Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
JD2775
Posts: 1503
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 10:47 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by JD2775 »

Not a diet per se...but......

I have gone from 212-185 lbs during Covid. I can only attribute this to 2 things...

1. Cooking more at home
2. No more happy hours

We do still get take-out occasionally, but I cook at home even more than I did pre-Covid. We don't eat out as much. Also, I was usually doing 2-3x a week Happy Hour with friends pre-Covid. This would lead to inevitably more beer intake plus appetizers occasionally etc. These days its just a single beer or 2 (bottles, not pints) at home when I do drink.

Other than that exercise levels have remained the same more or less
H-Town
Posts: 5910
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by H-Town »

F150HD wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:06 pm how is everyone's weight loss plan going in 2021 so far?

I recall the eat slower suggestion by Homer as I tend to eat fast. Try not to gulp as much anymore.
Just do weight training, build muscle. It will increase your metabolism. You can eat more, not less, and still lose body fat. Focus on strength and then in 6 months, you’ll see amazing result.
Time is the ultimate currency.
veindoc
Posts: 834
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 9:04 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by veindoc »

Kennedy wrote: Sat May 23, 2020 1:48 pm
Jags4186 wrote: Sat May 23, 2020 10:26 am

My suggestion is to turn eating from something pleasurable into something that you simply need to do every day to live. Find pleasure in another outlet.
Wow. Just wow. I think this is the key. Thank you.
Yes. I was tired of fighting with myself over what I wanted to eat vs what I knew I should eat.

I eat almost the same things everyday. It’s boring but boring is good. Eliminates the painful decision of my tummy wants Wendys but my mind says grilled chicken breast. It also eliminates calorie counts. The calories have been counted months ago. And it helps with the grocery budget as it doesn’t vary with the same menu.
Reminds me of Jobs and the FB guy who wear the same outfit every day.

For more details:
I stopped eating sugar. No sugar in my coffee. No sugared beverages. I also stopped eating packaged food. Nothing that comes in a box, can, jar or wrapper. No rice/pasta or bread. No chips. No cereal. No protein or granola bars. No frozen boxes of anything. This means mostly fruit and veggies and broiled or baked meats/fish. Most veggies I eat raw because I’m a bit lazy but the veggies I do cook, I put in the microwave. Most meat/fish I season and stick in the oven.
Boglegirl81
Posts: 184
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2016 8:22 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Boglegirl81 »

F150HD wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:06 pm how is everyone's weight loss plan going in 2021 so far?

I recall the eat slower suggestion by Homer as I tend to eat fast. Try not to gulp as much anymore.
Going pretty well! I’ve been a WW member for over 20 years (since high school) and, for the most part, kept the weight off that whole time. I did gain a few pounds last year since I wasn’t diligent about tracking points and attending meetings. So I’m at back at counting points this year and also doing Caroline Girvan’s fitness program (free workouts on YouTube...not for the faint of heart) to change up my workout routine a bit.
VINNY
Posts: 505
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:07 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by VINNY »

wfrobinette wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:53 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:08 am
wfrobinette wrote: Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:14 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:48 pm
wfrobinette wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2020 9:34 am All I have said above is how someone can limit calories while still maintaining "fullness". They don't care what we eat. Eat meat, go vegan etc. Just watch the cal in vs cal out equation.

Facts:
1. 1 gram of fat contains 9 cal while protein and carbs contain 4 cal.
2. Matter cannot be destroyed. "burn" more calories than you take in means tapping into energy stores and the fat is metabolized into CO2 and H2O. Eat more calories than "burned" then body begins to store energy as fat.

There is a lot of consensus on the calories in vs calories out concept. It's rooted in fact #2 above. Each person is different on how efficiently they metabolize food so there isn't a one size fits all solution.
Consensus. When there's a consensus, everyone agrees on something. There is no consensus on the calories in vs. calories out concept.
When calories get in:
- some calories are processed by the body
- some calories exit the body virtually unprocessed
- some calories feed the "good" biome, other calories damage the biome
- calories are processed in different organs
- calories require different amount of the body's energy to get processed
- some calories raise insulin and create appetite for more calories
- some calories kill the appetite
- some calories go into muscles, other calories go into fat.


Victoria
All you have done it state, in more detail, what I said in my last sentence. Nothing you have said dispels calories in vs calories out.

Please cite evidence on where science disagrees on calories in vs calories out. Excluding water stores or lack there of and any disorders, there is no way the human body stores fat over the long term if it's operating with a calorie deficit and there is no way the body metabolizes stored fat if it's operating over the long term in a calorie surplus.
My objection is to your statement "There is a lot of consensus on the calories in vs calories out concept." A common interpretation of this concept is that if you count the calories in food you eat and count the calories you use at rest and by exercising, the difference between these numbers would indicate whether you are gaining, losing, or maintaining your weight. I provided a list of the aspects of the caloric balance that defy simple counting.

Furthermore, calorie counting encourages suboptimal behavior. For example, when you buy packaged food you know exactly how many calories it provides, but when you buy meat, fish, or vegetables, the calories they provide are just a guess. Likewise, an indoor treadmill will show the calories you have expended, but a walk in the woods won't.

Victoria
I can't help the fact that people can't comprehend that calories in vs calories out doesn't work on a daily basis. Meaning 1 day even a week or so doesn't mean you are losing or gaining. But science proves without a doubt that calorie deficits or surpluses over time will affect weight in a human being. I'd be happy to read any studies you could provide that refute that claim.

How does calorie counting encourage suboptimal behavior?

Any dietician worth a salt is going to teach you how to eat a well balanced meal and calorie counting(portion control) is going to be part of the equation. They are also going to teach you how to get the best bang for you buck when you choose which foods to eat. I.e. how can one can fill ones belly, stay on a calorie budget and not feel like you are being starved. It's pretty simple really. Limit fat, oils, added sugars as they are very calorie dense and won't fill you up for long, eat lean meat and whole grains in moderation, go to town on as many vegetables and fruits you want.

There are apps or charts that will help you determine calories for meat, fruits, vegetables, grains and any packaged food. One must weigh or measure items to properly count calories. Same apps will help you estimate calories expended via exercise. Both of these are estimates but they get you in the ball park.

If calorie counting is suboptimal then what would be optimal behavior for one to lose weight and keep it off?
Calorie counting is suboptimal, because if you are eating the wrong amount of calories from a certain food group versus another, you will not remain satiated, and will be hungry again resulting in more eating.

500 calories of cookies versus 500 calories of eggs have different hormonal responses in our bodies. One leaves you satiated (eggs) and the other doesn't.

If you focus on the food that will leave you satiated which results in less eating and longer fasting periods, the calories take care of themselves. Focus on eating foods our ancestors ate, they NEVER counted calories and weren't obese or had type 2 diabetes.

If you do that, you will see that you eat less often, maybe 1 or twice a day. And if you eat the foods our ancestors did, the hormone Leptin signals to the brain you are full. You will not overeat food our ancestors ate such as meat, fish and eggs. It's very difficult to do, and as a result, you don't need to count calories. Just like our ancestors didn't.

We think we are smarter than our bodies and came up with calorie counting because when we consume the carbohydrates that surround us, we tried to devise a way to measure how much of those to consume. And this was done because when we eat carbohydrates, especially the highly processed kinds, our Leptin hormone doesn't get triggered and as a result we overeat them. Have you ever tried eating just a couple chips? Usually you stop when your fingers hit the bottom of the bag.

Feed your body the food that it was designed to eat and you will be healthy and fit. Primarily fats and proteins. We use to eat fruits when they were in season to fatten up for the winter. And the fruits our ancestors ate were nothing like the fruit we have today, which we have in abundance. Look at what a banana looked like 100 years ago. Nothing like the sweet ones we have today and in abundance.

Avoid carbs, starches and sugars if you are overweight or have always struggled to lose weight. This describes me. I have an addiction to these foods no different than an alcoholic has an addiction to booze. When I consume these foods, I gain a lot of weight and it's not due to a lack of will power. It's a hormonal response that triggers us to crave these carbs more and more.

Ancestrally appropriate food do not.

Would we tell a heroin addict that it's okay to shoot up just once per week versus 5 days? Of course not. Then why do we tell people who are overweight, have always struggled to lose weight, or are metabolically damaged, that it's okay to have X, Y, Z as long as they cut back a bit?

It doesn't work. Willpower and counting calories do not work and can't over come the hormonal responses from eating the carbs that make us gain weight and slowly kill us.

Focus on controlling your glucose spikes, by avoiding the foods that cause the spikes, which in turn controls your insulin response. That is the best advice to maintain a healthy weight and avoid many of the diseases we are afflicted with.
User avatar
crinkles2
Posts: 244
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2014 7:18 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by crinkles2 »

Recently diagnosed Type II diabetes with long term prediabetes and insulin resistance here.

Trying 16:8 fasting (Intermittent Fasting, IF) and only eat between 12 pm and 8pm. I try do this at least 6 days of the week. I am finding i feel a lot better physically, more satisfied when I do eventually eat, and after about a month I don't feel like having breakfast anymore. Haven't lost much weight.

My doctor said that while I have insulin resistance, no amount of exercise will cause weight loss, even though it has other benefits. At the moment checking to see if intermittent fasting will reduce the insulin resistance and lower A1c (was 7.2 in December). That measurement including about 50-50 on medication and IF and pre-diagnosis.

