Wheat

Julescg26

Has anyone cut out wheat not for health reasons?

I made the big leap and signed up with a personal trainer - I've been trying to lose weight for 8-10 years, done weight watchers, always been active but I just kept gaining weight. Kept plateauing and ww were no use what so ever (probably been unlucky with the leaders). So I decided I needed to commit and therefore forked out for 100 pt sessions. The 1st thing he suggested was cutting out wheat from my diet and any extra sugar.

Am into my 2nd week and yes I miss bread and would kill right now for a muffin, I have however noticed that eating 3 eggs for breakfast (omelette or scrambled eggs) I don't get my mid-morning hunger attacks, I have more energy, and at the moment I'm just having various salads for lunch and I generally don't get the mid-afternoon lull - some days I do but not everyday like I used to! I also don't get that afternoon bloatedness.

Has anyone else opted to cut out wheat, what have you experienced, and any good recipes - I tied the cauliflower crust as an alternative for a pizza base at the weekend - I was surprised how good it was (ok so it was pizza - but seeing as I'm not eating pizza it was a good alternative!)

lilawolf

I keep my carbs especially sugar, wheat, and potatoes pretty limited. Under 100 net carbs a day is my goal. Way more energy and suppressed appetite. In soups, replace potatoes with turnips. Mashed potatoes get replaced with mashed cauliflower. Spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash. Lasagna noodles with sliced zucchini or eggplant. Muffin with "Muffin in a minute" (google for tons of recipes). "Oopsie bread" for sandwich bread. Carb balance tortillas for regular flour. Berries and cream instead of other deserts. Eggplant or kale chips instead of potato... Tons of options!

Julescg26

Mm spaghetti squash sounds good, shall give that a go! And yes, I have noticed that I'm not that hungry come evening either, I know I'm not recording everything properly measurement wise on here but I'm eating a lot less calories and don't feel hungry or that I'm missing anything!

lilawolf

Bake it for at least 1.5 hours (no matter what they tell you in recipes). It is always the slightest bit crunchy, but good! Add in a nice meaty spaghetti squash like normal.

Here is what I do with leftovers:
1 can albacore tuna
1 egg
2 cups spaghetti squash (or about half a squash)
2 oz cheese (I used mozzerella and cheddar)
1 tbs parmesean
sprinkling green onions
salsa on side (for my husband)

Make patties and fry on both sides with a little coconut oil or whatever you use. Makes 4 decent sized patties!

The spaghetti squash ends up tasting a little like hashbrowns when cooked this way. SO GOOD!!! Tons of protein and veggie too. Bacon wouldn't go wrong in this, but I used my cals on the cheese instead.

caribougal

Yes. I cut out grains (among other things) as part of eating "primal". I originally did it to start eating healthier and get my carbs from healthier veg and fruit. I always overate bread/pasta/rice, and for me it was harder to moderate than to eliminate, so that's why I chose primal. I did not think I had any gluten sensitivity (or any food allergies in general).

Once I cut grains (and all processed food and refined sugars) out, I found that I had slayed the sugar demon. I no longer crave sweets after every meal, especially after dinner. I now can go easily between meals without snacking if I eat enough healthy fat in my meals.

I dropped 11 pounds in 2 months (which felt agonizingly slow, but sounds pretty good now that I look back), and at least one size down. All purely from diet, no change in exercise.

You might find it easier to stop craving breads/muffins if you give it a bit more time. For me, those cravings disappeared within days, but it's not the same for everyone. Also look at what your total carb/sugar consumption is. If you're eating LOTS of fruit, you may still be consuming too much sugar for your body to adjust and eliminate the cravings. I almost always eat 2 servings of fruit a day, but if I eat more it seems to slow my weight loss.

That said, I had my finger on the "Buy" button today for a website that sells gluten-free paleo breads, muffins, cupcakes, etc. The ingredient list was great... no junk. And then I thought to myself, "I'm not craving these things. Why eat something that looks/tastes like something that I used to overeat just because it's on sale?" So I exited the page.

I do enjoy the experience of eating tuna or cheese on crackers every once in a while, so I buy the crackers at Whole Foods in the raw foods section. They're usually made from flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. Delish, and satisfying.

Good luck.

chivalryder

I am now! I just got the results from a food intolerance test. I cannot eat gluten or wheat AT ALL.

Julescg26

Thanks for that caribougal, I've actually cut out fruit as well at my pt's recommendation - to kick start the weight loss, I'm not really craving bread but just today I could have eaten the muffin, I've always had a major sweet tooth and weakness for cakes! It's to as bad as having been on weight watchers though :-)

Chivalryder - sorry to hear about the test results! It's not so bad giving it up though

TheVimFuego

Another grain (and sugar, processed food) avoider here.

I wasn't diagnosed with any intolerances but since cutting this stuff out I have more energy, I am no longer hungry all the time and I am dropping fat on the same caloric intake (with less exercise too).

I also think fruit is overrated, especially if you want to lose weight. I have some strawberries from the garden and that's about me.

But hey, apparently a calorie is just a calorie so I guess I (and many others who have done the same) are making all this up.

A naturally biased write-up but worth a read anyway ...

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-common-is-gluten-sensitivity/

Need2bfit918

i went primal a while back and i have felt great ever since. im no longer slave to cravings, rashes i have had for 12 years are gone and my hypertension is gone. and now that my weight is down i have started occasionally eating Rice , or potatoes.