Gluten-free but putting on weight?

Have you put on weight since going gluten-free?

Some people are underweight before being diagnosed; others are overweight. Either way, it can be easy to put on weight after diagnosis ... This may be because your body is now processing the food you do eat much better, and so you don't need as much food as you did before, or it may be because the manufactured gluten-free cakes and biscuits do tend to be more calorific than 'ordinary' ones.

It is definitely worth checking the ingredients for shop-bought bread, cake and biscuits or cookies, as these may surprise you. If you simply can't resist this kind of thing, try making your own - it really isn't that hard, and at least you'll know what you're eating. We're hoping to include some gluten-free recipes on this site in the near future - check our recipe bank to see how far we've got.

Of course, it is easy to say "Eat less and exercise more", and much less easy to do it in practice. There are groups out there to help: both eDiets and Weight Watchers.co.uk® can offer tailored gluten-free diets for you to follow. And they do work: I lost a stone (14lbs) with Weight Watchers®. Find 100s of delicious recipes to help you lose weight. With new Switch, make small changes to your life, which can mean big changes to your weight. Now with an online plan.

We found that our - initially undernourished - child rapidly put on weight after going gluten-free, and after a year looked quite chunky. We put this down to a 'famine response' - her body was storing up fat in reaction to having been starved before. Over time this chunkiness has reduced, without any change to her diet, and she is now slim, and looks, presumably, as she would have done had she never had a problem with gluten.

If you think you need to actively lose weight, this book might help - it offers recipes for low calorie gluten free food.

We sell clothes - and other items - with gluten-free messages and images (and others!). Use these images to remind others, and yourself, that you shouldn't eat things with gluten in, for your own health.

Remember, getting it right matters to your long-term health, and getting it wrong can have very unpleasant short-term effects ...

Say No to wheat, oats, barley and rye!