The phrase “gluten-free diet” is often confused with other diets like th Keto diet, paleo diet or even the Atkins diet. As with most diets, people are expecting a gluten-free diet to result in weight loss.
In this case, the truth is, a gluten-free (GF) diet is more of a special diet for health reasons rather than focusing on weight loss or a fitness goal. I know I personally didn’t go looking to try to the GF diet to just lose weight, I turned to it because my health was suffering.
Those of us who make a decision to get on a gluten-free diet are basically unable to digest the gluten that’s found in wheat and some grains.
Because of this, we encounter a variety of health problems such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, skin problems(like rash and hives), headaches and much more.
One of the only way to prevent, avoid, and improve these problems is to get on a diet that excludes all foods that contain gluten. For me, the food sensitivity is actually “wheat” but it’s easier to follow gluten-free to be safe.
If you are looking to lose weight, weight loss is more dependent on restricting calorie consumption than it is about gluten consumption. You also need to expend more calories daily than you consume to achieve fat loss.
When you begin reducing calories in your diet, your body will begin to tap into the fat stores on your body for fuel and then begin to burn off excess fat. Simply put, without a calorie deficit, there cannot be fat loss.
So, even if you’re on a gluten-free diet but not watching or reducing calories you take in in relation to calories you expend, you will not see any weight loss.
Unless you are eating tons of bread, pasta and other things daily, getting on a gluten-free diet when you’re not gluten sensitive could be a pointless endeavor.
This diet is not easy. If you have a gluten sensitivity or wheat, you just can not eat a lot of food that is typically purchased outside the home, served in restaurants, etc. Every day foods like bread, sweets, processed meats, fast foods, ketchup etc. contain gluten and are foods you must avoid. Try going around for a week and avoiding all the things that contain gluten (or in my case wheat). You won’t be able to eat like everyone else around you.
Honestly, if you don’t have gluten or wheat sensitivities, you are better off sticking to a less stringent diet. A keto diet or paleo diet will be much more practical and appealing to you. You’ll be able to get all the nutrients you need without having to worry about whether gluten is present in the food.
Let’s get real, weight loss is hard enough without making it even more difficult trying to severely restrict what you can eat on your diet.
Now, that being said, if you’re actually gluten or wheat sensitive or intolerant, you can potentially lose weight on a gluten-free diet… but it still really comes down to your calories and not the actual food you’re consuming.
The point it, you are making a tough decision to go gluten-free to avoid the negative reactions to your body and your overall health. You’re not doing it for weight loss.
To lose weight, you need to reduce your calorie intake, increase the calories you expend, and know your numbers. Here’s a great tool to help you understand just how many calories you need to consume here: https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator
Once you know your numbers, you simple need to stick to them, and you’ll eventually see weight loss. To change the progress of your weight loss, adjust your numbers every week until your are satisfied.
It also goes without saying that exercise is great for boosting your metabolism and accelerating weight loss efforts through dieting. You’ll even burn more calories while at rest and reach your goal weight even sooner.
One tool that I like to use to help me log calories is MyFitnessPal. This is a great way to stay on track with what you eat and what you drink, and even allows you to log exercise.
Always remember that your main goal for being gluten-free is to avoid getting sick, improved health or and to avoid the harsh effects of gluten when your body rejects it. Weight loss while a worthy goal is secondary here.
First Things First
Get your gluten sensitivity issue under control first by eliminating all gluten from your diet. This is a HUGE task and will require constant effort and vigilance in the beginning. You need to check ALL labels and get rid of anything that has potential of causing you problems. So, focus on it first.
Once you get this taken care of, and your body begins to adapt to the gluten-free diet, you can start watching the calories and working to reduce your weight.
In this way, you’ll be focusing on one task at a time and achieving your goals faster and much more easily without stressing yourself out.
Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard. Make measurable progress in reasonable time.
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