No dairy & weight loss?
helen_demun
Posts: 33 Member
I have cut out any dairy besides Greek yogurt which I'm trying to cut too, I just love it as a great protein source. My last thing was my beloved lite cheese sticks which I finished 
I'm trying to do no dairy because I heard dairy is not natural for people to even eat.. I know "I heard" is a dumb thing is weight loss but do any of you guys avoid dairy? Do you find any benefits from it, even outside of weight loss?
I'm trying to do no dairy because I heard dairy is not natural for people to even eat.. I know "I heard" is a dumb thing is weight loss but do any of you guys avoid dairy? Do you find any benefits from it, even outside of weight loss?
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Replies
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Some people claim they have clearer skin or less bloating from avoiding dairy. I personally haven't found positive or negative effects to eating or excluding dairy.0
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Dairy is absolutely fine to consume unless you have sensitivities/intolerance to it...
A calorie deficit is all that is needed for weight loss. No need to cut any foods out unless you have a medical condition or some other issue like bloating/acne. Cutting foods out doesn't automatically result in weight loss; weighing your foods with a food scale, sticking to your calories and logging accurately does.
If you like it, don't cut it out. I haven't cut out anything, including treats.... 90lbs down.6 -
I would only recommend cutting out dairy if you have acne, lactose intolerance, or an allergy. Otherwise you should be perfectly fine and see no positive benefits.2
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I love dairy and find it really helpful for protein. The only way I'd cut it out is if I developed ethical issues with it.
A significant percentage of people are lactose intolerant, and they typically benefit by cutting out dairy (certainly milk and other foods with lactose). I am apparently lactose tolerant, and feel great including dairy in my diet (not milk which I don't really care about, but cottage cheese, yogurt, all kinds of cheeses, and ice cream).
Nothing we eat is "natural" -- I mean, cooking? Olive oil? Buying bananas and salmon in Chicago? -- so I never understand why people fixate on the unnaturalness of dairy (usually it's because they have other objections, like ethical ones).7 -
no dairy has improved my husband and sons health a great deal. I consume very little.0
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I eat plenty of dairy. I love cheese and raw milk. The milk seems to alleviate my allergies. I also think the whole "only baby cows should drink milk" mantra is complete and utter nonsense.1
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cerise_noir wrote: »Dairy is absolutely fine to consume unless you have sensitivities/intolerance to it...
A calorie deficit is all that is needed for weight loss. No need to cut any foods out unless you have a medical condition or some other issue like bloating/acne. Cutting foods out doesn't automatically result in weight loss; weighing your foods with a food scale, sticking to your calories and logging accurately does.
If you like it, don't cut it out. I haven't cut out anything, including treats.... 90lbs down.
Ditto this. Even the 90lbs down. Well 89, but close enough
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I drink milk every day, and have Greek yogurt almost every day, cheese occasionally, not much butter. I love milk, and dairy is a good source of protein and calcium. I'm 89 pounds down.2
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Dairy is such an easy source of calcium. I'm allergic so I struggle to get in enough calcium. If you don't have to cut it out of your diet, then don't. Keep enjoying it.
As for dieting, it's all a calorie game. I've gained weight and I've lost weight being non-dairy. It makes no nevermind for weight loss.0 -
Dairy as food is no more unnatural than most of the things we eat, which do not occur in nature but were created by humans because they are nutritious, delicious, and more convenient than subsistence-level hunting and gathering.
Even the fruits, grains, and vegetables we eat have been drastically changed by agriculture in both the short and long term of human history. What we know as an apple today would be mystifying to people just a few hundred years ago. Our wheat and other grains are drastically different from wheat in the 16th century and totally different from the ancient wild plant from which they developed.
"Natural" is not a useful concept for determining what is good to eat.6 -
I eat dairy pretty much every day. Mainly Greek yogurt.0
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As an ovo-lacto veg, I get a significant fraction of my current 100g daily protein goal from dairy, including Greek yogurt (the live culture ones are especially good for a gal), milk, cheese, and more. Eating dairy didn't prevent my losing 60+ pounds in less than a year, and reaching my goal weight. My Northern European ancestors have been eating this kind of stuff for many generations, AFAIK, and seem to have lived at least long enough to breed.
If you feel better when you don't eat dairy, or it otherwise has observable negative health effects for you, it would probably be good to eliminate it. Otherwise, why bother?
