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

Just Diagnosed - Weight Loss?


LiveLoveLaugh3

Recommended Posts

LiveLoveLaugh3 Newbie

Hi There, I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease on Friday June 19th. I had a scope on the 18th ( a day after my 18th birthday). They said right away there was no cancer or ulcers but my intestines were scalloped. They said they took biopsies of my duodenum. So the next day at 9:15 am they called and said the biopsies came back positive for celiac disease. I'm extremely upset. The next day I started the "gluten free diet". We have done alot of research about whats okay to eat and what not.. I have heard many different things - like I will lose alot of weight right away.. (i've had trouble losing weight in the past - however i'm not extremely heavy. just a little overweight. 5'1 140lbs.) So will I lose alot of weight right away? like within the next few weeks? I'm completely gluten free. I've also been told that I will feel like a whole new person two-three weeks from now. (my symptoms have been achy joints, extreme stomach burning, heavy periods, depression, fibromyalgia, anemia, tired all the time.... I've had all these symptoms for a few years.) So I guess i'm just curious if I really am going to lose weight and feel better right away. thank you all! :)


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



OptimisticMom42 Apprentice

I'm 42 yrs old, 5'6". My weight went from 163lbs to 150lbs and has stayed there. I haven't been trying to lose weight.

I still feel tired but I think it's because I'm dealing with yeast and other food intolerances (mostly corn). I really didn't want to give up corn but it's gone now. And the aches, pains and constipation went with it.

So the healing and weight loss/gain is different for everyone depending on what other issues have to be dealt with.

Hope this helps

ang1e0251 Contributor

Each person is different and their recovery is different too. I know that's not what you want to hear, you'd like a cut and dry answer but that's not the nature of our disease. You will have to wait and see. Some people gain and some lose.

The pain may take awhile to clear up. Just one day I realized it wasn't there any more. For me the stomach issues, swelling and brain fog were the first to clear up. Also I got color in my cheeks I didn't have before!

The Fluffy Assassin Enthusiast
Hi There, I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease on Friday June 19th. I had a scope on the 18th ( a day after my 18th birthday). They said right away there was no cancer or ulcers but my intestines were scalloped. They said they took biopsies of my duodenum. So the next day at 9:15 am they called and said the biopsies came back positive for celiac disease. I'm extremely upset. The next day I started the "gluten free diet". We have done alot of research about whats okay to eat and what not.. I have heard many different things - like I will lose alot of weight right away.. (i've had trouble losing weight in the past - however i'm not extremely heavy. just a little overweight. 5'1 140lbs.) So will I lose alot of weight right away? like within the next few weeks? I'm completely gluten free. I've also been told that I will feel like a whole new person two-three weeks from now. (my symptoms have been achy joints, extreme stomach burning, heavy periods, depression, fibromyalgia, anemia, tired all the time.... I've had all these symptoms for a few years.) So I guess i'm just curious if I really am going to lose weight and feel better right away. thank you all! :)

It isn't a weight-loss diet. Fundamentally, people mainly lose weight when going gluten-free by not eating in restaurants anymore, especially fast food places and buffets. I lost 20 lbs more or less immediately and four inches at the waist over the next year or so. Several chins dropped off and my shirt size is still shrinking. But I am male and was 45 when I went gluten free. Mainly, you'll probably find that you have energy to exercise that you never had before. All I do is, every other day, 20 pushups and 10 minutes on an exercise bike. This started almost immediately after I went gluten free. (I also took up hiking again, though that's in abeyance due to the ridiculous summer weather down here.)

So don't be upset, extremely or otherwise. The gluten-free diet is not nearly as hard as it probably seems now, and gets a lot easier very quickly. You may lose weight and you may not, but you'll certainly feel better and very quickly. Cheer up, don't worry, have fun with it and best of luck. And welcome to the board.

fripp017 Apprentice

Hi. From my experience, you will initially loose some of the wieght when your body starts to heal. It starts absorbing the right foods, you feel better and you can be more active. It only took me about 3 days to start getting up and moving around more. I had sevre abdoinal pain as my main symptom, on top of the extreme tiredness. I spent alot of my sick days in bed. So, by the end of the first week I felt great. I was up, doing chores and getting some moderate excerise in. But, once your body fully heals and you start replacing the "normal" foods with gluten-free foods you tend to absorb alot more fat. Gluten-free foods tend to have more fat in them to replace the flavor in "regular" food. So, if you start feeling better and you want to loose weight, I would suggest eating less of the gluten-fee carbs (especialy the gluten-free bread) and start a regular exercise regimen. I know where you are coming from, but unfortunetly I had much more weight gain than you. I started at 130lbs. I'm 5'2" and I now weigh 155lbs. When I was diagnosed I weighed 165lbs. I have lost some, but it has been a couple of months and I seem to have stopped loosing weight. I take it one day at a time. Just don't over do it, you are still healing. Don't push it, just do what you can and feel good knowing that you are doing your best.

Angels~Exist Newbie

I'm 16 years old and just diagnosed in May. My celiac disease was triggered by abdominal surgery. Before my diagnosis I stayed very close to the same weight but I've already gained 4 pounds since eating gluten-free. My doctor says this is due to my body absorbing nutrients that it went without for so long. My only advise to avoid gaining weight is to take vitamins if you need them and exercise when you feel well enough. The good thing about a gluten-free diet is (even though sometimes it may be tasteless :D) it gives you a ton of energy!!

ang1e0251 Contributor

I do not find the gluten-free diet to tasteless in any way. You can spice up your food. I eat well seasoned food at every meal! Maybe you could tell us what you're eating that seems boring and we can offer suggestions on how to spice it up!!

