Diets that work

Sabine_Stroehm

I cut out 95% of junk carbs and 95% of refined sugar. I lost 20 lbs. in four months and will never go back to my prior diet. And I did not spend a single minute counting calories.

I really don't care if the reduced carbs and sugar caused my weight loss, or the increase in proteins and fats resulted in me eating fewer calories.

Based on my experience and the experience of many others, I would highly recommend giving up junk carbs and refined sugar when you are trying to lose weight. A donut is not diet food. Fruit yogurt is not diet food. Eight ounces of orange juice is not diet food.

Good job! Cutting back on crap is NEVER a bad thing.

rodduz

Calorie deficit ones that allow flexible dieting. That simple!

Sabine_Stroehm

Not to mention humanity for hundreds of thousands of years lived just fine on low-carb diets. High carb diets are unnatural and the reason why everyone is sick and fat. Lots of "science" (read: studies rife with selective bias) promote high carb diets. But that's mostly because the organizations heading up the studies include the FDA, which have a stake in commodities that are predominately starchy vegetables (which are high in carbs). Any salesman will tell you that you "need" their product.

The FDA has a stake in the starchy vegetable commodities? Look, I think the government is a mess where food is concerned, too many conflicts of interest for them to be of any use to nutrition discussions, but the "starchy vegetable lobby" is NOT at the root of the problem.

They're not *the* root of the problem, but they're a main contributor to the obesity levels in the US. Telling people that they need 300g of carbs is not helping anyone. While you can eat carbs and be healthy, most of us don't. I am choosing to eliminate carbs from my diet entirely (save for about 20-30g per day) and in a month I've already seen vast results. 32 lbs down. That's with minimal exercise.

The FDA has been lying to us for decades. Fat isn't bad. Cholesterol isn't bad. Carbs *are* bad, in excess. Well, everything is bad in excess, but what they recommend we eat is an excess of carbs.

Umm, the "300 grams" is NOT from starchy vegetables!

Sabine_Stroehm

Also to be honest the way low carb shoppers go on about it like it's "diet Jesus" I am half tempted to believe the brain needs carbs theory.

My biggest thing about something as strict as Paleo or Keto is that for most people it's not maintainable long-term. For individual's that are overweight, part of the challenge is getting into health habits that are maintainable for life and not just the short-term. Generally speaking, most people are not going to maintain a low-carb diet for life; some people obviously can but those are not the norm. Finding balance that works for you is key.

Every lifestyle change is maintainable if you have any willpower. The clincher is willpower, not the diet you choose. I know many people who have eaten paleo/keto for many years. What is different between them and someone who isn't able to maintain those diets? Willpower.

How did humanity follow a paleo/keto diet for hundreds of thousands of years? We ate that way thousands of times longer than we have high-carb. High carb has made us all fat. I'm thinking *that* is the diet that isn't sustainable.

My lifestyle changes requires precious LITTLE willpower.

Eoghann

In a month I've lost 32 lbs. I don't feel sick after eating (which I did in my previous high carb diet).

Because THAT"s a good idea. Losing 1lb a day. What could possibly go wrong?