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New Study on Weightloss
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Helmling
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Jul 29, 2008, 11:04 PM
 
http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...te-cnn-partner

Hey, am I the only one who reads this and thinks, "Well, @#$% that!"

I haven't put on much weight since creeping up on middle age, but I now hold little hope of ever burning it off.
     
JohnM15141
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Jul 30, 2008, 12:51 AM
 
Obesity one, Workout, thats your only hope.....
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Shaddim
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Jul 30, 2008, 01:09 AM
 
Eat less, have more sex, lose weight. It's simple.
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mindwaves
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Jul 30, 2008, 10:34 AM
 
The fastest way to lose weight is to simply eat less. It takes a substantial amount of strenuous exercise (for me anyways) to burn 200 calories at the gym while abstaining from a cupcake valued at 200 calories is much easier.
     
BRussell
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Jul 30, 2008, 10:41 AM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
The fastest way to lose weight is to simply eat less. It takes a substantial amount of strenuous exercise (for me anyways) to burn 200 calories at the gym while abstaining from a cupcake valued at 200 calories is much easier.
Yeah I agree. And although people debate which is more important, how much we eat or how we've become more sedentary, I think it's clear that the bigger change is in calorie intake. People have increased their calorie intake by probably 1000 calories/day average over the last 30 years, but probably only reduced the amount of calories they burn by a few hundred.

But it's interesting that most of these studies show that it's exercise that is the better predictor of weight loss and weight maintenance. Maybe exercising is a better sign of motivation? I dunno.
     
Luca Rescigno
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Jul 30, 2008, 10:50 AM
 
Interesting. I also agree with the "eat less" camp. Last time I lost a bunch of weight was when I had no breakfast and a small dinner for months on end. I'm eating a bit more than that now and exercising more, and I seem to be gaining weight, which rather sucks. So I'm going to try eating less again.

Oh well, I often find eating less to be easier than forcing myself to exercise. It's not that hard to be faced with making a meal and to just say "f*** it." It saves time, dishes, and money at the same time. I also don't have any problems resisting desserts - it's harder for me to avoid unhealthy or too-large main courses.

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SirCastor
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Jul 30, 2008, 10:59 AM
 
Simply eating less is not a good or a quick way to lose weight (More accurately, fat). If you drop your intake suddenly, and drastically, your body responds by shifting into a starvation mode. It reserves fat because it "thinks" that there may not be another source of food for some time.

Eliminating fat is done by a number of things. Don't simply change how much you eat, but also what you eat.
At the half-year mark, however, most of those women relapsed and started gaining the weight back...
The problem was that not enough of the women stuck with their assigned exercise categories for the researchers to gather enough meaningful data. Within a few months, most of the participants had resorted to exercising as much as they chose to.
I don't think the study holds much weight (no pun intended) because of this simple fact. The results weren't controlled. I'm willing to bet too that most of the women didn't stick with their 1200-1500 calorie intake.

- 30 minutes of exercise has (as far as I know) never been the Standard... It's always been THE MINIMUM. According to at least one book I have, it doesn't have to be 30 minutes at a time. You simply need to do at least 30 minutes of increased heart rate activity per day.
- Eat Mostly fruits and vegetables
- Eat whole grains.
- Avoid fats and sugars

In spite of this article, there are plenty of people who eat healthily, and engage in regular activity and they are doing quite well.
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MacosNerd
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:00 AM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
The fastest way to lose weight is to simply eat less. It takes a substantial amount of strenuous exercise (for me anyways) to burn 200 calories at the gym while abstaining from a cupcake valued at 200 calories is much easier.
Actually you're wrong. By eating less (and not exercising) the body goes into famine mode, that is, as it notices the food intake decreasing and so it slows the metabolism down all the while it increases your desire for food, i.e., increasing desire to eat or snack ..

The key to losing weight is to avoid snacking on unhealthy, fatty type foods, e.g., potato chips. Eat a well balanced properly sized meal and work out for > 30 minutes.
     
SirCastor
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:01 AM
 
Originally Posted by MacosNerd View Post
Actually you're wrong. By eating less (and not exercising) the body goes into famine mode, that is, as it notices the food intake decreasing and so it slows the metabolism down all the while it increases your desire for food, i.e., increasing desire to eat or snack ..