Yes, some people say it's bad for you. Personally, I've found the research I checked out to be unconvincing when stacked against the evidence of generations of my healthy peasant ancestors. YMMV.emmycantbemeeko wrote: »
(unfair snippage of intelligent, on-point commentary in quoted post, to pick out this:)
"Natural" is not a useful concept for determining what is good to eat.
If it were, no one would ever eat an Oreo. 2 -
I cut out dairy several years ago to see if my eczema would improve. It didn't. Cutting it out didn't make me feel better and reintroducing it didn't cause any symptoms either (I was secretly extremely glad that dairy wasn't the culprit, even though it meant I still had to live with the eczema). When I went LCHF to lose weight after my third child, I lost about 50 lbs while eating plenty of full fat dairy products. And much to my surprise, my eczema went away! Not sure if I was finally getting enough saturated fat and cholesterol, or if I am just sensitive to grains, but I'll take it!
If you don't want to eliminate dairy, it certainly isn't necessary. If you have so,proms of lactose intolerance or a dairy sensitivity/allergy, you can try eliminating it (give it at least six weeks, and read labels closely - dairy is in a LOT of packaged foods you wouldn't necessarily expect it to show up in) and see if you notice improvement. Just beware the placebo effect.1 -
I cannot eat dairy, gluten, soy and all legumes and I am 60 pounds overweight. Cutting out dairy will not help you lose weight. Cutting calories will.0
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Dairy is an excellent source of protein, especially in the morning [it gives a healthy dose of calcium too and has relatively low calorie/fat options]. The only reason to avoid it is if you have an allergy or have to keep your phosphate comsumption low.2
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Nearly everything humans do today isn't "natural", why stop at giving up dairy? Why not give up using cars, electricity, clothes and only eat food that you grow/kill yourself?
In all seriousness, unless you're lactose intolerant, don't like dairy or have a moral objection to milk & milk products - there are no reasons to give it up.1 -
Don't give up dairy period!0
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I love ALL dairy, it is probably the one thing i would truly struggle to give up.
On the weight loss front, i have read a fair few posts of people claiming dairy stalls their weight loss and when they give it up or reduce it their weight loss starts up again (without changing or reducing their calories), but i have yet to read a solid reason of why..0 -
No difference for me with losing weight. Feel fine with or without eating dairy. Lose weight with or without dairy. Just need a caloric deficit.0
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Christine_72 wrote: »I love ALL dairy, it is probably the one thing i would truly struggle to give up.
On the weight loss front, i have read a fair few posts of people claiming dairy stalls their weight loss and when they give it up or reduce it their weight loss starts up again (without changing or reducing their calories), but i have yet to read a solid reason of why..
Years and years ago a Weight Watchers leader made a big deal about a study where women who consumed dairy lost more effectively. It's been long enough I don't remember the why behind it. And she could have been pulling info out of her hiney lol!0 -
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/diet-and-weight/
scroll down to see references to studies on dairy0 -
I love all my dairy. These days my favourites are Kefir (by shot glass), Astro Balkan yogurt, laughing cow, and mini Babybel. I add about a tablespoon of feta along with sunflower seeds to my salads.
What I think is unnatural is abstaining from one food or another. Probably an offshoot from living in an over-abundant society with nearly endless choices available.
Bears, our omnivore cousins, are food opportunists. They love all the food.0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I love ALL dairy, it is probably the one thing i would truly struggle to give up.
On the weight loss front, i have read a fair few posts of people claiming dairy stalls their weight loss and when they give it up or reduce it their weight loss starts up again (without changing or reducing their calories), but i have yet to read a solid reason of why..
Years and years ago a Weight Watchers leader made a big deal about a study where women who consumed dairy lost more effectively. It's been long enough I don't remember the why behind it. And she could have been pulling info out of her hiney lol!
I've heard this, too, from a nutritionist. I didn't bother looking into it further as I'm pretty reactive to dairy, always had digestive problems when I eat ice cream or drink milk. Yogurt is okay, so its probably lactose intolerance?
A few months ago, I started adding a tiny bit of milk to my smoothies (not enough to cause digestive upset), and developed cystic acne on my chin. I didn't put the two together until a few weeks ago, but its slowly clearing up now that I've cut out milk again.
I suggest you just try it out if its not too inconvenient and monitor the changes. Or better yet, keep a food diary while you add dairy back in as that'll be more telling. Then, you'll have a better idea of what benefits are on the table. Dairy is a super convenient, relatively cheap, and filling source of protein. Wish I could eat it.0 -
Rather than look for people who avoid dairy and lose weight, which would confirm your bias, why not just ask people who've lost weight about their use of dairy?1
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Christine_72 wrote: »I love ALL dairy, it is probably the one thing i would truly struggle to give up.
