Weight Issues

[dmb2151]

I am new to the gluten free world. I received my Celiac diagnosis in December. I have been gluten free since the biopsy, as my doctor said he could see the damaged just from the endoscopy. The biopsy confirmed.

My whole life, I have been very fit. Starting a few years ago (assuming when the Celiac started), I started gaining weight for no reason. I had not made any changes in my life, and the weight just kept creeping up. I wasn't worried at first, because putting on the first ten pounds didn't bother me. I am now 50 lbs over my ideal weight. I had hoped that since going gluten free, it would be easier to lose the weight. I have noticed an increase in energy, and so have been exercising regularly, including cardio and strength training about 4 times a week. Since going gluten free, I have been eating healthier as well. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, lean meats, and stay away from sweets. I do eat some gluten free substitutes, but only about once a week. For example, I'll have gluten free pasta for dinner one night a week.

Since going gluten free, I have gained about 4 more pounds. I am so frustrated with it all. About a year ago, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, however, my levels have been good.

I know that a lot of undiagnosed Celiac are underweight and so gain weight with going gluten free. While others are overweight before diagnosis. Those of you who were overweight, when did you start seeing a weight lose, if any. And how hard did you have to work for it?

I know for me, it's only been 2 months, but I'm curious with others results. I have been trying really hard, and seeing the scale keep going up, is really discouraging.

[krystynycole]

I haven't been able to loose what I gained before I was diagnosed but in great pain. I still have not been able to loose it and am overweight, but I also have pain exercising in cardio. I just bought some weights this week hoping to see if I can do it without pain.

[BarryC]

I am almost two months into it and am just now seeing a bit of progress. Not so much in weight loss but less belly. You also have to exercise a bit, and work on your 'core' muscles. The older you are the longer it takes.

[eatmeat4good]

I was really overweight and miserable.

I'm 5 ft. tall and when I was active and healthy weighed between 115 and 120 until I started getting sick. Then the weight went up to almost 200 pounds. I wasn't able to eat or drink very well. I stayed sick for 7 years with Dr.'s calling it Fibromyalgia...when in fact, I am Celiac. When I figured it out I was thrilled. About the third month of being gluten free I noticed the weight coming off without my working at it. By the 6 month mark the weight loss was dramatic. It seemed like my metabolism finally started working again for no reason. Just the way it seemed that I had gained weight for no reason. We now know that the reason is Gluten. I am one year and 4 months gluten free and my weight is 110. My muscles are strong and good now. I'm growing muscle where I never had any before and it happens even if I don't do any exercise. Somewhere along the line I decided to go Paleo and not eat any grains. That is when my health really started improving and my muscles started working great and my energy level stayed good. I feel fantastic now. Mark's Daily Apple if you are interested.

My general rule of thumb is to consume at least one pound of meat a day and one pound of frozen veggies of some sort and then I can have some Dove Chocolate. Protein seems to build muscle and this is the only time I am without mysterious food reactions.

Apparently I was a really small person under all that Celiac inflammation. Literally everything is better my muscles, my skin, my hair, my nails, my digestion, my weight, and my moods. I have Hashimoto's but it has stabilized and I am not on medication for it. Finding out about Celiac changed my life entirely for the better. Give it some time and hopefully your body will respond and lose weight. If not you might want to try Paleo too. A lot of people feel better on it and it's not just for Celiacs but it happens to be perfect for us. Best of luck.

[dmb2151]

krystynycole - I'm so sorry to hear you are in pain. Luckily, in the past two months of being gluten free, my energy levels have increased and I am able to hit the gym without much pain. Good luck to you!

BarryC - I too am noticing my belly is a little flatter. What I don't get is that the weight is the same. I am only 23, so was hoping this wouldn't be too hard. I do go to the gym, and do a lot of strength exercises, including my core.

eatmeat4good - THANK YOU for your advice. Your story sounds very similar to mine. I'm a bit bigger, 5'4" and before Celiac was a muscular 125 lbs. The weight kept coming on for no reason. I first had my thyroid tested over a year ago, and sure enough, Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I've heard that going gluten free can help hashimoto's as well, but I have never heard of someone being able to be off their meds because of it! I would LOVE to get there some day too. I'm not a big fan of taking prescription meds for the rest of my life. It's only been two months for me, so I am really hoping that I will start seeing a difference soon. I eat healthy and work out but the weight will not budge. So I am assuming that I am still in the healing stages. I've heard about the Paleo diet. I would really like to not have to resort to this, as I am not sure this is something I could do for life. But thank you for the info, I have looked into it and will probably start eliminating more grains if I don't see a difference soon. Thanks again

[egallag]

Hi,

I was diagnosed in early January. Fit and fine before getting sick, by the time I was diagnosed I topped out at 212 lbs.

