No Flour, No Sugar Diet

In Dr. Gott's book, he says something to the effect that sugar alcohol is not great but not as bad as sugar if a food has less than 5 g of Sugar alcohol in it it's not too bad.
I've been following this diet about 2.5 weeks and have lost about 5 pounds so I am not complaining. Raisins and dried apricots are as sweet as candy, for when you want a sweet treat. For a salty treat, Dr. Gott's book suggests pistachio nuts, but only say 10 of them - not too many - otherwise too high cal/high fat.
Earlier today I made the Omelette Muffin recipe from the back of the Dr. Gott book and it was awesome. (I am not much of a cook - really I can't cook hardly at all.) They are like mini omelettes cooked in a muffin tin. Eggs, diced ham, feta cheese, thyme, chopped onion, frozen corn - they sound odd but they are great. I was so pleased with myself and I can't wait to have one for breakfast tomorrow. I have been having shredded wheat EVERY MORNING and am getting tired of it. Well, one day I did make oatmeal, but it took so long - all of the instant oatmeal packets I can find are full of sugar, so I had to use the cannister of Quaker Oats.
I had been trying to follow the diet without the book but it is more fun with the book. The book inspired me and it's only $15 on amazon.com - I'd recommend buying it.

I am in my 40's and have been on this diet for 1 year and lost 30lbs my son 17ys old lost 46 lbs. We have tried all kinds of diets and this is the first one that works! I will probably eat this way for the rest of my life... very easy to follow simple rules, no sugar (added) no flour. I no longer have to count calories, points, fat content etc. Once you find some favorites, you have no problems...if you need to find something in the fast food arena most restaurants make all sandwiches with no bread and give you a fork and knife... my fav is crunchy tacos and tostadas. Hope this helps someone!

Dr. Gott's diet book is a step in the right direction.

But, I've discovered that Dr. Andrew Weil's 3-word diet works wonders: "Eat Less Food." It's worked for me.

One of our frequent hotel guests (Hilton, San Antonio)was a very chubby guy. He dined in restaurants a lot.We didn't see him for about 8 months. He walked in slim and trim. Overweight myself, I questioned him about his diet. "My old doctor in Houston told me to simply cut everything in HALF...cut the steak in half, the pie in half, the bread, veggies...just eat 1/2 what I'd been eating; plus, eat nothing past about 5 p.m." Eating less had made a new man out of him.

Eat less food? Right.

Now does anyone have a good book on willpower?

I made a discovery today!! :D
Nabisco Triscuit crackers are made from whole wheat... not flour!
They are basically just like shredded wheat cereal, in cracker form.

The ingredient list, for Original Triscuits, is:
Whole wheat, soybean oil, salt, monoglycerides

That's it! No flour, no sugar! :D

Heh, Jen. I've been eating OATMEAL every morning, and getting tired of that! However, it only takes me about 2 minutes to cook. I buy the big cannister. Quick Cooking Oatmeal. 1/2 Cup of Oatmeal to 1 Cup of Water. Micorwave for about two minutes. You can add raisins, one packet of Splenda, sprinkle some cinnamon. With your shredded wheat, are you using fat free milk? I notice there's a lot of sugar in milk. Even fat free milk! I eat eggs on the weekends, but I have to watch my cholesterol, so not too many. Hope everyone is doing well!

I just started this way of life yesterday. I found this site this morning and couldn't stop reading the posts until I had read every one of them. You guys are great and I plan on reading this everday as inspiration and motavation.

My family ordered pizza last night. I had scrambled eggs. I did eat the toppings off one piece of supreme pizza and dedided next week when they order pizza, I am going to put those toppings in my scrambled eggs.(onion, green pepper, mushroom, cheese, black olive)

Thanks for all the ideas.

Oatmeal fans! I like a "hearty breakfast" every morning and for a couple of years now have eaten oatmeal every morning. I put one cup of rolled oats (found in bulk at our local health food store), 1/4 cup of wheat bran, a few raisins, two packets of Splenda AND 1/8 tsp salt (it really helps the oatmeal cook up nicely) in a sturdy plastic container with a tight fitting lid. As soon as I get up in the morning I pour boiling water over to the top of the container and set the lid on top. That's it. It's ready to eat in about twenty minutes - but I usually just take it to work and eat it before my first class arrives. This way the oatmeal doesn't get "gummy" and has a great chewy texture. I make seven containers Sunday evening and then I don't have to think about what to eat for breakfast. If you like oatmeal - you might find this an easy way to prepare it.

