While a gluten-free diet tends to be healthier than the average American diet, some of us still need to lose that last 10 pounds.
What to do? For one, don’t fast. The side effects are worse than any benefit you might receive, especially for women, says nutritionist Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD.
Fasting for short amounts of time – say between 4p.m. and 7 a.m. or consuming just 500 calories twice a week – is the latest trend in the trend-crazy world of food and health. Some male patients have had success using this model, Sass said, but her female patients have experienced little in the way of weight loss and lots in the way of bad consequences.
Fasting can cause a person to obsess about food. When they finally give in to their cravings, it’s not lean meat and green vegetables they head for. It’s often pizza and ice cream. You get the idea.
Fasting can also cause you to sleep poorly, draining your energy and increasing the desire for carbohydrates to fuel you through the day.
You might believe you’re losing weight by fasting, but you’re losing something else, too – good nutrition and healthy muscle tone. When you don’t eat, you don’t get enough lean protein, vegetables and good fats to keep the body running. And you do get the unintended effect of the body breaking down not just fat, but muscle tissue to keep itself going.
To get the right nutrition and eat well while tackling a gluten free diet, the Gluten Freedom Project offers nutrition guidelines for you to follow, as well as every day approaches to eating well.
Likely, if you eat with good nutrition in mind and exercise, the weight will come off any way.
Source: Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, ABC News.
Pamela Hasterok