The dumbest diet you ever tried?
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I've never been on any fad diets except possibly South Beach. Have been successful at weight loss many times, but always gained some or all of it back. The problem was embracing the word DIET. Never sunk in that it should be a lifestyle change, forever, instead of a diet, that has an endpoint. Keeping up the healthy habits, not reverting back to old habits when goal reached.
South beach isn't really fad like, when one considers the principles. In fact, my lifestyle and my diet (which doesn't have an end point) pretty much mirrors phase 3 of South Beach.
The only way it is fad like is that it was popular, much like MFP is popular now.
It really isn't.
It's stigmatized right along with Atkins, which is the forerunner for South Beach and resembles it a lot in the later stages (yes folks, Atkins has stages and is not the bacon and cheeseburger diet). With some of the plans roasted in this thread the problem isn't the dietary approach itself, it's how people misuse and misinterpret the approach.0 -
veronakings wrote: »abc diet
so ashamed. my parents did the cabbage soup diet when I was a kid. so gross. 
I had to look up the ABC diet I didn't know what it was. I KEPT thinking it was the Already Been Chewed diet. Clearly I'm still in 3rd grade.
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Lupercalia wrote: »Uh, I made up my own very low fat/very low carb diet. It is now known as the Faileo diet, because that's what it was. Epic fail! I lost weight, but I was absolutely miserable--total ***** to be around.
Hahaha!0 -
The first, maybe. But phase 2 is just a healthy diet for losing weight.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »I've never been on any fad diets except possibly South Beach. Have been successful at weight loss many times, but always gained some or all of it back. The problem was embracing the word DIET. Never sunk in that it should be a lifestyle change, forever, instead of a diet, that has an endpoint. Keeping up the healthy habits, not reverting back to old habits when goal reached.
South beach isn't really fad like, when one considers the principles. In fact, my lifestyle and my diet (which doesn't have an end point) pretty much mirrors phase 3 of South Beach.
The only way it is fad like is that it was popular, much like MFP is popular now.
Yeah, that's why I said "possibly", because it's a fad in it's popularity aspect, but in the third phase it's a basic healthy approach to eating. I felt the first 2 phases to kick start were more of the fad aspect.
I often recommend it for folks starting out who haven't a clue how to eat. It's healthy and balanced, and not very restrictive except for the optional phase 1. Which I think can be very useful for a lot of folks who eat lots of sugary crap.
but yes, it was a popular diet for a while there, so sure, I'll go with fad in that respect. But it's nothing like any of the other stuff mentioned here: cabbage soup etc.
cheers
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Oh god...there are so many stupid stuff i did but mostly starving/very low calorie. I tried eating nothing but yogurt for awhile and surprise! I lost weight. Then i outright starved myself and would only eat a meal after i lost a pound. So if i was 200 i would eat and then never eat again until i was 199. Then the same for the next pound and the next
I feel like if i didn't discover fitness pal i could've died. So stupid0 -
The weirdest/worst diet I tried was the Special K diet-thing ... but I was on Pinterest and someone reflagged something that claimed if you had a drink of cinnamon and honey before bed, you'd lose weight.
Cracks me up!0 -
I decided to just eat yogurt and soup for days one time....why? I don't know haha
Tried Xenadrin....felt like I was on a stress test
Tried Relacore....dumb
The usual try to lose weight quick crap that doesn't work.0 -
I've tried a few as well that just didn't work and ended up cheating or gaining it all back.
The lemon and cayenne pepper diet- I took the subway to work and climbing stairs became the hardest thing I had to do everyday. I was light-headed and thought I'd pass out if I had to climb any more.
The eating all i want diet, South beach diet
I was on Jenny Craig and lost 10kgs (22lbs) but that was too expensive to sustain and stopped it. I gained all the weight back plus some.
In high school I ate half a slice of toast for breakfast, nothing for lunch and came home to that dry half slice of toast...I don't know what I was thinking!
appetite suppresants, eating no breakfast or lunch0 -
I have to say, this thread has been a real eye opener for me. Thanks folks.0
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A couple of years ago I did the HCG diet. I had to inject myself daily with HCG and eat 500 calories a day. I lost a couple of pounds and I believe it wrecked my metabolism. It should be banned.
Yes ... but unfortunately there are tons of desperate people which fuels the multi billion dollar a year weight loss industry. The HCG diet is one of the worst ideas yet. As long as there is money to be made .. these bogus diets will continue.
I love how the HCG diet says "you will not lose with just taking the drops", well of course not ... cause you are starving yourself on 500 calories a day, and that is really what is doing it.0 -
I've never really had a dumb diet except the time I ate almost entirely bananas, only a few greens and other vegetables and did heavy squats. I had the worst soreness and it wouldn't go away for 5 days or so. I had a personal trainer and he was giving me a normal load it's just I didn't have the protein in my diet to repair the muscles. I switched to eating Swiss cheese and eggs with fruits and vegetables and I felt great and improved a lot on my lifts.0
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Going "on a diet" at all - instead of permanently changing my habits/lifestyle...thank you MFP...I finally get it.0
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Iwishyouwell wrote: »Iwishyouwell wrote: »vinegar_husbands wrote: »action_figure wrote: »Keto. Absolutely moronic. I lost 90 lbs, and then gained 140 back just as fast.
