Here are some of my tips!

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.

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.

Of course it's gone down, any weight loss and especially your incorporation of exercise will do that for you but I'm talking about MAXIMUM OPTIMAL HEALTH.

MollySC2

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...

Not at all! Think of it like any science subject. You have to understand the basics before you even worry about the high-end subjects, and even then you don't always need to know/practice them!

I see this often with people who take IT classes. They get overwhelmed with how deep the subjects can go & overlook the basics which are all they really need to know if they are going for a different type of degree.

I'm a big believer in doing whatever it is that makes you happy as long as it promotes a healthy lifestyle. Doing something as major as counting every metabolic component going into your body to something as basic as cutting out dessert is a massive change & something to strive for.

tl;dr - If it's too complicated then don't even think about it! Just do what you know & stick to it & be proud of what you've done

zoeysasha37

Unfortunately OP, a lot of the "tips" you've given don't hold up very well to peer reviewed clinical study. I've done this for 30 years and in the beginning I followed a lot of what you posted........................................till I really found out it's mostly myth and anecdotal.
While nutrition does matter, for weight loss it's going to be about calorie in/out (CICO).

A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr_Bad_Example

?!
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.

Go ahead and see about the sample sizes of said studies and whether those results have been replicated.

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.

Of course it's gone down, any weight loss and especially your incorporation of exercise will do that for you but I'm talking about MAXIMUM OPTIMAL HEALTH.

Okay, I'll go tell my doctor she's wrong then.

usmcmp

I know that you meant to help with your post and that you probably feel a bit attacked. Unfortunately there just isn't the science to back up what you posted. Many of us follow those same types of tips when we started and then learned more about what science really says. Many of us who have had success do not follow the tips you listed (I just ate a bowl of ice cream and I'm headed to bed).

The most important factor to fat loss is simply dietary adherance.

I believe we had a discussion yesterday about some private issues that you had while losing most of your weight. Those issues are pretty apparent in your weight loss tips (they are very typical beginner tips for eating disorders). I know you are trying to get better, but as I said you should think about maintaining for a while and work on strength training.

paulaaah

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.

If you're struggling to do the bare minimum then yes, my tips are not for you. But this about trying to achieve good health and see progress. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything, I literally was just offering my recommendations....

psych101

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.

Why should I apologise for disagreeing with the OP? Was I incredibly rude to her? No, I wasn't. I am not going to apologise for having an opinion...I honestly believe that the OP had the best of intent :flowerforyou: for her.

MollySC2

Go ahead and see about the sample sizes of said studies and whether those results have been replicated.

>sample sizes

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.

>Doesn't even understand how lipids work
>One is an abstract so you automatically dismiss the other three

paulaaah

I know that you meant to help with your post and that you probably feel a bit attacked. Unfortunately there just isn't the science to back up what you posted. Many of us follow those same types of tips when we started and then learned more about what science really says. Many of us who have had success do not follow the tips you listed (I just ate a bowl of ice cream and I'm headed to bed).

The most important factor to fat loss is simply dietary adherance.

I believe we had a discussion yesterday about some private issues that you had while losing most of your weight. Those issues are pretty apparent in your weight loss tips (they are very typical beginner tips for eating disorders). I know you are trying to get better, but as I said you should think about maintaining for a while and work on strength training.

I understand but this was more about achieving healthy weight loss and a lifestyle rather than rapid. For me, my tips worked.

simplydelish2

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

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.

If you are like me, exercise is not the issue but food might be I find I crave sugar so badly and carbs to the point where I have dangerous bingeing periods. I am trying to find self control and even though I have given you the advice above I have yet to master it myself. I am knowledgable but am weak as far as will power goes. So don't get discouraged if you see you aren't perfect at first. Just keep trying! I have good days and bad days and terrible days lol

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

What are your credentials? I also disagree with most of what you have posted. Giving advice that you are not qualified to give is a dis-service to MFP members.

