Will My Body Ever Realize That I'm Not Starving Anymore?

[gfjayhawk]

I had severe malabsorption issues for many years before diagnosis. Despite having the celiac belly, I was still quite thin. Since I have gone gluten-free (about 10 months ago) I've gained quite a bit of weight. I'm not eating more, but my body seems to be wringing the most out of every single calorie. Has anyone else had this issue, and did your body ever settle down?

[Mother of Jibril]

I have three thoughts...

1. What is your current BMI? Aside from the issue of malabsorption, were you underweight before you stopped eating gluten?

2. What is your diet like? Are you eating lots of fruits and vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats? Avoiding heavily processed foods? Not all gluten-free foods are healthy or good for the waistline.

3. Have you ever had your thyroid checked? Hypothyroidism often clusters with celiac and it can make you gain weight (or make it difficult to lose weight no matter how good your diet is).

Personally, I'm not sure what my "normal" weight is supposed to be. I'm six feet tall, but I stopped growing when I was twelve years old. I was skinny for a long time (with a thick waist), but at my worst point I was around 200 pounds. I was eating a lot of processed foods and dairy products... stressed out from graduate school. Right now I'm 170 and I'm satisfied with that. My BMI is in the midrange of "normal."

[ShayFL]

I agree with having your thyroid checked. I was severely hypo and skinny. Doctors would not dx me because I was thin and had D all of the time. I just didnt fit the textbook picture of hypothyroid. When my labs finally got bad enough and I took a copy of the new TSH ranges, I got dx and properly treated. It was the best thing that had ever happened to me healthwise. I improved greatly.

Ask for:

TSH (3rd generation)

Free T4

Free T3

Both antibodies for thyroid

Ferritin

B12

Vitamin D

While you are at it.....

[gfjayhawk]

Thanks for the replies! I have had my thyroid checked, and everything came back normal. My BMI used to run around 19, while it's currently 24.5. I'm eating a healthy diet, though I could probably eat more vegetables. I'm trying to limit refined carbs and focus more on protein, fruits and vegetables. I can tell that I am a bit more muscular than before, but I'm sure that most of this weight is not muscle.

[ShayFL]

Can you post your labs for thyroid. I was told I was "normal" for 12 years when I was severely hypo. None of my doctors knew and the labs didnt have the NEW TSH ranges. The new ranges are from .3 - 3. I just saw recent labs yesterday from someone whose lab was still using 6 as the upper range for TSH!!

[gfjayhawk]

  ShayFL said:

Can you post your labs for thyroid. I was told I was "normal" for 12 years when I was severely hypo. None of my doctors knew and the labs didnt have the NEW TSH ranges. The new ranges are from .3 - 3. I just saw recent labs yesterday from someone whose lab was still using 6 as the upper range for TSH!!

I don't have the labs right now ... will have to ask the doctor. How likely is it that I suddenly developed thyroid issues at the same time I went gluten-free?