Thank goodness someone is calling BS on keto. How on earth does someone expect themselves to be healthy and wrap bacon in everything?
Keto isn't the "wrap bacon in everything" diet. If you think that, some rudimentary education on the basic tenants of the approach would be helpful.
The person who lost 90 and gained back 140 did so because they over consumed beyond their TDEE to the tune 140 pounds. It had nothing to do with being on Keto. Most people who lost weight, and then rebounded, weren't on keto.
If you'd like to know how people function long term, check epileptics. Many of them have to stick to a keto diet because the diet is a damn near miracle for symptoms and seizure relief. Others do maintain long term, and are neither miserable nor do they spend their time wrapping bacon in everything.
it works for them because it inhibits brain activity. clue #1 that it is not right for the general public. the human brain does not like ketones very much, it'll use them if glucose is unavailable and you can survive but it is NOT a good long term diet for the general population.
i have epilepsy and i tried keto for a few days.. my cognitive function went way the heck down, i couldn't think my way out of a wet paper bags. my brain likes carbohydrates and anticonvulsants!
Do you realize that after the body becomes adapted to a low carbohydrate intake, and more acclimated to ketosis, many people report improved and sustainable energy? Back in my low carb days, when I first started, I felt the exact same way you did. Until I didn't. The kind of initial reaction is normal and expected, and every approach that deals with low carb intake warns of the transition. A "few days" tells you nothing.
And it "NOT a good long term diet for the general population"? How'd you arrive to that conclusion. What's the criteria for a "good long term diet", especially since macronutrient percentages change sometimes quite radically depending on what food culture you're born into. Who is the "general population"?
the general population is "most people, who do not have a condition in which ketosis is favourable". criteria for good long term diet is a diet you can sustain for life without negative health consequences, and preferably with positive health consequences.
i get all these ideas from reading. i completely agree macronutrient ratios can vary widely and the body can adapt to most of them. what works for one person will not work for another. a long term state of ketosis is unfavourable because that's not how the body is designed to work. it's designed to operate within a thin window of pH (ketosis can lead to excess acidity, and the body has to then work harder to keep it in check). the brain is meant to process glucose, not ketones. ketones are an emergency backup.
my conclusion was the culmination of a lot of reading i've done from multiple sources. how about you?
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I love this thread! I tried Lindora twice. What a waste of money. I tell everyone about MFP. Free and it works!0
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Slim Fast drinks. It was dumb as I had gained weight because my thyroid had failed and I didn't even know it so the drinks didn't help at all and they are expensive/heavily to carry. It also was dumb as it wasn't filling so I just starved doing it. I'm too old to starve now I have to have food and frankly I enjoy it.0
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rosehips60 wrote: »Atkins for sure, the day I was literally salivating over a bunch of bananas I realized I was bananas and dropped it.
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So so so many
Slimfast. Only deciding I would have 3 slimfasts a day and skip the 600 cal meal.
Atkins as a vegetarian?
The weird one from the 90s where you eat all bananas one day, red meat the next then days of other random food groups. Or the cabbage soup diet. They may have been the same diet actually
Or the 5:2 diet only I decided Id go for 500 cals for 5 days and not fast for 2.
I actually lost 3 stone the 1st time I did cambridge and kept it off for a year after returning to normal eating but the next time I tried exploded and binged on everything in sight after 8 days when the realisation hit me I had months in front of me on 3 shakes a day. Didnt stop me from trying it or Slim & Save (budget online cambridge) at least 4 more times. Because clearly I dont learn fast.
This time I am trying to get it right. I am reading and learning about nutrition and exercise. Giving myself a sensible sustainable calorie deficit, a long term goal because I cant lose it in a week and treats on a regular basis. Hoping this time it will stick but even if I derail I will come back here because I am not doing all that mental shizz ever again0 -
Bless you all! The things we've done to ourselves; and then the guilt because we 'failed!' Too bad we can't sue all the pr$$ks that make money off of people's misery!
Counting, weighing, and eating my macros works for me: what an education!0 -
maoribadger wrote: »So so so many
Slimfast. Only deciding I would have 3 slimfasts a day and skip the 600 cal meal.
Atkins as a vegetarian?
The weird one from the 90s where you eat all bananas one day, red meat the next then days of other random food groups. Or the cabbage soup diet. They may have been the same diet actually
Or the 5:2 diet only I decided Id go for 500 cals for 5 days and not fast for 2.
I actually lost 3 stone the 1st time I did cambridge and kept it off for a year after returning to normal eating but the next time I tried exploded and binged on everything in sight after 8 days when the realisation hit me I had months in front of me on 3 shakes a day. Didnt stop me from trying it or Slim & Save (budget online cambridge) at least 4 more times. Because clearly I dont learn fast.
This time I am trying to get it right. I am reading and learning about nutrition and exercise. Giving myself a sensible sustainable calorie deficit, a long term goal because I cant lose it in a week and treats on a regular basis. Hoping this time it will stick but even if I derail I will come back here because I am not doing all that mental shizz ever again
Atkins as a vegetarian? What did you eat?!
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