Wheat Belly?
cuddingm
Posts: 41 Member
I have just started to read Wheat Belly and am curious to know who has tried it and what their results were? I'm considering trying it or even just cutting down my wheat/gluten consumption a bit. Any success stories or reasons not to do it? Any opinion is welcome I just want to know more about it.
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Replies
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Its been pretty well debunked (see http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html; http://www.thebestgrains.com/the-truth-about-wheat-belly-and-fad-diets; and many others).
Unless you have a specific intolerance or allergy to wheat and gluten, are diabetic, or have some other disorder, there isn't a real reason to cut out wheat, gluten, or carbs.
If you are doing it for weight loss only, its best to instead follow a plan you know you can stick to forever.0 -
If you have a legitimate gluten intolerance, like Celiac Sprue, then yes, cut out gluten. If you're allergic to wheat, then stop eating it.
Otherwise, why cut out wheat? It's a good source of complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, etc (if you eat whole wheat … if you use refined wheat, then not so much unless it's "enriched"). There is no real evidence that wheat is bad for you in any way (with the exceptions I already mentioned). It's propaganda. 10 years ago it was corn. In another decade, the scaremongering industry will have moved on to some other food.0 -
I went on a gluten free "diet" for about 3 months and I thought it worked wonders for my body. I didn't lose any weight because I wasn't trying to at the time (hence the diet in quotation marks) but it boosted my immune system and my body just felt lighter and cleaner on a whole. If it weren't so hard to maintain a gf diet while forced to eat college cafeteria food, I would have stuck with it.
It was hard at first since I always felt hungry- and this is a very common occurrence when you go gf. I'm not sure if it's actual hunger or just the brain feeling deprived of something and causing the body to react that way. also sipped on tea a lot which really calmed my stomach. I found that adding a bit more protein and healthy fats helped along with sipping on tea.
I wish I could be more helpful with this review but I wasn't able to stick with it long enough I suppose. But I would still recommend trying it for 3 days and, if you're able, continue so you can see how your body handles less gluten.0 -
I went on a gluten free "diet" for about 3 months and I thought it worked wonders for my body. I didn't lose any weight because I wasn't trying to at the time (hence the diet in quotation marks) but it boosted my immune system and my body just felt lighter and cleaner on a whole. If it weren't so hard to maintain a gf diet while forced to eat college cafeteria food, I would have stuck with it.
It was hard at first since I always felt hungry- and this is a very common occurrence when you go gf. I'm not sure if it's actual hunger or just the brain feeling deprived of something and causing the body to react that way. also sipped on tea a lot which really calmed my stomach. I found that adding a bit more protein and healthy fats helped along with sipping on tea.
I wish I could be more helpful with this review but I wasn't able to stick with it long enough I suppose. But I would still recommend trying it for 3 days and, if you're able, continue so you can see how your body handles less gluten.
In the book he talks about how you can feel lighter and healthier in general if you don't have a tolerance. Hearing that you did makes me want to try it. I have been told by my family doctor that it is also possible to have a tolerance and not know and the weight gain and tiredness after eating wheat is your body trying to tell you this. I think I am going to try at least cutting down and see what happens. I also want to do so because of all of the sugar that is in wheat products now. Sure the packaging says whole wheat, but the sugar content is horrible. Was looking the other day and one loaf of bread I was going to buy had 2 tbsp per two slices. WOW! Thank you for your input it really helped!0 -
I do not have a gluten tolerance (that I know of) but am looking to loose more weight and to cut down on my sugar intake. I have researched and found that cutting down your wheat intake can help with the sugar intake because most whole wheat products are now made with a lot of sugar in them for taste.0
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I'm doing it right now. Although it's hard to be gluten free for me I decided not to eat anything with flour (so pretty much gluten free). If you read the book, wheat is in so much stuff (like gum or flavored coffee). It was too much of a pain in my bum to go completely gf and cutting out floor (all kinds) just seemed like the obvious choice for me. I've been doing it for a month and in the first two weeks I lost 5 lbs. More importantly though, My stomach has gotten way flatter, the loose skin after baby (she's 14 months) has gotten tighter, I feel so much better overall, I am not hungry all the time anymore, and my joint pain has improved by at least 75%. So my advice to you is to read the book and decide if it's worth for you to do it or not. I'm going to stick with it since it doesn't seem hard to me and I can do it as a lifestyle (I've always been more of a potato eater rather than bread).0
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If you have a legitimate gluten intolerance, like Celiac Sprue, then yes, cut out gluten. If you're allergic to wheat, then stop eating it.
