Hungry

[Patty]

I'd like to hear from others who can't gain weight and eat all day and are still hungry. I started a gluten free diet 3 weeks ago and it significantly helped my "asthma/cough", but I'm still hungry all the time. I only weigh 86 lb. or so - and am 5 feet. I used to be 98-102 years ago. What's interesting, is in 1998, I had a hysterectomy and after the surgery I suddenly went back to 98 pounds within 2 months - but then over the year lost it all without trying. I'm wondering if the anesthesia someone temporarily healed the intestines - anyone ever hear of that? Thanks, Patty

[Niteyx13]

I could eat whatever I wanted before and not gain weight, being gluten-free I go up and down in a range of 5 pounds. I thought I would lose a lot more concidering I am starving half the time, and I used to eat soooo much. It's weird.

Deanna

[lovegrov]

Three weeks isn't much time. I was starving for many, many weeks after I went gluten-free and it took several weeks for me to regain weight. Eventually I got to the point where I had to diet.

richard

[flagbabyds]

I'm only 95 pounds and am 5' 5" AND i eAt like a PIG, you just aren't absorbing all the fat and nutrients, i have been on the diet since before I remember, according to a doctor even if you are completely healed you still don't absord all the nutrients

[Guest ~wAvE WeT sAnD~]

It's hard for me to say....I do know that before I went on the diet, I lost 6 lbs in a few days. I'm 5'2 1/2, 115 lbs. Since I've been gluten free, I've been eating a lot of small, healthy meals a day. The last time I was weighed was the day my bloodwork was done, so I don't know if this diet has made me lose any more weight.

I think as long as you're still absorbing nutrients, you will be fine.

[Carriefaith]

I've always been thin but when I got really sick with celiac disease I lost 10-15 pounds (depending on the day) and I can't gain it back. People frequently comment on how I look too thin. It's really annoying.

I want to gain weight but I can't.

[hapi2bgf]

I've been on the gluten-free diet for almost a year. Before diagnosis I lost about 45 lbs regardless of what I ate. I was eating 6-8 meals a day and was constatnly hungry and dropping pounds. After diagnosis, I too was STARVING all of the time and no matter what I ate.

What helped me was eating SMALL protein packed meals (they seem to take longer to digest). Also, I never left the house with a bag of snacks (Cereal, candy mix, fuit, drinks, etc.) I eventually got back to a healthy weight. I am still thin compared to what I used to weigh, but at least the questions about annorexia have stopped. People mean well, but I swear . . . stop and think before you open your mouth!

Anyway, what helped the most was the psychological end of it. If I am low on all supplies, I notice that I get anxious and hungry a lot more. Now I keep a freezer stocked with chocolate cake slices, pizza, breads, and muffins. The pantry always has flours, pastas, mixes, and cookies.

Good luck - you'll feel better soon!

[burdee]

I have actually gained 2 pounds over the past 3 gluten-free months so I'm not worried about being too thin (5'4" and 105-107# range). However, I've learned to eat foods that stay with me for a while at each meal, so I don't have to bother with food decisions more than 3x per day. What helps me stay satisfied for long periods is balanced meals: protein, fiber from fruits, vegies, nuts, or higher fiber gluten-free grain products (tricky but possible) and FATS. Pre gluten-free/CF my breakfast was high fiber cereal with low fat milk and fruit (lots of carbs and fiber, but not much protein and fat). That lasted me 2-3 hours max. Now I eat gluten-free bread with nut butter and jam plus a little fruit which lasts me 5-6 hours. I try to get some kind of healthy fats, from nuts, olive or canola oil--since I can't tolerate soy--or even fatty fish, like sardines and salmon (canned gives me calcium as well), at every meal. If I eat unbalanced meals or snacks (high carbs, low fat/protein), I just get hungrier. I tend to drink lots of fluids between meals so I have plenty of appetite for good balanced meals. If I really can't make it to the next meal, I snack on nuts with fruit (protein, fats, fiber & carbs). I have to worry about trying to avoid gluten, dairy AND soy. So I don't want to bother with food decisions so often.

BURDEE

[catfish]

I always feel hungry. Before I started my gluten-free life I used to eat wheat as a comfort food for my disfunctional gut. Despite the fact that it was causing long-term problems, it never actually caused any immediate symptoms and many other foods do. Wheat actually made me feel better! So when I was feeling a bit nervous in the stomache some bread, pasta, or crackers did the trick. I have found that most of the gluten-free versions of these foods don't have the same "buffering" effect. They don't stick with me or make me feel full, they just sit like a hollow stone in my gut instead. So I just get hungrier and hungrier feeling all the time now. Potatoes are somewhat helpful, more so than rice for instance, and beans help but cause other problems so I don't want to eat them too often. I am hoping that once my guts adapt to the new food it will not be as bad.

[ezrab12]

Hi All,

My story is strange. When I was 19 , my first signs of a Gastro problem in college I

went from 215 pounds to 170 pounds. Over the years I have always been feeling like I was hungry even when I had eaten and i thought it was because of having to go to the bathroom almost immediatly after I ate something.

Now that I am diagnosed celiac I cannot lose weight. I thought I would lose weight after the gluten-free diet started but I actually went from 208-216. It stinks, I was expecting the opposite to happen with all the breads and pasta's etc gone. I think I am going to cut way back on sugar as well and see if that helps.

As always thanks for listening

Bill

Celiac diagnosed since march 2004

and feeling better, not 100% but I would say

50-75%. Will it ever end

[celiac3270]

I'm 13 yrs. old, 5'1", 80 lbs. I don't have a huge appetite......celiac disease and sickness just completely turned me off to food......I wanna gain weight but-----I dunno.....I just don't feel hungry a lot and I've developed an aversion to food since it's food that gets me sick in the first place--I mean, I'll eat my meals and stuff, but I'm not terribly excited to have a dessert or snack......dr. said he'll talk to the nutritionist and maybe give me some drink supplement so I get all my nutrients and gain -- it's also easier for the intestines to deal with.

[EddieJP125]

well i'm 22, 5'5" @ 133lbs.

i WAS 150lbs a year ago...i eat differently, smaller portions as much as a i can, only b/c itz hard for me to cook and/or buy gluten-free food...i have Nitro Tech at home...a work out protein supplement, hoping that the ingredients will be fine enough for me to take and to gain back some of the weight i just keep losing...does anybody by any chance know if it is safe for us to eat? (Nitro tech)

Eddie