Gluten-free eating, whole foods, and weight loss

[Guest guest]

Let's post to this thread as I would be interested also.  I firmly believe that

adopting a vegetarian/vegan liftstyle and cutting back on the processed/refined

items like sugar will help with weight loss....I struggle with having a

consistent exercise program to improve metabolism and may find inspiration from

other's experiences.

 

I work from home/telecommuting for 30 hours a week, homeschool my 3 sons, teach

religious ed classes, Scout Leader for an active Venture Crew, on the board of

our local teen Drama Club, and I'm organizing a robotics team and expanding our

home school co-op.  I find that while it is a very busy life--I spend a lot of

the time SITTING.  I am looking at a stand-up workstation for my office but

other than that, finding time to exercise (even just to walk) is difficult.....

 

Susan

Front Royal, VA

 

--- On Thu, 3/12/09, Sally Parrott Ashbrook <sally.parrott wrote:

 

Sally Parrott Ashbrook <sally.parrott

Gluten-free eating, whole foods, and weight

loss

 

Thursday, March 12, 2009, 12:21 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though everyone's experiences are by nature individual, it seems like these

are three of the popular trajectories for those of us who go

gluten-free/ allergen- free while being overweight.

 

1. A person who doesn't have a particularly healthy diet gets a diagnosis

of, or self-diagnoses, gluten intolerance or food allergies. The person cuts

out the offending food(s), initially panics about what to eat (especially

with gluten and/or multiple food allergies), and initially begins to lose

weight on the diet. Then the person figures out alternatives for most of

the tasty treats, and the weight creeps back up. The person's diet doesn't

change significantly, except for the lack of the particular offending

food(s). The person still wants to lose weight but struggles with it,

perhaps especially with the emotional difficulty of not being able to eat

the foods others get to have.

 

2. A person who doesn't have a particularly healthy diet gets a diagnosis

of, or self-diagnoses, gluten intolerance or food allergies. The person

cuts out the offending food(s), initially panics about what to eat

(especially with gluten and/or multiple food allergies), and initially loses

weight on the new diet. The person gradually figures out alternatives for

some of the tasty treats and regains some of the weight. But the person has

immersed himself or herself in research on holistic issues of diet and

health in the meantime, and the person begins adopting a diet centered

around more whole foods and fewer treats. Gradually, the person loses some

weight.

 

3. A person tries a gluten-free diet as one part of a holistic plan for

eating better and/or having better health. The person adopts the habit of

eating whole grains, lots of veggies, and other healthy foods, while making

the choice to cut way back on refined flours, sugar, etc. The person loses

weight through this process.

 

In the past two years, I've gone from a size 18 to generally wearing a size

8. I had adopted healthier eating habits, exercise patterns, and emotional

care techniques (which I bundle together under the concept of self-care) for

about six months when I got the gluten intolerance and food allergy

diagnoses. The diagnoses threw me for a loop initially; then I realized I

could apply the same principles of self-care to getting joy out of what was

available to me instead of focusing on what wasn't. And it changed

everything for me. I'm writing an article about gluten intolerance, food

allergies, and weight loss right now, and I'd love to hear from other people

(on the board or through private emails) about their experiences with weight

and how gluten intolerance or food allergies has played into that---whether

you fit one of the above trajectories or have had very different

experiences.

 

To be clear, I was overweight from the time I was eight years old until the

second half of last year (at the age of 28). According to the BMI, I still

*am* overweight now, though I don't put much stock in BMI. I am saying that

I am not judgmental of people about their weight or struggles with weight,

and I don't think it's my place (or anyone else's) to tell you " if you'd

just ____, you'd be fine, " because I know for many people, it's not that

easy. Then again, if it has been easy for you to lose weight after

diagnosis, I'd be fascinated to hear about that, too. In general, I'd love

to have a conversation on this topic.

