Get Lean & Feel Great!

How to Go Gluten-Free for Weight Loss & Health

It seems like the latest craze to lose weight these days is to just go gluten-free. But if you don’t go gluten-free the right way, it can actually also lead to major weight gain. This can happen when you rely on the packaged, highly-processed gluten-free foods which are often heavy in fat, calories, and sugar.

If you focus instead on a diet rich in whole and unprocessed foods (such as lean meats, seafood, veggies, rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and fruit) and pair this clean diet with some simple fat-burning exercises that you can even do right from home, you will likely find that you feel healthier, lighter, and better than ever on a gluten-free diet!

To get you started, we’ve put together some easy tips to keep you on track, a 3-day meal plan along with a grocery list, and a quick fat-burning metabolic workout that you can do from home with nothing but your own body weight.

A few simple changes to your daily routine can get you feeling (and looking) better and healthier than you have in years!

8 Tips for Losing Weight

1. 1. Ditch the diet. The “D” word only equates to short term success. This is about making long term changes to our bodies, our lifestyles, and mental and physical health. Changing your mindset can shift your whole path of success.
   2. Eat five smaller whole foods meals per day and eat protein with every meal. This will keep you from feeling hungry and will boost your energy levels.
   3. Use good quality coconut oil as your main cooking oil. Use it to sauté vegetables and meat, in baking, and in smoothies.
      Coconut oil can help:
      -Fight yeast, fungus, and Candida
      -Boost thyroid function and control blood sugar levels
      -Break down fat in the liver
      -Efficiently burn fat and increase metabolism
   4. Aim to eat 3-4 cups of vegetables a day. Keep your refrigerator stocked with a variety of veggies that are cleaned and ready to go. Some good vegetables to include are green beans, asparagus, peppers, carrots, kale, chard, spinach, arugula, celery, and peppers.
   5. At least 30% of all food intake should be from lean proteins. Good sources include organic and pastured chicken, turkey, egg whites, fish, seafood, grass-fed meat, pork, nuts, and seeds.
   6. Eat probiotic-rich foods every day. Good sources include naturally fermented vegetables, natto, kefir, and yogurt. (Alternatively, take a quality probiotic supplement every day.)
   7. Add 1-2 tablespoons of raw, organic, unpasteurized, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to 8 ounces of water and sip this every morning.
      Apple cider vinegar’s benefits:
      -Increases stomach acid to help stabilize blood sugar longer and control the appetite
      -Alkalizes your body and decreases the acidity of blood pH
      -Increases your body’s metabolism by 30% when taken first thing in the morning
   8. Fit in a 15-20 minute fat-burning metabolic interval workout at least 3-4 times per week (like the one included here). These types of workouts are easy to do right from home, without any equipment but your own body weight.

   Now that you have a few tips under your belt, here is a simple 3-day meal plan to give you a jumpstart. After the 3 days, just simply mix and match the meals. With time, you can get more creative and introduce other foods as well.

   3-Day Gluten-Free Meal Plan

   Meal	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
   Breakfast	2-egg omelet withavocado slices and fresh salsa	Smoothie blendedwith 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup fresh or frozen berries, 1 cup fresh greens of choice, 2 tablespoons hemp seeds, 1 teaspoon raw honey, 2-3 cups water	3 scrambled eggswith sautéed spinach and peppers (can add any leftover chicken sausage and sweet potatoes from dinner the night before)
   Snack	Celery sticks toppedwith 1 can tuna packed in water	Celery sticks toppedwith 1 can tuna packed in water	Handful of almondswith ¼ avocado
   Lunch	Chicken salad (mixshredded rotisserie chicken with 1 table-spoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, diced celery, and pinch of sea salt)	1 can tuna (or chicken) in water served over arugula salad. Add raw veggies and avocado slices and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.Add sea salt to taste.	Spinach topped withdiced cucumbers, wild salmon or chicken, and tossed with apple cider vinegar and coconut oil
   Snack	Handful of pumpkinseeds with raw carrots and hummus	Cucumber slices withhummus	2 cups air-poppedpopcorn with sea salt
   Dinner	Green Tacos: mix cooked ground chicken or bison (seasoned with cumin) with fresh cilantro, avocado slices, chopped tomato, and lime juice. Wrap in romaine lettuce leaves.	Grilled chickensausage with sautéed spinach and roasted sweet potatoes	Grilled or roastedpork tenderloin brushed with coconut oil, garlic salt, and salt/pepper. Serve with grilled or roasted asparagus.