The key to losing weight is to avoid snacking on unhealthy, fatty type foods, e.g., potato chips. Eat a well balanced properly sized meal and work out for > 30 minutes.
Exactly.
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Chuckit
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:13 AM
 
Assuming you're not eating an obscene amount already, eating less is the best way to mess up your metabolism and ruin your energy levels. If you're eating way too much for your lifestyle, yeah, go ahead and cut your meals in half. But doing more physical activity will have the same result (the ratio of calories consumed to calories burnt goes down), and it increases your health in general, so that's a better first resort.
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Mrjinglesusa
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:19 AM
 
Weight loss is not rocket science. You need to eat healthy (lots of lean meats, vegetables, and fruits), cut out fatty foods and cut down on carbohydrates, and excercise. Do those things and you will lose weight. Period. EVERY weight loss program out there is a variation of these basic priciples.
     
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:24 AM
 
Originally Posted by MacosNerd View Post
Actually you're wrong. By eating less (and not exercising) the body goes into famine mode, that is, as it notices the food intake decreasing and so it slows the metabolism down all the while it increases your desire for food, i.e., increasing desire to eat or snack ..

The key to losing weight is to avoid snacking on unhealthy, fatty type foods, e.g., potato chips. Eat a well balanced properly sized meal and work out for > 30 minutes.
He's not wrong at all. There's nothing at all wrong with eating one less cupcake per day. What you say is true only if you go way down in calories - like to 1200 calories/day or less (for men). Most people that need to lose weight can easily drop 500 or so calories/day - often a lot more - and be within a good range, because they're eating way more than they should be now.
     
BRussell
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:25 AM
 
Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa View Post
Weight loss is not rocket science. You need to eat healthy (lots of lean meats, vegetables, and fruits), cut out fatty foods and cut down on carbohydrates, and excercise. Do those things and you will lose weight. Period. EVERY weight loss program out there is a variation of these basic priciples.
I'll make it even less like rocket science - don't worry so much about carbs vs. fats and all that, just eat less calories.
     
MacosNerd
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:27 AM
 
Except when the body notices the drop in calories, it slows down the metabolism thus decreasing the weight loss affect.
     
Horsepoo!!!
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:31 AM
 
Originally Posted by MacosNerd View Post
Except when the body notices the drop in calories, it slows down the metabolism thus decreasing the weight loss affect.
That's why you also have to combine exercise.

It's not rocket science at all...eat healthy and exercise. Cutting fat intake works wonders. If you're going to eat lots of carbs though, you absolutely must exercise.
     
olePigeon
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Jul 30, 2008, 11:57 AM
 
Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno View Post
Interesting. I also agree with the "eat less" camp. Last time I lost a bunch of weight was when I had no breakfast and a small dinner for months on end. I'm eating a bit more than that now and exercising more, and I seem to be gaining weight, which rather sucks. So I'm going to try eating less again.
If you're working out, you might be increasing muscle mass, which will have you gain a little weight despite decreasing fat.
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Luca Rescigno
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Jul 30, 2008, 12:08 PM
 
BTW, I think the absolute hardest thing about any weight loss program is having to eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

I can exercise fine. I can eat less and avoid particularly unhealthy snack foods. What I can't do is go to the grocery store every 2-3 days to pick up a new quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables to replace the ones that rotted because I didn't eat them fast enough. I'm also unwilling to buy 2-3x as much as I'll be able to eat before they go bad. In fact, because of the extra time it takes to prepare and clean up after making a vegetable-rich meal, I usually end up taking the easy way out and making something that doesn't have vegetables in it, so whatever vegetables I did buy end up rotting without being used at all.

The point is, I'm living alone, and I can't really dedicate an extra hour of my time to making a perfectly healthy meal. I'm already taking an hour out of my limited time just to exercise. By the time I want dinner, I am not willing or able to make some complicated recipe when I could just throw some pasta on and come back in ten minutes.

