Overweight Celiac.

[emmirose2008]

Ok. I need help. I need to loose weight. My doctors have been on my case for 2 years now about loosing weight. I was diagnosed with hashimotos (hypothyroidism) two years ago..and with celiac disease in late May. I have been gluten-free since June. I exercise daily and eat VERY sensibly. I just cannot loose weight! Can anyone help me?

[Heather22]

Hi Emmirose

Theoretically, weight gain shoud not occur as long as your energy in (food) is equal to the energy you expend (exercise, BMR). So, in order to lose weight, you need to create a negative energy balance by slightly eating less, and increasing exercise. Doing this GRADUALLY will be the best bet. Try for a decrease of 500 calories a day, and bump up your cardio.

Then again, not everything works the way it should. In that case, you need to look at more organic problems, such as thyroid. Address this issue, perhaps with your doctor. Is there anything you can take? A goal should be to get everything into harmony within your body. Then, if all goes well, weight loss should occur through diet and exercise.

Best wishes,

Heather

[tarnalberry]

Yep - it comes down to how many calories do you take in, and how many calories do you burn.

If your thyroid issues aren't treated appropriately, then you may not be burning as many calories as most people do in their basic resting state - has your doctor adjusted your medication sufficiently?

If you eat large volume, even in the healthiest of foods, you may end up consuming more calories than you burn - have you tracked how much you're taking in every day? (if not, www.fitday.com is a good place to do this.)

If you are doing low-intensity exercise, or not very much exercise, you may be burning fewer calories than you expect in your daily activities - do you track this calorie expenditure as well?

Even then, it's still slow going... half a pound a week, or two pounds a month, may be all your body feels up to at the moment. But that is still progress!

[nurse diesel]

Yep - it comes down to how many calories do you take in, and how many calories do you burn. 

If your thyroid issues aren't treated appropriately, then you may not be burning as many calories as most people do in their basic resting state - has your doctor adjusted your medication sufficiently?

If you eat  large volume, even in the healthiest of foods, you may end up consuming more calories than you burn - have you tracked how much you're taking in every day?  (if not, www.fitday.com is a good place to do this.)

If you are doing low-intensity exercise, or not very much exercise, you may be burning fewer calories than you expect in your daily activities - do you track this calorie expenditure as well?

Even then, it's still slow going... half a pound a week, or two pounds a month, may be all your body feels up to at the moment.  But that is still progress!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi,

Right there with ya, sister! I've been hypothyroid since high school, but not diagnosed until my mid 20's. After 20+ years on synthroid and several doctors, I can only confirm what you already are learning...there are no easy answers. In all these years I've only had one doctor who would allow my "theraputic" level of TSH venture outside the "normal" levels. Only he acknowledged some people just need more to feel right. Everyone else has cut my dose to fit what THEY think it should be. I'm still battling that one.

I found I gained alot of weight when I ate more of the gluten-free "substitute" foods, ie: gluten-free crackers, cereals, etc. The grains used to make these have a higher glycemic index, thereby wreeking havic with blood sugar levels and metabolism (already a problem with celiac disease and hypothyroid).

Yes, it ultimately comes down to intake/expenditure, we just have a wider chasm to bridge. Keep up the good work, and it will come. If you stop, it never will. We can do it!!

Tammy

[PreOptMegs]

emmirose2008-------

I know what you are going through.... your case sounds a lot like mine. I gain tons of weight with gluten and I had hypothyroidism as well and just going gluten-free didn't cut the weight for me. I am on the Specific Carbohydrate diet and I feel fantastic. I have lost a lot of weight and my stomach is completely flat again, which is something I never thought I would achieve again after the glulten issue. I highly recommend SCD (www.breakingtheviciouscycle.com) because you eat very, very healthy foods. Just going gluten-free did not make me feel 100% again, but on this diet I feel 110% every single day!

When I was just eating gluten-free foods, I was so adamant about losing weight that I stopped eating for the day at 4:00 pm, but it didn't work. Only when I started SCD did I lose weight and I am SO SO SO SO happy gfinnebraska recommended it to me, so I am going to pass the buck and recommend it to you!

