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Hi,
I want to sommarize your comments on weight gain.
I must tell you my first language is french, so I hope that I don't make too
much mistakes!
First thanks a lot for your tremendous response (27)
I was told that 1/3 of people with CD looses weight when eating gluten, 1/3
gain weight, and 1/3 remains the same.
But someone else said :"According to Holmes & Cooke's *Coeliac
Disease*, which I'm told is a standard medical reference on CD, one celiac
in five gains weight while still eating gluten, while 2 in 5 lose weight and
the weight of the others isn't affected by the disease. "
Most of the people that responded to me, experienced the same thing than me
and lost weight of GF. Or at least in the beginning, because after a while,
two said they start gaining again.
Some lost a lot of weight between 5 to 75 pounds. (Average seems 10 to 15)
Some people told me that it was the other way around for them and that they
now gain too much weight and are upset about it. They wonder if it's not
from the starch. One even said " I guess I know now why farmers feed their
animals corn to take them to market!!! "
Few where asking me how I explain my weight loss. I must tell that since I
went GF, because I found confusing to know what to eat and what not to eat,
I mostly ate meat, vegetable, and fruit. I avoided for a while, potato,
rice and corn because I heard of the glycemic index of these product and
didn't want to take a chance, since I felt sick for weeks, when I started
going GF. But I also think that the explanation below of the body shutting
down because of malnutrition would apply to me. I had legs cramps,
migraine, hypoglycemia, panick attack and so on before I went GF.
One of the respondant told me that she was diagnosed with diagnosed with
Hemochromatosis (an iron-overload genetic disease) and wonder if the
combination of the two (with CD) would give weight gain as a result, while
still on gluten. She also said that both diseases are controlled by the
same gene and people could get the two diseases.
Here are some more of your comments:
" I think it is common for "some" (not all) celiacs to gain weight before
going GF. I think the mechanism is that the body starts to shut down and go
into a starvation mode due to malabsorption. This causes the metablosim to
slow down in an attempt to stop the depletion of the missing nutrients,
vitamins and minerals."
"I believe that the
toxins that were caused by the gluten, caused water retention and just
excess poundage. I believe that, if I persisted with gluten, I would then
suffer from malabsorption and weight loss. "
"some of that may have been from gas produced due to improper absorption."
"My doctor thinks that going on a gluten-free diet alleviates the tendency to
retain fluids and that the weight loss is fluids." (the same person asked
me if my ankles and hands were also swollen and yes they were and my face
too)
"some people hold back fluid might turn into kidney problems"
"Sounds just like me! My arms and legs were always thin but my middle was a
puffed up balloon. I think that my body was holding water in an effort to
stabilize itself in some way. Undoubtedly there is a chemical imbalance."
(that was also my case, my weight is on my abdomen)
and someone said: "hi, I lost 75 pounds the first year of eating gluten
free! "
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Thanks again and wow, I am amazed some of you know more on that disease
than all the doctors I have seen (a lot) added together!!!
Johanne
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