Have you given up wheat for weight loss? How well did it work?

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I've decided to give up wheat for a while to see if it will help me to lose weight. I think I rely too much on bread and eliminating wheat from my diet will also mean I can't have cakes and biscuits. That's got to be a good thing.

Anyone given this a go?

You'll do better if you combine it with giving up sugar and processed food as well as wheat. And watch portion sizes.

But the main thing is to not go back to old habits after losing the weight... Keep to the 80/20 rule and only eat processed, non whole foods and booze 20% of the time.

I'm a big fan of the Harcombe diet - weight just falls off me if I put on a few pounds and then go on phase 1 for 5 days.

I don't think I do too badly with processed and sugar.
Sugar I have usually as fruit, organic fruit yoghurts or the odd bit of dessert here and there. I'm not even that keen on chocolate unless its good quality choc than I cant stop til its gone.
I'm quite anti processed food and we often make our own bread, cakes and biscuits (for the kids, of course:)). Of course, I'm no angel and we will have processed stuff from time to time. Meals are almost always home made.

I'm sure my main problem is wheat. I could live off toast, sandwiches, bagels, wraps etc. and I think I actually do. Obviously I'd cut out the baked goods then too.

Try it then! There's so much crap with wheat in it that it's likely to work, and you have nothing to lose. Try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

Seriously dont try and cut out anythng other than wheat to start with. Yes other things are bad for you but trying to cut evsrything out is miserable.

I will reply in more depth when I am on my phone, this is my sons tabket and its hopeless!

Okay, so yesterday I had

Bolognaise with rice instead of pasta

Soup for lunch

About 3 bananas!

A bag of crisps

I was hungry after lunch so I got a superfoods bean salad from m+s. It wasn't great but I think I can make a better one fresh at home with honey mustard dressing

Oats are good for the morning
Cornflakes
Granola

Lunch is tricker but
Corn tortillas
Spelt bread
Ryvita
Rice cakes
Potato (jackets etc)

Dinner just have everything with rice and potatoes, if possible try and make enough of dinner so you can have for for lunch.

Plus, get into cooking things like lentils (Dahl) great accompaniment to main meals
Also put tins of mixed bean in everything.

Thanks Gecko.

I eat porridge but often have toast as I don't always get time to do porridge. I'm not a big cereal fan as I think most of them are rubbish but I'd forgotten about cornflakes.
I'm also happy to eat a yoghurt and banana for breakfast.

Tonight I cooked chicken and red pepper curry with vegetable rice so that's a start. I love dahl. I happily eat lentils, beans and pulses so it shouldn't be too difficult. I can always do chickpea curry with rice as a stand by meal.

Jacket potatoes, soups and ryvita I can do happily for lunch. I will try to have leftovers mostly.

I do like to have a dessert from time to time. Especially at weekends. I don't have much but just trying to think of stuff;
stewed or tinned fruit with custard
rice pudding
ice cream
Anything else?

I will need to do a dinner menu plan

Right. So here goes.....

You can put porridge in a bowl of milk the night before and then nuke it for 20seconds or eat it cold.

Those oat so simple packets are cool too.

I cut wheat and sugar and have dropped 2 stone since July: I feel amazing! Good luck :)

When people say they 'cut sugar' what do you mean?

I basically do have some sugar - dry wine contains it, as do berries. But I don't eat anything with sugar in: no bread, cake, biscuits, chocolate, sodas, fruit or juices other than a few fresh berries. I don't eat pasta, rice, oats, potatoes....

What I do eat: fish, meat, shellfish, eggs, cheese, full fat natural Greek yog, sour cream, cream, creme fraiche, nuts, heaps of salad, green leafy veg, broccoli, cabbage, squash, courgette, tomatoes, peppers, sweet potato, green beans. Spices, seasoning, fresh herbs, lime/lemon juice...

Basically low carb. Under 60g a day when losing, under 90g carb a day maintaining.

Typical day: omelette, handful almonds, big ass feta and avocado salad with olives and grape tomatoes, chicken thighs with coconut milk and spice with steamed pak choi/ lamb chops with spinach and sweet potato/ baked ribs with buttered cabbage noodles/ steak and guacamole/ fish with kale and broccoli in lemon butter and flaked almonds/ sausage and tomato and aubergibe ratatouille/ shrimp with Cajun salsa and green salad, bacon cheeseburger salad no bun, few sweet potato fries...yogurt and strawberries with spoonful of cream if hormonal.

Works great for me but we are all different.
Before I was toast/ sandwich/pasta and had huge belly and crap skin and low energy.

