Weight Loss - Gluten Free Diet : Celiacs

Options
alexandraleaden
alexandraleaden Posts: 99
in Food and Nutrition
Hello!

I was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease a couple months ago, had my biopsy yesterday, and have officially begun my life as a twenty-something Gluten Free girl. I'm actually super excited about this - less pain, less fatigue, its going to be great!

As most of you already know, with Gluten, my body wasn't able to absorb vitamins or nutrients from the foods i ate - now that Im off Gluten, I will start healing and be able to.

That leads to my actual question for you Celiacs out there. Did you gain or lose weight when you started the healing and Gluten free diet? I assume you would maybe gain at first then be able to start losing weight easier? I feel as if my body has held on to weight when my symptoms are worse.

I'm super curious to know what your story is if you are a celiac that went off gluten. OR really anyone that has gone off Gluten for health issues.

Also - I'm looking for more Celiac or Gluten Free friends - can you friend me?? :smile:

Have a great day!

Alex

Replies

  • sthien7
    sthien7 Posts: 12
    Options
    Hi Alex-

    I am Sarah. I was diagnosed with Celiac when I was 19 years old, my freshman year of college. I am now 22 and 3 years gluten free and pain free!

    When I first went gluten free I also retired from being a competitive swimmer. With both of these changes I gained 30 lbs, and I was already heavier than I should have been. I always chalked it up to being strong, which was true, but I could have been leaner. Last summer I lost 23 lbs and have kept it off since then. I stay away from all the processed foods that are labeled "gluten free"; the breads, pastas, baked goods. I feel like that is where I went wrong, just replaced everything. Gluten free products are loaded with sugar, and calories. Basically, cutting those out let me drop the weight easily.

    Now I am back for more weight loss/getting fit. I am a swim coach and want to be a good role model for my swimmers. Also, I would like to keep up with them.

    I will send you an add. If you have any questions about gluten free recipes, let me know!!

    Sarah
  • T1DAnna
    T1DAnna Posts: 7
    Options
    I have celiac disease(just recently diagnosed too). I've heard that as long as you stay away from the fake gluten foods(except for on special occasions) then it will be very easy to lose and maintain
  • sdeters123
    sdeters123 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I was diagnosed about 2 years ago, when I was 25. I was struggling to lose weight at the time even though I was eating great and working out. Within the first 6 months or so after being diagnosed I lost weight, what I should have lost by my eating and working out but since nothing was absorbing nothing was happening. Within a few months after that I had a stressful time period with work and have put some weight back on. The problem with g-free food is that it's not always great in terms of the ingredients, so really read labels. That being said, I love Dr. Schar brand products and Quinoa pasta. Luckily fruits and veggies are g-free! If you like asian food I've found that even my local safeway carries g-free soy sauce. Best of luck to you! It's quite a transition, but it's amazing how much better you feel! One of the first things I noticed was my hair changed texture- much more full and healthy and my skin cleared way up.
  • mbolton55
    mbolton55 Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    Hi! I have been gluten free for over 2 years and I did lose weight initially. For me, I had trouble losing before I found out I had Celiac and eating gluten free has helped and made me feel wonderful. I have also heard that some who want to gain weight but can't will gain after going gluten free. I think it is just each persons body working properly with the right foods :)

    Good luck to you :)
  • alexandraleaden
    alexandraleaden Posts: 99
    Options
    Hi Alex-

    I am Sarah. I was diagnosed with Celiac when I was 19 years old, my freshman year of college. I am now 22 and 3 years gluten free and pain free!

    When I first went gluten free I also retired from being a competitive swimmer. With both of these changes I gained 30 lbs, and I was already heavier than I should have been. I always chalked it up to being strong, which was true, but I could have been leaner. Last summer I lost 23 lbs and have kept it off since then. I stay away from all the processed foods that are labeled "gluten free"; the breads, pastas, baked goods. I feel like that is where I went wrong, just replaced everything. Gluten free products are loaded with sugar, and calories. Basically, cutting those out let me drop the weight easily.

    Now I am back for more weight loss/getting fit. I am a swim coach and want to be a good role model for my swimmers. Also, I would like to keep up with them.

    I will send you an add. If you have any questions about gluten free recipes, let me know!!

    Sarah

    Thanks for responding girl! Thanks for the add! :)
  • alexandraleaden
    alexandraleaden Posts: 99
    Options
    I was diagnosed about 2 years ago, when I was 25. I was struggling to lose weight at the time even though I was eating great and working out. Within the first 6 months or so after being diagnosed I lost weight, what I should have lost by my eating and working out but since nothing was absorbing nothing was happening. Within a few months after that I had a stressful time period with work and have put some weight back on. The problem with g-free food is that it's not always great in terms of the ingredients, so really read labels. That being said, I love Dr. Schar brand products and Quinoa pasta. Luckily fruits and veggies are g-free! If you like asian food I've found that even my local safeway carries g-free soy sauce. Best of luck to you! It's quite a transition, but it's amazing how much better you feel! One of the first things I noticed was my hair changed texture- much more full and healthy and my skin cleared way up.

    This is encouraging! I was also 25 when I was diagnosed, I just had a bday :) and have been eating great and working out as well and not seeing any changes so thank you!
  • alexandraleaden
    alexandraleaden Posts: 99
    Options
    Hi! I have been gluten free for over 2 years and I did lose weight initially. For me, I had trouble losing before I found out I had Celiac and eating gluten free has helped and made me feel wonderful. I have also heard that some who want to gain weight but can't will gain after going gluten free. I think it is just each persons body working properly with the right foods :)

    Good luck to you :)

    Thank you! and thank you for the add!
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Options
    Ohhhh I'm on this list! I'm a 21 year old baker and have been fully GF for about 2 years now. I lost my first 35lbs just from my diet change alone (we couldn't afford any GF cookies so hellloooo apples!). I'd second the part about checking the labels, my GF pasta is HUGE in calories, so it's a weekend luxury for me! I'm also a big quinoa fan, it's my staple dinner atm, delish!
  • ekim841
    ekim841 Posts: 1
    Options
    Hi! I was diagnosed with Celiacs about a year ago. I always had a hard time losing weight in highschool and college in spite of a healthy but strict diet and some serious exercise. By the time I found out about my celiacs I was at only 1200 calories and not losing anything in spite of being 5'6 and 170 pounds at age 27. I tried everything under the sun to lose weight.

    I think its because the gluten stops the metabolic process in a form of defense so as not to absorb it but in its starvation it held on to my fat. At least that's my theory. Aaaanyhoooo... i came off gluten and felt better but didn't drop any weight for about 4 months. I didn't gain any either though. I stopped all my exercise (went from jogging 7 days a week to nothing), increased my calorie in take from 1200 to 2000, ate tons more processed gluten free junk food, and by the time i hit 2500 to 3000 calories I began losing weight at a rate of 10 to 12 pounds a month. I'm at net loss of 40 pounds right now. I'll let you know when it stops. Lol I have found that eating more and losing more has been a direct correlation. At 1500 calories i maintain and thereafter for every 500 calories i add daily increases my weight loss by 5 pounds per month. I have bought all the gf cookies, potato chips, pasta, candy i could find. Along with real food such as a very high intake of red meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and lots of rice and potatoes work best for me. :) Just food for thought.

    Btw I am also now struggling to keep any weight on or at least slow down the process while still making up for lost nutrients.

Categories