For me, eating too many alternate grains really puts the weight on. They also would sit like a stone in my gut. I went on a low carb diet and avoided most grains and then I could lose. Also I feel even better than before and I thought I was feeling pretty darn good. In the future I will try to figure out which grains like me best but for now, I'm pretty happy this way. I feel good, I've lost some weight and my BP is the best in about 7 years. Can't ask for more than that?


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Angels~Exist Newbie

Most of the gluten-free food I eat tastes better than the gluten filled alternatives. The only thing that I'm still not used to is the gluten-free bread. I think it was tapioca or something like that.

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      128,339
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    valerieclaire
    Newest Member
    valerieclaire
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.1k
    • Total Posts
      70.8k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      I'd like to second supplementation.  Around the time of my diagnosis and for a good while afterwards I had twitching muscles, including my face, as well as pins and needles and numbness.  We do have tremors in my family anyway, regardless of being coeliac, so I can't really comment on that. If you can find out where you are with your iron levels and B12, that's a good start.  I am not sure where you are posting from but in the UK normal lab results for B12 are quite a bit lower than in other countries, so you might find if you are borderline you will get some improvement by continuing to supplement that.   I found taking magnesium also incredibly helpful against facial twitches. I don't know about you, but all these symptoms increased my anxiety levels as I was worried about them.  That only served to make the symptoms worse.  So it might be worth looking into addressing any underlying anxiety issues.   I still notice that if I'm nervous, or worried, my blood sugar levels are down, some of the symptoms comes back temporarily.  It's like there is still a bit of a weakness there.
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @Itsabit, Your journey sounds very similar to mine.   I'm very concerned about your diet since you say you don't eat a lot of meat, which is the main source of B vitamins.  Nutritional deficiencies go along with Celiac Disease.  Blood tests are not accurate measurements of deficiency states.  The body robs stored vitamins from organs to circulate in the bloodstream to supply the brain and heart.  You can have deficiency symptoms before blood levels change. I have a hypersensitivity to sulfites, so much so that I had to switch my toothpaste to one that doesn't contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.  SLS can cause oral irritation as a side effect, too.   My mouth would burn and I avoided certain foods.  Dapsone contains sulfites, as do antibiotics.  Treatment with sulfites can precipitate a Thiamine deficiency disorder because sulfites cut thiamine in two making it useless. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35506963/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10506142/ I have an allergy to nickel, also.  Zinc helps keep other metals in balance in the body.  Zinc is also terribly important to skin health and oral health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8445075/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11274920/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1977254/ Thiamine (Vitamin B 1) deficiency disorder symptoms and altered thiamine metabolism can occur after radiation or chemo.   Thiamine and Niacin B 3 are important in nerve conduction.  When I was very malnourished, I had paresthesia that made me feel itchy all over, and made my dermatitis herpetiformis extremely unbearable.  The form of Niacin that causes flushing, Nicotinic Acid (not the same as nicotine in cigarettes) is beneficial because the flushing helps open the small capillaries in the skin which allows the antibodies to be cleared and disposed.  Pellagra can occur in Celiac Disease.   I had it, and my doctor didn't properly diagnose it, either.   I had a rash around my neck, Casal's Necklace, along with a blistering rash on my arms and any skin exposed to the sun.   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8445075/ https://cgp.iiarjournals.org/content/10/4/169 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11722086/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6780714/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10229844/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1977254/ You should be checked for more than just B12 deficiency.  The eight B vitamins work together, and we need more of them when we're trying to heal.  They are water soluble, so the body can easily excrete them if not needed. Have you had your Vitamin D level checked?  Vitamin D regulates the immune system and lowers inflammation.   I hope you can find some benefit from my experiences.  Keep us posted on your progress.   P.S.  When trying not to itch the dermatitis herpetiformis, if you press gently on a large area (press with your whole hand) above the itchy spot, the itchiness goes away.  The bigger area of stimulation drowns out that one jangling dermatitis herpetiformis itchy nerve in the brain. For skin care products, I use tallow balm which is absorbed better into the skin than petroleum products or plant products.  Tallow balm (Vintage Traditions is my favorite) helps my Dermatitis Herpetiformis spots look and feel better quickly.  Tallow soap and olive oil soap is beneficial as well.
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @Jack Common, I know how frustrating health mysteries can be. Perhaps you're having a reaction to the medication you were given for the giardiasis you mentioned in another post. The giardiasis infection would account for the high Igg results.  Have you been reinfected? The site I've linked below has lots of information about the long term consequences of being treated with a medication frequently prescribed for giardiasis infection.   https://hormonesmatter.com/metronidazole-toxicity-doctor-denial/ https://hormonesmatter.com/?s=metronidazole https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3870550/ Please let us know if your symptoms may be due to this reaction to the prescription for giardiasis. Best wishes.
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @Jack Common, I know how frustrating health mysteries can be. Perhaps you're having a reaction to the medication you were given for the giardiasis. The giardiasis infection would account for the high Igg results.  Have you been reinfected? The site I've linked below has lots of information about the long term consequences of being treated with a medication frequently prescribed for giardiasis infection.   https://hormonesmatter.com/metronidazole-toxicity-doctor-denial/ https://hormonesmatter.com/?s=metronidazole https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3870550/ Please let us know if your symptoms may be due to this reaction to the prescription for giardiasis. Best wishes.
    • Itsabit
×
×
  • Create New...