Originally Posted by olePigeon View Post
If you're working out, you might be increasing muscle mass, which will have you gain a little weight despite decreasing fat.
No, I mean my gut feels larger than it was before. My legs are awesome, though. Calves of steel, baby!

I feel like I should pick up a bathroom scale to be sure. Right now all I have to go on is how well my jeans fit (right now, not so well) and how I look and feel.

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Monique
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Jul 30, 2008, 12:26 PM
 
I do hate to exercise, and hate vegetables and fruits with a passion. In fact, the taste of vegetables makes me want to throw up.

You guys are so lucky to like the taste of vegetables. I can tolerate the taste of some, like lettuce, beans, tomatoes (not too many), potatoes.

So I guess, I should not go to the doctor and bother him or her if I am sick since the weight gain is my fault.

I try to eat some vegetables and one fruit a day that is all I can take. Do not eat much fat, and eat whole grain. But, I will never be perfect and gave up a long time ago. I am not negative just it is the way I am and I have accepted it.
     
Horsepoo!!!
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Jul 30, 2008, 12:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by olePigeon View Post
If you're working out, you might be increasing muscle mass, which will have you gain a little weight despite decreasing fat.
Yup...

Muscles weigh more than fat. So, Luca, if you've gained weight from gaining muscle mass, don't worry about it. It's actually good.
     
Eug
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Jul 30, 2008, 12:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno View Post
BTW, I think the absolute hardest thing about any weight loss program is having to eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

I can exercise fine. I can eat less and avoid particularly unhealthy snack foods. What I can't do is go to the grocery store every 2-3 days to pick up a new quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables to replace the ones that rotted because I didn't eat them fast enough. I'm also unwilling to buy 2-3x as much as I'll be able to eat before they go bad. In fact, because of the extra time it takes to prepare and clean up after making a vegetable-rich meal, I usually end up taking the easy way out and making something that doesn't have vegetables in it, so whatever vegetables I did buy end up rotting without being used at all.

The point is, I'm living alone, and I can't really dedicate an extra hour of my time to making a perfectly healthy meal. I'm already taking an hour out of my limited time just to exercise. By the time I want dinner, I am not willing or able to make some complicated recipe when I could just throw some pasta on and come back in ten minutes.
? Since you mentioned pasta... It's quite easy to make a sauce with a few veggies and lean meat for example. Healthy doesn't mean complicated.

Plus it tastes better than just buying the canned stuff.

P.S. When I was in my best shape, I weighed 5-10 lbs more. I also ate about 500 calories more a day. Nowadays I have a significantly lower caloric intake, but that's because I'm less active (and less strong) than I used to be.
     
Helmling  (op)
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Jul 30, 2008, 12:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by MacosNerd View Post
Actually you're wrong. By eating less (and not exercising) the body goes into famine mode, that is, as it notices the food intake decreasing and so it slows the metabolism down all the while it increases your desire for food, i.e., increasing desire to eat or snack ..

The key to losing weight is to avoid snacking on unhealthy, fatty type foods, e.g., potato chips. Eat a well balanced properly sized meal and work out for > 30 minutes.
Did you, um, read the article?
     
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Jul 30, 2008, 01:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno View Post
BTW, I think the absolute hardest thing about any weight loss program is having to eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

I can exercise fine. I can eat less and avoid particularly unhealthy snack foods. What I can't do is go to the grocery store every 2-3 days to pick up a new quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables to replace the ones that rotted because I didn't eat them fast enough. I'm also unwilling to buy 2-3x as much as I'll be able to eat before they go bad. In fact, because of the extra time it takes to prepare and clean up after making a vegetable-rich meal, I usually end up taking the easy way out and making something that doesn't have vegetables in it, so whatever vegetables I did buy end up rotting without being used at all.

The point is, I'm living alone, and I can't really dedicate an extra hour of my time to making a perfectly healthy meal. I'm already taking an hour out of my limited time just to exercise. By the time I want dinner, I am not willing or able to make some complicated recipe when I could just throw some pasta on and come back in ten minutes.
You're probably right, but I think that has a lot to do with our expectations. Today we expect eating to be almost immediate, something you don't have to work at. In just 30 years or so our eating habits have drastically changed from prepare/enjoy to dine/dash.
     
