Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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 Would Really Like To Gain Some Weight


Mattress Rick

Recommended Posts

Mattress Rick Newbie

Hello everybody,

I am new to Celiac.com and somewhat new to being gluten free. A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with IBS after two years of anything I ate flushed through my system quickly and painfully. Even after the diagnosis I still sufered with little releif from the medication I was prescribed. A couple of months later someone had recommended that I stop eating wheat and see what happens. Two days late, after 2 years of suffering, it was like I never had a problem. Since then I've stuck to a gluten free diet.

The problem I have is that I can't seem to gain any weight. I'm 6'10" and roghtly 160-165lbs (it fluxuates). I was able to gain 15 lbs after the diet change and going to the gym three times a week but I've lost that weight and am back to my origonal weight. Are there any recommendations that someone can offer to gain weight? I'd like to get to roughly 190-200lbs.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



JNBunnie1 Community Regular

Hello everybody,

I am new to Celiac.com and somewhat new to being gluten free. A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with IBS after two years of anything I ate flushed through my system quickly and painfully. Even after the diagnosis I still sufered with little releif from the medication I was prescribed. A couple of months later someone had recommended that I stop eating wheat and see what happens. Two days late, after 2 years of suffering, it was like I never had a problem. Since then I've stuck to a gluten free diet.

The problem I have is that I can't seem to gain any weight. I'm 6'10" and roghtly 160-165lbs (it fluxuates). I was able to gain 15 lbs after the diet change and going to the gym three times a week but I've lost that weight and am back to my origonal weight. Are there any recommendations that someone can offer to gain weight? I'd like to get to roughly 190-200lbs.

Maybe you can tell us a little more? What are your eating habits, preferences, any other illnesses?

Were you this thin before you got sick?

Mattress Rick Newbie

Maybe you can tell us a little more? What are your eating habits, preferences, any other illnesses?

Were you this thin before you got sick?

My eating habbits are lots of healthy foods such as frozen veggies, chicken, some red meats, dairy (cheese), and I have a guilty habbit of eating my fair share of corn chips. I generally eat two meals and three "snacks" a day. Before I got sick, I was thin (so I'm aware that I have a high motabilism *spell check). I don't drink caffeine and rarely drink alcohol (gluten free). As far as other diseases I was diagnosed with Gilberts disease and as it was explained to me that I have a hard time processing fat.

dilettantesteph Collaborator

My son and I have been working on gaining weight by eating lots of whole milk yogurt, like a quart a day each. We have each gained about 7 pounds since September. We eat homemade due to extreme sensitivity to gluten. I have a special whole milk source. I mix it with applesauce, but my son takes it unflavored, unsweetened, just straight. Homemade yogurt can be lower in lactose because of the milk solids or other things sometimes added to store bought yogurt. If you have problems with lactose, you can culture it for a longer time. We also find that we lose weight if we are getting gluten contamination, which is how we got too low to begin with. Good luck!

Sorry, I just read that you have a hard time processing fat. That probably won't work for you then. I guess lots of protein would be the way to go.

Chaff Explorer

I'm also trying to gain weight (5'2", 100 Lbs). My approach is to get lots of carb-heavy liquids into myself. So I'll put maple syrup on my gluten-free waffles and made homemade water kefir sodas with juice. I've heard sugars turn into fat in your system better than fats do, oddly enough. I can't eat much, so liquids is how I try to sneak it all in. Unfortunately, I seem to have a problem with fructose (water kefir is almost all fructose), and I hate commercial sodas, so I'm back to square one. But it might help you.

If you don't mind some of the weight you gain being muscle, you could always start doing some extreme exercising. I only gained weight twice in my life, one of which was when I ran almost every day. I must have gotten eight pounds in muscle over the course of a year or so.

The other time was when I lived in Germany and they forced food into me like a French goose. (!)

My nutritionist recommended I drink something like Ensure three times a day. It has soy in it, so I'm not doing that, but you could also add in a yogurt shake or smoothie or something along those lines several times a day. Like dilettantesteph, I made my own yogurt -- Greek yogurt actually -- for a while, and that was delicious and pretty easy to do in the stove with the lightbulb as a light source.

