He didnt gain the weight back after crash diet

My guy friend lost allot of weight and I asked him how he did it and he said he ate vegetables no meat or bread. Just vegetables and fruits and he lost 44 pounds in a month. Well, its been months and has kept the weight off and has gone back to eating normally .I was under the impression that if do a starvation diet ,you will gain the weight back when you start eating normally again?
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Replies

  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Well, since we have nothing to go on but your completely unscientific and information starved story, this question cannot be intelligently answered.

    /end thread
  • Lindzpnc
    Lindzpnc Posts: 98 Member
    that's weird, my husband did something similar and gained 10 lbs in a WEEK!

    he lost over 50 lbs in two months but darn 44 lbs in ONE month sounds like a lot- maybe he wasn't really telling the truth!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    My guy friend lost allot of weight and I asked him how he did it and he said he ate vegetables no meat or bread. Just vegetables and fruits and he lost 44 pounds in a month. Well, its been months and has kept the weight off and has gone back to eating normally .I was under the impression that if do a starvation diet ,you will gain the weight back when you start eating normally again?
    Well, perhaps it was not a starvation diet and he did not lose 44 pounds in a month. I don't know, you don't give us much information.

    What an awful diet-nothing but fruits and vegetables.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    the thought that weight gain after a starvation diet is caused by the fact that starvation diets dont teach you anything, and typically after the diet you go back to your old eating habits and regain the weight. your friend was obviously smart enough to realize that he had to change up some of his habits for good
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    It's plausible that it could be true. If you go on a starvation diet then start eating at whatever your new maintenance calories are, you will not gain weight,. Just as you cannot lose weight unless you are in a caloric deficit, you also cannot gain weight (in the long term) unless you are in a caloric surplus. He would certainly be the exception, not the rule as far as crash diets go. Most people after stopping the crash diet are unable to eat at their new maintenance calories and revert back to old styles of eating. Also, eating no protein would all but guarantee that he lost more lean tissue then someone who loses that much weight while eating protein. Furthermore he might just be lying to you. He may have lost less then he's telling you, he might have ate different things then he's telling you, he may have gained some back and isn't telling you, etc.
  • Mikkimeow
    Mikkimeow Posts: 1,282 Member
    Well, since we have nothing to go on but your completely unscientific and information starved story, this question cannot be intelligently answered.

    /end thread

    Yes. How about we all take a minute and think. "Do I really want to give people the idea that if you starve yourself on some radical weight loss diet and lose everything you will be successful in the long term? Is this information beneficial in any way? No? Okay, I definitely shouldn't post then."
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    My guy friend lost allot of weight and I asked him how he did it and he said he ate vegetables no meat or bread. Just vegetables and fruits and he lost 44 pounds in a month. Well, its been months and has kept the weight off and has gone back to eating normally .I was under the impression that if do a starvation diet ,you will gain the weight back when you start eating normally again?
    If you do any diet and then go back to eating at your prior calorie level, you will regain the weight. If you do any diet and then eat at your new maintenance level, you will maintain.

    A lot of people feel so deprived from crash diets it causes them to binge and/or quit. Not everyone, though.

    Many studies have found the best long-term maintenance is from people who used very low cal diet programs.
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    Well, since we have nothing to go on but your completely unscientific and information starved story, this question cannot be intelligently answered.

    /end thread

    true.

    cat gifs, anyone?

    tumblr_m39dd8swYK1rp26sto1_400.gif
  • darkguardian419
    darkguardian419 Posts: 1,302 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,903 Member
    1) How is that necessarily a starvation diet? I didn't see any mention of how much energy he was consuming before vs after vs during.

    2) 44 lbs in a month? Ok, then. I promise you it wasn't all fat.
  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
    I'm not sure how, but it sounds like he was still eating a sustainable amount of calories in fruits and veggies.

    But... I wouldn't trust him as an information source. Also:

    -how heavy was he when he started/how much weight does he have to lose?
    -did he step on the scale so you could *see* the 44lb loss, or is that self-reported?
    -seriously I think he's full of it. I highly doubt he ate nothing but fruits/veggies.

