lose 28lb on junk food diet??

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kayleigh333
kayleigh333 Posts: 138
in Food and Nutrition
An article I read today about a professor of nutrition who ate nothing but junk food for two months and lost 28lb through sticking to a calorie limit:

http://uk.health.lifestyle.yahoo.net/eat-candy-lose-weight.htm

It goes to show that the calorie counting method is a really effective way to lose weight. However, I think that his "experiment" sends out the wrong message. Although his health actually improved throughout the duration of his experiment (bad cholesterol dropped by 20%) I can't see how this would be healthy long term.

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  • scotty_81
    scotty_81 Posts: 59
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    I can not imagine that this diet would be very filling though. I knew a girl at school who lost weight by eating three chocolate bars a day but that was all she ate because it would take her to her calorie limit for the day. I would much prefer to eat filling, low-calorie meals. We all know what the long-term effect of only eating junk food are from Fast Food Nation - NOT GOOD!
  • Hollyhocks89
    Hollyhocks89 Posts: 92 Member
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    I can actually believe that although like you i think it sends out the wrong message too!
    I used to work in a busy chip shop and wen i first started seeing my b/f we used to drive about every evening and get KFC or MC Donalds and i was about my weight now but lost 2 stone doing this in 2 months because i didn't really eat during the day and was running about all day at work!!
    Now i'v put it all bak on :ohwell:
    But i deffo won't be doing that again i wanna get healthy aswell as thin
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    An article I read today about a professor of nutrition who ate nothing but junk food for two months and lost 28lb through sticking to a calorie limit:

    http://uk.health.lifestyle.yahoo.net/eat-candy-lose-weight.htm

    It goes to show that the calorie counting method is a really effective way to lose weight. However, I think that his "experiment" sends out the wrong message. Although his health actually improved throughout the duration of his experiment (bad cholesterol dropped by 20%) I can't see how this would be healthy long term.

    Me neither!

    Virtually anybody (barring certain medical conditions) can lose weight on limited calories, however, what about the nutritional value?

    Ridiculous and for definite sending out the wrong message, it is irresponsible in my opinion, because if people think a Professor considers it find and dandy to lose weight this way, some overweights will follow his example and could end up with more problems than they started with.
  • MariSama44
    MariSama44 Posts: 340 Member
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    Well he's not a very good scientist, the experiment isnt over yet. Wait untill all of that weight comes back in the next two months. Then you can log your data and explain that eating junk really ISNT good for you. An empty calorie is NOT equal to a wholesome calorie. He can eat all the McNuggets and Doritos he wants, its just common sense. Eat food, not garbage!
  • rai8759
    rai8759 Posts: 296 Member
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    that guy's insides must look like rotten meat... ugh
  • susanvanv
    susanvanv Posts: 15
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    I think he was just trying to prove a point. You must watch your calorie intake. He is a nutrition professor, surely he knew this wasn't a "healthy diet", but he still lost weight and improved his overall health.
  • kathdela
    kathdela Posts: 148 Member
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    I read that article on a different site. Im pretty sure he discourages people from these kinds of diets. He also drank a protien shake and had aveggies.
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
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    He just wanted to prove a point that calories are what matters most. Does he promote this diet? No, not at all. He even says so. Everyone looks at the negative from his "diet" when there are points made that we can all learn. It also shows that having a treat once in a while isn't going to hurt you so there is no cause to freak out.
  • cardigirl
    cardigirl Posts: 492 Member
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    He does not promote the diet, it was an experiment for a class he was teaching and he was surprised by the results himself. And disappointed too, I think. The big surprise was not that he lost weight but that his good cholesteral count went up and his bad cholesterol went down while eating all those Twinkies. He was shocked by that.

    I doubt that long term one would feel that good on a Twinkie diet. And there still is no word on how his organs were affected or if he lost only fat and not muscle. I'm sure over time that organ function, muscle building would be afftected negatively.

    But I've always heard that losing weight relies most on calories in vs calories out. Exercise helps with fitness and feeling better, but if you exercise a lot and still eat the same, your weight will not likely change too much.
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    I read through the article. He doesn't recommend or promote the diet. But it is interesting in that the experiment indicates a number of possibilities:

    1. Weight loss is primarily a function of calories and not the quality of those calories, (Health is dependent upon the quality but not actual weight loss)
    2. There are significant health benefits from losing weight including decreased blood pressure and decreases in cholesteral levels. I know my triglygerides went down significantly when I lost weight, and less stress on your heart and organs.

    This experiment would seem to indicate that the health benefits of losing weight eating junk food, at least in the short run, outweight the dangers of eating junk food.

    I would never recommend it as a permanent lifestyle change.

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