Concerned I Am Not Eating Enough On Gluten-Free Diet

[Cat Eyes]

Back in February I lost 25 lbs. due to an emotionally stressful event. Around the same time, I started a gluten-free diet due to experiencing symptoms of Celiac after eating grain based foods (my mom has Celiac so it runs in our family). The drastic weight loss caused a lot of other problems, the worst of which has been extreme hair loss.

For 3 months now I have been eating better, but I am finding it difficult to eat enough on a gluten free diet. Before going gluten-free my diet consisted mainly of grain products which are high calorie and vitamin fortified, and I never had problems maintaining a healthy weight or issues with hair loss. I have gained about 8 lbs. back by forcing myself to eat, but for the past two months my body has stopped gaining. I am stuck at 125 lbs. at 5'8.5". I am also concerned that I'm not getting the vitamins and minerals I need to help regrow my hair because it is still falling out at an alarming rate.

I really don't know what to do. I have cheated a couple of times and consumed grain products, but I normally feel bad after eating them. I have never been diagnosed Celiac but do experience a lot of the symptoms. I am finding the gluten-free diet very limiting and unappetizing, but I am too terrified to go back to eating grains for fear I'll make my issues worse.

Can anyone recommend some high-cal gluten free foods that I could eat? Also, how do you get additional nutrients when you're no longer eating vitamin fortified grain products?

[Emilushka]

Gluten-free multivitamins are a great way to get the same style of fortification that you used to get from breads. High-calorie things to do would be to fry foods (if you can tolerate the high-fat content) or add butter (if you can tolerate the dairy). Eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, or steamed veggies. Those are naturally gluten-free.

Hamburgers are good between two slices of lettuce, or if you're like me, cut up into strips and made into lettuce wraps. Eggs are gluten-free, and with the yolks, they're reasonably high in calories and very high in protein.

Really, though, it sounds like the first thing you need to do is to get on that gluten-free multivitamin.

[dilettantesteph]

I put your numbers into a BMI calculator: Open Original Shared Link

You come out at the low side of healthy, but healthy. I wouldn't worry. Your body is probably just adjusting to the new diet. My body did the same thing. Some weight gain and some weight loss until I stabilized.

[Jestgar]

cheese, peanut butter, avocados, olive oil on salads

[Katie B]

Here are some tips I've used:

Avocados, bananas, nuts (butters easier to tolerate - almonds healthier than peanuts), lactose-free cheese (not sure if you're lactose-intolerant?), adding safflower oil to things such as a tbsp to zucchini at dinner etc. I've had to stay away from difficult to digest things such as red meat and egg yolks and get most of my calories from protein and fat (can't tolerate a lot of carbs at the moment - mostly eating white rice).

Very healthy grains for celiacs are quinoa and amaranth. If you try to eat more fruit and veggies and dairy products then I don't think you'd be missing out on a lot of nutrients.

Eating 6 smaller meals and getting enough calories at each meal.

Sounds drastic but I calculated how many calories I needed per day in order to gain 1 pound per week (healthy weight gain) and then created a spreadsheet that would just add everything up (also use this as my food journal to detect food intolerances) and the numbers don't lie. I just copy and paste the same layout each day and switch up the foods to see what it equals.

It was all guess work before but I've noticed a clear difference now and feel more in control.

In terms of vitamins - this will also seem drastic (long explanation but I have a damaged colon) but I'm using a product called Vivonex and it's a great supplement that is quickly absorbed by the intestines. 300 cal per serving! Very expensive and tastes like corn starch but it contains all of the vitamins that you would need to survive (if you drank enough). Since it's quickly absorbed you don't get bloating etc. from undigested carbs (due to damaged gut). I have to order it through the pharmacy. I have blood sugar issues and have to drink it slowly over a couple of hours but if you could drink it relatively quickly you'd put on weight no problem.

You may be able to tolerate other drinks like Ensure or Boost if your body can handle the sugars (would avoid sugar-free versions since artificial sugars are difficult to digest)

Hope this helps - I'm had a run in with SIBO and C. Diff. and have had a lot of damage so you may not need such drastic measures!

[cassP]

with your hair falling out- and a family member with celiac- you should get your thyroid hormones checked out by your doc! thyroid issues are common with gluten intolerance- and can cause your hair to fall out.

i too will lose a lot of weight if i'm not eating any complex carbs.... but adding rice or rice pasta to my daily diet quickly keeps 5-10lbs on me. i hope you can experiment- there really is a ton of food out there while still being gluten free & grain free

[HappyGrandma]

with your hair falling out- and a family member with celiac- you should get your thyroid hormones checked out by your doc! thyroid issues are common with gluten intolerance- and can cause your hair to fall out.

i too will lose a lot of weight if i'm not eating any complex carbs.... but adding rice or rice pasta to my daily diet quickly keeps 5-10lbs on me. i hope you can experiment- there really is a ton of food out there while still being gluten free & grain free

The first couple of weeks I went to bed hungry cause I didn't know what to eat?? Now it is easier to know. I find gluten-free foods in store very pricey taste awful and full of carbs.

[lucia]

What about meat? -packed with protein and fat. I'd recommend making and ingesting a broth made of chicken or beef, as well as eating good portions of meat with meals. Otherwise, people have made really good suggestions for upping your calorie intake.