On the weight loss front, i have read a fair few posts of people claiming dairy stalls their weight loss and when they give it up or reduce it their weight loss starts up again (without changing or reducing their calories), but i have yet to read a solid reason of why..
Years and years ago a Weight Watchers leader made a big deal about a study where women who consumed dairy lost more effectively. It's been long enough I don't remember the why behind it. And she could have been pulling info out of her hiney lol!
I've heard this, too, from a nutritionist. I didn't bother looking into it further as I'm pretty reactive to dairy, always had digestive problems when I eat ice cream or drink milk. Yogurt is okay, so its probably lactose intolerance?
A few months ago, I started adding a tiny bit of milk to my smoothies (not enough to cause digestive upset), and developed cystic acne on my chin. I didn't put the two together until a few weeks ago, but its slowly clearing up now that I've cut out milk again.
I suggest you just try it out if its not too inconvenient and monitor the changes. Or better yet, keep a food diary while you add dairy back in as that'll be more telling. Then, you'll have a better idea of what benefits are on the table. Dairy is a super convenient, relatively cheap, and filling source of protein. Wish I could eat it.
@lemmie177 have you ever tried lactose free milk? I don't get acne from milk, but i do get tiny white bumps on my face which get a lot better when i reduce milk. I always see the lactose free milks at the store but am worried about trying them in case they taste weird, or if they would even help me.0 -
Well I learned through my journey that cutting back on dairy didn't help weight loss wise, but my stomach stopped hurting from eating dairy. I would say just see how it goes not having dairy and remember Almond Milk/Cashew/Coconut/Soy are all good options1
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Well I learned through my journey that cutting back on dairy didn't help weight loss wise, but my stomach stopped hurting from eating dairy. I would say just see how it goes not having dairy and remember Almond Milk/Cashew/Coconut/Soy are all good options
But they all taste horrible, compared to cows milk anyways. I would class those more as nut "juice", rather than milk.
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Christine_72 wrote: »But they all taste horrible, compared to cows milk anyways. I would class those more as nut "juice", rather than milk.
Which brand are you buying from? I usually get the Vanilla Flavored from Blue Diamond. I have tried different ones with the lady logo and unsweetened/ original and those are disgusting. / Well Technically if we see the amount of Calcium is has twice more than cows milk.0 -
No dairy here. I wouldn't say I'm lactose intolerant. More like I get bloated eating cheese specifically. It's too bad because I love string cheese. Sadly, I had to put 2 and 2 together on many of my favs.1
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Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I love ALL dairy, it is probably the one thing i would truly struggle to give up.
On the weight loss front, i have read a fair few posts of people claiming dairy stalls their weight loss and when they give it up or reduce it their weight loss starts up again (without changing or reducing their calories), but i have yet to read a solid reason of why..
Years and years ago a Weight Watchers leader made a big deal about a study where women who consumed dairy lost more effectively. It's been long enough I don't remember the why behind it. And she could have been pulling info out of her hiney lol!
I've heard this, too, from a nutritionist. I didn't bother looking into it further as I'm pretty reactive to dairy, always had digestive problems when I eat ice cream or drink milk. Yogurt is okay, so its probably lactose intolerance?
A few months ago, I started adding a tiny bit of milk to my smoothies (not enough to cause digestive upset), and developed cystic acne on my chin. I didn't put the two together until a few weeks ago, but its slowly clearing up now that I've cut out milk again.
I suggest you just try it out if its not too inconvenient and monitor the changes. Or better yet, keep a food diary while you add dairy back in as that'll be more telling. Then, you'll have a better idea of what benefits are on the table. Dairy is a super convenient, relatively cheap, and filling source of protein. Wish I could eat it.
@lemmie177 have you ever tried lactose free milk? I don't get acne from milk, but i do get tiny white bumps on my face which get a lot better when i reduce milk. I always see the lactose free milks at the store but am worried about trying them in case they taste weird, or if they would even help me.
Can't say I've tried lactose free milk. I've been opting for nut-based substitutes (with very little protein!). I used to make my own yogurt pretty regularly, using longer (7hr+) incubation times to get rid of the lactose, but cut that out too as I don't want to risk anything while my skin recovers. I'm not totally convinced skin problems come from lactose intolerance vs something else in milk. I'm wary about trying things too, acne scars last a long time! 
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