Diet...what is right, and why should I believe you?

Boy, do I feel your pain. I don't have a good answer for you, but I know that numbers don't lie. There are tons of people on here that all have different plans that have led them to success. Some people swear by not eating breakfast. So eat is religiously (like me). I eat at night as well.

There is one truth, though, Dawn: Ultimately, weight loss always comes down to the numbers. If you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight. That is the truth. 3300 calories is about a pound of weight in fat. If you can find a plan where you constantly (and HEALTHILY) eat less than you burn, you will lose weight.

One big thing I've learned is your diet is crucial! I used to work out like crazy, but always wonder why I wasn't losing any weight. It was because I was eating wayy more than I was burning. Once I really started using myfitnesspal, religiously tracking my calorie intake and being honest with myself, I started to see results.

GREAT QUESTION...

I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER. AND ALSO ITS ABOUT LISTENING TO YOUR BODY AS FAR AS HUNGER. AND WHAT MAY WORK FOR ME, MAY NOT WORK FOR YOU. OR HIM. OR HER.

BUT I LOVE THIS QUESTION!! :drinker:

I can't speak on the breakfast part, I don't think it matters, but I can't say for sure. I have both skipped breakfast and been fine until much later in the day and eaten breakfast first thing (normally protein shake) and not been hungry until lunch, and even then not that hungry. It really boils down (in my opinion of course) to whatever you train your body to accept and become accustom to doing.

Eating after 8 or 9 or whenever...that doesn't matter, at least not for me, I lose anywhere between 1.5 to 4 lbs per night with just 4-6 hours of sleep, and more when I sleep longer. Highest "burn rate" while sleeping is 5 lbs, but that was after I "gained" 8.4 lbs during the day. I have charted it for kicks and giggles and found it really interesting. Weigh every night right before bed, and weigh every morning right after I wake up. I am a late night nibbler. I always have the calories remaining for the day so I use them. Edited to clarify: I weigh myself everyday, twice a day. I will gain a 2-4 lbs during the day on good days, but normally burn most if not all and more during the night while I'm sleeping. In other words, I'm not "losing" weight every night, but body weight fluctuates a lot during the day, and while you're sleeping you are giving your body time to process and burn what you've put it in during the day without adding anything else.

Now muscle and fat...I know muscle weights "more" than fat, and by that I mean that muscle is denser than fat, so the same volume of muscle will weigh more than the same volume of fat. In other words, if you put 10 lbs of muscle on the table and 10 lbs of fat, they both weigh 10 lbs, this is true, but the 10 lbs of muscle is going to be smaller than the 10 lbs of fat. Exactly as a ton of lead weight is going to take up soo much less room than a ton of feathers. Can you imagine how many feathers you would need to weigh a ton?

Well, here's how I filter things out :

Dieting industry in US alone is well over 90 billions US dollar industry last year. People don't give a **** if you succeed, in fact it's probably better if you don't, as long as you pay. So keep that in mind while you read around...

I will try to find it back, but I read a really nice blog from a medicine student that's very active on Fitocracy, and he had a pretty nice analogy that relates to most of the things you mentioned : Death by sand. The analogy is that if you were to fill a jar with as many things as you can, Big rocks, small rocks, sand and water, it's not a very good idea to start with sand or water... That's basically what most people approaching diets do, focus on random crap they read about breakfast, 6 meals a day, ketosis and a lot of other things that truly is very insignificant at that phase of their journey.

So yeah, keep an open mind when you read things, but always wonder if someone is trying to sell you something, if someone is promising results fast and with no efforts, or if someone is trying to impose an insignificant finely grained controversial bit of wisdom that doesn't necessarily apply to you at this point of your journey.

Basically, you shouldn't believe much then

Focus on getting back to basis, moving your life around that new journey of yours, and making big changes with significant impacts, like analyzing your grocery list, your meals planning to avoid going because of a lack of planification, or laziness, maybe taking a real nice look on your sleep habits, seeing where you can fit social fitness activities that you are likely to sustain for a while, etc. The big rocks in the jar, basically

Make sensible choices every time you can and log everything aggressively. This way you have data to refer back to, and can fine tune your diet from there. I have lost 50 pounds and still don't really know what works, but I know what doesn't. And worrying about meal timing, carb counting or the philosophical implications of skipping breakfast without making the significant changes I mentioned certainly fit that category.

