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

Change In Body Shape?

MDRB

Recommended Posts

MDRB Explorer
MDRB
Posted

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?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

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 Apprentice
OptimisticMom42
Posted

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 Newbie
northernsunshine
Posted

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 Explorer
MDRB
Posted
  • Author

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 Contributor
mysecretcurse
Posted

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!

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,335
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    johnfreirefr
    Newest Member
    johnfreirefr
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
×
×
  • 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.