Weight

[really confused]

I just found out I had celiac about 3 weeks ago. Since cutting out gluten I have gained a lot of weight.. which is wierd to me, because since I cut it out of my diet I have been eating a lot healthier. Is this normal has anyone else experienced excessive weight gain at the start when cutting it out?

[GlutenGalAZ]

When I went completely gluten free I did gain some weight.

Your body is not use to absorbing all of the nutrients you are eating. With cutting out the gluten your body is healing and you are now able to absorb the nutrients. Some people experience a constant hunger in the beginning. I had this happen about the first month or so I felt hungry ALL the time. After a while I was back to my normal eating habits but once in a while sparks back up.

Your body is needing the food you are taking in. Give yourself some time for your body to adjust to everything.

Good Luck hope this helped some

[msmini14]

I have been gluten-free for about 2 months now and have been glutened a couple of times. I have put on 15 lbs since then, but like they say your body is absorbing again. I am still kind of playing catch up myself, so yes it is normal =)

[ellen123]

I've been gluten free for about 3-1/2 months now and I also noticed I was gaining weight. In addition to the explanations above, I found that I was eating a lot more carbs than I had been before and I'm guessing that contributed to my weight gain as well. In my effort to find gluten-free foods, I was relying a lot on rice and noodles for both lunches and dinners, plus rice crackers, gluten-free toast for breakfast, even noodles or rice crackers for snacks. And like the others, I found I was hungry earlier in the day after breakfast. My stomach began "growling" by 11 a.m. or even earlier. I am now trying to cut down on the carbs a bit, trying to eat more salads and protein at lunch time and saving the noodles, rice or potatoes for one meal at dinner, cooking a lot more vegetables and eating less of the carbs even at dinner. I've been using fruit or vegetables for snacks too. So far, I haven't notice big differences on the scale but my body seems to be redistributing a bit for the better. If you're eating a lot of dairy I'd cut down on that too. If you're ready to deal with the weight gain, those are my suggestions. On the other hand, many people feel deprived at first when they go gluten-free, so you may want to just let yourself get used to that before reducing carbs or doing anything that will make it harder for you. Good luck!

Ellen

[Ursa Major]

Carbohydrates and sugars are responsible for weight gain, while fat HELPS you lose weight (if you stay away from fats like hydrogenated fats and margarine, that is). Your body needs saturated fat, yes, especially your heart and brain. It has been shown over and over again that a low fat diet causes heart disease and cancer.

Eat more fats like lard, eggs (which have a lot of healthy fat), butter if you can tolerate it and non-hydrogenated, cold pressed coconut oil (one of the healthiest fats in the world). Also make sure you get enough omega 3 fatty acids (we all get too much omega 6, and it is bad if the balance is off).

Fats and protein will allow you to feel satiated faster and much longer than carbs, and as a result you will lose weight instead of gaining if you eat enough of them.

By the way, something I found out not long ago, and almost nobody knows this: Most of the fat in meat turns into mono-unsaturated fat while cooking, which is the same healthy fat as olive oil! Wouldn't it be nice if all nutritionists and doctors knew this, when they tell people to cut out all animal fat and eat only vegetable oil. Which is terrible and uninformed advice.

[ShayFL]

I have actually lost weight. Weight I could not afford to lose. Down 4 pounds which doesnt sound like much unless you were too thin to begin with. And I lose it mostly in my face and shoulder area first. Everyone comments. And I feel they think I am anorexic or something. I hate it.

But in my case when I cut out all gluten products, I started eating A LOT less CARBS. I was trying to go basically paleo. But I cannot lose anymore weight. So I have been preparing some gluten-free baked goods at home from scratch. Still whole grains. I just need the calories.

I am hoping I can start to play "catch up" soon.

[cpicini]

I've been gluten free since October of 2007. I lost about 35lbs in the first two months. Now I can't lose a pound to save my life. What I notcied after speakign with my doctor was that most of the gluten-free foods are super high in calories. Try tracking your calories a little closer. You should burn about 2000 calories a day without exercise so you should be able to simply figure out if you are taking in more then you are burning.

Good Luck!

[msmini14]

I agree, dont deprive your body. Let it heal, give it what it wants =)

[AliB]

I have been gluten-free for 3 months and have been struggling to keep my weight down even though I am eating little in the way of carbs.

