Here are some of my tips!

Mr_Bad_Example

1. ***WHAT*** you eat (a 200 calorie homemade smoothie with good antioxidant/fiber filled fruits and green veggies is way better than a zero calorie coke zero) and avoid refined, processed, sugar/salty foods. If you want to take it to the next level, avoid the center aisles in the grocery store altogether except for wheat bread, quinoa, organic peanut butter (if you're like me and will love PB till the end of time) and white tuna in water!

2. WHEN you eat (try to avoid eating past 7 PM as food digest slower while you sleep)
3. HOW OFTEN you eat (5-6 small meals/snacks a day has proven to be more effective than 3 normal meals)
4. PRE-PLAN your meals. This is an option but has proven to be extremely effective! Fail to prepare, prepare to fail type attitude. Cooking your meals for the next day each night has helped many stay on track and buying a small cooler will insure that you follow your guidelines because now your food is traveling with you
5. GREEN TEA AND GINGER TEA are so extremely beneficial for people trying to lose weight especially around the tummy area! Not a cure or easy way out but green tea provides energy and speeds up metabolism. I buy 5 oz of tea leaves from my local tea store but organic bagged green tea is just as good ginger tea is good for after meals because it promotes digestion. Green tea can also be a replacement for people who are trying to not drink coffee as much.

1. False. Look around this site. Plenty of folks have had substantial and amazing success while still eating those nasty, processed foods. I know, that's so cray, right?!
2. False. Meal timing is totally irrelevant.
3. False. Frequency of meals has no bearing on weight loss.
4. That actually makes sense. Nice job with having something helpful there. Too bad it's buried under all of that misinformation.
5. False. There is no way to spot reduce... either through exercise or choking down green tea. Stop watching Dr. Oz, mmmkay?

6ftamazon

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

I definitely agree with healthy foods being better for your body, don't get me wrong . I do normally eat healthy because I find "real" foods to be more filling and satisfying, and better for my health. But just last week I had spring rolls and beer and a martini late at night. It was especially more common at the beginning of my diet. I'd eat pizza, subs, pie, even eggs bennedict and sausage and home fries a few times and I've lost 50+ pounds.

Alluminati

I think the OP was just trying to be helpful with some tips that have worked for her. Obviously what works for one person won't work for everyone. This forum seems like a junior high school sometimes.

Herro, knight of white. How art thou?

bajoyba

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

UM 100 calories vs 100 calories?? That's the same amount and the smoothie will be healthier so YES you would see greater weight loss and health benefits with the smoothie.

No. 100 calories is 100 calories. Calories are simply energy. You gain weight by giving your body more energy than it needs, and you lose weight by giving your body less energy than it uses in a day.

The smoothie may contain more vitamins/minerals or have a more balanced macro breakdown than the oreos, but the amount of energy you get from each is the same. The smoothie is only a better choice is you haven't met specific macro or micro-nutrient needs that the smoothie will help you fill. If you've already met your nutritional requirements for the day and have 100 calories to spare, why not go for the oreos? You don't get extra credit for eating more "healthy stuff" than your body needs or can actually use.

MyChocolateDiet

There are a LOT of questionable statements.

Eating after a certain hour is not really a thing.

Teas are good for digestion but not magical.

It was for me and *****might**** make a difference for others and I've already stated that I never said teas were magical or solutions over and over and over again. I stated that they were BENEFICIAL.

Well, yes I understand that but their benefits have their limits.

When you list a whole list of tips that have not really had back up a person might overcomplicate their weight loss with all these tips in an effort to change their wieght loss while some obvious places to check like accurate weighing and accurate exercise logging might get lost in the shuffle. I think that would be a shame. Do you?

MollySC2

?!
2. False. Meal timing is totally irrelevant.

Prove it with a peer-reviewed study off the NCBI then, otherwise save your annecdotal logical fallacy for another site. People are here to learn. Now, until you get that link from a peer-reviewed study, I'm going to stick to what I learned in my metabolic class in University.

