If Your Skinny Child Gained Weight On gluten-free Diet . . .

[Staceyshoe]

how long did it take before the weight gain began? We are strongly suspecting celiac in our oldest (details are in my siggy). He's 6 years old, and lost 3 lbs earlier this year despite a good appetite. This dropped his BMI down to around the 3rd percentile. We just finished a trial on a gluten-free diet (10 weeks), and his bowels completely rebelled when we re-introduced gluten. We are planning to make his diet gluten-free now. I'm hoping it will help with weight gain, so I'm curious how long it might be before we notice a difference. He didn't gain anything during the 10 week gluten-free trial.

[alex11602]

We really started noticing weight gain at the 4 month point with my youngest, she was 15 months old when we started the diet and it has been 7 months now and she has gained quite a bit.

[StephanieL]

We've been gluten-free for over a year and still have yet to see any real weight gain in our son. He was a big baby but he's so so skinny still

[M0Mto3]

My LO started gaining a little bit in the 3 months she was gluten free. But, the GI doc wasn't impressed by her weight gain. For me, I was just glad her weight % had stopped dropping. She dropped from the 50th% at 2 months to the 5th% at 10 months and was the 6th or 7th% at her GI appt at 13 months. So, he put her back on gluten for a gluten challenge and she is down to the 3rd% for weight (the lowest she has ever been).

As for weight gain in 10 weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if it took longer to see true weight gain. It takes a few months to heal the small intestine, so until the small intestine is healed you may not see a huge weight gain.

[Roda]

My youngest at his 5 yr check up was in the 10% for weight. At 6 year check up he was at the 50% for weight. Not sure if all the weight gain was from going gluten free three months prior or not( I do feel that it contributed a lot though) but they were impressed! He has grown leaps and bounds over this past year since he has been gluten free (1 year in Nov.). It has been amazing. I am looking forward to his check up first of the year so I can see the changes in his height and weight. My oldest is 10 1/2, is not celiac, but currently doing a gluten free trial, gained 2lbs. in a little under two months. In that time frame he had only been gluten free just shy a month, so I'm not sure if gluten free would affect his weight that quick. However for him I have seen some other improvements so we are sticking with it for now.

[mushroom]

Don't forget that it is not the going gluten free that makes the weight gain, but the healing from the effects of gluten. Each child will heal depending on the degree of damage that exists, (and how quickly s/he heals). It is only once healing is taking place that the nutrients can be absorbed and the body can use them to grow.

[dilettantesteph]

My skinny son gained weight gluten free. It was evident within a couple of months. The doctor checked it on his growth chart and you could see how he had been going off the line and then he was back on it again.

It's been 4 years now. We have gone through periods where he was getting some cc and started to fall off his line again. Then we figured it out and he'd be back up there again.

My skinny daughter is still skinny, though a little less so. I guess everyone responds differently.

[maximoo]

[size="7"]My 13 yo DD has gained about 5 lbs since June and has grown over 2 inches. Her growth was stunted somewhat. Once the gut can absorb the nutrients growing and weight gain occurs. Some gluten-free foods have more calories than their non gluten-free counterpart such as waffles, bread, bagels, etc. Adding extra snacks & milkshakes helps too.