Weight Loss After Going gluten-free

[AliB]

I am now on my 5th week of gluten-free.

I suppose, rather naively I thought that once my body had started to sort itself out, the weight might start to come off.

I have dropped gluten, dairy, most carbs and sugars but it just doesn't seem to want to leave!

Am I being too impatient? Has anyone found that when they changed their diet - particularly going Paleo type, that they started to lose the weight they hadn't been able to shift for years?

Every so often I get a twinkle when I step on the scales and have lost a couple pounds then within a couple days it has gone back up again! Talk about dangling a carrot!

I'm sure I am eating (and drinking) enough - I know that not eating enough will scupper any weight loss progress, but I can't figure out why it won't move. Has my metabolism slumped to such a low that not eating at all would be the only thing that will work????

[confused]

Well i have lost almost 30 pounds in the last year. I am gluten, casein, soy, sugar and yeast free, the first two for an year and the others ones threwout the yr i have had to give up.

I also exercise tho, so maybe you need to add in some exercising and see if that helps.

paula

[celiac-mommy]

yes, the exercise if you're not doing it now. If you are, you may need to amp it up. Also, you may want to keep a little notebook and journal ALL your food to see how many calories you really are eating. In my experience, you're either eating too many or too few (but mostly too many).

This is good basic--

Cardio 30-60 minutes 3xweek

Strenght training 30-45 minutes 2-3x week

If you can fit in some pilates and or yoga 2x week

If you're not doing anything or very little, you should see your body change it's shape. I think it's important to move every day.

[Glutina]

Hi there!

Yes, I am happy to say that I have FINALLY lost some of the stubborn weight that has been glued to me since recovering 7 years now from various eating disorders. (I put on an extra 20 pounds above my ideal weight, and it hasn't left despite healthy eating and exercise...couldn't figure out why until the question of gluten sensitivity came up...)

Anyhoo, I have been gluten free for just over a month now and I have lost 10 pounds and feel great! If I stay at this weight I will be content, but also won't complain if that last 10 magically come off as well

I am also aware (from doc) that a gluten free diet can actually be higher in calories, so I make sure to eat sensible portions.

The biggest help I think has been taht my old INTENSE cravings for sweets show up a lot less since going gluten free.

Hang in there...and remember to think of food as healthy fuel to keep your body running at its optimum..not an enemy.

Best of luck to you!

-Glutina

[YoloGx]

yes, the exercise if you're not doing it now. If you are, you may need to amp it up. Also, you may want to keep a little notebook and journal ALL your food to see how many calories you really are eating. In my experience, you're either eating too many or too few (but mostly too many).

This is good basic--

Cardio 30-60 minutes 3xweek

Strenght training 30-45 minutes 2-3x week

If you can fit in some pilates and or yoga 2x week

If you're not doing anything or very little, you should see your body change it's shape. I think it's important to move every day.

I agree. However most people would lose weight on the paleo diet. I think its possible Ali that you are allergic to something that is putting "weight" on you (I have had that happen!) by way of edema. Exercise will help take this down but not like avoiding the food(s). Its also possible you are still eating too many carbs even though you have switched to this simpler diet. Too much of even a good thing is still too much -- and old Chinese saying that may apply.

Exercise of course will help immensely no matter what. In fact its my belief that, as more Hunter Gatherer types, celiacs need more regular exercise than the average just to feel/be OK. Then with it we really hum.

[AliB]

Hi all, and thanks for the replies.

Exercise has always been a problem for me. Due to the continuous fatigue I just would never have enough energy to get going. My hub would try and encourage me, but as I said to him - if you get in your car to go out somewhere and the battery is low, as long as you can get it going, you're away, but if you go out there and the battery is flat - you ain't going anywhere!

Just for a brief moment I had some energy - Tuesday last week I took the grandkids down the park and played with them, then later we walked a mile to the local pool, swam for an hour, then walked home again - normally I just don't walk anywhere! I am just too darn tired! But by Wednesday it was whisked out from under me by this darn virus. It was nice while it lasted........

I am not eating too much in the way of carbs. Today for instance, I had sliced beef on 3 thin rice crackers with a little salad and mayo for brunch. I had a few crispy bites (they are small thin crackers/cookies made with seeds, nuts, raisins and honey), and one gluten-free cookie during the afternoon - oh and half a pear (the other half had gone rotten, but I didn't want to waste the good bit!), and this evening I had 2 gluten-free high meat sausages with a small baked potato and salad, a few nuts and raisins and one square of 81% bitter chocolate.

