Gained 15 Pounds 2 Months

[whitelacegal]

I have Celiac and also found out Diabetes 2, the Doc put me on the med Actos for the Diabetes but it is making me gain weight really fast and im getting up in the middle of the night to eat, anyone else have this problem??

[cmom]

I am not diabetic but I am getting extremely frustrated with the weight gain. I have been gluten-free for several years but have been consistently gaining the past 7-8 months. According to my scale, I gained 10 pounds in 10 days! Is that possible? I would think I'd have to eat 24/7 to gain that much in that short period. I can barely fasten my jeans, my stomach is so bloated. My 18 year old son asked if I was pregnant. I exercise several times a week. I have not gone through menopause so it can't be related to that. I am about to SCREAM!

[mopsie]

I gained about 17 lbs in the 6 mos. I've been gluten free. I'm getting disgusted with myself. I try to lose but it doesn't work, I cheat too much as I don't have the will power I had when younger.

mopsie

[debjocc]

I can feel your pain. I had dropped about 15 pounds when I became ill, and was diagnosed Celiac in Sept 04. Since October, I have gained 25 pounds. I am also diabetic, Type 1, but I think my weight gain is attributed to the amount of bread that I have added to my diet. Since there are not many fast food places we can go to, I have been taking my lunch to work, usually a sandwich with the homemade bread I make.... I rarely ate sandwiches before! Plus, as my health improved my appetite increased considerably. I am also struggling with trying to fit into my clothes.... most of my pants no longer fit and I am reluctant to go shopping for new clothes because I am hoping to lose 10 pounds by curbing my appetite and getting into an excercise routine. I am hoping that within another month I can adjust my diet to more appropriate foods and stay away from the breads. This should improve my blood sugar as well. Has anybody out there been able to shed the weight they have gained as a result of Celiac Sprue?

[pixiegirl]

Wow, you're all going to hate me. I've been gluten-free since late Sept. 2004 and I've lost about 8 lbs now, without trying. The major difference for me is I'm not eating hardly any "bread" products. Almost no bread, cake, cookies (yes I know there are tons of gluten-free products). I do have starches.... rice, potato, pasta (very rarely).

When I found out I had to be gluten-free I took that as a good time to change my entire diet.

Susan

[luvs2eat]

I've gained weight too since being gluten-free. I think part if it is because I over-compensated with the food I WAS allowed (rice, potatoes, gluten-free pasta, and now Manna from Anna bread) in place of the food I'm no longer allowed to have.

When I explain to folks about Celiac disease and they ask me the symptoms, I tell them one is unexplained weight loss... then I look down at me and say, "But I didn't GET that one!!" haha

FYI... the pastas we're allowed have a higher "glycemic index" meaning that on any sort of low carb or diabetic diet, they're actually WORSE than regular pasta.

I guess it was about the time I had to go gluten-free that I discovered risotto... my new favorite food... cheesy sticky rice... what's not to love?? It takes all my will power not to make it regularly!!

[kvogt]

My problem was my lifetime habit of eating everything on the table. For 43 years I was the one who ate constately and hardly gained a pound. Now that my gut has healed, I can no longer eat to excess and stay thin. I've discovered that I can indeed survive on smaller, normal portions. This has allowed me to loose about 1/3 or my gain, putting me about where I want to be - no longer rail thin, but not too round. I've also discovered I can't easily tell the difference between hunger and thirst. Now when I'm hungry betwen meals I drink a glass of water before going to the pantry. I also have reduced significantly my consumption of gluten-free substitutes for cookies, cakes, etc.

[plantime]

A major part of my problem is that glutenfree flours have more calories than wheat flour. Since I figured out how to make yummy devil's food cake and chocolate chip cookies, I can eat the whole batch. I feel deprived, since I cannot eat whatever I want, so I overeat what I can have. It's a vicious circle!

[dfish]

I was put on Actos about a year ago for pre-diabetes and I gained 14 pounds in a month. You may want to get back in touch with your doctor. I don't want to scare you, but Actos is very hard on a person's liver and the information I received from my doctor was to contact her immediately if I noticed a great deal of weight gain rapidly because it could be water retention/swelling from liver issues. I went to my doctor when I gained that weight and she immediately took me off of Actos because of concerns about it affecting my liver function; I also took some liver tests when I went off of it to see if any damage had been done. I would highly, highly recommend getting in touch with your doctor and ask to be checked and/or put on something else. If you can stomach it, Glucophage is a diabetic medication that is not in the same class as Actos or Avandia; it may hurt your tummy for a while, though, and also requires some liver function monitoring but it doesn't seem to be as hard on someone's liver as Actos or Avandia. As an aside, I ended up going off of all of my diabetic medications because they were so hard on my stomach and I already have horrible stomach issues. I was not in full diabetes yet, so if I could get my diet and weight under control, my doctor felt that I wouldn't need the meds (my diet and weight are not yet under control, but I have lost a few pounds recently). Just be prepared for some significant GI issues with glucophage or metformin if that is what you end up taking.