Back to the original question, for me, IF seems sustainable - and I have serious food issues, love food too much!

IF 16:8 with skipping breakfast also seems to make sense as with monitoring my glucose levels I had severe morning spikes (liver dumps) even if not eating (my morning fasting was about 150 and pre-lunch fasting about 100), so I figured fine, my body is dumping glucose into my bloodstream at breakfast so why eat and try to shove more in?
solar99999
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 6:32 am

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by solar99999 »

Have a measurable goal as the reason to lose weight.

Attempt #1: To be healthy. Failed.

Attempt #2: To save money. Failed.

Attempt #3: To look more attractive. Failed.

Attempt #4: To be able to complete a 100 mile bike course on Zwift. Success.
- Buffetthead | | "[Cash is] thought of as “safe.” In truth they are among the most dangerous of assets."
VINNY
Posts: 505
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:07 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by VINNY »

crinkles2 wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:40 pm Recently diagnosed Type II diabetes with long term prediabetes and insulin resistance here.

Trying 16:8 fasting (Intermittent Fasting, IF) and only eat between 12 pm and 8pm. I try do this at least 6 days of the week. I am finding i feel a lot better physically, more satisfied when I do eventually eat, and after about a month I don't feel like having breakfast anymore. Haven't lost much weight.

My doctor said that while I have insulin resistance, no amount of exercise will cause weight loss, even though it has other benefits. At the moment checking to see if intermittent fasting will reduce the insulin resistance and lower A1c (was 7.2 in December). That measurement including about 50-50 on medication and IF and pre-diagnosis.

Back to the original question, for me, IF seems sustainable - and I have serious food issues, love food too much!

IF 16:8 with skipping breakfast also seems to make sense as with monitoring my glucose levels I had severe morning spikes (liver dumps) even if not eating (my morning fasting was about 150 and pre-lunch fasting about 100), so I figured fine, my body is dumping glucose into my bloodstream at breakfast so why eat and try to shove more in?
Exactly Crinkles! The liver dumping glucose into your bloodstream is your breakfeast!

You are going to do great. Stay on the 16:8 window until you become fat adapted, meaning your body can start becoming a fat burner. Once you are a fat burner, you can try to narrow the eating window even more. I for example will eat in about 30-45 minutes, once per day. And I can easily do so. Sometimes, I can even skip that meal WITHOUT hunger because the fat on my body is fueling me.

I'm letting my body do what it was designed to do. It's kind of like being in the wild several hundred years ago and not being able to eat, until we had a successful hunt. In the meantime, our body is fueling itself with it's stored energy- Fat.

Many of us have so much of this stored energy but we can not really tap into it, because we are sugar burners. We are fueling our body with the chronic consumption of carbs, starches and sugars. Think of our body as a refrigerator. In the freezer we store fat and in the fridge we store sugar (glucose). We can easily tap into the sugar because it's readily accessible. The fat however isn't. Its not as readily accessible. Once your body depletes it's glucose stores, it signal you to eat more carbs because you can't access you stored energy, unless you are a fat burner.

And to become a fat burner you need to wean yourself off the carbs just like you are doing. I've simplified it but that's the gist of it.

When you get to this point that you can try some extended fasts for about 1-3 days, just make certain your drink water with electrolytes. You will find you will have a lot more energy, you'll have so much more mental clarity and accelerate the weight loss.

My Hba1c went from 5.7 to 5, blood sugars stabilized, weight came off and so many other issues went away. I even had a CAC scan done of my heart and it showed ZERO calcification of my arteries. Pipes are clean! And all other markers of inflammation are gone.

I wasn't able to kneel without discomfort, had a lot of aches and pains I just thought this was part of aging. To my astonishment, these all went away. It took time, it wasn't overnight but they did.

I too love food, but be careful. Once you allow that certain indulgence, a slice of cake or fries, it's a slippery slope! One day turns into 1 week, which turns into 1 month, which turns into 20 pounds. I've been there and done that.

When you crave those foods, your body is looking for a dopamine hit. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us are addicts. And we need to treat this as an addiction for those of us with an unhealthy relationship with carbs, starches and sugars.

You are on the right track. Stay healthy.
pmr2017
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 10:34 am

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by pmr2017 »

Keep it simple - making a diet too much work only increases the chances it will fail.
Set reasonable expectations - start with a small goal of 5 pounds, and then another 5 and then another 5. This way you slowly lose weight and don't get deflated when you don't drop 30 pounds in a relatively short period of time
Know you won't be perfect (nor should you be) - Personally, there's no reason to cut out all junk food from your diet completely. If you genuinely enjoy drinking Coke, have a can a week. If it's your birthday and you want to go out and eat half a pizza and drink 6 beers, go for it. Life is too short and while this may be anecdotal, I've known too many people who were so strict with their diets (and in the end failed with them) that they would beat themselves up for eating a cupcake. Look, it's one thing to have some free meals a few times a month, and another to have some free meals a few times a week. Stick to the few times a month and you'll be fine.
Exercise - Be consistent. I've found consistently exercising makes me want to eat healthier. As the saying goes "you can't out train a bad diet" and it helps to keep that in mind. Also, keep it simple. Everyone's being bombarded with ads for home exercise equipment, Peloton bikes, Tonal, Mirror, etc. and how great they are and you need them to get in shape. Not saying they are a waste of money, but you can easily get a very effective workout in your basement, or garage, or the park doing bodyweight exercises. You don't need a lot of equipment, or a routine that has you doing crazy moves. Squat variations, lunge variations, pushups, dips and ab variations will get the job done. Add in some cardio - jumping jacks, a-skips, quick feet in and out, stance switches, high knees, etc. and of course running or riding a bike all are great for cardio. If it's too cold out, jog the perimeter of your basement. Point is, get moving and be consistent about it.

I have also found intermittent fasting 5.5-6 days a week to be the easiest and most effective way to lose weight. I work a 18:6 fast and couple it with exercise.
H-Town
Posts: 5910
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by H-Town »

VINNY wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:07 pm
wfrobinette wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:53 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:08 am
wfrobinette wrote: Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:14 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:48 pm

Consensus. When there's a consensus, everyone agrees on something. There is no consensus on the calories in vs. calories out concept.
When calories get in:
- some calories are processed by the body
- some calories exit the body virtually unprocessed
- some calories feed the "good" biome, other calories damage the biome
- calories are processed in different organs
- calories require different amount of the body's energy to get processed
- some calories raise insulin and create appetite for more calories
- some calories kill the appetite
- some calories go into muscles, other calories go into fat.


Victoria
All you have done it state, in more detail, what I said in my last sentence. Nothing you have said dispels calories in vs calories out.

Please cite evidence on where science disagrees on calories in vs calories out. Excluding water stores or lack there of and any disorders, there is no way the human body stores fat over the long term if it's operating with a calorie deficit and there is no way the body metabolizes stored fat if it's operating over the long term in a calorie surplus.
My objection is to your statement "There is a lot of consensus on the calories in vs calories out concept." A common interpretation of this concept is that if you count the calories in food you eat and count the calories you use at rest and by exercising, the difference between these numbers would indicate whether you are gaining, losing, or maintaining your weight. I provided a list of the aspects of the caloric balance that defy simple counting.

Furthermore, calorie counting encourages suboptimal behavior. For example, when you buy packaged food you know exactly how many calories it provides, but when you buy meat, fish, or vegetables, the calories they provide are just a guess. Likewise, an indoor treadmill will show the calories you have expended, but a walk in the woods won't.

Victoria
I can't help the fact that people can't comprehend that calories in vs calories out doesn't work on a daily basis. Meaning 1 day even a week or so doesn't mean you are losing or gaining. But science proves without a doubt that calorie deficits or surpluses over time will affect weight in a human being. I'd be happy to read any studies you could provide that refute that claim.

How does calorie counting encourage suboptimal behavior?

Any dietician worth a salt is going to teach you how to eat a well balanced meal and calorie counting(portion control) is going to be part of the equation. They are also going to teach you how to get the best bang for you buck when you choose which foods to eat. I.e. how can one can fill ones belly, stay on a calorie budget and not feel like you are being starved. It's pretty simple really. Limit fat, oils, added sugars as they are very calorie dense and won't fill you up for long, eat lean meat and whole grains in moderation, go to town on as many vegetables and fruits you want.

There are apps or charts that will help you determine calories for meat, fruits, vegetables, grains and any packaged food. One must weigh or measure items to properly count calories. Same apps will help you estimate calories expended via exercise. Both of these are estimates but they get you in the ball park.

If calorie counting is suboptimal then what would be optimal behavior for one to lose weight and keep it off?
Calorie counting is suboptimal, because if you are eating the wrong amount of calories from a certain food group versus another, you will not remain satiated, and will be hungry again resulting in more eating.

500 calories of cookies versus 500 calories of eggs have different hormonal responses in our bodies. One leaves you satiated (eggs) and the other doesn't.

If you focus on the food that will leave you satiated which results in less eating and longer fasting periods, the calories take care of themselves. Focus on eating foods our ancestors ate, they NEVER counted calories and weren't obese or had type 2 diabetes.

