Wheat

Hi,

I'm just getting started on my weight loss journey have have around 40lbs I'd like to lose. I've been told by a number of people that eliminating wheat from my diet will really help with weight loss and that I will generally feel better and healthier for it. Is this just the latest 'lose weight quick' fad or has anyone out there found eliminating wheat really beneficial to their overall health.

Once I started looking in to this, seems wheat is in way more stuff than I realized!

Thanks for any input and insight you might be able to give.

Replies

  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    You should find more knowledgeable people to listen to.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    before you eliminate *anything* try the consistently successful method: caloric deficit.
  • zcarpenter91
    zcarpenter91 Posts: 51 Member
    Well, I could see cutting out bread cuz its high in carbs and sodium but in my opinion cutting out all wheat seems a lil bit extreme...Cuz I do love my sandwiches lol
  • TayzerFun
    TayzerFun Posts: 45 Member
    I've been wheat-free for about a month now. I've lost 8 lbs or so. But more importantly to me, my heartburn is gone. (I used to take TUMS a couple of times a day!) and I have no more painful bloating issues. Personally, I do feel a lot better.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    before you eliminate *anything* try the consistently successful method: caloric deficit.

    this
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    I feel A LOT better when I eat wheat than when I avoid grains, but that's just like my opinion man.
  • moepwr
    moepwr Posts: 335 Member
    I wouldn't cut out wheat because of weight loss. It's not sustainable. As someone with a wheat intolerance and I got to say it is hard!! Really hard!! It is easier to watch your calories and focus on whole grains. I do have to say since eliminating wheat I don't get Sugar crashes and crazy cravings. I also don't get the afternoon lull and my mind seems clearer. For me my allergies are on the mend too. Good luck!
  • moepwr
    moepwr Posts: 335 Member
    You can also pick up "the Wheat Belly". It's a good resource if you want to give up wheat. The author is really against wheat so like anything you have to take it with a grain of salt.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    Things gain and lose popularity, and often times with no legitimate scientific reason behind it. Juicing, HCG, Cabbage Soup Diet, Grapefruit diet, Atkins, South Beach...

    Lately, there is trending toward "clean eating" and gluten free diets. While Gluten Free is very important for true Celiac, no one else really NEEDS to concern him/herself.

    I will assplode if I eat ice cream. Just a fact. Thusly, I don't eat ice cream.

    However, unless something is making you physically ill, I see no need to remove deliciousness from your diet.

    Any "trick" of the trade is just that... a trick, and completely unnecessary. Just eat some good for you stuff at a deficit and get moving.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Hi,

    I'm just getting started on my weight loss journey have have around 40lbs I'd like to lose. I've been told by a number of people that eliminating wheat from my diet will really help with weight loss and that I will generally feel better and healthier for it. Is this just the latest 'lose weight quick' fad or has anyone out there found eliminating wheat really beneficial to their overall health.

    Once I started looking in to this, seems wheat is in way more stuff than I realized!

    Thanks for any input and insight you might be able to give.

    1254948.gif
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    I really like the fiber in whole grains.

    And the protein and calcium in milk.

    And the protein and iron in beef.

    And the fiber, and vitamins A and C in many fruits.

    So, I'm not into cutting out food groups without a very good reason.
  • StacyReneO
    StacyReneO Posts: 317 Member
    I cut out wheat as well and feel so much better (no more bloating, less gas, less cravings). I didn't do it for weight loss, but it did help. I'd much rather get my fiber from fruits and vegetables than grains.
  • scookiemonster
    scookiemonster Posts: 175 Member
    While Gluten Free is very important for true Celiac, no one else really NEEDS to concern him/herself.

    While I totally agree with you that going gluten/wheat free is unnecessary for anybody who isn't sensitive to it, I think it's also important to recognize that non-Celiac gluten intolerance is a very real thing - there are plenty of people (myself included) who test negative for Celiac but have a bad reaction to gluten. I don't have Celiac, but eating wheat still makes me sick, and I do very much need to concern myself with it.

    However, as a weight loss method, gluten free is pointless. It's just the latest incarnation of low-carb diets. It's hard and truly exhausting and totally unnecessary for anybody who doesn't have a wheat or gluten intolerance. If I didn't have to avoid it, I definitely wouldn't, and I think the idea of going gluten free for weight loss purposes without a gluten intolerance is unsustainable and honestly quite silly. If it has no effect on your health, I don't see it lasting very long - it certainly wouldn't have lasted for me.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    While Gluten Free is very important for true Celiac, no one else really NEEDS to concern him/herself.

    While I totally agree with you that going gluten/wheat free is unnecessary for anybody who isn't sensitive to it, I think it's also important to recognize that non-Celiac gluten intolerance is a very real thing - there are plenty of people (myself included) who test negative for Celiac but have a bad reaction to gluten. I don't have Celiac, but eating wheat still makes me sick, and I do very much need to concern myself with it.

