miss the health benefits. I do not enjoy making time to go to the gym or swimming pool...it feels like a really inefficient use of my time...I'd much rather take a good walk to run errands.

Michelle

[gfp]

I respectfully disagree with this information. Walking is a fantastic way to better health (and has more benefits than just burning calories.) Almost everyone can do it, it's easier on your joints than running or jogging, and it costs no money. Simply choosing to walk instead of driving (everyday) can make a significant difference in overall health and acheiving ideal weight.

The "walking at moderate speed" example from the linked website is an example of walking leisurely (without purpose)...a good, brisk walk burns up more than 130 calories, and way more calories than driving a car. Here are some comparisons between walking, jogging and running from the same website you linked: Open Original Shared Link

Personally, I was way fitter when I walked everywhere during my day (lived in a pedestrian friendly city & neighbourhood.) Now that I live in a suburb where I must rely on driving, I really miss the time I spent walking and really miss the health benefits. I do not enjoy making time to go to the gym or swimming pool...it feels like a really inefficient use of my time...I'd much rather take a good walk to run errands.

Michelle

I'm not saying walking is bad, quite the inverse. I rather think as I said that 30 mins working a day should be done by everyone! (I actually said that somewhere in the post), I think I said as an absolute minimum to having an active retirement.

But if someone is looking to lose some weight there are more efficient ways (and these also have additional benefits) but not to the exclusion of walking 30 mins a day....

Square dancing is actually looking quite attractive too:D

[Michi8]

I'm not saying walking is bad, quite the inverse. I rather think as I said that 30 mins working a day should be done by everyone! (I actually said that somewhere in the post), I think I said as an absolute minimum to having an active retirement.

But if someone is looking to lose some weight there are more efficient ways (and these also have additional benefits) but not to the exclusion of walking 30 mins a day....

Square dancing is actually looking quite attractive too:D

But, is square dancing an efficient use of time...especially since you just keep dancing in circles (or is that squares?!) LOL! BTW, I'm a big proponent of dancing...before kids, it used to be my main method of exercise (that and swimming.)

In terms of walking...I'm not looking at it in terms of its efficiency (although a good walk is still way more efficient at burning calories than driving in heavy traffic!)...I'm suggesting not limiting the walking to 30 minutes a day, but choosing it as a mode of trasportation everyday...heck, you could walk your way to square dancing too.

It really should be a lifestyle choice...any other exercise done beyond that is a bonus. Making that lifestyle choice will help a lot with acheiving weight loss, and is much easy to keep up than to continue to sweat it out at the gym for a lifetime. Unfortunately, the reality is that few people nowadays live close enough to work or to schools & businesses to seriously walk everywhere they go.

Michelle

[katrinamaria]

hi jess,

when i read your post i felt like i was reading my own thoughts i went gluten free in feb/march also and have put on some weight (about 10 lbs) but wasn't that big to begin with so it's hard to deal with because you do look different. and no matter what anyone says, even tho i'm not overweight i still just don't feel like myself. i also got into the "oh yay! gluten-free food! food that I can eat!" trap... so i just wanted to share something with you (and anyone else!) that i recently found helpful...

it is a book called "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. They are two nutritionists who focus on if you are feeling biologically hungary or not. it is not a diet. i had gotten into a rut and tried various restrictive diet methods and ended up binging. this book is about changing that. and about excercising just to feel better. so i have not only been able to back away from food when i'm full, but feeling good working out again too. i don't know if i explained it very well! but if anyone has any questions about it, just pm me or my email is kms_10@hotmail.com. feel free!

have fun at your wedding!

hope this helps,

kms

[gfp]

But, is square dancing an efficient use of time...especially since you just keep dancing in circles (or is that squares?!) LOL! BTW, I'm a big proponent of dancing...before kids, it used to be my main method of exercise (that and swimming.)

In terms of walking...I'm not looking at it in terms of its efficiency (although a good walk is still way more efficient at burning calories than driving in heavy traffic!)...I'm suggesting not limiting the walking to 30 minutes a day, but choosing it as a mode of trasportation everyday...heck, you could walk your way to square dancing too.

It really should be a lifestyle choice...any other exercise done beyond that is a bonus. Making that lifestyle choice will help a lot with acheiving weight loss, and is much easy to keep up than to continue to sweat it out at the gym for a lifetime. Unfortunately, the reality is that few people nowadays live close enough to work or to schools & businesses to seriously walk everywhere they go.

Michelle

I think we pretty much agree....

I actually made a lifestyle choice when I moved and proximity of local walkable services was a part of that choice.

As part of that lifestyle change I got rid of my car and invested in a shopping trolley (loads of change) ...

I think my emphasis is don't walk for 30mins and think that's enough... its really an absolute minimum bit if you want to turn around your weight gain something more drastic is required ... (obviously if health stops you doing anything else then walking is a good choice) ... It doesn't need to be forever .. what is needed is an overall lifestyle change.. walking when you can ...

Investing in a bike, roller blades .... whatever you fancy and joining up with others to do the same is a big boost.

Once people start to exersize then lifestyle changes often occur round this....

For instance you go to square dancing and meet people... these people already have an exersize as part of their life... your chance of meeting someone who says, hey we are hiking in the country this weekend or riding the bikes round a lake ... etc. is much highrer than asking a couch potato.

I have been involved in lots of sports just by being around people who do sports. Heck some of the sports I don't particularly enjoy as such but I enjoy being with the people doing something productive and getting fresh air. My idea about golf is "A good walk spoil'd" but I will go and knock a ball around the golf course with friends ... (well more accurately hit the ball in various directions sometimes reasonably close to where I intended) ...

The important thing is how you view it.... if you turn up and hire an electric golf cart then ??? if the bag is too heavy take out half the clubs... you can turn most anything into exersize and most anything into an excuse, even regular housework... or toweling down after a shower... or doing the grocery shopping.