Luca Rescigno
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Jul 30, 2008, 01:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by Horsepoo!!! View Post
Yup...

Muscles weigh more than fat. So, Luca, if you've gained weight from gaining muscle mass, don't worry about it. It's actually good.
Yeah except that I have no clue if I actually weigh more or less than before because I don't have a scale. All I know is I feel larger around the belly.

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Luca Rescigno
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Jul 30, 2008, 01:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by BRussell View Post
You're probably right, but I think that has a lot to do with our expectations. Today we expect eating to be almost immediate, something you don't have to work at. In just 30 years or so our eating habits have drastically changed from prepare/enjoy to dine/dash.
I wasn't even alive 30 years ago so I don't really know what you're talking about. This has nothing to do with "dine and dash" or "today's busy lifestyles." It's entirely a function of my not wanting to spend twice as long cooking and cleaning up after. This has always been the case for me. I hate how long it takes to cook stuff, and I hate it even more when my reward for putting in all that extra time is that I have to now wash every dish in the house.

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Jul 30, 2008, 01:55 PM
 
Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno View Post
I wasn't even alive 30 years ago so I don't really know what you're talking about. This has nothing to do with "dine and dash" or "today's busy lifestyles." It's entirely a function of my not wanting to spend twice as long cooking and cleaning up after. This has always been the case for me. I hate how long it takes to cook stuff, and I hate it even more when my reward for putting in all that extra time is that I have to now wash every dish in the house.
I'm sorry I wasn't intending to insult you. I'm not talking about you and your life, I'm talking about long-term cultural trends, and your post just prompted me. I believe it's healthier to take more time to prepare and eat food, but that's inconsistent with our convenience-is-king culture. I think this is a huge part of the weight problem we have today - the foods that are consistent with our way of life today are generally less healthy.
     
Luca Rescigno
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Jul 30, 2008, 02:21 PM
 
Don't worry about it, you didn't insult me. I sort of hear what you are saying but I also think that most people in my situation have had similar thoughts throughout history. A guy my age living by himself in 1960 probably wouldn't cook with a lot of fresh vegetables either.

You are right, though, that over the last few decades, people have been cooking less, even people in families who normally do. I think at least some of this must have to do with the dual-income nature of many families. Instead of the wife staying at home and cooking, she works too, and when mom and dad get home they're too tired to make a balanced dinner. But even then, they have it easier than me, because at least they can support each other. If you're living by yourself there's no motivation at all to spend lots of time cooking because you're the only one who gets to eat, and you don't have anyone to help you cook or clean.

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Jul 30, 2008, 03:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno View Post
All I know is I feel larger around the belly.
You could be pregnant or drinking too much beer.

Either way, you should cut back.
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Jul 30, 2008, 03:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno View Post
What I can't do is go to the grocery store every 2-3 days to pick up a new quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables to replace the ones that rotted because I didn't eat them fast enough. I'm also unwilling to buy 2-3x as much as I'll be able to eat before they go bad. In fact, because of the extra time it takes to prepare and clean up after making a vegetable-rich meal, I usually end up taking the easy way out and making something that doesn't have vegetables in it, so whatever vegetables I did buy end up rotting without being used at all.
yeah thats a problem. My solution is eat the fresh fruits for 3 days then freeze whats left over.... and im leaving my fruits out on the counter top to ripen thats why they spoil in only 3 days. Vegies last longer in the fridge. Vegies can easily be boiled in a pot for 10 minutes while you do something else. Sometimes I make a microwave dinner split it in half and add the vegetables to it.

this solution does create another problem though. The freezer fills up quickly and then theres litle room left for my ice cream and digorno stuffed crust pizza.
     
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Jul 30, 2008, 03:36 PM
 
2-3 days? I have a refrigerator, so all of my fruits and veggies last at least a week, and I usually need to go to the store that often for something anyway.
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Jul 30, 2008, 06:17 PM
 
Perspective: In FOUR DAYS of being on my feet and walking an average of about 6 miles each day, and with very simple portion-size control of my food intake, I lost 7 pounds. This was the week of June 23 of this year. I did not run, did not lift weights, just WALKED back and forth, here and there. I did not starve either, nor did I eat special foods. Just a straightforward "balanced" diet.

