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

I Need To Gain Weight

Rebecca92

Recommended Posts

Rebecca92 Apprentice
Rebecca92
Posted

I recently went gluten free after being diagnosed and am rapidly losing weight. I used to eat a bunch of junk food before, but I was blessed with a fast metabolism so I was still pretty small 5'3 about 100-105lbs. I really cannot afford to lose weight I can see my ribs more and more. What are some safe foods I can eat that would help me put on some weight? Keep in mind I'm a very picky eater and don't really have a whole lot of time to cook and am at work for up to 10hrs 5 days a week. I'm not big on vegetables but like potatoes,corn,carrots and that's about as far as it goes. I used to eat a lot of fast food, is there any fast food that's safe to eat? I feel like I can't eat anything anymore!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


aedixon Newbie
aedixon
Posted

This is a familiar story! Though, I'm not quiiiite as tiny as your are. I was a junkfood junkie for sure.

I went gluten-free last October and quickly lost a lot of weight. I felt like most carbs were upsetting my system, so I went pretty much carb-free and lost even more weight. I seemed to plateau at -25lbs. And adding carbs back has added a couple of pounds, too. (Booooo.)

Anyway, I was so hungry for so long. Adding a lot of protein really helped me and I was never one to prepare fresh meats at home. So, I've been learning to cook steaks, pork ribs, chicken... Stuff that's fairly easy and not so expensive. Chicken seemed to be the easiest for me to buy, keep on hand in the freezer and cook without much fuss. Also, eggs. I boiled eggs to take to work to eat with my veggies.

Carbs, obviously are good filler, though gluten-free breads are pricey. A few cereals are naturally gluten-free, so that's a good snack/addition to your diet. A couple bowls of cereal at night will add calories. I hate celery, but I started using it as a vehicle for peanut butter which has lots of calories, too!

And as far as fast food, yeah there is some gluten-free. I can't name off many, but when in doubt, go to Google and search for "Wendy's gluten free" or "Pizza Hut gluten free"... whatever. And you'll pull up forum conversations, and sometimes info directly from the restaurant, about what's gluten-free on their menus. I think Chick-Fil-A has a few things. Jason's Deli has a some options... Five Guys is all gluten-free, except for the bun of course. But you won't miss it, I promise. :) Mellow Mushroom has a gluten-free pizza crust. I don't touch McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King... Too tempting and not enough at those kinds of places to make it worth the risk.

I hope this is helpful! I don't comment a lot here, but I felt a kindred spirit! :)

Oh, and Larabars. I buy those at Kroger when they're 10/$10. I keep them at work. They're not all sugary and delicious like a chocolate-dipped granola bar or something, but they're really pretty good. Some of them even have chocolate chips. ;)

Good luck! It'll get easier.

stephharjo Rookie
stephharjo
Posted

I had trouble with my weight due to my symptoms while eating gluten and finally found it to be my problem. To help slow down my weight loss I drank ensure plus which is 350 calories every night when my symptoms were the worst. My latest gastro gave me a sample of Scandishake and I drink that with vanilla almon milk and it gives me 540 calories per 8 oz. I have just recently found out that I'm gluten intolerant and also react to eggs, so I haven't had much time for the shakes to make a huge impact but they give you a lot of calories. These would be great to add in your diet, but not replace real food. They are a bit pricey but for me they are a necessity until I can recoup. I am 5'8" and 108lbs. Up from 102lbs in mid June. good luck to you and best of health!

Rebecca92 Apprentice
Rebecca92
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the advice I'll definitely look into those drinks.

and aedixon I noticed that your from nashville, I am too. Whats a good store around here to buy gluten free food?

domesticactivist Collaborator
domesticactivist
Posted

All those calories you were getting from sugar and hidden fat (the bad, processed kind) need to be replaced with sources from nutrient dense foods!

Go for foods that are naturally gluten free. Eat pasture raised meats with all the fat. You can get 20% fat ground beef and make really good hamburgers, meat loaf, and beef jerky. Meat loaf is great for hiding vegetables in.

Eat eggs if you tolerate them. I don't any more, but my kids and partner love our winter squash souffl

aedixon Newbie
aedixon
Posted

Thanks for the advice I'll definitely look into those drinks.

and aedixon I noticed that your from nashville, I am too. Whats a good store around here to buy gluten free food?

