Show me the "facts"

missikay1970

i agree with two main points that i see in other replies:
(1) i love the way i look & feel (mostly feel) now that i am eating healthy and exercising regularly. even though i am losing weight, my main goal in starting at the gym, walking more, riding my bike where i can instead of driving and eating healthy, was to gain a healthy lifestyle to pass-on to my children. i don't want a DIET, i want a new way of life to avoid cardiovascular disease & diabetes which both run in my family due to poor living habits. even though i might not answer your question directly with a "real reason" - i think the proof comes in when i run after my 3-year-old and don't get winded, or i watch my cholesterol number decline without medications. that is all the scientific proof i require to know i'm doing the right thing.
(2) it is common knowledge. everyone knows that an apple is a better choice than a do-nut. i spent years eating what i "wanted" to eat and watching my health decline before my eyes. i don't think it takes reading or research to know that highly processed foods are "bad" for our bodies. we must make better choices if we want a better outcome. i'm not living without my "fun foods" however, i ate a chili dog on monday! LOL but that used to be the type of food i ate 100% of the time, and now it's something i have maybe once every two weeks.

Acg67

here are some studies that debunk the nonsense the Taubes et al that it is the evil carbs and insulin that make you fat

Acheson KJ, et al. Nutritional influences on lipogenesis and thermogenesis after a carbohydrate meal. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism, Jan 1, 1984; 246: E62-E70.

Hellerstein MK. De novo lipogenesis in humans: metabolic and regulatory aspects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999; 53 (Suppl 1): S53-S65.

Holt SHA, et al. An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov, 1997; 66: 5: 1264-1276.

McLaughlin T, et al. Differences in insulin resistance do not predict weight loss in response to hypocaloric diets in healthy obese women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1999; 84 (2): 578-581.

de Luis DA, et al. Differences in glycaemic status do not predict weight loss in response to hypocaloric diets in obese patients. Clinical Nutrition, Feb 2006; 25 (1): 117-122.

Due A, et al. No effect of inhibition of insulin secretion by diazoxide on weight loss in hyperinsulinaemic obese subjects during an 8-week weight-loss diet. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Jul 2007; 9 (4): 566-574.

melsinct

I have never seen Fat Head and honestly, I don't care about the seven billion posts on MFP every day with people copying and pasting articles from biased and non-biased sources on why their way is the "right" way. I do what makes sense to me and works for me. That includes:

1. Move your body. Yes, you can lose weight without exercising but it isn't the healthiest route. Being sedentary will hurt you in the long run. This can include just walking, stretching, and other low impact exercise, or you can go crazy with strength training and whatnot. Do what you like and what interests you enough where you'll keep doing it.

2. Eat real food. I try and only eat real food and if the item has an ingredient list, I know what those ingredients are. I cook mostly from scratch for everyday meals using real ingredients like vegetables, meat, oils, rice, *real* cheese, etc. I am the anti-Hungry Girl, lol.

3. Eat junk in moderation and taking a cue from Michael Pollan, if you are going to eat junk, make it yourself. Chances are it will be much healthier than pre-made stuff and it will taste better. I still make from-scratch cookies, brownies, etc. but I eat very little of what I make, set aside some for my husband, and give away the rest (bring it to the vultures in my office).

Using these three principles, I have lost almost 30 pounds, and this approach just makes sense to me. Banning certain food groups doesn't make sense to me and my diet, and there are foods (and alcohol!) I can't avoid for the rest of my life because I love them too much! When I do eat food that is truly crap, I keep the portion size in moderation and don't do it often.

This works for me and I know it won't work for others. I try to refrain from judging anyone going about their weight loss on a different path, as we all have individual limitations and needs that have to be taken into account.

maidentl

I have seen both Supersize Me and Fathead and I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The one thing all camps seem to agree on is that processed carbs are a problem. And other than simple calorie counting, that's the main thing I worry about reducing. I have read dozens of books on diet, nutrition, fitness . . . so I can't really point to any one fact or study. It's been trial and error, taking what makes sense to me and what works for me.

