Gluten free

If you do suspect celac disease, get tested before going gluten free otherwise you'll need to resume eatig daily gluten for 2-3 months for an accurate test.

Beware of GF substitute foods. they can be higher in calories, lower in fibrea, and lower in nutrients than regular wheat products. My advice would be to avoid GF substitutes and stick to naturally GF foods.

Good luck.

I have to stay away from wheat and gluten products, which is fine because they're so ridiculously processed here in the States, but I would not recommend it if someone doesn't need to. That being said:

Unfortunately available tests don't give very accurate results. If you really think you need to give it up, I would say just give it a 30 day trial, and see if you feel any difference (or if you feel crummy after trying it again). Expect some withdrawal to come along within the next week or so, just make sure to drink lots of water and get plenty of rest. One thing I must stress is to not reach for the gluten free products. A lot of them are even worse than their gluten counter parts. Increase your veggie and protein intake, and eat healthy fats.

Btw, I find Wheat Belly very interesting. While I don't promote any specific diet to others, some other interesting books are "Perfect Health Diet", "It Starts With Food", and "Death by Food Pyramid". The last one doesn't argue for one diet, but discusses several different studies throughout American History, and compares different diets in many regions of the world. So fascinating in my opinion.

I have celiac disease and haven't been able to eat gluten for years. The only time I lose weight is when I eat fewer calories than I burn. Unless you just cut out bread, pasta and baked goods altogether, which would probably cause you to eat fewer calories overall, you won't lose any more weight than you're losing now. Trust me you can find a gluten free substitute for anything. Except San Francisco sourdough bread. It makes me sad.

brent1980 wrote: »

Mycophilia, I am aware of gluten being a protein and my goal is to get my protien from other sources. So greatly reducing gluten will help me in my personal goals. Ibamosaserreinas, fad dieting is not what i would call cutting out gluten. Most fad diets are geared towards people who want to lose weight quickly without execise and seeing how I'm in the gym 5 days a week for an hour and a half each day, i dont think i qualify for that type of person.

OK, so I see you are planning on using reduced gluten intake as a tool, and not because you believe it will magically make you lose weight. Fair enough. Being GF means I can't stop at the fast food places that line up along my last couple of blocks on my way to work. Believe me I'd probably be 50 lbs heavier if I could stop for a breakfast sandwich on the way in and burgers every day for lunch (lifestyle before diagnosis, true story). Using GF to replace higher calorie foods with lower calorie ones is a legit strategy.

mph323 wrote: »

brent1980 wrote: »

Mycophilia, I am aware of gluten being a protein and my goal is to get my protien from other sources. So greatly reducing gluten will help me in my personal goals. Ibamosaserreinas, fad dieting is not what i would call cutting out gluten. Most fad diets are geared towards people who want to lose weight quickly without execise and seeing how I'm in the gym 5 days a week for an hour and a half each day, i dont think i qualify for that type of person.

OK, so I see you are planning on using reduced gluten intake as a tool, and not because you believe it will magically make you lose weight. Fair enough. Being GF means I can't stop at the fast food places that line up along my last couple of blocks on my way to work. Believe me I'd probably be 50 lbs heavier if I could stop for a breakfast sandwich on the way in and burgers every day for lunch (lifestyle before diagnosis, true story). Using GF to replace higher calorie foods with lower calorie ones is a legit strategy.

I'm confused. Wouldn't you achieve the same thing by just cutting out fast food? (Not being snarky, just an honest question)

dragon_girl26 wrote: »

mph323 wrote: »

brent1980 wrote: »

Mycophilia, I am aware of gluten being a protein and my goal is to get my protien from other sources. So greatly reducing gluten will help me in my personal goals. Ibamosaserreinas, fad dieting is not what i would call cutting out gluten. Most fad diets are geared towards people who want to lose weight quickly without execise and seeing how I'm in the gym 5 days a week for an hour and a half each day, i dont think i qualify for that type of person.

OK, so I see you are planning on using reduced gluten intake as a tool, and not because you believe it will magically make you lose weight. Fair enough. Being GF means I can't stop at the fast food places that line up along my last couple of blocks on my way to work. Believe me I'd probably be 50 lbs heavier if I could stop for a breakfast sandwich on the way in and burgers every day for lunch (lifestyle before diagnosis, true story). Using GF to replace higher calorie foods with lower calorie ones is a legit strategy.

I'm confused. Wouldn't you achieve the same thing by just cutting out fast food? (Not being snarky, just an honest question)

No problem You're right, of course, and in the end that's what it ultimately came down to. Honest answer is I just didn't have the will-power to bypass the fast food. I'd resolve on Mon to pack my own food and stick with a meal plan but by the end of the week I'd be right back to my old habits. When I had to go gluten-free I no longer had an option, and will-power was no longer needed. That was an eye-opener for me - I don't do well with moderation, but give me strong enough motivation and I can carve what I have to out of my diet to stay healthy.

It makes me crazy when people believe cutting out gluten will automatically lead to magical weight loss. Believe me there are plenty of delicious high-calorie GF options out there to replace high-calorie gluten foods. However, when someone is looking at replacing gluten food with lower-calorie GF options I see that as a tool - if you replace your morning donut/midday bagel/evening cake with food items that are naturally GF you'll probably end up eating fewer calories overall and lose weight. It used to mystify me why anyone would voluntarily give up [insert your favorite yummy gluten-filled treat here], but I've learned to see the reasoning.

Sorry for the novella - please let me know if I've made my logic even more confusing!

Another thing about cutting out gluten to replace with lower-calorie choices - it's relatively easy to avoid gluten foods by sticking to GF labels and foods that are naturally GF. Trying to cut out something like sugar is like playing whack-a-mole - it doesn't have to be listed as an allergen and it lurks under multiple aliases. Much more difficult, I think and must be frustrating for those who are trying to restrict.

brent1980 wrote: »

Mycophilia, I am aware of gluten being a protein and my goal is to get my protien from other sources. So greatly reducing gluten will help me in my personal goals. Ibamosaserreinas, fad dieting is not what i would call cutting out gluten. Most fad diets are geared towards people who want to lose weight quickly without execise and seeing how I'm in the gym 5 days a week for an hour and a half each day, i dont think i qualify for that type of person.

But cutting out gluten for weight loss is a fad....