Anyway, I know how hard it is to gain weight, so I hope you are able to do it. Please come back and post here with your experiences, so other people can learn from your approach.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular

I've gone and read about Gilbert's a bit now, and while I haven't studied it in depth it

appears to have nothing to do with the digestive process of dietary fats. Have you

spent much time reading about it?

On the food front, whole plain yogurt, avocados, EVOO, butter, more meats in general

are a very good strategy for getting the calories and nutrition you need. Try and stick to

dark meat with your poultry, things like that. Generally speaking anything you can get

organic will be better than conventional. I would caution against loading up on anything

sugary, it's a fallacy that that always results in weight gain- I had to give up all processed

sugar and most natural sugars to gain any proper weight. It does work on some people,

but generally not those with a very fast metabolism like yours.

  • 2 weeks later...
DawnMarie213 Newbie

I've been trying to gain weight for ages now. (Only after switching to gluten-free was I able to.) Your other illness may have a bit to do with your struggle in gaining weight.

Things I eat the most are high in healthy fats. Salmon is amazing for you. High in Omega-3 for your brain, heart, and skin and in healthy fats, and protein. Greek yogurt (full fat, not non-fat. Check out Greek Gods yogurt) is also high in protein and fats but generally contains only a small amount of lactose. (I have a problem with lactose and I'm fine with it.) Try avocados, nuts, brown rice for your carbs.

Also, weight training exercises will help you build lean muscle and help you bulk up. Stay away from much cardio as that will burn off those calories you need.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



  • 2 weeks later...
DerpTyler Newbie

wow, all i can recommend is do some heavy exersicing, like a bulking workout, and eat like crazy! Lots of carbs and protein. Someone your height could pack on some serious muscle and strength with a solid workout!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,233
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    JGBJ
    Newest Member
    JGBJ
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      How long have you been strictly gluten free? Certainly, it would be good to look into vitamin and mineral deficiencies and supplementation. The B vitamins, magnesium and D3 are all very important to neurological health. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to reverse gluten-induced neurological damage damage if it has gone on for a long time. 
    • nataliallano
      Thanks Trents I'm strict with my gluten-free diet now. I just don't feel any better. I'm going to get tested for vitamins and minerals to see if I need some supplements. For sure I got some damage that doctors call Menier's and the only way they treat it is with medicine that does damage my body more than it helps.   
    • Zuma888
      Thank you Scott for your helpful response! Based on this, would you say someone who is on a gluten-free diet - but not strict about cross-contamination and occasional cheating - and tests negative for tTg-IgA while having normal total IgA is not likely to have celiac, even if they have been 'gluten-free' for years?
    • Scott Adams
      That’s a really insightful observation about antibody testing and the gluten challenge! You’re absolutely right that antibody levels can remain elevated for months or even years after going gluten-free, especially if there’s ongoing cross-contamination or occasional slip-ups. The immune system doesn’t reset overnight—it can take time for antibodies like tTG-IgA to normalize, which is why many doctors recommend waiting at least 6–12 months of strict gluten-free eating before retesting. For someone who’s been gluten-free for less than two years or hasn’t been meticulous about avoiding cross-contact, there’s absolutely a chance they’d still test positive, since even small amounts of gluten can keep antibodies elevated. This is partly why the gluten challenge (where you eat gluten before testing) exists—it’s designed to provoke a measurable immune response in people who’ve been gluten-free long enough for antibodies to drop. But you raise a great point: the challenge isn’t perfect, and false negatives can happen if the timing or amount of gluten isn’t sufficient to trigger a strong antibody response. This is why diagnosis often combines antibody tests with other tools like genetic testing or endoscopy. Your question highlights just how nuanced celiac testing can be! For people with celiac disease hidden gluten in their diets is the main cause of elevated Tissue Transglutaminase IgA Antibodies (tTG-IgA), but there are other conditions, including cow's milk/casein intolerance, that can also cause this, and here is an article about the other possible causes:      
    • Betsy Crum
      Thank you for your response! I have considered starting a food diary in the past, I suppose this is as good a time as any to start.  
×
×
  • Create New...