Celiacs and stubborn weight gain

kahlonsa

Hi everyone!

This is my first post on these forums, so I hope I am posting this in the right section.

I started using mfp a few months ago to keep track of my nutrition after I was diagnosed with Celiacs in February 2013. I am 24 years old, 5'9, and when I was diagnosed, I weighed 135 lbs. I've never been overweight, and have always been moderately active and health-conscious.

After being diagnosed, a lot of things changed for me (obviously), and weight gain was something that I was told to expect. Since February, I have gained 15 pounds, putting me at 150 pounds as of last week. This is much heavier than I have ever been, and I am shocked and frustrated by my situation.

I knew that I would gain weight, but I thought it would balance out after a few months. At this point, I have been watching my calorie intake vigilantly (I was getting 1240 net calories a day for a month or so, and then when I realized that I probably wasn't eating enough, I switched to 1490 net calories a few weeks ago. I have been feeling better with the extra calories, but my weight has not changed), and I eat (for the most part) extremely healthy food. I cook virtually all of my food at home, eat two salads a day, and try to get protein and calories from a variety of natural sources (quinoa, eggs, beans, etc.). I am also fairly active. I bike to work in hilly Santa Barbara (which is about 12 miles round trip), and on the weekends I take longer bike rides that equate to anywhere from 15-35 miles round trip.

Admittedly, I have not given up all dairy since going gluten free, which some people recommend (I don't drink milk, but I eat 3/4 cup of greek yogurt every other day and also have 1/3 cup of cheese a day), and I have also been lax about my weight training. But still. I do not feel as though I should be gaining weight. I feel frustrated and heavy, especially in my midsection, which is really affecting my life, especially because I feel as though I am not in control of my situation.

In addition to the weight gain, I also don't feel 100% most of the time, which I know is normal with a Celiacs diagnosis. I feel fatigued and depressed (although this might be partially because of the weight gain), and have an upset stomach a fair amount of the time. This makes the weight gain even more frustrating. I figure if I can't eat bread or cookies, I might as well have a bangin' body, amiright?

An obvious answer to this problem is to go to the doctor, and I have and have nothing conclusive to report. I also am self-employed, have crappy insurance, and don't really know if I can afford to get a ton of blood work done.

Also, I know this isn't a Celiacs website, but so many people here seem to be knowledgeable and helpful, so I thought I would give it a try. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks everyone!

Hildy_J

Hey,

I really don't know much about this - I take it since your diagnosis you can absorb nutrients now that you couldn't before, hence the weight gain?

I'm wondering if it's a back-to-basics logging your food thing - it may not be celiac-related? If you're comfortable with opening your food diary folk could take a look and advise and rule that out, at least.

Sorry to hear you're having this to deal with. xx

rileysowner

How successfully are you getting all the gluten out of your diet? From what I understand, it is the gluten that is the problem. Once diagnosed and removing it, you should be able to lose weight. Then again, I am far from an expert on this.

chatipati1

Well, a couple of things. My 16 year old has celiacs and was diagnosed in 3rd grade. So, I feel that i have learned a ton and her numbers are excellent, so that is our reward for doing what was told. You can read what people tell you on here about celiacs and some of it is true...some don't know what they are talking about. You have to get a good nutritionist. I will tell you the things I was told. It may take a year for your numbers to get where they should be..for your small intestine to really repair. So when you say that you don't feel well or are fatigued, I was thinking..hmm I wonder if she is taking a GF multivitamin..I wonder if she is cross contaminating her food in some way. When using a toaster oven, use foil and place food on the foil. Ask for the same for food cooked in a restaurant. Places good to go out to eat....Red Robin, Long Horn, etc...we go just about anywhere and are used to ordering out. Places that have GF food in buffets...they will tell you they can change spoons...but the food was already cross contaminated so that is useless. You have to be extreme and never cheat. Why give up milk unless you are lactose intolerant? Chocolate milks...hmm sometimes the cocoa has gluten...same with hot chocolate.

Weight gain. Since you have gained...are you in the right weight for your age/height? Also, not all GF is so tasty...so they load it with butter, salt...to make it better...and you could gain weight. You can inbox me if you like and i can tell you what my kid eats for example is you like.

I hope you feel better and achieve your goals while learning how to eat variety with this restrictive diet...But ot be honets with you, it is second nature to us and doesn't even phase us anymore...

pita7317

Not an expert on celiac disease but I do know that I am definitely gluten intolerant.
Four years ago within in a matter of a few months I gained 30 lbs ! A couple of other possible factors for that but gluten was a large part of it. I removed it completely from my diet and lost like 5 lbs in a weeks time. But even better than that, my stomach was no longer bloated and hurt all the time. From time to time now I will eat a little but have to be super careful or....my stomach lets me know. It's really hard to eliminate it completely. Lots of hidden sources....soy sauce is an absolute killer. Went out to dinner recently, Japanese steakhouse and paid the price for 3 days afterwards. Anyway, good luck to you. Do some research on everything that has gluten in it...even salad dressings. I also once read to list everything, heathwise, that is bothering you and rate from 1 to 10 how often you think about it. Fatigue, bloating, abdominal pain, etc. Cut ALL gluten for 2-3 weeks and then rate those issues again.
I was amazed at the difference. Took me 4 years but I dropped 26 lbs of what I gained. Not an exercise person...I started MFP , seriously 5 weeks ago and happy to say I am now down 29 lbs.

tempXT81

Hey - Hang in there!! I've been a Celiac for over 2 years now and have had similar frustrations. That's why I joined this website; to find others who actually gained weight instead of lose!!!

I agree whole-heartedly with ChatiPati1 as her experience IS accurate. Every Celiac and gluten-sensitive person is different.
Milk was not good for me until my stomach started healing, so I added it back slowly. Some dairy upsets my stomach, and for that I listen to my body more now than ever to which ones it negatively reacts to. This is NOT uncommon among Celiacs!

I can no longer eat raw almonds but the almond butter is fine. Makes no sense, but like I said I "listen" to how my body responds. You may, however, be fine with them.

Fatigue can be ongoing even after the healing process, and I'm still in that process. Cross-contamination is an issue. Look into that. And be sure you're reading labels on practically everything as American food has it in just about everything: condiments, applesauce, tomato sauces, soups even without noodles/wheat-barley anything, additives as "natural flavors," some molasses, gum, candy, the list goes on! It can actually make one quite angry knowing what companies put in jars that are supposed to be good for you.

It can be very frustrating and depressing at times for many reasons, of which there's no way I'll list them all here. The only ones who can truly understand are those diagnosed and a parent of a child with it.

Best Wishes- Feel free to contact me with questions!:flowerforyou:

diderw

I have not read all the replies. But I am in the same boat as you. All the same fights. I was diagnosed with celiac a year ago January. I went cold turkey gluten free. They told me I would gain weight. I've gained 25 pounds. So badly wish I could figure this out!!!