Fat loss...how did you do it?

rk_sports · Jun 6, 2012

okay.. the same old beat-up question.. but this is to find how you did it.. not.. how you think it should be done...

This is only for those who actually managed to lose body fat (not just weight)
Assuming you monitor using skin fold calipers... not BMI

1. What process did you follow? (diet, exercises, supplements)
2. How much did you lose? (in inches or mm)
3. And for how long did you not regain it?

r2473 · Jul 23, 2012

i went from ~250 to ~210 from december 2010 to april 2011. bodyfat from ~27% to ~16.5%. these numbers are from bod pod testing.

today, i'm 6' 1/2", weigh 212 and i'm 39 years old. to maintain this weight, i literally eat anything i want.

to lose the 40 lbs, i didn't do anything special. really. a moderate calorie reduction and exercise. i was consistent and patient. i like to "zig-zag" my diet, so i have high/medium/low days in terms of both calorie deficit and exercise.

i didn't put any special emphasis on cutting carbs or eating more protein. i still lost a good amount of fat and little LBM in a short amount of time. i gave you my true, accurate numbers above, so you can calculate fat vs. lbm loss if you are so inclined.

my goal now is to get down to 195 by this time next year. why am i going to go so slowly? because i'm reasonably fit already, this weight will be tougher to lose. also, as my "set point" is right about this weight, if i lose it fast, i'll almost certainly gain it all back (and what would be the point of that). i need to get my body used to and willing to accept the weightloss.

do you have any idea where you are and where you want to go?

my advice is to take your time. lose the weight relatively slowly. don't get sucked into fast weightloss plans that are not sustainable. work to lose 1-2 lbs. per week.

most importantly, only be as restrictive as you need to be. what i mean is, in the beginning, the weight should be relatively "easy" to lose, but it gets harder the more you lose. you'll have to gradually work harder. but if you start off "all guns blazing", you'll probably stall after a few short months. your body will have already adapted to heavy restrictions and you'll have nowhere to go. and you'll probably be at a greater danger to gain it back.

slow and steady wins this race.

Talker · Jul 23, 2012

I went from 193 to 148. It took about 6 months.

I skipped breakfast most the time and had protein mixed with ground up oatmeal for lunch.
I ate the biggest meal about a few hours before bed.

I also cheated once or twice a week, but my cheating wasn't extreme. At that time just eating a normal meal became very filling.

My energy would go through the roof this way.

Later I switched from whey protein to casein and would take a gulp of olive oil with it, it kept the hunger away.

waist size went from 41 to about 31-32".

I didn't exercise at all during this period, I'm 5'11".

Before this plan I would exercise with weights and running a half an hour in the morning before breakfast, then go home and eat the rest of the day however I wanted.
I gained a couple pounds after 6 weeks and waist size stayed the same 41".

After losing so much I went to working out as everyone told me how unhealthy I looked(except my mother). Then I went up to about 162 lbs but with hardly any fat.

I have stayed around that weight for years now, my body seems to have adjusted and I'm used to eating less without noticing.

dman72 · Jul 23, 2012

I reached my all time fatsoness around 7 years ago when I was about 208 lbs. I got down to around 196 2 years after that, then started playing tennis regulary and have maintained 190-194 since then.

The first thing: remove any extra sugar from your diet, especially in liquid form.

If you drink soda, sugared iced tea, put multiple packets of sugar in your coffee, OR DRINK FRUIT JUICE, STOP (eat fruit, don't drink it). Beer: stop.

Cut out as much refined sugar as possible. If you eat rice, switch to whole grain. If you eat bread, whole grain only.

Try to stop eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed, if not more.

For most people in the US, these simple changes would be sufficient to see a dramatic change in body composition.

If you're already doing those things and still want to drop body fat, you need to work out harder, probably using interval type training, and really tighten up your diet. I don't have the will power for that yet.

beernutz · Jul 23, 2012

Low carb dieting, intermittent fasting and resistance training. I lost 25 lbs and 6-7% bodyfat and have kept them off for more than a year now.

vkartikv · Jul 24, 2012

Change your lifestyle for good, don't go for a 30 day or 45 day or XXX day program. Make changes that you know you can sustain for good.

jmverdugo · Jul 24, 2012

I do not have measurements but I lost around 10 pounds from 185 to 175 by playing my regular tennis (2-3 times a week), doing bodypump once a week and running 5k 2 times a week. On the diet side I do not eat a big meal at souper instead a fruit, cereal or a sandwich and if I am still hungry I make a protein shake. Actually in the morning I would also have a fruit and a protein shake ... and coffee of course. I am 5'8" btw.