Good luck!

I'm right.

I do eat breakfast, but only because I'm hungry in the morning.

I eat at night if I still have calories to spare.

I exercise from once to four times a week. Nothing too consistent. But I'm more active in general.

I eat carbs, though they are whole grains and veggies.

I don't eat Twinkies, or other junk food or fast food. Though I had a s'more last week.

I don't drink soda. I have a beer once in a while.

I measure and weigh my food.

I may be forgetting something, but basically, I eat better and less, and I got off my butt.

My 62 pound loss is since Jan 4. I'm happy.

Try not to get overwhelmed by all of the conflicting information out there. Make small changes continually and eventually it will all start making sense in a way that works for you. I was on a weight loss journey 6 years ago (back at it because I ended up injured for quite some time) that looked very different from the one I'm on now as far as food and nutrition goes. The first time I cut a lot of fast food and junk food and added water. This time I've spent a lot more time focusing on healthy eating and a lot more discipline when it comes to food.

I do not have any way to prove anything, but the purpose of eating breakfast is because your body basically shuts down over night so breakfast is a way to kick start your metabolism for the day and eating something small every 2-3 hours helps keep your metabolism working more consistently throughout the day as opposed to starting and stopping constantly. The reason for not eating in the evenings is because we tend to be less active in the evenings and this gives our bodies more time to get rid of the calories that we've taken in that day and this way you will be hungry and want breakfast in the morning. I also find that if I eat breakfast, I tend to eat less food throughout the day and snack a lot less on anything other than my planned snacks.

I don't remember what the other conflicts said so I will stop there...take it for what it is. If it's helpful great, if not that's for you to decide.

Well, maybe my pictures will tell the truth http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/732679-what-the-venus-index-workout-did-for-me-with-pics

I don't eat breakfast. Sometimes I skip lunch or dinner. Sometimes I eat all three. Someones I only have one meal a day. Some days I eat high calories (for me, I'm small) and other days I eat low calories.

I love food. I only eat food that tastes good. My calorie budget is too precious to waste on crappy food.

Being thin is all about enjoying life, being happy with yourself, being fit and functional, being healthy, but most of all being HAPPY and having a golden life.

Because of what I have achieved I don't let anyone pressure me to eat. I DECIDE. If I want birthday cake at a party it's because I DECIDE. I own my body. Me and no one else. If I don't want birthday cake at a birthday party then that is fine to. I will no longer allow anyone else to make this choice for me.

And I respect my husbands eating habits better now too. I used to get mad when he didn't finish his plate. I worked hard to cook the food after all. I used to get mad if he skipped breakfast or went all day without eating. Well guess what, his weight has not fluctuated more than 10 lbs since he was 19 (we are both early 50's). He always had a natural tendency to regulate himself by taking a break from eating sometimes. Now I never get mad at him. He DECIDES. He owns his body and what goes in it. And if he does not finish his plate well so be it, I scrape off what's left into the garbage can and say "That's right, your body is not the garbage can!"

I wish you the best of luck!

Try not to let it get too complicated in your head. I try to bear in mind the line from Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma: Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

Eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, and then protein and carbs in moderation. Move more, doing something you enjoy so that you will do it for the rest of your life. Don't think of this as a "diet" or something you are doing just until you lose the weight. Think of it as a lifestyle change, that you are becoming an active person who eats healthy food. Although I have a lot of weight left to lose, I already feel like I have been successful because this lifestyle feels very natural to me now. I exercise almost every day, I have so much more energy, I enjoy running around with my kids, I don't feel deprived because I'm eating delicious foods, it is just delicious healthy foods instead of foods that would be bad for my body. Try to keep it simple and do what works for you, because you are the one who has to live it.

I once watched a stand-up comedian and I believe his weight loss tip was the best I have ever heard:

Always remember: Your mouth-hole is bigger than your arsehole.