Gluten free weight loss

redhairedgoddess1
redhairedgoddess1 Posts: 14 Member
edited December 4 in Health and Weight Loss
About to give up on gluten free... I spend soooo much money and I'm trying to lose weight.. my fitness pal app has me set at 1890 calories a day . In115 days I've lost 15 pound ... I'm about ready to give up... I need help.. idk what to do.. I work 10-12 hours a day doing hair, standing up all day.. no time or energy to work out... what do I do? I eat 5-6 times a day and I stay hungry all the time..

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    First of all, you have been doing this for about 16 and a half weeks and have lost 15 pounds. That is definitely not something to dismiss as insignificant and is a pretty good rate of loss. Congrats!

    That all being said, there is no reason to go gluten free for weight loss. If you don't have Celiac, gluten is perfectly fine. Calories are what matter for weight loss.

    Moving forward, just eat what you like, and make it all fit into your calorie goal. Make sure you're tracking accurately. Use a digital food scale; many times, when people are not losing weight at the expected rate, it means that they are underestimating their intake by not measuring accurately and overestimating their calories burned through exercise. If MFP gives you a calorie allowance for exercise, start by only eating half of them back, since those burns are usually overstated. Finally, make sure you update your calorie goal every 10 or so lbs that you lose. Our maintenance calories become lower as we lose weight, meaning you will need to gradually lower your intake as you lose.

    You don't have to change your diet to one that makes you miserable to lose weight. All you have to do is eat less calories than you burn.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I have celiac disease. I have to eliminate gluten for my health.

    There's nothing special about gluten that makes it impact your weight.

    Losing weight is simply a matter of energy balance.

    If you don't have an autoimmune disorder like I do, you don't need to avoid gluten or spend all that money.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    You can still lose weight even if you stop eating gluten.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    Unless you are allergic (celiac) or find that gluten causes issues for you (my eczema flares when I eat too much wheat/wheat products), there is no need to eliminate gluten. That said, if you do need to eliminate it, don't buy expensive (and usually gross) gluten free substitute foods - they often have just as many, if not MORE, calories than their less expensive, tastier, gluten filled counterparts. Focus on foods that are normally gluten free to begin with. And count calories. That second part is more important for weight loss than any other factor.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Yeah, going gluten free or cutting foods out just for weight loss is a sure way to fail. With gluten free, replacing foods with gluten free options can mean eating higher calories as you're essentially replacing protein (gluten) with carbs.

    Don't go gluten free unless you are sensitive to it, or have celiac disease.

    Count calories. Use a food scale for EVERYTHING (even prepackaged foods, deli meats, eggs, protein bars, fruits and veg) that isn't a pure liquid. No more spoons and cups. I even weigh butters and oils and only ever use spoons for salad dressings, and cups for milk/juice/stock/wine.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Gluten or gluten free has nothing to do with weight management. ..you go gluten free if you have a allergies or are celiac...you'd know either way. As far as $$$ go you'll likely spend more being GF
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    You're losing a pound a week? I don't see what's wrong with that.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    I've been gluten free for 16 years due to Celiac. Gluten has nothing to do with weight loss, and actually many of the gluten free products such baking mixes and snack foods have as many or more calories than the wheat containing counterparts. Unless I'm baking (occasionally or for a special occasion) I don't buy or use them, just regular foods that are naturally gluten free. The specialty gf foods are also more expensive. At the end of the day, it's the calories that count.
  • 2loosegoose
    2loosegoose Posts: 17 Member
    I agree with all the comments above about Gluten. If you do not have Celiac or an intolerance to Gluten due to any of the autoimmune diseases e.g. Hashimoto's - don't do this to yourself now. One thing people do not realize when you cut out a food group e.g. Gluten - you will go through a "detox" period. And if you are trying to loose weight and work as much as you do, trust me, it's not pleasant. Stick to MFP - and weigh all your foods. You will be surprised how much you can eat by weight vs volume alone!
  • ocgirl66
    ocgirl66 Posts: 7 Member
    Gluten free only works for weight loss if you do not replace the carbs. It only works when it is part of low carb plan. It is cheap when you are not eating wheat products or gluten free products. It works for me because it has helped with autoimmune disease. I am also allergic to corn so I am not replacing the wheat with corn carbs either.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    Gluten free products are more expensive and tend to be higher calorie so it doesnt causr weight loss. I think you are actually wanting to cut out breads and pasta type products- not the same ad gluten free.

