Step Five: Add Exercise to Lose Weight on a Gluten-Free Diet

"I want to lose weight by eating nothing but moon pies, which have significantly less gravity than earthier foods such as fruits and vegetables" – Jarod Kintz

The up side of gluten-free celebrity endorsement is that gluten-free foods will become more readily available and more restaurants will offer gluten-free options on their menus. But, the down side is that the more famous names who claim their super-trim figure is down to a switch to gluten-free eating, the more the general public will be misled into thinking that a gluten-free diet is a weight-loss diet. For sufferers of celiac disease and NCGS, removing gluten from the diet is a necessity, not a choice, and it’s not a here-today-gone-tomorrow "fad" that they can flit in and out of whenever it suits their mood. While it’s true that some individuals do lose weight when they remove gluten from their diet, the bottom line is that if you want to lose weight, you need to consider the amount of food you are eating, not just the types of food you are eating. If you eat more food than your body needs to fuel your activities each day, weight loss cannot occur, so whether you’re eating gluten-free or not, weight loss comes down to getting the right balance between diet and exercise.

Exercise for Health

Current exercise guidelines in the US and the UK state that to maintain good health, adults (aged 16 to 64 years) should aim to take part in a minimum of 150 hours of aerobic activities at a moderate intensity each week plus additional muscle-strengthening activities on a minimum of two days per week.

Aerobic exercise is essentially any exercise that raises your heart and breathing rate above normal resting levels and achieving "moderate intensity" is no more arduous than exercising to a level that allows you to carry on having a conversation but with the need to shorten your sentences in order to catch your breath! Muscle-strengthening exercises include any form of activity that causes your major muscles to work against resistance such as working out with weights, exercise bands, or using bodyweight alone.

Beginners Workout

The good news for newcomers to exercise is that the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic activity can be split into sessions as short as 10 minutes spread over the course of your day. For example, 150 minutes could be split into one 30 to 60 minute exercise session per day, five days per week, or it could be split into several shorter sessions of around 10 minutes each day, five days per week.

Popular forms of gym-based aerobic activity include:

• Treadmill walking or jogging
• Stationary cycling on exercise bikes
• Rowing on stationary rowing machines
• Cross-trainers – steppers, Nordic walkers, elliptical machines of any kind

Of course, it’s not necessary to join an expensive gym in order to exercise. Walking, jogging and cycling can all be enjoyed outdoors in your local park, and swimming can be added to your activity list, either lane swimming in the pool or open water swimming if you have access to safe areas.

Popular strength-training exercises for major muscle groups include:

• Squats
• Push Ups
• Seated Row

Gyms are full of equipment specially designed to target any muscle group or combination of muscle groups you choose. However, the major muscles listed above can all be exercised at home use minimal equipment or no equipment at all.

Squats – this exercise targets all of your leg muscles and your butt. No equipment is required but you may find it helpful to lean against a wall or solid object to aid your balance.

• Stand with your feet placed at hip width apart or slightly wider. Allow your toes to angle out slightly.
• Place your hands on your hips (or on something solid for balance) and squat down by bending your knees and sticking your butt out behind you, as if about to sit into a chair.



• Keep your head up and avoid arching or rounding your back as you squat.
• Squat as low as you comfortably can, keeping your feet flat on the floor, and then reverse the movement to stand up again.
• Take your time, stay in control of the movements and breathe normally as you squat and rise.
• Repeat the exercise to complete between 15 and 20 squat repetitions.

Push Ups – this exercise targets the muscles of your chest and the back of your upper arms. No equipment is required but you will need a solid wall to push against.





• Stand facing a wall at arms-length away.
• Place your hands against on the wall at shoulder height and width apart.
• Bend your elbows to lean in toward the wall, keeping your legs and back straight (neutral spine) as you lean in.
• Push back from the wall by straightening your elbows.
• Take your time, breathe normally, and repeat the exercise to complete between 15 and 20 push up repetitions.

Seated Row – this exercise targets the muscles of your upper back and the front of your upper arms. An exercise band is required to provide resistance.

• Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you, keeping your ankles and knees together.
• Position the exercise band around the bottom of your feet and keep hold of one end in each hand.



• Position your elbows by your sides and begin to stretch the band in a rowing action by moving your elbows behind the line of your body. Keep an upright posture in your back, moving your arms only, and focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together in a rowing motion without arching your spine.
• Reverse the movement to allow the band to relax.
• Take your time, breathe normally, and repeat the exercise to complete between 15 and 20 seated row repetitions.

Intermediate Workout

For those who already exercise reasonably regularly, the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic exercise can consist of three 20 to 60 minutes sessions each week at a vigorous level of intensity. At a "vigorous" intensity, you are no longer able to hold a conversation as you exercise, managing to gasp only a word or two between breaths!

The above strength-training exercises can be intensified as follows:

Squats – add extra intensity to the squat exercise by holding a hand weight. Hold the weight in both hands in front of your body and allow the weight to lower toward the floor with your body as you squat. Household items such as a can of tomatoes or a water bottle can be used in place of a hand weight.

Push Ups – add intensity to the push up exercise by moving away from the wall onto a slightly lower surface such as a kitchen counter, a dining table, or the edge of your bed. The lower the surface and the greater the incline in your body, the more intense the exercise becomes.

Seated Rows – add intensity to the seated row exercise by simply shortening the length of exercise band in use to create an increase in resistance as you row.

Recommended Daily Calorie Intake

Regular exercise helps to boost your metabolism, therefore helping you to burn more calories each day. There is no one-size-fits-all figure in terms of calculating your daily caloric needs but the current United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and UK Department of Health Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) are a daily intake of around 2500 calories for men and 2000 calories for women. Factors that affect your actual requirements include your current height and weight, your age, and your general level of daily activity.

Weight loss = diet + exercise

Eating too many calories will eventually lead to weight gain but eating too few can be equally detrimental to your health. To lose weight at the recommended rate of around one pound per week, you need to achieve a deficit of 500 calories per day, and to maintain a healthy metabolism, it’s recommended that women should never eat less than 1200 calories per day. The more active you are in your daily life, the more calories your body requires to fuel those activities, highlighting once more the importance of striking a balance in the number of calories you consume and the number of calories your burn. Always seek expert medical or dietary advice before embarking on any weight-loss program.