If you do that, you will see that you eat less often, maybe 1 or twice a day. And if you eat the foods our ancestors did, the hormone Leptin signals to the brain you are full. You will not overeat food our ancestors ate such as meat, fish and eggs. It's very difficult to do, and as a result, you don't need to count calories. Just like our ancestors didn't.

We think we are smarter than our bodies and came up with calorie counting because when we consume the carbohydrates that surround us, we tried to devise a way to measure how much of those to consume. And this was done because when we eat carbohydrates, especially the highly processed kinds, our Leptin hormone doesn't get triggered and as a result we overeat them. Have you ever tried eating just a couple chips? Usually you stop when your fingers hit the bottom of the bag.

Feed your body the food that it was designed to eat and you will be healthy and fit. Primarily fats and proteins. We use to eat fruits when they were in season to fatten up for the winter. And the fruits our ancestors ate were nothing like the fruit we have today, which we have in abundance. Look at what a banana looked like 100 years ago. Nothing like the sweet ones we have today and in abundance.

Avoid carbs, starches and sugars if you are overweight or have always struggled to lose weight. This describes me. I have an addiction to these foods no different than an alcoholic has an addiction to booze. When I consume these foods, I gain a lot of weight and it's not due to a lack of will power. It's a hormonal response that triggers us to crave these carbs more and more.

Ancestrally appropriate food do not.

Would we tell a heroin addict that it's okay to shoot up just once per week versus 5 days? Of course not. Then why do we tell people who are overweight, have always struggled to lose weight, or are metabolically damaged, that it's okay to have X, Y, Z as long as they cut back a bit?

It doesn't work. Willpower and counting calories do not work and can't over come the hormonal responses from eating the carbs that make us gain weight and slowly kill us.

Focus on controlling your glucose spikes, by avoiding the foods that cause the spikes, which in turn controls your insulin response. That is the best advice to maintain a healthy weight and avoid many of the diseases we are afflicted with.
+1. Great post!

From my experience, it always works if I go after my protein goal first. Protein is satiated and I don’t really want other type of food.

Target 1 gram of protein per pound of your weight. You don’t need to keep track of calories. And you won’t be tempted by highly processed food, such as a bag of chip or ice cream.
Time is the ultimate currency.
2Scoops
Posts: 238
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2020 7:01 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by 2Scoops »

Some simple ideas/thoughts that have helped people I know. Some of these have been mentioned:

- Don't think of this as a diet but rather a lifestyle change. Diet's typically have a defined start and stop point
- Incrementally make better decisions - veggies over chips for lunches, Egg whites and turkey sausage for breakfast rather than eating out, etc
- Improve cooking skills - the key to eating healthy is to find things you like and make them taste great. Research recipes and experiment.
- Don't deprive yourself of the types of foods that you typically enjoy. If you like salty snacks, find healthier versions
- Make the goal to get healthier, not lose weight. Remember that weight loss is not linear and you'll have peaks and valleys. Skinny doesn't mean healthy.
- Use support resources to maximize what you are doing. So many great online forums, groups, apps to maximize caloric intake.
- Understand why you may have fallen short in the past and determine a way to break thru those obstacles when they occur.
- Track your eating and weight it in an app like MyFitnessPal at least for the first few months. We often underestimate how much we eat or their nutritional impact.
- Everything is easier when you have group accountability. Find a partner (in the home, amongst your friends, or online) that will share the journey with you.
Independent George
Posts: 1593
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:13 am
Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Independent George »

2Scoops wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 5:48 am Some simple ideas/thoughts that have helped people I know. Some of these have been mentioned:

- Don't think of this as a diet but rather a lifestyle change. Diet's typically have a defined start and stop point
- Incrementally make better decisions - veggies over chips for lunches, Egg whites and turkey sausage for breakfast rather than eating out, etc
- Improve cooking skills - the key to eating healthy is to find things you like and make them taste great. Research recipes and experiment.
- Don't deprive yourself of the types of foods that you typically enjoy. If you like salty snacks, find healthier versions
- Make the goal to get healthier, not lose weight. Remember that weight loss is not linear and you'll have peaks and valleys. Skinny doesn't mean healthy.
- Use support resources to maximize what you are doing. So many great online forums, groups, apps to maximize caloric intake.
- Understand why you may have fallen short in the past and determine a way to break thru those obstacles when they occur.
- Track your eating and weight it in an app like MyFitnessPal at least for the first few months. We often underestimate how much we eat or their nutritional impact.
- Everything is easier when you have group accountability. Find a partner (in the home, amongst your friends, or online) that will share the journey with you.
I agree with everything you posted, but those two points really, really, really need to be emphasized. Weight loss should never be a goal in and of itself, but a secondary effect of being healthier in general. In BH terms, its' the difference between someone who prioritizes increasing their income versus increasing their net worth & financial security. The former is important and will help with the latter, but it won't matter if that's the only thing you're thinking of.

There are healthy and unhealthy means of losing weight, and simply cutting calories will work, but is unlikely to make you significantly healthier on its own. Eating better is as important as eating less, and regular exercise becomes more and more important as you age.

I made the change when I turned 40 and realized I couldn't 'get away' with the same habits I'd grown accustomed to; it's amazing how many nagging aches and pains went away once I started working out regularly. I shed weight as a side effect - the much more important thing was that I was no longer waking up with pains in my shoulders, neck, and upper back. I started kicking myself mentally at how much better my life could have been if I hadn't waited until 40, but was still glad I did it.
ddurrett896
Posts: 1712
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2014 2:23 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by ddurrett896 »

those bagged salad kits make it easy for me. Cheap, tons of different options and makes lunch or dinner easy.
Independent George
Posts: 1593
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:13 am
Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Independent George »

I linked this 2018 video earlier, and watching it again reminds me so much of the BH approach to finances.
...I can create eating guidelines for you that will allow you to cut fat, but the actual implementation of this is entirely up to you. This is one of the reasons why people are always looking for the excuse - that actually, "It's because my training is wrong", "It's my eating that's wrong", "Where is the one secret, the one way of doing it?". That's what actually in many ways fuels the money in the fitness industry.

But if you accept what I just said - that essentially, there are many many different ways you can eat as long as you are staying within the scientific principles of fat loss and you will lose fat - then that gives you a lot of flexibility. That gives you a lot of freedom. And the problem with that is it also puts responsibility on YOU. It's not because you don't know the one magic trick. The responsibility, the reason you are not where you want to be is down to you. It's down to the discipline and the dedication... There's lots of information - disproportionate information - thrown at you, so never forget the basics: calorie deficit for fat loss - not calorie starvation - includes quality challenging resistance training, and the leaner you get, the more and more you have to make sure that it is physical activity that is contributing to the calorie deficit.
Analogies can only be stretched so far, but the concepts listed above are almost word-for-word what someone might post here about budgeting, saving, and investing.
wfrobinette
Posts: 1879
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:14 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by wfrobinette »

VINNY wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:07 pm
wfrobinette wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:53 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:08 am
wfrobinette wrote: Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:14 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:48 pm

Consensus. When there's a consensus, everyone agrees on something. There is no consensus on the calories in vs. calories out concept.
When calories get in:
- some calories are processed by the body
- some calories exit the body virtually unprocessed
- some calories feed the "good" biome, other calories damage the biome
- calories are processed in different organs
- calories require different amount of the body's energy to get processed
- some calories raise insulin and create appetite for more calories
- some calories kill the appetite
- some calories go into muscles, other calories go into fat.


Victoria
All you have done it state, in more detail, what I said in my last sentence. Nothing you have said dispels calories in vs calories out.

Please cite evidence on where science disagrees on calories in vs calories out. Excluding water stores or lack there of and any disorders, there is no way the human body stores fat over the long term if it's operating with a calorie deficit and there is no way the body metabolizes stored fat if it's operating over the long term in a calorie surplus.
My objection is to your statement "There is a lot of consensus on the calories in vs calories out concept." A common interpretation of this concept is that if you count the calories in food you eat and count the calories you use at rest and by exercising, the difference between these numbers would indicate whether you are gaining, losing, or maintaining your weight. I provided a list of the aspects of the caloric balance that defy simple counting.

Furthermore, calorie counting encourages suboptimal behavior. For example, when you buy packaged food you know exactly how many calories it provides, but when you buy meat, fish, or vegetables, the calories they provide are just a guess. Likewise, an indoor treadmill will show the calories you have expended, but a walk in the woods won't.

Victoria
I can't help the fact that people can't comprehend that calories in vs calories out doesn't work on a daily basis. Meaning 1 day even a week or so doesn't mean you are losing or gaining. But science proves without a doubt that calorie deficits or surpluses over time will affect weight in a human being. I'd be happy to read any studies you could provide that refute that claim.

How does calorie counting encourage suboptimal behavior?

Any dietician worth a salt is going to teach you how to eat a well balanced meal and calorie counting(portion control) is going to be part of the equation. They are also going to teach you how to get the best bang for you buck when you choose which foods to eat. I.e. how can one can fill ones belly, stay on a calorie budget and not feel like you are being starved. It's pretty simple really. Limit fat, oils, added sugars as they are very calorie dense and won't fill you up for long, eat lean meat and whole grains in moderation, go to town on as many vegetables and fruits you want.