Wuppy · Jul 24, 2012

I ate less and exercised more.

Weight stayed the same but muscle mass increased and body fat decreased.

OTMPut · Jul 25, 2012

I went from 187 to 160 in about 3 months. My waist went to 29-30 from 34. roughly 13% bf.

I followed about 90% primal diet (www.marksdailyapple.com) and kept the carb intake low.

I simultaneouly reduced my exercise. I used to run regularly on treadmill (about 3 or 4 times; 5K each) and do some weight training. I stopped this. This was on top of weekend tennis.

Only runing i do now is during the weekend tennis. I do calisthenics for about 15 minutes every day.

The notable part is that i hit 160 in Jan this year and has remained there over the last 6-7 months.

therecanbeonlyone · Jul 25, 2012

I went from 215 to 187 from Sept 2011-April 2012. Today I weighed 189. I am 6'3.5". I cut out meat altogether in Sept 2011 and the majority of my diet was raw fruits and vegetables. I have since added some meat to my diet, but almost like a garnish instead of as the focus of the meal. I'm probably now down to 25% raw. I lost 7 inches total and had to have all of my pants taken in. Also Cholesterol went from 233 to 155. I have played tennis 1-2 times per week for the last couple of years and don't work out otherwise--so that stayed consistent.

Alchemy-Z · Jul 25, 2012

Diet:

got the Bob Greene cook book and started making most meals from it.

Cut caffeine no Soda/Coffee/Tea (except when eating out for dinner)
switched to eating out one night of the week (date night) with the wife. stopped getting fast food...unless we have to like a road trip or airport.

work snacks: Cliff power bars/almonds/bananas

flax seeds are great for burning fat around your mid section.

cut back to only having a few beers on the weekend vs every night after work.

Exercise:
Monday : Body Pump class with the Wife at golds gym (1 hr)

Tuesday: 3 hours Tennis 1 with a teaching pro 2 hours clinic

Wednesday: Rest night

Thursday: 2 Hours Tennis social hit with friends/ Or hit the Gym

Friday: 3 miles on treadmill some light weight lifting

Saturday: 3 hours in the morning Tennis/ Bike or Run a 5K with my wife in the evening.

Sunday: rest day (which I am normally doing yard work so it's not much of a rest)

when I started to work out after a cruise reached my heaviest weight 178lbs @ 6'-1" age 29
got down to 155lbs @ 6'-1" By age 31
started putting some muscle back on upped the weight training started drinking protein shakes

current weight 166lbs. 6'-1" age 32

NTexas · Jul 25, 2012

About 6 years ago I was 250. Now I am 155. Did it in about 10 months and have kept it all off. Did it by diet and excersice. Nothing extreme but I was very strict on my food intake each day.

rk_sports · Jul 25, 2012

r2473 said:
i went from ~250 to ~210 from december 2010 to april 2011. bodyfat from ~27% to ~16.5%.

...

my advice is to take your time. lose the weight relatively slowly. don't get sucked into fast weightloss plans that are not sustainable. work to lose 1-2 lbs. per week.

most importantly, only be as restrictive as you need to be. what i mean is, in the beginning, the weight should be relatively "easy" to lose, but it gets harder the more you lose. you'll have to gradually work harder. but if you start off "all guns blazing", you'll probably stall after a few short months. your body will have already adapted to heavy restrictions and you'll have nowhere to go. and you'll probably be at a greater danger to gain it back.

slow and steady wins this race.

40 lbs and 10.5% fat loss...in 4 months is brilliant!
And great advice there... no! I'm not getting into a bootcamp

.. sustainable way is what I'm interested in

r2473 · Jul 25, 2012

everyone did it a bit differently.

but it seems that everyone was CONSISTENT and everyone lost the weight OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS.

exercise, no exercise, low-carbs, low protein, etc. didn't really seem to matter

is anyone really surprised by this?

rk_sports · Jul 25, 2012

Talker said:
I went from 193 to 148. It took about 6 months.