The catch, I think, is the diet. I was a counselor at a day camp for overweight children in an economically depressed part of my state (I also did an extensive study of the issue and TODAY presented my paper on pediatric obesity interventions). As part of the camp, the dietitian who conceived the camp has really solidly balanced breakfasts and lunches, provided to the kids school-meal style. Not sugary cereal, but not "holistic, organic, macrobiotic" stuff either. Just simple stuff like a whole grain bread or cereal, fruit, and non-fat milk.

I wound up losing an additional 3-4 pounds over the next two weeks, but since I've been writing my paper and not walking as much, I have put back on one or two of those pounds. Since I'm now DONE for a few weeks, I expect to stay walking at least 5 miles every day (not a problem to do) and get rid of a few more pounds. Of note: I'm 49 years old.

So unless the University of Pittsburgh people want to go to Crystal City, Texas and tell all the little kids that they didn't really lose weight, or come to San Antonio and tell ME that having to buy new pants is all in my head, then I have to question the universality of their conclusions.

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Jul 30, 2008, 06:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
In FOUR DAYS of being on my feet and walking an average of about 6 miles each day, and with very simple portion-size control of my food intake, I lost 7 pounds.
Huh? I don't think it's physiologically possible to lose 7 lbs. of fat from the body in 4 days. And if that is possible, you'd need to be 6000 calories per day below break-even, which is itself probably not possible (short of running a few marathons every day).
     
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Jul 30, 2008, 06:58 PM
 
Studies have also been showing that weight has far less of a negative effect on health than they thought. It's activity level that is most important. So it's all good.
Being in debt and celebrating a lower deficit is like being on a diet and celebrating the fact you gained two pounds this week instead of five.
     
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Jul 31, 2008, 12:00 AM
 
Originally Posted by BRussell View Post
Huh? I don't think it's physiologically possible to lose 7 lbs. of fat from the body in 4 days.
Actually its fairly easy to do on a Lemon Cleanse, and you will clean all the crap your carrying around in your system at the same time.
     
Shaddim
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Jul 31, 2008, 12:46 AM
 
Clean all the nasty stuff out of your colon, that's 10-15 lbs right there.
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Jul 31, 2008, 12:54 AM
 
Originally Posted by Shaddim View Post
Clean all the nasty stuff out of your colon, that's 10-15 lbs right there.
Exactly.
     
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Jul 31, 2008, 01:27 AM
 
Ah, the ol' colon cleansing scam.

I suppose you guys bought Kevin Trudeau's book too.
Being in debt and celebrating a lower deficit is like being on a diet and celebrating the fact you gained two pounds this week instead of five.
     
Andy8
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Jul 31, 2008, 01:47 AM
 
Originally Posted by smacintush View Post
Ah, the ol' colon cleansing scam.

I suppose you guys bought Kevin Trudeau's book too.
No book needed for me, it is a very common cleanse that I have done a few times before, they key is coming off the cleanse slowly and not jumping back into solid food right away.
     
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Jul 31, 2008, 02:18 AM
 
God. I just love when people post their delusions in open view. Especially when they involve ****.

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Jul 31, 2008, 04:34 AM
 
From all the reading I've done I get the impression losing 7 lbs in just 4 days is not a very healthy and/or sustainable weight loss.

On a more general note, all these diets or exercise programs that promise people several lbs within days are scams. Of course you can lose 4 lbs in one day (stop drinking and run to sweat like a pig) but that is neither healthy nor is it lasting.

Basically a sound diet and exercise program will get you 2-3 lbs a month. Indeed, that sounds like only a little, but this is a lasting development that you will be able to keep up. Many diets or weight reduction programs focus on quickly losing a lot of weight. But losing a lot in the beginning has a crucial catch: it comes at the price of harsh diets. And fact is you can't keep up on a diet like that for months. When you finally cave in you will get those pounds right back in no time. In addition you will be frustrated, starved, and bothered by a bad conscious since you "didn't keep it up".

