Any Ideas On Stabilizing The Weight Once Going Gluten Free?

[T.H.]

I'm getting to the point where I need to stop losing weight, but so far I haven't managed to do it. :-(

I gained about 40 pounds in the 6 months before I was diagnosed celiac sprue. In the 7 months since I was diagnosed, I've lost about 55 pounds. I'm now 1 pound away from my 'as low as I wanna get' weight, and the weight loss doesn't seem to be stopping. Slowing down, but not stopping

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stabilize? Is it just as simple as 'eat more,' or something else? I have a very limited diet, and I'm reacting to foods all over the place so that sometimes makes it hard, but really...does this ever end? Argh!

It was nice at first - I don't mind the weight loss down to a good size - but now it's getting into the too thin stage. Any ideas??

[ciavyn]

What does your doctor say? I would make sure you don't have any additional issues. If your body is normal, then it does come down on eating more calorie rich foods. Perhaps more protein? I've lost weight since going gluten free because I eat so much healthier now, but I have no trouble maintaining because I eat a lot of food (I'm training for a half marathon, so I tend to eat more). So perhaps exploring more foods you can have, and seeing what are have more calories. I don't know what your limitations are, so I can't make any suggestions. Good luck.

[T.H.]

So far, the doc isn't sure. I've been fortunate to have a doctor who tests the ever-loving doo doo out of his patients, from food allergies to other auto-immune diseases - and so far, I seem to simply have celiac plus reactions to other food. If I stay away from the other foods, I seem to do okay, but the doc and dietician have me trying to find new foods, as I get almost no calcium (and a couple other things) in the diet I can currently have, and I haven't been able to find any vitamins I can safely take.

Oh, my current diet is this: buffalo meat, avocado, sweet potato, carrot, quinoa, amaranth, sea weed, and sea salt.

So I can get high calorie stuff, and a good amount of protein, I just have to cook a lot to get it.

Sigh. I suppose I keep hoping that someone knows a 'magic way' to stabilize the weight, and it probably doesn't exist. More practical to eat more calories and pause on trying new foods.

Thank you for the reply, and the good luck!

Shauna

What does your doctor say? I would make sure you don't have any additional issues. If your body is normal, then it does come down on eating more calorie rich foods. Perhaps more protein? I've lost weight since going gluten free because I eat so much healthier now, but I have no trouble maintaining because I eat a lot of food (I'm training for a half marathon, so I tend to eat more). So perhaps exploring more foods you can have, and seeing what are have more calories. I don't know what your limitations are, so I can't make any suggestions. Good luck.

[burdee]

Your very limited diet may deter you from 'stabilizing' your weight. Don't assume your symptoms are always 'food reactions' and keep limiting what you eat. If you suspect other food allergies, get a blood test to confirm your suspicions. Also consider that your reaction symptoms may actually be caused by intestinal infections from pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria, parasites or even candida. A stool test (DNA Microbial) can diagnose bad gut bugs, which may cause your 'reaction' symptoms.

SUE

I'm getting to the point where I need to stop losing weight, but so far I haven't managed to do it. :-(

I gained about 40 pounds in the 6 months before I was diagnosed celiac sprue. In the 7 months since I was diagnosed, I've lost about 55 pounds. I'm now 1 pound away from my 'as low as I wanna get' weight, and the weight loss doesn't seem to be stopping. Slowing down, but not stopping

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stabilize? Is it just as simple as 'eat more,' or something else? I have a very limited diet, and I'm reacting to foods all over the place so that sometimes makes it hard, but really...does this ever end? Argh!

It was nice at first - I don't mind the weight loss down to a good size - but now it's getting into the too thin stage. Any ideas??

[T.H.]

Thanks for the reply, sue! :-)

Yeah, I'm kind of worried that the limited diet might deter the stabilizing, too. I know I could eat 'more' of my food to try and get more calories, but I just don't know if that will do it or not, or if there might be something else, you know? I suppose I kind of hope there's something else, since eating more of the foods is really a chore to force myself to eat.

I truly am very lucky with my doc - he did a HUGE series of blood tests for food allergies (and a lot of other things, as well), so we figured those ones out fairly well.

Actually, I'm curious if you know what reactions parasites/bacteria/yeast might cause? I DID have an H.Pylori infection, but that was taken care of and confirmed that the infection is gone. I would assume gut symptoms would be caused by these, and possibly full-body 'blech' kind of things? One of the reasons I haven't looked in that direction is that my own symptoms, while sometimes involving gut, more often involve my lips, tongue and/or throat swelling up on me.

I have this whole annoying two day process to try a new food to try and minimize the risk, sigh.

if you have any information on what kinds of things yeast and parasites might cause, I would love to find out about it! Again, thanks!

Shauna

Your very limited diet may deter you from 'stabilizing' your weight. Don't assume your symptoms are always 'food reactions' and keep limiting what you eat. If you suspect other food allergies, get a blood test to confirm your suspicions. Also consider that your reaction symptoms may actually be caused by intestinal infections from pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria, parasites or even candida. A stool test (DNA Microbial) can diagnose bad gut bugs, which may cause your 'reaction' symptoms.

SUE

[lovegrov]

Your limited diet certainly isn't helping things. Also, do you lift weights? I know that can burn calories but muscle weighs more than fat.

richard

[T.H.]

Oh, no I hadn't even considered lifting weights. Might be a good idea there, thanks.

Your limited diet certainly isn't helping things. Also, do you lift weights? I know that can burn calories but muscle weighs more than fat.

richard

[Switch2GF]

Unless you have some other serious unknown problem, your body is just like anyone else's when it comes to weight. Calorie intake vs. calories burned.

Your current diet looks really healthy and depending on your portions, you could be at a calorie deficit.

It seems a lot of people lose weight when going gluten free, 'cause they don't know what to eat and consciously watch everything they are eating carefully. Once I figured out exactly what I could eat again, I kept my weight or gained some.

I'd try tracking your calories for a week and see where you really are. Maybe add in some brown rice to get some more carbs.

[T.H.]

Thanks. :-) I have to do a foodlog right now anyway, so tracking the calories sounds like a good idea, and not too much extra work, compared to what i have to do. Can't do the rice, though, sadly. Makes my throat swell up at the moment. :-(

Unless you have some other serious unknown problem, your body is just like anyone else's when it comes to weight. Calorie intake vs. calories burned.

Your current diet looks really healthy and depending on your portions, you could be at a calorie deficit.

It seems a lot of people lose weight when going gluten free, 'cause they don't know what to eat and consciously watch everything they are eating carefully. Once I figured out exactly what I could eat again, I kept my weight or gained some.

I'd try tracking your calories for a week and see where you really are. Maybe add in some brown rice to get some more carbs.