Does A Gluten Free Diet & Weight Loss Work?

There has been a ton of hype recently on gluten free diet and weight loss that I thought I would clear the air with my personal experiences with the diet along with my Sherlock Holmes type detective work.  If you’ve been eating that turkey sandwich on whole grain bread and thinking it’s good for you then you’re most likely have been shooting yourself in your foot.

A good majority of people are going to be far better off eliminating gluten from their diets but I will be the first to admit that there are a small percentage of people who are absolutely fine eating it.  But I don’t like to stop at just eliminating gluten from your diet because the real secret to fat loss is eliminating refined carbohydrates all together.

If you don’t know what gluten is then it’s basically a protein that’s found in wheat, barley and rye.  People with celiac disease have been avoiding it because it can lead to a plethora of nasty reactions such as damage to the small intestine, poor nutrient absorption, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, anemia, and fatigue.

There has been more hype around gluten free diet and weight loss in the past few years as sales have grown by 30% and next year it’ll become a $3.9 billion business.  Even a lot of pro athletes such as Drew Brees are going gluten free and seeing amazing results.

And even if you don’t have celiac disease there are still a rising percentage of people in the United States who consider themselves to be gluten-sensitive.  This basically means they have a food intolerance for it and they experience some or many of the celiac-type symptoms after consuming gluten containing foods.

Since I’ve put myself through a gluten free diet I’ve noticed some fat loss but I’ve also found myself without the sluggishness I used to be plagued with.  I can tell you without a doubt I feel loads better when I’m not eating gluten and my body is also leaner as well.

Is A Gluten Free Diet And Weight Loss The Secret Key?

But the real question is if these results are from avoiding refined carbohydrates which is a clear reason why people gain weight and feel sluggish like a sloth on Nyquil.  There hasn’t been any mainstream research reporting any substantial claims that going on a gluten free diet and weight loss will work for everyone, but take into consideration that there haven’t been hardly any research at all on it.

Gluten is found in most of the foods we love like pizza, pasta, beer, burgers, waffles and pancakes which are all refined carbohydrates destined for you to pack on the belly fat.  If you’re serious about knowing how to lose belly fat then I would HIGHLY recommend avoiding ANY refined carbohydrates such as those listed above.

If you’re not ready to completely eliminate grains from your diet then you should consider going gluten-free as a stepping ladder to completely eliminating grains and refined carbohydrates from your diet.  Some foods I consider to be power grains are quinoa, buckwheat, millet, teff, sorghum, wild rice and amaranth.

But consider this warning about gluten free diet and weight loss because most people who eat more gluten free foods tend to eat more of them because they think it’s a “safe” food.  Overindulging on any food will eventually cause your body to pack on the stomach fat so I would recommend eating until you are comfortably full or 80% full and then hire a monkey to sit on your shoulders and slap the food out of your hand.

I found a study by the American Journal of Gastroenterology published in 2006 concerning gluten free diet and weight loss as they found 81% of people with celiac disease actually gained weight while on a gluten free diet for 2 years.  Now there can be a TON of explanations for this such as they were overindulging on these foods, not eating enough protein, pounding down Hershey bars or sipping down Coca-Cola all day.

Is Gluten Free Diet & Weight Loss For You?

What I would suggest to you is to completely eliminate gluten containing foods from your diet for 14 days and see for yourself if you’re feeling better, have more energy and if you’re body is leaner.  But everybody should be avoiding refined carbohydrates because they’re the bad guys who are going to cause you to gain weight and belly fat.  Gluten free diet and weight loss won’t work for everybody but I believe everyone should be avoiding refined carbohydrates to lose belly fat.