Losing Weight by Eliminating Wheat –
The Keys to Weight Loss by Dr. Davis
Yes, it happens: Rid your life of
all things wheat and you get relief from acid reflux, joint pain, and mood
swings . . . but not weight loss.
While most people enjoy rapid and
dramatic weight loss with wheat elimination due to the loss of the
appetite-stimulating effect of wheat gliadin, the loss of repetitive
glucose-insulin provocation of amylopectin A, the reduction of
inflammation (that blocks insulin) of the combined effects of gliadin/wheat
germ agglutinin/amylopectin A, and the leptin-blocking effect of wheat
germ agglutinin, this doesn’t happen to everybody. Or you lose,
say, 10 pounds, only to have weight loss stop for an extended period with
another 50 to go.
Why? Elimination of wheat is an
extremely powerful strategy for regaining control over health, appetite, and
weight. But it cannot correct or undo every abnormal situation that causes
weight gain or blocks weight loss. The list of solutions to break a
weight loss failure is rather extensive and there is often more than one
answer. There are more but these are the biggies. Let’s consider them one by
one:
1) Lose the carbohydrates
Many people have high blood levels of insulin with resultant resistance to
insulin that has to be undone for weight loss to occur. Beyond getting rid of wheat and its extravagant insulin-raising
effect, it therefore helps to restrict other carbohydrates. This is among the
reasons I condemn gluten-free foods made with rice starch, cornstarch, tapioca
starch, and potato starch. So cutting carbohydrates may become
necessary, e.g., no more than 15
grams “net” carbs per meal (i.e., total carbs minus fiber). (I use a
free iPhone app called FoodFacts to
get quick listings of various foods or an old-fashioned handbook of nutritional
content of foods works fine.) Another way to manage carbs: Get a fingerstick
glucose meter and check blood sugars immediately prior to meals, then 1-hour
later; aim for NO CHANGE in blood sugar. This works for many people and can be
conducted in concert with counting carbohydrates.
An occasional person will actually require a ketogenic
state to achieve weight loss, i.e., complete elimination
of carbohydrates in order to metabolize fats, evidenced by the fruity breath
odor of ketones or urine dipstick testing positive with Ketostix.
2) Revel in fats and oils–Fat
is satiating and reduces appetite. Liberal fat intake, contrary to
conventional “wisdom,” does not make you fat; it helps you get skinny.
The only fats to avoid are fried (high-temperature),
hydrogenated, and highly-processed polyunsaturated seed or GM oils like
safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, soybean, and canola.
You can add fats/oils to many foods, e.g., add 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive or coconut oil to
scrambled eggs or soups. Some people even choose to consume coconut oil
“straight.”
3) Lose the dairy–The
problem with dairy is not fat; it’s the whey
fraction of protein. Some people are susceptible to the “insulinotrophic” action of whey–a
tripling of insulin output by the pancreas, a situation that stalls weight
loss. The solution:
Avoid all dairy when trying to lose weight. I know of
no other way to confidently identify this as the culprit . . . except a trial
of elimination. This approach does, however, make the diet very restrictive, so
this may be necessary for only as long as you are trying to lose weight.
4) Thyroid dysfunction–VERY, VERY common. Thyroid dysfunction is really part of a
broader modern problem in human health: Endocrine disruption from environmental organochemicals.
We are witnessing more obesity, diabetes, pituitary, thyroid, ovarian, and
other endocrine gland disruption due to chemicals such as perchlorates (residues of synthetic fertilizer in produce),
polyfluorooctanoic acid (non-stick cookware), bisphenol A (polycarbonate
plastics, resin lining of cans), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame
retardants), along with many others.
The end result of decades of exposures: disruption of endocrine status. The
most common: Impaired thyroid hormone production, both T4 and T3.
Problem: Even if diagnosed, most
of my colleagues prescribe the T4 thyroid hormone only
(Synthroid or levothyroxine), while failing to address T3–even if it is abnormally
low. This is a big mistake, since many of the endocrine-disrupting
chemicals we are exposed to are blockers of the 5′-deiodinase enzyme that
converts T4 to active T3. If you are deficient in T3, you will not
lose weight, no matter how much T4 you take. Also, ideal TSH? 1.0 mIU
or less–NOT the 3.5 or 4.0 many doctors are content with. The key: Find a
practitioner willing to explore this question, usually a functional medicine
practitioner or naturopath, virtually NEVER an endocrinologist.