    However, as a weight loss method, gluten free is pointless. It's just the latest incarnation of low-carb diets. It's hard and truly exhausting and totally unnecessary for anybody who doesn't have a wheat or gluten intolerance. If I didn't have to avoid it, I definitely wouldn't, and I think the idea of going gluten free for weight loss purposes without a gluten intolerance is unsustainable and honestly quite silly. If it has no effect on your health, I don't see it lasting very long - it certainly wouldn't have lasted for me.

    True. I'm not discrediting that. I'm not lactose intolerant, yet I can't eat ice cream. I gotcha :)
  • born2drum
    born2drum Posts: 731 Member
    Said people told me weights would make me bulky. Why would you cut out carbs?
  • This content has been removed.
  • Vegpar
    Vegpar Posts: 6
    Depends on what your trying to do. I would go to more healthier versions like Ezekiel bread
  • lemonmon1
    lemonmon1 Posts: 134 Member
    Eliminating or at least cutting down on gluten (wheat) is a great idea. Gluten has a negative impact on a lot of people. It causes bloating and digestion issues. Try using healthy flours like buckwheat, sorghum, and oat flours. I just posted a pumpkin bread recipe to my diary yesterday! My husband has Celiac (gluten damages his stomach and intestines) so we use beans a lot. I made black bean brownies and they were awesome! Recipe here: http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-black-bean-brownies/
  • This content has been removed.
  • debboike
    debboike Posts: 20 Member
    My Doctor thought I had Celiac disease. I eliminated Wheat, Rye and Barley from my diet. It was really tough. Try going out to eat....unless they are Celiac certified your food might be cooked with foods containing the foods you are to avoid. These grains are used as preservatives in food. Flour is used as a thickening agent....and the list goes on. When you deprive yourself from foods, you end up feeling like you are on a special diet. This is a life style we need to live, if we are fat. If you don't want to eat wheat, don't, but you may find your stomach doing some strange things. Remember....moderation is the Key. Good Luck!
  • SweeDecadence92
    SweeDecadence92 Posts: 218 Member
    If you don't have a sensitivity to it, I wouldn't recommend it. It's pretty grim.

    Many gluten free alternatives to wheat filled products are filled with other crap to create a finished food product resembling its wheat filled original. Their also no more healthy for you either for that matter and generally, are more costly.

    As someone who's always on the go, I've found on days when I've not prepared a meal or two to bring with me, I may very likely go hungry as most restaurants don't cater to me and the majority of the times I end up with soup or a salad. Adventurous eating huh? I would give anything to be able to tolerate gluten.
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
    Hi,

    I'm just getting started on my weight loss journey have have around 40lbs I'd like to lose. I've been told by a number of people that eliminating wheat from my diet will really help with weight loss and that I will generally feel better and healthier for it. Is this just the latest 'lose weight quick' fad or has anyone out there found eliminating wheat really beneficial to their overall health.

    Once I started looking in to this, seems wheat is in way more stuff than I realized!

    Thanks for any input and insight you might be able to give.

    The only reasons to cut out wheat is having either an allergy to it or being sensitive to it. There is no need to make this harder on yourself than necessary.
  • AZ_Danny
    AZ_Danny Posts: 50 Member
    I'm fat and I LOOOVE good food. I've joined this site so I could count calories. I didn't cut out breads or pastas. Heck, I still order pizza. I may have changed... now I'll serve a salad with my pasta... but I wouldn't dare cut out anything I like or I'll never maintain this diet. Having not cut out anything (just changed my proportions) I'm eating what I want and still losing weight.
  • katemckimmet
    katemckimmet Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks for all the great comments and advice and smiles! Yes - just good old fashioned calorie deficit and exercise for this gal I think!
    Thank you everyone!
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
    Wheat? No. Why take away the carbs that are slow digesting? Sure, cut out some carbs here and there, those carbs which are refined and high in sugars etc, or carbs that are generally fast digesting such as White bread, white potatoes, white rice, white pasta, etc....
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    Wheat? No. Why take away the carbs that are slow digesting? Sure, cut out some carbs here and there, those carbs which are refined and high in sugars etc, or carbs that are generally fast digesting such as White bread, white potatoes, white rice, white pasta, etc....

    Please stop being a potato hater. Potatoes love us.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    This:
    You should find more knowledgeable people to listen to.



    Not this:
    You can also pick up "the Wheat Belly". It's a good resource if you want to give up wheat. The author is really against wheat so like anything you have to take it with a grain of salt.


    Wheat haters can go suck a slice of crustless white bread!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Wheat? No. Why take away the carbs that are slow digesting? Sure, cut out some carbs here and there, those carbs which are refined and high in sugars etc, or carbs that are generally fast digesting such as White bread, white potatoes, white rice, white pasta, etc....

    Please stop being a potato hater. Potatoes love us.

    Potatoes have *mad* amounts of nutrients. What's with the white hate?
    thats-racist.gif
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
    I never understood the potato hate as well. For one, they have tons of potassium!

    As far as wheat, there is no need to give it up if you do not have an allergy. Wheat is not to blame for weight gain. Eating too much is.

    Being gluten/wheat free sucks. Trust me!