How To Gain Weight

[amandasch]

I was diagnosed in September and I have switched everything food, utensils, beauty products and I cant seem to gain weight. I dont want to do the feeding tube I am 5'8 and 116. Everyone that i have talked to that have celiac disease are very healthy. I know I am still malnurished cuz my clothes keep getting bigger. I was up to 136 and then dropped back down. Please any advice on on quick easy snacks that are gluten free like slim fast that i can get a lot of calories from. I have to force myself to eat 1000 calories. Please

[~alex~]

I had trouble gaining weight back too. I don't have any great ideas but I can tell you what I did.

My stomach never felt up to big meals but I just tried to "graze" a lot throughout the day to get the calories I needed. Nuts (especially almonds) were good high calorie snacks that I liked to eat throughout the day. I also made sure I didn't fill myself up with low calories things like salads. Indulge yourself as much as you can and eat your favourite foods often (assuming these aren't all unnutritious foods )

If you're still feeling sick and having frequent diarrhea, etc. I would consider the possibility that you might be getting some hidden gluten from somewhere that is keeping you from healing. If this is the case, it would probably be very difficult to gain weight since you still wouldn't be absorbing nutrients very well.

Sorry I don't have any better ideas. Good luck!

[HAK1031]

I'll lend you some of my weight

But seriously:

-go for healthy fats. these are high in calories and low volume so it will be a dense source of calories for you. Examples are: nuts, nut butter, vegtable oil, avacado, hummus

-eat frequently- don't pig out at one big meal, but carry around a bag of nuts with you and mounch on these throughout the day, plus have 4 or 5 small meals

-switch to lowfat dairy (as oppoed to full fat or nonfat, if you even do dairy) ie 2% milk, low fat yogurt, etc. You do need some saturated fats

-Pudding. Ok, not the healthiest. But when my mom lost 30 lbs after colon cancer surgery (that what's un-dx'd celiac does to you!!) she got down to 105 at 5'7"! She ate a box of pudding a night (rough 600 calories worth) and it helped her get back into the healthier 120s.

-get your protein too, and so some strength training so you gain healthy muscle in addition to the necessary body fat. the nuts will help with this too

Consider seeing a nutritionist too- eating less than 1000 calories can be a sign of disordered eating and isn't healthy, as you obviously realize! Good luck!

[home-based-mom]

Have you tried eliminating soy and dairy? Some people have felt better after doing that and you may (or may not) be able to add them back in later.

Search locally or on the internet for a product called Benecalorie. It is gluten-free and made for people who need to gain weight or just need extra nutrition.

PS: I second what HAK1031 said - I have some extra weight I'd be more than happy to donate! And it's gluten-free, too!

[itchygirl]

Coconut milk, coconut creme-coconut has an oil called MCT oil which does not require digestion. If you had a feeding tube then chances are it would be part of your enteral formula.

I use full fat dairy-I'm kind of confused by everybody on the board being low fat actually .... My cholesterol has always been through the floor due to malapsorption so I eat about the same diet as a cystic fibrosis patient-very high fat, very high calorie. There is a great suppliment that CF patients use called Scandishake, you mix it with whole milk (and cream or ice cream)and its 600 calories

Open Original Shared Link

its gluten free and tasty!

I'll keep all my weight thanks. I used to weigh 87 lbs and have had to fight to get every pound. You can turn this around and get your "self" back. Talk to your dietician, talk to your doc. I had to take a medication called Megace to get my appetite back. It worked great. There are some more really good appetite drugs out now-Marinol is one and there is a new one which my friend with HIV says is really good.

[Crimson]

I have trouble keeping weight on. I've lifted weights for seven years. I lost muscle and felt like hell.

I stick with

beef,

eggs *chicken itself seems to tear me up*,

AVACADOS! *they're high in calories and great with nuts, dried cherries and agave to make it a bit sweet*

Bananas

Nut butters! Great soruce of protien and fat.

Better than just nuts because they digest easier. I avoid peanuts though.

Fresh fish if you know how to cook it, it's really good. Also high in healthy fat and neutrients.

Vegtables tear me up right now. I do ok with carrots and spinnach in small amounts.

V8 will help with digesting some of the vegtables.

Grains are out for me with the exeption of a bit of brown rice here and there.

Rice is great and full of calories.

I take a liquid vitamin with amino acids and such. It seems to be helping as well.

I have many concerns about malabsorption. But...

I've been able to keep a healthy weight and muscle tone.

I do keep a pretty strict food journal keeping the amount of calories, protien, fat, carbs and fiber.

I don't think everyone has to do this. But it helps me.

[tarnalberry]

if you're barely eating 1000 calories, it's going to be hard to put on weight. you need to eat more. (I know you know that. )

as has been mentioned, don't necessarily go for the 'quick snacks' - many of those are almost entirely carb based, aren't necessarily going to help you gain weight healthfully, and may screw up your blood sugar metabolism by the time you're done.

some ideas:

add half an avocado to your lunch (you can eat them plain, in slices, if you want)

snack on almonds or walnuts if you get hungry for a snack

add fat and protein to your salads - chicken/cheese/avocado/etc.

[S-J-L]

Hey ya.

I havnt yet been diagnosed, but i had really positively high blood results for celiac and am waiting on my biopsy results. Im soooo skinny too that its scary. 5'8 103pounds. This is the heaviest ive ever weighed too. I get plenty of calories and have a good appetite, but still dont put weight on, probably because my intestine is so wrecked.

The dietician said my diet was good, and i was put on fortisip, a high calorie drink and still put no weight on. That was before i knew i probably have celiac, so that explains alot. I come from a thin family to though which doesnt help. The doctors thought i had Marfans syndrome because my bones are so long and thin lol, and an intern thought something was wrong with my chest xray cos my bones are thin!!