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

Losing Weight After Going gluten-free?

xxkristin

Recommended Posts

xxkristin Apprentice
xxkristin
Posted

I've been gluten free since March and I actually gained weight before being diagnosed, which I find interesting seeing as I've read (and my doctor told me) that most people with celiac lose weight before going gluten-free. Now, I am a university student, so I don't know if my weight gain (which was only a few pounds) was due to gluten or just the weight gain that a lot of students have.

In the past 2-3 months, I've actually lost all the weight I gained before being diagnosed. I have been going to the gym a couple days a week for the past 2-3 months, so it could simply be due to that, but I was wondering if other people gained weight before going gluten free/lost weight after going gluten free? I find it interesting that for me, it seems to be the opposite of what I've heard, where people lose weight before being diagnosed, and then gain weight after recovering.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

I think most mainstream doctors think of celiac as a gastrointestinal problem. They screen, if they're good, for patients with malabsorbtion and excessive D, or if someone mentions that they have a first degree relative with it.

I'm not surprised that you lost weight. You have significantly reduced carb and processed food intake.

As for my own experience, I was spilling out of my size 14's, went on the South Beach Diet, went down to a 10.

Then I got sick, and went to a size 8. Figured it out, dropped to a size 6. 15 months on a gluten-free diet, the size 6 don't hang on me anymore, they fit. I went from 185 to 155 lbs healthy, 140 lbs. unhealthy, 135 gluten-free, 140 now. I'm 6' tall and don't work out, but miss it and hopefully will start again.

xxkristin Apprentice
xxkristin
Posted
  • Author

I think most mainstream doctors think of celiac as a gastrointestinal problem. They screen, if they're good, for patients with malabsorbtion and excessive D, or if someone mentions that they have a first degree relative with it.

I'm not surprised that you lost weight. You have significantly reduced carb and processed food intake.

As for my own experience, I was spilling out of my size 14's, went on the South Beach Diet, went down to a 10.

Then I got sick, and went to a size 8. Figured it out, dropped to a size 6. 15 months on a gluten-free diet, the size 6 don't hang on me anymore, they fit. I went from 185 to 155 lbs healthy, 140 lbs. unhealthy, 135 gluten-free, 140 now. I'm 6' tall and don't work out, but miss it and hopefully will start again.

Good to know I'm not the only one that lost weight after going gluten-free. Although what you said about less carbs/processed food is true. Before going gluten free, i was eating a lot of bread and pasta, and since going gluten free, I rarely eat bread and pasta. That probably explains why I gained weight before and lost weight after. I'll just have to keep it up so I don't put all the weight back on lol.

Jenniferxgfx Contributor
Jenniferxgfx
Posted

I am a person of size who was told people of size can't have celiacs... Multiple times. I've lost 30% of my initial stable-forever weight starting when my intestines got real bad, and I couldn't eat. Now that I'm gluten-free, I'm eating 3x (or more) than I've ever eaten, and still losing a little bit. I'm not trying to lose weight and believe diets are likely to fail, subscribing to health at every size. I have experienced so much discrimination for my size (especially by doctors), that I have a hard time discussing this stuff. I'm now smaller than I was in high school, and I eat much more. Plus I have energy, so I'm a lot more active, but not nearly as active as I was when heavier and more able-bodied. It was the gluten all along.

Thea-Bug Newbie
Thea-Bug
Posted

I lost a ton of weight unintentionally before my diagnosis. I am continuing to lose weight unintentionally now that I'm eating gluten free. With the gluten free weight loss, I notice that I'm not particularly hungry. My theory is that my body is getting more than it's used to getting, nutrient-absorption-wise, so it doesn't need me to eat as much.

Jenniferxgfx Contributor
Jenniferxgfx
Posted

That's lucky, I'm hungry All the time! I didnt eat as much as I should have before gluten-free because I wasn't hungry or I'd get too sick after if I even tried, and no one ever believed a person of my size was capable of eating so little. People get so nasty when it comes to "eating while fat" even though most people of size aren't overeaters! but now I'm eating a big snack every 2 hours plus meals and hungry if I don't. I have more room to eat now that I'm not bloated! Haha.

color-me-confused Explorer
color-me-confused
Posted

I've dropped 25 lbs after going gluten-free. My carb and snack cravings are gone. More than that my appetite is normal, i.e. I can tell when I'm full or really hungry vs. bored/tired/etc. I'm eating a lot less but I'm eating the right amount. I think I had years of minor malabsorption which had left me in a metabolic "starvation mode" like people land in after excessive dieting.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @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...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      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...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      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...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      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.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,335
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    johnfreirefr
    Newest Member
    johnfreirefr
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • 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.
×
×
  • 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.