Does cutting out wheat flour and gluten make you lose weight?

Short answer

Barely. In an 8-week trial that cut gluten by 16 g a day, the difference was 0.8 kg, and the researchers put it down to changes in fiber. At equal calories, a low-carb diet also differed by only 0.48 kg after 1 to 2 years.

Does cutting out wheat flour and gluten make you lose weight?
'Less gluten → less weight' — does this formula hold?
Many people say they lost weight after quitting wheat flour. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. We checked whether the weight loss comes from gluten or from something else.
Cutting gluten took off 0.8 kg
Over 8 weeks, with no difference in calories eaten
In a trial where 60 people took turns on diets with 2 g and 18 g of gluten a day for 8 weeks each (51 finished), body weight fell 0.8 kg more in the low-gluten period. Calories eaten and total fiber did not differ between periods, and bloating went down.
The researchers did not credit gluten
What changed was the type of grain and fiber
In the low-gluten period, people ate less whole-grain wheat, rye and barley and other grains instead, which changed their gut bacteria and gut gas. The researchers concluded most of the effect came from the change in fiber type, not gluten itself.
Gluten-free products were not lighter
Gluten-free pasta actually had more calories
Comparing 235 gluten-free and 349 regular products sold in Italy, the gluten-free ones had less protein in every category. Gluten-free bread had fewer calories, but gluten-free pasta had more, and gluten-free biscuits and pasta had more saturated fat.
Cutting flour cuts carbs
At equal calories, cutting carbs made no difference
An analysis of trials comparing low-carb and balanced diets with the same calories found weight differences of 0.78 kg at 3 to 6 months (13 trials, 1,709 people) and 0.48 kg at 1 to 2 years (7 trials, 1,025 people), which was no difference. People lost weight on both diets.
Switching to whole grains did not change weight
A 0.06 kg difference across 26 trials
An analysis that pooled 26 trials (2,060 people) found that eating whole grains instead of refined grains changed body weight by 0.06 kg, which was no difference. Only body fat percentage was 0.48 percentage points lower.
Bottom line: cutting gluten alone does not take off much weight
The formula fails at 'less gluten → less weight'
Cutting gluten by 16 g a day made a 0.8 kg difference over 8 weeks, and the researchers credited the change in fiber. At equal calories, cutting carbs or switching grain type did not change weight by more than 1 kg. There was no result showing gluten makes you gain weight.