Here are some Dr Gott approved groceries I have bought in the last week, besides fresh fruit and veggies. THANK YOU for the Triscuit idea! Anyone else have any other good ideas?

Target - dried apricots. pistachio nuts. I see that the Target store brand corn tortilla chips are made with corn, not corn flour, so they are "legal" but I couldn't make myself seriously consider eating tortilla chips when I'm on a diet.

Walmart - kids' six packs of applesauce with no sugar. dried apples. sunflower seeds.

Grocery store - Italian dressing with no sugar. I had to read the back of about a dozen kinds before I found one with no sugar. It tastes a lot like vinegar I add a bit of Equal. Fettucine alfredo mix made with whole grain pasta - no flour - but you know, I felt too guilty about eating it - I don't think I'll buy this again.

Whole Foods health food store - Ezekiel sprouted grain bread - yummy when toasted. ketchup sweetened with fruit instead of sugar.

Marie, that is a wonderful tip. I am going to try cooking my oatmeal like that.

Just started the diet...the book said red wine is ok...everyone agree? Normally have 2 glasses a night. Can I buy sugar free ketchup?
I am finding portion control maybe the key...eating way to many nuts!

I agree that portion size of yummy, salty snacks can impact the how successful one is on this diet. I personally, cannot have an open box of Triscuits or bag of chips in my cupboard because I know I'll just eat them until they're gone. As for nuts, I usually just have peanuts or almonds (unsalted) because then I'll only eat a few. Cashews are just way too tempting. I try and stick with fresh fruit and dry shredded wheat cereal for snacking.
I final thought (from one who has kept off 75 lbs for over three years) congratulate yourself for ANY healthy changes you've made in your diet. Keep making better choices and you'll feel better.

My husband and I are going to start the "no four, no sugar" diet. Can we have potatoes.....a bake potato? Thanks for your time.
Cheri

Great news! I lost 3 lbs. I start week 3 on Wednesday.
Cheri, I believe baked potatoes are fine. Just nothing with flour and no added sugar.

I am trying to do 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 times a week. I think this might help with the weight loss.

Yes! You can have potatoes!
You can also have sweet potatoes, yams, corn and corn meal, and any kind of rice.

And, remember, 'no sugar' means no added sugar.

I started the NFNS way of life 28 weeks ago, and I've lost 32 pounds!! :D

~Leslie

Tried puffed rice cereal this morning. I like the flavor, but boy does it get mushy fast!

Lost 4 lbs. so far. Just finishing up week 4. I have always been a slow loser. (not sore loser). In a year I will have lost 56 lbs. right?

Like the simplicity of the book. No flour and no sugar keeps the focus on avoiding empty calories and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. Also some good advice on portion sizes. As a person who exercises I have used that as carte blanch to take in more calories than I should. The no flour and no sugar foods, such a oatmeal or lean proteins (low glycemic foods) tend to stick with you and be filling longer which makes smaller portion sizes more maneagble. I feel alert on this diet and not as prone to sleepy spells in the afternoon.

Just getting started on this diet. Are salted cashews a no-no? Having trouble with snacking on them because they have no sugar no flour! But plenty of calories...Amazing to read what you all have accomplished. Gives me something to look forward to. Thanks!

Hi Everyone! In my first six weeks of NFNS I lost 10 pounds. However, I gained 4 back due to eating too much sugar in one week (last week). Can I blame it on Valentine's Day? No excuses!!! So, I'm going back to discipline. I find if I have one cheat day a week, then I'm doing o.k. Plus, I don't feel as deprived. I did see a Dr. Gott's news article that rice & potatoes are o.k., but if you can slowly cut that out too, or watch your portions, then you will lose even more weight. So, I'm going to cut back on one of them. I cannot cut out carbs all together, because I don't eat much meat. Hope everyone else is doing o.k!!

Hard boiled eggs make a good on the go breakfast. I peel them ahead of time and put them in a baggie so I can just grab them.

Well, 9 weeks and I have lost 9 pounds. Slow and steady wins the race. And I like everything I am eating. And my family doesn't think I'm eating wierd food - I eat with them. And I am never hungry.

My teenage son likes that I am willing to go out with him and my husband to dinner to his favorite "burger and wings" places; I'll order some chicken wings and celery. (The Buffalo Wild Wings chain even has lower fat skinless chicken wings.) When I'm out with my husband I am happy to eat lots of seafood and vegetables. No problem.