When I started on the gluten-free diet, I also felt hungry all the time. I think it was actually a sign of health - finally my digestive system was stable enough to process food. It took my body awhile to adjust, but gradually I started to feel full again and to be satisfied with normal meals.

[Cat Eyes]

with your hair falling out- and a family member with celiac- you should get your thyroid hormones checked out by your doc! thyroid issues are common with gluten intolerance- and can cause your hair to fall out.

i too will lose a lot of weight if i'm not eating any complex carbs.... but adding rice or rice pasta to my daily diet quickly keeps 5-10lbs on me. i hope you can experiment- there really is a ton of food out there while still being gluten free & grain free

Hi Cass,

My doc tested for everything including my thyroid and everything came back normal. As I mentioned, my hair loss didn't start until after I lost 25 lbs. really quickly and was underweight. I had not previously had problems with hair loss, and all my doctors are pretty much in agreement that eating right and getting my weight up will eventually cause the hair to grow back (it's the same kind of hair loss that anorexics experience after starving themselves for a period of time). I was underweight and not eating right for about six months hence the hair issues.

I am definitely going to start eating more rice! I hadn't even thought of that, and I'm sure it's packed with carbs and will help me put on weight. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Cat Eyes]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess I haven't been doing as bad as I thought. I have been eating a lot of fish, avocados, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, red meat, milk products, soy products, etc. I add flaxseed oil onto everything I can for extra cals. I also supplement with Ensure shakes and gluten-free protein shakes. I usually intake anywhere from 1,600 to 2,200 calories a day, but I'm still not gaining weight. I'm going to continue tracking my calories and try to up them by another 500 a day or so and see if I start gaining again. Thanks again, everyone!

[Tonggie]

Back in February I lost 25 lbs. due to an emotionally stressful event. Around the same time, I started a gluten-free diet due to experiencing symptoms of Celiac after eating grain based foods (my mom has Celiac so it runs in our family). The drastic weight loss caused a lot of other problems, the worst of which has been extreme hair loss.

For 3 months now I have been eating better, but I am finding it difficult to eat enough on a gluten free diet. Before going gluten-free my diet consisted mainly of grain products which are high calorie and vitamin fortified, and I never had problems maintaining a healthy weight or issues with hair loss. I have gained about 8 lbs. back by forcing myself to eat, but for the past two months my body has stopped gaining. I am stuck at 125 lbs. at 5'8.5". I am also concerned that I'm not getting the vitamins and minerals I need to help regrow my hair because it is still falling out at an alarming rate.

I really don't know what to do. I have cheated a couple of times and consumed grain products, but I normally feel bad after eating them. I have never been diagnosed Celiac but do experience a lot of the symptoms. I am finding the gluten-free diet very limiting and unappetizing, but I am too terrified to go back to eating grains for fear I'll make my issues worse.

Can anyone recommend some high-cal gluten free foods that I could eat? Also, how do you get additional nutrients when you're no longer eating vitamin fortified grain products?

I have gone Gluten Free because it reduced my pain with fibro. I have found all kinds of good gluten-free food lasagna made by Ceasers some cheese some vegetable lasagna. I still eat pizza Gluten Free I buy the crusts and make them up the way I like with 3 or 4 different cheeses. I eat lots fruits and vegetables now, which I didn't do before. I take lots of vitamins especially vitamin C&D. I have noticed some hair loss with this diet. I am going to get some vitamins for my hair. I am learning to live without bread& crackers which is very difficult, although easier then dealing with pain. They have all kinds of gluten free foods in the grocery stores now.

Chex puts out a nice cinnamon cereal. I will snack on that in place of my crackers. I have had to retrain my brain. I was always a picky eater. It is just a matter of getting use to it. Bisquick puts out a gluten-free mix for pancakes &etc.. I buy gluten-free waffles. The Italian style gluten-free bread I think is the best one. The bread needs some perfecting LOL! I found gluten-free brownie mixes. I never lost any weight going gluten-free.

[i-geek]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess I haven't been doing as bad as I thought. I have been eating a lot of fish, avocados, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, red meat, milk products, soy products, etc. I add flaxseed oil onto everything I can for extra cals. I also supplement with Ensure shakes and gluten-free protein shakes. I usually intake anywhere from 1,600 to 2,200 calories a day, but I'm still not gaining weight. I'm going to continue tracking my calories and try to up them by another 500 a day or so and see if I start gaining again. Thanks again, everyone!

Up your calories. I'm 5'0", 107 lbs, and I need something like 1800 calories just to maintain my weight with a moderately active lifestyle. We eat rice, beans and quinoa frequently around here, and once in a while something like millet. All good, healthy whole plant-based foods that are filling (along with everything else on your list).

Also, your gut may be still healing. I had nutrient-related cravings for months after going gluten-free (I went through a phase last spring where I was physically craving avocados daily; before that it was red meat, greens and potatoes for iron), and those lasted until my gut was fully healed and absorbing all the nutrients from my foods. I highly, highly recommend good vitamin supplements. Right now I'm using Rainbow Light's daily women's multi as well as the food-based calcium/magnesium supplement as well as an extra vitamin D supplement. I assume I must be doing okay since I don't usually crave foods anymore.

I also wonder if maybe the dairy and soy are impeding gut healing. I couldn't eat any dairy for several weeks post-gluten-free (not even butter) and it was a full 5 months before I could eat a small dish of ice cream with a lactase supplement. A lot of celiacs have trouble with soy as well.