 

Sally

http://aprovechar. danandsally. com

 

 

[Guest guest]

I have found two strategies for losing weight and keeping it off that

work for me. I don't know anyone else who eats like this, so I just

offer it as an idea for those who have digestive systems like mine!! It

works best with exercise, of course.

 

The first is to eat healthy breakfasts and lunches and light

midafternoon food and then not eat after that. If I'm happy and feel

full most of the day, I don't miss the food at night. I also sleep

better and feel hungry in the morning. I also don't have to limit the

amount of food; I eat until I'm full.

 

The other is to minimize any food made with flour. Baked things awaken

the wrong kind of appetite in me and the weight goes right around my

middle. So I eat brown rice, yams, and new pototoes for starch, and

protein, vegetables (roasted - yum), and fruit. Keeps me happy when I'm

doing it right. For a snack, I cook Bob's Red Mill hot cereal with

raisins, bananas, and hazelnut milk, or cocoa with hazelnut milk and a

few chocolate chips. Without flour, there's not much to put sweeteners

on. I don't limit fats, mostly olive oil and salad dressings.

 

For what it's worth!

Nancy

 

 

 

I

[Guest guest]

I would die if I didn't eat after midafternoon! I am starving by 5:00

and then again by 9:00.

 

On the whole, our breadstuffs are limited to making flatbread,

biscuits, or pancakes a couple of times a week.

 

Pam

 

On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 12:26 PM, Nancy Ball <bomag wrote:

> I have found two strategies for losing weight and keeping it off that

> work for me. I don't know anyone else who eats like this, so I just

> offer it as an idea for those who have digestive systems like mine!! It

> works best with exercise, of course.

>

> The first is to eat healthy breakfasts and lunches and light

> midafternoon food and then not eat after that. If I'm happy and feel

> full most of the day, I don't miss the food at night. I also sleep

> better and feel hungry in the morning. I also don't have to limit the

> amount of food; I eat until I'm full.

>

> The other is to minimize any food made with flour. Baked things awaken

> the wrong kind of appetite in me and the weight goes right around my

> middle. So I eat brown rice, yams, and new pototoes for starch, and

> protein, vegetables (roasted - yum), and fruit. Keeps me happy when I'm

> doing it right. For a snack, I cook Bob's Red Mill hot cereal with

> raisins, bananas, and hazelnut milk, or cocoa with hazelnut milk and a

> few chocolate chips. Without flour, there's not much to put sweeteners

> on. I don't limit fats, mostly olive oil and salad dressings.

>

> For what it's worth!

> Nancy

>

> I

>

>

[Guest guest]

Pam and other participants

 

When I was taking a course which included a Food Safe option, the instructor

made this comment about feeding vegetarians: there's a reason cows eat all

day .... it seemed insulting at the time, but since most vegan foods pass

more quickly we do need to fill the hopper more often so to speak. If we

don't, the liver puts out galactulose and tries to balance our blood sugar

levels. Most research is proving that we need to eat 6 small meals (under

300 calories) to maintain our metabolism at an optimum rate. If the

metabolism is buring at a steady rate we don't store and done correctly we

even start to break down fat stores.

 

Now that said, there is also the problem of cortisol, the levels of which

change as we enter middle age. Cortisol encourages us to store fat around

the abdomen and can be responsible for what looks like arthritic joint

breakdown, carpel tunnel, etc.

 

BL

 

On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 12:53 PM, pdw <pdworkman wrote:

 

> I would die if I didn't eat after midafternoon! I am starving by 5:00

> and then again by 9:00.

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I've always been on the thin side and have always eaten more on the healthy side

with few processed foods and lots of vegetables. After I had my son, I lost the

baby weight, then proceeded to steadily gain about 22 pounds before he was 3 1/2

- not good on a 5 foot body. (Probably not helped by those midnight ice cream

binges!) When we went gluten, dairy and soy free, and cooked almost every meal

at home, I then lost 18 pounds over a year's time with no other change in

lifestyle. I think the addition of many new whole grains (teff, quinoa,

millet), the addition of more legumes on a regular basis, and the elimination

of all refined and simple sugars (in addition to the dairy and gluten) have made

quite a positive difference in my health and the health of our family. As a

bonues, we generally have more energy and less mood swings.

