Worried About Losing Weight

[DVK]

i NEED SOME RE-ASSURANCE PLEASE. I started my trigger symptoms on Nov 21st and since then I have lost almost 12 pounds. However I have been Gluten Free since Dec 1st. Is it possible that the diet alone is causing the weight loss. It scares the Hell out of me when I was 179 pounds 3 months ago and now I am 162 (in the morning of course heavier at night) Being a Male and 33 people say I lok Great but I am thinking a little to thin. ANY SUGGESTIONS AND WHAT TO EAT TO PUT ON SOME POUNDS?

David

[Guhlia]

How tall are you? 162 is probably not an unhealthy weight for you. If you're really concerned, check with your doctor to find out what HE thinks is the ideal weight for your body type. If you get below that weight, then you can work on bulking up. And yes, going gluten free causes weight loss in some people.

[Sophiekins]

Relax David. You're probably fine. You can google "body mass index calculator" and input your height and weight to find out whether you are healthy (there's a surprisingly large range) and play around with weights to find out how low you can actually go.

Personally, I lost about 30 lbs in the first two months which for me was too much, but after some fluctuations while we solved related problems and I mastered eating without hunger signals, I'm now almost a perfect weight (even a little on the heavy side) and apart from scaring my doctors when I lose a few pounds, I'm fine. (I have to count calories to make sure I eat enough, because I was ill for so long that my body doesn't have a hunger signal that I can recognize, so I don't feel hungry when I don't eat. . .which leads to excessive weight loss).

I suggest, if you are worried, that you calorie count for a couple of weeks to see how much you are actually eating - you may find you are eating less than you think you are. For a reasonably active 33 year old male, you can probably afford to eat up to about 2500 calories a day and if you make sure they are good calories. . .ie balanced fat protein carbs, veggies, etc. . .you should gain weight properly. Don't be surprised, however, if your "happy tummy" calorie count (the point at which you feel pleasantly satisfied but not overfull) turns out to be closer to 1800-2000 calories. . .low caloric intake is not uncommon in celiacs, you just have to be careful to get the necessary nutrients from your lower calorie intake (and you'll live longer. . .grin). If you decide to up your calorie intake, it may be worth getting a referral from your GI to a qualified, experienced nutritionist who can make more specific suggestions and help you manage your new diet.

[Mal]

ive lost 40lbs....bc i still cant hold anything down - i went from 170 to 130....

not to shabby...just sucks the way it happened.

[GlutenWrangler]

I lost 65 pounds 7 months. The gluten-free diet is what stopped the weight loss for me. I haven't been able to gain weight, but it is scary when you can't stop losing weight. I'm a male at 130 pounds, which seems really low, but it is still in the normal BMI range. 162 pounds isn't bad, unless you are very tall or have a very large frame. Don't worry about eating as much as you can to put the weight back on. Just focus on eating healthy, which means fresh, unprocessed foods. Sure, you could gain some weight by eating a tub of ice cream every day, but overall it would be counterproductive to your health. It is important to eat healthy while you are healing. The more healed your intestines are, the better they are at absorbing what you eat. Eventually, you should be able to put weight back on, but for now, focus on healing yourself.

-Brian

[emcmaster]

Open Original Shared Link

Go to the above calculator, enter your info, find calories needed for maintenance and add 500 calories a day to that number. That will have you gaining weight at about a pound a week. Of course, to do that you'll need to count the calories you take in each day, but that isn't hard.

Good luck.

[Guest cassidy]

I lost weight in the beginning also.

If you are very concerned you can add higher calorie foods into your diet, or just eat more calories in general. For the most part, your body is smart and does things that it does for a reason. As long as you aren't in the dangerously underweight level then maybe you will be even healthier at your new weight. I found that I started eating more carbs and the weight loss stopped. I also drink Boost High Protein as a snack everyday and I don't worry so much about the calorie content of most things.

[SZTRD]

As a dietitian, I can tell you that a 10% weight loss in 3 months is medically significant. I would definately tell my doctor and consider seeing a registered dietitian. For weight gain, assuming you are not allergic, munching on a mixture of dried fruit and nuts is one of the best ways. You can also add dried milk powder (or other protein powder) into your milk for your cereal, etc... A protein shake made from full fat yogurt or silken soy tofu, fruit and liquid of your choice (soy milk, milk, fruit juice) is also a good option. Your weight loss could certain by from your change in diet as you suggested, but it could also just as easily be an indicator of a serious medical condition. I would look into it. I hope this helps.

[kbtoyssni]

I also lost a lot of weight. Although you may not be at an unhealthily low weight yet, you probably will have to eat more to stop losing. I started eating some higher calorie snacks like nuts, craisins, cheese and crackers. I also started drinking gatorade to add some calories without making me feel like I'm stuffing myself every meal.