...
Later I switched from whey protein to casein and would take a gulp of olive oil with it, it kept the hunger away.
...
.

45 lbs in 6 months is great!

So, why did you choose to move from whey protein to casein?

rk_sports · Jul 25, 2012

OTMPut said:
I went from 187 to 160 in about 3 months. My waist went to 29-30 from 34. roughly 13% bf.

I followed about 90% primal diet (www.marksdailyapple.com) and kept the carb intake low.

I simultaneouly reduced my exercise. I used to run regularly on treadmill (about 3 or 4 times; 5K each) and do some weight training. I stopped this. This was on top of weekend tennis.

Only runing i do now is during the weekend tennis. I do calisthenics for about 15 minutes every day.

The notable part is that i hit 160 in Jan this year and has remained there over the last 6-7 months.

Interesting.. now I gotta lookup 'primal diet' and 'calisthenics'

Wuppy · Jul 25, 2012

Think of it less as losing weight and more as embracing a new lifestyle. The weight is only a symptom. The lifestyle is the issue.

LeeD · Jul 25, 2012

5'11" since 1970. Usually around 145 lbs.
In 1989, I started entering speed trials competitions, and most of my friends and competitors weighed between 195 to 275 lbs. Fatter is faster in windsurfing. So I ballooned up to 188, got top 4 that year.
Now g/f says I'm fat. So down to 142 the following year, 1990, dropped competing, got dropped by that g/f, and pretty much stayed right around 149 since, to this day.
Skip a meal, g/f is 21 years younger, ride road bikes 35+ miles, windsurf 6 days a week, tennis once or twice a week, get little sleep, contantly tap your foot when you're sitting at the computer.

Nastenroe · Jul 25, 2012

dman72 said:
I reached my all time fatsoness around 7 years ago when I was about 208 lbs. I got down to around 196 2 years after that, then started playing tennis regulary and have maintained 190-194 since then.

The first thing: remove any extra sugar from your diet, especially in liquid form.

If you drink soda, sugared iced tea, put multiple packets of sugar in your coffee, OR DRINK FRUIT JUICE, STOP (eat fruit, don't drink it). Beer: stop.

Cut out as much refined sugar as possible. If you eat rice, switch to whole grain. If you eat bread, whole grain only.

Try to stop eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed, if not more.

For most people in the US, these simple changes would be sufficient to see a dramatic change in body composition.

If you're already doing those things and still want to drop body fat, you need to work out harder, probably using interval type training, and really tighten up your diet. I don't have the will power for that yet.

Pretty similar story here. Peaked at 220 a couple years ago, dropped to 190 in about 6 months time, have maintained that weight since.

Cut out the majority of refined sugar, switched to whole grains, made a decision to stop drinking alcohol, made a conscious effort to get approximately 1.5 hours physical activity 5 days per week (running, tennis, weight training).

I'm at the point where I can eat most anything I want, but I keep my diet pretty clean...whole grains, veg, fruit, leaner meats. I'll have a burger or pizza once a week or so, but I'd really rather eat my now normal diet...I just feel better.

Today, I'm 46 and have more energy than I could ever imagine...really. I think stopping alcohol has a lot do with this in my particular case.

Bottom line, lifestyle change is good thing.

rk_sports · Jul 25, 2012

r2473 said:
everyone did it a bit differently.

but it seems that everyone was CONSISTENT and everyone lost the weight OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS.

exercise, no exercise, low-carbs, low protein, etc. didn't really seem to matter

is anyone really surprised by this?

I read somewhere that "80% of the results of your exercise program will be related to the foods you eat or don't eat and only 20% due to the exercise itself"

OTMPut · Jul 26, 2012

r2473 said:
everyone did it a bit differently.

but it seems that everyone was CONSISTENT and everyone lost the weight OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS.

exercise, no exercise, low-carbs, low protein, etc. didn't really seem to matter

is anyone really surprised by this?