Ha! I didn't even notice you were here in Nashville. Nice to meet you. You've come to the right, girl b/c I'm cheap! ;)

Whole Foods is outrageously pricey and usually more expensive than other places. But, last I checked they were cheapest on Ancient Harvest gluten-free spaghetti noodles and pasta. Seriously, don't buy ANY OTHER brand of gluten-free pasta. You can also get AH at Publix though. I usually go to the one in Maryland Farms.

Publix also carries Udi's gluten-free white and whole grain sandwich breads and the whole Udi's line of muffins. They have a Green Valley (?) brand of frozen omelettes that are gluten-free. And CarbMaster gluten-free crackers I think, too. Sorry I'm not remembering all the brand names right now. I shop by sight now and I know where everything is! The folks at Publix are always super helpful and I'll bet if you asked a stocker or manager-type, somebody there would give you a tour and show you where most of the gluten-free items are shelved.

I haven't had much luck at Trader Joe's. I loved TJ before I went gluten-free. Now, it's just frustrating. Too hard to sort through their labeling system and too few options.

I shop at a one of the, shall we say "less affluent" Kroger stores. But I can get Rudi's gluten-free breads, Kinnikinnik frozen doughnuts (actually good!) and English muffins. Kroger has gluten-free scattered around in the health food section and the pharmacy section, so poke around in there! There are crackers, chips, baking mixes, soups, etc. Both Kroger and Publix have easy gluten-free labeling on their shelves. I used to by "Gluten Free and Fabulous" Sherri's gluten-free Frozen Pizzas at Kroger, but I think they just stopped carrying them. :( Seriously, best gluten-free pizza ever.

Remember, all of these gluten-free items that are "replacements" for regular processed food items get pricey, but they did sustain me at first because I was starving, it took me a long time to shop and they traveled well to work, shopping, or anywhere I needed food quickly. I eventually moved to a more whole-foods based diet, fruits, veggies (even frozen), meat, dairy that's not processed or has preservatives and fillers. I felt so much better then.

Let me know if you'd like links to gluten-free restaurants and bakeries here. Nashville is such a trendy town, we seem to be better stocked with gluten-free local eateries than other towns.

--Amy

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. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Son's legs shaking

      @lizzie42, You're being a good mom, seeking answers for your son. Cheers! Subclinical thiamine deficiency commonly occurs with anemia. An outright Thiamine deficiency can be precipitated by the consumption of a high carbohydrate meal. Symptoms of Thiamine deficiency include feeling shakey or wobbly in the legs, muscle weakness or cramps...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Paulaannefthimiou's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure. You may fall into this...
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      6

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      @SamAlvi, It's common with anemia to have a lower tTg IgA antibodies than DGP IgG ones, but your high DGP IgG scores still point to Celiac disease. Since a gluten challenge would pose further health damage, you may want to ask for a DNA test to see if you have any of the commonly known genes for Celiac disease. Though having the genes for Celiac...
    5. trents
      - trents replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      6