If I need to eat anything, it is probably a bit more veg, although I am a bit wary of doing that. I did the 'Alkalising' diet (phMiracle) a year ago and managed to keep it going for 5 weeks before I had to stop because my stomach got so sore I couldn't cope any more. I did go all-out with the green drink and all, but I may just have 'alkalised' myself too much. The pain was like I used to get when taking aspirin so I may even have overdosed on too many natural salicylates in all the veg and green drink! I even rang the company that makes the green drink and asked if it had salicylates in it and they said no, but I have discovered since that virtually all veg, and some fruits contain low levels of salicylates, so they didn't know what they were talking about!

Mind you, on the good side, I did lose 15lbs, I was able to cut my insulin in half, my blood sugars were in normal range, the Candida went away and my IBS cleared up - but that was probably because I was hardly eating any carbs and almost certainly no gluten, without realising that was the problem! I suspect the veg was fine - it was probably the green drink and alkalising drops that popped me over the edge! I think the principle is good, but their version is just too way over the top, well, for me, anyway. I am sure that a scaled-down version would be ok and I am looking forward to Spring and the warmer weather so I can start to have more salads. Maybe that would help to get it going. The cold and/or wet weather here for 7 - 9 months of the year doesn't really encourage salad eating!

My diet has changed so radically again though over the last month since going gluten-free, that I really would have expected the weight to start to drop off by now. I did think it was, but it fooled me. Again, maybe the virus isn't helping as I have lost the energy and have been mostly bed-bound for a week or more. Sigh.

'The path of true Gluten-Free never runs smoothly'.......................

[YoloGx]

Hi all, and thanks for the replies.

Exercise has always been a problem for me. Due to the continuous fatigue I just would never have enough energy to get going. My hub would try and encourage me, but as I said to him - if you get in your car to go out somewhere and the battery is low, as long as you can get it going, you're away, but if you go out there and the battery is flat - you ain't going anywhere!

Just for a brief moment I had some energy - Tuesday last week I took the grandkids down the park and played with them, then later we walked a mile to the local pool, swam for an hour, then walked home again - normally I just don't walk anywhere! I am just too darn tired! But by Wednesday it was whisked out from under me by this darn virus. It was nice while it lasted........

I am not eating too much in the way of carbs. Today for instance, I had sliced beef on 3 thin rice crackers with a little salad and mayo for brunch. I had a few crispy bites (they are small thin crackers/cookies made with seeds, nuts, raisins and honey), and one gluten-free cookie during the afternoon - oh and half a pear (the other half had gone rotten, but I didn't want to waste the good bit!), and this evening I had 2 gluten-free high meat sausages with a small baked potato and salad, a few nuts and raisins and one square of 81% bitter chocolate.

If I need to eat anything, it is probably a bit more veg, although I am a bit wary of doing that. I did the 'Alkalising' diet (phMiracle) a year ago and managed to keep it going for 5 weeks before I had to stop because my stomach got so sore I couldn't cope any more. I did go all-out with the green drink and all, but I may just have 'alkalised' myself too much. The pain was like I used to get when taking aspirin so I may even have overdosed on too many natural salicylates in all the veg and green drink! I even rang the company that makes the green drink and asked if it had salicylates in it and they said no, but I have discovered since that virtually all veg, and some fruits contain low levels of salicylates, so they didn't know what they were talking about!

Mind you, on the good side, I did lose 15lbs, I was able to cut my insulin in half, my blood sugars were in normal range, the Candida went away and my IBS cleared up - but that was probably because I was hardly eating any carbs and almost certainly no gluten, without realising that was the problem! I suspect the veg was fine - it was probably the green drink and alkalising drops that popped me over the edge! I think the principle is good, but their version is just too way over the top, well, for me, anyway. I am sure that a scaled-down version would be ok and I am looking forward to Spring and the warmer weather so I can start to have more salads. Maybe that would help to get it going. The cold and/or wet weather here for 7 - 9 months of the year doesn't really encourage salad eating!

My diet has changed so radically again though over the last month since going gluten-free, that I really would have expected the weight to start to drop off by now. I did think it was, but it fooled me. Again, maybe the virus isn't helping as I have lost the energy and have been mostly bed-bound for a week or more. Sigh.

'The path of true Gluten-Free never runs smoothly'.......................

Hope you get well soon too! My "virus" turned out to be a bacterial infection. It was one of those search and destroy things, first in the lungs, then sinuses, back to my lungs (it kept coming back) then finally settled in my bladder. Am now starting to take antibiotics, the burning was too much and wouldn't go away after I thought had knocked it out with herbs several times. Now too my nose is clearing and the residual congestion in my lungs. If your "virus" hangs on you might want to get it checked. Apparently a lot of people here in California have what I have got and it might be in Europe now too.

As far as the Paleo diet, its a little different than what you are eating. Paleo refers to ancient Paleolithic hunter gatherers who had no prepared food. So that means no rice cakes, breads, sugar or cookies. If there are grains (which would be verylimited) they would be whole. Something like amaranth or buckwheat (gluten free of course) or washed cooked quinoa had occsionally , or if you have to have it, brown rice.