Some people (proportion varying
by region, age, ethnicity; this represents about 20% of the people I meet with
underactive thyroids in Wisconsin)
have underactive thyroids due to iodine deficiency. (I am, in fact,
seeing a rise in goiters–enlarged thyroid glands due to lack of iodine). This
will respond to the simple supplementation of iodine, e.g., 500 mcg per day
from kelp tablets or iodine drops from the health food store. (Adverse
reactions are rare but need to be explored to rule out, for instance,
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or active thyroid nodules.) Supplementing iodine is no
more dangerous than salting your food with iodized salt. Take iodine for at
least 3 months to observe the full effect.
But if even marginal thyroid
dysfunction is present, or undertreated hypothyroidism, it can completely block
weight loss. Correct thyroid status to ideal and weight loss proceeds.
5) Lose drugs that block
weight loss–Obviously, this should be undertaken with the
knowledge of your healthcare provider. Beta blockers, such as metoprolol,
atenolol, and propranolol; antidepressants like amitryptiline, doxepin,
paroxetine (Paxil), and trazodone, thought nearly all antidepressants have been
associated with weight gain in some people; Lyrica for fibromyalgia and pain;
and insulin. I’ve seen 20, 30, even 50+ pounds gained within several months of
initiating long-acting insulin preparations like Lantus. This is only a partial
list, as there are many others.
6) Straighten out cortisol–Not so much excess cortisol as disruptions
of circadian rhythm. Cortisol should surge in the morning, part
of the process to arouse you from sleep, then decline to lower levels in the
evening to allow normal recuperative sleep. But this natural circadian cycling
is lost in many people represented, for instance, as a flip-flopping of the
pattern with low levels in the morning (with morning fatigue) and high levels
at bedtime (with insomnia), which can result in stalled weight loss or weight
gain. Cortisol
status therefore needs to be assessed, best accomplished with salivary cortisol
assessment.
7) Get adequate sleep–Sleep
deprivation increases adrenaline, cortisol, and insulin, while increasing
appetite, all of which add up to stalled weight loss or weight gain. Adequate
sleep, occurring in 90-minute “packages” (e.g., 7 1/2 hours, 9 hours) is
crucial. (Note that chronic sleep deprivation can even increase mortality–death.)
8) Fast intermittently–Intermittent
fasting of, say, 15-48 hours in duration, can be a wonderful way to break a
weight loss plateau. However, this is best undertaken after you’ve confidently
removed all wheat, concluded your wheat withdrawal experience, and all the
above strategies have been explored and squared away. Be sure to hydrate
vigorously, as dehydration is the most common reason for failing and
experiencing symptoms like lightheadedness, nausea, and unexplained fatigue. (People with diabetes or hypertension need
to talk to their healthcare provider about the advisability of taking their
drugs during a fast.) Also, Intermittent fasting should not be confused
with the habitual skipping of meals, e.g., always skipping breakfast; habitual
and consistent meal skipping actually causes weight gain. If you skip meals, do so in an
unpredictable and random pattern, so that your body does not adjust and ratchet
down its metabolic rate.
9) Drink coffee–By
no means a big effect, else all coffee drinkers would be skinny. But 2-3 cups
per day of caffeinated coffee, via caffeine and possibly chlorogenic acid
(below), can yield a modest weight reduction.
Beyond this, there are the
speculative relationships between bowel flora and weight, with some data, such
as this trial of fructooligosaccharides
(prebiotic inulin) resulting in modest weight loss. At present, however, the
precise species of bowel bacteria that facilitate weight loss and/or prevent
weight gain have not been worked out. Other supplements, such as green
coffee bean extract/chlorogenic acid, white bean extract to
block carbohydrate digestion, and medium-chain triglycerides
have shown effects in limited trials, though I have not witnessed substantial
effects in people trying them.
Printed From:
The Wheat Belly Diet is a MUST READ book!!! This will change your life for the better. I am happy to say I have been wheat free for about 4 months now! I have also dropped 50 lbs! I feel great! I am weaning my family off wheat. They don't even realize they are eating healthier. I make wheat free bread, cookies, desserts, hamburger buns, you name it!
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