To be fair to you, I really think this is something most people don't even understand let alone incorporate, If you want the absolute most optimum weight loss, you should avoid eating carbs later in the day(3/4PM) if you aren't going to be doing hard physical exercise in the evening, and if you are, you should still cut them ~2 hours before you exercise(barring marathon/some crazy long session)

A few things can happen to carbs

1. Oxidation(You use them as fuel through glycolysis, anaerobisis, citric cycle, etc)
2. Converstion to glycogen/fats for storage
3. Conversion to essential carb molecules to be used in proteins(glycosaminoglycans/glycosaminoglycans/etc)

If you aren't going to use carbs same day you've ate them in exercise, there is no reason at all eat large amounts as they will be turned into fat storage of some kind. Eating 100g+ carbs will have a huge amount turned into fat for storage, while eating 50g wouldn't have this same effect. This goes for any fuel/nutrient molecule.

Carbohydrates are converted to AcetylCoA, which is a precursor for fat synthesis. Essentially, if you have, say, just 50 grams of carbohydrate, most is going to go to fuel, and much smaller amonuts to fat storage, whereas if you take in, say, 500g, much more is going to be converted to fat.

I'm not wrong on this & you're not going to convince me otherwise unless you get a peer-reviewed study proving what we already know wrong. I can get peer-reviewed links off www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov if you are adamant about me being wrong. It won't be the first time I've done it on this forum.

Derp_Diggler

In - because this is about to get real good.

MyChocolateDiet

Okay so about the eating late at night thing.

Assuming a person is counting a certain day's worth of calories...and accepting that they probably do burn less cals at rest during sleep than during a busy day...isn't it possible that whatever leftover cals were not burned will still be there in the morning and then that day as long as they were under their cal goal it will get burned then?

So if I have 1600 calories every day...if I eat everyday 8oo cals before 7pm and then the last 800 cals at 11pm when I get out of my late shift from work if I'm a worker who gets out late, it shouldnt' matter. Does that make sense? My body will be able to use them in the morning if they are left from the "inactive" night before. No? isn't that how it works?

Assuming one's night is actually "inactive" of course.

paulaaah

1. ***WHAT*** you eat (a 200 calorie homemade smoothie with good antioxidant/fiber filled fruits and green veggies is way better than a zero calorie coke zero) and avoid refined, processed, sugar/salty foods. If you want to take it to the next level, avoid the center aisles in the grocery store altogether except for wheat bread, quinoa, organic peanut butter (if you're like me and will love PB till the end of time) and white tuna in water!

2. WHEN you eat (try to avoid eating past 7 PM as food digest slower while you sleep)
3. HOW OFTEN you eat (5-6 small meals/snacks a day has proven to be more effective than 3 normal meals)
4. PRE-PLAN your meals. This is an option but has proven to be extremely effective! Fail to prepare, prepare to fail type attitude. Cooking your meals for the next day each night has helped many stay on track and buying a small cooler will insure that you follow your guidelines because now your food is traveling with you
5. GREEN TEA AND GINGER TEA are so extremely beneficial for people trying to lose weight especially around the tummy area! Not a cure or easy way out but green tea provides energy and speeds up metabolism. I buy 5 oz of tea leaves from my local tea store but organic bagged green tea is just as good ginger tea is good for after meals because it promotes digestion. Green tea can also be a replacement for people who are trying to not drink coffee as much.

1. False. Look around this site. Plenty of folks have had substantial and amazing success while still eating those nasty, processed foods. I know, that's so cray, right?!
2. False. Meal timing is totally irrelevant.
3. False. Frequency of meals has no bearing on weight loss.
4. That actually makes sense. Nice job with having something helpful there. Too bad it's buried under all of that misinformation.
5. False. There is no way to spot reduce... either through exercise or choking down green tea. Stop watching Dr. Oz, mmmkay?

