The BIG question on many American’s minds (pun intended):
HOW DOES THIS ALL TRANSLATE INTO WEIGHT LOSS?
The Short Answer: It just does. Do it first, ask “why?” later.
The Long Answer:
Loosing weight was the main motivating factor for me to go grain-free. Like most people, I had tried “everything”. At least once a year for the last 10 years I have come up with some elaborate plan on how I was going to shed some extra weight. Read more at My Journey.
Bottom line: CALORIE IN ≠ CALORIE OUT
Steps to Success:
- Make note of all the grains you take in on a daily basis
- Plan ahead on how you will get rid of the grains
- Prepare your body for “Grain-Withdrawal Syndrome” (GWS)
- Get rid of all grains in your possession
- Go grain-free and watch the magic happen
1. Make note of all the grains you take in on a daily basis
Either make a mental note, or keep a log. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve on it.
Commonly eaten grains: cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, bread in sandwiches for lunch, rice or pasta with dinner. There are also tons of hidden sources of grains: crouton on the salad, flour added for thickening of sauces, granola mixed in with nuts, many more…
2. Plan ahead on how you will get rid of the grains
Make a roadmap or meal-plan or whatever you are good at. Sit down and think “instead of eating ABC with grains in it for breakfast/lunch/dinner, I will eat XYZ”. You need to figure out where you are going to get your non-grain foods and how you are going to prepare them. When you go to the supermarket or favorite diner, review their menu and make not of what you should be eating instead. This is key to success since you want to be able to keep a certain level of “normalcy” after you make the leap. There are many websites that are dedicated to help you eat Paleo or grain-free. I will also try to chip in by adding some suggestions on My Blog. Keep in mind, the objective is grain-free, not just gluten-free.
3. Prepare your body for “Grain-Withdrawal Syndrome” (GWS)
You bet its real, and its no joke. And if nobody has coined it before, consider it coined. You can read the science behind this reaction on an upcoming blog post. The important thing is that you prepare and defend yourself by taking the nutrients listed below. Incidentally, most of the nutrients below will help fight other cravings and addictions also.
For one week prior to and 3-4 weeks after cutting out grains, take the following nutrients*:
- L-Tyrosine – 750mg once or twice a day
- 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) – 100mg once or twice a day
- N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) – 600 mg once or twice a day
- Alpha Lipoic Acid – 300 mg once or twice a day
- Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P-5-P) – 50 mg once a day
- Sensoril® Ashwagandha extract – 250 mg once or twice a day
- Chromium Polynicotinate – 200mcg once a day
- (optional) Agaricus Blazei Extract – 500 mg once or twice a day
- (optional) Green Tea Extract - 500 mg in the morning
*Disclamer: if you have any medical problems or are taking any medications or have any concern about these nutrients, please contact your physician or use our Find A Doc page to find one
4. Get rid of all grains in your possession
Raid your fridge, pantries and drawers at home and at work. Have no mercy and take no hostages. This is war. Give them to your friends (the ones you don’t really like – the ones you do like give them the address to this website), or donate the stuff to a local food shelter. I know, I know – how can you just give away perfectly good food? Well, if it was “perfectly good” then you wouldn’t be reading this! And above all, do not cave in and leave a small stash of “comfort food”. Don’t do it!
5. Go grain-free and watch the magic happen
Ok, so there really is no “magic”, but for many it seems like it is. Watching the weight come off and stay off after years of failed struggle certainly seems like magic. And when you tell others of your enlightenment, they will look at you like had some magic mushrooms or something – but so what! From how well you’ve done, and how good you feel, they may eventually be enchanted.
A man after my own heart. Over the years I’ve tried everything as well. I’m strong enough of mind to put myself through hell to loose the weight only to see it all come back on.
Now I’m in my sixties I can only loose a stone then I cave in.
Not any more. I’ve gone grain free!
What a release. My weight is disappearing almost magically and I feel more energetic. Rheumatism has almost gone. Off nsaids at last! Also gone are my seemingly lifelong cravings. Incredible.
Let’s hope others follow. Tnx for your site.
Regards John by sea in East Yorkshire UK
John – Thanks for sharing
Great, isn’t it?
Did you go through the “Grain Withdrawal syndrome”?
Keep up the good work and let me know how it goes.
Doctor Z
Thanks for sharing all of this. I was wondering, does this only have results if you go “all or nothing”? Is the weight loss and health benefits only possible if you totally dump the grains, or is it possible for me to start losing simply by cutting out the majority of them? I was reading on another site that eating potatoes, rice, and soy was a better choice than WHEAT, but your site seems to refer to ALL grains. So you have cut corn as well? Or am I not understanding.
I would like to start in this direction, thank you in advance for your input.
-Ericca
Ohio
Hi Ericca,
Good questions. Whether or not this needs to be “all or nothing” kinda depends. If you are really intolerant, then it is really all or nothing, especially in the case of Celiac Disease.
I err on the side of avoiding ALL grains (including corn). By avoiding, I mean do not plan on having ANY and you will find that it is near impossible to avoid it altogether. Most people say “I will only have a small piece of toast for breakfast” – this is a no-no. My suggestion is to plan to keep all grains out of your diet and make exceptions as they come along. For example, I cheated on my birthday because my sister made me a cake that looked like the Starship Enterprise (I am such a nerd, I know!). Usually, I cheat more often (1-2x/month) with corn chips or a very small helping of rice.
The verdict is still out on soy as far as I am concerned. Potatoes are ok, but do not go overboard.
Good luck and let us know how it goes
Doctor Z
Thank you for the reply! I am happy to share with you that I have effectively convinced my husband to give this a try with me. He was diagnosed with Graves disease (auto immune as you know) late last year and had to be on Prednisone for many months. Also from this he developed a thyroid issue and had to have that removed.While my personal case is not as severe, I deal with pretty frequent horrible headaches and fatigue. I think this will be a good challenge for both of us and our 4 year old (who has a little macaroni and cheese addiction herself.) I can’t wait to start seeing results. I hope you have time to keep adding to your site, I think it is extremely helpful and interesting.
Ericca