Frustrated

[LisaJ]

I'm so frustrated. I have been gluten free for 5 months now and have gained 7 pounds. I know that's not a huge amount, but I was not underweight before. Does it just take a while for your metabolism to adjust? Does it ever adjust? I'm always hungry, just like I was before! It's just so frustrating because I know I'm eating less than I used to (no more eating out, no more eating the baked treats everyone brings to work, etc), but my weight is still creeping up. I have been keeping track for a couple weeks now, and I seem to be eating between 2000-2200 calories a day. I know it seems a little high, but I run 20 miles a week, lift weights 4 times a week, and I also work full time and am on my feet or walking around about 6 hours of my workday. Any advice, suggestions, or words of wisdom from those of you that have been through this??

Thanks

[Cuervo]

Did you change your routine in regards to working out?

I was just diagnosed last week and am a little scared of that. I have worked out for over 7 years, but have never been able to get to the body size I wanted to until now.... unfortunetly that took malnourishing my body without me knowong. I have just started back to the gym as of three days ago since I got too sick to go (which was about five months ago), and am hoping to stay this size, just tone a bit. I just don't know if I should be just doing cardio, or lifting weights again or both. One thing I know for sure is that I don't want to gain anything.

[LisaJ]

Did you change your routine in regards to working out?

I was just diagnosed last week and am a little scared of that. I have worked out for over 7 years, but have never been able to get to the body size I wanted to until now.... unfortunetly that took malnourishing my body without me knowong. I have just started back to the gym as of three days ago since I got too sick to go (which was about five months ago), and am hoping to stay this size, just tone a bit. I just don't know if I should be just doing cardio, or lifting weights again or both. One thing I know for sure is that I don't want to gain anything.

Nope - I am working out the same amount as I always have. I spend 1 hour at the gym 5 days a week and don't have the time or interest to be there any more than that. It's frustrating knowing I am getting healthier on the inside being gluten free, but I sure looked better on the outside eating all that gluten I'm just hoping that my crazy hunger will finally lessen and catch up with my increased absorption now. Good luck to you - I definitely recommend doing both cardio and lifting weights. When I just ran all the time, I weighed less, but I looked alot toner and more balanced once I started lifting weights too.

[Cuervo]

I am in your boat as well. I have only been on the gluton free diet for a week and a half and can feel myself gaining weight. I just feel heavier. I feel exactly the same, I know i am getting better but I already feel like I should have some gluton every once in a while because it sure worked with the weight. I am very scared of gaining weight. I know it may sound vain, but I have gone to the gym for over five years and worked hard for how I look now, i don't want that to change.

and yeah, I will definetely be doing both. I also added Yoga into the mix. THere are classes at the gym and I tried it out this weekend. It hurt doing it but I felt amazing after.

[RiceGuy]

Though I haven't had weight gain, I do know that muscle weighs more than fat, so you need to watch inches, not just the number on the scale. It may be that your system is getting more nutrients from your diet, so it's more effectively putting them to use building muscles and such. That would be my first guess.

[LisaJ]

Though I haven't had weight gain, I do know that muscle weighs more than fat, so you need to watch inches, not just the number on the scale. It may be that your system is getting more nutrients from your diet, so it's more effectively putting them to use building muscles and such. That would be my first guess.

I wish that was the case but unfortunately, I am definitely bigger. all my clothes are tight, and I look and feel chubbier . . . ugh

[Cuervo]

It is the same for me. When I say I'm gaining weight it is more of a feeling not actual pounds. I don't go by my weight, I go by my size. I actually have a very heavy bone mass, and weigh a lot more than I look. The "gaining weight" I am experiencing right now though is more of a bloated feeling I guess. I just feel heavier.

[luvs2eat]

Been gluten-free for about 4 years... I'll let you know when the weight gain STOPS!! Yikes!!

[cyberprof]

I'm so frustrated. I have been gluten free for 5 months now and have gained 7 pounds. I know that's not a huge amount, but I was not underweight before. Does it just take a while for your metabolism to adjust? Does it ever adjust? I'm always hungry, just like I was before! It's just so frustrating because I know I'm eating less than I used to (no more eating out, no more eating the baked treats everyone brings to work, etc), but my weight is still creeping up. I have been keeping track for a couple weeks now, and I seem to be eating between 2000-2200 calories a day. I know it seems a little high, but I run 20 miles a week, lift weights 4 times a week, and I also work full time and am on my feet or walking around about 6 hours of my workday. Any advice, suggestions, or words of wisdom from those of you that have been through this??

Thanks

Lisa, I hear you. I am having the same problem. Diagnosed one month ago today.

My dietitian said that there are three reasons why it's hard to lose weight: 1) Your metabolism may have been slowed by celiac before diagnosis and that makes it harder to lose weight (suggested lifting weights and more workouts-fun! ) and 2) Since celiac causes malabsorption, your body may be holding on to calories because it thinks it is starving; and 3) now that it is absorbing more you may be getting more calories while eating the same.