 

Paula

 

, pdw <pdworkman wrote:

>

> When I went gluten-free, I gained weight quickly. All of the

> experimenting with baking bread, buns, pizza crusts, cookies and

> treats (of course I chose November, pre-Christmas, to go gluten-free),

> etc. and with buying various commercial goodies was *not* good for me!

>

> Finding a balance of what to eat took time, though I was able to lose

> about 25 lbs post-Christmas. Then my weight-loss stalled. In the

> nine months since then, only minor fluctuations up or down a couple of

> pounds, no real progress. I am eating a healthy, whole-foods diet,

> loosely based on Fuhrman and Ornish, pretty much everything from

> scratch, and you would expect that I would slim down to my " ideal "

> weight, but no luck so far. I am trying to be more vigilant on oils

> and sweets (still have to make cookies and such for DS's various

> activities), portion sizes, and evening snacking. I also know I need

> to get more exercise, and am trying to slowly work that into my

> routine. No outdoor activities right now other than my after-work

> walk, and our public pool changed their times to times that we can't

> get there, but I need to work more into my routine without sacrificing

> cooking and cleaning time . . .

>

> Pam

>

> On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 9:21 AM, Sally Parrott Ashbrook

> <sally.parrott wrote:

> > Though everyone's experiences are by nature individual, it seems like these

> > are three of the popular trajectories for those of us who go

> > gluten-free/allergen-free while being overweight.

> >

> > 1. A person who doesn't have a particularly healthy diet gets a diagnosis

> > of, or self-diagnoses, gluten intolerance or food allergies. The person cuts

> > out the offending food(s), initially panics about what to eat (especially

> > with gluten and/or multiple food allergies), and initially begins to lose

> > weight on the diet. Then the person figures out alternatives for most of

> > the tasty treats, and the weight creeps back up. The person's diet doesn't

> > change significantly, except for the lack of the particular offending

> > food(s). The person still wants to lose weight but struggles with it,

> > perhaps especially with the emotional difficulty of not being able to eat

> > the foods others get to have.

> >

> > 2. A person who doesn't have a particularly healthy diet gets a diagnosis

> > of, or self-diagnoses, gluten intolerance or food allergies. The person

> > cuts out the offending food(s), initially panics about what to eat

> > (especially with gluten and/or multiple food allergies), and initially loses

> > weight on the new diet. The person gradually figures out alternatives for

> > some of the tasty treats and regains some of the weight. But the person has

> > immersed himself or herself in research on holistic issues of diet and

> > health in the meantime, and the person begins adopting a diet centered

> > around more whole foods and fewer treats. Gradually, the person loses some

> > weight.

> >

> > 3. A person tries a gluten-free diet as one part of a holistic plan for

> > eating better and/or having better health. The person adopts the habit of

> > eating whole grains, lots of veggies, and other healthy foods, while making

> > the choice to cut way back on refined flours, sugar, etc. The person loses

> > weight through this process.

> >

> > In the past two years, I've gone from a size 18 to generally wearing a size

> > 8. I had adopted healthier eating habits, exercise patterns, and emotional

> > care techniques (which I bundle together under the concept of self-care) for

> > about six months when I got the gluten intolerance and food allergy

> > diagnoses. The diagnoses threw me for a loop initially; then I realized I

> > could apply the same principles of self-care to getting joy out of what was

> > available to me instead of focusing on what wasn't. And it changed

> > everything for me. I'm writing an article about gluten intolerance, food

> > allergies, and weight loss right now, and I'd love to hear from other people

> > (on the board or through private emails) about their experiences with weight

> > and how gluten intolerance or food allergies has played into that---whether

> > you fit one of the above trajectories or have had very different

> > experiences.

