Gluten free and struggling to gain weight.

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Babygirlaces
Babygirlaces Posts: 6 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I’m new here as well as trying to gain weight. I’m trying to consume more but have little appetite so I have a timer that goes off every two hours to remind me to eat. If I don’t eat I drink a glass of milk. My diet is very limited as I am gluten free. Need lots of help.

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  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    I don't need to eat gluten free, but eat very little gluten. There are plenty of calorie dense gluten free foods, and many gluten free "alternatives" are more calorie dense.

    Perhaps consider drinking between meals, not instead of meals. Plan your food, and pick calorie dense foods.
  • smolmaus
    smolmaus Posts: 442 Member
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    I have ceoliac disease and my diet isn't limited at all by being gluten free, not these days. Even without the "substitutions" like gf bread and pasta I can live quite happily on rice, potatoes, tons of vegetables, eggs, chicken etc. The only thing that's limited is processed foods so I guess learn how to cook from scratch if that isn't something you're confident with already.

    I can suggest nuts (cashews, peanuts, pistachios, whatever) as a snack food that's high calorie, gluten free and easy to eat.
  • Babygirlaces
    Babygirlaces Posts: 6 Member
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    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    I don't need to eat gluten free, but eat very little gluten. There are plenty of calorie dense gluten free foods, and many gluten free "alternatives" are more calorie dense.

    Perhaps consider drinking between meals, not instead of meals. Plan your food, and pick calorie dense foods.

    What are some calorie dense foods?
  • Babygirlaces
    Babygirlaces Posts: 6 Member
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    smolmaus wrote: »
    I have ceoliac disease and my diet isn't limited at all by being gluten free, not these days. Even without the "substitutions" like gf bread and pasta I can live quite happily on rice, potatoes, tons of vegetables, eggs, chicken etc. The only thing that's limited is processed foods so I guess learn how to cook from scratch if that isn't something you're confident with already.

    I can suggest nuts (cashews, peanuts, pistachios, whatever) as a snack food that's high calorie, gluten free and easy to eat.

    I know how to cook from scratch but it’s not ideal. Cooking 3 meals or more a day is time consuming.
  • Babygirlaces
    Babygirlaces Posts: 6 Member
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    But the nuts are good I do eat a lot of nuts and fruits
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    Anything with fat or oil in

    Cheese - 100g - 400 kcal .. ouches if you are in a deficit

    Peanut butter

    Heavy cream or creme fraiche ... start eating desserts .. fat+sugar

    Meat with fat on it .. slow cook fatty joints so the fat renders off and makes the gravy thick without the need for gluten
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
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    Babygirlaces wrote: »
    smolmaus wrote: »
    I have ceoliac disease and my diet isn't limited at all by being gluten free, not these days. Even without the "substitutions" like gf bread and pasta I can live quite happily on rice, potatoes, tons of vegetables, eggs, chicken etc. The only thing that's limited is processed foods so I guess learn how to cook from scratch if that isn't something you're confident with already.

    I can suggest nuts (cashews, peanuts, pistachios, whatever) as a snack food that's high calorie, gluten free and easy to eat.

    I know how to cook from scratch but it’s not ideal. Cooking 3 meals or more a day is time consuming.

    Meal prep enough to feed you for a few days. Do you have a slow cooker or pressure cooker? They would make things so much easier. You could leave in soups, stews, chili for hours. In the meantime bake chicken thighs in the oven and throw in a stovetop hash (whatever protein and vegetables you have on hand). That seriously takes an hour tops.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    Babygirlaces wrote: »
    smolmaus wrote: »
    I have ceoliac disease and my diet isn't limited at all by being gluten free, not these days. Even without the "substitutions" like gf bread and pasta I can live quite happily on rice, potatoes, tons of vegetables, eggs, chicken etc. The only thing that's limited is processed foods so I guess learn how to cook from scratch if that isn't something you're confident with already.

    I can suggest nuts (cashews, peanuts, pistachios, whatever) as a snack food that's high calorie, gluten free and easy to eat.

    I know how to cook from scratch but it’s not ideal. Cooking 3 meals or more a day is time consuming.

    You don't need to cook multiple times a day. You cook things that you can prepare in bulk. Use fatty cuts of meat, cook in oil, add lots of beans/GF grains etc. You can cook rice/quinoa/grains etc and freeze in portions. Roast a load of potato. Hardboil lots of eggs.
    Make some GF cakes or muffins, granola bars as snacks.
  • smolmaus
    smolmaus Posts: 442 Member
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    If you can get hold of it (and have the budget for it) then gluten free pasta is calorie dense, quick, easy, packs well for cold or reheated lunches and can be used with pesto (also calorie dense) or cheese sauces or baked, it's very versatile and I think even slightly higher in calories than regular pasta. I gained p much all my excess weight eating way too much pasta so I know it works for weight gain!

    As for meal prep: You could make a big lasagne over the weekend with loads of ground beef, heavy cheese sauce and veggies and live off that for ages afterwards. VERY calorie dense. I also roast a whole chicken in the slow cooker while I'm at work on Monday and then have cooked chicken for the rest of the week to speed up mealtimes, which would work for a beef or pork joint too.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
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    Babygirlaces wrote: »
    I’m new here as well as trying to gain weight. I’m trying to consume more but have little appetite so I have a timer that goes off every two hours to remind me to eat. If I don’t eat I drink a glass of milk. My diet is very limited as I am gluten free. Need lots of help.

    Have you been diagnosed as having a gluten allergy by a professional?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I see you have been given a great list of calorie dense foods.

    You can make a whole tray of energy bars that are gluten free. I made a no bake variety last week that used peanut butter and honey as the binder and chia/oatmeal as the carb.

    There’s chocolate too.

    How about a gluten free pancake mix? Find a brand you like.

    Do you have a Bulk Barn nearby? It can be a great source for gluten free grains and products.

    Gluten free grains I have tried include teff, buckwheat, and quinoa.

    For a gluten free lasagna suggested above you might try slicing a zucchini very thin for the noodles.

    Try a couscous recipe replacing with quinoa. Use a vinegar and olive oil dressing for extra calories.
  • Babygirlaces
    Babygirlaces Posts: 6 Member
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    Lean59man wrote: »
    Babygirlaces wrote: »
    I’m new here as well as trying to gain weight. I’m trying to consume more but have little appetite so I have a timer that goes off every two hours to remind me to eat. If I don’t eat I drink a glass of milk. My diet is very limited as I am gluten free. Need lots of help.

    Have you been diagnosed as having a gluten allergy by a professional?

    No I haven’t however, I did see a specialist and was told that in order to be tested I would have to consume things that contain gluten for a month in order to get accurate results. Which is not feasible due to the reaction I get from consuming it. I found out that I could not consume anything containing gluten anymore by process of elimination.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    There are plenty of foods that are gluten free, especially when it comes to fats and/or dairy. The below link has a bunch of strategies in it to help you.


    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    edited February 2018
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    Only 1% of the population is gluten allergic.

    300,000,000 x 1% is 3,000,000 people so you may indeed be one of them.

  • TheHobbit2017
    TheHobbit2017 Posts: 96 Member
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    I have to eat dairy free and I use vegan protein powder for extra calories. The one I have been using isalso free from gluten. It’s called Weider Vegan Protein powder. It is ok with some kind of milk (I use almond) but not nice with water. I’m in the process of changing to a different powder with less carb content but that one isn’t gluten free

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