    Just because he cut out everything to an extreme doesn't mean he was starving himself. It's kind of stupid, since he could have achieved the same result without going off the deep end, but it's not necessarily starvation either.

    ETA: How long has it been, for real, since he stopped the diet?
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Most crash dieters lose and gain the same weight over and over. It's kind of a game for them, I think. They get to a weight, then let themselves go a little for a period of time. When the clothes get tight, they crash diet again and lose it. This is true for several people I know. Gain-lose-gain-lose. It's how they roll.

    You can keep it off. Of course you can! They just do not,

    Some people around here sometimes get caught up on thinking their way is THE ONLY WAY and that if someone else doesn't do it their way, it cannot work. Like if others don't do it the One True Way, they must be doomed, lol.

    There are lots of ways to lose. Everyone has to find the way that works for them.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1
  • the thought that weight gain after a starvation diet is caused by the fact that starvation diets dont teach you anything, and typically after the diet you go back to your old eating habits and regain the weight. your friend was obviously smart enough to realize that he had to change up some of his habits for good

    So if I do the same thing to lose the last hard 10 pounds I could keep the weight off?
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    the thought that weight gain after a starvation diet is caused by the fact that starvation diets dont teach you anything, and typically after the diet you go back to your old eating habits and regain the weight. your friend was obviously smart enough to realize that he had to change up some of his habits for good

    So if I do the same thing to lose the last hard 10 pounds I could keep the weight off?
    potentially. but you'll lose a good amount of muscle doing so. whats more important, looking good or weighing less?
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...

    I has the sadz for his lost muscle. And bone. And organs.
  • It's plausible that it could be true. If you go on a starvation diet then start eating at whatever your new maintenance calories are, you will not gain weight,. Just as you cannot lose weight unless you are in a caloric deficit, you also cannot gain weight (in the long term) unless you are in a caloric surplus. He would certainly be the exception, not the rule as far as crash diets go. Most people after stopping the crash diet are unable to eat at their new maintenance calories and revert back to old styles of eating. Also, eating no protein would all but guarantee that he lost more lean tissue then someone who loses that much weight while eating protein. Furthermore he might just be lying to you. He may have lost less then he's telling you, he might have ate different things then he's telling you, he may have gained some back and isn't telling you, etc.

    okay makes sense but I see him on regular basis and he doesn't look like he is gaining the weight back.He still look slim
  • I'm not sure how, but it sounds like he was still eating a sustainable amount of calories in fruits and veggies.

    But... I wouldn't trust him as an information source. Also:

    -how heavy was he when he started/how much weight does he have to lose?
    -did he step on the scale so you could *see* the 44lb loss, or is that self-reported?
    -seriously I think he's full of it. I highly doubt he ate nothing but fruits/veggies.

    Just because he cut out everything to an extreme doesn't mean he was starving himself. It's kind of stupid, since he could have achieved the same result without going off the deep end, but it's not necessarily starvation either.

    ETA: How long has it been, for real, since he stopped the diet?

    its been about 5 months and has kept the weight off.He didn't have that much to lose because at first assumed he lost 20 to 30 lbs and he now looks slim.He wasn't overweight to begin with.Maybe more like thick
  • the thought that weight gain after a starvation diet is caused by the fact that starvation diets dont teach you anything, and typically after the diet you go back to your old eating habits and regain the weight. your friend was obviously smart enough to realize that he had to change up some of his habits for good

    So if I do the same thing to lose the last hard 10 pounds I could keep the weight off?
    potentially. but you'll lose a good amount of muscle doing so. whats more important, looking good or weighing less?

    that's true.I am not planning to that anywas,i love food way to much
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1
    He was super morbidly obese. It's a totally different scenario. When the body has that much excess fat, it would have no reason to want to use muscle for fuel. Incredible story though.
  • BarbellApprentice
    BarbellApprentice Posts: 486 Member
    My guy friend lost allot of weight and I asked him how he did it and he said he ate vegetables no meat or bread. Just vegetables and fruits and he lost 44 pounds in a month. Well, its been months and has kept the weight off and has gone back to eating normally .I was under the impression that if do a starvation diet ,you will gain the weight back when you start eating normally again?

