Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Symptom, Weight Gain


kjlieb

Recommended Posts

kjlieb Newbie

Hello. Over the past 4 years I've put on about 20 lbs in spite of eating healthy and exercising regularly (I work in the fitness industry so I move my body constantly). I also experience constant abdominal bloat and fluid retention, fatigue and joint pain, some digestive trouble, borderline anemia and insatiable appetite. I have been tested for thyroid, lymes AND celiac which all came back negative.

I recently tried the Zone diet cutting out grains for the most part and immediately began to see an alleviation of all symptoms - I lost a few pounds and for once felt in control of my appetite.

Of course I fell off the Zone wagon over Thanksgiving and I've felt practically crippled with joint pain and my belly puffed right out again.

I'm convinced I must have a gluten sensitivity at the very least, if not a true celiac. From what I've read, it's a disease that causes malnourishment, so why the weight gain as a symptom? anyone know?

thanks!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



lbd Rookie
Hello. Over the past 4 years I've put on about 20 lbs in spite of eating healthy and exercising regularly (I work in the fitness industry so I move my body constantly). I also experience constant abdominal bloat and fluid retention, fatigue and joint pain, some digestive trouble, borderline anemia and insatiable appetite. I have been tested for thyroid, lymes AND celiac which all came back negative.

I recently tried the Zone diet cutting out grains for the most part and immediately began to see an alleviation of all symptoms - I lost a few pounds and for once felt in control of my appetite.

Of course I fell off the Zone wagon over Thanksgiving and I've felt practically crippled with joint pain and my belly puffed right out again.

I'm convinced I must have a gluten sensitivity at the very least, if not a true celiac. From what I've read, it's a disease that causes malnourishment, so why the weight gain as a symptom? anyone know?

thanks!

Because your body thinks it is malnourished, it will sometimes begin to conserve what few resources it is getting, thus weight gain. That is what happened to me - as soon as I went completely gluten-free, I lost 10 lbs without even trying.

Laurie

kjlieb Newbie
Because your body thinks it is malnourished, it will sometimes begin to conserve what few resources it is getting, thus weight gain. That is what happened to me - as soon as I went completely gluten-free, I lost 10 lbs without even trying.

Laurie

aaahh... that would explain the constant hunger, right? did you have a positive medical test?

can you recommend a good book to shop/cook gluten free? right now I'm eating basics, the only grain being rice.

katie

neesee Apprentice

I got very thin. 78 lbs. My total cholesterol was 96.

neesee

henny Explorer

I was like you....used to be really althletic, then as GI symptoms appeared I had steady weight gain, constant hunger, slow metabolism, bloating

I exercised regularly but it was a struggle due to low energy and stomach pain

went gluten free 2 months ago and everything corrected itself, including my weight.

I'm now 8 lbs from my 'goal weight' without even trying. And with my improved health, exercise is fun again! I'm guessing that I will end up well under my goal weight as time goes on, but that's fine with me as long as I feel strong :)

glad you are starting to feel better!!!!!!

thankful Newbie
Hello. Over the past 4 years I've put on about 20 lbs in spite of eating healthy and exercising regularly (I work in the fitness industry so I move my body constantly). I also experience constant abdominal bloat and fluid retention, fatigue and joint pain, some digestive trouble, borderline anemia and insatiable appetite. I have been tested for thyroid, lymes AND celiac which all came back negative.

I recently tried the Zone diet cutting out grains for the most part and immediately began to see an alleviation of all symptoms - I lost a few pounds and for once felt in control of my appetite.

Of course I fell off the Zone wagon over Thanksgiving and I've felt practically crippled with joint pain and my belly puffed right out again.

I'm convinced I must have a gluten sensitivity at the very least, if not a true celiac. From what I've read, it's a disease that causes malnourishment, so why the weight gain as a symptom? anyone know?

thanks!

thankful Newbie
Hello. Over the past 4 years I've put on about 20 lbs in spite of eating healthy and exercising regularly (I work in the fitness industry so I move my body constantly). I also experience constant abdominal bloat and fluid retention, fatigue and joint pain, some digestive trouble, borderline anemia and insatiable appetite. I have been tested for thyroid, lymes AND celiac which all came back negative.

I recently tried the Zone diet cutting out grains for the most part and immediately began to see an alleviation of all symptoms - I lost a few pounds and for once felt in control of my appetite.

Of course I fell off the Zone wagon over Thanksgiving and I've felt practically crippled with joint pain and my belly puffed right out again.

I'm convinced I must have a gluten sensitivity at the very least, if not a true celiac. From what I've read, it's a disease that causes malnourishment, so why the weight gain as a symptom? anyone know?

thanks!

hi,

I thought I would share with you about insulin resistance....I found out in may that i was insulin resistant from having a fasting glucose test done....I had no idea what that was....anyway, long story short, symptoms were what you described yours to be...I have lost 35 pounds now from eating low carb and feel great!!! Do have a fasting glucose test done by your doctor to check for insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome...I hope this helps..LoL


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



mftnchn Explorer

Since there is a relationship between celiac and diabetes this makes sense.

I also have weight gain as a symptom of celiac. I agree with the malnourishment comment. Another factor is inflammation response. I also lost weight very gradually and steadily on gluten-free diet even though before I could only lose weight on a very strict low carb diet. After I went on the specific carbohydrate diet this summer I lost another 10 pounds very suddenly about the second week. Due to the suddenness, I am pretty sure it was inflammation.

I recently saw a reference that said they now think that many more celiacs gain weight than lose weight before diagnosis. Sorry I can't recall the reference. There was a great article of one of the issues of Scotts celiac magazine which you can order from this site. It was about a very obese person who lost much weight after starting the gluten-free diet. She was telling her friends about it, who were also quite obese. 6 of them went to have testing for celiac and ALL of them were positive. That was an eye-opening article for me.

You might double check the posts on this site on celiac testing to make sure you had all 5 tests.

kjlieb Newbie

thanks to all of you for sharing your personal experiences and insight. I will follow up.

kt

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,678
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Kristina S
    Newest Member
    Kristina S
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      I'd go with a vodka tonic, but that's just me😉
    • Rejoicephd
      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.