I have been studying about Gluten Allergies lately since I just found out through blood tests that I am allergic to Gluten and that it likely caused (or was one of the causes) of becoming Hypothyroid which wasn't diagnosed until I was 58. So, what I have realized since finding out that 40% of the people on earth are allergic to gluten (to a greater or lesser degree). And extreme form of Gluten allergy is called Celiacs or Coeliacs disease and is sometimes fatal if not diagnosed young enough. Another thing I have learned is that if one person in a genetically connected family has gluten allergies expect others in that family to have gluten allergies as well. For example, 3 years ago my 24 year old daughter said she had been diagnosed to be allergic to gluten as well. So, usually this means you are eating the gluten in Wheat, Oats or barley mostly because of the genetic engineering of these grains since the 1960s to be heartier for plant survival. Unfortunately, this wasn't a good idea for 40% of the people on earth.
So, if you are having weight problems (not being able to lose weight easily) then you have almost a 50% chance of being allergic to a greater or lesser degree to gluten.
In my daughter's case she couldn't gain weight and was very thin but still healthy but since taking all gluten out of her diet she is gaining a little weight and is much happier.
In my case I never had a weight problem and was mostly buff from about 15 to my early 40s. Then my divorce and then remarrying I gained some weight when my then new wife was pregnant and giving birth because it was her first pregnancy at around 40. So, then I found that all the old methods of losing weight (walking 25 miles in a weekend and fasting for 4 to 7 days on water and lemon juice with a little maple syrup or a 4 day watermelon fast just were not going to work anymore because of hypoglycemia and low blood sugar problems. So, I was really frustrated. Also, up until around 40 I also ran 1 to 5 miles a day and found my feet couldn't do this anymore because of healed fractures in my feet from jumping off of roofs with my friends as a lark between the ages of 10 to 15 years of age. So, between the healed fractures and newly discovered bone spurs that I learned to roll out and off with a rolling pin(which can be quite painful) I found I had to stop running so much. I still ran once in a while but it wasn't worth hobbling around for a week afterwards anymore. So, I still walked long distances.
But, the point of all this is to realize that if you are having trouble losing weight regularly you might be experiencing a gluten allergy (almost a 50% chance). And once you address your gluten allergy it will reduce all kinds of swelling in your body and my keep your immune system from attacking your thyroid glands which can be in part in whole caused by your Gluten allergy. For me, personally at my present age of 65 the most onerous thing about this is a gluten allergy at my age tends to make ones brain swell and inflame as well. This can reduce your mental competency at times depending upon how gluten laden what you are eating is on any given day. To understand the extreme problems of Celiacs disease mirror in extreme form some of the symptoms of milder forms of Gluten allergies that 40% of all people have. So, in understanding the extreme reactions of Celiacs disease you see the an extreme form of what you might be dealing with too. So, if you already have been diagnosed Hypothryoid then having a blood test to confirm if you are also allergic to gluten might be warranted.
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