IMHO there are exactly three things you should do:
• keep an eye on the portion size (the most difficult for me)
• reduce fats and sugars (but do not exclude them from your diet)
• exercise (moderate, but regular)

If you change your diet and start exercising in a way you can keep up in principle forever you have found the right way. That way won't reduce your weight quickly (as I said 2-3 lbs a month is already quite fair), but since you will be able to keep it up, you're looking at 30 lbs within a year. And those are 30 lbs that will stay gone. Most people will already be very happy with a result like that.
     
ghporter
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Jul 31, 2008, 08:26 AM
 
I probably lost some long-term water weight too-no salt added to anything, and plenty of good, high-quality fiber in that whole grain stuff. (There may be something to "cleansing the colon", but it's most likely better done by eating higher fiber foods than any of those advertised methods.) So I DID lose 7 pounds, but not necessarily all over just those four days. I weighed myself on a Friday, started camp on Monday, and weighed myself again on the next Friday. Same scale, same conditions, 7 pounds less. I also felt (and still feel) less bloated in the morning, and more "regular." Yes, I've kept at the balance portion of the menu as much as possible, and yes, I've stayed active (except for writing my paper). So while it may not have all been "body fat" (excellent point, BRussel), it is gone and has pretty much stayed gone. The issue was a lifestyle change toward more activity and more reasonable portions of food in a much better balance.

And I think Simon is right; it's not hard if you can do all three things he mentions. Getting into the habit of attending to portion size IS hard, but if you think about it at every meal for a week, you'll almost not have to think about it for the next week. After that, it should be pretty automatic. There are "rules of thumb" for portion size that are simple and easy to remember, like "lean meat about the size of a deck of cards" is an appropriate serving size for an adult at one meal. I started doing things like measuring out cereal instead of just pouring the bowl full, and that gave me a great mental image of how much a serving is.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Simon
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Jul 31, 2008, 09:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
There are "rules of thumb" for portion size that are simple and easy to remember, like "lean meat about the size of a deck of cards" is an appropriate serving size for an adult at one meal.
To me that is a very scary idea. My favorite steak is about the size of three decks of cards. And then I enjoy with a lot of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.
     
ghporter
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Jul 31, 2008, 01:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by Simon View Post
To me that is a very scary idea. My favorite steak is about the size of three decks of cards. And then I enjoy with a lot of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.
That's a LOT of meat! I'm with you on the creamed spinach, and even some mashed potatoes. But anything over 6 or 7oz is going to take a while to digest, and has plenty of extra fat. Lots of restaurants want to impress you with 12 and 16 ounce steaks, but I can't finish a 7oz steak most of the time, especially if I've had the typical salad that is served while you're waiting for them to cook the steak.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
awaspaas
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Aug 1, 2008, 12:05 AM
 
Now, I'm not a nutritionist, just a chemist, but I am a bit surprised at some of the discussion, especially regarding how many still choose to ignore findings like those from the seminal 2002 Harvard nurses' nutrition study that had very clear evidence that low-fat diets were not helpful (some were harmful) - that the focus should be on replacing saturated and trans fats with healthy unsaturated fats, as well as reducing refined or "white" carbohydrates (those with a high glycemic index). The latter is especially important for those interested in reducing body fat, as it's been fairly conclusively shown that it's the insulin produced in response to those carbohydrates that triggers the storage of body fat, not the consumption of dietary fat (although they also found that simple weight management was more important to overall health than the amount of body fat one has).

They even made their own revised food pyramid, since they believe the current food pyramid with all the grains together at the bottom is contributing to obesity and poor health:



http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio...u-eat/pyramid/
( Last edited by awaspaas; Aug 1, 2008 at 12:34 AM. )
     
awaspaas
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Aug 1, 2008, 12:21 AM
 
And as for the parent article specifically, it seems to lend some credence to people like Gary Taubes who places next to none of the blame of the current obesity epidemic on lack of exercise, instead primarily implicating the diet, specifically the role of insulin, carbohydrates, and glycemic index.
     
- - e r i k - -
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Aug 1, 2008, 12:28 AM
 
My diet is nearly all from the top layer of that there and I'm slim and healthy. Sorry to say it's mostly genetic people.

