I have a nutrition theory. What do you think?

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MGwasp
MGwasp Posts: 16
in Food and Nutrition
I am a pear shaped woman. I have tried Atkins, low carb, and the Paleo diets. In both cases, I initially lost weight and then, without changing anything or cheating, I gained it back. In every case I was accused of cheating or eating more that I should to cause the weight gain. The last time I measured, weighed, and journaled each and every morsel. Nothing had changed form the beginning through when the weight started coming back on. Whenever I added carbs back in though, I lost weight faster. I set about trying to figure out why.

I have talked to many doctors in my job. I routinely ask which nutrition plan they advise. I have had more answers than I have fingers but i have noticed a few things of interest. Doctors that deal with many diabetics or gain weight in the midsection (apples), by and large, prescribe low carb diets. Doctors that have more of a pear shape tend to lean more toward a lower calorie but higher carb diet. Those with what I call runner bodies, tend to lean more to the closer to vegetarian, ie low meat, diets. All of them swear by their plan and are not fans of the others.

So, here is my theory. It is just that and is just observational and not scientifically proven. I believe that apples will lose faster on a low carb diet due to the fact they they are more prone to having a higher insulin response to food. Insulin causes weight gain so by reducing the insulin response they should see great results. Pears, on the other hand, have negligible insulin response, compared to apples, as seen by a much lower diabetic rate for this body type. Reducing carbs for these people will not show the insulin drops that apples see and therefore the result will be harder to attain. In addition, I believe that these people need a more balanced diet so that they can keep their metabolism reved up. Runner type bodies don't usually attain huge muscle mass. Their protein requirements are therefore not as great as people who gain large muscles instead of the long lean runner type. I think that they can achieve their weight loss with more vegetarian that other body types.

What do you think? As I said, this is just based on observation and also at watching my friends and family and what works for each of them. I would love to see a study on this though.
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Replies

  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    I think... no
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    I think... no

    ^This. If you go through the numerous success stories, you'll find plenty of pear shaped people who have had success. their success varies too - weight amount loss/gained, time frames of their goals, etc.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    Or. You could eat less and move more.
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Or. You could eat less and move more.

    Yeah. This.
  • DragonSquatter
    DragonSquatter Posts: 957 Member
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    Don't overcomplicate something simple.

    Eat well. Get moving. Be consistent. Be patient. See progress.
  • youngcaseyr
    youngcaseyr Posts: 293 Member
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    I think it's true that everyone loses weight differently and, while some diet and exercise programs work for some people, or even a lot of people, it is not guaranteed to work for everyone on the same level. I don't believe that a person can be genetically pre-destined to be fat, but it may be harder for them to lose weight or to lose fat by eating certain items or doing certain exercises than it will be for others. And, honestly, if a person is not committed to their diet and exercise then they will not see results and they need to find something that they CAN and WILL commit to. But, on the same notion, everyone is capable of losing weight as long as there is a calorie deficit- no matter what they eat. True, that weight loss and fitness will be different for a person who eats 1500 calories of fast food and sweets than a person who eats fruits and veggies and lean proteins and whole grains, but weight will be lost. Whether weight is lost from muscle or fat also depends on the diet and fitness regimen.
  • JDHINAZ
    JDHINAZ Posts: 641 Member
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    I've read articles that said the same thing about your theory, and had one doctor tell me to go low carb/sugar to control my pre-diabetes, but it's just not something I can stick with . BTW, I'm an apple.
  • notdebby
    notdebby Posts: 58
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    I think it's altogether possible. There are 4 people in my family. My husband and daughter are both solid and muscular but gain most of their weight in their belly region. My son and I are both very small framed and have what you referred to as the runner body. In fact, I ran the mile and two mile in high school for our track team. Though in recent years I have gained weight because of bad food choices and not moving enough. Also, my weight tends to be all over when I gain.

    We'd been following a flexitarian diet for a while. But then my husband started getting really sick and after going to see the doctor, he was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. He was put on a very low carb diet and since I had some weight to lose myself I decided to try it. Initially I did well but after a couple of weeks, I started getting really sick. I was told to hold out because it was probably just low carb flu so I did my best to hold out for another 2 or 3 weeks but I got to feeling so very bad that I just couldn't do it any longer.

    Recently I've been doing more of the flexitarian thing again but without all the processed stuff during the day and having the same thing as my husband at dinner. I'm having a little dairy but no meat in the morning and both my lunch and snack are vegan. The only time I'm eating meat, and I'm trying to keep that to 4 oz is at dinner. But I'm finding that I can see a marked decrease in my energy level right after dinner. Also, I wake up every morning feeling like crap. I've decided that I'm going to basically have to fix one dinner for my husband and daughter and one for my son and me because this low carb, high fat, moderate protein thing just ain't working for my son and me. I don't want to give up meat altogether but 2 oz on a salad may just be all I can handle at a time. My son says that eating meat makes him feel bad too.

    So yeah, what you've lined out seems to fit perfectly with the dynamics of my family.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
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    Every one is going to be different, but it really does come down to calories. I'm very pear shaped and I started my weight loss last fall in a size 14 jeans. I did alternate day intermittent fasting (a different way of restricting calories, with low calorie 'fasting' days), and fast forward to today-I'm wearing a size 4 jeans and can wear size 2 shorts/size 0 skirts. The only thing I did was restrict my calories, albeit in an unconventional way :) I also did absolutely no exercise while I was activity losing weight. My mom is apple shaped and is now doing alternate day intermittent fasting and she's no longer obese, for the first time since she was a kid. The only thing she's doing is restricting her calories :)
  • SirBonerFart
    SirBonerFart Posts: 1,185 Member
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    seems legit
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    Could you define the time range, when you were weighing and how often, what defines the "weight coming back on" according to you.