1. Yes they have lost weight but this does not mean they are healthy and I'm sure they had to REDUCE the amount of these processed foods SIGNIFICANTLY to achieve this.
2. It is not irrelevant at all and I am living proof. It is not NECESSARY but helpful.
3. IVE ALREADY STATED that this has worked for me and might work for others who haven't tried it but are stuck. It is proven that small meals throughout the day is more beneficial to ones metabolism than 3 large meals. It does not make a HUGE difference but it can take someone to that next level.
5. Green tea helps diffuse bloating around the stomach area. Not kill fat, you're right but reduce bloating and flush out toxins that usually accumulate around that area.

MollySC2

I'm going to nip this in the bud with a peer-reviewed study: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/77/1/91.short

Basically what it says is that Insulin release is maximized when the diet as a higher carbohydrate intake than it can expend while also having a low fat, protein, and fiber intake. This occurs because the insulin release depends on gastric emptying(which is, surprise, slowed by protein/fat/fiber) and because the insulin release is -directly- triggered by sugar molecules that is in the breakdown of carbohydrates. Insulin resistance is a real phenomena, and the composition of protein, fat, carbs, and fiber in the diet can impact insulin resistance, and appetite, independently of the total number of calories.

2. It is not irrelevant at all and I am living proof. It is not NECESSARY but helpful
3. IVE ALREADY STATED that this has worked for me and might work for others who haven't tried it but are stuck. It is proven that small meals throughout the day is more beneficial to ones metabolism than 3 large meals. It does not make a HUGE difference but it can take someone to that next level.

While I'm on your side, don't ever say "this has worked for me" to defend an argument. This is an anecdotal logical fallacy I see thrown around quite a bit these days.

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/anecdotal

brower47

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

UM 100 calories vs 100 calories?? That's the same amount and the smoothie will be healthier so YES you would see greater weight loss and health benefits with the smoothie.

No.

You.

Would.

Not.

You would see greater health benefits if and ONLY IF you hadn't gotten your micros in for the day. If your entire day was filled with nutrient dense food and then you had that Oreo snack, you would be just fine. It isn't specific foods that determine the health of the diet but the foods as a sum total.

On weight loss, it would be the exact same.

airangel59

Sorry - I disagree with almost everything you've said. Pre-planning helps me, as does pre-logging. Everything else...nope.

I'm with this person . I pre plan all my meals/snacks the day or two before and pre log.

paulaaah

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

UM 100 calories vs 100 calories?? That's the same amount and the smoothie will be healthier so YES you would see greater weight loss and health benefits with the smoothie.

No. 100 calories is 100 calories. Calories are simply energy. You gain weight by giving your body more energy than it needs, and you lose weight by giving your body less energy than it uses in a day.

The smoothie may contain more vitamins/minerals or have a more balanced macro breakdown than the oreos, but the amount of energy you get from each is the same. The smoothie is only a better choice is you haven't met specific macro or micro-nutrient needs that the smoothie will help you fill. If you've already met your nutritional requirements for the day and have 100 calories to spare, why not go for the oreos? You don't get extra credit for eating more "healthy stuff" than your body needs or can actually use.

The smoothie will always be the better choice. If you've ever followed a healthy lifestyle vs just trying to lose weight then you would know that you do get "extra credit" if by that you mean more benefits to ones overall appearance and energy by eating organic foods vs processed. The weight loss might not come as fast as going to the 100 calories packs but it will come and your skin, hair, and eyes will thank you. Perhaps i should have made it more clear that I didn't mean rapid weight loss, but healthy weight loss.

MollySC2

Sorry - I disagree with almost everything you've said. Pre-planning helps me, as does pre-logging. Everything else...nope.

