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 And celiac disease


pita

Recommended Posts

pita Newbie

My wife was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease and she was soemwhat thin by then. now that she started with a gluten-free diet she is loosing more weight!! She is also lactose intolerant.

Is weight loss normal WITH A gluten-free diet?? or is it only for a period of time, she has just been in this diet for 1 month.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Shalia Apprentice
My wife was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease and she was soemwhat thin by then. now that she started with a gluten-free diet she is loosing more weight!! She is also lactose intolerant.

Is weight loss normal WITH A gluten-free diet?? or is it only for a period of time, she has just been in this diet for 1 month.

I lost a lot of weight going gluten-free simply because my eating got healthier. Maybe she's doing that?

I don't know what she can do to put on weight, but I do know my weight went down too.

Good luck to your wife.

Shalia

CarlaB Enthusiast

I still struggle with my weight, too. I am eating lots of veggies and protein and have cut out all my bad habits ... makes it hard to keep it on! I would think her weight would stabilize as her body heals and she adjusts to her new eating habits. Be sure she's getting enough good fat -- meat, coconut oil, olive oil -- for calories. I am eating five meals a day to keep my weight on!

GFBetsy Rookie

Another thing is that when you first go gluten free, your first reaction is to think of all the things you CAN'T eat. And in general, that will result in eating less than you normally do. Sit down with her and come up with a list of things that are easy to make/good to eat/readily available. Things like:

Potatoes (baked, mashed, french fried, etc)

Beef (burgers, roasts, steaks, etc.)

Pork (ribs, roasts, chops, etc.)

Chicken

Fish (salmon, mahi mahi, etc.)

Vegetables (corn, beans, broccoli, carrots, onions, etc.)

Fruits (fresh or canned, apples (sauce, too), peaches, pears, grapes, etc.)

Eggs (scrambled, boiled, etc.)

Chips (corn, potato)

Cereals from the health food store (also Post Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles)

(Check out the website www.eatingglutenfree.com for more ideas)

Then do these things:

1. Make a dinner menu with her - do Fish on Mondays, Soup on Tuesday, Chicken on Wednesday, Beef on Thursday, etc. Include things like Tacos (with fried Corn Tortillas), taco salad, chef salad, chili, Vegetable Soup, Roast Beef with potatoes and carrots, BBQ salmon, Hamburgers, etc. Make sure that every single thing on the list is gluten free.

2. Go to the store and BUY THE FOODS SHE CAN EAT. Make sure that there are things in the house that she can just pull out and eat without a lot of thought.

3. MAKE DINNER WITH HER EVERY NIGHT. Making dinner on your own can be discouraging enough, but it's worse when you are feeling deprived the whole time. Make sure that you make enough food so that she can have leftovers for lunch the next day. (That's one less meal that she has to open the fridge, stare inside, and close it because she feels like there is nothing to eat.)

4. Make chocolate chip cookies for her. (The Soft Batch Cookies from www.eatingglutenfree.com are FABULOUS). Do it while she's at work or at the library our at the gym or just out of the house, so that when she gets home the house smells wonderful and it's something that she can eat and hug her and tell her how much you love her and that you are willing to do whatever you have to do (including giving up gluten while at home yourself) so that she will get better. Make sure she knows that she is not alone - that you are willing to walk with her.

Believe me, it will help.

Mayflowers Contributor

I wish I had her problem. I'm was gaining since I went gluten free. I started out losing a couple of pounds an then started gaining. :( I have to stop chicken, red meat and turkey. I'm eating fish as my protein now. cripe.

GFBetsy Rookie

Just bumping this so that others can share insight.

BostonCeliac Apprentice

Hey Pita --- I've also been gluten-free for a little over a month and without trying I've lost about 7 lbs... And I'm not even working out!! I also have a HUGE appetite and I eat all day long and still I'm loosing.

