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

Metabolism...

nerdolicious

Recommended Posts

nerdolicious Rookie
nerdolicious
Posted

I was diagnosed nearly 10 months ago and have been strictly gluten free since. I noticed that now my metabolism is absolutely awful! I can eat 1200-1500 calories a day while going to the gym regularly and GAIN weight, which is just ridiculous. And it's not like I am eating junk food, my diet is very balanced and I rarely eat processed foods. I understand that my body was not absorbing nutrients very well before I was diagnosed, so it may still be in "survival mode". How long should I expect this to last? Will my metabolism go back to normal in time? This is getting sooo frustrating, especially with summer right around the corner.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


KuKuKaChoo52 Newbie
KuKuKaChoo52
Posted

Are you getting enough fiber in your diet? Fiber should help keep you "regular". I have organic agave fiber powder that I drink every night before bed and I wake up ready to GO... Maybe give that a shot. I eat like 2000+ calories and hit the gym 3-5 times a week and I have lost weight since going gluten free. Make sure you are not getting any cross contamination or any hidden gluten, because that can make me constipated and bloated and feel like I am fat when really it is mainly just my body reacting bad.

Also you might want to switch up your exercise routine if all else fails. I have been doing metabolic circuit workouts which are really faced paced and burn tons of calories and that might help your metabolism.

Kelly777 Newbie
Kelly777
Posted

I packed on 15 pounds of the 60 I lost so I understand where you are coming from. I think that now you are taking in the nutrients you are also taking in calories. Just because it is gluten free does not mean it is low in calories. Bread for example--Gluten Free is much higher in calories than regular bread so I have really cut back on sandwiches and the like. Also, because I am able to eat a meal without getting sick I found myself eating more because it tastes so good. Now I am able to eat cheese without problems and that is packed in some calories so I have cut back on it. I started chopping up vegetables to snack on rather that grain snacks and chips. Just get a Rubbermaid container and fill it with all sorts of chopped vegetables and dip them in salsa. Get mild if you stomach still won't take to spices. Snack on them. Eat salads for lunch with some chicken or other meat on it and make your own Fat Free dressing using guar gum to bind it and make it appear as if it is the same consistency as oil based dressings. Be careful with guar gum and xanthan gum because both are considered laxatives. Also at night I have a meat patty or chicken and a whole bag of steamed vegetables if I need it. Popcorn makes a filling snack. But you really have to watch it because of the calorie content of the gluten free foods. And you will be better before you know it. Someone told me 6 months and I was so discouraged I thought it wouldn't happen but it did. I'm still having a problem but will have the colonoscopy and endoscopy on the 6th and should know what is up with that then.

nerdolicious Rookie
nerdolicious
Posted
  • Author

KuKuKaChoo52: I am making sure to get enough fiber, but taking a supplement is a good idea. I also know for a fact that I am not getting any cross contamination because I live alone and my kitchen is completely gluten free. I eat mostly whole foods and cook everything myself. Rarely, I will eat out, but only at places I trust. I replaced all my pans and cooking utensils and made sure to thoroughly clean all the cabinets and surfaces in my house when I moved in. I also had to buy a dishwasher, fridge, and oven when I bought my place and they have never had gluten in them. On a different note, I noticed that your picture is the Seahawks logo and that makes you totally awesome! I live close to Seattle and I am a HUGE Seahawks fan as well!

Kelly777: Thanks for your reply! I do not eat many gluten free substitutes at all; I don't even remember the last time I had gluten free bread or pasta. The only things I really eat that are processed are plain rice chex with soy milk or sometimes a gluten free protein bar after I work out. Once every few weeks I will have a gluten free cookie as a treat, but I only buy one at a time. My diet is a really good balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats and I never overeat. That's why I don't understand why I am having so much trouble with my metabolism. Maybe some of us will take longer than 6 months to recover? At 10 months out I am hoping this doesn't last much longer because I am going crazy!