    I am gluten free for health reasons. My bread is 140 per slice vs my families at 70 and it costs around $3 more a loaf. While Im thankful the trend had created more options for me to eat I will never understand why someone would go gf without a medical reason.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    ocgirl66 wrote: »
    Gluten free only works for weight loss if you do not replace the carbs. It only works when it is part of low carb plan. It is cheap when you are not eating wheat products or gluten free products. It works for me because it has helped with autoimmune disease. I am also allergic to corn so I am not replacing the wheat with corn carbs either.

    I hope you are aware that gluten is a protein found in a few grains and not just wheat. Cutting out wheat and eliminating gluten are not the same thing.
  • rkennedy1014
    rkennedy1014 Posts: 18 Member
    When you say you've "spent so much money", be careful of those "gluten free" products.. they tend to be very high in calories and not very filling. My mom has celiacs and I avoid it as best as I can. I would not replace the gluten bread options with gluten free options, but rather not eat those things. I avoid bread in general and eat things like quinoa, rice, potatoes, etc when I need a carb fix. I notice I lose best when I avoid it and I DEF notice the bloating is down. 15 lbs is great!! Don't give up! you're doing great.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    If you're buying gluten free substitutes, then yes, it is incredibly expensive. They don't taste good either. Buy more whole foods...veggies, fruits, variety of meat and seafood. beans, rice (rice pasta is good and inexpensive), quinoa are some foods that you can stretch out for a few meals. Whatever you decide in regards to gluten, Learn to plan your meals with what's on sale. There have been times when my entire shopping list consisted of only sale items.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Gluten free food substitutes tend to have higher calories than the food they are substituting. They are also far more expensive.

    Best to avoid going gluten free unless you have a recognisable intolerance to gluten
  • jopalis
    jopalis Posts: 238 Member
    I have had Hashi's for about 15 years. I don't go gluten free. I have lost 6.5 lbs for each of the last two months here on MFP. I do limit the more simple carbs and combine them with other healthy foods when I have them. Mostly to keep my blood sugar level since I have been prediabetic in the past. I am down about 18 lbs since July. I have a calorie limit of 1200 and usually do not eat back my exercise calories but do occasionally. I have no strictly off limit foods. I mostly use my Fitbit with a goal of 8k per day but often exceed that. I also do Stronglifts 5 x 5 strength training with my DH 3x per week. I will be 65 in December.

    Does your doctor recommend gluten free or have you been tested and found intolerant?
  • redhairedgoddess1
    redhairedgoddess1 Posts: 14 Member
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    Unless you are allergic (celiac) or find that gluten causes issues for you (my eczema flares when I eat too much wheat/wheat products), there is no need to eliminate gluten. That said, if you do need to eliminate it, don't buy expensive (and usually gross) gluten free substitute foods - they often have just as many, if not MORE, calories than their less expensive, tastier, gluten filled counterparts. Focus on foods that are normally gluten free to begin with. And count calories. That second part is more important for weight loss than any other factor.

