Gluten

Rzammit71

Thoughts on going gluten free to help lose weight. Does it make much of a difference ?

chandanista

I tried going gf a few years ago when several people in my dad's side (including dad) were diagnosed with celiac's. After a month I didn't feel better, hadn't lost weight, and really missed bread.

janjunie

Gluten free is a dietary requirement for people who are celiac. It does absolutely nothing for weight loss. To lose weight you can eat anything you want as long as you are in a calorie deficit.

kshama2001

Going gluten free can be a way of creating a calorie deficit. For example, if you are currently eating 500 calories worth of bread and pasta per day and replace them with 500 calories worth of gluten-free bread and pasta, no, you will not lose weight. But if you decide that gluten-free bread and pasta taste terrible and therefore eat less calories because you have cut out these foods, yes, you will lose weight, but only due to the calorie deficit you have created.

zoeysasha37

If you ate at a caloric surplus of gluten free foods you would still gain weight.

Just because one eats gluten free doesn't mean they will lose weight
Some people must eat gluten free because they are celiacs.
Weight loss comes down to calories not gluten. I could eat 1200 calories of only bread for the day and I would still lose weight because weight loss comes down to calories.
Calorie deficit - weight loss
Calorie surplus- weight gain

caffeinatedcami

I have to eat gluten free because of celiac disease and I agree that cutting out gluten will not help you lose weight (unless you simultaneously create a calorie deficit). In fact, many gluten free breads, granola bars, etc are more caloric that their wheat counterparts because additional fat or sugar is added to make them palatable. Gluten free products also tend to be more expensive. It is a myth that GF automatically means "healthy." Just fit the foods that you like to eat into your calorie goal and you will lose weight.

Kvm11628

I, personally, avoid eliminating any one food (I have no medical condition that requires me to eliminate food) because I think you can have everything in moderation and still meet your fitness and/or weight loss goals. I tend to believe that if you drastically reduce one type of food or one food group you may lose initially but if you go back to your "old" way of eating you have a higher chance of regaining that loss.

My attitude is that this is not a diet I am on. It is a lifestyle change. It's not about giving things up, it is about being more conscious of how, when, and why I am fueling my body. That allows me to not feel good or bad about particular foods, and to not beat myself up about days I might slack.

doesthisappmakemelookfat

Some people feel better giving up processed foods (many of which contain wheat, and therefore gluten). It's calories that make the difference for weight loss, but cutting back on refined carbs can cut cravings which helps with weight loss that way.

tara_means_star

Actually, I read some stuff saying that going gluten free can actually make you gain...not because it has magical properties but because 1. people think they can eat more because it must be lower calorie (it really isn't) or 2. Some gluten free foods actually have a higher calorie content than their gluten free counterparts (some, not all). If you aren't counting calories, being gluten free won't make you drop weight. Plus, if there is no magical properties for those who are not celiac or gluten intolerant or IBS, why would you want to give up the good tasting bread?

pollypocket1021

I'm gonna leave this here...


https://youtu.be/Oht9AEq1798

tara_means_star

pollypocket1021 wrote: »

I'm gonna leave this here...


https://youtu.be/Oht9AEq1798

That. Is. Hysterical.

(just so everyone knows, being gluten intolerant is not funny for those who are truly intolerant but for the "intolerant" others, this video is hilarious)

HippySkoppy

@pollypocket1021 ^^^ That video was very funny....even for someone like me who is gluten free.

Op - as others have said losing weight is all about the deficit, however, if you feel that you are reacting negatively to gluten based products then please speak to your Doctor and get some testing done.

Definitive testing is done by biopsy during a colonoscopy at least here in Aus. anyway, I have heard of saliva testing and skin pricks but I'm not sure how accurate they are.

It isn't for the faint of heart to adjust your way of eating to completely eliminate gluten from you life and I am beginning to believe that there are more and more people who don't tolerate the modern wheat products and do have poor reactions without necessarily being celiac.

Like the video pointed out the amount of vilification of wheat/gluten in general has taken on a new lease of life in recent times. Wheat is being blamed for everything these days and many people are making a tidy sum of money from touting this new trend so beware of everything you read and believe.

I guess though if you wanted to have a trial of eliminating gluten from your diet and see how you feel at the end of it there are plenty more grains to choose from and certainly a plethora of GF products that have hit the market.....just like another poster said beware that these products are not necessarily lower calorie that their wheat counterpart.

All the best.

tara_means_star

HippySkoppy wrote: »

@pollypocket1021 ^^^ That video was very funny....even for someone like me who is gluten free.

Op - as others have said losing weight is all about the deficit, however, if you feel that you are reacting negatively to gluten based products then please speak to your Doctor and get some testing done.

Definitive testing is done by biopsy during a colonoscopy at least here in Aus. anyway, I have heard of saliva testing and skin pricks but I'm not sure how accurate they are.