Otherwise, why cut out wheat? It's a good source of complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, etc (if you eat whole wheat … if you use refined wheat, then not so much unless it's "enriched"). There is no real evidence that wheat is bad for you in any way (with the exceptions I already mentioned). It's propaganda. 10 years ago it was corn. In another decade, the scaremongering industry will have moved on to some other food.
I was informed by a nutritionist and my doctor to stay away from enriched wheat. They told me that they are just full of chemicals that can be harmful. And to especially stay away from enriched white bread. Just thought I'd let you know.0 -
My husband lost 30 lbs when he went gluten free..not cause he has a gluten intolerance, but because so many of the foods containing gluten are processed, fiber poor and higher calorie.0
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That is why I am thinking of cutting down at least. I don't think I could go without completely but I want to cut down due to all the bad things in gluten products now. Thank you Bernadette606 for sharing.
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I eat clean and don't eat bread very often so there is not much of a need for me to go gluetin free. I don't get much because I don't eat out and eat whole foods. I say try it out and see how it works for you. It seems like the results are different for everyone. So test it for yourself. I think it is a expensive exchange personally.0
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My granddaughter inspired me to try the gluten free way. My Dr. thought it would be good as long as I did not go totally into it, e.g. soya sauce and other minuscule amounts. My blood sugar was starting to rise a bit, so in September we will see if there is a difference. The Dr. is pretty sure there will be. By not eating the obvious products, I find I am not eating the butter, cheese and things that I normally would put on bread. Toast with something not sweet was always my breakfast. I do not seem to be craving anything. It does help that I live alone but I do eat out a lot and make meals for friends all the time. I have found in logging my food, a drastic decrease in carbs and sodium. I am eating a lot more vegetables but trying not to eat too much fruit , also on the advice of the Dr., as that has a lot of natural sugar. So far since April I am down 21 pounds.0
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My uncle did it. He lost some 20 lbs and has kept it off for the past 2 years.0
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My husband lost 30 lbs when he went gluten free..not cause he has a gluten intolerance, but because so many of the foods containing gluten are processed, fiber poor and higher calorie.
When my grandmother was diagnosed with Celiac disease we ALL dropped all wheat products until we were screened. I was surprised that I didn't lose weight during that time. I rarely eat products that contain a lot of enriched white flour anyway. I love whole wheat. I agree, it's probably fiber and other nutrients in whole grains. I substituted other grain product for the wheat products we normally ate (rice, corn, nuts flours . . .)0 -
My granddaughter inspired me to try the gluten free way. My Dr. thought it would be good as long as I did not go totally into it, e.g. soya sauce and other minuscule amounts. My blood sugar was starting to rise a bit, so in September we will see if there is a difference. The Dr. is pretty sure there will be. By not eating the obvious products, I find I am not eating the butter, cheese and things that I normally would put on bread. Toast with something not sweet was always my breakfast. I do not seem to be craving anything. It does help that I live alone but I do eat out a lot and make meals for friends all the time. I have found in logging my food, a drastic decrease in carbs and sodium. I am eating a lot more vegetables but trying not to eat too much fruit , also on the advice of the Dr., as that has a lot of natural sugar. So far since April I am down 21 pounds.
Great job! Hope you see amazing results when you go to the Dr in Sept hope your blood sugar has gone down.0 -
I don't know about the book or what he has to say. I can tell that my joint pain in my knees was so bad I could barely make it through a 7 hour shift at work.. when I'd get home I'd have to put my legs up for several hours. I couldn't close my hands all the way. I had reflux. I decided to try a juice fast and I felt a MILLION times better. The joint pain in my knees was reduced so much that I was able to start walking after work.. my hands felt so great I was able to start crocheting again. So I added back regular wholesome foods into my diet and continued to juice to supplement.. The joint pain returned so I figured it must be something in my diet.. I blamed dairy. So i did an elimination diet and discovered that it WASN'T dairy making me feel so bad.. it was WHEAT! I was shocked and really disappointed.. oh how I loved wheat!