It has been about 6 weeks since being diagnosed and I weighed in today at 195! My energy level, aches, pains etc have improved so much i feel like a new person. Two things I did that I think have helped me -

1. Joined wight watchers, really the only plan you can do with Celiac. It helps me keep track of what I eat and has helped me rely more on fruits, veges, protein and dairy (have to take Lactaid if I consume dairy). Because the gluten-free substitute foods seem to be such a high point value (WW tracks in points) I eat them in moderation.

2. I have been going to the local YMCA. I committed to a couple of days a week at first and then stepped it up from there, when I can't go to the Y I break out the Wii Fit . It feels good to be moving again.

A little about me, I am 5'4" and 48 years old.

[dreacakes]

I think everyone's bodies react differently depending on how Celiac has effected your system.

I was painfully thin before going gluten free, and now I can't stop gaining weight. I've gone up 4 pant sizes in a year, and my pants are starting to get tight again!

[revenant]

honestly gluten free didn't stop my weight gain because it didn't stop my overeating, just lessened the degree and the types of foods I overate on.

Personally I think weight gain has a lot less to do with gluten and more to do with sugar, emphasis on fructose especially. Fructose is a sugar that can't be used by the brain or muscles so it converts straight to fat when you eat enough of it, sucrose is 50% fructose and things like high fructose corn syrup, honey, and agave syrup contain a higher % of fructose to glucose which make them immediate fat packers. Basically you can assume that anything that tastes sweet contains fructose with the exception of some herbs and specialty concoctions, like stevia or artificial sweeteners. I'm a big believer of eating very low carb for weight loss. If you switch your dietary staple from carbs (aka sugars) to fats, your body will be put in a state of burning fat for energy rather than sugar, this state is called ketosis. Basically ketosis is when your glycogen stores in your liver are depleted and not replaced (this happens through not consuming carbs) and ketones are produced. Ketones repress appetite naturally so there is dramatically reduced hunger (especially false hunger). This also happens during fasting. I'm just starting to experiment with the paleo lifestyle for controlling weight gain and overeating (as well as depression and some other things) but it seems really promising, marksdailyapple.com is a really great site

[Metoo]

This is me!

I am 4 months gluten free, I am still 25-30lbs overweight. I am eating healthy, started running again, only running about 3 miles a week, with an increase plan in a couple of weeks I should be running 5 miles a week. The weight just isn't budging! It went up 4lbs since going gluten free and now is just staying still.

I recently removed lactose from my diet as well, because I started having problems, and now I am struggling with eating too little at work...and STILL the weight hasn't moved! Ugh.

I am very frustrated.

[ChristenDG]

I've never been small, but I'm 5'3" and when I was healthier (about 19 years old) I was about 145 pounds. Over the past four years (I'm now 23) I've gained weight continually, regardless of what I tried. In July I hit my all time high of 275 pounds. In August my weight started dropping and hasn't stopped. I've been very ill since then... Now, I'm only one week gluten-free, so not enough to affect my weight, but I'm 200 pounds. I guess the disease hit a really bad spot...? I'm not sure because my eating hasn't changed until just now.

[Cat Woman]

ChristenDG~I just noticed you started going gluten-free 2 days before me. I tried 2 years ago and gave up because it was too hard (even though I started feeling much better in 3 weeks.) Good luck, I hope you see many good results!

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

I lost all of my weight before going gluten-free. I did the South Beach diet (which is essentially gluten free, but we weren't calling it that). Lost about 20 pounds. I started competitive swimming, and continued to lose weight (put me at about a size 10). But I had horrible migraines. I was eating bread and veggie meats (brief stint as a vegetarian, and toast was convenient as a pre-practice snack). I also had had gastritis since middle school. So I went gluten-free, and my symptoms stopped within a period of weeks. Since then, I've hovered pretty well in the size 8-10 range. For me, it's been sugar...when I eat more sugar, I naturally gain weight. I've been trying to exercise, but unfortunately, I've been having bad lower back and hip pain, which decreases my incentive to exercise. But my goal for this week is to try to stretch out the pain and get back on the treadmill.

[bertie]

Hi

I am new to this website but have been diagnosed with celiac since 1997. I am 5'7" tall, 66 years old and weighing 184. When I was diagnosed I dropped below 120 lbs and it was still going down. As soon as I went on the gluten-free diet I started improving and have now reached this unwanted weight. My question is how do I lose the unwanted pounds? I would like to drop at least 20 pounds. After always being so very thin and ate a lot, it is hard to now turn that around. Anyone have any ideas?