Question To Those Who Lost/gained After Gluten-free...

[Kilika]

Hello!

Believe it or not I have never blogged before, so not only am I newly gluten intolerant, I am also behind in the times. haha. I've been reading some of your posts and they have been super helpful and i thank you sooo much. *squishy hugs to you all!* Alas, I have been gaining weight like crazy, like 50 pounds in 4 months! NOT fun! Also got pain bloating, you all know the drill. When i went gluten free for 4 days I lost 2 of the 10 inches i'd gained in my waist. But, I was wondering, it sounds like people either lose OR gain on a gluten-free diet...for the people who gained weight *prior* to being gluten-free, did you lose the weight once cutting the gluten??

I'd really appreciate any input, thanks so much.

Christina

[Kilika]

hello again,

I have noticed a few people checking out my post, but no responses. I would really appreciate any responses, i'm feeling pretty hopeless at the moment

[sparkles]

I lost about 30# very quickly (3 months) after going gluten-free but then started regaining weight as soon as I started adding more processed gluten-free foods to my diet. Those foods were breads, desserts, snacks. When I first went gluten-free, I gave up everything except hamburger, potato, and lettuce. Needless to say, my diet was really limited. The processed foods, like all processed foods, are really high in calories and fat. I was overweight to begin with and will probably always be overweight. The thought of giving everything up again is really hard. I stay gluten-free but cannot and I guess will not give up the gluten-free substitutions that I like....

[little d]

Hi Christina

I did lose weight 2 years ago when I first started the diet 14lbs and my starting weight was 160lbs. After all the testing came back negative I started to eat regular food again and gained all 13lbs plus more. I am off and on again with my diet, the more I eat gluten foods I gain weight feel crappy and the more I eat gluten free foods I loose weight and I feel great. I am down to 147lbs. I eat the same way regardless what I am eating. I work 3 nights a week and I will eat before I leave at 5pm and eat again at 12 or 1am I may have a little snack of sunflower seeds and pickles or maybe some fruit at work on top of my meal from home. Then I won't eat again until I wake up at 2pm drink my coffee and eat dinner at 5pm. And when I am off I eat breakfest I don't snack during the day skip lunch and eat dinner around 5 or 6pm. So I really don't eat that much so when I eat gluten foods my body does not like that plus I want to eat more. Gluten free foods fill my up and I stay satisfied between meals. I started with the processed gluten free foods, the breads, pastas, cookies, and suchMy husband could not understand my hunger before I discovered gluten free, We would go to a restruant for lunch or dinner on the weekends and I would eat a big filling meal with pasta and stuff like that and an hour later I was starving again. I am only 4' 11" I was starting to look as round as I was tall. I am learning what I can eat that works for me, what works for me may not work for someone else. I don't watch my calorie intake but I am aware of my calories that I intake. I do watch the carbs that I take in but I don't know how to count my carbs.

Don't be hopeless with your diet it is just a matter of finding what works for you.

donna

[Kilika]

thank you both soo much for your replies. it's very encouraging. ya, i understand the appetite thing, you just dont get full while eating gluten!!! good to hear that resolves when going gluten-free. once again, thanks so much. and if anyone else has anything to share i'd love to hear it. tis very helpful and uplifting. i also appreciate the tips on what to eat.

[superbeansprout]

Hi! Let's see, I gained steadily over the past 5.5 years, went from 118 lbs to 142lbs. Even after trying to go to the gym, I couldn't lose weight. I'm also diabetic, and am actually quite petite, only 5'1". once I learned of the gluten allergy, I dropped almost 10 pounds within a month or two. I've remained around 132 since then. I think part of it for me in the beginning was that I didn't eat anything that I didn't recognize as being gluten free. I wouldn't eat lunch meat (now I only eat pre-packaged certified gluten free foods). but way back then, I would eat plain rice, and plain chicken, plain potatoes, dry salad. I live with my parents right now, and my mom would try to be really helpful, but it's difficult to do so when they just don't really quite understand the extent to what things can affect you. I never thought about the wooden spoon and cast iron pans. Since my mother still makes most meals, as I am out very late at theater rehearsals, I wonder if that's why sometimes I don't feel 100%. how do I encourage her to understand the extent of the things that could hurt me? we have flexible cutting boards, but they sit on top of our wooden cutting boards that pull out from the counter top. She just thinks I'm nagging and being picky instead of her trying to understand it all. I know it's hard to change your ways, but how does anyone who lives with gluten-eaters get by and not be hated?!?!

I got off topic, sorry! don't give up, but maybe try to stick to the basics for a while before trying to expand your diet into things that may or may not affect your gluten intolerance. essentially, eating less bread will help you lose weight, but if you immediately replace it with gluten free breads, you're actually technically eating more carbohydrates, because there is less fiber in rice (almost none!) where as in other grains, you have fiber that doesn't count towards the total carbs.

[superbeansprout]

Ok I totally misrepresented myself in that last post...so sorry...I don't solely eat only pre-packaged gluten free food. that's silly. but if something like lunch meat...I only eat the pre-packaged certified gluten free kind. I make a lot of stuff from scratch. I make a great mac and cheese that I found in bon appetit magazine, but I just altered it to be gluten free...using gluten free pasta, and gluten free breadcrumbs. Everything else was fine. cheddar, gruyere, brie, milk (though a lot of people do have a problem with dairy, as do I, but I still just take lactaid and i"m fine) thyme, nutmeg. it's a very tasty dish. Not, however, if you want to LOSE weight. ha!

[Kilika]

thanks again. ya, i got what chya meant with the packaged stuff, makes sense. i think that would be really hard to have your mom not understand what's going on. my mom is the opposite: finding me gluten-free bakeries, looking up info online, helping me check ingredients, it makes a world of difference, so im really sorry to hear about your case. *hugs* perhaps if you look up some info from a credible source about contamination and show her, she might understand better. i know the GIG (gluten intolerance group) has a lot of info and some of it talks about how if a bakery bakes with wheat flour it can settle on and contaminate the gluten free products, irritating the eater. it also talks about how even toasters can be a source of contamination and cause symptoms in those with gluten intolerance, which is similar to the whole utensils and cutting board issue.

so overall im hearing if i dont eat the gluten-free breads and stuff im more likely to lose weight. my problem was that before i discovered that i was gluten intolerant, i was gaining lot's and i went on weight watchers and upped my exercise and continued to gain weight!! so i was hoping that if i cut the gluten, but maintain the diet and exercise my body would do what it's supposed to when on weight watchers: lose weight! i have lost like 10 pounds after about a week gluten-free, not to mention 8 inches off my waist! so it's looking good so far. not to mention, i feel so much more comfortable. im willing to go swimming without the fear of people asking me when the baby's due! haha. and thanks to people's input, i am feeling hopeful for the long road to come.

christina

[greendog]

I got up to about 165 lbs before I found out about the gluten thing, but a lot of my problem was that I was too tired to exercise. After I got off gluten I started exercising again and like any diet I watch what I eat . My weight stays around 152 lbs. I try to do the treadmill and weights 3 times a week, and make a point of parking at distances where I have to walk a little. Some days I will cook up nothing but Thai Kitchen noodles for lunch, and that is it. It is a lot about lifestyle. I used to work out in a gym with a lot of amateur body builders and the interesting thing is we could live on their diet. Tuna and lettuce or lettuce and tuna. If they didn't have the money they ate mackerel instead of tuna.