To replace bread and noodles, I am eating cous cous, brown rice, occasionally some sprouted grain Elijah bread. I'm using the little boxes of cous cous with "extras" like lentils or almonds. I could learn to cook regular cous cous, but as long as the little boxes aren't adding sugar or flour, I figure I might as well enjoy the "extras."

Here's a great treat: Take a tablespoon or two of some no-sugar-added peanut butter (I use the low fat kind). Add a packet or two of splenda. Warm it up a bit in microwave. Dip in apple slices. It's good like warm peanut butter cookies.

I am enjoying dried apricots and dried apples as treats. My family thinks it is funny when I eat sunflower seeds - I haven't eaten them since junior high, but they are so great when you are craving something salty. And pistachio nuts are so yummy.

In the morning, I just don't have the energy for eggs, but I have been eating either oatmeal or shredded wheat and I am fine with that. I suppose I could have sprouted grain bread, too. (I found packets of no-sugar-added instant oatmeal at Whole Foods and I found packets of splenda maple brown sugar flavored instant oatmeal at Walmart. The instant oatmeal is ready to eat after 2 minutes in the microwave. Yummy.)

I like the Del Monte no-sugar-added canned peaches and canned pears. If they are too tart for you, just add splenda or Equal. The peaches are great with shredded wheat.

I am so hopeful about this diet. Also, with the weather warming up, it should be easier to exercise outside soon!

If you have a Trader Joe's near you they are a good source for foods such as sprouted grain bread not frozen. Regular stores have breads with no flour but usually in the frozen foods section. There is one with raisins and cinnamon. Arrowhead Mills Organic Creamy Valencia Peanut Butter, it only contains peanuts and keep it refrigerated,it will not separate and still stays soft. Delicious and creamy, as good as the "real stuff". Good cheeses. Oh, prices are cheaper than a regular grocery store. I found ingredients there for some of the book's recipes that I couldn't find in other stores such as ground almond meal, unsweetened coconut and dried fruits. It's a store worth visiting (also cheap wine).
Sam's has chicken sausage made with spinach and I think cheese. Only 100 calories(4.5 grams of fat) and it is delicious, marinate and cook on grill or saute in pan with peppers and onions. Try no sugar added, reduced fat ice cream. Triscuits with a salad and use the new spray-on salad dressings, no sugar. I also like to add a little raw uncooked oatmeal to regular cereal like rice crispies or such, it gives it some substance and it is surprisingly good. Romaine lettuce wrapped around chicken or lunch meat and vegetables for a 'sandwich'. I like to mix vegetables, fruits, nuts and cheeses together in my salads and vary each day. Keep plenty of alot of varieties on hand so they don't get boring. When invited to someone else's house I usually eat whatever they are serving in moderation and return to diet next day.

After being on the diet for a month I don't miss bagels and bread or anything fixed with flour. My husband still buys them but I am not tempted anymore. It just becomes a way of eating and I really like it. I still crave chocolate. Jello instant no sugar fudge chocalate pudding is satisfying.

I have been doing your diet since november of 06..i miss having cereal in the mornings...can you provide me with a list of cold breakfast cereals that are allowed on the diet...thank you

the no flour no sugar diet is a great diet...it really works and i feel wonderful...i have been on the diet since late november and have lost approximately 11 pound, without exercising...it is not hard to follow, just no flour no sugar...pretty simple...

resa parker said:
I have been doing your diet since november of 06..i miss having cereal in the mornings...can you provide me with a list of cold breakfast cereals that are allowed on the diet...thank you[...]

It's next to impossible to find a breakfast cereal that doesn't have some sugar. Shredded Wheat, and Fiber One, are two that I know of. Also, 'New' Alpha-bits [if you can find them] have no added sugar.

However, if you find a cereal that lists sugar as the fourth or fifth ingredient, or lower, that should be okay.
Even Cherioes has some sugar, and my sister eats Cherioes every day, and still follows the NFNS diet.

Dr. Gott says: "Be reasonable. Frozen peas, for example, contain small amounts of sugar, as do many frozen dinners and canned soups. It is virtually impossible in our culture to avoid sugar and flour completely. It's the obvious sources you need to avoid. Don't approach the diet like an accountant with a green eyeshade; look at the larger picture."

cereal - I found one called "Eat Well Be Well". It is Apple/cinnamon cereal. No sugar added. Diabetic friendly. Ingredients: whole grains (wheat, rice) almonds, barley malt, salt, natural flavors, acesulfame Potassium, sucralose. Serving size 3/4 cup. Calories - 115.
www.eatwellbewell.com
They also make granola bars out of the same ingredients. I tried the chocolate peanutbutter and the apple cinnamon. The bars taste like cardboard and glue, but the cereal is not bad.

