Need To Figure Out How To Lose Weight...

[LauraB0927]

I was diagnosed with celiac three weeks ago via routine blood work before a colonoscopy. Total shocker - I had no GI symptoms whatsoever but had been dealing with iron deficiency for years. I've been gluten-free since the diagnosis and have been sticking to fruits, veggies, grilled chicken, lean meat, with only some gluten substitutes. I've tried several times (prior to my DX I tried to exercise and eat right, and NOTHING happened, I only gained more) I'm 5'3 and 150 pounds which is NOT distributed evenly. I gained the weight in the past 2 years (over 20lbs). I figured this would be a great time to begin to lose weight because I'm getting married next year and want to look fantastic - hey, if I need to change my diet anyway, why not change it for the better? Except - I'm not losing any weight! I maybe lost 2lbs since my diagnosis and it fluctuates daily. I called my doctor and requested a thyroid panel to see if I have hypothyroidism given my lack of success with weight loss currently and in the past. I'm super frustrated and was hoping to see a little bit more by now, maybe I'm expecting too much? Need help! Or tell me if I'm crazy and expecting a miracle too quickly....

P.S. This forum has been wonderful and I'm amazed every day by the strength of the people on here....

[mbrookes]

That sound awfully familiar. Have you heard from the thyroid test? I found out mine was very low, and after adding medication I have lost 12 pounds.

The other thing that made a difference was joining Weight Watchers. You can do it on line, but I need the feeling that I have to go weigh in to keep me on the diet.

WW diet is the easiest to follow, because nothing is forbidden. You just have to make swap out type decisions to stay within your allotted points. I strongly recommend it.

[TeknoLen]

You might consider some weight lifting, if your joints are willing to cooperate. Adding some muscle improves your metabolism so you will burn more calories while at rest.

[MitziG]

For me, the scale didn't budge until I eliminated all casein as well, not just dairy products, but every bit of trace protein. Been losing steadily since then.

I have read that if you are intolerant of a food, your body will store fat to absorb what it views as toxic, thus protecting your vital organs. I do not know if that is fact or not, but it certainly seems to be the case with me. I only went off casein because it seemed to make my acne worse. Otherwise I thought it was not an issue for me. Guess it WAS!

[LauraB0927]

That sound awfully familiar. Have you heard from the thyroid test? I found out mine was very low, and after adding medication I have lost 12 pounds.

The other thing that made a difference was joining Weight Watchers. You can do it on line, but I need the feeling that I have to go weigh in to keep me on the diet.

WW diet is the easiest to follow, because nothing is forbidden. You just have to make swap out type decisions to stay within your allotted points. I strongly recommend it.

Thank you so much for the advice! I am going to the doctor this Thursday and am going to request a full thyroid panel so hopefully I should have results back by next week. I was definitely considering WW - my mom just met her goal weight and lost 40 pounds, so at least I have a knowledgeable person in the house. But its something that I think I'm going to consider - I just hate trying to eat right and healthy and having NO results. We'll see what happens! Thanks again!

[LauraB0927]

For me, the scale didn't budge until I eliminated all casein as well, not just dairy products, but every bit of trace protein. Been losing steadily since then.

I have read that if you are intolerant of a food, your body will store fat to absorb what it views as toxic, thus protecting your vital organs. I do not know if that is fact or not, but it certainly seems to be the case with me. I only went off casein because it seemed to make my acne worse. Otherwise I thought it was not an issue for me. Guess it WAS!

Thanks Mitzi! Going off of dairy and casein was something I've also been considering - I've been trying to avoid the thought in my head because I LOVE my milk and cheeses, but it could be whats holding me back - especially if my thyroid tests come up clear. Two questions - how soon after you eliminated casein did you start to notice a weight loss? And two, how do I find out what foods have casein trace proteins in it (besides milk, cheese, yogurt, etc)? I'm new to this and havent heard of that before. Again, thanks so much for your help - I cant tell you how much I appreciate it.

[LauraB0927]

You might consider some weight lifting, if your joints are willing to cooperate. Adding some muscle improves your metabolism so you will burn more calories while at rest.

Thats actually a great idea - I planned on starting the gym again anyway (after my many failed attempts) to get some weight lifting and cardio in. My joints are pretty cooperative (knock on wood) so hopefully this will help in the process. Thanks so much for the advice!

[MissKristy]

Several years ago (before I knew I had gluten issues) I started following the WW plan with books that a friend had given me. I basicly cut out any processed food aside from a very few like salad dressing which I used for cooking my chicken. My diet was fairly simple, but about the only item I ate that was gluten at all was the WW bread (which always resulted in tight pants and cramping).