Then you are wrong & owe OP an apology.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922171

That shows that timing of meals (earlier rather than later) resulted in better lipid measurements after only two weeks.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23705984

Here is another one that shows eating a large dinner & not smaller meals throughout later in the day is bad(Specifically related to carb meals! This isn't keto meals or high protein/high fat/low carb meals, but it DOES still apply.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23619315

You do have ONE thing you can cling to though, which is that eating more calories at once does lower total calories consumes(This is due to earlier satiety being met, but it doesn't prove OP wrong actually!)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23929544

Shows eating low energy density foods(like salad) at the start of the meal decreases overall consumption of calories in the rest of the day, and independent of that larger portions had less of an effect on total consumption than the energy density of the meal.

paulaaah

LOL, get a life.

Ok??

brower47

1. Yes they have lost weight but this does not mean they are healthy and I'm sure they had to REDUCE the amount of these processed foods SIGNIFICANTLY to achieve this.
2. It is not irrelevant at all and I am living proof. It is not NECESSARY but helpful.
3. IVE ALREADY STATED that this has worked for me and might work for others who haven't tried it but are stuck. It is proven that small meals throughout the day is more beneficial to ones metabolism than 3 large meals. It does not make a HUGE difference but it can take someone to that next level.
5. Green tea helps diffuse bloating around the stomach area. Not kill fat, you're right but reduce bloating and flush out toxins that usually accumulate around that area.

Name a toxin, any toxin that the green tea will flush from your system.

Cracken99

All this talk is exactly why I always fail at Trying to lose weight.....don't eat after 7, carbs, green tea blah blah blah...I am having a hard enough time just logging my allotted calories a day and sticking to it. I just want to do what MFP tells me and lose weight, is it much more complicated than that?? I really want to stick to it this time and lose my weight...

FeraFilia

Yeah, the only thing out of that list that I actually use/do is the planning/pre-logging.

I eat 1 big meal, late in the evening, and a few snacks, and almost always eat all of my calories after 3pm. I usually eat an icky processed ice cream sandwich within 15 minutes of going to bed. And I eat all the same foods I ate before... Just less of it. It's equaled 30 pounds gone in a little over 2 months.

OP, I get that this method worked for you... but I would be completely miserable.

brower47

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

UM 100 calories vs 100 calories?? That's the same amount and the smoothie will be healthier so YES you would see greater weight loss and health benefits with the smoothie.

No. 100 calories is 100 calories. Calories are simply energy. You gain weight by giving your body more energy than it needs, and you lose weight by giving your body less energy than it uses in a day.

The smoothie may contain more vitamins/minerals or have a more balanced macro breakdown than the oreos, but the amount of energy you get from each is the same. The smoothie is only a better choice is you haven't met specific macro or micro-nutrient needs that the smoothie will help you fill. If you've already met your nutritional requirements for the day and have 100 calories to spare, why not go for the oreos? You don't get extra credit for eating more "healthy stuff" than your body needs or can actually use.

The smoothie will always be the better choice. If you've ever followed a healthy lifestyle vs just trying to lose weight then you would know that you do get "extra credit" if by that you mean more benefits to ones overall appearance and energy by eating organic foods vs processed. The weight loss might not come as fast as going to the 100 calories packs but it will come and your skin, hair, and eyes will thank you. Perhaps i should have made it more clear that I didn't mean rapid weight loss, but healthy weight loss.

You do not get extra credit. If you ingest more vitamins and minerals than the body needs, it will simply flush them out. Ingesting too many of certain ones can actually be a detriment to your health.

paulaaah

Sorry - I disagree with almost everything you've said. Pre-planning helps me, as does pre-logging. Everything else...nope.

Then you are wrong & owe OP an apology.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922171

That shows that timing of meals (earlier rather than later) resulted in better lipid measurements after only two weeks.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23705984

Here is another one that shows eating a large dinner & not smaller meals throughout later in the day is bad(Specifically related to carb meals! This isn't keto meals or high protein/high fat/low carb meals, but it DOES still apply.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23619315

You do have ONE thing you can cling to though, which is that eating more calories at once does lower total calories consumes(This is due to earlier satiety being met, but it doesn't prove OP wrong actually!)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23929544

Shows eating low energy density foods(like salad) at the start of the meal decreases overall consumption of calories in the rest of the day, and independent of that larger portions had less of an effect on total consumption than the energy density of the meal.

JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING BORN.

paulaaah

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

UM 100 calories vs 100 calories?? That's the same amount and the smoothie will be healthier so YES you would see greater weight loss and health benefits with the smoothie.

No. 100 calories is 100 calories. Calories are simply energy. You gain weight by giving your body more energy than it needs, and you lose weight by giving your body less energy than it uses in a day.

The smoothie may contain more vitamins/minerals or have a more balanced macro breakdown than the oreos, but the amount of energy you get from each is the same. The smoothie is only a better choice is you haven't met specific macro or micro-nutrient needs that the smoothie will help you fill. If you've already met your nutritional requirements for the day and have 100 calories to spare, why not go for the oreos? You don't get extra credit for eating more "healthy stuff" than your body needs or can actually use.

The smoothie will always be the better choice. If you've ever followed a healthy lifestyle vs just trying to lose weight then you would know that you do get "extra credit" if by that you mean more benefits to ones overall appearance and energy by eating organic foods vs processed. The weight loss might not come as fast as going to the 100 calories packs but it will come and your skin, hair, and eyes will thank you. Perhaps i should have made it more clear that I didn't mean rapid weight loss, but healthy weight loss.

You do not get extra credit. If you ingest more vitamins and minerals than the body needs, it will simply flush them out. Ingesting too many of certain ones can actually be a detriment to your health.

I assumed you meant more benefits in general over the calorie pack, not as far as overdoing it.

motal003

I love your post. You give good advice.

In terms of junk food, why not just give yourself a little treat a ch day? Like today, I was cravinf some chips, so I just had 13 pieces and that cost me 140 calories.
if
I crave chocolate, I'll just eat a little piece and calculate the calories.

What I am trying to say is don't rob yourself of your favorite things. Just calorie count.

But I know it's probably easier said then done.

paulaaah

Yeah, the only thing out of that list that I actually use/do is the planning/pre-logging.

I eat 1 big meal, late in the evening, and a few snacks, and almost always eat all of my calories after 3pm. I usually eat an icky processed ice cream sandwich within 15 minutes of going to bed. And I eat all the same foods I ate before... Just less of it. It's equaled 30 pounds gone in a little over 2 months.

OP, I get that this method worked for you... but I would be completely miserable.

I understand you have achieved rapid weight loss with this method, but it is not healthy weight loss which is what I was trying to promote.

maidentl

All this talk is exactly why I always fail at Trying to lose weight.....don't eat after 7, carbs, green tea blah blah blah...I am having a hard enough time just logging my allotted calories a day and sticking to it. I just want to do what MFP tells me and lose weight, is it much more complicated than that?? I really want to stick to it this time and lose my weight...

It is not. And that is why these folks argue so vehemently against posts like this, because they do confuse people like you and me. I have been ignoring all of these "rules" that people like to throw out and have just stayed focused on eating less than I burn. Could I be losing faster? Maybe, maybe not. But this is a way of life that I can actually sustain. If someone's suggestion sounds like it might work for me, I might try it. But if it makes me cringe, then why bother?

paulaaah

I love your post. You give good advice.

In terms of junk food, why not just give yourself a little treat a ch day? Like today, I was cravinf some chips, so I just had 13 pieces and that cost me 140 calories.
if
I crave chocolate, I'll just eat a little piece and calculate the calories.

What I am trying to say is don't rob yourself of your favorite things. Just calorie count.

But I know it's probably easier said then done.