There are apps or charts that will help you determine calories for meat, fruits, vegetables, grains and any packaged food. One must weigh or measure items to properly count calories. Same apps will help you estimate calories expended via exercise. Both of these are estimates but they get you in the ball park.

If calorie counting is suboptimal then what would be optimal behavior for one to lose weight and keep it off?
Calorie counting is suboptimal, because if you are eating the wrong amount of calories from a certain food group versus another, you will not remain satiated, and will be hungry again resulting in more eating.

500 calories of cookies versus 500 calories of eggs have different hormonal responses in our bodies. One leaves you satiated (eggs) and the other doesn't.

If you focus on the food that will leave you satiated which results in less eating and longer fasting periods, the calories take care of themselves. Focus on eating foods our ancestors ate, they NEVER counted calories and weren't obese or had type 2 diabetes.

If you do that, you will see that you eat less often, maybe 1 or twice a day. And if you eat the foods our ancestors did, the hormone Leptin signals to the brain you are full. You will not overeat food our ancestors ate such as meat, fish and eggs. It's very difficult to do, and as a result, you don't need to count calories. Just like our ancestors didn't.

We think we are smarter than our bodies and came up with calorie counting because when we consume the carbohydrates that surround us, we tried to devise a way to measure how much of those to consume. And this was done because when we eat carbohydrates, especially the highly processed kinds, our Leptin hormone doesn't get triggered and as a result we overeat them. Have you ever tried eating just a couple chips? Usually you stop when your fingers hit the bottom of the bag.

Feed your body the food that it was designed to eat and you will be healthy and fit. Primarily fats and proteins. We use to eat fruits when they were in season to fatten up for the winter. And the fruits our ancestors ate were nothing like the fruit we have today, which we have in abundance. Look at what a banana looked like 100 years ago. Nothing like the sweet ones we have today and in abundance.

Avoid carbs, starches and sugars if you are overweight or have always struggled to lose weight. This describes me. I have an addiction to these foods no different than an alcoholic has an addiction to booze. When I consume these foods, I gain a lot of weight and it's not due to a lack of will power. It's a hormonal response that triggers us to crave these carbs more and more.

Ancestrally appropriate food do not.

Would we tell a heroin addict that it's okay to shoot up just once per week versus 5 days? Of course not. Then why do we tell people who are overweight, have always struggled to lose weight, or are metabolically damaged, that it's okay to have X, Y, Z as long as they cut back a bit?

It doesn't work. Willpower and counting calories do not work and can't over come the hormonal responses from eating the carbs that make us gain weight and slowly kill us.

Focus on controlling your glucose spikes, by avoiding the foods that cause the spikes, which in turn controls your insulin response. That is the best advice to maintain a healthy weight and avoid many of the diseases we are afflicted with.
I guess you missed my 3rd paragraph.

"Limit fat, oils, added sugars as they are very calorie dense and won't fill you up for long, eat lean meat and whole grains in moderation, go to town on as many vegetables and fruits you want." Fats absolutely need to be consumed in moderation.

You and I are saying the same thing.

I will fight to my death defending calories(energy) in vs calories(energy) out determines weight gain or loss. Scientific fact!

Here's how it works:

The Body "burns" energy to function, if we have left over energy it is stored as fat. One must have the appropriate amount of body fat and depending on age that's going to between 8% and 25% for men/17% to 29% for women. The lower end being ripped like a world class athlete, 15 to 20 put you in pretty good shape over 25% and you have too much. This fat is our reserve to sustain our bodies in the event we can't consume calories for an extended period of time. If we don't have fat then the body will start converting proteins(muscle) to energy. Once enough energy is depleted, we die of starvation.

What happens to the energy we use? Energy doesn't just disappear that includes the excess fat on our bodies. Remember, matter can't be destroyed. Every calorie that is "burned" is either exhaled as co2 or eliminated via h2o and a few other chemicals in urine/sweat. What your body can't "process into energy" is eliminated as excrement.

Calorie counting is a great tool when coupled with a program like Noom. It teaches you which foods to choose a and how to eat a balanced meal that will keep you full while fueling your body. It's a re-learning to eat like our ancestors.

It's not just as simple as eating the right stuff, you also have to eat the right amount. too!

As for the banana from yester year. We have what we have because the banana's from 100 years ago were wiped out by disease in the 1950's. I assume the point you are trying to make is that the fruit of today is not the same as the fruit of hundreds or thousands of years ago. I.e humans selectively bred the better tasting fruits. That is true.
forgeblast
Posts: 586
Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:45 am
Location: PA
Contact:

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by forgeblast »

The issue is you want to loose weight but still feel full. The way I did this, I lost 30# in two months and have kept it off for 3 years while having no inflammation.
Forks over knives. Its plant based eating (not vegan because you can be an overweight and unhealty vegan). the FOK (forks over knives) stresses a few things, eat as much as you want as long as its a whole food (not processed), plant, whole grain (bread is fine), and very little oil. Cutting all dairy (the vegan cheese are great through palmara creamery is my favorite). Cutting out oil, sauteing in water or veggie stock, really cuts down the the calories. Its also where most vegan processed food is bad for you.
The FOK app is great, so are their cookbooks.
Now that we have done it for 3 years, we will still have an egg every now and then, and we eat fish maybe once a month. (We like to fish and eat what we catch). Eating fish also makes dinning out easier, or you eat the sides on the menu because you get get your veggies steamed etc.
That being said, you have to give it a month or two to kick in. The mental clarity, how good your going to feel hits month 2. Price wise its the same, during the pandemic we were able to eat as we normally do, plus we supplement it with our garden all summer long.
My favorite joke is how can you tell someone is a vegan, wait 5 mins they will tell you, plant based is not that . There is no recruitment, there is no pressure, you eat this way because you either like it or don't.
bloom2708
Posts: 9861
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 2:08 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by bloom2708 »

forgeblast wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:04 pm The issue is you want to loose weight but still feel full. The way I did this, I lost 30# in two months and have kept it off for 3 years while having no inflammation.
Forks over knives. Its plant based eating (not vegan because you can be an overweight and unhealty vegan). the FOK (forks over knives) stresses a few things, eat as much as you want as long as its a whole food (not processed), plant, whole grain (bread is fine), and very little oil. Cutting all dairy (the vegan cheese are great through palmara creamery is my favorite). Cutting out oil, sauteing in water or veggie stock, really cuts down the the calories. Its also where most vegan processed food is bad for you.
The FOK app is great, so are their cookbooks.
Now that we have done it for 3 years, we will still have an egg every now and then, and we eat fish maybe once a month. (We like to fish and eat what we catch). Eating fish also makes dinning out easier, or you eat the sides on the menu because you get get your veggies steamed etc.
That being said, you have to give it a month or two to kick in. The mental clarity, how good your going to feel hits month 2. Price wise its the same, during the pandemic we were able to eat as we normally do, plus we supplement it with our garden all summer long.
My favorite joke is how can you tell someone is a vegan, wait 5 mins they will tell you, plant based is not that . There is no recruitment, there is no pressure, you eat this way because you either like it or don't.
I agree with you. I have been Whole Food, Plant Based for several years. You won't find any agreement here. You have to find right for you.

The keto folks will laugh at your whole food, plant based lifestyle as a scam. It is a sad world. You can see from these threads there are 100s of "optimal" ways. There are more keto folks than plant based..vegan or otherwise, so fighting against the grain. :annoyed

Find your 'optimal' and hope it works out.
H-Town
Posts: 5910
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by H-Town »

wfrobinette wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:00 pm I will fight to my death defending calories(energy) in vs calories(energy) out determines weight gain or loss. Scientific fact!

Here's how it works:

The Body "burns" energy to function, if we have left over energy it is stored as fat. One must have the appropriate amount of body fat and depending on age that's going to between 8% and 25% for men/17% to 29% for women. The lower end being ripped like a world class athlete, 15 to 20 put you in pretty good shape over 25% and you have too much. This fat is our reserve to sustain our bodies in the event we can't consume calories for an extended period of time. If we don't have fat then the body will start converting proteins(muscle) to energy. Once enough energy is depleted, we die of starvation.

What happens to the energy we use? Energy doesn't just disappear that includes the excess fat on our bodies. Remember, matter can't be destroyed. Every calorie that is "burned" is either exhaled as co2 or eliminated via h2o and a few other chemicals in urine/sweat. What your body can't "process into energy" is eliminated as excrement.

Calorie counting is a great tool when coupled with a program like Noom. It teaches you which foods to choose a and how to eat a balanced meal that will keep you full while fueling your body. It's a re-learning to eat like our ancestors.

It's not just as simple as eating the right stuff, you also have to eat the right amount. too!

As for the banana from yester year. We have what we have because the banana's from 100 years ago were wiped out by disease in the 1950's. I assume the point you are trying to make is that the fruit of today is not the same as the fruit of hundreds or thousands of years ago. I.e humans selectively bred the better tasting fruits. That is true.
Let's talk about this issue. I have 2 arguments against your post:
1) Not every calorie from each type of food is the same.
This is extremely important. 500 calorie from chicken breast is not the same as 500 calorie from a bag of potato chips. The old thinking of calories in and calories out is obsolete. The new thinking of intuitive eating has prevailed. It's about focusing on protein goal first. If you weight 165 lbs, focus on getting 100 to 165 gram of protein every day. If you do that, your body naturally will consume less carb and other highly processed food. Protein is satiated in nature. 100 gram of protein is about 4 chicken breast. Let's say if you eat 4 chicken breast a day, you likely won't crave for any highly processed food like chips, ice cream, cake, and other sweet treats.