This way feels decadent, balances my moods/skin/energy and I still get to drink and eat out. We all find our own way :) good luck.

Ah so low carb.

I am miserable if I try low carb.

I can't do low carb either. I have done and lost weight quite well but I hated it and ended up hardly eating anything as I couldn't face eating anymore meat or fish. I'm happier eating lentil/pulses and veg.

Food plan for today is porridge for breakfast. Soup, ryvita with cream cheese, yoghurt and fruit for lunch. Chicken plus veg and some potato for dinner.

I know it has great results but I think quite a high proportion of people put weight back on after it, which is not what anyone needs.

The thing is, wheat for me just isn't an option at all anymore. I had a (tmi) poo today and it wasn't painful and sloppy for the first time in months (since last time I went without wheat) that combined with the indigestion just means I cannot have it anymore at all. It's not a diet, it's a complete change.

I had a latte and bowl of cornflakes for breakfast. Will have steak and chips for tea and then soup for dinner.

I feel better already to be honest. Healthier inside and out.

I think im ready to drop the wheat at least (would love to low carb again). I dropped dairy, other than goats milk, and that sorted my chronic rhinitis and I don't miss it one bit. I notice when I eat wheat I get back pain immediately afterwards, god forbid if I binge on wheat I get debilitating fatigue. I just don't get this if I have oats, potato or rice. There also isn't that inclination to binge on the latter, like you sometimes feel with wheat, its like crack!

Porridge with half water/half milk is nice. Flahavans pinhead oats are lovely.

I thought Oats were okay to eat???

Don't forget that if you're going to drop wheat out of your diet, but don't want to go low carb, you can get wheat free pasta, gluten free bread etc.

However, if its a 'wheat thing' that's associated with cakes, bread, biscuits, sugar etc, then ignore the above!

Oats are definitely okay, as is spelt wheat products which is like a less processed wheat.

Oats have a type of gluten in them which some celiacs (not all) are allergic to.

But they are fine unless you are going no-gluten in which case it's a judgement call.

Gecko I have given up gluten for the same reasons you have. Like you are finding, the difference is amazing. apart from when some gluten inadvertently slips down the hatch, and then there are dire digestive consequences. I am almost 2 months in now and I have lost 6lbs without even trying, feel so much better with lots of energy and my urge for sugary snacks diminishes daily now.

try gluten free bread if you fancy some toast or whatever, it doesn't set off the demented carb cravings like normal bread does - for me at any rate.

I was tested for coeliac disease but that came back negative, I guess I am just sensitive to gluten these days.

I am not specifically gluten free, I can have some gluten in stuff but absolutely no wheat,

I think modern wheat, industrially farmed is especially bad for some people, and experimenting with quinoa and spelt and oats after a wheat free phase can be helpful.

Re low carb; the Induction/v low carb/Atkins phase 1 can be tough but you don't have to do that, nor eat meat all the time. I have days of eating Greek salad, veg soup, nut snacks, roast veg, yogurt and berries and avocados, maybe an omelette and no meat and fish at all!

Find what works and experiment - we are all different. It's amazing how I don't miss bread and baked stuff now - I just make sure I eat things I think are lovely so I don't feel deprived. And there's no nutrient in wheat you can't get elsewhere. The first fortnight is the hardest, then it becomes habit.

Well so far I've not succumbed!
I've managed to refuse all things wheat based and didn't even have a taste of the pancakes I just made for the kids!

Its too early for me to feel or see any benefits as I don't have any actual problem with it except for the overeating of it.

I bought some rye bread and had a slice with peanut butter and I couldn't believe how full I felt. With normal bread, I could have easily eaten 4 slices of toast with peanut butter whether I felt full or not.

I hope It helps me to lose weight!

I had some spring rolls yesterday for tea and was subsequently up in the night with indigestion!

I've been very naughty the last few days and tonight have eaten a bag of kettle chips and a whole bottle of wine (eek)

I am hoping tomorrow will be a better day.

Oh dear Gecko. Sounds horrible.

I love kettle chips (and most crisps actually!) . I'm glad they're not off the menu.

Hope you have a good day today. I'm trying to think of food for the rest of the week as I'm going shopping in a bit. I'm also trying to get the rest of the family to reduce their wheat intake. Its quite difficult to find substitutes.

Have any of you noticed weight loss on wheat free? I ditched it two weeks ago, not lost a single pound but I look as though I've lost a stone ie all the bloating has gone. So confused. People keep commenting....yet the scales don't budge

I have been naughty and had take-away pizza with the kids last night. Today I am eating good wholesome food promise ;)