Some methods (especially the ones that do not require onerous exercise regimen) are less painful and more sustainable over long term (especially the ones that tackle addiction to sugar and other simple carbs).

Simplicity and consistency are key. And they are related. Simpler strategy is easier to adhere to and hence influences consistency. My guideline is very simple: no sugar, no grains. I do not count calories, i do not check what i eat is whole grain or not, etc. Similarly very simple exercise program, no gym required, just 15 minutes a day, every day. No funky periodization, no wednesdays this fridays that b.s. Easy to remember and execute and therefore easy to follow.

danno123 · Jul 26, 2012

I found this guy's talk to make a lot of sense: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyXa39ICIrk

short answer: stop eating simple carbs. the videos are worth watching though.

Talker · Jul 26, 2012

rk_sports said:
45 lbs in 6 months is great!

So, why did you choose to move from whey protein to casein?

The whey wouldn't keep me satisfied for long so I looked into it and found it was used up quickly.

Then found some studies on casein protein, it can take up to 7 hours to digest and give a more steady flow of protein into the body.

This was closer to eating a regular meal and digesting it so I just made the change.

r2473 · Jul 26, 2012

rk_sports said:
I read somewhere that "80% of the results of your exercise program will be related to the foods you eat or don't eat and only 20% due to the exercise itself"

OTMPut said:
Some methods (especially the ones that do not require onerous exercise regimen) are less painful and more sustainable over long term (especially the ones that tackle addiction to sugar and other simple carbs).

Simplicity and consistency are key. And they are related. Simpler strategy is easier to adhere to and hence influences consistency. My guideline is very simple: no sugar, no grains. I do not count calories, i do not check what i eat is whole grain or not, etc. Similarly very simple exercise program, no gym required, just 15 minutes a day, every day. No funky periodization, no wednesdays this fridays that b.s. Easy to remember and execute and therefore easy to follow.

everyone is just sharing their personal experiences, which may or may not be applicable to anyone else.

that's why its important to see whats works best for YOU (in terms of your body, goals, and lifestyle).

everyone is going to be a bit different.

Buddah199 · Jul 29, 2012

Went from being 260lbs to my current weight of 175lbs by eating less calories than I was able to burn. Now I been maintaining my weight for the last 3 years and don't think I'll ever go back. Playing tennis has helped probably the most in maintenance.

Povl Carstensen · Jul 29, 2012

r2473 said:
everyone did it a bit differently.

but it seems that everyone was CONSISTENT and everyone lost the weight OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS.

exercise, no exercise, low-carbs, low protein, etc. didn't really seem to matter

is anyone really surprised by this?

Not all have probably tried all methods. So the way people were successfull is probably not the only possible way, and perhaps not even the best/easiest way (for them). I guess that is part of the reason why we have forums like this.
Btw I dont think anyone here would advocate inconsistancy or quick fix extreme diets.

stringertom · Jul 30, 2012

I was 5'11"/230 lbs and in terrible shape at age 57. I got a bad case of bronchitis and decided I didn't want to feel that horrible ever again. One of my first steps was talking to a lady who runs a sports nutrition shop about a safe supplement to accelerate the weight loss I was hoping for. She had used CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) to aid her own loss after pregnancy. Using the CLA in combination with sensible dieting, I lost 30 lbs. in 3 months. The weight loss freed me to exercise more frequently without the danger of lower-body injury from carrying too much weight. I've since lost another another 30 lbs. in the last 15 months and feel better at 59 than at any time since my 20's.

Bartelby · Jul 30, 2012

I just love the anti-science attitude that prevails in this kind of thread.

'I want to do what I like, so don't give me any of that dietary advice'.

You can do what you like, but at least acknowledge that it runs against dietary advice rather than trying to pretend there's something wrong with the current state of science.

r2473 · Jul 30, 2012

what science / dietary advice are you referring to?

it's rather hard to argue against what works for any particular person, isn't it?

what most guys find is that pretty much anything works to lose weight until you hit ~15%.

if you want to get from 15% to 10% (or lower), then it is a bit trickier for most people (but again, it all very individual).