Oh I wasn't attempting to say one should be super strict all the time! I'm not neurotic and I love pizza lol this is a lifestyle I'm promoting which of course should have indulgences! Eat the chocolate, just don't have the whole bar. I'm all about 80% health, 20% indulgence or trying to be at least.

MollySC2

1. Yes they have lost weight but this does not mean they are healthy and I'm sure they had to REDUCE the amount of these processed foods SIGNIFICANTLY to achieve this.
2. It is not irrelevant at all and I am living proof. It is not NECESSARY but helpful.
3. IVE ALREADY STATED that this has worked for me and might work for others who haven't tried it but are stuck. It is proven that small meals throughout the day is more beneficial to ones metabolism than 3 large meals. It does not make a HUGE difference but it can take someone to that next level.
5. Green tea helps diffuse bloating around the stomach area. Not kill fat, you're right but reduce bloating and flush out toxins that usually accumulate around that area.

Name a toxin, any toxin that the green tea will flush from your system.

I think you may not realize that you're asking an incredibly complicated question that at this very moment is being investigated by some of the best oncology & drug designers in the world.

It's first prudent to ask IF catechins and (polyphenols in general) actually have an effect in humans -- such as boosting immunity. One of the big issues with green tea derived compounds like catechins is that they aren't that bio-available, which basically means they aren't taken into our body well. Catechins could be the be-all end-all cure to cancer, but currently we wouldn't know what to do with it since we don't even fully understand how catechins are synthesized by our body!

As for the "what do they actually do?" question and how that can help relieve our body of toxins, the mechanism of action is unclear and very likely to be hugely complex. The reason for this is that the molecular targets (what catechins bind to to have effect) are very diverse and there are LOTS of them. Most of this stuff has been figured out in test tubes, so often we can't be so sure if it will be the same in humans. Also, since these kinds of compounds do a lot of different things (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, immune system modulation, allergy, etc.) it is likely benefits are not do to any one process or one specific toxin like you are asking.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763709/

This article touches on what I mean by that. It's about EGCG, a major catechin compound of interest in a lot of biological research. It's kind of technical if you don't have a degree on metabolics/oncology, but the basic topics are approachable at least.

Some of the suggested broad-level mechanisms of action are removing reactive oxygen species (the so called antioxidant effect), hypolipidemic effects (lower blood fat levels), helping to prevent DNA damage, immune cell activation ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23835657) , and altering the level of important proteins known to help in the prevention of cancer.

And then some mechanisms of action can get really specific, like this study ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16889749 ) looking into catechin compound EGCG effects on the release of effector molecules by immune cells (this is just one example of thousands of equally specific mechanisms for different things).

TL;DR - Catechin compounds(a compound found in Green Tea) are reported to do a lot of different things to a lot of targets, but it is unclear if their effects are truly significant for therapy at this point.

FeraFilia

Yeah, the only thing out of that list that I actually use/do is the planning/pre-logging.

I eat 1 big meal, late in the evening, and a few snacks, and almost always eat all of my calories after 3pm. I usually eat an icky processed ice cream sandwich within 15 minutes of going to bed. And I eat all the same foods I ate before... Just less of it. It's equaled 30 pounds gone in a little over 2 months.

OP, I get that this method worked for you... but I would be completely miserable.

I understand you have achieved rapid weight loss with this method, but it is not healthy weight loss which is what I was trying to promote.

How can you tell me it's not healthy? I haven't lost "rapidly" I had a big drop the first week, and about 2 pounds each week following. I eat, I exercise, and I'm feeling pretty great. Are you my doctor? Because she seems pretty happy with what I've been doing and the fact that both my blood sugar and blood pressure have gone down.

brower47

Sorry - I disagree with almost everything you've said. Pre-planning helps me, as does pre-logging. Everything else...nope.