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

Have you had your thyroid checked?

nerdolicious Rookie
nerdolicious
Posted
  • Author

Yep, just had my yearly physical and all my blood tests came back perfectly normal.

Karl Otto Explorer
Karl Otto
Posted

I use to be constipated all the time before, I went on the gluten free diet of mine. Since, that time, I have been going regularly ever since. I have not been in the state of being constipated for over 5 years now. Going regular will help you feel better and is better for you. Mostly it is the bread in the past that you ate the made you constipated before you found out you had Celiac Disease. Remember, the wheat, oats, barley, etc.... is what kept you sick all the time in the first place. After being on the Celiac Diet for the past 5 years, I still cannot eat anything with any kind of spices, yet. I still cannot tolerate nuts or tree nuts at this time. I still cannot eat anything with food processing chemicals and food preservitives, yet either. I too am wondering just how long it takes for your stomach and small intestine to go back to normal functioning. Then, again, it may depend on just how long you had this disease and how long you went without treatment before starting the gluten free diet.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


KuKuKaChoo52 Newbie
KuKuKaChoo52
Posted

Oh dang you are lucky to be fortunate enough to live in your own place and have it completely gluten free! I'm finishing up college so I live with my parents and my kitchen is not gluten free... Sounds like you are on the right track though. I'd say just keep up the good work and things will get better, the fiber does work like a charm for me though. Other then that you'd probably have to post up what you typically eat each day for people to really understand what might be 'missing'.

Oh sweet a Seahawk fan =], you must be equally awesome! I live about 45 mins from Seattle, but have always been obsessed... I'm so stoked for this year(if the stupid jury thing on June 3rd goes well...)keep your fingers crossed.

claireyb Newbie
claireyb
Posted

Nerdolicious, what did thyroid checks did they do? Did they check your free T4 and free T3 levels? Here in the UK doctor's don't often check the thyroid's conversion rate of T4 to T3.

mommida Enthusiast
mommida
Posted

There is at least a 10 % connection of Celiac to auto-immune thyroid disease, Grave's (overactive) and Hashimoto's (early stages flip-flop overactive to underactive until the thyroid is destroyed to underactive needing thyroid medication for the rest of your life.

Hashi's can be harder to diagnose. Can you get a refferal to an Endocronologist?

BIOTIN is naturally occuring in animal LIVER. Do you eat liver? I don't. I take the 5,000 liquid gel caps a day. It helps with metabolism, hair and nail growth.

taysic Rookie
taysic
Posted

I'm with clarieyb on this one. Check your thyroid again. It controls your metabolism. I'm not sure what tests they took but just because you don't show up with a thyroid disease doesn't mean you have thyroid problems - which usually are difficult to detect in external symptoms beyond fatigue, depression, and low metabolism.

Open Original Shared Link

Also note that celiac ends up being an autoimmune disorder as your body begins to attack itself in order to get rid of the gluten protein. It ends up damaging your thyroid a lot and could easily have caused Hashimotos Disease -- and weakened your thyroid.

Open Original Shared Link

  • 9 months later...
beemahoney Newbie
beemahoney
Posted

I was diagnosed nearly 10 months ago and have been strictly gluten free since. I noticed that now my metabolism is absolutely awful! I can eat 1200-1500 calories a day while going to the gym regularly and GAIN weight, which is just ridiculous. And it's not like I am eating junk food, my diet is very balanced and I rarely eat processed foods. I understand that my body was not absorbing nutrients very well before I was diagnosed, so it may still be in "survival mode". How long should I expect this to last? Will my metabolism go back to normal in time? This is getting sooo frustrating, especially with summer right around the corner.