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Currently, there are no tests for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we do have testing for celiac disease. There are two primary test modalities for diagnosing celiac disease. One involves checking for antibodies in the blood. For the person with celiac disease, when gluten is ingested, it produces an autoimmune response in the lining...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,869
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    MaryannHall
    Newest Member
    MaryannHall
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @lizzie42, You're being a good mom, seeking answers for your son.  Cheers! Subclinical thiamine deficiency commonly occurs with anemia.  An outright Thiamine deficiency can be precipitated by the consumption of a high carbohydrate meal.   Symptoms of Thiamine deficiency include feeling shakey or wobbly in the legs, muscle weakness or cramps, as well as aggression and irritability, confusion, mood swings and behavior changes.  Thiamine is essential to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which keep us calm and rational.   @Jsingh, histamine intolerance is also a symptom of Thiamine deficiency.  Thiamine is needed to prevent mast cells from releasing histamine at the slightest provocation as is seen in histamine intolerance.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins and Vitamin C are needed to clear histamine from the body.  Without sufficient thiamine and other B vitamins to clear it, the histamine builds up.  High histamine levels can change behavior, too.  High histamine levels are found in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.  Thiamine deficiency can also cause extreme hunger or conversely anorexia.   High carbohydrate meals can precipitate thiamine deficiency because additional thiamine is required to process carbohydrates for the body to use as fuel.  The more carbohydrates one eats daily, the more one needs additional thiamine above the RDA.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses. Keep in mind that gluten-free processed foods like cookies and such are not required to be fortified and enriched with vitamins and minerals like their gluten containing counterparts are.  Limit processed gluten-free foods.  They are often full of empty calories and unhealthy saturated fats and additives, and are high in histamine or histamine release triggers.  It's time you bought your own vitamins to supplement what is not being absorbed due to malabsorption of Celiac disease.  Benfotiamine is a form of Thiamine that has been shown to improve intestinal health as well as brain function. Do talk to your doctors and dieticians about supplementing with the essential vitamins and minerals while your children are growing up gluten free.  Serve nutritionally dense foods.  Meats and liver are great sources of B vitamins and minerals. Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Scott Adams
      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure. You may fall into this category, and eliminating them is the best way to figure this out. Some people substitute gluten-free quinoa flakes for oats if they want a hot cereal substitute. If you are interested in summaries of scientific publications on the topic of oats and celiac disease, we have an entire category dedicated to it which is here: https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/oats-and-celiac-disease-are-they-gluten-free/   
    • knitty kitty
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @SamAlvi, It's common with anemia to have a lower tTg IgA antibodies than DGP IgG ones, but your high DGP IgG scores still point to Celiac disease.   Since a gluten challenge would pose further health damage, you may want to ask for a DNA test to see if you have any of the commonly known genes for Celiac disease.  Though having the genes for Celiac is not diagnostic in and of itself, taken with the antibody tests, the anemia and your reaction to gluten, it may be a confirmation you have Celiac disease.   Do discuss Gastrointestinal Beriberi with your doctors.  In Celiac disease, Gastrointestinal Beriberi is frequently overlooked by doctors.  The digestive system can be affected by localized Thiamine deficiency which causes symptoms consistent with yours.  Correction of nutritional deficiencies quickly is beneficial.  Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine, helps improve intestinal health.  All eight B vitamins, including Thiamine (Benfotiamine), should be supplemented because they all work together.   The B vitamins are needed in addition to iron to correct anemia.   Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
    • trents
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By trents · Posted

      Currently, there are no tests for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we do have testing for celiac disease. There are two primary test modalities for diagnosing celiac disease. One involves checking for antibodies in the blood. For the person with celiac disease, when gluten is ingested, it produces an autoimmune response in the lining of the small bowel which generates specific kinds of antibodies. Some people are IGA deficient and such that the IGA antibody tests done for celiac disease will have skewed results and cannot be trusted. In that case, there are IGG tests that can be ordered though, they aren't quite as specific for celiac disease as the IGA tests. But the possibility of IGA deficiency is why a "total IGA" test should always be ordered along with the TTG-IGA. The other modality is an endoscopy (scoping of the upper GI track) with a biopsy of the small bowel lining. The aforementioned autoimmune response produces inflammation in the small bowel lining which, over time, damages the structure of the lining. The biopsy is sent to a lab and microscopically analyzed for signs of this damage. If the damage is severe enough, it can often be spotted during the scoping itself. The endoscopy/biopsy is used as confirmation when the antibody results are positive, since there is a small chance that elevated antibody test scores can be caused by things other than celiac disease, particularly when the antibody test numbers are not particularly high. If the antibody test numbers are 10x normal or higher, physicians will sometimes declare an official diagnosis of celiac disease without an endoscopy/biopsy, particularly in the U.K. Some practitioners use stool tests to detect celiac disease but this modality is not widely recognized in the medical community as valid. Both celiac testing modalities outlined above require that you have been consuming generous amounts of gluten for weeks/months ahead of time. Many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even reducing their gluten intake prior to testing. By doing so, they invalidate the testing because antibodies stop being produced, disappear from the blood and the lining of the small bowel begins to heal. So, then they are stuck in no man's land, wondering if they have celiac disease or NCGS. To resume gluten consumption, i.e., to undertake a "gluten challenge" is out of the question because their reaction to gluten is so strong that it would endanger their health. The lining of the small bowel is the place where all of the nutrition in the food we consume is absorbed. This lining is made up of billions of microscopically tiny fingerlike projections that create a tremendous nutrient absorption surface area. The inflammation caused by celiac disease wears down these fingers and greatly reduces the surface area needed for nutrient absorption. Thus, people with celiac disease often develop iron deficiency anemia and a host of other vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is likely that many more people who have issues with gluten suffer from NCGS than from celiac disease. We actually know much more about the mechanism of celiac disease than we do about NCGS but some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease.
×
×
  • 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.