Then you are wrong & owe OP an apology.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922171

That shows that timing of meals (earlier rather than later) resulted in better lipid measurements after only two weeks.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23705984

Here is another one that shows eating a large dinner & not smaller meals throughout later in the day is bad(Specifically related to carb meals! This isn't keto meals or high protein/high fat/low carb meals, but it DOES still apply.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23619315

You do have ONE thing you can cling to though, which is that eating more calories at once does lower total calories consumes(This is due to earlier satiety being met, but it doesn't prove OP wrong actually!)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23929544

Shows eating low energy density foods(like salad) at the start of the meal decreases overall consumption of calories in the rest of the day, and independent of that larger portions had less of an effect on total consumption than the energy density of the meal.

You need to apologize to all of us for presenting 3 studies that didn't deal with weight loss, only other factors and the fourth that only talked about the effects of satiety and how the timing 'can' affect it. Plus the third one was only an abstract without even a conclusions section.

princess71903

1. Yes they have lost weight but this does not mean they are healthy and I'm sure they had to REDUCE the amount of these processed foods SIGNIFICANTLY to achieve this.
2. It is not irrelevant at all and I am living proof. It is not NECESSARY but helpful.
3. IVE ALREADY STATED that this has worked for me and might work for others who haven't tried it but are stuck. It is proven that small meals throughout the day is more beneficial to ones metabolism than 3 large meals. It does not make a HUGE difference but it can take someone to that next level.
5. Green tea helps diffuse bloating around the stomach area. Not kill fat, you're right but reduce bloating and flush out toxins that usually accumulate around that area.

Name a toxin, any toxin that the green tea will flush from your system.

I think you may not realize that you're asking an incredibly complicated question that at this very moment is being investigated by some of the best oncology & drug designers in the world.

It's first prudent to ask IF catechins and (polyphenols in general) actually have an effect in humans -- such as boosting immunity. One of the big issues with green tea derived compounds like catechins is that they aren't that bio-available, which basically means they aren't taken into our body well. Catechins could be the be-all end-all cure to cancer, but currently we wouldn't know what to do with it since we don't even fully understand how catechins are synthesized by our body!

As for the "what do they actually do?" question and how that can help relieve our body of toxins, the mechanism of action is unclear and very likely to be hugely complex. The reason for this is that the molecular targets (what catechins bind to to have effect) are very diverse and there are LOTS of them. Most of this stuff has been figured out in test tubes, so often we can't be so sure if it will be the same in humans. Also, since these kinds of compounds do a lot of different things (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, immune system modulation, allergy, etc.) it is likely benefits are not do to any one process or one specific toxin like you are asking.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763709/

This article touches on what I mean by that. It's about EGCG, a major catechin compound of interest in a lot of biological research. It's kind of technical if you don't have a degree on metabolics/oncology, but the basic topics are approachable at least.

Some of the suggested broad-level mechanisms of action are removing reactive oxygen species (the so called antioxidant effect), hypolipidemic effects (lower blood fat levels), helping to prevent DNA damage, immune cell activation ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23835657) , and altering the level of important proteins known to help in the prevention of cancer.

And then some mechanisms of action can get really specific, like this study ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16889749 ) looking into catechin compound EGCG effects on the release of effector molecules by immune cells (this is just one example of thousands of equally specific mechanisms for different things).

Don't even begin to suggest that green tea is going to help cancer. I'm sure if there were ANY benefit to drinking this my oncologists and nutritionists from northwestern and cancer treatment center would have told me :yawn:

MyChocolateDiet

All this talk is exactly why I always fail at Trying to lose weight.....don't eat after 7, carbs, green tea blah blah blah...I am having a hard enough time just logging my allotted calories a day and sticking to it. I just want to do what MFP tells me and lose weight, is it much more complicated than that?? I really want to stick to it this time and lose my weight...

No it's not much more complicated than that.

Which was my point. That someone like you and me who are struggling to do the bare minimum not have to be forced to incorporate a bunch of new tips instead of just focusing on the CI/CO that might just need to be reexamined or further scrutinized if success begins to elude us at some point.