My body doesn't cope with them very well (hence the diabetes) so I am better keeping them low. I try to avoid baked goods and just stick to basic foods but I am hungry! So I know how that feels. I hope that as time goes on and my body gets to sort itself out properly, my weight will start to balance out. I need to lose around 60lb to get to a more balanced weight but it's going nowhere at the moment!

[cupid]

I'm gaining wt too but its different than when I use to gain wt before going gluten-free/cf. I use to gain wt all over and it was more solid but now i'm gaining more in my stomach and thighs but seems to be more puffy/bloated. My friend suggested maybe not drinking enough water. I'm going to try an increase my water consumption and see what happens. Any other sugestions??

[ShayFL]

I think a big problem is a lot of people just switch from glutened foods to non-glutened which not only have less fiber but are way higher on the glycemic index. Im not eating ANY processed foods. Simple foods like fresh meat, veggies, fruit, nuts and baked goodies I make at home with whole grains. I avoid the rice flour....no fiber and will make your blood sugar spike. And I add a Tlb of flax or chia to the muffins/cookies to give even more fiber. Im sticking with Teff, Amaranth and some Sorghum mostly. Im losing weight.

[TheMinsterman]

I have lost two stone in 3+ monthes, and while I have no confirmation of having Celiacs yet (a weak positive, which my GP explained didn't necessarily mean I definately had it, and my wieght loss could be down to the nausesa my inner ear problem has caused, along with a possible CLF leak too which irritates and damages the guts, joy") its becoming quite difficult to even sustain, let alone gain, weight.

I've gone from 16 stone to 14 stone, which while I needed to lose weight, the mode I have done it in hasn't been appreciated!

[cupid]

Good advice ShayFl, I will try this. Its also hard to find gluten-free stuff thats low fat so I'm sure thats contributing too. Especially if low in fiber since fiber carrys fat out of the body. Its funny but before I had to go gluten-free/cf I knew the nutrtional guidelines to follow to stay healthy and actually did pretty well while I had the energy to work out but as my fatigue increased all the rules went out the window and I ate alot of comfort foods!! Uhg, hope I can get back on track soon so I don't feel like a blimp all summer!!

[ShayFL]

Im finding right now I need some yummies. So I have made teff/almond butter cookies (Bob's has the recipe only he uses peanut butter which I avoid), pumpkin muffins and banana bread. I tweak them to suit me. I dont do eggs, so I substitute ground flax and water. Add chia if I need more fiber, etc. I am fortunate that I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. So baking is working out! But I dont over do these. I just like having them around so I dont feel so deprived.

I am mostly eating lean meats, veggies, sm amount of fruits and nuts/seeds. If I have a carb at dinner like quinoa or buckwheat then I dont eat the yummie. Or if I know I will eat a yummie, then dinner would be just meats and veggies (no fruit or grains). I do limit my carbs. It isnt my weight but my blood sugar that is at issue. So I naturally do not overdo the carbs to keep myself balanced. Eating like this is not conducive to weight gain.

[Bernadette]

Most recently, I had to put gluten back in my diet to prepare for the celiac testing, per my doctor's orders. I had to follow a heavy gluten diet for a full 3 weeks before testing. Besides the fact that I felt like I just wanted to DIE, I also gained 10 lbs while eating gluten foods-mostly felt puffy and bloated while eating the bad foods.

However, when I am gluten-free and eating right, I lose weight. When I first realized I had celiac symptoms and needed to remove gluten from my diet, I lost 15 lbs w/in a month. That was mainly because I was so nervous about my diet and not feeling sick every time I ate that I only consumed veggies and grilled chicken and fish-no carbs.

You have to also keep in mind there are fattening gluten free foods out there, especially if you have a sweet tooth and find some yummy gluten free brownies!! My co-worker is a celiac and she eats the delicious gluten free foods and she admitted she has seen an increase in the scale! It always comes down to what you're eating and how your body reacts to it. Eventually, your weight will even out. You just have to find your balance within the gluten-free world.

[Panopticism]

In 8-9 months gluten-free, I have not gained all that much weight. I'm pretty horribly underweight, too. I also have that constant hunger you speak of and have the entire time. I eat as much as I can afford to.

[MindyK]

I was diagnosed with celiac disease about 8 months ago. I had be suffering extreme symptoms for about a year to a year and a half. No the standard stomach problems, but constant vomiting and loose stools. Anyway I went from a round 140lbs (at 5