Need To Gain Weight Without Dairy And Soy.

[buddhakitty]

Hi all,

Let me say I'm new to this whole forum thing b/c I'm kind of a luddite. I was just dx with celiacs yesterday after sm. bowel biopsy came back positive. I've been truly gluten free (to the best of my knowledge) for about a week. Dizziness and bowel issues still remain but the most troubling thing is the sudden weight loss. I'm 5'3" and approx. 110lbs. I'm eating well (high fat, high protein) but not gaining weight! I'm also on digestive enzymes but nothing seems to help. To complicate matters, I have adverse reactions to dairy and soy so I'm trying to avoid those things as well as the gluten. My doctor hasn't offered any help outside of setting me up with a dietician which I can't get in to see for another month. In addition to the enzymes, I'm also pounding vitamins and L-glutamine like there's no tomorrow to heal the leaky gut. I'm worried that I'm withering away and I hate the way I look and feel (I want my buxom butt and chesticles back!)

Please help!

[Dixiebell]

Welcome!

It is nice to have an answer for so many problems.

You have been gluten free for a week, not a long time. Try to be patient, you will get better. Depending on the level of damage you have, that will somewhat determine the time it will take to heal. It is different for every person. I'm assuming that your weight loss is from not absorbing the nutrients from your food. When you start to heal you will start to absorb those nutrients again. It is good to stay away from dairy and soy in the beginning.

Did your Dr. check your vitamin and mineral levels? If not you should get that done asap to see where you are deficient. You may also want to look into sublingual vitamins.

[missy'smom]

Hang in there and keep up the good work. I'm 5'1" and well under 100 lbs. I lost alot of weight to diabetes but have been able to gain some back with protein and fats alone. No fruits, starchy veg. sugar, grains, dairy, beans soy etc. for me. It took time and consistancy. Your body is still healing. Give it time. Keep it up. You are doing many things right.

[Skylark]

My super-skinny friend who is almost grain-free and having a tough time gaining weight is eating seeds, nuts, nut butters, lots of olive oil on her salads, and she usually gets wine or a glass of whiskey at the pub. (Lots of calories in alcohol.) I offered to give her my 10 spare pounds, but alas, there is no technology to do so!

[jess-gf]

I second nuts and nut butters, healthy oils, avocado would probably be good too. Maybe try cooking with some full-fat coconut milk? yum. Oh I have had this before and it's quite tasty: coconut milk ice cream, no dairy no soy: Open Original Shared Link

[buddhakitty]

Thanks to all for the support and understanding! Between my doctors thinking I'm nuts and the family blaming me for bringing this on myself, I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. I have recently taken to eating coconut oil straight from the jar ( yum! ) And I just discovered Coconut Bliss Ice Cream at Whole Foods today. It's really good! I'm going to add olive oil to my diet and see what happens. Oh, and my biopsy report stated "partial villous atrophy." I'm no dr. But that sounds like it wasn't as bad as it could be? I only had GI symptoms for 5-6 months before my Dx. The thing that worried me the most was the sudden drop in weight and muscle mass. I was in tip top shape before this hit me like a ton of bricks:/

[cassP]

wow- i just cant relate to the "losing too much weight" posts on this forum

all i can share is what keeps me from losing weight- and that's complex carbs & sugars. grains, rice, sugar, etc. all those healthy fats & proteins actually help me lose weight.

altho- i would think that coconut bliss ice cream could help u add weight maybe.

if i were you, i would follow everyone's advice about patience & healing & getting enough vitamins, and i would say add rice to every meal- that's worth another 5-8lbs i would say.

[GFinDC]

...

In addition to the enzymes, I'm also pounding vitamins and L-glutamine like there's no tomorrow to heal the leaky gut. I'm worried that I'm withering away and I hate the way I look and feel (I want my buxom butt and chesticles back!)

Please help!

Do make sure all your vitamins and other meds etc are gluten free. Also any coffees, teas or sodas or other stuff that goes in your mouth should all be gluten free. Soy free is easy if you stick to a whole foods diet and avoid processed foods. Unfortunately many of the gluten-free processed foods have soy in them.

[Skylark]

Thanks to all for the support and understanding! Between my doctors thinking I'm nuts and the family blaming me for bringing this on myself, I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. I have recently taken to eating coconut oil straight from the jar ( yum! ) And I just discovered Coconut Bliss Ice Cream at Whole Foods today. It's really good! I'm going to add olive oil to my diet and see what happens. Oh, and my biopsy report stated "partial villous atrophy." I'm no dr. But that sounds like it wasn't as bad as it could be? I only had GI symptoms for 5-6 months before my Dx. The thing that worried me the most was the sudden drop in weight and muscle mass. I was in tip top shape before this hit me like a ton of bricks:/

Blaming you for bringing celiac on yourself? Ugh. That's terrible!

So you're newly diagnosed with partial atrophy? Give it some time. You're right that partial atrophy is not as bad as it can be. Total atrophy is the worst and studies show that total atrophy takes years to heal. Partial atrophy may still take a few months. Stick to the gluten-free diet strictly and don't worry too much. You're doing all you can right now. The weight will probably come back when your intestine heals and you are able to properly absorb food again.

[missy'smom]

wow- i just cant relate to the "losing too much weight" posts on this forum

all i can share is what keeps me from losing weight- and that's complex carbs & sugars. grains, rice, sugar, etc. all those healthy fats & proteins actually help me lose weight.

altho- i would think that coconut bliss ice cream could help u add weight maybe.

if i were you, i would follow everyone's advice about patience & healing & getting enough vitamins, and i would say add rice to every meal- that's worth another 5-8lbs i would say.

