Continued weight loss after dietary changes?

[darkdakini]

Hello! After a lot of scary symptoms (with the commonly associated GI symptoms running in the background for some time), I was finally dx with gluten intolerance (very high IgG) back in August. I also started losing weight rapidly due to my intestinal and pancreatic damage and inability to absorb nutrients, though I'd had iron and b12 deficiency for years. I guess those were clues all along.

I was never given a formal dx of celiac disease... By the time that testing was conducted I was already off gluten for a month. My results from being off gluten have been miraculous. I also went off casein (cow's milk) because that also revealed high IgG.

My question is, why might I still losing weight? Is it because I'm not getting the amount of carbs I used to? At first when I started this diet change, I was "hangry" all the time. Now I seem to have gotten over that hump and am more or less grazing throughout the day.

I guess this is just fleeting paranoia. My symptoms were so, so bad with the gluten that I was convinced I had a horrible, devastating disease (i.e. cancer, vasculitis, etc.) Is continued weight loss common with this condition?

I will mention that my body feels like it's done a total reset. I have energy. My metabolism was stunted for a while, even with regular moderate exercise. That no longer seems to be a problem...

[Penel]

Hi

It can take a while before your body gets over the damage and starts absorbing food properly. And, as you say, if you’ve not replaced the carbs that can also cause weight loss.

Make sure you’re eating energy dense food, including full fat options. You could up the carbs with gluten free options, like quinoa or buckwheat. It’s best to avoid ready-made gf foods as they often contain additives that don’t do us any good.

It does sound as though you are starting to recover, as your energy has returned, but it would be a good idea to check with your doctor if you are worried.

[jox1]

as Penel says above. But you should probably assess your total calory intake to get a broad indicator of where you are - also check out your body mass index for a broad indication . Look at your bowel motions compared with the Bristol stool scale which will also tell you something about your digestive health. All that should tell you whether your heading in the right direction or need to add corrections

[Cooper27]

It can take months for antibodies to fall back into normal range once you go GF, so if you only stopped gluten a month ago, you might still be able to pick up antibodies on a test.

Penel has covered most of it already. I find some people will cut out gluten without finding a calorie equivalent alternative (e.g. swapping a 600 calorie sandwich for a 300 calorie salad for lunch).

Those with coeliac disease need to get 1000mg/day of calcium, where a normal person needs 700mg. I'd work on the assumption you need to aim for 1000mg, and the easiest way to achieve that is with full fat dairy. Once you add that in, you'll probably see your weight increase a little.

[Mathri]

Hi darkdakini

By giving up carbs, your body has probably entered a state of ketosis in which you burn your body fat instead.

This is in effect a ketogenic diet, which is now widely used to lose weight rapidly. It gets its name due to the ketones formed as part of the biochemical pathway leading to the burning of fat as a fuel for your metabolism. A byproduct of this pathway is acetone, which gives your breath a fruity smell but is relatively harmless. It takes a week or two for the body to adapt and you may get flu-like symptoms for a while (keto-flu) but many people on a ketogenic diet, apart from losing possibly unwanted body fat, feel much better than before since both your body and your brain run more efficiently on ketones than on carbs.

The take-home story is don't worry; you are doing great. But if you really do want to put a but more weight on, add healthy carbs and proteins back into your diet. Do NOT add fat since this will help to keep you in the fat-burning mode and you may continue to lose weight!

I hope this helps