My weight loss is stuck at 6 lbs (on diet for 8 weeks) I need to lay off the french fries.

hello Dr. Gott
I have lost 28 lbs on your diet , however I still continue it and have not budged for 2 months now, can you tell me what is wrong or what i should be doing. I exercise frequently also. My husband has been on it since christmas and has only lost 12 lbs. I think we may be doing something wrong. I lost my 28 lbs in the first 3 months and nothing since. thank you Linda LaRocque

stacie said:
Ingredients: whole grains (wheat, rice) almonds, barley malt, salt, natural flavors, acesulfame Potassium, sucralose. Serving size 3/4 cup. Calories - 115.[...]

So, Stacie you are eating a 'cereal' that has no 'sugar' but has barley malt (natural sweet flavour from processed barley) and two types of artificial sweeteners (acesulfame Potassium and sucralose) and so called natural flavours - true natural flavours must be listed as such. If they were, you would see vanilla, cinnamon etc listed.

Here is an excellent link on artifical sweeteners. There are also other great links there:
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-sweeteners.html

It would take you but minutes to make up a large batch of your own 'cereal' if you must have that for a breakfast. Rice flakes or oat puffs from the health food shop with whatever you like mixed in, combined - however. Pour over a delicious oat milk, add perhaps prunes for their excellent properties (high mineral/fibre) and you KNOW what you are eating has no artifical flavours/sweeteners in it.

Or get into making your own (real - not that odd stuff sold in packages) Swiss muesli (internet search).

That no sugar stuff is deceptive. It is a known factor that the taste alone of sweet sets off many metabolic triggers...the body is expecting quick energy in the form of something sweet, but doesn't get it (no calories in the artifical sweetener) - so it hoardes whatever carb/fat calories it DOES get and stores that.

The 'diet this and that' based on artifical sweeteners is often why people reach a point that they cannot loose (or very slowly) - because most everything they are consuming is 'diet'=artificial sweetener=no calories.

Back to the begining = eat real food, drink water, drink herbal infusions, use honey, pear syrup or maple syrup etc sparingly. Enjoy things like pizza etc. as a rare treat and not a lifestyle. Let moderation rule. Eventually, this and moderate exercise rights a lot of wrongs.

The book makes sense to me and like mentioned somewhere here, such simple info would barely fill a book...hence the 'fillers' such as many recipes etc.

Just cutting out those two ingredients will force many people to think creatively and hopefully healthier. It forces a better awareness of how one fuels oneself.

Now if we can just convince people of the insanity of artifical sweeteners and the havoc they cause! Even more foods no one really needs to be eating anyway would be cut out.

By 'sugar' I hope the good doctor also meant the hidden forms of sugar sources, barley malt, glucose, sucrose etc.

Hi,

Just today I found Dr. Gott's book in Walmart. I was skimming through the pages for a few minutes and was very interested in what I was reading. It seems like the answer I've been hoping for. I recently lost about 60 pounds on LA Weight Loss. I really find it very hard to stay faithful to the diet lately. I went off the diet for about two months and I gained almost 15 pounds back! I have finally realized that I need to change my habits as a lifestyle change and what that means to me.

I feel that the No Flour, No Sugar diet may be the answer I'm looking for, especially since the foods I seem to crave are the foods that are recommended on Dr. Gott's plan. I need to know that once I've lost the weight that I need to lose that I will be able to keep it off.

I haven't bought the book yet because I wanted to do some research first. I'm glad that I did and read all of the comments and advice that people left. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks everyone!

Patricia,
Thanks for the comments. I will look up that website and read about artifical sweetners. I gave up art. sweetners in my ice tea and thought that was enough. I know I am just fooling myself. I am going to make it a point to avoid all artifical sweetners, starting today. I don't miss the sugar so, we'll see how much I miss the splenda.

stacie

I have been reading all the comments from people on these diets. I am wondering how old you are? I have been eating NFNS for over 4 years with few lapses. I do not loose like you all. I am 60 yrs old and always struggle with 10 - 12 lbs. I am currently 5'5" and weigh 140 lbs. I am very active, heavy lifting and walking alot and I do alot of farm work daily. I am always hungry. I am not sure that this diet has been good for my health - but seems the only way I can keep from putting on lots of weight fast. It would help if some of you put down your age and exercise level. I never eat corn, rice, potatoes or milk products - how do you do this? I would love to eat corn tortillas. Maybe I am extreme Insulin resistent???? What do you all think?
Sherry

I've been following the NSNF diet for about 6 mths now.Seems to be working well and is quite easy to do. My question is this: It seems to me that SUGAR can appear in foods with very many different names. Could someone print a list of all of the alias's for sugar. What about polydextrose, modified corn starch, etc.