The reason that the carbs, grains etc. help YOU keep your weight on and fats protein etc. help YOU lose weight is insulin. Insulin is the fat building hormone. Eat lots of carbs, grains, sugar etc. and your body puts out lots of insulin to keep your blood sugar in balance. When most people eat more meat and fats, they tend to eat fewer carbs, plus, eating plenty of meat and fat with a meal slows the rate at which they hit the blood stream. Either way, less insulin released.

I have diabetes and my body only has a limited ability to produce insulin so there's a limit to how much weight I can GAIN, with meat, but I can still. Increasing protein is what the doctor I follow recommends to his thin diabetic patients. I most likely won't make it back up to 100 without injected insulin, although you never know. I'm one of only a very few people on this lowcarb diet who set out to gain and not lose. I'm a fish swimming against the stream. I have a somewhat unique situation going on so it took me 2 years to gain back half of what I lost. I really never thought I would make it this far!

[missy'smom]

I offered to give her my 10 spare pounds, but alas, there is no technology to do so!

LOL! I keep telling people I'm accepting donations!

[cassP]

The reason that the carbs, grains etc. help YOU keep your weight on and fats protein etc. help YOU lose weight is insulin. Insulin is the fat building hormone. Eat lots of carbs, grains, sugar etc. and your body puts out lots of insulin to keep your blood sugar in balance. When most people eat more meat and fats, they tend to eat fewer carbs, plus, eating plenty of meat and fat with a meal slows the rate at which they hit the blood stream. Either way, less insulin released.

I have diabetes and my body only has a limited ability to produce insulin so there's a limit to how much weight I can GAIN, with meat, but I can still. Increasing protein is what the doctor I follow recommends to his thin diabetic patients. I most likely won't make it back up to 100 without injected insulin, although you never know. I'm one of only a very few people on this lowcarb diet who set out to gain and not lose. I'm a fish swimming against the stream. I have a somewhat unique situation going on so it took me 2 years to gain back half of what I lost. I really never thought I would make it this far!

i completely agree. i was only sharing what puts the weight on me. i completely agree that everybody is different and requires different diets

[chasbari]

I am completely grain,soy, dairy free and have had a difficult time gaining muscle mass. Trying to get enough calories while working out has been a challenge. I thought I was eating a ton of calories when, in fact, I was way short of my daily intake when I finally counted them accurately. I shoot for 4000 calories daily but found I was only taking in 2800 or so. Pretty hard when I have to limit fruit intake and don't tolerate legumes and potatoes because of my RA as well as celiac. I have also taken to coconut oil straight from the jar. I use it on a muffin recipe we found here that consists of eggs, almond flour and honey. I spread the coconut oil on like icing. No one here seems to understand how good this tastes to me. I have been looking to add some fish oil supplementation as well but the good stuff is so darned expensive. Oh, the first several months of recovery are probably the hardest, especially when you go grain free. I know I was constantly starved, lost body fat scary fast and continually over did things because I actually felt better than I ever had for pretty much my whole life. I know now I wasn't eating near enough even though I seemed to be eating everything in sight. Oh, high fat bacon does seem to calm my appetite down a bit as well. Save the bacon grease to use on other foods. Good luck.

[buddhakitty]

I am completely grain,soy, dairy free and have had a difficult time gaining muscle mass. Trying to get enough calories while working out has been a challenge. I thought I was eating a ton of calories when, in fact, I was way short of my daily intake when I finally counted them accurately. I shoot for 4000 calories daily but found I was only taking in 2800 or so. Pretty hard when I have to limit fruit intake and don't tolerate legumes and potatoes because of my RA as well as celiac. I have also taken to coconut oil straight from the jar. I use it on a muffin recipe we found here that consists of eggs, almond flour and honey. I spread the coconut oil on like icing. No one here seems to understand how good this tastes to me. I have been looking to add some fish oil supplementation as well but the good stuff is so darned expensive. Oh, the first several months of recovery are probably the hardest, especially when you go grain free. I know I was constantly starved, lost body fat scary fast and continually over did things because I actually felt better than I ever had for pretty much my whole life. I know now I wasn't eating near enough even though I seemed to be eating everything in sight. Oh, high fat bacon does seem to calm my appetite down a bit as well. Save the bacon grease to use on other foods. Good luck.

That's something I was wondering about: Whether or not to resume working out. Don't want to burn calories that I'm not even absorbing but I want to build my muscle back up.

Bacon! Now that's something I haven't had in a while. I've been craving it lately too. Maybe I should fry it in coconut oil Thanks for the tip!

[buddhakitty]

Welcome!

It is nice to have an answer for so many problems.

You have been gluten free for a week, not a long time. Try to be patient, you will get better. Depending on the level of damage you have, that will somewhat determine the time it will take to heal. It is different for every person. I'm assuming that your weight loss is from not absorbing the nutrients from your food. When you start to heal you will start to absorb those nutrients again. It is good to stay away from dairy and soy in the beginning.

Did your Dr. check your vitamin and mineral levels? If not you should get that done asap to see where you are deficient. You may also want to look into sublingual vitamins.

I did actually get some vitamin levels checked. Everything was in the low end of the normal range except my vit. d which was DISMAL at 19. A holistically oriented nurse practitioner recommended 10,000 i.u vitamin d3 supplements one a day for a couple of weeks. It helped tremendously with the joint and muscle pain. I now take one every couple of days or so and haven't had any more joint problems. I just began taking sublingual b vits with extra b12. Hopefully that will help with the fatigue and everything else!

[missy'smom]

Bacon! Now that's something I haven't had in a while. I've been craving it lately too.

Bacon. LOL. I actually bought myself a "Powered by Bacon" T-shirt! If you google the instructions for oven baked bacon you can have yourself a nice, convenient stash for snacking on. Just be forewarned it's addictive!