Highly processed food is designed to make you eat more. One bag of Lays potato chips have 5 potatoes in there. If I give you 5 potatoes and ask you to eat them in one setting, I doubt that you'd be able to finish them. Now if I give you a bag of potato chips, you can finish the bag and then some. If you focus on whole food instead of highly processed food, your body naturally will consume less calories.

2) Will your advice work with the general population? Would it help the most people, not just fitness fanatics?
I'm a fitness fanatic and I have trained people in the past. Asking my client to count their calories failed most of the time. What I do for myself, i.e. keeping track of calories in vs. calories out, does not translate well with people who are not fitness fanatic. What I found out the most successful approach is ask my client to eat the right stuff and to track what they eat. They just need to focus on one goal: meet their protein target. By asking them to track what they eat, they are aware of what they put in their body. They don't need track the calories from their meals. This approach works with most of my clients.
Time is the ultimate currency.
rockstar
Posts: 6326
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:51 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by rockstar »

Don't buy too much food. If it's sitting in your fridge or pantry, you'll eat it. If it's not there, you won't. Worse case is that you order food delivery. Of course, this will get expensive.

Also, try to cook meals, where you don't have any leftovers.
User avatar
Elsebet
Posts: 1606
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 1:28 pm
Location: Erie, PA

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Elsebet »

At one point in my life I was so overweight a doctor gave me an EKG. At another point I walked up 4 flights of stairs and almost passed out because I couldn't catch my breath. That was my low point. :) I lost about 70 pounds since then and managed to keep it mostly off.

I've done various things in the past (gym every day, counting calories) and both worked for awhile but I'd eventually give them up. I now just weigh foods and have a single serving - portion control is a big help. I have 2 scales in my kitchen to make it easy.

Recently I have found that eating 2 meals a day makes the most sense for me. I generally eat a light lunch at noon, dinner around 4pm, then nothing else. On the weekends when my husband is home we eat breakfast and sometimes skip lunch or just have something light, then have dinner. I'm not religious about it. I'm generally vegetarian but have chicken and/or fish once a week. I sleep better on an empty stomach. On Thursdays we have popcorn at night and I often have heartburn when trying to sleep.

I try to walk every day and do calisthenics at home 3x per week. If I lived alone I'd probably eat one meal a day around 2/3pm.

I'm still a little overweight but my vitals are ok and my doctors haven't seemed alarmed.

"Everything in moderation" - even diet and exercise! :)
"...the man who adapts himself to his slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man..." ~Seneca
User avatar
tooluser
Posts: 1557
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2011 7:04 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by tooluser »

"I’m not an expert, and the problem is diet and nutrition are like
politics: everybody thinks they’re an expert. Their identity is
wrapped up in it because what they’ve been eating or what they
think they should be eating is obviously the correct answer.
Everybody has a little religion—it’s just a really difficult topic
to talk about. I will just say in general, any sensible diet avoids
the combination of sugar and fat together.

Most fit and healthy people focus much more on what they eat
than how much. Quality control is easier than (and leads to)
quantity control.

Ironically, fasting (from a low-carb/paleo base) is easier than
portion control. Once the body detects food, it overrides the
brain."

-- Naval Ravikant
Boglegirl81
Posts: 184
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2016 8:22 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Boglegirl81 »

Independent George wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:00 pm
I made the change when I turned 40 and realized I couldn't 'get away' with the same habits I'd grown accustomed to; it's amazing how many nagging aches and pains went away once I started working out regularly. I shed weight as a side effect - the much more important thing was that I was no longer waking up with pains in my shoulders, neck, and upper back. I started kicking myself mentally at how much better my life could have been if I hadn't waited until 40, but was still glad I did it.
I’m coming up on 40 and have been doing regular exercise, including plenty of strength training, for over 10 years now. At the beginning of last year, I had to take about 2.5 months off due to a health issue, and I started having aches and pains. I had no idea how much the regular exercise was keeping my body together! I got back to exercising as soon as I could and my body felt great again.
wunderkind
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2020 12:57 am

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by wunderkind »

Eliminate added sugar (sucrose or HFCS - it’s metabolically the same) from your diet. It’s added to the vast majority of processed and restaurant food. Often in surprisingly large quantities.

This lecture on the metabolization of fructose was an eye opener for me:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Weight starts dropping in a few weeks (fast!). The sugar cravings are intense the first few months but eventually subside. Once they do, it’s not a classic diet anymore as you can pretty much eat anything else you like and the weight stays off. With time you’ll also regain an appreciation for more subtle flavors and find that many past favorite snacks are far too sweet and no longer appealing - making the diet completely effortless.
wfrobinette
Posts: 1879
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:14 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by wfrobinette »

H-Town wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:55 pm
wfrobinette wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:00 pm I will fight to my death defending calories(energy) in vs calories(energy) out determines weight gain or loss. Scientific fact!

Here's how it works:

The Body "burns" energy to function, if we have left over energy it is stored as fat. One must have the appropriate amount of body fat and depending on age that's going to between 8% and 25% for men/17% to 29% for women. The lower end being ripped like a world class athlete, 15 to 20 put you in pretty good shape over 25% and you have too much. This fat is our reserve to sustain our bodies in the event we can't consume calories for an extended period of time. If we don't have fat then the body will start converting proteins(muscle) to energy. Once enough energy is depleted, we die of starvation.

What happens to the energy we use? Energy doesn't just disappear that includes the excess fat on our bodies. Remember, matter can't be destroyed. Every calorie that is "burned" is either exhaled as co2 or eliminated via h2o and a few other chemicals in urine/sweat. What your body can't "process into energy" is eliminated as excrement.

Calorie counting is a great tool when coupled with a program like Noom. It teaches you which foods to choose a and how to eat a balanced meal that will keep you full while fueling your body. It's a re-learning to eat like our ancestors.

It's not just as simple as eating the right stuff, you also have to eat the right amount. too!

As for the banana from yester year. We have what we have because the banana's from 100 years ago were wiped out by disease in the 1950's. I assume the point you are trying to make is that the fruit of today is not the same as the fruit of hundreds or thousands of years ago. I.e humans selectively bred the better tasting fruits. That is true.
Let's talk about this issue. I have 2 arguments against your post:
1) Not every calorie from each type of food is the same.
This is extremely important. 500 calorie from chicken breast is not the same as 500 calorie from a bag of potato chips. The old thinking of calories in and calories out is obsolete. The new thinking of intuitive eating has prevailed. It's about focusing on protein goal first. If you weight 165 lbs, focus on getting 100 to 165 gram of protein every day. If you do that, your body naturally will consume less carb and other highly processed food. Protein is satiated in nature. 100 gram of protein is about 4 chicken breast. Let's say if you eat 4 chicken breast a day, you likely won't crave for any highly processed food like chips, ice cream, cake, and other sweet treats.

Highly processed food is designed to make you eat more. One bag of Lays potato chips have 5 potatoes in there. If I give you 5 potatoes and ask you to eat them in one setting, I doubt that you'd be able to finish them. Now if I give you a bag of potato chips, you can finish the bag and then some. If you focus on whole food instead of highly processed food, your body naturally will consume less calories.

2) Will your advice work with the general population? Would it help the most people, not just fitness fanatics?
I'm a fitness fanatic and I have trained people in the past. Asking my client to count their calories failed most of the time. What I do for myself, i.e. keeping track of calories in vs. calories out, does not translate well with people who are not fitness fanatic. What I found out the most successful approach is ask my client to eat the right stuff and to track what they eat. They just need to focus on one goal: meet their protein target. By asking them to track what they eat, they are aware of what they put in their body. They don't need track the calories from their meals. This approach works with most of my clients.
1. I have said multiple times that the type of calories matter. Limit fats and oils, lean protein and veggies and fruits. 100% protein diets do not provide all the essential nutrients one needs to stay healthy. We also need some fat but much of it is available in meat and fish. We are agreeing 100% here.

2. Calories in vs calories out and fat loss is a scientific fact. I have never said that one should only do that as a way to live. I have used Noom as an example on how you can combine the two. Eventually, once you have mastered eating healthy then the calorie counts can go away. The reason Noom and other aids like it work so well is the show you that eating those chips and other processed foods are extremely dense with calories and making a better choice will keep you full longer. Avoid calorie dense foods, add a little bit of fats(nuts,olive oils) and eat about as much lean proteins, vegetables and fruits as you want.

3. The advice will absolutely work with the general population. I am hardly a fitness fanatic and it's worked for me. There are apps like Noom, lose it and others that will allow you to keep the food list( we agree this works) and show you where you are with calories for the day, couple that with a Fitbit or Apple Watch and it tracks your exercise minutes and calories out(no precisely but close enough). Again 0once you get the habits mastered this can all go away.