    I know that weight will fluctuate up and down according to the scale. According to my scale, I've gain 7-8 pounds over the course of the last few days eating at deficit and exercising. Knowing that I was not eating at surplus, this is the results of water retention, food, bloat, and whatever else, but I do know it's not the increase of actual fat.
  • Bobbie8786
    Bobbie8786 Posts: 202 Member
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    I am an "apple" and I have done Atkins a couple of times in the past. I did lose a lot of weight while on it but that was because after a point I just could not bring myself to eat another bite of meat and so had a huge calorie deficit every day. The only thing that I think will work for me is a simple calorie deficit. I like carbs too much and life is too short so I am committed to no more fad diets and thus far it is working fine. I am 8 weeks in this time and I feel great, I haven't "cheated" a single time and do not feel deprived of anything that might drive me into a binge.
  • MGwasp
    MGwasp Posts: 16
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    I was and am under the care of a doctor and at all times my caloric intake and timing of meals was identical. Only the ratio of carbs to protein changed. I kept the fat the same. I weighed once every two weeks at the doctor's office. The first two weeks I lost eight pounds. The third week (Weighed myself at home) I lost four pounds. By the time that I weighed in at the doctor's again, I showed that I was a total of ten pounds lost. By the 6th week, I was at a net grand total of only 4 pounds lost. I had regained eight pounds. I followed the plan religiously and journaled everything including exercise. I was tired of being accused of cheating and this was the fourth time that I had the same results. Everything was portioned using a scale and measuring cups. Yes, every bite. Then, Keeping the calories the same, I added in small amounts of whole grains and decreased the protein to keep the calories the same. Exercise has remained constant. Since I started that, four weeks ago, I have lost 15 pounds. Interesting results for me. In addition, I feel more energetic and have fewer cravings. My doctor has since told me that I should no longer let myself be talked into low / no carb diets.
  • daftthoughts
    daftthoughts Posts: 88
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    Where does the hourglass fit into that picture?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I am prone to be "apple" shape. I KNOW I lose best when I eat low glycemic.
    Everyone in my family is large (I'm not). Everyone is apple shaped. I've been trying to get my sister to try to eat low glycemic for years. I'd bet her a thousand bucks she could more readily lose weight that way.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,523 Member
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    No to the theory. If one is healthy (no disease) and with no hormonal complications, then ANY diet will work if followed. That's why everyone swears by them.
    What's the one consistent? CALORIE DEFICIT.

    I made a thread a while back about people not being "special". And it still applies. Human physiology works the same for everyone. Yes there are people who are stronger, taller, slower, faster due to genetics, but actual physiology of weight loss/weight gain/weight maintenance doesn't change from person to person. Same rules apply to each.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • FitForeverAgain
    FitForeverAgain Posts: 330 Member
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    Or. You could eat less and move more.

    Thanks for not making me go through the - "stop complicating things" speech...
  • miadhail
    miadhail Posts: 383 Member
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    Don't overcomplicate something simple.

    Eat well. Get moving. Be consistent. Be patient. See progress.

    ditto!

    Also insulin does not make you gain weight. Its purpose is to store glucose in your blood (from the food you eat) into your muscles. Therefore, if you eat more than your body requires, insulin stores it in your muscles and liver as glycogen and in your fat cells as triglycerides. So if you put two and two together, eating in excess leads to more storage i.e. gain in fat and muscles.

    So just to add to what is quoted, eat what you need (figure out your BMR then TDEE and eat TDEE - 20%, or simply just eat 10 - 20% lesser than you usually would) and move more (so that it triggers your body to release glucagon (its function is the opposite of insulin where it releases that stored glucose into the blood stream) for your body to use!

    Nothing to do with your shape at all. Shapes just show where you store the majority of your fat (and even then that is out of our control)
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    No to the theory. If one is healthy (no disease) and with no hormonal complications, then ANY diet will work if followed.

    I made a thread a while back about people not being "special". And it still applies. Human physiology works the same for everyone.

    i would really like to see more sex-specific studies on the fx of different nutrition/exercise regimes.

    most studies that pay attention to it show that (healthy) women and men have different hormonal responses both to exercise and diet. not huge differences, but they exist.

    re body type: the diabetics with apple shapes could easily include people who were originally pears & gained visceral fat as a result of metabolic processes
  • Atlantis_Waites
    Atlantis_Waites Posts: 1 Member
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    There is no one size fits all on weight loss.

    The human body is a machine and there are so many factors involved in keeping that machine well oiled as well as properly fueled, it is difficult to say.

    The whole "eat less, move more" doesn't work for some people... especially those with digestive diseases, like Celiac Disease. Don't get me wrong... it works for the majority of people. But if someone with Celiac is trying to lose weight (because there are a lot of overweight celiacs who struggle to take it off) and they are already gluten free, low glycemic, exercise... but have a pantothenic acid deficiency (which is normal for celiacs who sometimes cannot absorb b vitamins properly) they WILL NOT lose weight.

    Pantothenic Acid (vitamin b5) is the vitamin precursor to the fat burning enzyme lipase, as well as the precursor to coenzyme A, which feeds the liver and gives the liver the proper capability to burn off toxins. If the machine that is the human body does not have the fuel, nor the proper catalyzing enzyme, that body will not burn fat, even at a 500 calorie a day diet. It will burn muscle instead.

    Those with insulin resistance could benefit from pantothenic acid as well.

    I think your theory is valid, but may be lacking in depth of "why" they are apple/pear/hourglass in the first place, which generally leads to a nutritional problem, like you mentioned.

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