I see that you posted this last May, and am wondering how things have turned out for you. I was diagnosed with Celiac in January of 2011. I eat a 1200-1300 cal strict gluten free diet - many vegetables, very balanced, high fiber, almost never eat gluten free "replacement" foods, exercise regularly, I do have a thyroid disorder, but have been on levothyroxin for 6 years prior to Celiac diagnosis, so this shouldn't factor in. I have gained 16 pounds without changing anything. I am extremely frustrated, and confused, and wondering where my metabolism has gone. I am very careful to eat a "rainbow" because I feel like I am nursing my digestive tract back to healthy absorption ability. I should add that I was not underweight (or overweight!) to begin with. I hope you have found the answer to this dilemma!

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I see that you posted this last May, and am wondering how things have turned out for you. I was diagnosed with Celiac in January of 2011. I eat a 1200-1300 cal strict gluten free diet - many vegetables, very balanced, high fiber, almost never eat gluten free "replacement" foods, exercise regularly, I do have a thyroid disorder, but have been on levothyroxin for 6 years prior to Celiac diagnosis, so this shouldn't factor in. I have gained 16 pounds without changing anything. I am extremely frustrated, and confused, and wondering where my metabolism has gone. I am very careful to eat a "rainbow" because I feel like I am nursing my digestive tract back to healthy absorption ability. I should add that I was not underweight (or overweight!) to begin with. I hope you have found the answer to this dilemma!

Welcome to the forum. Since this thread is kind of old, the OP probably won't see your post as she hasn't been on the forum since June 20. Perhaps others will chime in with what they've experienced.

Macbre Explorer
Macbre
Posted

I can totally relate to this....I've been gluten-free since 12/2010 & have gained 12 lbs. I'm so frustrated because I eat a very balanced diet. We cook @ home and I only have 2-3 gluten-free cookies during the day when I'm craving sweets. I hardly ever have gluten-free bread and watch my carb intake. Had my tyroid checked 2 weeks ago & everything is ok. I workout 6 days/week 1 1/2 hrs. & still I battle the weight. I change up my exercise routine so I know it's not that. Food goes right through me so I'm not constipated, I'm actually wondering why I'm not the skinniest person out there considering how much "D" I have. I'm about to try protein shakes as a meal supplement hoping maybe that will work.

beemahoney Newbie
beemahoney
Posted

I can totally relate to this....I've been gluten-free since 12/2010 & have gained 12 lbs. I'm so frustrated because I eat a very balanced diet. We cook @ home and I only have 2-3 gluten-free cookies during the day when I'm craving sweets. I hardly ever have gluten-free bread and watch my carb intake. Had my tyroid checked 2 weeks ago & everything is ok. I workout 6 days/week 1 1/2 hrs. & still I battle the weight. I change up my exercise routine so I know it's not that. Food goes right through me so I'm not constipated, I'm actually wondering why I'm not the skinniest person out there considering how much "D" I have. I'm about to try protein shakes as a meal supplement hoping maybe that will work.

You can totally relate. Hopefully we will figure this out. I am not settling!

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,665
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Christa Cook
    Newest Member
    Christa Cook
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • Scott Adams
      Medication

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Welcome to the community! Generally, for a gluten challenge before celiac disease blood tests, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered safe and should not interfere with your antibody results. The medications you typically need to avoid are those like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) that can cause intestinal irritation, which could potentially complicate the interpretation of an endoscopy if you were to have one. However, it is absolutely crucial that you confirm this with either your gastroenterologist or your surgeon before your procedure. They know the specifics of your case and can give you the definitive green light, ensuring your surgery is comfortable and your celiac testing remains accurate. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow
    • Xravith
      Taking Probiotics but Still Getting Sick After Gluten – Advice?

      By Xravith · Posted

      Thank you for the advice. I’ve actually never checked for nutritional deficiencies, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always taken vitamin and mineral supplements — otherwise my symptoms get worse. This week I stopped eating gluten to confirm whether my symptoms are really caused by it. Starting next week, I’ll reintroduce gluten — it’s sad to go back to how I was before — but at least I’ll be able to take the necessary tests properly. I think the diagnostic process will be long, but at least I’m happy that I finally decided to address this doubt I’ve had for years.
×
×
  • 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.