The hardship diet: losing weight the Cuban way

nas061

Interesting story in the news today ......

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-cuban-diet-eat-less-exercise-more--and-preventable-deaths-are-halved-8566603.html

"Food and fuel were in short supply in Cuba from 1990 resulting in millions going hungry and having to abandon their vehicles and walk.

Cars and buses virtually disappeared from the roads as fuel supplies dried up, and farmers had to abandon motorised machines and work the fields manually. The Government issued one million bicycles to keep the population on the move.

Between 1990 and 1995, the average Cuban consumed fewer calories than they expended each day, leading to an average weight loss of 5kg.

Deaths from diabetes began to fall in 1996, five years after the start of the weight loss period, and remained low for six years. Deaths from heart disease and stroke which had been declining slowly since 1980 suddenly went into free fall from 1996."

april1445

What does that tell you about our obesity epidemic, right?

AllTehBeers

So walking and biking made them healthier?


Nahhhh.....

cleback

Interesting... A silver lining I guess?

Too bad people can't be depended on to make those choices w/o severe economic depression...

myofibril

What does that tell you about our obesity epidemic, right?

That it's mostly due to environmental factors.

theCarlton

When your country's dictator is starving you and then someone comes along and thinks "This is actually good for you!" - that's messed up. Just knowing friends who got out of Cuba and knowing they left because they were hungry and their government wasn't providing them enough of the basics - that kills me. This article is awful.

LoraF83

Well, if the "hardship diet" is good for weight loss, imagine how great the famine and disease diet is.......


:noway:

toaster6

More calories expended than consumed= weight loss. Why is this news?

gabiinacio

The fact that these people were basically forced to starve and exercise is beyond me. I'm sure no one sat around and said "Hey I lost 10lbs because I havent eaten, Oh I'm so happy". It makes sense that they would be "healthier" and fit because of their economy and the way they have to do things. I'd much rather live in our "obese" world. I would not want my children to starve or go hungry. Even if our food might not be the best choices, they are choices we have none the less.

RushBabe214

When your country's dictator is starving you and then someone comes along and thinks "This is actually good for you!" - that's messed up. Just knowing friends who got out of Cuba and knowing they left because they were hungry and their government wasn't providing them enough of the basics - that kills me. This article is awful.

^This.

We'll just call it The Dictator Diet....

peggysue218

Between 1990 and 1995, the average Cuban consumed fewer calories than they expended each day, leading to an average weight loss of 5kg.

I wonder what the TDEE-20% (eat more or you won't lose weight) fanatics have to say about this. Oh, I guess they could claim that the weight loss was "lean" body mass. I'm pretty sure these people were dropping fat like crazy. I've always been wary of posting this in the forums, but I often think of the concentration camp victims and how they ate VERY little and worked from dawn 'til dusk. I didn't see any overweight people leaving those camps. Oh, and before I get attacked, I agree that forced starvation and labor are horrible. Voluntary "starvation" and exercise... not so much.

ctalimenti

Between 1990 and 1995, the average Cuban consumed fewer calories than they expended each day, leading to an average weight loss of 5kg.

I wonder what the TDEE-20% (eat more or you won't lose weight) fanatics have to say about this. Oh, I guess they could claim that the weight loss was "lean" body mass. I'm pretty sure these people were dropping fat like crazy. I've always been wary of posting this in the forums, but I often think of the concentration camp victims and how they ate VERY little and worked from dawn 'til dusk. I didn't see any overweight people leaving those camps. Oh, and before I get attacked, I agree that forced starvation and labor are horrible. Voluntary "starvation" and exercise... not so much.

Got a point there! I won't knock you.

I've also read too many success stories on this forum where high blood pressure and diabetes disappear once the weight is off. What about joint problems (knees) and knee replacements, etc. We can't run around indefinitely with all that weight on us and not have any negative effects from it.

ctalimenti

This part of the article sums it up well:

The international team of researchers from Spain, the US and Cuba, say that the "Cuban experience" from 1980 to 2010 demonstrates that within a relatively short period, modest weight loss in the whole population can have a profound effect.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, they say that although their findings are an extrapolation from one country's experience, they nonetheless provide "a notable illustration of the potential health benefits of reversing the global obesity epidemic."