I've been trying to eat a lot of protein. I read this online regarding gaining weight & protein:

"...Get more protein. Protein provides the basic building blocks for muscles. It is recommended that you eat your weight in grams. For example, keep your protein between 1-1.5 times your bodyweight. For example, for a 150lb person, he/she would eat between 150g-225g of protein per day"

There were also tips to: "weight train, eat carbs (potatoes, rice, etc), add extra olive oil, eat smaller portions of food but more often throughout the day, consume as much unsaturated fat as possible, drink a gallon of water a day.."

I like to drink the Odwalla Super Protein drinks, they're gluten-free and lactose free and easy... The LaraBars are good too since they're high in protein & unsaturated fats with fruits and nuts (also lactose free, gluten-free) But I'm still trying to figure out how to balance this, I think it will come in time. I lost the most right in the beginning and now it seems to be steadying itself.

Good luck to you & your wife!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Mayflowers Contributor

Boston, dfficult to add more meat when you're intolerant to most of it like me. <_<

BostonCeliac Apprentice
Boston, dfficult to add more meat when you're intolerant to most of it like me. <_<

Mayflowers -- No meat must make getting protein tough!

But I wasn't really saying to add more meat - but protein to her diet -- I recommended the LaraBars & the Odwalla Super Protein shakes (no meat in either) as examples... I personally find it hard to get enough meat into my diet being that i never know what to cook for dinner until the last minute, and i never have chicken/steak/pork in my fridge ever --- so I use those other things...

GFBetsy Rookie

There are other proteins available, though. Nuts, etc. Boston listed several of them.

Oops! Boston said it before i pushed Add! Sorry for the redundancy!

By the way, Pita, does your wife have other dietary issues (lactose intolerance, etc.)? If so, there are still a lot of great recipes out there that can meet those needs as well as being gluten free. Let us know if you need more help!

Kaycee Collaborator
1. Make a dinner menu with her - do Fish on Mondays, Soup on Tuesday, Chicken on Wednesday, Beef on Thursday, etc.

2. Make sure that there are things in the house that she can just pull out and eat without a lot of thought.

3. Make sure that you make enough food so that she can have leftovers for lunch the next day. (That's one less meal that she has to open the fridge, stare inside, and close it because she feels like there is nothing to eat.)

4. Make sure she knows that she is not alone - that you are willing to walk with her.

Betsy, I so agree with what you have written. I was told once, to make a list of all the things I can eat. Beleive me, it was not a short list either. I think we have to concentrate on the positives of the diet and not the negatives.

Having something that I can just grab and eat, whether it is fruit, vegetables or something a bit naughty works a treat. If I have not got that something naughty when I feel I need it, that is the time where I could possibly do the worst damage to myself by eating something a bit suspect.

Knowing that I am not alone in this makes it so much easier. If I was doing the diet on my own, I might not have been so successful.

Pita, I can't help you with helping your wife put on weight, as my weight has been stable throughout this changeover, if anything, I would like to loose a bit. We could do a swap.

And another thing, if I make cooking flops, that are still edible, my husband will help me eat them if necessary. He has been a rock for me, and the reason I will keep going with the diet 100%. 6 months after we were married I was diagnosed with coeliac, and he has been so supportive over the last 9 monhts. I know I have to do it for myself first, but I had been on my own for so long, I know it is very hard to keep doing things just for yourself. Sometimes, when on my own I would loose the motivation to keep myself well. I feel at times even now, I need motivation from my partner to stay on track. I think all the love and understanding he offers me has been the best medicine for me.

So Pita, thank you for being so caring and concerned about your wife, it is this caring and understanding that will get you all through it. I know being the partner is not always easy, but I admire your determination to help.

Catherine

pita Newbie

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. If it is hard for us (not celiac intolerant) I can imagine how hard it is for all of you. I am happy to find a place where one can find answers to questions that even some doctors can't answer, specially down here in Mexico where this is relatively new!!

I will try some of the suggestions and by the way, I do not know if I mentioned this or not, but my wife is also Lactose Intolerant. Any more comments and suggestions are welcome!

par18 Apprentice
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. If it is hard for us (not celiac intolerant) I can imagine how hard it is for all of you. I am happy to find a place where one can find answers to questions that even some doctors can't answer, specially down here in Mexico where this is relatively new!!

