New Here, Need Advice

[Guest hungryman]

Hi all,

I'm sorry if this is repetitious. I had posted a similar question in an earlier thread, but for the life of me couldn't find it. I finally did, and than you to those who provided some options.

This post adds a little more info. Any further suggestions would be appreciated.

Mark

I have been on a gluten free diet for about three years. The change after going on it was remarkable. That said, I have a tough time gaining weight.

This was brought to the forefront recently when I had to resign from a new job because of excessive weight loss. (I went from 162 pounds to 147 pounds in 10 days).

At 5'11", 147 pounds is just too thin.

I also am lactose intolerant and albumin intolerant, which means no dairy or eggs. I am on medication the prevents my eating just any time because it must be taken every eight hours on an empty stomach. No food two hours before or one hour after.

One of the side effects of some of the medications I take is what is sometimes called pre-diabetes or hyperglycemia. As a result, I must watch my intake of sweets and carbohydrates, although this problem really hasn't progressed and I have managed to keep in under control by making sure my meals contain a balance of protein and carbohydrates.

Anemia is also a problem, but, again, I have managed to keep this in check so far.

Malabsorbsion is an issue, both because of the celiac and other health issues.

To make matters more difficult, some of the medications I take cause lipoatrophy and lipodystrophy, which is a loss of body fat on the arms, legs and face, and an accumulation of fat in a hump at the top of the spine and around the internal organs.

Combined with my weight loss, this has made me look like a concentration camp survivor.

Any thoughts or suggestions regarding how I might be able to gain weight would certainly be appreciated. I have searched through cookbooks, other books and resources, and tried to tackle it on my own, without much success.

Any ideas?

Mark

[tarnalberry]

High caloric-density foods. If you can keep some nuts with you to snack on whenever those hours of food avoidance are up, that could help. Also add more calories to your beverages by either having meal replacement drinks with your meals (I believe a few people on the board have used Ensure or Boost), or mixing up more filling beverages. (For instance, full fat soy milk, instead of non-fat, but make a smoothie out of it to go with your breakfast meal - add some fruit and protein powder (rice based, soy based, whatever works) and coconut milk for fat.)

(And since you've been dealing with this so long, you may have already tried all these things; if so, I'm sorry for the repetition.)

[PreOptMegs]

To echo what was said... every opportunity you get to eat needs to be filled with the highest calorie dense foods. nuts, dried fruit, red meat, fried anything....

[Heather22]

Hi Mark

Another point to add: You may want to be cautious about increasing your caloric intake just through fat. Fat supplies the greatest amount of energy (of the macronutrients), however given the side effects of your medication, this may result in greater accumulation of fat deposits. I would stick to more high-calorie-carbohydrates. Try incorporating more rice products, such as rice bread/buns, granola or lentils. It's not too hard to find gluten-free foods that are high in calories. So, when shopping, choose those high cal foods instead of putting them back on the shelf like the rest of us.

Good luck!

Heather : )

[Misa]

Blimey, Mark, you've got a lot of things going on....Because you've got malabsorption probs. I've just gotto recommend supplementing with broad spectrum digestive enzymes. I notice a big difference if I'm taking them or not. They usually contain lipase which breaks down fat, thus preventing it from accumulating in the liver and elsewhere. Also contain protease which breaks down hard to digest protein into the important amino acids (for nervous function and growth).

Also, I found I was deficient in zinc. Since taking large doses, I've noticed a side-effect is weight gain. Zinc stimulates growth hormones (and intestinal healing). I've also read that men are supposed to have lots of zinc in them. Sugar, high copper foods (nuts, raisins, advocado, chocolate, tea) and all grains uses or prevents zinc being absorped. L-glutamine powder which is frequently used by athletes, but which is used for intestinal lining healing amongst some of us with inflammation/damage, also stimulates growth hormone=weight gain. It's recommended for bed-bound people as it prevents muscle wasting.

This is my two cents, Mark. Hope things work out for you.

Take care, Misa

[cmom]

I also am experiencing significant weight gain since going gluten-free. Now, I am unable to exercise as I have an inflamed nerve in my foot and don't know how long it will take to heal. What digestive enzymes do you recommend and should I stop taking the l-glutamine since it causes weight gain? Thanks.

[Misa]

Hiya Robin

I live in Scandinavia, have been ordering my enzymes from a company in the UK. I just recently switched to a US company as I wanted higher amounts per capsule. I chose Houston Nutraceuticals because apparently they are big within the autistic community. The parents often use enzymes as part of therapy. I'm still using up the old batch so haven't tried the new one yet.

It's a bit tricky for me to give such specific advise on whether or not to stop the L-glutamine. Are you taking large amounts each day? Maybe you can do an internet search to read up on it and then go with your gut feeling (sorry, couldn't think of a better word )

Take care, Misa

[tarnalberry]

I also am experiencing significant weight gain since going gluten-free.  Now, I am unable to exercise as I have an inflamed nerve in my foot and don't know how long it will take to heal.  What digestive enzymes do you recommend and should I stop taking the l-glutamine since it causes weight gain?  Thanks.

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What about non-weight bearing exercises? Biking might aggrivate the foot, but swimming or weights might not...