Povl Carstensen · Jul 31, 2012

r2473 said:
what science / dietary advice are you referring to?

it's rather hard to argue against what works for any particular person, isn't it?

what most guys find is that pretty much anything works to lose weight until you hit ~15%.

if you want to get from 15% to 10% (or lower), then it is a bit trickier for most people (but again, it all very individual).

Perhaps research and others experiences could help you there. But ofcourse not if you rule it out beforehand.

Chyeaah · Jul 31, 2012

Calories - NO
Carbs - NO
Fat - NO
Sugar - NO
Vegetarian Diet - Yes.

In my experience you don't even need to eat that healthy... You don't really need to eat wholemeal bread or unprocessed oats and all that. Just drink water, eat little amounts of meat, cut the fat. Eat Salad with Tuna, Chicken etc.

The only thing you can do is run, swim, bike along with a stable healthy diet. You should be losing quite alot of fat.

OTMPut · Jul 31, 2012

Chyeaah said:
In my experience you don't even need to eat that healthy... You don't really need to eat wholemeal bread or unprocessed oats and all that. Just drink water, eat little amounts of meat, cut the fat. Eat Salad with Tuna, Chicken etc.

The only thing you can do is run, swim, bike along with a stable healthy diet. You should be losing quite alot of fat.

Easier said than done.

I have attempted "eat less exercise more" on three previous occasions. I did lose weight. For about 2 to 3 months. It was mostly miserable.

Povl Carstensen · Jul 31, 2012

Eat less is more difficult to execute than stop eating too much carbs. But this has been beaten to death in other threads.

r2473 · Jul 31, 2012

Povl Carstensen said:
Perhaps research and others experiences could help you there. But ofcourse not if you rule it out beforehand.

There are many, many ways to lose weight. The method to use is the one that works for you (based on your body, lifestyle, goals, etc).

I'm sure I said at least a million times that if low carbs works for you, do it.

If "paleo" works for you (whatever that means to you), do it.

If vegetarian works for you, do it.

If no exercise works for you, do it.

If lots of exercise works for you, do it.

If you read this thread, you'll see that everyone telling their stories went about weight loss differently. That's not at all surprising.

I'm an exercise dieter. I'm not a low carb dieter. OTM above is exactly the opposite. Yet we both got what we wanted. Perfect.

Well, I'm off to fry up a pound of bacon for breakfast...........

Povl Carstensen · Jul 31, 2012

Povl Carstensen said:
Not all have probably tried all methods. So the way people were successfull is probably not the only possible way, and perhaps not even the best/easiest way (for them). I guess that is part of the reason why we have forums like this.

You did not answer this r2473. Besides we have the posts comming in from people who have not succeeded, or are having trouble moving on like yourself. I think it is cool to learn from research and other people.

decades · Jul 31, 2012

stop eating grains and sugar. walk fast for an hour a day.

decades · Jul 31, 2012

Chyeaah said:
Calories - NO
Carbs - NO
Fat - NO
Sugar - NO
Vegetarian Diet - Yes.

In my experience you don't even need to eat that healthy... You don't really need to eat wholemeal bread or unprocessed oats and all that. Just drink water, eat little amounts of meat, cut the fat. Eat Salad with Tuna, Chicken etc.

The only thing you can do is run, swim, bike along with a stable healthy diet. You should be losing quite alot of fat.

problem is heavy exercise leads to heavy eating. it's a catch 22. and eating trumps exercise. this is why you see so many out of shape over weight people at the gym. you can't out exercise too many calories.

r2473 · Jul 31, 2012

Povl Carstensen said:
You did not answer this r2473. Besides we have the posts comming in from people who have not succeeded, or are having trouble moving on like yourself. I think it is cool to learn from research and other people.

I'm not really sure what you want from me.

Naturally people should try to inform themselves of various options and try to find one that works. I think pretty much any method works, if people stick to it.

You seem to heavily favor low carbs or paleo (I'm not really sure which) and low / no exercise for weight loss. That works. It works better for some than other.

Personlly, I really don't care much about weightloss. I have a good idea what works for me and how to do it. I've tried various things the few times I've lost weight and figured out how my body reacts.

I'm not anti any method in principle. Low carbs are finen in my book.

I wouldn't recommend anyone abandon exercise for other health reasons, but I fully understand how exercise needs to be modified if weightloss is the the goal (instead of performance).

