Ok, first off let me say I am not a confirmed celiac. I have a wheat allergy & I am currently undergoing the testing for celiac even though the allergist says it makes no difference I have the same symptoms & rules to follow. Anyways, I have been gluten-free for almost 2 weeks now. I feel better, I look better, & my waist & facial swelling has gone down alot. But the numbers on the scale do not match up! I have gained 5 lbs. in this time!!! What is going on & why?! Has anyone else experienced this or know when this will stop? I don't want all my hard work to bring me back to the same size I was before. This is really bothering me emotionally too... So, any takers? Or anyone have pointer for what I need to do different?

Jessica, I'm not sure why you've gone down with the swelling but up on the weight. It could just be losing water weight puffiness for your face and waistline but gaining glycogen stores elsewhere or something like that.

I don't have any answers on the weight. The dietitian that I saw said that I may hold onto weight after going gluten free because 1) a body thinks it is still "starving" because it was malnourished for so long, so it is holding onto weight and 2) now that it is absorbing nutrients, it is more efficient at saving calories than it was before and 3) the body's metabolism may have slowed down due to celiac, so it is not burning calories as efficiently. She advised weight training for me plus aerobic exercise. Hope this helps.

~Laura

You won't necessarily automatically lose weight just by cutting out gluten. I didn't but my tummy area sure flattened out without all that bloating all the time. In fact... some people start to gain weight because they're replacing the gluten with substitutes that are higher in carbs and calories and they're finally absorbing their food better.

What's your diet plan?

I gained weight going gluten-free I'm up too 112 lbs and even with working out and weight lifting cannot seem to lose it! uuugggg

Right now all I am eating is fruit, veggies, & protiens. Occasionally I will have a Coke but that is it. I had stopped working out until I kinda got a better handle on this diet thing but I am planning on starting again. I am trying to be patient but the weight is slowly creeping upwards still. Maybe exercise is the answer?

Hi Jessica,

Yes, I think exercise is the answer, at least I hope it is for me. I, too, stopped at diagnosis since I felt so bad and just started again last week. I'm going to really kick the exercise into gear this week and see if that helps.

Good luck!

~Laura

Hi there - just thought I'd add my two cents worth...I seem to have the opposite of everybody else...I can't gain weight yet but keep losing it. Two months ago I weighed 128 and I now weigh 111 - I'm 5'2" and "petite" - but am now getting kinda bony. All the weight loss and no exercise (due to muscle spasms from fibromyalgia) or muscle tone in a short amount of time has made my arms flabby and it's really GROSS. I'm finally gluten-free (I think) and starting to slowly feel better (although I'm always hungry and have to eat every 3 hours) - I'm wondering if you think slow and easy arm exercises with maybe very light weights (or my friend said to use cangoods as weights...) would improve muscle tone and eventually firm up my upper arms...would this take forever...or isn't it going to be enough to make a difference? I'm actually embarrassed now to wear anything without long sleeves...Thanks for any advice...also how long does it usually take once you're eating somewhat again to begin to start gaining weight back?? Karen Dianne P.S. You look great!

Hi, I think you really need to get back to using your weights, you can use light weights and still get your arms toned. I only use 12 lb weights but you can go even lighter, 5 lbs will help you tighten up your biceps and tri's
good luck!!