  • redhairedgoddess1
    redhairedgoddess1 Posts: 14 Member
    Ok, sooooo.... maybe I forgot to mention that I didn't choose to go gluten free on my own ... I have had issues with my weight, stomach and migraines all my life.. I moved to Texas and finally found a doctor who would listen to me about what's going on with me... he did lots of tests, for all kinds of things ... in the end , he is rhontold me I needed to remove gluten from my diet ... not my or my decision... so I've been reading and googling and even have a gluten free cook book now to try to get this right.. and yes , 15-16 pound in the same amount of weeks sounds great.. but it was all in the beginning and now, nothing ... so that's why I came on here and asked for help/ideas.... sorry if I was unclear ....
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,644 Member
    redhairedgoddess1 wrote: »
    Ok, sooooo.... maybe I forgot to mention that I didn't choose to go gluten free on my own ... I have had issues with my weight, stomach and migraines all my life.. I moved to Texas and finally found a doctor who would listen to me about what's going on with me... he did lots of tests, for all kinds of things ... in the end , he is rhontold me I needed to remove gluten from my diet ... not my or my decision... so I've been reading and googling and even have a gluten free cook book now to try to get this right.. and yes , 15-16 pound in the same amount of weeks sounds great.. but it was all in the beginning and now, nothing ... so that's why I came on here and asked for help/ideas.... sorry if I was unclear ....

    Weight loss comes down to calories. I agree with the above suggestions to just eat food that doesn't contain gluten; meat, veg, etc. Just regular food. If you need an occasional substitute for something, gluten-free recipe books and bakery products can be helpful, but really, they're unnecessary. You're going to lose weight the same way everyone else does: controlling your calories.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    redhairedgoddess1 wrote: »
    Ok, sooooo.... maybe I forgot to mention that I didn't choose to go gluten free on my own ... I have had issues with my weight, stomach and migraines all my life.. I moved to Texas and finally found a doctor who would listen to me about what's going on with me... he did lots of tests, for all kinds of things ... in the end , he is rhontold me I needed to remove gluten from my diet ... not my or my decision... so I've been reading and googling and even have a gluten free cook book now to try to get this right.. and yes , 15-16 pound in the same amount of weeks sounds great.. but it was all in the beginning and now, nothing ... so that's why I came on here and asked for help/ideas.... sorry if I was unclear ....

    You are more than likely not measuring your intake accurately. You also should adjust your calorie goals every 10 lbs lost or so, since our calorie needs become less as we get lighter.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    Gluten free can be way more calorie-ific then regular food. my brother has Celiac's and has GAINED about 50 lbs because 1- gluten free things still have calories, and 2- his body is finally processing the food he eats. If you are going gluten free for other medical reason's that fie but don't expect to automatically lose with because of it.
  • redhairedgoddess1
    redhairedgoddess1 Posts: 14 Member
    Thanx everyone ! I did go ahead and adjust my daily calories... went down about 250 calories, hopefully that helps. The hard part for me is, finding quick, fresh foods for work . NOT FAST FOOD. Cooking at home is ok.. but I don't always want leftovers the next day for lunch .. and frozen meals get old realllllly fast. A client of mine gave me a gluten free cook. lol for my birthday :) I'm excited to use it! That is if I can ever remember to take it home from the salon ! And I still need to incorporate exercise into my daily routine... that will be the bigger struggle ...
    I appreciate all of the feedback from you all.. it really helps just to have people to talk to about it, thank you again !!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    redhairedgoddess1 wrote: »
    Thanx everyone ! I did go ahead and adjust my daily calories... went down about 250 calories, hopefully that helps. The hard part for me is, finding quick, fresh foods for work . NOT FAST FOOD. Cooking at home is ok.. but I don't always want leftovers the next day for lunch .. and frozen meals get old realllllly fast. A client of mine gave me a gluten free cook. lol for my birthday :) I'm excited to use it! That is if I can ever remember to take it home from the salon ! And I still need to incorporate exercise into my daily routine... that will be the bigger struggle ...
    I appreciate all of the feedback from you all.. it really helps just to have people to talk to about it, thank you again !!

    I am gluten free due to a low fodmap diet prescribed by my GI for IBS and likely wheat sensitivity. I make all my own foods to ensure that I stay within my calorie goals. Make you own meals on a day off and take to work.

    By the way, excellent job on your weight loss.
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