So, I've been wheat free since December. My joint pain is nearly gone. I no longer have any reflux. My T3, T4and TSH levels are now normal without any synthroid. Just to be clear, I am not celiac.. my problem was not in my gut.. it was in my whole body. Also, I've had traces of gluten in my diet as I don't avoid gluten in the same way a celiac must.. I simply avoid the obvious sources of wheat.. but I don't worry about cross contamination exposure to wheat or gluten... for example, I'll make wheat tortillas for my boyfriend and then make my corn tortillas in the same kitchen without washing my hands or cleaning my tortilla pan in between. If I was celiac, I couldn't do that. Heck, I don't even know if it's the GLUTEN in the wheat that's the problem for me.... It could be some other part of the wheat for all I know.. I mean I haven't had Rye or Barley either, I suppose I could try introducing them to see how I feel.. but they're just not things I normally eat anyway.
My advice would be, if you suspect that wheat may be a problem for you.... try doing an elimination diet to see if you feel better without it.0 -
I am also reading the book and have been wheat free for one week. I've lost 7 lbs since last Friday and feel so much more energy. And I swear I notice a difference in belly size. Of course, I've also taken this past week to get back on track with eating better and exercising more in general. But I still think going wheat free has made a huge difference.0
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I don't know about the book or what he has to say. I can tell that my joint pain in my knees was so bad I could barely make it through a 7 hour shift at work.. when I'd get home I'd have to put my legs up for several hours. I couldn't close my hands all the way. I had reflux. I decided to try a juice fast and I felt a MILLION times better. The joint pain in my knees was reduced so much that I was able to start walking after work.. my hands felt so great I was able to start crocheting again. So I added back regular wholesome foods into my diet and continued to juice to supplement.. The joint pain returned so I figured it must be something in my diet.. I blamed dairy. So i did an elimination diet and discovered that it WASN'T dairy making me feel so bad.. it was WHEAT! I was shocked and really disappointed.. oh how I loved wheat!
So, I've been wheat free since December. My joint pain is nearly gone. I no longer have any reflux. My T3, T4and TSH levels are now normal without any synthroid. Just to be clear, I am not celiac.. my problem was not in my gut.. it was in my whole body. Also, I've had traces of gluten in my diet as I don't avoid gluten in the same way a celiac must.. I simply avoid the obvious sources of wheat.. but I don't worry about cross contamination exposure to wheat or gluten... for example, I'll make wheat tortillas for my boyfriend and then make my corn tortillas in the same kitchen without washing my hands or cleaning my tortilla pan in between. If I was celiac, I couldn't do that. Heck, I don't even know if it's the GLUTEN in the wheat that's the problem for me.... It could be some other part of the wheat for all I know.. I mean I haven't had Rye or Barley either, I suppose I could try introducing them to see how I feel.. but they're just not things I normally eat anyway.
My advice would be, if you suspect that wheat may be a problem for you.... try doing an elimination diet to see if you feel better without it.
Glad to hear that. I also have knee problems. My knee is so bad that I cannot do any form of physical activity without extreme pain. I have been on every prescription drug you can think of and nothing has helped. I have been going to physiotherapy for over 3 years and have had 2 procedures done to my knee. If this helped your joint pain that is a large reason for me to try it. Thanks so much for sharing!!!0 -
http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/07/CTM_wheatbelly_17_480x360.jpg
Picture of the author. Looks like whatever he promotes is bunk if he follows it. Pretty chubby fella. And yeah, wheat doesn't make you fat. Check out the middle east, the bread basket of the world. They are all skinny as heck. If anything, eat more wheat, unless you have gluten sensitivity.0 -
Don't create a problem/handicap when you don't have to.0
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The theories and scare mongering in the book are total bunk and have been disproven many times over. If you quit eating a lot of wheat products (carbs) and don't replace them with gluten free substitute products (which usually contain even more calories) then you may lose some weight just based on the fact you are eating fewer calories.
