Tips for putting on weight

[Kari55]

Hello, my husband had lost a lot of weight due to his Graves’ disease ( 194cm tall, weighing now 65kg) and is struggling to put weight on. Being on autoimmune diet doesn’t help his weight as it is hard to put anything on when eating healthy. If you have been through a similar thing, please share your experiences.

[Pensweetie]

I tried the auto imune diet but the weight dropped off me from day 1 and I too had already lost too much from Graves Disease. I decided that it wasn't a good route to take and I was worried about missing out on a wide range of nutrients too. Are you sure he is intollerant to everything that has to be excluded from this very restricted diet? He may be missing out on great foods that he could potentially be eating.

[Kari55 in reply to Pensweetie]

He has always been intolerant to dairy, soya and yeast. The reaction to diary is quite strong although I wouldn’t class is as an allergy (he gets slightly swollen lips and vomits immediately but wouldn’t go into anaphylactic shock). He can tolerate gluten and legumes but gets very bloated and doesn’t feel very well. He might start reintroducing a bit of nuts and eggs, although he can only tolerate 1 egg at a time. AIP is really helping him with gut issues but unfortunately the weight is becoming an issue even though he devours huge amount of foods.

[dang in reply to Kari55]

It sounds like he might have a number of enzyme deficiencies. I have the same and in fact I’m hypothyroid but also struggle to keep on weight due to my limited diet. Also started dropping fast when I went AIP.

The thing is at some point your body normalizes and there’s no more fat to loose, it’s ok to be skinny as long as you are healthy and make sure your blood tests and vitamins are all in order. It’s mostly just a scary thing when it happens quickly and it can take some time for the body to regulate. But once it regulates he will likely put back on a couple pounds.

I personally went through all the trials for my enzyme and diet problems until doctors found most of my issues, then I figured out which junk food I can eat (basically just potato chips as long as the ingredients are just potato, oil and salt) and every couple days I eat some junk food and it helps me not become skinny to the point where my family starts commenting. It’s probably not the healthiest solution but it works, sometimes I’ll eat peanut butter too if it’s 100% peanuts without any additives it helps put on weight but tends to make me sick too...

[Kari55 in reply to dang]

Very useful post, thank you.

[Kari55 in reply to Pensweetie]

What route did you decide to take?

[Pensweetie in reply to Kari55]

Just a healthy diet. Lots of ferments (saurcraut, Kombucha - both of I make myself), not much sugary stuff, lot of veg, lots of oily fish, a little organic local meat. I am lucky because I don't seem to be intollerant of anything so can eat dairy. My experience maybe doesn't help your husband much. My main point is, maybe don't exclude something simpy because its in the AIP rules. It might be an important food for your husband to maintain weight and get the nutrients he needs.

[Fruitandnutcase]

I would ask for more investigations because once my thyroid was sorted out I put back all the weight I lost after I was diagnosed with Graves.

I had read a comment made by Dr Toft in his little book ‘Understanding Your Thyroid’ saying that that is what happens and I thought that myself ‘No way’ but sure enough just like the man said - I ended up back at my pre Graves weight.

So if he is eating enough good foods - there are masses of foods that he could eat that shouldn’t cause him gut problems - and is not gaining any weight and his Graves has been sorted out and he is in remission then I would want to have further investigations.

[Kari55 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

How long did it take you to put weight back on?

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Kari55]

I would think it probably took about a year to creep back on. Unlike your husband I desperately wanted to stay at my Graves weight - I looked really good - but alas it was not to be.

I wouldn’t say I got thin because I ate less when my Graves was at my worst or that I ate more once I was better. It just seemed to happen, probably because my metabolism had changed.

[Kari55 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

That is really helpful, it looks like he just needs more time. I keep telling him that! I guess I don’t know what is like to be that tall and thin and people’s comments don’t help. I hope you are doing ok and keeping your illness at bay. Thanks for always replying to me! X

[Annkapp]

I was hypothyroid and losing weight a little at a time but over time was very concerned. Felt like I was wasting away. Had lost all my fat so I did not look healthy and also was losing muscle. I was at a point where I felt like I was also losing heart muscle - very scary. I was on a restricted diet due to food allergies and food sensitivities (no grains, dairy, egg, soy). Went to a gastroenterologist, had a scan and scope and blood tests to see if anything was wrong and everything came back normal. I decided to try digestive aids and finally came up with something to stop the weight loss but have not had success in gaining back weight yet. However I am feeling healthier and mor energy. I ended up taking Betain HCL and pepsin, ox bile and Lypase enzymes.

Sugar will definitely help put on weight if he would like to try but of course not very healthy.