Gluten Free Diet - will this help with weight loss?

[gailforce1]

Following the results of an adrenal test I have been advised to cut out gluten. I also need to lose 2.5stone and wonder if cutting out gluten will help? Has anyone else had to cut out gluten? If so, what did you subsitiute with and what do you miss? Did you lose weight?
TIA

[Patopopo]

My father had to cut out gluten starting when I was in my early teens. And our mother didn't want to prepare two meals so our family basically ate gluten free. Back then gluten free food tasted like sh-te. Awful and bland. Imagine rice crackers as your bread substitute everyday. But the food has improved vastly in twenty years. It still isn't perfect but you can live off it and remain happy. Hell my dad's gluten free chocolate cake is now so much better than anything else we can buy with gluten in it.
Anyway to answer your question, going gluten free is certainly a healthy option and if you like breads, pastas, cakes, beer etc. then you will have to cut out any that have gluten in it. If you do that then it could help you loose weight. Now of course you could pour a bag of sugar down your neck daily but my guess is if you are disciplined enough to stick to the gluten free diet then it will have a positive effect and you will start feeling healthier and have more energy and that alone will have a positive effect because you will be able to be more active and thus burn more calories resulting in further weight loss. Plus having to avoid so many gluten free foods will help you loose weight.
As for the foods you will miss. If gluten makes you violently sick every time you eat it then you probably won't miss a thing leaving it behind. Me, I couldn't give up pizza, beer, cake, bread etc. But they do make very tasty gluten free beer, bread, pasta etc these days. Go to any large supermarket and ask for the gluten free section. Tescos, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, M&S all have well stocked gluten free sections. So of it is very very good. Just get used to taking your own GF bread with you to restaurants.

[gailforce1]

Thanks Patopopo that is very helpful. I went to the gluten free section in Sainsburys and there seemed to be a good range of their own products. I got the bread and have had it with scrambled egg. It did taste strangely sweet. Have to admit I love granary bread and always have sandwiches for lunch at work so it is going to be a bit difficult for the first few days.
I have managed to lose 3 stone over the last couple of years but plateaued for 9 months and hoping that this will kick start a further loss!

[foreverondiet]

On its own a gluten free diet will not help you lose weight. I have several friends who are on gluten free diets and are overweight.

Gluten free products can be highly processed and can have added sugar and so changing from normal bread and cakes to gluten free bread and cakes will not help you lose weight.

That all being said, my current diet is mainly gluten free (I don't have a gluten intolerance, and I do have some gluten eg there is wheat/oats in my muesli which I occasionally have with my yoghurt for breakfast, just that I get bloating from too much wheat), and I have lost almost 4 stone since October. I eat mainly unprocessed food and very little in the way of wheat or refined carbs.

I have eggs and yoghurt (sometimes with lineeds or muesli or berries) for breakfast.
I have fish and salad for lunch.
I snack on fruit, nuts, seeds, vegetables, cottage cheese, homemade houmous, yoghurt - all naturally gluten free.
I have lean meat / tofu /fish with loads of veggies (bolognaise sauce or stir fry or just fish and steamed veggies, varies each day) and I add a healthy carb eg quinoa / brown rice if I've done exercise that day.

[gailforce1]

Thanks Forever - I think I am going to have to get to grips with foods that I have not used before eg tofu, buckwheat and quinoa. I am unsure about couscous though?

[foreverondiet]

Does couscous not have gluten?

Rice I am sure will become a staple.
Millet and quinoa both gluten free can be cooked / eaten like rice.
You can buy gluten free oats.

As I said on a low carb diet (most of my carbs are from fruit / veg/dairy) you don't need to use gluten free products.

[Smallstuff]

Hi as others have said cutting out gluten per se won't help. My DS2 is severely gluten intolerant and was very underweight as a result. So he is on a GF diet but needs to put weight on!
For instance Genius GF bread is more calorific slice for slice than nomal brown bread for instance. Plus at about 20p a slice very expensive! It has some fat and sugar in to make it palatable.
The pasta is fine from Sainsburys and we also use their stuffings, breadcrumbs etc. I make my own GF treats for him as the processed stuff is full of crap!
I guess cutting out bread, pasta etc and replacing it with veg, pulses etc would help tho!