In any event, I'm very discouraged. Before my diagnosis, I always thought that if I could give up my loves- pasta, pizza, bread, pastries- that I could lose weight. I've given them up, been under 1400 calories 5 out of 7 days, under 1600 2 days a week, and I walk or work-out five-six days a week and I still can't lose weight. It is screwy.

Good luck to you.

~Laura

[Mayflowers]

Same thing is happening to me. I was overweight to start with and I was trying to lose 25 pounds and when I went gluten free, I expected the weight to fall off but just the opposit happened. My weight started creeping upward too. Now I have to be very strict and eat less to lose. My absorption is really great now..(crap) It was worse when I ate gluten free snacks...they went right to storage! I gained 5 pounds in less than a week eating gluten-free muffins with my meals and it took me 4 weeks to get it off. It's horrible....AAAAHHHHH!

[cyberprof]

Same thing is happening to me. I was overweight to start with and I was trying to lose 25 pounds and when I went gluten free, I expected the weight to fall off but just the opposit happened. My weight started creeping upward too. Now I have to be very strict and eat less to lose. My absorption is really great now..(crap) It was worse when I ate gluten free snacks...they went right to storage! I gained 5 pounds in less than a week eating gluten-free muffins with my meals and it took me 4 weeks to get it off. It's horrible....AAAAHHHHH!

Mayflowers-great name! I too have 25 pounds to lose.

I specifically didn't go out and get gluten free foods and have been eating very few refined carbs but it is still hard. I did try gluten free pizza (homemade) this weekend to satisfy my craving. Now I'm trying to eat veggies, fruits and protein with little/no corn, rice or potatoes. May go back to the dietitian soon.

~Laura

[dragonmom]

2 years and still gaining-was working out for a while and still gained weight, everyone around me says muscle is heavier, unfortunately fat also weighs more as it gets bigger. I can look at food and gain, so I started eating what I was looking at. I still think that my body is just holding on to every single calorie that I eat so it wont starve again.

[Mayflowers]

I've lost about 11 pounds and it's been a tooth and nail fight. I have to go low carb to be able to lose and increase exercise. I have 25 more to go. This might take awhile.

The weight gain could be a temporary state as your body heals. If you feel like waiting to see. I read this in the Schwarzbein Principle. Dr. Schwarzbein said as the body heals, it puts on weight then after a while it will let you lose again...Like for instance Delta Burke. She was on diet pills for years and screwed up her metabolism. When she went off of them, she gained weight overnight. Now she's slim again after a few years of healing.

I didn't have bad malabsorption so I'm not that bad off but I am perimenopausal and my hormones are screwed up right now. It seems that low carb doesn't annoy my hormones like low fat does. It could be that fat is necessary for hormones to work properly.

You can also try Propolene. It's the only diet supplement I can tolerate. It is a natural fiber, glucomannan, and it blocks calorie absorption, swells in your stomach so you eat less and get full faster, absorbs fats and moves everything faster through the intestine. No side effects, no jitters no dizziness, nausea. It's great. Propolene helps me a lot. It takes a while to work I'd give it at least two months to see if it helps, every day.

Thanks Laura, cyberprof? Prof of what?

[cyberprof]

I've lost about 11 pounds and it's been a tooth and nail fight. I have to go low carb to be able to lose and increase exercise. I have 25 more to go. This might take awhile.

Thanks Laura, cyberprof? Prof of what?

I have 25 left, have lost 8. I agree, it will be a long time, for me at least.

I teach college-level classes online, mainly business/economics. So cyberprof is a shorthand way of saying it, although I don't really consider myself a "professor" more like an instructor. I have a non-teaching day job.

~Laura

[Nerissa]

I'm so frustrated. I have been gluten free for 5 months now and have gained 7 pounds. ...Any advice, suggestions, or words of wisdom from those of you that have been through this??

Thanks

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. I just joined this group and went right to the weight section since I've read that going gluten free is associated with weight gain. I recently discovered I have celiac disease and went gluten free only days ago. As of last summer I'd lost 49 pounds after a terribly difficult time working on it for over 4 years. I drop weight *very* slowly. Easing up on my diet over this past winter resulted in a 17 pound weight gain. I'm now back dieting and worried that going gluten free will not only prevent dropping weight again but result in gaining weight. So, I've been researching a possible mechanism for the weight gain. In the following the PubMed number refer to the indexing number used by PubMed to save the abstract. Go to Open Original Shared Link and put the number in the search box, press the "go" button and you'll see the full abstract.

First of all the weight gain is a real thing. (1, 2) mentions that going gluten free (gluten-free) increases weight. Apparently, per (1) this is all fat weight.

(3) provides a possible clue as to what is going on. Going gluten-free more than doubles the level of the hormone, leptin. Leptin is well known as a hormone which lowers appetite. Less well known is it is a respiratory stimulant. (4) indicates that low leptin makes mice less responsive to hypercapnia (high carbon dioxide). What this means is they breath less often and less deeply. I assume this happens in humans also. For example, my resting respiration rate is 8 to 9 breaths per minute. Normal is 12 to 20.