[watkinson]

Try cutting down on starches. Things like rice, potatoes, even carrots, peas and corn. Your body uses starches and sugars raising your blood sugar levels and then crashing them down, making you crave more. Such starts the viscious cycle. Boost up your intake of protien and super boost up your green vegies. Greens are hard for the body to digest so it takes longer, making you feel full longer. Also, sometimes when we think we are hungry we are actually dehydrated. Try drinking a big glass of water or a small glass of 1% milk before snacking (unless you are dairy intollerant). Also try eating a regular yogurt everyday (not fat free) It has wonderful digestive enzymes that help us digest our food properly, plus studies have shown that people who eat a small amount of dairy every day lose weight faster and more of it than those who don't.

Good luck, Wendy

[Guest gfinnebraska]

Thanks PreOptMegs... I was going to tell her the same thing!

I was gluten-free for a few years... couldn't lose a lb.!!! Only gained. Then I started the SCD. That did it for me!! I feel great and I have lost 40 lbs. so far to date. THAT, in itself, makes this eating plan a winner!! The added benefit is that I feel better than I have in years!! I am 42 and feel like I did over 10 years ago before all this madness started. For some of us it isn't a matter of eating less and exercising more. We need to change WHAT we are eating so that our bodies can heal and process the foods correctly.

Please e-mail me if you would like to talk about the SCD further. We have a thread going for support as well.

[PreOptMegs]

" For some of us it isn't a matter of eating less and exercising more. We need to change WHAT we are eating so that our bodies can heal and process the foods correctly."

I couldn't have said it better myself!!

[Pegster]

I can relate to this thread so well. I'm at least 30 pounds overweight. People keep commenting that I must be losing weight since I can't eat bread, etc.,, but I'm actually slowly gaining! I also have the thyroid issues and celiac disease. I'm interested in the SC diet and will look into it today.

[Heather22]

Hi Pegster,

I'm in the same boat!

I just started the SCD about 2 weeks ago and I already feel better. I couldn't belieive it, the other morning I woke up, and my stomach was completely flat....a site I have not had in quite a while.

The benefit are well worth the 'strictness' of it all, at least in my case.

[Corrine]

I must be odd because I lost weight and continue to do so. I fact I need to be careful that I don't loose too much. But one thing is I have found many foods that I cannot tolerate. Corn, chocolate, coconut milk, the list goes on. Also when a member of my family finds that they cannot eat something I test to see if that food has an effect on me as well. My daughter Hannah had allergy testing right after she was diagnosed and found a host of allergies relating to the birch/alder tree family. So what was said before that it could be what you shouldn't be eating that can cause problems.

[PreOptMegs]

Corrine- you definately are not the odd one out. My GI specialist insisted that I did not have any problem with gluten at all because I was a gainer. I basically had to self diagnose the gluten intolerance thing myself. SOme doctors aren't up to date on the current celiac trend from skinny emaciated celiacs to overweight ones.

[watkinson]

I was also overweight. At my sickest I was about 40 pounds heavier than I am now. Which was so weird because how could anyone who didn't eat very much, who was always vomitting and had chronic diareah be overweight? When I found out about a food allergy, I started to feel a slight bit better and lost about 15 pounds (eating more and vomitting less, so odd!! ) It wasn't until I found out about celiacs and went gluten-free that I lost more weight, another 25 to 30 pounds. I now weigh about 120 (which, by the way, was my weight before I started to get really sick. Hmmmm ) My doctor never mentioned any of my problems could have anything to do with food. I was tested for years, for everything else imaginable. It never occured to me that maybe he never mentioned celiacs because I had a little weight on me, (I wasn't the typical immaciated celiac.) One of the tests they did repeatedly while I was sick was to test for my thyroid. It was always low but in the normal ranges so they didn't want to do anything. After I was tested for celiacs my thyroid levels were rechecked. Sure enough my levels had gone up quite a bit, even on the high side. So...my whole point in telling this story is to suggest that you have your thyroid levels checked. Maybe even if they are within normal limitls, maybe for YOU, they are too low.

Wendy