Why is it that some folks cut gluten out of their diet and the fat just melts off of their body and other people eliminate gluten and they either get no results or they even gain weight? What’s going on here…?
Let’s illustrate this with a few clear cut examples…
Person #1 cuts gluten completely out of their diet so no bread, pizza, pasta, crackers, muffins etc and instead they start eating mostly single ingredient whole foods like meat, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegg, rice, potatoes…you get the idea.
Person #2 also cuts gluten completely out of their diet but the only change that they really make is eliminating gluten itself meaning, they still eat the same type of foods they just reach for gluten-free options so gluten-free pizza, pasta, muffins, crackers, cookies etc.
Person #1 loses fat and person #2 doesn’t because gluten itself doesn’t impair fat loss…this is a total calorie intake issue.
The first person reduced their calorie intake by a bunch because they substituted really high calorie non-filling foods for lower calorie very filling foods, this puts them in a calorie deficit i.e. using more energy than they are taking in and voila…fat loss happens.
The second person didn’t reduce their calorie intake because they just ate essentially the same foods, but opted for gluten-free versions which contain the same number of calories and therefore they did not create a calorie deficit and as a result they did not lose fat.
This is one of the reasons why fat loss can be so confusing for people right…because if we ask both of these folks have you tried a gluten-free diet and did it work?
Person #1 will say yup, it worked like a charm the fat just fell off of my body.
Person #2 will say yup tried it, it didn’t work for me.
Both of these people are telling the truth, they are being honest, they are both technically correct but the diets themselves were drastically different right…the same ‘gluten-free’ label can mean massively different things.
This same concept applies to tons of different dietary approaches.
Someone can be following a keto diet and eat pounds and pounds of cheese and not lose a single ounce of body fat and someone else can follow a keto diet, make different food choices, create a calorie deficit and lose 100 lbs…I’ve seen it before.
Someone can do a paleo diet and lose a ton of fat and someone else can do paleo and not lose a single pound because maybe they substitute all of their regular desserts for quote unquote ‘paleo approved’ foods and their body doesn’t change.
A paleo energy bar that’s made with a bunch of dates and nuts can still have the same number of calories if not more as a chocolate bar. A paleo approved dairy-free cookie is still a cookie.
It’s worth mentioning that if someone has celiac disease which is an autoimmune condition aggravated by gluten itself or someone has gluten sensitivity, these folks will benefit from eliminating gluten regardless of whether they change anything else…
Because their bodies are reacting negatively to gluten itself from an immune and health standpoint.
Now you may have heard people say that gluten in north America is different than the gluten in Europe for example and there are all sorts of anecdotes where folks say…I went to Europe, I ate pizza and pasta and I either lost weight or didn’t gain a pound and they claim it’s because of the type of gluten in the food.
Let’s take a step back and look at this a little more objectively…
If someone travels to Europe they are probably on vacation, they are probably not working, they are probably sight-seeing a ton which means they are probably walking way more…
I’ve had a bunch of clients go to Europe and hit 20,000+ steps per day easy while when they’re at home they struggle to hit 10,000…that is a massively different caloric burn.
A lot of times when folks go on vacation they also fall into a bit of a different eating pattern so for example…they may eat 3 meals and a couple of snacks at home but while they’re on their getaway they have a late breakfast/brunch, maybe a light snack and a solid dinner.
Portions also tend to be smaller in Europe compared with North America, meaning…
Oftentimes their calorie intake doesn’t increase as much as they might think especially because they’re often on the go and moving all day long.
Europe is also a lot more commuter and walker friendly and so the environment is set up in such a way that folks just tend to walk more in general.
So is it really likely to be gluten of all things or do folks just move a lot more than usual and eat less than they expect to.
Comparing Europe to Mexico for example, Mexican cuisine does not contain a lot of gluten, the starch that they eat is mostly corn which is gluten-free…how many people go to Mexico and gain wait on vacation…basically everyone.
What’s different, the day to day lifestyle…people tend to eat, drink and lounge at the pool in Mexico while in Europe, sure they do eat and drink some, but they explore and walk a TON.
So the take home point here is, if you want to lose fat you need to create a calorie deficit, there are no ifs, ands or buts about that…it is universal no matter what dietary pattern you choose.
The hardest part about fat loss is finding an approach that creates a calorie deficit but also fits with your personal food preferences, lifestyle, time constraints, digestion etc.
This is exactly what I help my clients with because when it comes to all of these factors, everyone truly is different.
Do you have to hire a coach, no…you can do this on your own via educating yourself about the caloric content of foods, macronutrient ratios that have you feel your best so playing with your protein, carb and fat amounts and just figuring out what foods work best for you and what choices don’t.
It’s worth mentioning that there is no requirement for gluten in the human body meaning, if you never eat a morsel of gluten again, you’ll be just fine however…
If you don’t have any negative symptoms from eating it, you can absolutely implement it into your diet, get super healthy and still lose fat.
