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Eating Like A Horse!

The Glutenator

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The Glutenator Contributor
The Glutenator
Posted

It seems as though, no matter how much I eat, my body can barely keep up. Has anyone else noticed this with the celiac diagnosis? I am usually hungry, but even if I'm not I''m diligent about snacking between meals, plus my meals are just bigger than those around me. Add to that the fact that gluten-free processed foods tend to be more calorie dense than the regular stuff, and I am thinking "where are all these calories going?". I am fairly balanced during meals with fruits, veg, protein, and dairy but have dessert almost every night (cheese cake, brownies with ice cream...). My snacks are pretty big too! It has been about 3 months gluten free and at this stage I feel like I can barely maintain my weight! Can anyone else relate?

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my.oh.my Newbie
my.oh.my
Posted

Hi there,

Must be difficult to eat a lot knowing that they are full of carbs and can show.What I would suggest is having your Thyroids tested. I know my mom had the same issue and was clueless until she got her thyroids tested.That was the answer!!!

Good Luck!

The Glutenator Contributor
The Glutenator
Posted
  • Author

It can be socially awkward. I try to keep snacks around, but my friends are just getting used to me always munching on something. Since I am pretty tiny, when people see me consistently eating the quantities I do they begin to have questions! Gah.

chasbari Apprentice
chasbari
Posted

I know what you are dealing with. For the first 9 months or so I couldn't get enough calories and could barely keep from dropping any more weight after dropping a frightening fast forty pounds... and I was eating all day long. Huge meals and constant snacking. In the last several months things have finally eased a bit. Coincidentally I upped my vitamin D3 intake substantially and the appetite seemed to settle a bit and I also actually gained a pound over the course of a few weeks. I figure with all the healing that has to happen it is no surprise that I have been this hungry. Now that I am not assaulting my body with poison it wants all the calories it can get to try to make things work better again.

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted

Me too! I've been gluten-free for six months, and I'm ALWAYS hungry. I am training for a half-marathon, so logically I'm going to be hungry, but I'm famished constantly. And it's real hunger, not emotional munching craving. Very frustrating.

The Glutenator Contributor
The Glutenator
Posted
  • Author

Its great to hear that there is hope, then. I mean, I like having dessert every night, but it is less of a treat when it is part of your daily routine! Finger's crossed that my body will start to settle at some point too. I am spending some time in Europe in August, and would like to put on a bit of weight before then. I am tiny right now, and since most people lose weight backpacking (and thats when they enjoy pastries, gelato, beer, and all the other local foods that I am totally depressed to be missing out on!) I need some safety weight, or else I'm worried I'll have no energy.

allisons Newbie
allisons
Posted

I think it's possible there's a number of things happening here - first of all, gluten foods are higher in protein than a lot of their gluten-free substitutes and they're going to make you feel fuller longer. Sugary foods don't make you feel full, no matter how much calories you have because they digest so quickly. Rice NEVER makes me feel full, neither does corn. How often/how much meat do you eat? How much quinoa or other protein rich grains do you get? How about diary and eggs?

Second, you're probably not getting as much fiber as you used to, either. Another thing to make you feel full. Most American diets get a big ole chunk of their fiber from whole wheat - cut out the wheat and it's not easy to replace it with the rice flour based substitutes.

But also, 6 months is really just the very beginning of recovery of your villi - you may not be absorbing everything as well as a healthy person yet but with most of the inflammation going away, you might have an appetite back that was suppressed by discomfort before you began the gluten-free diet. If you still haven't gained any weight in another six months, I'd get worried.

I'll second the bit about getting your thyroid checked - many celiacs are falsely diagnosed with thyroid issues - maybe it could go the other way? I know that one autoimmune disorder increases your risks for a second one, and thyroid is a simple blood test so it shouldn't be hard to do.

Don't be ashamed of eating. But do talk to your doctor about anything you feel is "odd"

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Leper Messiah Apprentice
Leper Messiah
Posted

I'm always starving. I've got weak adrenals too so it's like a constant worry where my next gluten-free meal is coming from. I need to plan my meals better.

Hunger was easing a bit on the gluten-free diet but after a glutening it goes back into overdrive.

Shannonlass Apprentice
Shannonlass
Posted

If you are staying at the same weight I don't see a problem really. Lucky you. My weight just keeps going up and up and up no matter how carefully I eat or how much exercise I take :angry:

The Glutenator Contributor
The Glutenator
Posted
  • Author

I just saw my GI today, and he said that any time now, as my intestines heal, I'll start retaining more nutrients and my weight will go up. He was poking around my abdomen and said, due to muscle depletion, my abdominal walls are weak and my kidneys and other organs aren't very protected. Eek! So more brownies and cheesecake for now! Could be healthy and say protein bars, healthy fats, and proteins, but hey how often in life do you have a excuse for constant treats?!?

Note: No I am worried I will be on here in 2 months saying I can't control my massive weight gain, but one step at a time for now...

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted

I just saw my GI today, and he said that any time now, as my intestines heal, I'll start retaining more nutrients and my weight will go up. He was poking around my abdomen and said, due to muscle depletion, my abdominal walls are weak and my kidneys and other organs aren't very protected. Eek! So more brownies and cheesecake for now! Could be healthy and say protein bars, healthy fats, and proteins, but hey how often in life do you have a excuse for constant treats?!?

Note: No I am worried I will be on here in 2 months saying I can't control my massive weight gain, but one step at a time for now...

If you are able to start some light exercise (or continue, if you already are) you should be fine. I eat like a horse, too, and I think it's because I'm so active...but I also don't gain weight at this point. Which I'll take...

The Glutenator Contributor
The Glutenator
Posted
  • Author

I am active with exercise, so that could be part of it. For now, just going to eat more calorie dense foods and more often. Once I get my weight up a bit, I can go back o eating what I have been (still a lot) and hopefully stay stable. Come on muscle...

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    • 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.
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