Don't eat proteins and carbs in the same meal?

SherryTeach

I recently have started the Hay diet. Basically you eat protein with neutral foods but no starches/sugars and you eat starches/sugars with neutral foods but no protein. I have tried this for a couple of days and am already seeing the scale go down. I have had issues with losing weight and have been on many different diets.... Atkin's, Sugar busters, cabbage soup diet (thought I was gonna die with this one...lol), and have even lowered my calories to 1200 and still my weight didn't want to leave. I find that with the Hay diet I am more satisfied and my stomach doesn't give me grief like it would if I had meatloaf w/potatoes. For dinner last night, I enjoyed a baked potato with butter and a salad with onions, tomatoes and carrots with ranch dressing. I felt full and I felt like I cheated until I saw the scale this morning... it actually went down .2 lbs. Not to mention my midnight snack that was a bowl of cereal w/milk. I had my protein for lunch.

Protein takes 4 hours to digest and carbs take 2 hours to digest but when eaten together it can take up to 13 hours to digest. No wonder people get heartburn and upset stomachs when eating protein and starches together. I really find this an amazing way to eat and it's something that I believe I can stick with for life. Has anyone else tried this way of eating? If so, what have been your results and experiences from it?

I'm pretty sure that hot Italian men are eating spaghetti and meatballs together with no ill effects.

dbmata

They Hay Diet was developed in the 1920's. It was one of several food-combining diets. These have been the subject of one peer-reviewed randomized clinical trial, which found no benefit from the diet in terms of weight loss.

"In summary at identical energy intake and similar substrate composition, the dissociated (or 'food combining') diet did not bring any additional loss in weight and body fat."

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10805507

Excellent, thank you.

So in absence of conflicting data, this proves that food combining diets are bro-science. Or, as they say in the moving pictures, BS.

ETA - I had kahlua pork and mac salad for dinner tonight.

angleu

This thread has gotten ridiculous. I feel bad for the OP, while I'm sure half of you are just trying to be helpful some are just down right being rude. Did some of you suddenly forget where you started and how many things you tried to just lose the weight? like I do agree she could eat more, not worry about food combining but she never asked anyone what we thought about it, she asked has anyone tried it...9 pages later. Geez

fitter52

I had trouble losing weight no matter what I did. So I went to an exercise physiologist/nutritionist to be evaluated. My BMR was 1800 but I was doing weight watchers at 18 points (900 calories plus raw veggies at the time). I increased my calories and matched the time of day I USE the calories. I changed my exercise to more continuous cardio alternating days with strength training. That worked for me at the time but I got a hip injury and fell off the wagon. Now I'm ready to start again. As far as food goes, weigh and record everything so you are really accountable for what you eat. Sugar, fat, and salt creep in everywhere. I never did unusual food combining but it may work at first because change often is enough to make the scale move but I would doubt it would be more effective than a diet of lean protein, fruit and vegetables, nuts and legumes, healthy oils, and a moderate amount of whole grains over the long haul.

Good luck!

Karen

fit4lifeUcan2

I had trouble losing weight no matter what I did. So I went to an exercise physiologist/nutritionist to be evaluated. My BMR was 1800 but I was doing weight watchers at 18 points (900 calories plus raw veggies at the time). I increased my calories and matched the time of day I USE the calories. I changed my exercise to more continuous cardio alternating days with strength training. That worked for me at the time but I got a hip injury and fell off the wagon. Now I'm ready to start again. As far as food goes, weigh and record everything so you are really accountable for what you eat. Sugar, fat, and salt creep in everywhere. I never did unusual food combining but it may work at first because change often is enough to make the scale move but I would doubt it would be more effective than a diet of lean protein, fruit and vegetables, nuts and legumes, healthy oils, and a moderate amount of whole grains over the long haul.

Good luck!

Karen

WW only goes as low as 26 points. Plus you get extra weekly points and any points you earn from exercise. PLUS your fruits and veggies are zero points.

RhonndaJ

To the OP, others have said it well that there is no scientific backup to the diet you've chosen to follow.

That said, weight loss isn't all about science, it sounds like you're eating healthy and it's working for you. So bravo. I hope it continues to do so.

