This article talks to people who need to lose weight without deviating from their gluten free diet. Despite the common myth, there are lots of us — 39% of newly-diagnosed celiacs are overweight or obese.

The rules for eating a balanced diet and controlling weight are the same for celiacs as for anyone else. Our choices are somewhat limited, but it is certainly possible and reasonable for us to follow the guide lines set by the Agriculture Department, summarized in their new program Choose My Plate Browse this website! Note that there is nothing that requires (or suggests) that we eat gluten toxic food. Also be aware that the program emphasize fruit and vegetables which are — of course — naturally gluten free. FYI, “Choose My Plate” replaces the old Food Pyramid program that most of us have struggled with.

Some folks insist that going gluten free is a wonderful way to lose weight. There is little if any scientific information to support this proposition, but it certainly reinforces the idea that weight-loss is possible for people living gluten free. This article from The Wall Street Journal has more ideas on this subject. Here’s another article on the same subject.

Although people can shed pounds while living gluten free but there are certainly hurdles that stand in our way:

The Savvy Celiac coined the term gluten entitlement to refer to the myth that gluten free food is OK in any quantity. This reminds me of an old joke about a man who ate a low-calorie meal. He waited a few minutes and when nothing happened he down six more meals and gained ten pounds. When I was diagnosed in 1999, I was advised to temporarily forget everything I knew about nutrition and balanced diet and focus on the overwhelming problem of filling my body with gluten free food. I think that is the best strategy for the newly-diagnosed celiac, but it certainly does not apply to the person whose goal is to eliminate gluten and restrict calories.

Many of us experienced dramatic results during our first week on the gluten free diet. We had ample incentive to continue. Losing weight is a slow process.

Most of us have a lifelong commitment to the gluten free diet. Hopefully, we can eventually stop counting calories. That’s a reassuring thought.

Our gluten free diet demands zero tolerance — we are trying to eliminate all gluten. We can relax our low calorie diet during the holidays without without risking spending part of that holiday in bed or in the bathroom. That’s another reassuring thought.

When I first learned about the gluten free diet, the idea of giving up beer, bread, pizza, and cake terrified me. The fact that this denial was “forever” left me depressed. But I succeed and so have most of you. Restricting our calorie intake adds more restrictions and more inconvenience to our already busy lives. Obstacles can be overcome!

It is certainly possible lose weight without compromising our gluten free diet. For information about other aspects of the gluten free diet, please click here.