Celiac Disease Support Group

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder of the digestive system that occurs in genetically-predisposed individuals. It is characterised by damage or flattening to all or part of the villi lining the small intestine, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients. This damage is caused by eating anything with gluten (gliadin), a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley...

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Gastrointestinal System
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weight gain and gluten

iworry
iworry
Hi, I am not diagnosed with Celiac... I never pursued testing. But I have had digestive problems with gluten in the past year so I cut it out about 8 months ago. I started gaining some weight. About a pound every month I would say. I started to feel annoyed by this so I started working out more and focusing on eating better and less. I didn't lose a single pound. I got really mad and started eating gluten again, because before I went gluten free I was really happy with my weight and I never used to exercise then! Now, after eating gluten I have gained an additional 8 POUNDS in two weeks. I am absolute disbelief. I weighed 109 this time last year (I am 5'3) and the scale said 133 just now. I have NEVER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE weighed that much. I'm having a meltdown. I thought I would lose weight from not properly absorbing the food, but somehow it has managed to do the exact opposite to the extreme. Everything just feels like a complete mess I never feel normal anymore. I've been getting sick a lot lately (not digestive) so I haven't been able to get to the gym much at all the past couple of weeks, but I am not increasing what I am eating.

Can gluten make you gain? I feel so frustrated because I don't even know for sure that I have a legitimate problem with gluten, but it is wreaking havoc!!!! HELP!
22Lynn
22Lynn
If cutting out the gluten helped your digestive problems I would stay off the gluten. Unfortunately gluten causes other parts of your body to have major illnesses start if you don't cut it out of your diet in time. Your problem sounds more like a thyroid problem to me. Not being diagnosed with celiac in time, I got both hypothyroidism and Addison's before being diagnosed with the celiac. I gained over 30 lbs from the thyroid problem. It is very hard to lose weight if your thyroid isn't working right. Celiac or gluten intolerance can cause autoimmune problems. If you read some of the posts there is a link to Dr. Peter Osbourne who explains all this. Good luck. Hopefully someone else here has answers for you.
nanny1611
nanny1611
Here is an article that explains why gluten can cause weight gain, including whenever you go GF.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jj-virgin/gluten_b_1834836.html

My doctor told me that "Gluten is like a poison to anyone with an autoimmune disease....and....Gluten likes to attack the thyroid." So you might want to consider what Lynn mentioned about your thyroid and/or adrenal glands. Gluten can attack anything in your body--causing leaky gut, (in my case) muscle issues, etc. Here is the link to Dr. Osborne's video that Lynn mentioned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv5RwxYW8yA

Also, digestive issues can add to your weight gain problems. I, too, have digestion problems and have been working on them by taking a probiotic digestive aid, eating fermented/cultured foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut, and drinking kefir and kombucha. In addition, when a person has gluten problems, they often have other food sensitivities. For instance, corn also bothers me, so I often eat grain-free meals. Hope you figure out your health issues. Best wishes.
iworry
iworry
Thank you, both. That was helpful information. I have interstitial cystitis so the diet I should be on is SO difficult to follow in a college setting! I feel like I am always failing at one of them. I have decided that I am for sure going to recommit to gluten-free. I will find a way to handle weight after I get my body back to a healthy state. Between the endometriosis issues, the interstitial cystitis and the gluten issues, my entire body just feels like chaos right now!
deleted_user
deleted_user
These post are so interesting, because I have had my thyroid test year after year and it always comes back ok. I have gained sooo much weight in the last few years its unbelievable, but with other issues, exercising is almost out of the question. I am praying just this gluten free diet will help me at least pull off a little weight.
22Lynn
22Lynn
Rosie, if your doctor is diagnosing your thyroid strictly on your TSH number you can be "ok" in their books but still have a thyroid problem. You need the doctor to test your Free T3 and Free T4 numbers and see where they are on the lab ranges. If you read some of the posts on the hypothyroid site you'll get a very clear picture of what I'm talking about. They have a lot of links to what the symptoms are, doctors to see, etc. it is definitely worth it for you to take a look.
iworry
iworry
22Lynn, that is interesting you mention that. My thyroid was apparently ok, but I only got the TSH test... Good to know.

Is bloating a common issue with all of this gluten madness? Like really really severe bloating? I can't figure out if it is from my Endometriosis or from the gluten issues... I eat a small low sodium properly portioned (and lately, low carb) meal and after I feel immense pressure all the way up to my chest! It is insanely uncomfortable and starts to make breathing feel really uncomfortable. It's been happening every time I eat lately. I wonder if a lot of this weight could be bloating...
22Lynn
22Lynn
I've had the bloating only a few times. I have to keep my meals very small, eat through out the day to avoid the bloating. But it just goes up into my chest like you said, makes it uncomfortable to breath and it lasts for hours. So no matter how much I enjoy what I'm eating, I only eat a little bit at a time. It isn't the celiac causing the bloating for me.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Can this swelling and bloating be due to Endometriosis, I noticed it was mentioned. When I had a complete hysterectomy done, they said I was full of endometriosis. Can that come back? Maybe im dealing with 2 things instead of one. Since the gluten free doesn't seem to be helping,i feel helpless till I go back to see the gastrointerologists nurses practioner. which wont be till Jan.14th. what do yall do for pain?
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have some questions for you about your weight gain. Do you look heavier? Are you feeling better?Do you look better? These are things that you know. The reason I asked is because muscle weighs more than fat,so your weight gain might be muscle.You can scales measure body fat percentage,I don't know if they work but maybe should do little research on them.
deleted_user
deleted_user
iworry - is there a possibility that you are getting "glutened" from those pesky hidden ingredients? Label reading is a pain in the butt, but some people are so sensitive, a tiny amount can wreak havoc.
iworry
iworry
When I get the bloating I do look heavier and with the weight gain a little bit... I still fit in all of the clothes I wore 15 pounds ago so I guess some of it at least has to be muscle. I'm not as good at gluten free as I should be. I don't always read labels as meticulously as I should because the diet I have to be on for my interstitial cystitis is also very particular and there's hardly anything left to eat :/ I screwed up a few times with eating gluten while I have been home from school and I dropped 8 pounds... it's weird. I think that some of my bloating is definitely from endometriosis though, too.