It isn't for the faint of heart to adjust your way of eating to completely eliminate gluten from you life and I am beginning to believe that there are more and more people who don't tolerate the modern wheat products and do have poor reactions without necessarily being celiac.

Like the video pointed out the amount of vilification of wheat/gluten in general has taken on a new lease of life in recent times. Wheat is being blamed for everything these days and many people are making a tidy sum of money from touting this new trend so beware of everything you read and believe.

I guess though if you wanted to have a trial of eliminating gluten from your diet and see how you feel at the end of it there are plenty more grains to choose from and certainly a plethora of GF products that have hit the market.....just like another poster said beware that these products are not necessarily lower calorie that their wheat counterpart.

All the best.

This is well written. At one point in time, I thought gluten was a trigger food for me. My doc recommended I do an IBS diet called FODMAPS and take it one step farther to gluten free (it's all but gfree anyway) because my dad has celiac. It turns out I needed the probiotic she also recommended. Once I realized this, I returned to all of the yummy gluten-y deliciousness I had missed so much. I'll add that when I eliminated gluten, I lost zero weight. Zero. Nada. I eat gluten daily now and have lost steadily because I started logging my calories.

JoshuaMcAllister

I was diagnosed coeliac 5 or so years ago, when I first cut gluten from my diet I noticed a significant drop in my weight. I would not recommend it as a diet to solely loose weight other factors should be considered. For example gluten free breads, pasta etc, tend to carry similar or more calories/carbs per gram so by simply replacing like for like won't help you loose weight. However that being said wheat, rye and barley (gluten grains) absorb water, so as a result when eaten it will expand and bloat your stomach sometimes giving you the sensation of weight gain as it usually take some time to pass. Having a large bowl of pasta a short time before sleeping you are not giving your body enough time to break it down and will likely wake up with that same sensation. There are one or two here claiming they didn't loose any weight from giving it up so I guess everyone's body reacts differently but from my experience and that of those around me replacing gluten with other grains whilst trying to eat as well as possible you will always loose weight. I have to be very strict in making sure products I consume are free from, which is do by eating fresh fruits, veg, meats and grains. This has been very productive in gaining results I was looking for, everything in moderation and you'll loose just as mush weight as cutting gluten altogether. I would recommend only having one slice of bread with breakfast, one bread roll with lunch and smaller portions of pasta etc, as mush as they aren't bad for you little is more when it comes to dropping weight.

tara_means_star

JoshuaMcAllister wrote: »

I was diagnosed coeliac 5 or so years ago, when I first cut gluten from my diet I noticed a significant drop in my weight. I would not recommend it as a diet to solely loose weight other factors should be considered. For example gluten free breads, pasta etc, tend to carry similar or more calories/carbs per gram so by simply replacing like for like won't help you loose weight. However that being said wheat, rye and barley (gluten grains) absorb water, so as a result when eaten it will expand and bloat your stomach sometimes giving you the sensation of weight gain as it usually take some time to pass. Having a large bowl of pasta a short time before sleeping you are not giving your body enough time to break it down and will likely wake up with that same sensation. There are one or two here claiming they didn't loose any weight from giving it up so I guess everyone's body reacts differently but from my experience and that of those around me replacing gluten with other grains whilst trying to eat as well as possible you will always loose weight. I have to be very strict in making sure products I consume are free from, which is do by eating fresh fruits, veg, meats and grains. This has been very productive in gaining results I was looking for, everything in moderation and you'll loose just as mush weight as cutting gluten altogether. I would recommend only having one slice of bread with breakfast, one bread roll with lunch and smaller portions of pasta etc, as mush as they aren't bad for you little is more when it comes to dropping weight.

Celiac is a really interesting issue in that people's bodies respond to it differently. My dad lost so much weight before he found out he was celiac that he nearly died from malnutrition. It was horrible. He started eating gluten free after he was diagnosed and he gained weight back (which was good). Other people actually gain weight as part of the disease and will lose after they are diagnosed and begin eating gluten free. The important take away, though, is that these symptoms whether gain or loss as a result of eating gluten free, are all in the context of Celiac. For the every day person, eating a gluten free diet is unlikely to result in weight loss unless combined with calorie counting.

spzjlb

Despite the fads, gluten-free diets are not advisable unless you have celiac disease or other allergy to gluten containing foods.

1. Gluten is not a factor in weight gain. If you eat too much of almost anything, a problem arises. Count calories.
2. Gluten free alternatives are very calorie dense so just replacing gluten containing food with GF food will yield a higher calorie intake. They are also expensive!!
3. In many countries (US, Canada, South Africa and others), wheat flour, pasta, bread and cereals are enriched with folic acid, which has resulted in a very dramatic drop in congenital birth defects (in the range of 45%). Gluten free foods are not enriched.
4. Many gluten containing foods also are high fiber, which confers numerous health benefits. Again, avoiding such foods will deprive you of these fibres.

nvmomketo

Ditto the others. A gluten free diet is not for weight loss, it is about improved health for those people who are gluten intolerant.