An Open Letter to Oprah Winfrey

Ms. Winfrey, Can you lose weight while continuing to consume bread and other products made with wheat flour and grains? You absolutely can—though it is quite difficult physically and emotionally, requiring monumental willpower, as you already know. But I fear that you have overlooked crucial issues in your campaign for Weight Watchers and the exoneration of bread. You have, unfortunately, propagated some destructive misconceptions. And the people who you have hurt the most I suspect are the people who you would have preferred to help the most. Losing weight by avoiding processed food products made with wheat and related grains is exceptionally easy because it means that you avoid the gliadin protein-derived opiates that stimulate appetite. The fact that you lost 26 pounds is testimony more to the power of your will than it is to the power of the Weight Watchers program. You have succeeded in losing weight—at least temporarily—despite having, I’m sure, to fight back against overwhelming hunger and cravings due to this effect of grains that you have chosen to remain in your diet. Yes: it can be done. But it is a test of willpower. Willpower wanes over time for most people, explaining why the majority of people who lose weight successfully by reducing calories and portion sizes regain the weight over time, often ending up heavier than at the start. I’d love to see you fit back into a size 4 dress, but it is far more likely that the 26 pounds you lo...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle bread gluten grains oprah Weight Loss weight watchers Source Type: blogs