Look Povl, you are "right". Paleo is just fine. I must have said that a million times in that thread. But I also said that it isn't the only way and may not be the best for everyone.

Damn, my bacon is getting cold...

Povl Carstensen · Jul 31, 2012

So we basically agree. Low carb has worked for me. And I find it fascinating that research explains why, and why it might work for others. But I am not a anti/no/low exercise man, as I allready pointed out in the (in)famous thread.
Were we disagree is perhaps in the "any method works" category. Methods, like calories, are not created equal, imo. Especially when it comes to how hard they are to stick to. But this we have been through, I guess.
But we certainly agree that: Naturally people should try to inform themselves of various options and try to find one that works. To end on a positive note.

Bartelby · Jul 31, 2012

Diet is not weight loss; diet is about healthy eating and more generally healthy living.

Science can inform us as to what is healthy and what may be less healthy to consume and do.

What healthy eating is is relatively clear, and its just not what works for me.

What healthy activity is is relatively clear regardless of its contribution to weight loss.

r2473 · Jul 31, 2012

Bartelby said:
Diet is not weight loss; diet is about healthy eating and more generally healthy living.

Science can inform us as to what is healthy and what may be less healthy to consume and do.

What healthy eating is is relatively clear, and its just not what works for me.

What healthy activity is is relatively clear regardless of its contribution to weight loss.

Well weight loss was always the subject in the paleo thread (and obviously in this thread).

That's one of the reasons the paleo thread was so weird.

WildVolley · Jul 31, 2012

r2473 said:
Well weight loss was always the subject in the paleo thread (and obviously in this thread).

That's one of the reasons the paleo thread was so weird.

Why was it so weird?

As I said in that thread, all the people who have told me they have adopted the "paleo" diet lost an impressive amount of weight. One woman I know who went on the "paleo" type diet told me she had lost 30lbs of fat in about 6-months, and looking at her that number seems very believable.

Povl Carstensen · Jul 31, 2012

r2473 asked what science/dietary advice we are talking about. I would like to give my take on it.
The theory is about carbohydrates effect on fat storage. The body reacts to a surplus of carb intake by producing more insulin. One of the lesser publicised effects of insulin is that it puts the body in fat retention mode. The body reacts to a surplus of carb intake by stocking up on fat for leaner days. The problem is that in our day and age, for many of us, leaner days never come. We eat a surplus of carbohydrates day in and day out for years, leaving us in fat retention mode for much of the time. Exercise has a positive effect on this, because it burns carbs, and fat, if we run out of carbs. The potential problem is that it also induces increased hunger, and if the food we eat contains a surplus of carbs, we are back to square one.
As a side remark I would say that I am not on a low carb plan, more on a don't have too much carbs plan.

OriginalHockeytowner · Jul 31, 2012

I've lost 45lbs since Jan '11, from 293 to 248. Got back from an overseas deployment, crawled into a wheel of cheese, and nearly ate myself to death.

I did it doing two very simple things: eating less and exercising more. Don't be like me and get hung up on exercise plans and eating plans and what-not.

Buy a cheap food scale, follow the serving size, and write down everything you eat. Compare what you wrote down to your basal metabolic rate adjusted for your level of activity, and your weight loss goal (1lb a week is standard, -500 calories per day average.)

I still eat my favorite foods, just not as MUCH as I used to. Portion control and exercise will melt the pounds away.

BMI is a worthless statistic. The scale lies, but the mirror, and some brutally honest friends, never lie.

WildVolley · Jul 31, 2012

Povl Carstensen said:
r2473 asked what science/dietary advice we are talking about. I would like to give my take on it.

But I wasn't trying to explain the science. I was just pointing out that some people are able to lose large amounts of body fat by going on a paleo-type diet. That makes it not strange that someone would bring it up.

I'm sure there are other diets that cause a large drop in body fat, but the paleo-type seemed to be the hot-one among people I know at the moment. It seems to be one of the "no calorie counting" diets that lets a lot of people drop a lot of fat. I just don't know how realistic it is as a long-term diet.

r2473 · Jul 31, 2012

WildVolley said:
Why was it so weird?