Personally, I need to eat a balance of protein with carbs/starches or I turn into a miserable so and so.

paperpudding

My BMI is UNDER what it should be because of the way I eat and take care of my body. I know I'm extremely healthy, and love the energy I get from the way I eat, work out and CLEANSE, yes, cleanse, on a routine basis.

If you can say the same, then great. If you can't, then maybe you should be a little more open-minded.

Putting aside the wisdom or otherwise of cleansing - why is it so great to be under your BMI??
The aim for most people should be to get within their healthy BMI range - yes I know body builders and the like will be healthy but have BMI's over of the range but that isnt most of us.

I dont think being underweight is healthy.


Also, whilst I understand where PP's are coming from telling OP if it works for her, that's great - that's fine in theory - but reality isn't that this is working for OP at all - she has just started on it and has lost 0.2 lb.
I know the aim of MFP is to lose weight slowly and steadily - but surely no-one could claim a 0.2lb loss is being successful.
As yet she doesnt really know whether it will work or not - let alone whether she can sustain it for long.


OP I wish you all the best with your weight loss journey - but I must agree with the others, this plan seems to be setting you up for failure, just like all the other unsustainable fad plans you have been on.

thecakelocker

NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN - disclaimer

OP, the people talking about deficits aren't trying to tell you to eat less. They're trying to point out that 1800 calories IS a deficit for you, and since you have a significant amount of weight to lose 2000 calories would probably still be a deficit. By switching to this Hays diet you have begun eating at a reasonable deficit instead of trying to starve your weight off.

If you begin losing weight at 1800 calories, it is because 1800 calories is a reasonable deficit that isn't overly stressing your body. There's really no need to stress yourself over separating types of foods.

abhiphull

i haven't tried but i am curious to try it out. The way ones eat plays an important role. With less calories too a person can feel full depending upon if he is eating the right food.

nicsflyingcircus

I eat proteins and carbs together and I've lost almost 40 pounds since May of last year. Am I a special snowflake then?

I'm a special snowflake. I've lost 50lbs since mid-April (started at 375, no crazy fad, just making good choices and eating balanced). Shockingly, I almost always eat carbs with proteins, much as I'd sometimes like to just eat ALL the steak.

OP is not eating cereal with milk mixing carbs and protein?

Edit: Doh! Didn't realize this was such an old thread when I posted.

6ftamazon

Food Combining is NOT a diet.... it's a healthy way to eat. Your body uses different chemicals to digest different kinds of food, so when you combine the wrong things.... digestion can take longer because you have chemicals fighting each other. I work with a girl who has been eating like this for years. It doesnt make her skinny, but she doesnt have digestion problems. There are many books on food combining in the library if anyone would care to learn about it, instead of bashing someone for trying it. I think its a great way to eat, but I cant eat like that all the time. There IS one thing I learned and do implement in my eating..... fruit doesnt combine with any other food and should be eaten on an empty stomach. Think about it.... if you eat a normal dinner, then follow it with a fruit cup.... the fruit will start to rot in your stomach before it gets digested because the meal is trying to be digested and take much longer.

Again.... food combining is not a diet, but it's definitely better for your digestion.

Lol what? The explain to me how my blood sugars go high 5 minutes after eating fruit or any carb, no matter what I eat with it if I don't take my insulin? It's BS. Your digestion process begins in the mouth when you start chewing. By the time your food enters your stomach, it's one big ball of mush, no matter if you did or didn't combine proteins and carbs.

Holy basic biology.

paperpudding

i haven't tried but i am curious to try it out. The way ones eat plays an important role. With less calories too a person can feel full depending upon if he is eating the right food.

Could somebody please explain why posters use their first post resurrecting long dead threads????.

redversustheblue

i haven't tried but i am curious to try it out. The way ones eat plays an important role. With less calories too a person can feel full depending upon if he is eating the right food.

Could somebody please explain why posters use their first post resurrecting long dead threads????.

I would guess that they're actually trying to be good by using the search function instead of posting a new topic, but then don't check the date it was posted. There have been times when I've searched for something and the only things that came up were quite old posts.

Aero1dynamic

Do what's right for you. If this kind of eating satisfies you, physically/mentally, then all the more power to you and I wish you well. As long as you're hitting your calories/fats/protein etc etc etc, who cares HOW you did it??
Good luck with your goals!!


I laughed seeing how old this was AFTER replying.