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- Lady Gaga to Russell Crowe: Major Stars Go Gluten-free to Shed Pounds, Shape Bodies
Lady Gaga to Russell Crowe: Major Stars Go Gluten-free to Shed Pounds, Shape Bodies
- By Jefferson Adams
- Published 08/18/2011
- Conferences, Publicity, Pregnancy, Church, Bread Machines, Distillation & Beer
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Jefferson Adams
Jefferson Adams is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. His poems, essays and photographs have appeared in Antioch Review, Blue Mesa Review, CALIBAN, Hayden's Ferry Review, Huffington Post, the Mississippi Review, and Slate among others.
View all articles by Jefferson AdamsRussell Crowe has reportedly dropped more than 16 pounds by following a strict exercise regime and eating a diet that is largely gluten-free.
In mid-June, Crowe, 47, launched a 105 day plan to tone up and shed weight. He has made gluten-free food a major part of that effort and seems well on his way to dropping the 41-pounds he hopes to lose.
Crowe's Twitter page contains this update on his success:
'220lbs this morning, started at 236.4 lbs. 45 min walk, 12 mins eliptical, weighted objects 40 mins, walk 25 mins. 2400 cal a day maximum, all meals & all beverages. Where possible gluten free.'
Catch up on the latest gluten-free news for Russell Crowe.
Meanwhile, speaking of the usual food spread for Lady Gaga and her dancers, Lady Gaga’s choreographer and creative director, Laurieann Gibson says “It’s like gluten free, tuna, protein. There’s no M&M’s, there’s no gummy bears. There’s cheese, there’s water, there’s fruit, there’s vegetables – the only indulgence might be the cheese and grape platter. But other than that, it’s like wheat crisps.” Let's hope she means gluten-free 'wheat' crisps.
Gibson goes on to say that Lady Gaga doesn’t just focus on her own diet, but that she expects her dancers to follow her regimen as well. Lady Gaga, Gibson adds, is a workaholic, and "doesn’t want gluten and bread bloating or weighing down her dancers."“All the dancers are now gluten free,” Gibson tells OK! - including gluten free desserts.
In case you're wondering if the gluten-free diet alone is enough to keep Lady Gaga's body in peak form, it is not. In addition to eating a healthy, gluten-free diet, the singing star works out for hours, including dancing or doing yoga to keep her body toned.
So maybe all of us who are already proudly gluten-free just need our own personal trainer to turn that last corner to stardom. Read more about Lady Gaga's gluten-free diet.
Also, actress Jennifer Esposito recently detailed the story of her own battles with gluten-intolerance and her ultimate victory by adopting a gluten-free diet. Read the whole story of Jennifer Esposito's gluten-free story.
These are just a few of the Hollywood celebrities who have found benefit in going gluten-free. One thing these stories help to reinforce is that many people, famous and not-famous alike, are sensitive to gluten, and those who are sensitive benefit tremendously adopting a gluten-free diet.
As always, Celiac.com welcomes your comments (see below).
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10 Responses to "Lady Gaga to Russell Crowe: Major Stars Go Gluten-free to Shed Pounds, Shape Bodies" 
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18 Aug 2011 4:50:07 AM PDT Going gluten-free does NOT make you lose weight. In fact, as a person with celiac disease, I don't recommend it unless it is a medical necessity. If you eat the same amount of a gluten-free product as you would a regular product (like pasta) you get almost double the calories. Over an extended period of time of eating high glycemic index foods, you will develop diabetes. Notice that we are talking about two stars here, both of whom have nothing better to do than work out like fiends for half of their lives, and most likely have private chefs. I wouldn't be surprised if these two were just doing this because they want to be "trendy". These two have no clue of what they are doing, so they shouldn't be glorified for their "diet results" that are not the product of being "gluten free".
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18 Aug 2011 1:09:51 PM PDT Did you consider the idea that perhaps they are not replacing the gluten-containing items, or perhaps they are replacing them with healthier versions?
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23 Aug 2011 4:50:31 AM PDT Going glutenfree is not just a complicated diet, but it is a much healthier way of living, you make everything from scratch, therefore you know exactly what nutrients to choose from - gluten isn't good for anyone - almost everybody who tries avoiding gluten will feel a big difference in their health. So it's not so strange that this is something that star coaches will start to adapt. One of the most successful biking teams in Tour de France has already skipped gluten and milk from their diets for the very same reasons.