> >

> > To be clear, I was overweight from the time I was eight years old until the

> > second half of last year (at the age of 28). According to the BMI, I still

> > *am* overweight now, though I don't put much stock in BMI. I am saying that

> > I am not judgmental of people about their weight or struggles with weight,

> > and I don't think it's my place (or anyone else's) to tell you " if you'd

> > just ____, you'd be fine, " because I know for many people, it's not that

> > easy. Then again, if it has been easy for you to lose weight after

> > diagnosis, I'd be fascinated to hear about that, too. In general, I'd love

> > to have a conversation on this topic.

> >

> > Sally

> > http://aprovechar.danandsally.com

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

My husband and I cut out cane sugar (still ate maple, brown rice syrup,

etc.) and processed grains for a trial for the month of February, and I was

AMAZED how much it cut my mood swings.

 

On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 5:10 PM, paulahamma <phamma wrote:

 

> I've always been on the thin side and have always eaten more on the

> healthy side with few processed foods and lots of vegetables. After I had my

> son, I lost the baby weight, then proceeded to steadily gain about 22 pounds

> before he was 3 1/2 - not good on a 5 foot body. (Probably not helped by

> those midnight ice cream binges!) When we went gluten, dairy and soy free,

> and cooked almost every meal at home, I then lost 18 pounds over a year's

> time with no other change in lifestyle. I think the addition of many new

> whole grains (teff, quinoa, millet), the addition of more legumes on a

> regular basis, and the elimination of all refined and simple sugars (in

> addition to the dairy and gluten) have made quite a positive difference in

> my health and the health of our family. As a bonues, we generally have more

> energy and less mood swings.

>

> Paula

>

>

> --- In

<%40>,

> pdw <pdworkman wrote:

> >

> > When I went gluten-free, I gained weight quickly. All of the

> > experimenting with baking bread, buns, pizza crusts, cookies and

> > treats (of course I chose November, pre-Christmas, to go gluten-free),

> > etc. and with buying various commercial goodies was *not* good for me!

> >

> > Finding a balance of what to eat took time, though I was able to lose

> > about 25 lbs post-Christmas. Then my weight-loss stalled. In the

> > nine months since then, only minor fluctuations up or down a couple of

> > pounds, no real progress. I am eating a healthy, whole-foods diet,

> > loosely based on Fuhrman and Ornish, pretty much everything from

> > scratch, and you would expect that I would slim down to my " ideal "

> > weight, but no luck so far. I am trying to be more vigilant on oils

> > and sweets (still have to make cookies and such for DS's various

> > activities), portion sizes, and evening snacking. I also know I need

> > to get more exercise, and am trying to slowly work that into my

> > routine. No outdoor activities right now other than my after-work

> > walk, and our public pool changed their times to times that we can't

> > get there, but I need to work more into my routine without sacrificing

> > cooking and cleaning time . . .

> >

> > Pam

> >

> > On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 9:21 AM, Sally Parrott Ashbrook

> > <sally.parrott wrote:

> > > Though everyone's experiences are by nature individual, it seems like

> these

> > > are three of the popular trajectories for those of us who go

> > > gluten-free/allergen-free while being overweight.

> > >

> > > 1. A person who doesn't have a particularly healthy diet gets a

> diagnosis

> > > of, or self-diagnoses, gluten intolerance or food allergies. The person

> cuts

> > > out the offending food(s), initially panics about what to eat

> (especially

> > > with gluten and/or multiple food allergies), and initially begins to

> lose

> > > weight on the diet. Then the person figures out alternatives for most

> of

> > > the tasty treats, and the weight creeps back up. The person's diet

> doesn't

> > > change significantly, except for the lack of the particular offending

> > > food(s). The person still wants to lose weight but struggles with it,

> > > perhaps especially with the emotional difficulty of not being able to

> eat

> > > the foods others get to have.