[Marlene]

David,

I definitely hear you on the weight loss situation. I don't own a scale so I am not sure how much weight I have lost but I am thinking it's probably around 35 pounds (I have gone down 3 or 4 sizes). I am female, 5 feet 8 and I don't think I have an ounce of fat on my body. I lost some of the weight last year because I was having gall bladder problems and cut fat out of my diet. Then I went gluten free July 1 and have continued to lose weight. My gall bladder was removed so I still cannot handle any fat. I am concerned about my weight. If I stand in front of a mirror with no clothes on, I can see all my ribs, even through the skin on my back. I have a friend with Celiac and she told me that after she was on the diet for about a year, she began to gain some weight back. She is still slim but she looks great. I think we just need to heal first, after that our bodies will better absorb whatever we do eat and we should gain some weight back.

Best wishes,

Marlene

[Sophiekins]

Marlene,

If you have been genuinely gluten free for six months and you are still losing weight (and you weren't substantially overweight to begin with), you need to see a qualified and experienced nutritionist to help you determine what to change in your diet to maintain your health. You have lost too much weight. (If, that is, you actually look the way your description makes me think you look). Please go to a doctor and get a referral to a nutritionist or dietitian with experience in the celiac diet.

Without a scale, you can work out approximately what you weigh by your dress size - an American 8 is approximately equal to 135 lbs; add or subtract 10 lbs for every size you move up or down (eg, a 6 is about 125lbs, a 10 is about 145 lbs). If you regularly shop "between" sizes split the difference between the two weights (ie you sometimes wear an 8, sometimes a 10, so you are probably around 140 lbs). Once you know approximately how much you weigh, do a BMI calculation to find out if you are approximately okay - if it is on the low side of healthy, you should see a doctor, if only to get an accurate BMI calculated.

[Charlieswpa]

I lost 65 pounds 7 months. The gluten-free diet is what stopped the weight loss for me. I haven't been able to gain weight, but it is scary when you can't stop losing weight. I'm a male at 130 pounds, which seems really low, but it is still in the normal BMI range. 162 pounds isn't bad, unless you are very tall or have a very large frame. Don't worry about eating as much as you can to put the weight back on. Just focus on eating healthy, which means fresh, unprocessed foods. Sure, you could gain some weight by eating a tub of ice cream every day, but overall it would be counterproductive to your health. It is important to eat healthy while you are healing. The more healed your intestines are, the better they are at absorbing what you eat. Eventually, you should be able to put weight back on, but for now, focus on healing yourself.

-Brian

What helped me was eating a lot of chicken and rice soup.

[Marlene]

Sophiekins,

Thank you for the advice. I looked up my BMI and if I weigh 135, I am still at the low end of normal. Whew. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this. If I lose any more weight, I will get medical attention. Could an extremely low fat diet be causing this? I am hoping things will level out (in all areas) once my body heals. Since I am in my forties, I am assuming that healing could take at least another year.

Marlene

[par18]

I hear what all of you are saying. When I was diagnosed back in May 2005 I was about 30-35 pounds underweight. The first thing I did after my positive diagnosis for celiac was to see a RD that same week. Together we spent the hour planning a sample diet for me to gain back the weight. You need to understand that while you are healing you will need to eat more than you need to maintain your weight and after you heal you can gradually gain all back that you need. I was eating 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. ( this was about 3000 calories) I was 6' 1" and weighed 146 pounds when I started. It took almost two months of steady eating to gain between 5 and 10 pounds. After that I relaxed and continued to eat and finally got up to a healthy weight for me (around 180 pounds). I have no problem maintaining this weight as I still eat a lot but also get plenty of exercise. The trick for me in the beginning was to eat something every few hours regardless of whether or not I was hungry. I just got into a routine and stuck to it. I had no other food issues except gluten so I was able to include things like dairy(cheese) and nuts which contain a lot of calories. These made good snacks for me. I tried to not have that much sugar relying on getting it from things like fruit and honey. Peanut butter and honey on gluten free toast was a favorite snack. Plan your meals and snacks in the beginning and get yourself in a routine. Hope this helps.

Tom

[solange]

lost 59 lbs in 5 months after going gluten free. I was sitting on my tail bone and my ribs could easily be counted.. at 104 lbs down from 163lbs. my Md friends were convinced I had some kind of weird cancer, but if I had had lymph nodes, I can assure you I would have found them. there was nowhere to hide... 25 months after the onset, I have put on 18lbs back and I look great. but best of all, I feel good. I still cannot metabolize starches of any kind. I have been eating more meat and fish and non starchy vegies than I knew I could ever eat, along with a rotation diet by taxonomic families. I try to reintroduce foods one at a time. sometimes I thinks I do great but two weeks later it catches up with me and I take it out again, but altogether progress is being made. I read Dr. D'adamo's book, eat right for your blood type and got some hints from it as well. I have acquainted myself with subjects I didn't know existed and my life is going to be better for it in the short and long run. I have learned to distrust every truth and question every truism. At the same time I have taken into consideration some facts that I would previously have discounted on the grounds of unscientific, new agish or plain old fashioned. My awareness of food or myself hasn't just changed, It is revolutionized. For over 40 years I and every body else thought I was weird. Now it is official. I have celiac and so be it. The loss of weight is the outward sign of a much deeper change and I don't mind it so much anymore. After I got used to the fact that my mass was different, I had to face the fact that NOTHING was going to be the same, and I started getting much better after I came to accept it. I think that visualizing all these changes helped greatly. Another round for what doesn't kill you will make you stronger.