[ianm]

You guys will hate me even more. I have lost 40lbs in the last year since going gluten-free. Because of the celiac disease I really watch what I eat and make sure I exercise regularly. Yes it is hard and it takes a lot of self-discipline but I have no other choice. I felt so awful eating gluten that my life had hit rock bottom and I almost lost everything. I never want to go back to that again. We have been dealt a bad hand with celiac disease but we have to make the best of it. I can do things I was never able to do in the first 36 years of my life. If it means giving up the gluten to finally feel alive then so be it. I'm not about to waste the next 36 years of my life. There is hope.

Ianm

[mom]

I have the same weight gain problem, also. I am trying to abstain from lots of gluten-free carbs that are high in calories and fat. I think that it is a" basic 'count your calories as if you were not gluten free. I am giving it a whirl to see if I can lose sensibly on fruits anf vegetables(FRESH)AND lean meat.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

I started the SCD diet last week, and the weight is already starting to come off. When I first went gluten-free I lost 45 lbs. ~ then put it back on over the past 10 years. I was eating gluten in many sources that I didn't realize, and for me, eating gluten = weight gain. Over the past 6 months I have been "eduated" on this site and am starting to eliminate all gluten. I am doing the SCD to "clean" out and start fresh! Hopefully I can lose the weight again and feel better than I have in years!!

[dbuhl79]

I've found too that I've lost weight since being strictly gluten-free. I do replace a few breads/carbs with gluten-free items but not frequently. Simply because I don't find that I have a lot of time to do this. I recently read something about eating in the volumetrics life style. By weight of items and volume, not content. As it is styled by the concept that regardless of what we eat humans are in the habit of eating the same volume sizes of food on a regular basis.

Well, whether or not that holds a lot of water, I decided it was time to incorporate more vegetables in my diet and fruit.

For those of you gaining weight, it may just be a spin off of your body trying to balance this new lifestlye of eating. My only suggestion is looking at what new foods you are substituting that are gluten-free, are they higher in fat or calories? I found initally that I was doing that myself. I wish you all luck as I can relate to the frustration of weight gain and attempting to keep it off. I'd give subsituting other foods with more veggies and fruits and see how that does you for a couple of weeks. Can't hurt!

Best of luck to all..and feel free to look here for support. There are alot of us in the same boat it seems!

[rebecb]

It makes me feel better to hear other people complain of the same problems and know I'm not alone. I've been gluten free for a few years now, and initially lost weight with the diet. But I ate gluten about a month ago, and must have messed up recently as well. I have gained about 15 lbs, and my stomach is so bloated none of my pants fit. It is so depressing, and it literally happened overnight. I have been trying to be super strict, but I am still really bloated and really unhappy about it. I heard yeast can cause bloating as well, so I'm going to try to avoid that as well and see if it helps. If not, I need to go buy a whole new wardrobe for when I accidently eat gluten and look pregnant.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

I can relate Rebecb. SUCH a pain!!! If I get gluten, I swell up overnight and can't find anything to wear! AND, all it takes is a crumb. Sigh... It is such a drag. We all have our crosses to bear ~ I guess there are a lot of things worse out there.

Just eating meat, fruits and veggies should help with the bloat. Eating fewer carbs helps in that area greatly.

[traci]

I agree, it is the carbs. I do not like the bread, any of it and only one type of pasta. My diet is basically lean protein, fruits, veggies with a few fats like nuts and cheese.

The flours used to make our stuff is highly refined, so its all useless carbs, and has high glycemic index that luv is talking about. unlike a 12 grain bread which is full of fiber. Carbs are stored as fat. This why Atkins and Southbeach work...

I hear you in feeling deprived. I get angry sometimes but then I think how sick I was and nothing would induce me to go back to that.

It also does not help that the brownies come in packages that make a HUGE pan.. there they sit and you just eat them.

