Weight Gain

[swbailey]

I am newly diagnosed with celiac disease, so to say the least I have quite a few questions. I have seen that prior to going gluten-free some people lose weight while others gain weight, and the same thing happens after going gluten-free. I am curious to hear from those that gained weight prior to going to a gluten-free diet if you lost weight, stayed the same, or gained some more weight. I personally have gained weight prior to my diagnosis, and I am basically hoping that I will lose that additional weight that I have put on.

Thank you for all your input!

Wendy

[mushroom]

Wendy, first of all welcome to the board.

I was one of the gainers, inexorably over the undiagnosed years and never able to figure out why because everyone around me always seemed to eat more than I did. Often I couldn't eat even because I was so gassy.

One of the greatest joys of being gluten free has been the weight loss, not dramatic but faster than I ever put it on. I used to gain 5-10 lbs a year. In the year since going gluten-free I have lost 44 lbs while not altering the amount of food I eat (and certainly not intentionally).

I hope this happens for you too. Good luck

[henny]

I too suffered unexplained weight gain in the years prior to going gluten-free when I was suffering symptoms. The last 2 months before going gluten-free I was so sick every day that I lost about 25lbs. When I went gluten-free my symptoms went away and I expected to gain the weight back.....

But I didn't. In fact, I've continued to lose weight very slowly. I chalk it up to two things:

1) my metabolism is faster now. my body temp is up 2 degrees and I feel warm instead of constantly cold. Also the improvement in my health has allowed me to be much more active.

2) I didn't substitute! I don't eat gluten free bread...it's only a treat and not more than once a week. I don't bake gluten free goodies and I limit my gluten free cereals to not more than 3x per week. Instead I eat raw fruits and veggies. I believe that substituting gluten-free grains leads to weight gain, so I am choosing a different lifestyle to keep the weight off and keep my blood sugar on an even keel.

So, I believe that some weight loss is natural as your thyroid and energy heal to normalcy.

However, you will also probably need to work to lose the weight and not fall into the traps of high-glycemic-index Gluten Free grain products. There's no magic bullet, but I have found that losing weight after healing is easy compared to how it was before going gluten-free. Before I could fast for days and not lose a pound. Low metabolism, inactivity (because I felt like doo-dee), and constpation made it impossible to move that darned bathroom scale. Now it's easy if I try my best.

good luck! It's all worth it!

[henny]

I forgot to mention that in my experience, my hunger is totally different now that I am gluten-free. I used to have a gnawing hunger and carb cravings all the time before, even though I would get sick every time I ate I still wanted to eat!

Now I really have no strong hunger, and definitely no inappropriate hunger. Cravings are almost nonexistent. It's easy to eat small portions now - I get full and my eyes are no longer bigger than my stomach 90% of the time.

[swbailey]

Wendy, first of all welcome to the board.

I was one of the gainers, inexorably over the undiagnosed years and never able to figure out why because everyone around me always seemed to eat more than I did. Often I couldn't eat even because I was so gassy.

One of the greatest joys of being gluten free has been the weight loss, not dramatic but faster than I ever put it on. I used to gain 5-10 lbs a year. In the year since going gluten-free I have lost 44 lbs while not altering the amount of food I eat (and certainly not intentionally).

I hope this happens for you too. Good luck

Thanks guys for the posts! I am already starting to feel a little better, with a little energy so I am thrilled about that! And I am eating better, and now that I am gaining energy then I will be able to exercise again! So I am hoping that I will lose the weight as well. And I really felt cold all the time as well, and I did not know that could be part of this as well. The more I read the more I see other symptoms that tie into celiac disease!

Thanks again!

Wendy

[henny]

I hear ya!

It sounds like your experience is a lot like mine, in which case you should see the pounds melt away as you feel better and better!

so glad you are healing!