I will try some of the suggestions and by the way, I do not know if I mentioned this or not, but my wife is also Lactose Intolerant. Any more comments and suggestions are welcome!

Hi,

The lactose intolerance may only be temporary if her intestines are damaged. She may be able to tolerate dairy later. If she starts gaining weight and feels ok she may try a little at a time later.

Tom

Mtndog Collaborator
Hi,

The lactose intolerance may only be temporary if her intestines are damaged. She may be able to tolerate dairy later. If she starts gaining weight and feels ok she may try a little at a time later.

Tom

I was thinking the same thing. She may also be losing partially due to the diet and partially because her intestines haven't healed yet (not absorbing fats, proteins, vitamins). When I was first diagnosed, I had lost 60 pounds. 30 of the 60 was due to coming off a medication that made me gain a ton of weight, but the other 30 were just that I was really sick. It took me about a year to get back to my "normaal" weight.

Also pita- wanted to say welcome and it's wonderful that you're trying to help her! That support means everything!

plantime Contributor

Hi, Pita, welcome to the board! Your wife could still be "cleaning out" her body, since she has only been on the diet for a month. It could also be, as someone already said, that she is in a state of shock about how drastically her eating has changed, and is not eating enough. I hope she stabilizes soon!

2tired Apprentice
Hi, Pita, welcome to the board! Your wife could still be "cleaning out" her body, since she has only been on the diet for a month. It could also be, as someone already said, that she is in a state of shock about how drastically her eating has changed, and is not eating enough. I hope she stabilizes soon!

I have been gluten free for 9 mths. and I have lost 50 lbs. I don't know where it will stop. I am trying to eat as much as possible, but food makes me sick. I have trouble getting it down. I feel worse now that I did before going gluten free.

Mayflowers Contributor
Mayflowers -- No meat must make getting protein tough!

It does now. I'm finding the only protein I can tolerate is.....fish. It's getting old already. I almost gagged on my tuna yesterday. I'm sick of it. I can also eat egg yolks. I'm only intolerant to the whites.

Thank goodness for peanut butter! Most beans bother me. Lucky for me I love vegetables. (and sushi)

:)

Mtndog Collaborator
I have been gluten free for 9 mths. and I have lost 50 lbs. I don't know where it will stop. I am trying to eat as much as possible, but food makes me sick. I have trouble getting it down. I feel worse now that I did before going gluten free.

I've heard people say this. That after eliminating gluten your body goes through a period where you feel worse instead of better.

But this sounds pretty serious. Are you sure you've checked EVERYTHING including personal care stuff? Could you be intolerant to something else. When I first went gluten-free, I replaced gluten with a lot of soy products and was sick for a long time until I realized soy was a problem too.

I'm sorry you feel so bad. Have you gone back to your GI to see if you're healing? A lot of people on here think it takes AT LEAST a year to fully heal. HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER SOON!

kimjoy24 Apprentice

When I went on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet before going gluten-free (the SCD being way more strict than gluten-free diet) I lost almost 10 pounds in about a week. I was down to 105 pounds and I'm 5'8. I agree with the others that posted the initial weight loss may be because your wife has removed all or most of the junk food from her diet, and is eating whole foods in a more natural state.

It took almost a year for me to start putting weight back on, but now I'm hovering around 140. That's the largest I've ever been in my life, but it's actually normal for my height. I'm seeing a little flab now that I need to firm up, when before, it was just skin and bones.

I hope one factor that resulted in my weight gain is the fact that my gut has healed significantly (I did have severe malabsorption when first tested). However, I'm sure another factor is that I'm eating more processed gluten-free foods now (chips, crackers, cookies, etc).

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,549
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Blough
    Newest Member
    Blough
    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

    • Scott Adams
      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA 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/   
    • Scott Adams
      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • 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.