I Can't Maintain My Weight

[j.m.zimmerman]

I was diagnosed with celiac diesase 7 years ago when I was 14. I have never had symptoms until a few weeks ago so I never took the diet seriously. I went on a gluten free diet when I was 14 for about 2 months but I went from 108 lbs. to 98 lbs. so I stopped the diet. I had no symptoms so I wasn't concerned about it. The same thing happened about two years ago when a doctor informed me of the long term effects of leaving the disease untreated even though I was symptom free. I tried again but once I dropped below 100 lbs. I again stopped the diet. I am 5' 8" and cannot afford to be that thin. Now that I developed symptoms I no longer have a choice and must live gluten free. I am so scared about losing weight again and was wondering if anyone else has had problems with maintaining weight on the diet and if anyone has suggestions for me. Any ideas are greatly appreciated because I am so scared and I need help. Thanks- Jillian

[missy'smom]

A gluten-free diet varies from person to person just like it does for those who are not gluten-free. We all eat a different variety and balance of things and that may/may not be a factor in your weight problems. I tended to eat very simple, pure foods when I started gluten-free and few products, so the foods I ate tended to be low in calories plus I can't tolerate dairy and don't like fatty meats. I tracked my calories and looked up how many calories were in the foods I was eating and was suprized at how low some of them were. I lived on Rice Chex for breakfast for a while but that is fairly low in calories which is good for some but not for me. That helped me make different choices or add more variety or larger portions to my meals. Now, without many carbs or much dairy(because of other health problems) I am able to keep my weight on by eating alot of healthy fats and things that have high calories like avacados and nuts-macadamia nuts have hundreds of calories in just a few tablespoonfuls! I have seen many on this board give the same advice but didn't really think it could help that much until I tried it myself and it is working. Plenty of protein helps me too.

There are several online resource for tracking/checking calories. Here are a few.

Open Original Shared Link This site's tools can be set for weight gain goals as well as weight loss

Open Original Shared Link

I understand the fear. I have struggled with balancing my weight with diets that are vital to my health. I encourage you to be committed to being gluten-free and finding a way to keep your weight on. You'll have your health and a better quality of life to show for it.

[RiceGuy]

Since untreated Celiac means there's ongoing damage to the small intestine, it can't absorb nutrients effectively. This leads to nutrient deficiencies, and that often (but not always) leads to weight loss.

Therefore, one of the best things you can do besides maintaining a healthy 100% gluten-free diet, is to take nutritional supplements. From the many discussions on this board, it seems there are certain nutrients which are more likely to become deficient. These include (but are not limited to) B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D, iron, and calcium. It seems there really isn't any nutrient which is exempt from this tendency, and many here take a multivitamin as well. Various fatty acids can also be helpful, such as those found in flax and coconut oils.

After you've been gluten-free for a while, your digestive system should be more effective at breaking down and absorbing nutrients, so you should find it easier to maintain a healthy weight. However, eating right is also very important. Try to avoid prepackaged and processed foods. Eat whole, natural foods - fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, meats, etc.

Many do find it helpful to avoid dairy at first, so keep that in mind, and watch for symptoms or lack of improvement.

Welcome to the board!

[chasbari]

Yep, what they all have said. Especially about how difficult it is, initially, to maintain any weight while the gut is healing. Low calorie, high nutritional density foods are great for getting better but not for keeping the weight on. I lost so much body fat in the first few months and it was compounded by the fact that I was now able to actually do things when I should have been resting and healing. I dropped thirty pounds no one thought I had to lose but I knew my body composition was changing radically and I was also replacing fat with lean body mass which made it even more visually pronounced. After 5 months I finally felt like I turned a corner this week on the weight loss. I cannot tolerate potatoes, soy, corn, rice, dairy and even nuts have been problematic. If I stick with my short list of safe foods and snack on fruits during the day I am getting less hungry. I will sit down and snack on fresh spinach while everyone else is eating chips. I actually prefer it that way now because I am finally starting to feel much better. Good luck with finding your solution and post here if you get frustrated. As compassionate as my wife and children have been it has been a Godsend to be able to come here when my level of frustration reached a point where no one in the household could seem to understand.

[hannahp57]

I am 5'8" as well so wen I saw 98 i was like "wow!"

when I was sick before being diagnosed I got down to 105 lbs (maybe less...i stopped weiging myself since it only depressed me)

To gain weight I started eating more but I still felt sick. So here's what my doctor suggested:

eat small things... gluten-free crackers, granola, fruits, veggies...

eat every two to three hours depending on what you've eaten. For the first semester of my junior year it seemed like i always had food with me. it still hurt to eat though so it was a long progress. I recommend (if your system can handle it) lots of peanut butter, and other fatty calorie boosting foods. my mom bought me whole milk (yuck ) ad butter instead of margarines. things like that. there are lots of foods that can help you put on some healthy weight. remember to stay active though or the added weight won't be as pretty as you imagined...

nah im just kidding. just get healthy! best of luck to all who are having these problems.

it worked for me. i am now 5'8" and 123 lbs