The biggest issue that most people have is that eating healthy is expensive.
stoptothink
Posts: 15368
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:53 am

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by stoptothink »

wfrobinette wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 4:21 pm
The biggest issue that most people have is that eating healthy is expensive.
I did my PhD research on obesity and am currently the director of a metabolic health program for a medical clinic. If your definition of "healthy" is organic and free range this may be the case, but it definitely doesn't have to be. I teach people everyday how to eat healthy on a limited budget and I feed a family of 4 for <$400/month and we eat almost no processed food.
H-Town
Posts: 5910
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by H-Town »

wfrobinette wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 4:21 pm
H-Town wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:55 pm
wfrobinette wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:00 pm I will fight to my death defending calories(energy) in vs calories(energy) out determines weight gain or loss. Scientific fact!

Here's how it works:

The Body "burns" energy to function, if we have left over energy it is stored as fat. One must have the appropriate amount of body fat and depending on age that's going to between 8% and 25% for men/17% to 29% for women. The lower end being ripped like a world class athlete, 15 to 20 put you in pretty good shape over 25% and you have too much. This fat is our reserve to sustain our bodies in the event we can't consume calories for an extended period of time. If we don't have fat then the body will start converting proteins(muscle) to energy. Once enough energy is depleted, we die of starvation.

What happens to the energy we use? Energy doesn't just disappear that includes the excess fat on our bodies. Remember, matter can't be destroyed. Every calorie that is "burned" is either exhaled as co2 or eliminated via h2o and a few other chemicals in urine/sweat. What your body can't "process into energy" is eliminated as excrement.

Calorie counting is a great tool when coupled with a program like Noom. It teaches you which foods to choose a and how to eat a balanced meal that will keep you full while fueling your body. It's a re-learning to eat like our ancestors.

It's not just as simple as eating the right stuff, you also have to eat the right amount. too!

As for the banana from yester year. We have what we have because the banana's from 100 years ago were wiped out by disease in the 1950's. I assume the point you are trying to make is that the fruit of today is not the same as the fruit of hundreds or thousands of years ago. I.e humans selectively bred the better tasting fruits. That is true.
Let's talk about this issue. I have 2 arguments against your post:
1) Not every calorie from each type of food is the same.
This is extremely important. 500 calorie from chicken breast is not the same as 500 calorie from a bag of potato chips. The old thinking of calories in and calories out is obsolete. The new thinking of intuitive eating has prevailed. It's about focusing on protein goal first. If you weight 165 lbs, focus on getting 100 to 165 gram of protein every day. If you do that, your body naturally will consume less carb and other highly processed food. Protein is satiated in nature. 100 gram of protein is about 4 chicken breast. Let's say if you eat 4 chicken breast a day, you likely won't crave for any highly processed food like chips, ice cream, cake, and other sweet treats.

Highly processed food is designed to make you eat more. One bag of Lays potato chips have 5 potatoes in there. If I give you 5 potatoes and ask you to eat them in one setting, I doubt that you'd be able to finish them. Now if I give you a bag of potato chips, you can finish the bag and then some. If you focus on whole food instead of highly processed food, your body naturally will consume less calories.

2) Will your advice work with the general population? Would it help the most people, not just fitness fanatics?
I'm a fitness fanatic and I have trained people in the past. Asking my client to count their calories failed most of the time. What I do for myself, i.e. keeping track of calories in vs. calories out, does not translate well with people who are not fitness fanatic. What I found out the most successful approach is ask my client to eat the right stuff and to track what they eat. They just need to focus on one goal: meet their protein target. By asking them to track what they eat, they are aware of what they put in their body. They don't need track the calories from their meals. This approach works with most of my clients.
1. I have said multiple times that the type of calories matter. Limit fats and oils, lean protein and veggies and fruits. 100% protein diets do not provide all the essential nutrients one needs to stay healthy. We also need some fat but much of it is available in meat and fish. We are agreeing 100% here.

2. Calories in vs calories out and fat loss is a scientific fact. I have never said that one should only do that as a way to live. I have used Noom as an example on how you can combine the two. Eventually, once you have mastered eating healthy then the calorie counts can go away. The reason Noom and other aids like it work so well is the show you that eating those chips and other processed foods are extremely dense with calories and making a better choice will keep you full longer. Avoid calorie dense foods, add a little bit of fats(nuts,olive oils) and eat about as much lean proteins, vegetables and fruits as you want.

3. The advice will absolutely work with the general population. I am hardly a fitness fanatic and it's worked for me. There are apps like Noom, lose it and others that will allow you to keep the food list( we agree this works) and show you where you are with calories for the day, couple that with a Fitbit or Apple Watch and it tracks your exercise minutes and calories out(no precisely but close enough). Again 0once you get the habits mastered this can all go away.

The biggest issue that most people have is that eating healthy is expensive.
Thanks for expanding your thought. I agree with you with most of the points above.

Just want to add:

Diet, by definition, is cutting back something from your consumption. It may work in short term, as I saw my clients tend to put their weight back if they cannot stick to their diet long term. Some people have sheer will power and will be able to stick to a diet. But it’s asking a lot from them. Think about social aspects. It’s very difficult to pack your meal and attend social gathering every single day.

So I would propose a different approach. Instead of cutting back something, I would introduce more protein to their diet. It’s not 100% protein diet. It’s all about achieving your protein goal (0.5 to 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight). They will naturally crave less for carbs and processed food.

Then combine it with resistance training. Build muscle and increase your metabolism. Your muscle will burn calories even when you’re resting or working your day job. If you can have 2 to 3 full body workout at the gym consistently, your metabolism could increase by 800-1600 calories. You will be able to enjoy meals when going out with your friends or your loved ones. You won’t feel bad indulging yourselves during family gatherings.

The downside of this approach is that most people won’t see result right away if they step on the scale. Your body needs time to build muscle and increase metabolism. But the result will be amazing after 3-6 months. In my opinion, this is the lifestyle much more enjoyable than the one where I have to limit myself of food and enjoyment.
Time is the ultimate currency.
User avatar
F150HD
Posts: 3926
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:49 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by F150HD »

deleted
Marseille07
Posts: 16054
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 12:41 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Marseille07 »

Intermittent fasting 16/8 worked for me, lost 10~15 LBs over 3 months or so. I like the simplicity of it.
jhsu802701
Posts: 353
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:42 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by jhsu802701 »

My top tip is to get a time machine and move time forward 4 months. May through September is Weight Loss Season, because warm weather is a great appetite suppressant. Additionally, those months lack major holidays that revolve around eating large amounts of fattening food.

That said, I've been avoiding all junk food and restaurant food since last spring and will continue to do so until the pandemic is over. Refined sugar, grease, and other unhealthy ingredients weaken the immune system and promote inflammation.

From March to September, I lost 27 pounds on a combination of my Wait For Summer Diet and my No Junk Food Challenge. So far, I've gained back only 3 pounds. My Big Fat Winter Appetite hasn't changed, but I'm making sure to fill it with healthy food and not junk food.
DFJ: Japan - small cap dividend | DGS: emerging, small cap dividend | MOTI: international moat stocks | IQIN: large cap, developed | DGRE: emerging, dividend growth | GWX and FNDC: small cap, developed
SteadyOne
Posts: 688
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:26 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by SteadyOne »

VINNY wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:14 pm
crinkles2 wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:40 pm Recently diagnosed Type II diabetes with long term prediabetes and insulin resistance here.

Trying 16:8 fasting (Intermittent Fasting, IF) and only eat between 12 pm and 8pm. I try do this at least 6 days of the week. I am finding i feel a lot better physically, more satisfied when I do eventually eat, and after about a month I don't feel like having breakfast anymore. Haven't lost much weight.

My doctor said that while I have insulin resistance, no amount of exercise will cause weight loss, even though it has other benefits. At the moment checking to see if intermittent fasting will reduce the insulin resistance and lower A1c (was 7.2 in December). That measurement including about 50-50 on medication and IF and pre-diagnosis.

Back to the original question, for me, IF seems sustainable - and I have serious food issues, love food too much!

IF 16:8 with skipping breakfast also seems to make sense as with monitoring my glucose levels I had severe morning spikes (liver dumps) even if not eating (my morning fasting was about 150 and pre-lunch fasting about 100), so I figured fine, my body is dumping glucose into my bloodstream at breakfast so why eat and try to shove more in?
Exactly Crinkles! The liver dumping glucose into your bloodstream is your breakfeast!

You are going to do great. Stay on the 16:8 window until you become fat adapted, meaning your body can start becoming a fat burner. Once you are a fat burner, you can try to narrow the eating window even more. I for example will eat in about 30-45 minutes, once per day. And I can easily do so. Sometimes, I can even skip that meal WITHOUT hunger because the fat on my body is fueling me.

I'm letting my body do what it was designed to do. It's kind of like being in the wild several hundred years ago and not being able to eat, until we had a successful hunt. In the meantime, our body is fueling itself with it's stored energy- Fat.

Many of us have so much of this stored energy but we can not really tap into it, because we are sugar burners. We are fueling our body with the chronic consumption of carbs, starches and sugars. Think of our body as a refrigerator. In the freezer we store fat and in the fridge we store sugar (glucose). We can easily tap into the sugar because it's readily accessible. The fat however isn't. Its not as readily accessible. Once your body depletes it's glucose stores, it signal you to eat more carbs because you can't access you stored energy, unless you are a fat burner.