Deckershann

I guess it's just the difference between ppl wanting to just lose weight vs. ppl wanting to be healthy. (I'm definitely no guru...this is just my personal...kinda jacked up point of view) Anyway, I will step right up and confess I'm not healthy...but I lose the weight. Calories in...calories out. If I want to lose weight fast...I exercise twice as many off as I eat.

Yours truly,
Young and Dumb lol

haileemou

Gawd everyone loves a good arguement on here hahaha!

I believe that not everyone is designed to follow a certain diet! ISome dont work for everyone. Personally i cant just do low calorie, it doesnt do a lot!

I eat a lot of meat, veggies, fruits...avoiding bad carbs! Carbs for me make me feel sluggish and i store them as soon as ive eaten them! Its taken me years to find out...

Oh and ofcourse excercise

adrian_indy

I've read a lot on the subject, and there are so many theories that it's easy to get confused. Here are my own conclusions.

1. Pills and drops almost never work long term.

2. Changing diet and exercise are great, but change of life style is the key to maintaining a healthy weight, (hiking, nature walks, more physical activity in general).

3. There is something to be said about 4-6 meals a day. I know people will argue about the theory that 5-6 meals a day is better than 3, but it seems to have worked for me.

4. Grains and fiber not only seem to fill me up, but curb my appetite.

5. Lift weights. Even if it's only twice a week upper/lower body.

bcattoes

So I just finished watching the documentary "Fat Head" on Netflix. I can say that while I have read a lot of things, I have never seen a movie that goes so far against what I have seen/heard/attempted to live my entire life. This is, of course, not to say that everything that went on in the movie is right, correct, or factual, but it brought up an interesting thought.

Why do you all believe in what you believe in? Right now I am mainly referring to your health/diet/food choices but the question can be translated to all parts of life. Why do you do what you do?

Paleo? HCG? Low-fat? Low-sugar? Calories in - Calories out?

Why did you all start doing what you are currently doing? Did you hear it from a friend? On TV? Read an article?

I follow this - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

as much as possible. I do it because I work in health care and I know it's evidence based. I do it because it's sensible and doesn't ask me to cut any one group of foods from my diet. But mostly I do it because it's kept me healthy for more than 20 years (I'm 50 and never been on meds, BP, lipids and organ function all fine).

stormieweather

For me, I needed to move a LOT more (sedentary lifestyle) and eat more consistantly. I used to starve myself until I couldn't stand it (or until I went out for dinner or drinks), then gorge myself.

My changes were gradual.

I started off eating breakfast when I hadn't done so my entire life. I felt much better once I got used to it.

I eliminated fast food at first simply because it was too high in calories for my limited allowance. Then I found out what fast food consists of!

I switched from processed grains to whole. This kept insulin levels from spiking and me from crashing (once I crash, I binge until the shakes are gone). Whole grains and brown rice add fiber and satiety to my diet.

I started eliminating sweeteners, focusing in on HFCS which is in every dam thing! Researching this led me to studies that indicated artificial sweeteners may cause headaches, etc. So I cut them out, because I had chronic headaches (gone now).
While researching Aspartame, I found out about MSG and excitotoxins. If even a part of what I read is true, I didn't want that in my diet. So out went MSG.

I've long believed that artificial coloring affected children's moods and hyperactivity, and I'd already eliminated much of them once I had children. I decided to completely cut them out, because really...what's the point of having chemical coloring in one's food, particularly if it was going to cause my kids to bounce off the walls?

Along the way, I decided that preservatives were not necessary in my diet, and I chose to avoid meat and dairy from animals who had been fed antibiotics or which had been inhumanely treated.

Because of nitrites possible ties to cancer, I eliminated all cured meats, eating only uncured or salt cured products.

I watched Food, Inc., Supersize Me, and several documentaries on genetically modified organisms. So I consiously began watching for GMO's and avoiding those products. I do still eat some processed foods, but try to buy the organic versions as they will be chemical free, even if processed.

