Gluten; Does It Make You Gain Weight?

[Mballerina]

Everytime I have gluten I get so hungry that i can't stop eating. When i have no gluten at all anywhere than I am barely even hungry, does anyone else experience this. I gain 20 pounds in 1 month this way.

[burdee]

You should read Ron Hoggan's book "Dangerous Grains" wherein he explains how gluten digests leak from the gut, travel to the brain and stimulate opiate receptors just like morphine so gluten peptide molecules become 'opiate peptides'. He describes how people may feel 'addicted' to gluten. Also see articles on his website at Open Original Shared Link about 'Food Allergy and Binge Eating' and "Anorexia and Celiac". BTW in my website for people with 'disordered eating' habits, they most often binged on foods containing gluten and/or dairy. Both gluten and casein (milk protein) have been implicated in research about opiate peptides.

BURDEE

[Thomas]

I'm going to check out that article.

[Alexolua]

Wow.. I was pretty much fine stopping gluten cold turkey (besides a real nice headache). Lost about 14 pounds since then too. Though I had been eating lots of crap before I went gluten-free, to enjoy the things I would never been able to again, so gainned a bit of weight too. =)

[Donna F]

I have the same problem. Last summer I literally stood at the refrigerator and just stuffed my face but still felt hungry. I even lost weight during that time - 10 pounds in less than 2 weeks before I ended up in the hospital. It wasn't so much that my stomach wasn't full, but that I still felt weak and shakey. I have hypoglycemia, so I attribute shakiness and weakness to that, but in this case, it was the celiac. When I don't eat gluten, I'm fine, but I still can't gain a pound. Eating gluten-free is like being on the Atkins diet or something - really rots!

[Pam]

I totally agree. When I stopped eating gluten I was hungry at first all the time. Now that I am getting used to being gluten-free I am much less hungry. I have lost about 10 pounds in 5 weeks and feel great. I no longer have the 3pm need for munchies - I can eat an apple and I'm fine.

[Guest shar4]

Finally!!! I have felt the same way, I have been gluten-free since Halloween 03, and I have gained a LOT of weight. I pretty much lived on gluten food. Pretzels was my food of choice. I have found that I stuffed myself to the point of disgust, but was still looking for something to satisfy. I never did find that something. The weight gain has slowed down, but now, I'm struggling to trim it back off.

I do feel so much better than I did before, so I guess the adjustment process continues.

Best of luck.

[jrobertson]

I too was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 6mo ago. Ive lost about 40lbs and cannot reach or maintain 100lbs. Im 27yrs old,& eat all the rice pastas. I know most of the weight I lost was due to no more beer...pizza, tortilla (flour), and bread but like I said, beer. I have never been a big girl but now Im very small. I think the scarriest part for me is I look fine to me, until I develope pictures. Thats when I see a problem. I also havnt found a bread product I like and because I only will eat things I like, I dont have bread. Next step is learn to bake it myself. Food has always been secondary to me, something quick as I was running out the door and I was fine, or there was the drive thru. Now I have to think about WHAT I eat, when I eat, how much I eat, then worry about if I like it or not. Just for the record Im about 5'3" and weigh about 90lbs now. (Ive gained 9lbs in 2mo.)