Cutting out wheat or gluten without having an allergy or celiac disease is pointless. This guy made a fortune selling his book which is about the only good thing he did.0 -
http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/07/CTM_wheatbelly_17_480x360.jpg
Picture of the author. Looks like whatever he promotes is bunk if he follows it. Pretty chubby fella. And yeah, wheat doesn't make you fat. Check out the middle east, the bread basket of the world. They are all skinny as heck. If anything, eat more wheat, unless you have gluten sensitivity.
I read the book a few months ago, and that's what kept jumping out at me-Dr. Davis is overweight :huh: And it's not an old picture-I watched an interview he did earlier this year and yep, that's what he looks like. I'm definitely not one to pick on someone for being overweight, but if you're promoting a way of eating, in part as a way to lose weight, then it's fair game :drinker:0 -
I don't know about the book or what he has to say. I can tell that my joint pain in my knees was so bad I could barely make it through a 7 hour shift at work.. when I'd get home I'd have to put my legs up for several hours. I couldn't close my hands all the way. I had reflux. I decided to try a juice fast and I felt a MILLION times better. The joint pain in my knees was reduced so much that I was able to start walking after work.. my hands felt so great I was able to start crocheting again. So I added back regular wholesome foods into my diet and continued to juice to supplement.. The joint pain returned so I figured it must be something in my diet.. I blamed dairy. So i did an elimination diet and discovered that it WASN'T dairy making me feel so bad.. it was WHEAT! I was shocked and really disappointed.. oh how I loved wheat!
So, I've been wheat free since December. My joint pain is nearly gone. I no longer have any reflux. My T3, T4and TSH levels are now normal without any synthroid. Just to be clear, I am not celiac.. my problem was not in my gut.. it was in my whole body. Also, I've had traces of gluten in my diet as I don't avoid gluten in the same way a celiac must.. I simply avoid the obvious sources of wheat.. but I don't worry about cross contamination exposure to wheat or gluten... for example, I'll make wheat tortillas for my boyfriend and then make my corn tortillas in the same kitchen without washing my hands or cleaning my tortilla pan in between. If I was celiac, I couldn't do that. Heck, I don't even know if it's the GLUTEN in the wheat that's the problem for me.... It could be some other part of the wheat for all I know.. I mean I haven't had Rye or Barley either, I suppose I could try introducing them to see how I feel.. but they're just not things I normally eat anyway.
My advice would be, if you suspect that wheat may be a problem for you.... try doing an elimination diet to see if you feel better without it.
Glad to hear that. I also have knee problems. My knee is so bad that I cannot do any form of physical activity without extreme pain. I have been on every prescription drug you can think of and nothing has helped. I have been going to physiotherapy for over 3 years and have had 2 procedures done to my knee. If this helped your joint pain that is a large reason for me to try it. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
It took a few weeks to start noticing a difference in my joints.. my hands improved first followed by my knees. They're still not 100% but I'd say they're about 85% better than before. My reflux went away almost immediately. The thyroid levels took the longest to change.. that took 8 months before I was completely off the synthroid. I was lucky because my actual thyroid was in perfect condition... if it had been damaged, there's NOTHING that can fix it.0 -
Also, something I have read (since I've joined DH on the gluten free journey), that there is way more gluten in our wheat products than in other countries. We've just managed to process foods to such an extreme degree that wheat in our products can cause more issues than wheat which is more "natural" in other countries.0
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I got it from the library out of curiosity but didn't even finish it. I've been gluten free for over a year because I am intolerant to it and have a variety of issues when I eat it. I didn't lose a single pound when I went gluten free though. That's why it was hard to read and I didn't finish, because he was making claims that I knew from personal experience weren't true. I'm still gluten free and now I'm trying grain free to see if it helps me further because I have some health issues that I'm hoping to address but I don't expect going grain free to magically make the weight disappear.0
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http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/07/CTM_wheatbelly_17_480x360.jpg
Picture of the author. Looks like whatever he promotes is bunk if he follows it. Pretty chubby fella. And yeah, wheat doesn't make you fat. Check out the middle east, the bread basket of the world. They are all skinny as heck. If anything, eat more wheat, unless you have gluten sensitivity.
