Did You Gain Weight Back?

[Guest ~jules~]

When all this started, in one summer I went from a size 9 in jeans, to a size 3. Now, I am wondering have any of you gained any weight back since your loss, and diagnosis? I could stand to gain a few pounds but I'm not looking for anything drastic..Just curious how it happened for others...Julie

[gfp]

When all this started, in one summer I went from a size 9 in jeans, to a size 3. Now, I am wondering have any of you gained any weight back since your loss, and diagnosis? I could stand to gain a few pounds but I'm not looking for anything drastic..Just curious how it happened for others...Julie

Gained it back and then some.... and then some more..... and more.

Don't know American sizes but I was a 26" waist and 44" chest and went from that to a 36" waist in about a year...

and about 128 lbs to 190lbs. (male 5'10") in about a year.

The moral is keep tabs on it.... I was just so enthusiastic about being able to eat without being ill I carried on eating what I had before. When I was a kid 14 or so I actually had a special plate (a serving plate) and my mother eventually gave in and gave me two plates for dinner but I was still the 2nd smallest in my class (regardless of school??) and in the bottom 5% for weight. When I was at uni (putting 4" on my chest I used to count my calories ... and I wouldn't gain anything under 9000 a day so I was probably still eating 7000 a day when my villi healed and man did the weight go on fast.

It took a lot of hard work to get down to a 30" waist and in doing so I lost 2-4" of muscle of my chest. (which took a lot of effort to put there in the 1st place) ...

Now whatever I do I cannot get below a 30" waist... which is kinda OK.. but Ive been down to 2% bodyfat (by caliper, not immersion) and still my waist never goes below 30"... having said that my bladder seems to hold a lot more

I would be interested in peoples opinion of this...

Is it possible at 25-26 that I hadn't completely developed internal organs due to undiagnosed celiac or that they were being held in?

If I relax on exersize or diet for a short time my weight shoots back up....

[Daxin]

I am only now (4 months in) gaining back SMALL amounts of weight. I lost almost 40 lbs before my dx. It may take more time, and I am usually patient.

I guess we'll see. I hope you begin to gain some back and feel better.

[CarlaB]

I'm 5'8" and weighed 136 when I got sick. I dropped 15 pounds, got scared about it and started eating tons of food, about 3 times as much as my 6'2" husband. It was not unusual for me to eat out at a place like Outback, then come home and make myself a second meal ... I still eat much more for my size than I probably would under normal circumstances ... and I now weigh a little under 130. I lift weights, not machines, the free weights as heavy as I can and still get the reps and form right ... I think that helps keep me healthy looking instead of just skinny.

[jerseyangel]

I've always run about 15-20 lbs over what I would like. Two years ago, when I got very sick, one of the things that particularly worried me was that I lost 15 pounds in a short time--while still eating normally. Normal for me then was a lot of carbs--especially baked things.

When I went back to the doctor for my 2 month follow-up after the biopsy, I had already gained back 10 lbs! The doctor was not surprised in the least. I've gained back a few more, which I'm now in the process of trying to lose gluten-free!

One thing that I'm noticing is that since I've been eating primarily natural foods (very few processed), my weight is slowly going down, but my clothes are fitting better. Yesterday, I tried on a couple pair of jeans--my best barometer!--and they fit so nicely. Last spring, they had been getting a little tight.

[Guest ~jules~]

I also work out. I run 3 to 4 times a week, and do light resistence training. I agree that instead of looking like the walking stick I became, I actually defined my muscles, so it wasn't that bad. I also didn't know what was going on with me, so I kept working out. I am glad that I did the whole time I was sick because I truly believe that it helped me with stamina. There were days though where there was no way in the world I was going running! I am starting to feel better now, and I am hoping that I gain about 5 lbs, because I am a bit too thin I think. Besides everyone keeps telling me all the time! Ugh don't you ever get sick of that! I think its incredibly rude to comment on someones weight, thin, or chunky, unless asked. It just amazed me the weight I dropped, I have been the same size since I was 14 years old, then all the sudden poof! I was a skeleton, it really scared me.

[CarlaB]

I found that I had to reduce cardio a little in the beginning, but I continued on with weights. If you tried to increase your weight workout and decrease your running till you gained weight back, you may get it back faster. I'm not saying cut it out entirely, but I used to do 40 minutes, and just cut down a bit from there.

[Guest ~jules~]

Lol, thats funny I cut back from 45 to 30 just now. After I was dx, I took the whole week off though and rested. I just got started again because I'm feeling better. Thanks for the advice! Julie

[CarlaB]

Don't get discouraged if you have to take a week off here and there. I was doing cardio and weights regularly, then about 3 weeks ago, had to cut out cardio because I've had NO energy, but continued doing weights for another week. The past two weeks, I haven't been able to do either. It seems that there are ups and downs in the healing process.

[Carriefaith]

I gained most of my weight back within 6 months on the gluten-free diet.

[Rikki Tikki]

My experience is that I was so ill when finally diagnosed, I am 5' 7" and had dropped from about 135 to 115 and looked awful. I went gluten-free and still didn't really put on any weight. Then about 7 months ago I quit smoking and am now up to 132 and looking for it to slow down. Mostly because none of my clothes are fitting! But, yes I did get really tired of people commenting on how thin I was, it was like I knew but people kept mentioning it

I have been walking between 3 and 4 miles a day but still putting on weight. Before I never exercised and didn't gain a pound. Any ideas on how to firm things up without actually losing any weight?

[CarlaB]

Any ideas on how to firm things up without actually losing any weight?

Weight lifting. You can get a personal trainer for a session or two to get you started.

[jerseyangel]

Any ideas on how to firm things up without actually losing any weight?

Pilates is also very good.

[CarlaB]

Pilates is also very good.

Yea, I mix that in on "core" day.

[Kaycee]

We are all different. I would love to loose a bit of weight. Are there any takers?

But on the positive side, I have not gained any since going gluten free, and that makes me happy.

Cathy

[Guest ~jules~]

I'll second the weight lifting, and you don't have to join a gym to do so. Just go to your local sports equip. store and start with some 5 and 8 lb free weights. After awhile you can increase the weight if you want more bulk, I have been using those two sizes for a long time now, I like being toned, not buff! lol.. For my legs I do lunges and squats, and some legs lifts, this all works for me....

[eleep]

I had to cut out cardio for a while as well. What helped quite a bit was substituting more Ashtanga yoga than usual -- although I stuck with doing it at home because I wanted to stick to the pace that was best for my body and not have to worry about keeping up with a class.

eleep

[KaitiUSA]

I was able to gain it back but it took a while