And to become a fat burner you need to wean yourself off the carbs just like you are doing. I've simplified it but that's the gist of it.

When you get to this point that you can try some extended fasts for about 1-3 days, just make certain your drink water with electrolytes. You will find you will have a lot more energy, you'll have so much more mental clarity and accelerate the weight loss.

My Hba1c went from 5.7 to 5, blood sugars stabilized, weight came off and so many other issues went away. I even had a CAC scan done of my heart and it showed ZERO calcification of my arteries. Pipes are clean! And all other markers of inflammation are gone.

I wasn't able to kneel without discomfort, had a lot of aches and pains I just thought this was part of aging. To my astonishment, these all went away. It took time, it wasn't overnight but they did.

I too love food, but be careful. Once you allow that certain indulgence, a slice of cake or fries, it's a slippery slope! One day turns into 1 week, which turns into 1 month, which turns into 20 pounds. I've been there and done that.

When you crave those foods, your body is looking for a dopamine hit. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us are addicts. And we need to treat this as an addiction for those of us with an unhealthy relationship with carbs, starches and sugars.

You are on the right track. Stay healthy.
That’s a great explanation of how body works, thanks
“Every de­duc­tion is al­lowed as a mat­ter of leg­isla­tive grace.” US Federal Court
User avatar
life in slices
Posts: 615
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 6:00 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by life in slices »

Jason Fung's book the Obesity Code is an excellent read and does a good job discussing the relationship between diet and weight - It is definitely worth the read
User avatar
Kagord
Posts: 1676
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2018 12:28 pm
Location: Peaksville, Ohio

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Kagord »

Set your browser start up page to: https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics (warning, NSFW on some of the images though, but highly inspirational before /after photos of people seriously losing weight and getting in shape)
stoptothink
Posts: 15368
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:53 am

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by stoptothink »

life in slices wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 5:18 am Jason Fung's book the Obesity Code is an excellent read and does a good job discussing the relationship between diet and weight - It is definitely worth the read
I am a big fan of Dr. Fung, but (like everybody else in the field) there is definite confirmation bias in his work. He cherrypicks data to fit his agenda and most of his experience is with people with extreme kidney and glycemic control issues; may not be relevant to you.
davebo
Posts: 1133
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:02 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by davebo »

Unless your doc says "lose weight now or you'll die", I would recommend a very slow approach to making changes. This took me probably 20 years of start/stop dieting, but I finally learned my lesson. Here are the steps I took to lose weight and keep it off:

- I didn't do anything different besides just eliminate the worst of the worst foods. Sweets, fried foods, fast foods, etc. I still had a lot of stuff to choose from so it wasn't an issue for me.
- The following year, I got into running. Did that about 3 days a week along with my diet changes mentioned above. This lasted for about 2 years.
- The following year, I found myself snacking on too many chips/crackers so I told myself I was going to eat veggies when I felt hungry, wait 10 minutes, and then eat the snack if I wanted to. Most of my cravings went away.
-Following year, I started lifting weights and started with just 1 day a week. After 3 months, I moved to 2 days a week. After 6 months, I went to 3 days a week which is where I'm at now.
-During quarantine, I started walking after every meal and I still do that now.

It's kind of interesting/ironic, but I think that book Body For Life did more harm than good for me. Up until that point, I always worked out and tried to eat pretty healthy. After reading that book, I really wanted to complete the 12 week challenge but it was so hard with the strict requirements (6 meals a day, limited food choices). I would eat great for 2 days, then just scrap the plan until the following monday.
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21282
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by HomerJ »

Caduceus wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 7:07 pm Maybe try to eat slower? I've been told by friends who are doctors that one reason why I'm naturally so skinny is probably that I'm an extremely slow eater. I've always been that way and they say if I learn to eat faster I'd gain more weight naturally, so maybe the reverse would work for you.
Eating slow is what worked for me.
"The best tools available to us are shovels, not scalpels. Don't get carried away." - vanBogle59
User avatar
Thranduil
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:40 pm
Location: Northern California

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Thranduil »

VINNY wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:14 pm
Many of us have so much of this stored energy but we can not really tap into it, because we are sugar burners. We are fueling our body with the chronic consumption of carbs, starches and sugars. Think of our body as a refrigerator. In the freezer we store fat and in the fridge we store sugar (glucose). We can easily tap into the sugar because it's readily accessible. The fat however isn't. Its not as readily accessible. Once your body depletes it's glucose stores, it signal you to eat more carbs because you can't access you stored energy, unless you are a fat burner.

And to become a fat burner you need to wean yourself off the carbs just like you are doing. I've simplified it but that's the gist of it.
This....so much this. Reduce your carbs, especially bread, rice, potatoes, pasta...because they are addictive.

I wear a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM- little needle stuck in my stomach attached to a transmitter) so I see my blood sugar in real time on my Apple Watch. The CGM has taught me so much. High sugars = I gain weight. Lower sugars = I lose weight, because lower sugars force my body to burn fat for energy. It is just that simple.....what else I have learned:

1. Figure out what works for you. So, so, so much advice out there, not all of it good. Figure out what works for you. And keep it simple.....just a few guidelines in your program. Sometimes, I have read some tip online somewhere and thought "oh that's a good idea," then suddenly I have too many rules, I get frustrated, start eating poorly, and it takes me a few weeks or months to get back on track. So keep it very simple....honestly, I think I would lose weight with just one personal guideline: no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. (By the way, spaghetti squash + pasta sauce is really good.)

2. Slow and steady wins the race. Love this quote: "Your only path to success is through a continuum of mundane, unsexy, unexciting and sometimes difficult daily disciplines compounded over time."

3. Make the better choice. I don't have to be perfect, I just have to make the better choice most of the time. For example, better choice: on family pizza night, I eat the toppings, not the crust.

4. Discipline. Ultimately, you build discipline and commit, or you don't. There is always an excuse to cheat. Find tools that work for you to help you build discipline...for me, it is just a little calendar in which I write down every day whether I ate well, exercised, and what my average blood sugar was for the day. It is strange sometimes what works -- tracking these items online did not work for me, but tracking them with a pencil and paper does. So experiment.

5. Exercise. Weight loss comes mostly from what we eat (or don't eat), but, I sure feel better when I exercise.

6. Vegetables. Eat more vegetables (except those that are addictive rice, potatoes, etc.). No one ever came home from a stressful day at work and said "I'm going to eat 100 grams of carbs of spinach." (Just looked it up - 100g of carbs of spinach is 15 pounds of spinach.....)

7. Mix it up to maintain interest and focus. It gets boring, so mix things up (while sticking to your core tools). E.g., I declared that January is "spinach month" for me, so I am eating spinach 2x a day (or more), learning recipes, learning how to cook it, etc. December was "smaller portion size month" for me....I learned some things and picked up a couple of good habits.

Hang in there! I have lost 10% of my body weight...with plenty left to lose. But it is life and death now, in a very real way, so I take it seriously. Shame on me for not doing this earlier in my life.
GiannaLuna
Posts: 147
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:33 am

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by GiannaLuna »

A lot of mentions of addictive, glucose spiking carbs here in this thread and I get that.

I have also read that protein spikes glucose as well, particularly whey protein.

Any tips for consuming protein (since carbs are out lol) to minimize the glucose hit?

Only eat fatty meats, not lean meats?
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21282
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by HomerJ »

I didn't change what I ate at all.

Just less of it.

I don't care about carbs, or sugars, or anything like that.

I did it by eating slower. Normally, I'd have two hamburgers or 6 slices of pizza.

I'd eat the first hamburger fast and want another one.

But if I eat the first hamburger slowly, putting it down between bites, waiting 30-60 seconds to take another bite, by time I finished the first one, my body told me I was, if not full, not hungry any more.

Same way I went to 3-4 slices of pizza instead of 6.
"The best tools available to us are shovels, not scalpels. Don't get carried away." - vanBogle59
rich126
Posts: 4475
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 3:56 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by rich126 »

I've never been on any diet but I've been heavy and skinny. So I can relate a bit to some issues. Most recently my weight definitely was getting too high and then the pandemic hit and I lost weight. Not sure currently how much I lost but at one point was 20 lbs.

In my case I eat out way too often. In my 20s/30s I probably ate out 400 times or more a year. Every day for lunch, usually fast food, then a bunch of dinners and once in a while breakfast (pastries). The main reason I lost weight in 2020 was not sitting in a restaurant/bar and eating there. I still did a bunch of drive thru and curb side delivery.

I think the key for me was portion sizes. When I'm home I eat a burger, ham sandwich, turkey, etc. the size is significantly smaller. I don't make 8-10 oz burgers. I don't put 1/2 lb or more of meat on a sandwich. I don't cook anything in grease at home. When I eat fries, chips, etc. at home, it is only a hand full and not the large portions in many restaurants (to justify the high prices).

Another factor that didn't hurt is that I rarely ever drink alcohol at home (since March, maybe 1 drink a month) but when I go out I feel like I need to drink a beer or two and that adds up. I certainly did not switch to salads or some extremely different foods. Just less of what I ate, limited alcohol, and nothing cooked in grease. Unfortunately the part I need to fix is the lack of exercise. Since I hurt my back in early 2019, my exercise was hampered and with the virus, I'm not going into a gym. And my current living situation makes it hard to buy/use anything where I'm living. I hope to fix that situation in 2021.