I have lost my stomach, I was never heavy and am rather angular instead of curvy like I always wanted to be so I cannot say I have gained weight, I have lost the bloat that I thought was just my stomach.

I think if you can, try very hard to stay away from all those carbs. I mean you gotta have some and yes we all need treats but you will get more fiber if you eat some veggies. I graze throughout the day. If I go too long without something, I am starving and thats when the pan of brownies starts looking like dinner. If youre starving by the time you eat, its easy to eat 16 oz of red meat.. thats not good either.

My husband who is not Celiac gains weight at an alarming rate when he starts eating lots of breads and what not. All in his belly. When he takes them out, poof its gone. Carbs make people heavy.

I really think people were not meant to eat a lot of grains or flours. No matter if you are Celiac or not. We were meant to eat lean protein and plants. Even in the ancient times, if people gathered grains, they were NOT refined. They busted them up with rocks and boiled them and ate them. They were only a very small part of the diet too. The meat they ate was lean game. Did you know the Native Americans used to store fat in intestines because in the winter, they would get a disease due to lack of fat in the amimals they killed? Cannot think of what the illness was called.... but anyway, we dont have that problem in the USA these days. Too much of what we eat is full of fat and we eat too many carbs too. Its just that it TASTES SO GOOD!

Instead of white or worse, Minute Rice, try brown rice. Put your PB on a stick of celery or an apple. Easy on our pasta and bread. And if you mess up dont be too hard on yourself. Its hard enough to be on a diet let alone this one!!

[mom]

Well said about the "high carb and fat" in our gluten-free breads and desserts. They really are empty calories and nutrient "low". I am really trying to stay away from them as much as I can, but I am going to have to make it a lifestyle to eat them as a treat(once in a while). You are so right about lean meat and vege protein as well as fresh fruit being our daily needs. I know that I can fight the battle of the bulge if I eat healthy gluten-free foods and watch calories as wellas EXERCISE!

mom

[Guest gfinnebraska]

I LOVE Dietary Specialties mixes, but, like Jessica said, we have to use them rarely and in "treat" form!! I can tell a BIG difference in my body and how I feel when I have a lot of carbs or limited carbs. Bummer, but that is life!!

[Guest gfinnebraska]

Oooops! Sorry "Mom"... saw your avitar and thought you were Jessica. Teach me not to READ the name!! Sorry!!

[scoutfinch]

I've gained 20 pounds since I started a gluten-free diet at the beginning of the year, and I was a little overweight to begin with. My celiac symptoms are "silent" - other than having low iron and some lactose intolerance, I don't suffer from the awful GI problems that many do. I think the only reason the gastroenterologist found the celiac disease was because he was doing an endoscopy/colonoscopy to find out why I wasn't healing as well from surgery as I could be. This is so frustrating!!! I feel like I've given up my favorite things for nothing! I don't think I'm overeating, or eating a lot of fatty or high-calorie food. I haven't been substituting much of the gluten-free baked goods because they're just not worth eating. My body must now be absorbing every single calorie I ingest. I'm now working out 4 days a week and really watching every bite I take - if I can't lose a significant amount of weight by the first part of June when I have a follow-up doctor's appointment, I'm thinking that something else is wrong. I'm ready to ditch this gluten-free diet. Is being obese a bigger health risk than chronic low iron and diet-related angst? As you can tell, I'm "fed" up! Any advice?

[mom]

I am having the same problem as you have. I had silent signs also except for low iron and protein levels. Believe you me , I think that I would rather keep trucking and try at weight loss (which is what I am trying to do) than to end up with severe malnution and possiblly lymphoma etc. This disease also can work on you mental health if you continue eating gluten..Try to keep yor chin up and comminicate with all of celiac people. I can get very frustated at times but you just can't give in to gluten!

Mom

[mom]

Scoutfinch--

I also wanted to ask you if you had heard of the GIDIET. It is low in sugar and carbs. Lots of people like the recipes that are in the book. You can find the book info at www.gidiet.com. I am thinking about looking into it myself. It may be worth a try.

Mom

[scoutfinch]

Hi Mom:

Thanks for the gidiet website (and also for letting me vent!) I'll check it out to see what it's about.

scoutfinch

[PreOptMegs]

I eat so incredibly healthy, but I too cannot lose weight. I just feel like my metabolism is in slow gear. I eat very few calories per day (maximum of 1500), but I still continue to gain. I don't know what to do anymore because I am so incredibly frustrated. I mean if I am going to gain weight, I will do it by eating sweets, not fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats!!!!!!!!!!