Change In Body Shape?

[MDRB]

Ok so I have been strictly gluten free for about a year now and I have never felt better. I was looking at some old photos of myself from before diagnosis and I was actually quite stunned by how much by body shape has changed. I had always been quite thin, I weighed around 50kg but always had a bit of a bloated tummy and if I managed to put on any weight it would all go on my stomach. But now my body shape has totally changed. I currently weigh about 60kg which is about right for my height, I have a flat-ish stomach (much smaller than before gluten-free despite the fact that I have GAINED weight) but my hips and thighs have spread out. So I have gone from an 'apple' shape to a 'pear' shape which seems a little odd. Have any of you experienced something similar?

[ravenwoodglass]

I don't think this is an odd question at all. For myself the answer is a definate yes. I have hips and a butt now for the first time in my life. Before I was diagnosed I had a huge bloated belly but sticks for arms and legs with no fat layer to them at all. I am still very thin by most standards but have gained weight on my lower body and lost the belly.

[OptimisticMom42]

Is this vanity?

Two years ago I was given a nine year old golden lab, Angel. She was fat, sway backed and had no muscle tone. The owner had been feeding her canned wet food that was mostly corn. My dogs eat a grain free food. It's safer for me to handle and better for them. Angel lost the fat and gained muscle tone. She looks a lot younger.

I've only been gluten free for about 5 months and like Angel I'm losing fat and gaining muscle tone. My thighs and calves and leaner and for the first time in several years I can feel muscles instead of just flab on my abs. I'm a JC Penney size 10 instead of a 14. If I give up the chips and marshmellows who knows?

We just look healthier!

[northernsunshine]

I have definitely seen a huge difference. I'm very petite, but always had a very curvy backside and a small waist. With the undiagnosed Celiac wreaking its havoc, I had turned into a tube. Totally gone was my small waist and some of the roundness in my backside. It was depressing as I worked out all the time. The amount of ab work I did was astounding and I saw no results. After 15 months on the diet "cure" I now look like I did before, maybe better. And I have the energy to do things I couldn't do before, such as run. I probably haven't looked this good in 7-8 years. What is funny is all those ab exercises were building muscle, but didn't show due to the bloat. You can't have a nice flat belly if your intestines are swollen. I also put on muscle very easily again as I did before I got sick. Call me vain, but I'm thrilled. I'm enjoying every single minute of my health and my body. I lost it and now have it back. It is not to be taken for granted.

My husband is also thrilled. He got his girl back! Too much information perhaps, but maybe it will help someone else depressed at the loss of their health and shape. Stick to the diet, be patient, and it will come back. Oh, and get those Vit D levels checked. The final piece of the puzzle for me was treating the very typical Vit D deficiency we can get.

(Ha! Ha! I sound like one of those old articles in magazines like "Ladies Home Journal.")

[MDRB]

Thanks for replying!

I'm definitely enjoying the flatter stomach, but I have gained so much weight! I look fine, but the numbers freak me out. I have gained 10kg! Its also very strange shopping for clothes with an entirely new shape. I'm used to having to buy bigger tshirts (to cover the tummy) but could get away with tight jeans because my limbs were always so thin...that's all changed. How much weight did you guys gain after going gluten-free (if any)?

[mysecretcurse]

Hey I thought it was only me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was just looking at pics of myself from a few years ago and wow, huge difference.

I was always stick skinny, and just like you said, if I put on any weight, it went straight to my gut and that's it. Stickly, weak arms and legs, no muscle tone, no butt or boobs, no "meat".

It's amazing how much things have changed. I'm still pretty thin but I'm curvy now. For the first time in my life I feel like I understand what people mean when they said "Women have curves". I started putting weight on my HIPS and this past year (I'm in my second year of a gluten free diet with occasional accidentaL glutenings) my breasts started to grow! I was always sad because my mosquito bite breasts looked about as developed as a 13 year old girl and my tummy always stuck out more than my boobs! Now my boobs while still petite are much more valuptuous (from like AA cup to nice B cup). My entire shape changed, its amazing!