I'm not sure if you eat a lot of gluten-free food that are available in stores, but I am finding these things are recently giving me new problems, including stubborn weight.

I am now getting back away from any boxed or processed foods, and am already seeing that my clothes are less tight.

My diet is kind of simple (boring) again, but I will have applesauce in the morning with some gluten-free granola, maybe a side of quinoa (I'll cook some up and eat it alone for a snack). I go and buy bulk nuts and drid cranberries to make my own trail mix. And then lunch and dinner are usually a mix of fruit, chicken breast, salad, quinoa again, or brown rice, and a variety of raw veggies.

My treats are the occasional chai latte from startbucks, or a bit of chocolate.

Just wanted to share my story in case it could help anyone

[Juliebove]

My daughter is having very good luck with the South Beach diet. The first two weeks are fairly low carb with the only real carby thing you can eat being beans. You have to avoid processed foods and things with added sugar. And it is low fat with only good fats. So lean meats, low fat cheese, plain yogurt, milk, (if you can have dairy), non starchy veggies and the beans.

On week three you begin slowly adding in your carbs. You start with one fruit per day and gradually work up to three fruits and three servings of good carbs per day. Beans are not included in this count and you can eat them whenever. Add in things like brown rice and sweet potatoes.

Angela lost I think 7 pounds right away and has been losing a pound or two per week ever since. She went down a whole clothing size in about 2 months. She is looking great!

[dmiers]

Thanks Mitzi! Going off of dairy and casein was something I've also been considering - I've been trying to avoid the thought in my head because I LOVE my milk and cheeses, but it could be whats holding me back - especially if my thyroid tests come up clear. Two questions - how soon after you eliminated casein did you start to notice a weight loss? And two, how do I find out what foods have casein trace proteins in it (besides milk, cheese, yogurt, etc)? I'm new to this and havent heard of that before. Again, thanks so much for your help - I cant tell you how much I appreciate it.

I was diagnosed w/ IBS in 2005 so I went off dairy completely in 05, then in 2008 I was diagnosed with celiac and went completely gluten free, but I am gaining weight, eliminating those items didn't cause me to lose weight, so if you come up with a diet plan that works, please share

[twe0708]

Go to Sparkspeople.com. It's a great site that allows you to track what you eat daily so you can see how much fat, protein, carbs you are eating. It's amazing how quickly things add up. I was eating a handful of pistachios or almonds and an apple with peanut butter for just my morning snack, and I couldn't believe the amount of fat. Anyway, the site is free and it's a good start to see which foods you need to cut out.

Good luck!

[cavernio]

You should probably be off dairy anyways. The IgA in celiacs frequently react to caseins in dairy, not just gluten. (From what I've read it isn't a 100% for certain thing though...still trying to get proper science data on it myself)

Open Original Shared Link First hit I found in google. Its much like going gluten free, really. Lots of things you wouldn't expect to have dairy do, and some things you wouldn't expect to be dairy are.

I really want to lose weight for my wedding too, but it's only 6 months away now, and I'm 200lbs and a wee bit shorter than you. (I'd be sooo happy if I could get to 150lbs!) I was hoping to have more time to lose, (as you can see, was dx'd from bloodwork back in january), but I had to go back on gluten for 3 months again. It was tougher than I thought. I have peripheral neuropathy that goes away when I'm gluten-free, so some days eating gluten even walking 5 minutes and my feet will ache. Walk more and they can get numb. And now apparently BOTH my shoulders have inflammation issues. And of course my energy levels can't be much worse. Do 15min of housework, sit down for 10 minutes to rest type of energy.

I know most people think this is a terrible idea, but I'm going to probably start fasting next week. I fasted for 3 days when I was supposed to be eating gluten (I had lost my gusto, was sick of feeling sick and making myself sicker, and just wanted OFF gluten), but on day 3, I actually had MORE energy than I usually do. (I got some sense talked into me on the forums and went back on double doses of gluten to ensure that my gastro would be positive) Weight loss was obviously one goal, but the other was hopefully to heal my intestines a little quicker than I might while eating; give my digestive system a break and all that. Which would in turn could get me back to feeling healthy maybe that much faster, which would mean more energy which means more excersise, higher metabolism, all that good stuff.

Being new to the gluten-free diet myself, I'm very cautious of diets. For instance, eating low fat is a standard way of lowering calories and losing weight. But most celiacs have problems absorbing fat and can get deficient in whatever fats have to offer. Like if you've got crappy, dry skin, (a sign that you aren't getting enough fat) then avoiding high fat foods is likely a bad idea. Sure, once I feel healthy again and I think my intestines are back to regular, low fat eating is something that would probably help me a lotin losing weight. But right now I'm not doing that.