If you guy the book, he has a list of the common names of stuff that counts as sugar.
I have been on 15 weeks and lost 14 pounds. My friend started 5 weeks ago and has lost 6 pounds. We both find the diet VERY EASY to follow, but you need to be PATIENT. You won't be hungry but this works great as a pound a week diet.

I have been on the nsnf diet for 8 days now and only eat 1\2 a cup of shredded wheat in the morning for any kind of grain source. i have found that i have a lot of digestive issues. i feel unsettled and never seem to know what my stomach is going to do. i know there is detoxing but is this something i should worry about or maybe there is something different i could do? any suggestions would be helpful. trying to stay abstinent.... tammy

I am on my 18th week of nfns living. I have lost 45 pounds so far. I also try to watch my calories on fitday.com because the way to lose weight will always be that ole calorie in calorie out formula. I have hit several plateaus for a couple of weeks at a time, but increasing my exercise has seemed to help that. I enjoy reading your comments!

OK, this diet is still working for me. Hurray! 18 weeks, 18 pounds lost. No plateaus hit yet but when I hit one I know I need to step up on the exercise. I am in my late 40's and not active enough, although now that the weather is nice I am walking a 1.5 mile route 3 or 4 times a week. (I should be walking further and faster!) Here is what I am eating and there is plenty of flexibility and variety - it's not hard.

Breakfasts:
1)shredded wheat, skim milk, strawberries
2)oatmeal, skim milk, raisins
Breakfasts that are cheating a little bit:
1)Cheerios with skim milk and fruit (has some flour)
2)Wheetabix with skim milk and fruit (has some sugar)

Lunches:
Canned soup such as vegetable beef or chicken and wild rice
chef salad

Dinners:
Meat and vegetables of any kind and rice or potato or cous cous
Omelette with anything in it and salsa
Soybean pasta with whatever pasta sauce the rest of the family is eating and vegetables

When I get a chocolate craving I eat a sugar free fudgesicle but I like faye's idea of the jello no sugar chocolate pudding - that would be good to have with strawberries or bananas.

I snack on fruit, apples eaten with peanut butter or a few cashews, dried apricots, sunflower seeds; pistachio nuts are the high calorie treat snack I try not to have too often.

Stick with the Dr. Gott diet, folks!

I have the book and read it three times. It has a partial list of different sugars in it. I would still like to know about polydextrose, modified corn starch, and maltodextrin. Does anyone know about these? Are they O.K. on the NFNS diet?

Eating no sugar and breads makes you feel 100% better. People that say it is impossible are not eliminating it completely. Look at labels hidden sugars everywhere. In order to stay on a healthy diet you may not only need to change your eating habits but also your shopping habits.
Changing your diet is not an easy task, but don't give up the benefits are well worth it. Once you eat foodswith sugarsyour body craves it ,But once you eliminate it you are no longer hungry. Trust me it only takes a few days to adjust I am not a big person 5ft.8 and weigh 158lbs. and after 1 month withiout bread and sugar weigh 140lbs.I was not trying to loose weight but to improve my health and I eat three meals and snack on healthy foods I received a double benefit.

My mom has been on this diet for two months now and she has lost 17 lbs. She did not change any other habits, no exercise, etc. She's 50 and diabetic and this has worked great for her.

I appreciate the helpful information so many of you have provided on this site. Please wish me luck. I'm going to give this way of eating one more go and try to be more honest with myself about those little loopholes. I mean to say that eating multiple bowls of potato chips for breakfast can lead to no good end! And avoiding bread, unfortunately, does not deter me from eating tablespoons full of peanut butter. I know I can get past these cravings if I'm careful for a week or so.
I think I'll also forgo the sugar-free chocolate and get back to it in more moderate quantities later.
Congratuations to all those who are succeeding here, and to those who are still working through the kinks. Thanks for your inspiration.
Jenny