I read the book a few months ago, and that's what kept jumping out at me-Dr. Davis is overweight :huh: And it's not an old picture-I watched an interview he did earlier this year and yep, that's what he looks like. I'm definitely not one to pick on someone for being overweight, but if you're promoting a way of eating, in part as a way to lose weight, then it's fair game :drinker:
I hate to point it out but in the first few chapters he discusses how he looks and talks about how most people don't trust an over weight man to give them weight loss tips. Don't judge and give it another read. He does address his weight.0 -
I do not have an intolerance to wheat....but. I tried it for the weight loss - didn't work, may be my thyroid or some other issue is mucking up my weight loss.
But what I did notice was that my hip that hurt off and on for years, stopped hurting. The "bible bump" on my wrist went away. And my sinus headaches are WAY down. (I used to worry about buying too much sudaphed - that the cops would come and think I was a meth head.) After the initial brain fog went away, I no longer had the 3 pm shakes that only seemed to go away with crackers. If I miss a meal now, no big deal. Before I would get classic low blood sugar symptoms if I was late eating a meal.
If I eat a bunch of wheat now, like for a week if we go on vacation and are eating fast food and people are feeding us pizza every night, then I tend to feel much achier all around.
To me the whole concept makes sense. Grains are high calorie. When I was actively losing weight 10 years ago, severe limits on the amounts of grains I ate really helped the weight come off. I don't worry about missing certain vitamins - I eat lots of different types of food, I will get them. When I don't eat the grains I can have LOTS of other foods that are much more filling, lower calorie and better for me in the long run.
As far as feeling deprived...not really. This coming from a woman who made her own bread from wheat and grains I ground myself. I still (really!) eat about the same as I did before. Most of my meals in the past were a mixture of pasta, rice or whole grain dishes with lots of vegetables. Things like stir fry, curry and one pot meals. I still make the same things, only I don't add the pasta or rice, I just add more vegetables. I still eat spaghetti with my kids, only I slice and roast zucchini topped with cheese that I put my sauce on. I make quiche...but don't put in a crust. As I am trying to lose weight, I am trying not to eat sweet stuff. But that said, I have made a few things with coconut flour (pancakes) and other things that are very tasty. Just not really low calorie.0 -
Just posting once more. I have decided what is best for me personally now after reading a few opinions from both sides. Have a good conversation here if you choose to. My mind is made up and I will not be checking back here.
Cheers0 -
If you have a legitimate gluten intolerance, like Celiac Sprue, then yes, cut out gluten. If you're allergic to wheat, then stop eating it.
Otherwise, why cut out wheat? It's a good source of complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, etc (if you eat whole wheat … if you use refined wheat, then not so much unless it's "enriched"). There is no real evidence that wheat is bad for you in any way (with the exceptions I already mentioned). It's propaganda. 10 years ago it was corn. In another decade, the scaremongering industry will have moved on to some other food.
I was informed by a nutritionist and my doctor to stay away from enriched wheat. They told me that they are just full of chemicals that can be harmful. And to especially stay away from enriched white bread. Just thought I'd let you know.
Oh, believe me, I avoid white flour products as much as possible! Notice, the enriched is in quotation marks. My point was that the nutrients occur naturally in wheat, but are lost when you use refined (white) flour, so they shove them back in by "enriching" the flour.0 -
Its been pretty well debunked (see http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html; http://www.thebestgrains.com/the-truth-about-wheat-belly-and-fad-diets; and many others).
Unless you have a specific intolerance or allergy to wheat and gluten, are diabetic, or have some other disorder, there isn't a real reason to cut out wheat, gluten, or carbs.
If you are doing it for weight loss only, its best to instead follow a plan you know you can stick to forever.
One of your sources is a Wheat growers union of some kind. There is propaganda on every side, keep your eyes open.0
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