I realize you might not think it much fun but its very possible you would start to feel better and lose weight, acheive a better blood sugar balance etc. if you went on it and mostly avoided the grains. Once you get on it however you find plain basic food tastes pretty good.

There is a book out on it. But the basic gist is vegetables, meat and fruit -- period. The carbs then are root vegetables and squashes, though you limit the amount of them especially if you want to lose weight and lose the candida etc.

About your alkalizing diet, it does sound like it went overboard. Plus anything like that done too long can become a problem after a while. Plus, given the gluten intolerance, you have to be careful not to have wheat or barley grass...

[AliB]

I have just noticed the thread on the SCDiet. It looks extremely interesting - I think I will investigate that further. Looks pretty paleolithic to me! I am willing to try anything at the moment to get my gut healed!

I do seem to be able to tolerate yogurt and fruit so that part would be fine - I used to make my own yogurt years ago - t'would be a good thing to prepare the good stuff myself again. Just wish I could get hold of raw unpasteurised goats milk...................my friend said she would look after one for me if I got it, but I just have visions of it eating all my shrubs!

[YoloGx]

I have just noticed the thread on the SCDiet. It looks extremely interesting - I think I will investigate that further. Looks pretty paleolithic to me! I am willing to try anything at the moment to get my gut healed!

I do seem to be able to tolerate yogurt and fruit so that part would be fine - I used to make my own yogurt years ago - t'would be a good thing to prepare the good stuff myself again. Just wish I could get hold of raw unpasteurised goats milk...................my friend said she would look after one for me if I got it, but I just have visions of it eating all my shrubs!

Yes actually yogurt or other soured milks is often part of it for North Europeans and some other peoples. Nuts and seeds are too, especially if sprouted over night. For myself I just have sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Am allergic to most of the rest. However the sprouting is supposed to make them more digestible with a lot more enzymes.

I'll check out the other thread too since it sounds interesting--what area is it listed under?

[celiac-mommy]

I'm not sure if you are or not, but try to eat something within an hour of waking, even if it's a piece of fruit and a few nuts (raw). You need to get your metabolism going if you're not eating until brunch time. I wonder, if you aren't really exercising, start-give it 2 weeks of doing something for at least 30 minutes, even if it's a brisk walk (not a stroll) I would bet you would start feeling better and having more energy. It doesn't take too long to notice a difference, but I would really make an effort to start a 2 week goal and move fwd from there.

[AliB]

You're right Rachelle I really ought to eat earlier. Unfortunately, because I a)don't go to bed very early, and b)don't sleep very well when I get there, I don't wake very early in the morning.

I have had a few better night since going gluten-free but am still up and down at the mo, especially since this rotten virus struck.

I am hoping that as I start to sleep better, I will then want to get to bed earlier!

I have always had a problem with sleep - it has never been refreshing. Even as a teenager I could go to bed at 9pm and still be awake at 1am! I think I just fell into the pattern over the years of thinking "what's the point"?!

Yolo - the SCD thread is the next one below this one on this section - The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. It kinda makes a lot of sense to me. I know Carbs are definitely a huge problem for me - it's more than just gluten and dairy.

I have been trying to go low-carb, but I can see from the info and the SCD websites, that although I am on the right track, I am still complicating things with carbs that my body can't cope with, especially at the minute as my digestion is so weak.

It is interesting how Elaine Gottschall says that honey, for instance, is ok, as it is a mono-saccharide, but to avoid di and poly-saccharides like the plague.

I think I might get her book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle. This is all a learning curve for me, and boy am I learning fast! I know a lot of this is a process of elimination - working through different areas until I get to a point where it is right for me.

We are all individual and things affect us differently, but the principles behind her work makes a lot of sense. As was pointed out somewhere on her website, the SCDiet has been able to help even Celiacs who are not progressing by just dropping the gluten.

I keep seeing posts on here by ones who say, "I have been gluten-free for ? time, yet I still do not feel any better. Perhaps for them , like me their problem lies deeper than just gluten.

It is very restrictive, in the broad sense of the word, but as I am already restricted by what my stomach and body will tolerate, that does not bother me - there is enough good wholesome foods out there to choose from to satisfy my need (my only sadness is that she villifies chocolate!!!!).

[Mayflowers]

When you stop gluten, your absorption greatly improves which means you absorb calories much more efficiently. They don't mention that for us overweight celiacs. So actually weight loss is more difficult for me since I stopped eating wheat. Much slower. I still have 25 more to go. Menopause isn't helping either. I'm following the Genotype diet sans grains, which is mostly fish, vegetables, beans, some dairy..I don't do well on dairy or soy either.