    Lot of variables here that are not addressed, but, taken at face value...
    1. A month is usually not nearly long enough to cause any metabolic damage
    2. It's important to have an exit strategy for deficit eating (reverse dieting, for example).
    3. What worked for your friend may not work for you in the long term.
    4. Why not just eat at a reasonable calorie deficit and drop the weight at a sensible pace?
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1

    Did you think this was going to be a good argument? It looks like he lost a ridiculous amount of muscle. Not to mention that he was morbidly obese putting him into a category that doesn't apply here. Now CyberEd started morbidly obese and maintained a large amount of LBM. He's a great example whereas yours is not.

    Note: If the gentleman you used as your example wanted the physique he currently has, more power to him.
  • Tanie98
    Tanie98 Posts: 675 Member
    It depends.He might not be telling you the truth
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I guess if you were fat enough, you could. When I started, I lost weight pretty quickly. The more you have, the easier it comes off.

    A pound a day is a lot. I couldn't do it unless I was forced to and even then I'm not sure I'd be able to.

    I hope whatever you try works out for you.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1
    He was super morbidly obese. It's a totally different scenario. When the body has that much excess fat, it would have no reason to want to use muscle for fuel. Incredible story though.
    At some point he also was only 44 lbs. overweight.

    He did use muscle for fuel. We all do. You don't need as much muscle at lower weights. You don't need as much anything, including blood volume.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1
    He was super morbidly obese. It's a totally different scenario. When the body has that much excess fat, it would have no reason to want to use muscle for fuel. Incredible story though.
    At some point he also was only 44 lbs. overweight.

    He did use muscle for fuel. We all do. You don't need as much muscle at lower weights. You don't need as much anything, including blood volume.

    He used a lot of muscle for fuel. Did he need the amount of muscle at a lower weight than what he had when he was morbidly obese? No. Would it have been beneficial from a health standpoint to have maintained more than he did? Most likely since maintaining it would have required a lifting routine that has a host of health benefits.

    Need vs want are often two different things. Very few people on this site are interesting in only what our body needs to sustain biological life. If that were the case, no one would exercise beyond what was needed purely for health (who knows what that is anyway).
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1

    He worked hard and is much healthier but I don't see any noticeable muscle.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1
    He was super morbidly obese. It's a totally different scenario. When the body has that much excess fat, it would have no reason to want to use muscle for fuel. Incredible story though.
    At some point he also was only 44 lbs. overweight.

    He did use muscle for fuel. We all do. You don't need as much muscle at lower weights. You don't need as much anything, including blood volume.
    He used much less muscle for fuel in the beginning. When you are obese you tend to use a greater percentage of fat as fuel. As you get leaner that changes. Things like protein intake and lifting become increasing important to maintaining lean mass the leaner you get.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1
    He was super morbidly obese. It's a totally different scenario. When the body has that much excess fat, it would have no reason to want to use muscle for fuel. Incredible story though.
    At some point he also was only 44 lbs. overweight.

    He did use muscle for fuel. We all do. You don't need as much muscle at lower weights. You don't need as much anything, including blood volume.

    You really shouldn't drag someone's success story into a discussion like this, particularly someone who isn't focused on strength training but instead is focused on cardio. Focusing only on cardio while losing weight is going to cause you to lose additional lean body mass, versus someone who concentrates on resistance training, but bringing in a particular person's weight loss success is just likely to make this discussion personal and for no good reason.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Think of all the LBM lost...
    This guy lost almost a pound a day for 18 months and seems to still have enough muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331554-how-i-lost-391lbs-in-18-months-with-youtube-video?hl=youtube&page=1

    He worked hard and is much healthier but I don't see any noticeable muscle.
    He apparently has enough to enjoy his running habit and to live his life how he chooses.

    If someone believes they can preserve LBM by using shallow deficits, that's terrific. But telling others they have to believe the same and do the same is a whole other thing. There is as much evidence refuting it as supporting it. And goals differ.