> > >

> > > 2. A person who doesn't have a particularly healthy diet gets a

> diagnosis

> > > of, or self-diagnoses, gluten intolerance or food allergies. The person

> > > cuts out the offending food(s), initially panics about what to eat

> > > (especially with gluten and/or multiple food allergies), and initially

> loses

> > > weight on the new diet. The person gradually figures out alternatives

> for

> > > some of the tasty treats and regains some of the weight. But the person

> has

> > > immersed himself or herself in research on holistic issues of diet and

> > > health in the meantime, and the person begins adopting a diet centered

> > > around more whole foods and fewer treats. Gradually, the person loses

> some

> > > weight.

> > >

> > > 3. A person tries a gluten-free diet as one part of a holistic plan for

> > > eating better and/or having better health. The person adopts the habit

> of

> > > eating whole grains, lots of veggies, and other healthy foods, while

> making

> > > the choice to cut way back on refined flours, sugar, etc. The person

> loses

> > > weight through this process.

> > >

> > > In the past two years, I've gone from a size 18 to generally wearing a

> size

> > > 8. I had adopted healthier eating habits, exercise patterns, and

> emotional

> > > care techniques (which I bundle together under the concept of

> self-care) for

> > > about six months when I got the gluten intolerance and food allergy

> > > diagnoses. The diagnoses threw me for a loop initially; then I realized

> I

> > > could apply the same principles of self-care to getting joy out of what

> was

> > > available to me instead of focusing on what wasn't. And it changed

> > > everything for me. I'm writing an article about gluten intolerance,

> food

> > > allergies, and weight loss right now, and I'd love to hear from other

> people

> > > (on the board or through private emails) about their experiences with

> weight

> > > and how gluten intolerance or food allergies has played into

> that---whether

> > > you fit one of the above trajectories or have had very different

> > > experiences.

> > >

> > > To be clear, I was overweight from the time I was eight years old until

> the

> > > second half of last year (at the age of 28). According to the BMI, I

> still

> > > *am* overweight now, though I don't put much stock in BMI. I am saying

> that

> > > I am not judgmental of people about their weight or struggles with

> weight,

> > > and I don't think it's my place (or anyone else's) to tell you " if

> you'd

> > > just ____, you'd be fine, " because I know for many people, it's not

> that

> > > easy. Then again, if it has been easy for you to lose weight after

> > > diagnosis, I'd be fascinated to hear about that, too. In general, I'd

> love

> > > to have a conversation on this topic.

> > >

> > > Sally

> > > http://aprovechar.danandsally.com

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

-Are you able to give an eating plan for 1 day consisting of 6 meals.

Seems like a lot of eating to me, not that I would mind of course.

TIA

 

-- In , Brenda-Lee Olson

<shalomaleichemacademy wrote:

>

> Pam and other participants

>

> When I was taking a course which included a Food Safe option, the instructor

> made this comment about feeding vegetarians: there's a reason cows eat all

> day .... it seemed insulting at the time, but since most vegan foods pass

> more quickly we do need to fill the hopper more often so to speak. If we

> don't, the liver puts out galactulose and tries to balance our blood sugar

> levels. Most research is proving that we need to eat 6 small meals (under

> 300 calories) to maintain our metabolism at an optimum rate. If the

> metabolism is buring at a steady rate we don't store and done correctly we

> even start to break down fat stores.

>

> Now that said, there is also the problem of cortisol, the levels of which

> change as we enter middle age. Cortisol encourages us to store fat around

> the abdomen and can be responsible for what looks like arthritic joint

> breakdown, carpel tunnel, etc.

>

> BL

>

> On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 12:53 PM, pdw <pdworkman wrote:

>

> > I would die if I didn't eat after midafternoon! I am starving by 5:00

> > and then again by 9:00.

> >

>

>

>