Achrya

Holy crap. These forums are living in ignorance & do not want to learn & will dismiss anything that proves them wrong. I feel so sorry for all of you. I'm done with these pathetic message boards.

*snort*

MyChocolateDiet

LOL, get a life.

Ok??

OP, I'm fairly certain this comment was not directed at you but actually was posted more in defence of you.

I know it's hard when many are disagreeing with you to discern which are directed at you, at your comments, and at someone else. It gets dizzying. Wish I had advice as to how to handle it when things get this whirlwind like, but I don't. The best thing I've done in that circumstance is just leave for a bit. Because the thread starts to move so fast it's hard to scroll back to see who wrote what while keeping up with whoever's writing what next and sometimes that leads to the OP yelling at everyone, or the wrong people sometimes. Pretty sure the writer of this comment is on your side and defending something they viewed as harsh treatment of you.

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.

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.

Of course it's gone down, any weight loss and especially your incorporation of exercise will do that for you but I'm talking about MAXIMUM OPTIMAL HEALTH.

Okay, I'll go tell my doctor she's wrong then.

I... never said she was wrong lol I literally just said of course you're going to see those results. But that doesn't mean you're as healthy as you could be. Organic produce vs ice cream? Yeah I'm pretty sure the former is going to be healthier and your doctor will agree but ok

Unknown

This content has been removed.

DavPul

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

wait, so a 19 year old that is currently in a plateau is giving advice on losing weight (or anything, really)...and people are actually bothering to read enough of it to dispute any of it?

paulaaah

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

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.

If you are like me, exercise is not the issue but food might be I find I crave sugar so badly and carbs to the point where I have dangerous bingeing periods. I am trying to find self control and even though I have given you the advice above I have yet to master it myself. I am knowledgable but am weak as far as will power goes. So don't get discouraged if you see you aren't perfect at first. Just keep trying! I have good days and bad days and terrible days lol

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

What are your credentials? I also disagree with most of what you have posted. Giving advice that you are not qualified to give is a dis-service to MFP members.

Yes because I definitely claimed to be qualified or an expert. NO, I just said "this is what I noticed makes a difference" so chill because I never claimed to have credentials.

Achrya

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.

Of course it's gone down, any weight loss and especially your incorporation of exercise will do that for you but I'm talking about MAXIMUM OPTIMAL HEALTH.

Okay, I'll go tell my doctor she's wrong then.

I... never said she was wrong lol I literally just said of course you're going to see those results. But that doesn't mean you're as healthy as you could be. Organic produce vs ice cream? Yeah I'm pretty sure the former is going to be healthier and your doctor will agree but ok

What if I make my ice cream at home with organic~ ingredients? Am I then achieving optimal health?

jayliospecky

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.

So what I'm getting out of this is...you don't know.

paulaaah

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

wait, so a 19 year old that is currently in a plateau is giving advice on losing weight (or anything, really)...and people are actually bothering to read enough of it to dispute any of it?

I've lost over 60 lbs with the tips that I posted so that is why I was trying to give advice. Not just because I randomly felt like it. I also don't believe my age is of any importance. And yes, I'm at a plateau, which is why I've also reached out for help.

lngbrd

I understand but this was more about achieving healthy weight loss and a lifestyle rather than rapid. For me, my tips worked.
[/quote]






Thats all that counts. I see nothing wrong with sharing what is working. You never know, it might motivate someone to move towards a healthier lifestyle. I didn't read anything in OPs post that was dangerous, just some tips she wanted to share that work for her. Some people on this site can't wait to respond and debunk other peoples plan or diet.

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.

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.

Of course it's gone down, any weight loss and especially your incorporation of exercise will do that for you but I'm talking about MAXIMUM OPTIMAL HEALTH.

Okay, I'll go tell my doctor she's wrong then.

I... never said she was wrong lol I literally just said of course you're going to see those results. But that doesn't mean you're as healthy as you could be. Organic produce vs ice cream? Yeah I'm pretty sure the former is going to be healthier and your doctor will agree but ok

What if I make my ice cream at home with organic~ ingredients? Am I then achieving optimal health?

