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

Celiac Disease Body Type?


r0ckah0l1c

Recommended Posts

r0ckah0l1c Apprentice

I have heard many times that there is a body type for people who a are gluten intolerant, but I have only seen images of males used. Do women experience it too? What is the distinct body type? I have always thought that it was the lack of butt mixed with the bloated gut because I have seen it mentioned but I want to know what causes it? What can be done to fix it if it truly is gluten related? Thank you.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



JeriWB Newbie

I am new to this, but I understand those of western European descent are more subject to this than those of different heritage. If this information is correct, that means a wide variety of body types could potentially be affected, of course. I would think this also depends on how long someone is sick before he or she gets nutrition to actually stay in the body and build it up. I started out thin and then became thinner before I went gluten-free. Now I am back up (or close to it) where I started.

r0ckah0l1c Apprentice

Hm...I have found the opposite to be true, I have lost about 10 lbs in the 5 months that I have been gluten free and have had no development of feet or tush padding. I have seen women who reported the bloaty bell goes away, but I have not found that to be true even though I never eat gluten no matter how badly I want to unless I am unaware of it being present.

Generic Apprentice

I was rail thin (anorexic looking). I didn't have the wasted buttocks syndrome or the bloated belly thing. I was sick for 13 years before diagnosis.

r0ckah0l1c Apprentice

Has anybody else here had a problem with muscle development? It took me over 3 years of weight training to get the slightest bit of definition in my arms and I was going to the gym 4 days a week for an hour and a half. My arms are still rail thin, regardless of my weight

msmini14 Enthusiast

Are you eating enough protien? How many calories do you consume a day? If you are working out 4x a week you need to eat in order to build muscle.

When I was sick I lost a bunch of weight. I am 5' 7 and dropped to 114lbs before I was diagnosed. I am back to my normal weight now plus some lol. I get the bloated belly too, I dont know what causes it but I cant stand it.

kdonov2 Contributor

i have been very underweight my entire life. i have a BMI of 15 but I'm short so i don't look quite so emaciated. i do however, get a ridiculous bloated belly after eating certain foods, sometimes even from non-glutenous foods. usually by the morning the swelling has gone down and my stomach is flat again. i also have never been able to build up much muscle. i notice a difference in terms of strength, but visible definition is unnoticeable.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Jestgar Rising Star

well, I'm built like a football player, so I don't fit into any of your types.

lovegrov Collaborator

Body type/blood type is useless BS.

richard

Leiana Rookie
Has anybody else here had a problem with muscle development? It took me over 3 years of weight training to get the slightest bit of definition in my arms and I was going to the gym 4 days a week for an hour and a half. My arms are still rail thin, regardless of my weight

yeah muscles are gone and rail thin too. need to gain about 50 lbs. do you mean that we will always look like this.....a skelaton, never to put back on muscle mass????? i hope this is not true. there has to be something out there to help with this. :unsure::angry:

LadyBugLuv Rookie

growing up I could eat for a family of 5 and you could still see my ribs... haha.

those days are gone. it caught up w/ me.

but most of my weight is in my gut, and I do have the bloated belly (though it goes away with gluten free... so great to have my pants/skirts fit again! :)... )

and I've always complained because I have no fanny. it's wide and flat...most women complain their's is too big... I wish mine had a little more padding. haha.

angieInCA Apprentice
Body type/blood type is useless BS.

richard

I agree.

I was always very "healthy" looking even as a child. Meaning I always had about 5 lbs extra weight. I could eat anything I wanted and never gained past my "normal" weight. The only "Celiac Look" I had was a pouchy tummy. No mater what I did it never went away. But I had all the curves to hide it, big breasts, rounded hips and butt and great leg and arm definition. It wasn't until my 40 that I started to gain unhealthy weight. IT crept up slowly and then stayed put. 50 lbs later I was not a poster child for celiac disease so it really made it harder for me to get a DR. to take me seriously. I had 2 GI's take one look at me and say "You can't have celiac disease, you aren't skinny" :rolleyes:

BTW, I was one of those people that didn't know that constant "D" wasn't normal for most people. :lol:

Ms. Skinny Chic Explorer
I am new to this, but I understand those of western European descent are more subject to this than those of different heritage. If this information is correct, that means a wide variety of body types could potentially be affected, of course. I would think this also depends on how long someone is sick before he or she gets nutrition to actually stay in the body and build it up. I started out thin and then became thinner before I went gluten-free. Now I am back up (or close to it) where I started.

You and I are about the same in thinness issues

I think it is bad for people who go undiagnosed for 10 years are more.

Your body really is nutrionallly starved and damaged from the shaved down villi in your intestines...

I am very thin, but I am trying my best to eat healthy and deal with the pain.

I went undiagnosed for a lifetime it seems.. I am in my 30's now.

My family always assumed it was only a allergy.

The more I ate carbohydrates to increase my weight, the more my intestines became damaged.

Ms. Skinny Chic Explorer
I have heard many times that there is a body type for people who a are gluten intolerant, but I have only seen images of males used. Do women experience it too? What is the distinct body type? I have always thought that it was the lack of butt mixed with the bloated gut because I have seen it mentioned but I want to know what causes it? What can be done to fix it if it truly is gluten related? Thank you.

There is a classic celiac body type

http://www.pigur.co.il/imgceliac/celiac.webp ( they tend to be extemely thin...skinny arms and legs and a bloated belly)

People can be extremely thin and extremly healthy..

They have something in common... everyone is really sick.

Jestgar Rising Star
There is a classic celiac body type

http://www.pigur.co.il/imgceliac/celiac.webp ( they tend to be extemely thin...skinny arms and legs and a bloated belly)

People can be extremely thin and extremly healthy..

They have something in common... everyone is really sick.

I think that's more of the classic malnutrition body type. Looks a lot like pics of starving children in poorer countries.

Ms. Skinny Chic Explorer
I think that's more of the classic malnutrition body type. Looks a lot like pics of starving children in poorer countries.

It is the celiac body type.

That is a illustration from a celiac site..

You develop malnutrition, when your intestines are damaged and cannot absorb any nutrients.

I develpoped malnutrition from celiac disease.

I was eating 5 meals a day pre- diagnosis...., I developed nutritional defiences, anemia..( my body didn't absorb vitamins and minerals either. I was admitted to the emergency room many times..

My body suffered from low potassium, pernicous anemia ( b12), iron anemia and so much more...

I never looked like the illustration completely either.

I don't look the same either, as I looked before now...

I think it will improve with time....

Every celiac sufferer has different circumstances & degrees of damage to their intestines. The bodies look different.

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,551
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Newest Member

    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
      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • 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.