It's a slow process. Google and I are buddies, and I utilize it's scholar module frequently. I don't necessarily follow anyone's "plan" - I just try to live by my own knowledge and how putting that knowledge into practice makes me feel. I want the best for my children, and as long as they are minors and I pay for their food, they'll eat what I give them. And that means no McDonalds or Coke or Twinkies or Fruit Loops.

I could give you studies to back up my decisions, but you could probably find ones to refute them. You really have to do your own research and decide what works for YOU. I feel a thousand times better now than I did before I started, and I've lost a total of 43 pounds (15 when I quit smoking, and 28 this year). I can now run 2.5 miles when six months ago, I couldn't run next door. So my choices are working just fine for me.

jmtoast

www.lylemcdonald.com if you like research based info on changing your bodycomp. Not really geared towards healthy eating.

Anyway, all diets plans are based upon one basic idea, eat less. Many use smoke and mirrors by limiting a certain macro (fat, carb, and etc.) but at the end of the day you are creating an energy deficit. Problem is people are trying to make a buck and in doing so they have to have re-invent the wheel. of course it is helpful if they can create some zealots that will sell their product for them.

alyssamiller77

Honestly, I believe that there is no one right answer and that vareity and sensibility are the most important thing. I believe this because I've researched so much about weight loss, so many different diets, strategies and approaches and each one has a doctor standing behind it saying it's true. Yet they seem to contradict eachother and make claims that they are the best approach. What I've learned from all of this is that we really don't know as much about our own bodies as we'd like to think we do. So you have to take the information from all of these different studies, diets, etc and find a way to reconcile them together into something that's more intelligible. What I've discovered doing this is that there are certain inherent truths that are not disputable but if you lock on to anyone of them and ignore the others it doesn't work either.

So I don't have a source to show you because they number in the hundreds. I've chosen not to follow any one particular diet but rather take what's common between them and just apply that to my eating habits. For me that worked great, I've lost 26 pounds in just over 2 months and I'm very happy. Others may need a more regimented process to follow and that's fine too. But what I think people need to remember is that no one diet is THE right diet. There are lots of ways to eat healthy. Your body is very intelligent and very resilliant. As long as you don't abuse it (over consuming certain types of foods for example) it will behave the way you'd like it to.

Rae6503

I eat everything in moderation. The only thing I really pay attention to is total calories and to make sure I eat at least 130 grams of protein. I eat a LOT. I lost weight while NETting around 2000 calories and eating exercise calories, so I'm pretty sure my maintenance level is about 2300. This works for me. I've lost 12lbs since May and only have 4lbs left, and I feel I look firm, fit, strong and healthy.

jacksonpt

One day about 5 years ago I was driving down a bumpy road and I could feel my boobs jiggle. That was "the moment" for me.

I did some preliminary reading online, then bought the book "The Abs Diet". It talks a lot about how your body responds to certain things, which was perfect for me (I like to know why... having a cheat sheet for what to eat when isn't enough for me). I made some changes to my diet based on what I had learned, saw results that I liked, and kept going.

I ended up losing about 40lbs, got back to where I was happy and feeling good, then slacked off a bit as life got in the way. Fast forward to a few months ago and here I am, trying to get back to where I want to be by following the same priciples I learned back when I started all this.

So why do I do what I do? Because logically the principles make sense, they are supported by SEVERAL other sources, and they work for me.

VeganGal84

I follow this - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

as much as possible. I do it because I work in health care and I know it's evidence based. I do it because it's sensible and doesn't ask me to cut any one group of foods from my diet. But mostly I do it because it's kept me healthy for more than 20 years (I'm 50 and never been on meds, BP, lipids and organ function all fine).

I love this site! Healthy and sane advice. It's pretty much what I strive to do, except that I do allow myself some unhealthy treats daily.

sh0ck

here are some studies that debunk the nonsense the Taubes et al that it is the evil carbs and insulin that make you fat

Acheson KJ, et al. Nutritional influences on lipogenesis and thermogenesis after a carbohydrate meal. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism, Jan 1, 1984; 246: E62-E70.