Because focusing exclusively on weight loss excludes many other areas of a healthy lifestyle (as it relates to diet and exercise....and beyond).

Povl points out that carb reduction works for some. Its the "new" science (apparantly). But as this thread has shown, people lose (and maintain) weight in all sorts of ways.

If low carbs / paleo or whatever works and fits with your lifestyle, by all means do it. But the mood in these threads seems to assume that these choices are superior and "the new informed science" way. Other ways are inferior or ignorant. Which is really stupid.

I just love the anti-science attitude that prevails in this kind of thread.

'I want to do what I like, so don't give me any of that dietary advice'.

You can do what you like, but at least acknowledge that it runs against dietary advice rather than trying to pretend there's something wrong with the current state of science.

And if you want to focus on "the science", you'll see that people are no more successful with low carb or paleo than with other diet plans. You can look up the studies. Many people do lose weight eating fewer carbs. This I'll grant. But how long do they keep the weight off? How long can they stick with it? Some can stick with it for a lifetime, but this isn't the norm by any means.

Eating / nutrition is just one part of an overall lifestyle plan. Re-read what Borg writes about his vegetarinan lifestyle plan if you have any questions. There is no more well adjusted person in these threads IMO. (Borg's comments are in the "are we genetically programmed to eat meat" thread). Ollinger calls Borgs ideas "Articulate sophistry", which it is in some ways.......but not for Borg. And that's what counts. My relatively high exercise lifestyle probably won't work for everyone either.....but it does for me. Low carbs is an unquestionable disaster for me.....but not for Povl, OTM, and Clinch. Which is great. Find what works for your body and your lifestyle.

Paleo = fine
Southbeach = fine
Zone diet = fine
Atkins = fine
Mayo Clinic diet = fine
Weightwatchers = fine
Vegetarian = fine
etc....

Just remember, you should be able to create a lifestyle around whatever you choose to do.....or at least you should have a plan to ween yourself off of any drastic dieting measures you take in a way that you don't just gain the weight (and more back). Because that is what quite a lot of people end up doing.

Povl Carstensen · Jul 31, 2012

WildVolley said:
But I wasn't trying to explain the science.

I just did it for my own sake. r2473s skepticism has made me give it a good think.

Povl Carstensen · Jul 31, 2012

r2473 said:
Because focusing exclusively on weight loss excludes many other areas of a healthy lifestyle (as it relates to diet and exercise....and beyond).

Yes but that does not disqualify a discussion about carbs, fat and obesity.

r2473 said:
Many people do lose weight eating fewer carbs. This I'll grant. But how long do they keep the weight off? How long can they stick with it? Some can stick with it for a lifetime, but this isn't the norm by any means.

Here it is my definite personal experience (which is what you seem to value here) that a moderate reduction in carb intake is not hard at all to keep up.

r2473 said:
Just remember, you should be able to create a lifestyle around whatever you choose to do.....or at least you should have a plan to ween yourself off of any drastic dieting measures you take in a way that you don't just gain the weight (and more back). Because that is what quite a lot of people end up doing.

I dont think anyone here has disagreed with this.

r2473 said:
Low carbs is an unquestionable disaster for me

In what way? I think I read that calorie restrition did not work for you, but not this? Sorry if I am wrong.

r2473 · Jul 31, 2012

Povl Carstensen said:
Yes but that does not disqualify a discussion about carbs, fat and obesity.

Here it is my definite personal experience (which is what you seem to value here) that a moderate reduction in carb intake is not hard at all to keep up.

I dont think anyone here has disagreed with this.

In what way? I think I read that calorie restrition did not work for you, but not this? Sorry if I am wrong.

All I was ever really saying is that carb restriction is one way, but by no means not the only way to lose or maintain weight. It's no "smarter" or more "scientific" than anything else.

Of course I had to restrict calories when I lost weight. I didn't do it by magic. I suppose you might say I was a "calorie counter". I wasn't weighing my food (which isn't bad by the way), but I had a pretty good idea where my calorie count / exercise was for the week.

Champs990411 · Jul 31, 2012

I read Ultrametabolism by Mark Hyman and educated myself about low glycemic eating. Got shredded even while activity level was almost non-existent due to injury.

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