You're definitely doing your body a service by using organic or natural ingredients, yes.

paulaaah

I understand but this was more about achieving healthy weight loss and a lifestyle rather than rapid. For me, my tips worked.

Thats all that counts. I see nothing wrong with sharing what is working. You never know, it might motivate someone to move towards a healthier lifestyle. I didn't read anything in OPs post that was dangerous, just some tips she wanted to share that work for her. Some people on this site can't wait to respond and debunk other peoples plan or diet.
[/quote]

EXACTLY. You people are attacking me as if any of tips would harm you so chill out. Thank for this by the way.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Mr_Bad_Example

Holy crap. These forums are living in ignorance & do not want to learn & will dismiss anything that proves them wrong. I feel so sorry for all of you. I'm done with these pathetic message boards.

Spoken like someone who just lost all the marbles.

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.

If you're struggling to do the bare minimum then yes, my tips are not for you. But this about trying to achieve good health and see progress. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything, I literally was just offering my recommendations....

When you state it like this, it almost seems like your tips are something to "aspire" to and like once I'm no longer struggling I could achieve them. I can achieve them now. I can afford the teas, I have the time to split my meals all day long (in fact I do but for other reasons, not weight loss), I can stop eating at a certain hour as will power has never been a problem for me.

I just choose not to complicate my method further by adding "tips" which have not been proven to offer further benefit.

It is not the "bare minimum" to do CI/CO it is all that's necessary is what I'm trying to convey.

usmcmp

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.

I am a living contradiction to almost all your points.

1. I have excellent blood markers and I eat processed food all the time.
2. I always eat a snack immediately before bed (around 9pm)
3. I often skip breakfast and eat at least half of my calories between 7pm and 9pm. The reason they say frequent meals "boosts" metabolism is the thermic effect of food, but that's directly proportionate to the amount eaten (so bigger meals cause bigger boosts and frequent meals cause smaller frequent boosts).
4. Yes, pre-planning helps.
5. I don't drink green tea because it's nasty and I have no bloat. Also, the "toxins" that are in the area that cause bloating are actually vital bacteria.

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.

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.

I've lost 80 pounds over the course of 19 months. Do you consider that rapid? I aim to eat a balanced diet, which means I pay close attention to my body's micro-nutrient and macro-nutrient needs and eat to meet them. I also leave room in my day for treats, rarely eat a traditional breakfast, and always eat after 7pm. My skin is clear, my nails are strong, and I have perfect vision. I am now a healthy weight and have significantly reduced my body fat percentage. My fitness has greatly improved; I have gained both strength and endurance, and my cardiovascular health and recovery is great. What is unhealthy about my lifestyle?

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).

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.

So what I'm getting out of this is...you don't know.

Haha...that also seemed to me to be the most long winded way ever of saying "no one knows, probably nothing".

Goodbye Sprycel and hello green tea! I'm cured!:laugh:

DavPul

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

wait, so a 19 year old that is currently in a plateau is giving advice on losing weight (or anything, really)...and people are actually bothering to read enough of it to dispute any of it?

I've lost over 60 lbs with the tips that I posted so that is why I was trying to give advice. Not just because I randomly felt like it. I also don't believe my age is of any importance. And yes, I'm at a plateau, which is why I've also reached out for help.

if your age isn't of any importance what about the quality of your advice? because, while i'm sure it was well meaning, it was terrible. and patently false. well, #4, pre plan your meals is a damn good idea, but the rest of it is completely off the rails, and you altho many people have given you reasons as to why, you don't seem to have the ability to process that information. yet, because perhaps when you're a bit older you'll develop the ability to listen to others, merge the new information with what you already thought you knew, and then toss out the bad info.

example: your 100 cals of X smoothie vs 100 cals of Y processed food somehow changing the quality and manner in which a person loses weight is patently ridiculous