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Simon
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Aug 1, 2008, 03:47 AM
 
Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - View Post
My diet is nearly all from the top layer of that there and I'm slim and healthy. Sorry to say it's mostly genetic people.
My brother's the same. Eats loads of crap - sugar, fat, fast food, you name it. Smokes and drinks too. Still, he's about 50 lbs lighter than me and in much better shape. Oh well.
( Last edited by Simon; Aug 1, 2008 at 04:02 AM. )
     
awaspaas
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Aug 1, 2008, 04:10 PM
 
Might I wager a guess that most of these junk-eating trim people are under 30? Not many can get away with that once they get older.
     
ghporter
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Aug 1, 2008, 04:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by awaspaas View Post
Now, I'm not a nutritionist, just a chemist, but I am a bit surprised at some of the discussion, especially regarding how many still choose to ignore findings like those from the seminal 2002 Harvard nurses' nutrition study that had very clear evidence that low-fat diets were not helpful (some were harmful) - that the focus should be on replacing saturated and trans fats with healthy unsaturated fats, as well as reducing refined or "white" carbohydrates (those with a high glycemic index). The latter is especially important for those interested in reducing body fat, as it's been fairly conclusively shown that it's the insulin produced in response to those carbohydrates that triggers the storage of body fat, not the consumption of dietary fat (although they also found that simple weight management was more important to overall health than the amount of body fat one has).

They even made their own revised food pyramid, since they believe the current food pyramid with all the grains together at the bottom is contributing to obesity and poor health:



http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio...u-eat/pyramid/
The addition of the lowest layer, with physical activity and attention to one's weight (or at least noting whether your pants are getting tighter or not) is amazingly important. In almost all studies of adult obesity interventions, (those not involving drugs, anyway), physical activity was of equal importance with appropriately balanced eating and portion control. We DO NOT have to "clean our plates," and to do so is often very bad for us.

Originally Posted by awaspaas View Post
Might I wager a guess that most of these junk-eating trim people are under 30? Not many can get away with that once they get older.
Yep, It's amazing what that "full adulthood metabolism rate shift" will do to your waistline! Seriously, a majority of people who "eat anything" when young adults wind up being "I am always on a diet or I'm a huge slug" when they get to 32 or so. Our metabolisms naturally slow down at a number of key points in life, and somewhere around 30 is the "biggie." Mine hit at about 29, and I was already not active enough (and still discovering wonderful new foods in places like New Orleans!), so it was "unpleasant" at best.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
residentEvil
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Aug 1, 2008, 06:18 PM
 
i think i posted about some of this already, but i'm starting on a pretty strict plan (for someone who is obese according to all reports...6'5", 359.2lbs when i started) to lose 59.2lbs by my birthday in december. i started july 13th. and it is tough. i have several things to keep me motivated. and a small wager with a friend ($20) really isn't anything more than just a fun way to nag each other.

first week, 4.8 lbs gone felt great. next week, 2.2 lbs. not bad. my goal is/was 3 lbs a week. this week, i peaked last night at the scale and haven't lost anything so i'm pretty bummed. my official weigh-ins are at noon on saturdays and i already feel like a failure. i'm not going to starve myself today and tomorrow to "make weight". but still it is disappointing.

i also didn't put on the 170+ lbs in one day either (gained 174 lbs in 12 years) so i know i can't take it all off right away. baby steps.

i know, get a blog. i do. you can keep up with my progress at www.hoedeman.net and i have a google calendar linked on the right side of my blog with my daily progress and weekly weigh-ins. with the change to august; looks like i haven't done anything on the calendar. hahaha. clicking back to july makes me feel better though.
     
ghporter
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Aug 1, 2008, 06:55 PM
 
residentEvil, don't let the scale bully you. Your body is going through changes, and sometimes it adjusts a bit here and there to leave you on a plateau. Keep to your reduced intake and increased activity, and the weight WILL come off. On the other hand, if you had compromised your plan during the week, a disappointing weigh-in might tell you that this was not a good compromise. You learn a lot about how your body uses and doesn't use foods this way.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
 
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