BurtHuttz

I wonder what the TDEE-20% (eat more or you won't lose weight) fanatics have to say about this. Oh, I guess they could claim that the weight loss was "lean" body mass. I'm pretty sure these people were dropping fat like crazy. I've always been wary of posting this in the forums, but I often think of the concentration camp victims and how they ate VERY little and worked from dawn 'til dusk. I didn't see any overweight people leaving those camps. Oh, and before I get attacked, I agree that forced starvation and labor are horrible. Voluntary "starvation" and exercise... not so much.

I imagine that they would agree with you that concentration camp victims didn't eat enough and that forced starvation and labor are horrible.

DavPul

Between 1990 and 1995, the average Cuban consumed fewer calories than they expended each day, leading to an average weight loss of 5kg.

Deaths from diabetes began to fall in 1996, five years after the start of the weight loss period, and remained low for six years. Deaths from heart disease and stroke which had been declining slowly since 1980 suddenly went into free fall from 1996, while deaths from malnutrition increased by 500% and the average lifespan of Cubans decreased overall

Fixed

Izzwoz

Between 1990 and 1995, the average Cuban consumed fewer calories than they expended each day, leading to an average weight loss of 5kg.

I wonder what the TDEE-20% (eat more or you won't lose weight) fanatics have to say about this. Oh, I guess they could claim that the weight loss was "lean" body mass. I'm pretty sure these people were dropping fat like crazy. I've always been wary of posting this in the forums, but I often think of the concentration camp victims and how they ate VERY little and worked from dawn 'til dusk. I didn't see any overweight people leaving those camps. Oh, and before I get attacked, I agree that forced starvation and labor are horrible. Voluntary "starvation" and exercise... not so much.

Please tell me you're trying to be funny here.

_noob_

call me crazy, but I want to live in a country where the poor have problems with being overweight.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

I wonder what the TDEE-20% (eat more or you won't lose weight) fanatics have to say about this. Oh, I guess they could claim that the weight loss was "lean" body mass. I'm pretty sure these people were dropping fat like crazy. I've always been wary of posting this in the forums, but I often think of the concentration camp victims and how they ate VERY little and worked from dawn 'til dusk. I didn't see any overweight people leaving those camps. Oh, and before I get attacked, I agree that forced starvation and labor are horrible. Voluntary "starvation" and exercise... not so much.

I imagine that they would agree with you that concentration camp victims didn't eat enough and that forced starvation and labor are horrible.

Exactly.

This is awful. Glorifying starvation and looking at the bright side of an abusive totalitarian regime like this article does and then contrasting it to TDEE-20% is a complete non sequitur.

iulia_maddie

So..we are now using the forced starvation of a whole country as a way to justify our diet choices? Cool beans.
I wish people who never went through one day of poverty in their lives would stop trying to find the "silver linings" in it.

DontStopB_Leakin

call me crazy, but I want to live in a country where the poor have problems with being overweight.

Same.

DavPul

I wonder what the TDEE-20% (eat more or you won't lose weight) fanatics have to say about this. Oh, I guess they could claim that the weight loss was "lean" body mass. I'm pretty sure these people were dropping fat like crazy. I've always been wary of posting this in the forums, but I often think of the concentration camp victims and how they ate VERY little and worked from dawn 'til dusk. I didn't see any overweight people leaving those camps. Oh, and before I get attacked, I agree that forced starvation and labor are horrible. Voluntary "starvation" and exercise... not so much.

Yes, one should be wary about posting pro starvation, pro concentrate camp posts in the forums. You've only posted a handful of times since you've been here and I'm afraid to check your post history for fear that some of your other posts are as stupid and offensive as this one. Perhaps you should follow your instincts and never post again.

Thanks for stopping by and best of luck on your voluntary starvation journey