I do think if a diet is something you dread, it will only be a short term fix.
----------------------------- | If you think something is important and it doesn't involve the health of someone, think again. Life goes too fast, enjoy it and be nice.
User avatar
F150HD
Posts: 3926
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:49 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by F150HD »

Thranduil wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:56 am Reduce your carbs, especially bread, rice, potatoes, pasta...because they are addictive.

... Sometimes, I have read some tip online somewhere and thought "oh that's a good idea," then suddenly I have too many rules, I get frustrated, start eating poorly....
Absolutely. If I eat a stack of pancakes for breakfast. I'll be hungry in an hour. The carb thing is not good. Love pasta but do not keep it in the house for that reason.
Not to mention how bloated carbs make me feel......I do not feel that way eating fats/proteins, never have.

The 'too many rules' is totally true too. The more complicated one makes it, the more prone it can be to failure (to me).
rich126 wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:24 am When I eat fries, chips, etc. at home, it is only a hand full and not the large portions in many restaurants (to justify the high prices).
Who needs Tesla stock. If you can bottle that magic right there and sell it for $5 a pop, you'll soon be in the 6 comma club.
H-Town
Posts: 5910
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by H-Town »

Note that getting your weight in control is only the first step of your healthy lifestyle. If you accomplish this first step, you still have a journey ahead.

Here’s an article about “skinny fat”:

https://www.health.com/condition/obesit ... skinny-fat
Time is the ultimate currency.
User avatar
Thranduil
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:40 pm
Location: Northern California

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Thranduil »

GiannaLuna wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 9:31 am A lot of mentions of addictive, glucose spiking carbs here in this thread and I get that.

I have also read that protein spikes glucose as well, particularly whey protein.

Any tips for consuming protein (since carbs are out lol) to minimize the glucose hit?

Only eat fatty meats, not lean meats?
Your body will turn excess protein into sugars, but I have not worried about that and am losing weight. If my weight loss slows or stops, then I'll worry about protein. In the meantime, without turning it into a rule, I am trying to eat more healthy proteins (including fish, who knew!) and fewer Tomahawk Ribeyes on the Big Green Egg.

There are so, so, so, so many "rules" you can follow. Keep it simple. For me, worrying about too much protein violates the keep it simple rule.
Equitius
Posts: 119
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:32 am

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Equitius »

.....
Last edited by Equitius on Sun Jan 24, 2021 4:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Beensabu
Posts: 5658
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 3:22 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Beensabu »

To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. You can do this in one of the following ways:

1) you can consume fewer calories and increase physical activity
2) you can consume the same as usual, but increase physical activity
3) you can consume fewer calories

Caloric restriction is easier for me personally because any strenuous physical activity (anything besides walking, pretty much) makes me super hungry, and then I just end up eating more than I normally would anyway so it ends up being a wash at best.

The trick to consistently consuming fewer calories than you burn is eating low-calorie high-satiety foods that ideally also boost metabolism. You also want to be sure you get the protein, fat, carbs, vitamins/minerals necessary for your body to function properly.

You don't have to count calories. You just have to do a little research and figure out the specific foods to eat (low-calorie + make you feel full) that taste good to you.

Tips:

- Don't eat bread or bread-like things or deep-fried things or deep-fried bread-like things.

- Don't use very much oil at all when cooking. Oil/butter is the sneakiest calories. Just dab/smear it on the pan with a bit of paper towel. You can also use little splashes of water when “frying” things.

- Give up on salads (gasp, I know), unless you have chickpeas, hard boiled eggs, or chicken in there. Without the protein, they will leave you hungry again in an hour, and you'll probably end up dousing them with high-calorie dressings to make them taste good.

- Protein no larger than the size of your palm (palm does not include fingers) per meal.

- Breakfast and lunch are mini-meals (protein + carb boost). Dinner is a real meal.

- A (tea)spoonful of peanut butter is a good snack to tame the rumble if you get hungry.

- If you must eat pasta (because it's delicious and of course you must eat pasta occasionally even though it will calorie bomb you), make it wheat or egg noodles, keep the serving small (size of your fist), and have one serving only.

- Treat any cheese other than cottage cheese like it's ice cream. It's an actual treat. If you sprinkle it on stuff, actually “sprinkle”.

- Fruit is candy you can eat. But don't eat dried fruit.

- Drink water, milk, coffee, and tea. But mostly water. Lots of water. Drink water. Water is life.

- Don't be afraid of fat. Be afraid of oil and refined foods.

TLDR:

No: bread/baked goods, juice, alcohol, sugary sauces, candy, dried fruit
Very little: oil, cheese, pasta
Some: dairy, oatmeal, nuts, potatoes
Lots: water, protein, veggies, fruit
"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next." ~Ursula LeGuin
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21282
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by HomerJ »

Beensabu wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:18 pmTLDR:

No: bread/baked goods, juice, alcohol, sugary sauces, candy, dried fruit
Very little: oil, cheese, pasta
Some: dairy, oatmeal, nuts, potatoes
Lots: water, protein, veggies, fruit
Sorry, can't do it...

I don't go crazy, I don't eat doughnuts for example, but not eating bread or cheese?

Forget it.

Just eat less bread or cheese. I can't believe people actually tell other people to stop eating bread and cheese and alcohol.

You are just setting us up to fail. I'm glad you can go through life with zero bread, but most of us don't want to.
"The best tools available to us are shovels, not scalpels. Don't get carried away." - vanBogle59
User avatar
Beensabu
Posts: 5658
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 3:22 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Beensabu »

HomerJ wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:17 pm
Beensabu wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:18 pmTLDR:

No: bread/baked goods, juice, alcohol, sugary sauces, candy, dried fruit
Very little: oil, cheese, pasta
Some: dairy, oatmeal, nuts, potatoes
Lots: water, protein, veggies, fruit
Sorry, can't do it...

I don't go crazy, I don't eat doughnuts for example, but not eating bread or cheese?

Forget it.

Just eat less bread or cheese. I can't believe people actually tell other people to stop eating bread and cheese and alcohol.

You are just setting us up to fail. I'm glad you can go through life with zero bread, but most of us don't want to.
LOL. I feel you. It works though. And you're not hungry. All you have to do is not buy bread. I most certainly do not go through life with zero bread, cheese, and alcohol (although it would be better for me). I just cut out bread/alcohol when I realize I've gained too much weight. 140 was my full-term pregnancy weight - when I hit that, it's too much.

Funnily enough, we randomly went months without bread this year just because we stopped doing deli cuts for awhile so no sandwiches. When we finally started getting it again, I gained over 5 pounds in two weeks. So bye bye bread. Didn't really miss it anyway. There's a lot of sugar in bread and alcohol. It's the sugar. Cheese is extremely high calorie. You think you're having a healthy sandwich with whole wheat bread, very little mayo, meat, cheese, lettuce, whatever... but that bread, cheese, and mayo alone is 500 calories. There is a reason why bread, cheese, and eggs (or rice and beans if it's real bad) are the go-tos when you can't afford to buy much food. They're the most bang for your buck in terms of needed calories + filling protein.

Anyway, if you eat bread and cheese regularly, you can't really eat much else, or you are going to consume way more energy than you need. Also, your tummy will hurt.
"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next." ~Ursula LeGuin
finite_difference
Posts: 3633
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:00 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by finite_difference »

Cook your own food.

Reduce sugar and carbs from white flour, white rice, potatoes.

Exercise. Find some kind of exercise you like to do, and do it 3x per week. Golf, Tai Chi, Walking, Swimming, Biking, whatever suits your fancy.
The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. - Thich Nhat Hanh
User avatar
Picasso
Posts: 528
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2019 1:19 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by Picasso »

[/quote]
Anyway, if you eat bread and cheese regularly, you can't really eat much else, or you are going to consume way more energy than you need. Also, your tummy will hurt.
[/quote]

Completely agree on the cheese, which is ~70-80% saturated fat. If it had any more fat it would be Vaseline. It’s probably the single best food at compromising health.
H-Town
Posts: 5910
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by H-Town »

HomerJ wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:17 pm
Beensabu wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:18 pmTLDR:

No: bread/baked goods, juice, alcohol, sugary sauces, candy, dried fruit
Very little: oil, cheese, pasta
Some: dairy, oatmeal, nuts, potatoes
Lots: water, protein, veggies, fruit
Sorry, can't do it...

I don't go crazy, I don't eat doughnuts for example, but not eating bread or cheese?

Forget it.

Just eat less bread or cheese. I can't believe people actually tell other people to stop eating bread and cheese and alcohol.

You are just setting us up to fail. I'm glad you can go through life with zero bread, but most of us don't want to.
I never had a diet really. I don’t want to restrict myself from certain type of food. Build muscle and it will build your metabolism. You’ll have a problem not eating enough. But that’s a better place to be than a restrict diet.
Time is the ultimate currency.
averagedude
Posts: 1772
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 3:41 pm

Re: Tips to stick to a weight loss diet?

Post by averagedude »

My tip would be to read the 247 posts before this one. If you can implement 4 or 5 tips that would be easy for you to do, it may be all you need to do to accomplish your goal of losing or maintaining your weight loss goals.
Post Reply