Blake Lively is using a gluten-free, low-FODMAPs delivery service to lose weight

This week, Blake Lively took to Instagram to share her plans to get an early start on her New Year’s resolution to get back into her jeans.

To drop a few pounds, Blake, who just gave birth to her second daughter in September, is using the low-FODMAP, gluten-free meal delivery service Epicured, which looks freakin' delicious.

But while we know that going low-FODMAP (a.k.a. cutting out foods with certain carbs and sugars found in many starches, like fruits and veggies) or gluten-free can help ease digestive issues, there’s less knowledge around whether or not it can actually help you lose weight. So we decided to investigate.

Here's the thing: A low-FODMAP, gluten-free diet is not necessarily going to help you lose weight, says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. The plan nixes foods like chickpeas, sugar snap peas, beets, celery, avocado, cauliflower, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, plus most dairy and grains. Even celery is on that list. Celery.

While nixing all those foods might help you de-bloat, Gans says not everyone has issues with FODMAPs, so you might not even notice a difference. On top of that, you'll be cutting out lots of super-healthy weight-loss friendly foods.

As for the gluten-free aspect of the meals, Gans says you should never attempt a gluten-free diet unless you have been diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance. Otherwise there are no extra nutritional benefits, she says.

"Many manufactured gluten-free foods are actually higher in calories than their gluten counterparts," says Gans. Plus, restricting a food group for weight loss is a pretty terrible idea if you want to lose weight and keep it off. "The more you deprive yourself of something you love, the more likely you are to eventually overeat it," she says.

Check out some of the craziest things people have actually done to lose weight:

But that doesn’t mean Epicured’s meals won’t help make Blake's resolutions a reality. “A meal delivery service, in general, can help a person eat well-balanced meals and keep portion sizes in check,” says Gans. Both of which are key ingredients for losing weight. It’s also a great way to get healthy meals if you don’t have skills in the kitchen, she says.

Remember: If you are using a meal delivery service, you still need to read the nutrition facts and check calories to make sure it will help you reach your goals, says Gans. “If your goal is weight loss, don’t pick a meal that is over 500 calories,” she adds Aim for 20 grams of protein and eight grams of fiber per meal to to keep you full and satisfied, too, she says.

Now, excuse us while we go check out that Warm Autumn Salad and Tofu Pad Thai.