Hellerstein MK. De novo lipogenesis in humans: metabolic and regulatory aspects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999; 53 (Suppl 1): S53-S65.

Holt SHA, et al. An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov, 1997; 66: 5: 1264-1276.

McLaughlin T, et al. Differences in insulin resistance do not predict weight loss in response to hypocaloric diets in healthy obese women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1999; 84 (2): 578-581.

de Luis DA, et al. Differences in glycaemic status do not predict weight loss in response to hypocaloric diets in obese patients. Clinical Nutrition, Feb 2006; 25 (1): 117-122.

Due A, et al. No effect of inhibition of insulin secretion by diazoxide on weight loss in hyperinsulinaemic obese subjects during an 8-week weight-loss diet. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Jul 2007; 9 (4): 566-574.

I will see if I can get my hands on these. Thanks!

ladyphoto

i do the portion control / calorie control and exercise... and the 80% / 20% rule (eat well and exercise 80% of the time and the rest should look after itself) because it's the only way really.

after trying atkins and realising it is totally stupid to think i can carry on doing that forever, i figured i'd go with what all the big players say (ie jenny craig (portion control / calorie control, weight watchers (portion control, calorie control, and most GPs will also tell you to watch the portions and calories), so i figure that the way to go. there are no stupid ridiculous rules, you eat healthy food, you don't overeat in portions, you treat yourself, but control the portions, and exercise. More fresh unprocessed foods, less processed foods, salts and sugars.

you can have a treat without having to go through an induction phase or a detox phase and just get on with life the very next day. you can go on a holiday, have a few drinks, whatever, and get straight back into it. you can eat at other people's houses or at restaurants without having to do an hours study of the menu before ordering a lettuce and cucumber salad...

I think it's just plain logic!

Hallelujiah and amen sister! Me too- I've done Atkins til I'm blue- and it does work- absolutely- but I also can't maintain it forever because I enjoy things iike margaritas, whole wheat breads and grains- plus I am an absolute love of fruit- and staying away from it is impossible for me. *(plus- have you ever really thought about that before? no fruit? what?)

alyssamiller77

One day about 5 years ago I was driving down a bumpy road and I could feel my boobs jiggle. That was "the moment" for me.

LMAO, now that is a "wake-up" moment if I've ever heard one!!

Huskeryogi

I am a firm believer in calories in/calories out for weight loss. I think it's better for our bodies to eat less processed food but if you stay under your calories burned you can lose weight eating crap.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

I stumbled onto IF (Intermittent Fasting) on the MFP board. After doing some research (study links below) I decided that it would be a lot easier to stay within my calorie goal only eating during an 8 hour window of the day. I have failed at weight loss countless times as a forced grazer. I love that this allows me to eat a real meal (dinner) and my meals are actually more varied because there are more choices when your meal is 700-900 calories rather than 300-400.

Controlled studies showing the benefits of IF:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15741046
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16529878
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19776143?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475137

www.fitnessblackbook.com
www.leangains.com

But my favorite thing to end a post like this with is .... This is what has worked for me. I think our bodies work most the same, but psychologically everyone is different.

bcattoes

I follow this - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

as much as possible. I do it because I work in health care and I know it's evidence based. I do it because it's sensible and doesn't ask me to cut any one group of foods from my diet. But mostly I do it because it's kept me healthy for more than 20 years (I'm 50 and never been on meds, BP, lipids and organ function all fine).

I love this site! Healthy and sane advice. It's pretty much what I strive to do, except that I do allow myself some unhealthy treats daily.

Yes, I do too. In a long stemmed glass.

linsben

Im Paleo/primal. I first started it after reading the primal blueprint by Mark Sisson and then reading a lot more about Low Carb. I do it still because i believe its correct because of the difference i feel after cutting grains from my diet and eating under 100 G of carbs a day. I havent seen fathead yet but ill put it on my list of things to do!