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22 Aug 2011 7:20:50 AM PDT I have to agree with Pat. I've been gluten free for over 5 years and I actually gained weight in the beginning by eating gluten free versions of deserts, breads, and pastas. The are indeed more calorie laden. I have since lost 30 lbs and kept it off for the past year but that was due to eliminating sugar, starchy foods high in carbs, eating only meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. I also walk 3 to 4 miles each day and initially worked with a trainer for the first 6 mos. If people eliminate sugar, salt, high carb foods and exercise every day they will be healthier and lose weight. Going gluten free has nothing to do with it!
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22 Aug 2011 11:14:13 AM PDT I have a lot of reservations about the promotion of the gluten-free diet by celebrities. The problem with them adopting and promoting a gluten free diet when it isn't medically necessary is that, rather than raising awareness of celiac disease, they simply make the diet trendy. This results in many restaurants and other food service establishments offering "gluten-free" items, which, in fact are not truly gluten-free as no precautions have been taken to ensure that there is no cross-contamination, making these products dangerous for unsuspecting celiacs. As a classic example of this, I had quite the argument with the owner of a local bakery and restaurant who offers some "gluten-free!" (exclamation mark his) bakery items in both establishments. When I asked what precautions were taken against cross-contamination, I was told that it was impossible to take any, as there was "flour everywhere" in the bakery. In spite of this, he insisted that he was quite correct in labelling the items as gluten free, as none of their ingredients contained gluten, and, in a further example of his lack of understanding of the reasons one has to folow a gluten free diet, added, "Well, if you are "THAT sensitive, then don't eat them".
Those who follow a "gluten-free" diet because some celebrities do, or it is trendy, or because they think they will lose weight either aren't aware of, or don't care about, cross-contamination. Promoting gluten-free without a proper understanding of all the ramifications is irresponsible. The people who are losing weight while sort of following the diet are most likely doing so because they are also exercising more and focusing on fruits, veggies and protein. If they are simply replacing some foods with gluten free ones, as Pat pointed out, they are actually eating foods with higher fat and more calories; hardly a recipe for weight loss. |
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22 Aug 2011 6:05:44 PM PDT Why would you go on a gluten-free diet if you didn't need to? Not only is it an expensive diet because GF foods cost more, but it is also fattening! Jennifer Esposito does have a problem with gluten obviously, but Russell Crowe and Lady GaGa are just trying to be trendy. People don't understand that some of us need to be on a GF diet or we get very ill. It's not a choice, it's a necessity.
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22 Aug 2011 10:37:45 PM PDT Eating "largely gluten-free" and "where possible gluten free" isn't living a gluten-free diet. Low carb maybe, but not gluten-free. Jennifer Esposito has a compelling story with which those of us with celiac disease can empathize. I cannot sympathize, however, with Russell Crowe or Lady Gaga, whose handlers are tossing around the term as freely as they once did "South Beach."
I don't really know what the point of this story is, quite frankly, and why it is in this newsletter. "Lose pounds, shape bodies"? Seriously? If I want to read about the latest diet fads of the stars, I'll catch it in line at the grocery store. That's not why I read the Celiac.com Update. |
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23 Aug 2011 9:52:34 PM PDT I lost 40 pounds the first year I was gluten free. The reason I was overweight was because I was malnourished and my body had gone into "starvation" mode, hanging onto every pound. But once I got rid of the gluten, I was able to process nutrients properly and my weight normalized. The excess weight never returned, and it has been seven years now. I have no personal trainer and can do little exercise due to other medical conditions.
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11 Oct 2011 12:26:02 PM PDT Uhm, I have a feeling these celebs weight loss is due more to the their grueling workouts rather than their "gluten-free" diets.
Also it sounds like they are having very few carbs period. Eliminating bread from your diet, goes a long way to eliminating gluten, but it doesn't make a "gluten-free diet" Now the Jennifer Eposito story/link sounds like a compelling story! |
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16 Jun 2012 10:45:44 AM PDT I think what's going on is more or less ignorance to facts. The stars are taking out gluten and glucose, cutting down on the typical foods that contain them like the breads and pastas, etc. and not replacing them with gluten-free versions, but replacing them with fruits and vegetables. They are labeling it mainly gluten-free instead of carbohydrate-free. It does sound healthier, I suppose, not as worn-out as "carb free". That's just a little bit of my opinion.
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