Less breathing = less oxygen. Meaning, in effect, a person with untreated celiac disease living at a low altitude is similar to a person living at a high altitude. Maybe even more so. (5) shows the effect of living at altitude is substantial on calorie needs. Basal metabolic rate (calories burnt doing nothing but living) increases 17%, in men, at altitude. Stated in reverse this says that going from a high altitude to a low altitude increases calories used just existing by 1/(1-0.17) = 1.215 (rounded). The men would burn 21.5% less food at sea level.

I'm making up these number for examples sake so don't hold me to them:

Suppose the malabsorption present in celiac disease resulted in absorbing 25% less calories from food as compared to people without celiac disease. If a person with celiac disease and still eating gluten were to consume 3000 calories/day in food they'd absorb 2250 calories. If their weight was stable this would be exactly what they needed for the day. OK, so go gluten-free and what happens? First, they absorb all the calories so now they're getting 3000 calories/day. But, they need 21.5% less calories which is 1766 calories. On the same diet they're now getting 1234 excess calories. This would result in a considerable weight gain.

Fortunately leptin lowers appetite so what really might happen with a celiac disease person who was gluten-free is they might eat 20% less. Meaning their prior 3000 calorie/day diet become a 2400 calorie/day diet. Remember they need 1766 calories/day to stay at the same weight. They're still eating 634 calories/day too much. So they'd still gain weight.

Is there a way to prevent the weight gain? The old standbys of eating less and exercising more should help. A neat trick that might help is sleeping more. Going gluten-free often substantially increases sleep quality. More sleep is associated with a lower body weight (6). I've been chronically sleep deprived for many years which I hope is due to me having celiac disease. I suspect many of you pre going gluten-free might make the same comment. Perhaps if we took advantage of being able to sleep better once gluten-free and devoted 9 hours or so per day to sleeping we might have less problems with weight gain.

1. Am J Gastroenterol. 1997 Apr;92(4):639-43

Longitudinal study on the effect of treatment on body composition and anthropometry of celiac disease patients.

...After treatment, we noted a significant increase in body weight (p < 0.0001), fat mass (p < 0.0005), bone mass (p < 0.002), and body mass index (p < 0.005). In contrast, we did not observe a significant increase in lean-tissue mass or muscle mass. ...PMID: 9128314

2. Am J Gastroenterol. 2006 Oct;101(10):2356-9 Overweight in celiac disease: prevalence, clinical characteristics, and effect of a gluten-free diet. ...Of patients compliant with a gluten-free diet, 81% had gained weight after 2 yr, including 82% of initially overweight patients. PMID: 17032202

3. Horm Res. 2007;67(2):100-4. Epub 2006 Oct 19 Gluten-free diet impact on leptin levels in asymptomatic coeliac adolescents: one year of follow-up. ...We studied 14 asymptomatic coeliac patients in peripubertal age (7.5-13.8 years) and tested their leptin levels in order to correlate them with endocrine and anthropometric data. Before the diet was started leptinaemia (M+/-DS) was: 4.94+/-5.53 ng/ml. ...after a period of 6-12 months of gluten-free diet, Leptin levels appreciably raised to 10.8+/-7.9 ng/ml...PMID: 1705740

4. Exp Lung Res. 2004 Oct-Nov;30(7):559-70 The effect of leptin on the ventilatory responseto hyperoxia. ... Leptin-deficient mice show a blunted response to hypercapnia explained by central nervous system effects. ...PMID: 15371092

5. J Appl Physiol. 1992 May;72(5):1741-8

Increased energy intake minimizes weight loss in men at high altitude....

Energy intake required to maintain body weight at sea level was found to be 3,118 +/- 300 kcal/day, as confirmed by nitrogen balance. Basal metabolic rate (BMR), determined by indirect calorimetry, increased 27% on day 2 at altitude and then decreased and reached a plateau at 17% above the sea level BMR by day 10. ...PMID: 1601781

6. J Sleep Res. 2007 Mar;16(1):66-76

The association between sleep duration, body mass index and metabolic measures in the Hordaland Health Study.

...short sleep duration was associated with elevated BMI and increased prevalence of obesity. ...PMID: 17309765

Nerissa

[Guest AlabamaGirl]

I went gluten-free about 1 1/2 years ago, and I have since gained about 15 lbs. When I recently read the reports and figured out WHY I was gaining weight ... well ... yahoo! If this means my body is healing, then so be it! I have always been able to eat whatever I wanted and not gain (b/c of celiac), so this is quite an adjustment period for me. A few weeks ago, I began watching (for the first time) what I ate. I've always been a healthy eater and even more so since going gluten-free, but I really began practicing portion control and have dropped about 5 of those pounds. I also began working out (for the first time in years), and am really enjoying it. I know this will help also.

I tell you all of this to say ... this way of life takes work, commitment, and has a huge learning curve. YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO EAT THE SAME WAY AGAIN, nor should you want to. Yes, you may be more prone to gain weight, but if that spurs you to eat better and work out more, then the healthier you will be. I think that good health is worth a few extra pounds. So is a longer life. Don't buy into the lie that skinnier is sexier when it is caused by a disease. Colon cancer is pretty darn un-sexy.