Any advice on how to gain weight after being gluten free?

[Claire grace]

I have always been very very thin, since childhood My doctors have always commented about my being underweight. Unfortunately I didn't find out I had celiac until my mid 30s when I had pregnancy complications due to malabsorption. I have been gluten free almost 4 years now, and I do feel a lot better, but I am now having an even more difficult time maintaining weight. I eat more than twice what my husband does and we both eat the same meals, but he is average weight and still gains weight periodically, whereas I struggle to stay at 107 lbs at 5 ft'7 in tall.

 

Any advice on how to gain weight ?

 

I'm recently more disturbed about this because now that I'm not in my 20s anymore, the waif look does not Usually come with a positive reaction from people. Some of my friends have been making comments hinting that they thought that I was hiding a cancer diagnosis. Things like "You can talk to me about anything you know", "When my mother was Diagnosed with breast cancer she hid it from her friends and family for years, and it was really hard on us to find out and then have to deal with that on top of it all". 

 

Then my husband told me he overheard 1 of his coworkers saying "did you see xxx's wife?(at his company picnic)what is she on heroin?"😢

 

I'm so frustrated, I feel like I've tried everything and nothing works ....I don't know what to do ..... There are millions of articles talking about how to lose weight but nothing for the reverse unless you happened to be a body builder. (Yes I even tried their protein shakes etc) nothing 😭

 

 

[cyclinglady]

  On 9/4/2020 at 4:05 AM, Claire grace said:

I have always been very very thin, since childhood My doctors have always commented about my being underweight. Unfortunately I didn't find out I had celiac until my mid 30s when I had pregnancy complications due to malabsorption. I have been gluten free almost 4 years now, and I do feel a lot better, but I am now having an even more difficult time maintaining weight. I eat more than twice what my husband does and we both eat the same meals, but he is average weight and still gains weight periodically, whereas I struggle to stay at 107 lbs at 5 ft'7 in tall.

 

Any advice on how to gain weight ?

 

I'm recently more disturbed about this because now that I'm not in my 20s anymore, the waif look does not Usually come with a positive reaction from people. Some of my friends have been making comments hinting that they thought that I was hiding a cancer diagnosis. Things like "You can talk to me about anything you know", "When my mother was Diagnosed with breast cancer she hid it from her friends and family for years, and it was really hard on us to find out and then have to deal with that on top of it all". 

 

Then my husband told me he overheard 1 of his coworkers saying "did you see xxx's wife?(at his company picnic)what is she on heroin?"😢

 

I'm so frustrated, I feel like I've tried everything and nothing works ....I don't know what to do ..... There are millions of articles talking about how to lose weight but nothing for the reverse unless you happened to be a body builder. (Yes I even tried their protein shakes etc) nothing 😭

 

 

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I am confused.  Did you not say in another post that you do not have any chewing teeth and that you are eating baby food pouches?  That could be a reason why you are thin.  

Have you healed from celiac disease?  When did you last get your antibodies tested?  Maybe you need to get another endoscopy.  

[DJFL77I]

try to eat more calories..

or drink high calorie shake

[DJFL77I]

i lost alot of weight too... i was able to gain or maintane when i was still eating gluten foods.. but after going gluten free i lost a lot..

might be that im just not eating enough calories though

[Emily Elaine]

I’m in a similar boat. Currently I’m 115 pounds and I am 5’7”. I’ve been trying to gain weight for months and wondering what is wrong with me because I haven’t gained a pound. Also, I try to eat a lot but a lot of times my appetite is weird and small amounts of food will fill me up for hours. And well...I didn’t limit myself on bread and other carbs because people always say that’s what makes them gain weight. 

So then last week, I went to the doctor because I was having very bad depression and also I was having what felt like a really bad rheumatoid arthritis flare up—very painful stiffness in my back and hips and numbness in hands  and feet. I’ve been going through it off and on since March and the main thing that triggers it is sugar. My body immediately starts stiffening up after eating sugary foods. 
 

So my doctor immediately said, this makes me think celiac, which I thought was weird bc I never thought gluten had anything to do with my pain. So he tested me for celiac, and sure enough I had a whopping 250+ for the antibody test. 
 

Now thinking back, bread has always made me feel tired and I remember instances where my body would almost want to shut down from tiredness and also really bad brain fog. There were a couple times I remember feeling really disoriented. 
 

So now I’m reading that celiac can cause weight loss, poor appetite and malnutrition which is freaking me out but explains why I look waif like thin. My wrists have really been bothering me because they look so thin and fragile. I cringe when I see myself in pictures because I look so thin I don’t look healthy (at least to me, I don’t know what other people think). 
 

I just wanted to let you know, I’m going through it too, really wanting to gain a good 20 lbs to not feel so freakishly thin and fragile. I’m hoping that going off gluten and sugar will bring my appetite back. I’m also going to try to eat a lot of potatoes and high fat foods like avocados. I especially need to focus on eating a lot more protein. Which is hard for me bc it’s not something I “feel” like eating half the time. So I’ve been forcing myself to eat boiled eggs the last few mornings. I’m never that hungry at breakfast time so I really have to make myself. I hope you can get it figured out too. Usually most people want to lose weight, so I keep it to myself that I would love nothing more than to gain weight and put some meat on my bones. I’m glad I’ve found out I have celiac so now I can take a step in the right direction. 

[trents]

It takes time for your gut to heal and when that has happened it wouldn't surprise me if you have a better appetite. In the meantime, focus on educating yourself on how gluten is hidden in the food industry through terminology and cross contamination. Read the labels on every processed food item you buy that is not certified gluten free. Avoid eating out as much as possible. Eat simple, basic foods such as fresh meat, fruits and vegetables. Check meds and supplements for gluten. Every time you get "glutened" your gut healing will experience a setback.

Do your exercise regularly? That helps with appetite as well.

Edited December 5, 2020 by trents

[DJFL77I]

  On 12/5/2020 at 2:16 AM, trents said:

 

Do your exercise regularly? That helps with appetite as well.

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no because then you lose more weight

[trents]

Not necessarily. Not if it gets your appetite going. And it depends on the type of exercise. Resistance/weight training can build muscle mass and add weight and the right kind. Of course, the exercise would need to be age appropriate and we don't know what age group you are in.

[DJFL77I]

The Gluten free diet alone will make you lose lots of body fat

I used to lift weights everyday.. then stopped after I started feeling sick..

 

[trents]

  On 12/13/2020 at 10:33 AM, DJFL77I said:

The Gluten free diet alone will make you lose lots of body fat

I used to lift weights everyday.. then stopped after I started feeling sick..

 

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Not necessarily so. I gained 10 lb. after diagnosis and going gluten-free. There are still lots of carby foods you can eat to replace the carbs from bread and noodles you used to eat. And many celiacs gain weight after going gluten-free because they now absorb nutrients better.

[DJFL77I]

Not me. I lost like 12 lbs. Can't gain much. Although I'm not eating anywhere near a 2000 calorie diet 

[Scott Adams]

Generally speaking increasing carbohydrates, and decreasing fat and protein in your diet should cause you to gain more weight. Sitting on your butt to much like I do also helps 😄.

You can also gain more muscle mass/weight if you go on a high protein diet and exercise more, but honestly, the higher carb route would be a better bet until you at least get back to where you should be.