   The Grocery List

   Note: Many of these items will last you more than the 3 days so you can repeat the plan again. Try to buy organic when possible

   Produce 3 avocados 1 bunch celery 1 pound carrots 1 tomato 2 cucumbers ½ pound fresh asparagus 1 sweet red pepper 1 head romaine lettuce 8 ounces fresh spinach 8 ounces fresh arugula 2 pounds sweet potatoes Fresh (or frozen) berries of choice 1 lemon 1 lime 1 bunch fresh cilantro 1 apple

   Nuts, Seeds & Spices Lightly roasted pumpkin seeds Hulled hemp seeds Ground cumin Garlic salt Sea salt and black pepper 1 jar almond, sunflower seed, or peanut butter Raw almonds 1 package organic popcorn kernels Organic cold-pressed coconut oil

   Poultry, Seafood, Meat, Eggs & Dairy 1 dozen eggs 1 rotisserie chicken 1 pound ground chicken or bison 1 pound chicken sausage 1 can tuna 1 pound wild salmon filet (or 1 can wild salmon) 1 pork tenderloin (about 1½ pounds) 8 ounces plain Greek yogurt   Condiments Raw organic apple cider vinegar Mustard Mayonnaise Raw honey Fresh salsa Hummus

   The Mad Minute Get Lean Gluten-Free Workout

   This “mad minute” workout is perfect for when you are limited on time, space, and equipment but still want to get in a quick, intense, metabolic workout.

   How it works:

   Set up a simple 4-movement bodyweight circuit. Here we use prisoner squats, mountain climbers, seal jacks, and T-pushups.

   For each movement you will select a rep range. For example: 5 reps of prisoner squats, 10 reps of mountain climbers, 10 reps of seal jacks, and 6 reps of T-pushups. You will complete the circuit as many times as you can within the given time frame of 1 minute.

   Set a timer and start your circuit workout. Your goal is to complete the number of reps before the minute is up. If the reps take you 40 seconds of the 1 minute you will have 20 seconds to rest before the next round begins.

   Review the breakdown of each movement to ensure proper form. Aim to do the workout 15 times in 15 minutes. As that gets easier over time, add an additional minute each time you do the workout.

   • Prisoner Squats: 5 full reps
   • Mountain Climbers: 10 reps (each leg counts as 1 rep)
   • Seal Jacks: 10 full reps
   • T-pushups: 6 reps (each arm counts as 1 rep)

   Complete within 1 minute

   Exercise #1 – Prisoner Squat

   Focus: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core

   Start standing tall with your feet shoulder-width – or slightly wider – apart. Place your hands near the back of your head (as if you were being arrested). With a straight back, tighten your core, shift your hips back, and lower down as far as your hip mobility allows. Make sure your heels are pressed firmly to the floor as your knees bend. Always try and remember the phrase “back straight, chest out.” Look straight ahead, not at the floor. Pause at the bottom of your movement for a split second before returning to starting position. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.

   Exercise #2 – Mountain Climbers

   Focus: shoulders, quads, and core

   Begin in the pushup position with your hands about shoulder- width apart. Have all of your weight supported by your toes and hands. Making sure your body is in a straight line from head to heel, bend one knee and tuck it as close to your stomach as your mobility allows. Return your knee to the starting pushup position and repeat with the opposite leg. Each leg equals 1 repetition.

   Repeat this same pattern of extending and flexing your knee and hip in alternating fashion at a quick pace, making sure your body remains in a straight line with little to no movement in your lower back. Imagine you have a glass of water on your back and you are trying not to spill it. This will help ensure you are getting the most out of your core.

   Exercise #3 – Seal Jacks

   Focus: full body aerobic movement

   These are very similar to jumping jacks with the main difference being that the arm movement is not overhead but instead in front of you.

   Stand tall with your feet together and hands together in front of your chest. Open up your feet and hands together, jumping as you spread your arms and legs at the same time. Once you reach your full range of motion with your feet and arms, snap back to the starting position with your hands coming just short of clapping. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.

   Keep the majority of your weight on the balls of your feet to keep your calf muscles firing. As you open your arms you should feel your shoulder blades squeeze slightly before snapping back to your starting position.

   Exercise #4 – T-Pushups

   Focus: shoulders, chest, and core

   Start in a prone pushup position facing the floor with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Perform your standard pushup. At the top of the movement, turn your feet and hips to the right and lift your right arm from the floor, raising it toward the ceiling. Your entire body should turn in sync, making your body a perfect “T.”

   Return your body slowly to the starting prone pushup position and repeat with the opposite hand in the same controlled fashion with your body in a straight line from head to heel as your torso turns in sync again for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

   Those who prefer to do a standard pushup from their knees may perform the entire movement from the knees. Simply turn from the knees instead of the toes.

   Visit  www.getleanglutenfree.com  for a full 10 day Get Lean Gluten-Free Program, including meal plans, grocery lists, fitness tips, 5 workouts, and more from Kim Maes, CNC, AADP and Jeremy Scott.

   Written by Kim Maes and Jeremy Scott