How I dumped 30 lbs in three weeks

[ark_ader]

Well I was tired of the diet I was on and got myself in trouble by pigging out on cookies, chips and chocolate.  I stepped off the Good Ship Atkins and I turned to the fat side.   The weight jumped on in 6 weeks and before I know what was going on I lost all my hard work. 

Got strict after I tried on my graduation suit and realized I was not the slim guy I was before and burned off 30 lbs in three weeks following this horrible and painful alternative. This was worse than coming off cigarettes.  After the second week it got better, but it was like doing belly flops in the pool every night.  I think about Popeye in the French Connection and yeah it was pretty close.

Did it on an Atkins pure protein liquid diet and a rigorous workout routine.  Just started at a gym and I'm already getting odd looks with my flabby skin belly. 

I'm doing free weights and a new idea of running by walking fast and alternating sprinting for 30 secs for about 4 miles a day.  The first week I thought my legs were coming off.

Started to gain weight again for the 4th week after but it was due muscle and not fat.  I'm having to mix it up as my body has figured out what I am attempting to do and I just plateaued.

I just added a half pint of Guinness for a night cap. Sleep is vital as you are fasting.  No shakes or jitters yet.  I've lost 3 pant sizes and back into my normal clothes.  I'm totally stoked.

This time I want to tone up and keep it off.  I liquidize all my food now, and take a one-a-day vitamin.  Plus 3 liters of water and two cups of Starbucks.

Naturally my physio wants me to go on a GI diet and the Doc is totally pissed with me and said I was reckless, but the weight staying off and I feel great! 

Just 50 more pounds to go!

I recommend it 100%.   

[DaveMMR]

Well I suppose congrats but if your doctor is pissed with you, maybe that's a red flag that you're losing weight too fast. 

[pinballjim]

Friend of mine dropped about 30-40lbs on a protein shake routine in the month leading up to his weight loss surgery.  He had the one where they make your stomach the size of a banana.  He's still going to McDonald's every day and eating "just one" sandwich despite everyone screaming, in all senses of the word, at him about it.

I dropped 90lbs 3-4 years ago on Weight Watchers Core and I have managed to keep 50 of them off long term.  I do not recommend that company anymore for a multitude of reasons.  (We'll see how the thread goes before I go off on that rant)

Hell of a lot more active than I ever was at any point in adulthood but wouldn't mind shopping in the regular section again.  Blood pressure's great, too.

 

[Thenasty]

I knew a guy who was in the chubby side for years. He decided to lose some of that weight, and he did.

Make a long story short, he died 3 months later 

Knew some guys who smoked, and died cause they stop smoking 

coincidence 

I want to lose maybe 5-10 lbs, and I'm doing it very slowly, I mean really slow (it' hard to lose it, but easily gained). Why can't it work the other way around EAT more and lose the weight

Like I always say "Everyone will lose all that weight a the end"

[theonegoku]

Friend of mine dropped about 30-40lbs on a protein shake routine in the month leading up to his weight loss surgery.  He had the one where they make your stomach the size of a banana.  He's still going to McDonald's every day and eating "just one" sandwich despite everyone screaming, in all senses of the word, at him about it.

I dropped 90lbs 3-4 years ago on Weight Watchers Core and I have managed to keep 50 of them off long term.  I do not recommend that company anymore for a multitude of reasons.  (We'll see how the thread goes before I go off on that rant)

Hell of a lot more active than I ever was at any point in adulthood but wouldn't mind shopping in the regular section again.  Blood pressure's great, too.

 

Yea people who dont know alot about nutrition and cutting will always yell when you do something they "think" they know alot about.  Getting your stomach shrunk must suck, but it served its purpose.  If he is eating one sandwhich at mcdonalds and thats his lunch, then good on him.  Last time I was on a cut, i went from 152 to 130 on double quarter pounders every day for dinner.  It's all about calories in<Calories out, the sooner people realize that, the better the world will be.

And to OP, congrats on ur weight loss, a little fast for my taste, but as long as ur ok with losing some muscle along with the fat, and u dont binge and gain it all back when u hit ur goal, then you should be proud.  Your walking/running routine is referred to as HIIT, look it up, and just keep track of what your eating and let us know when u lose the rest of weight

[pinballjim]

The problem with the stomach surgery is that your stomach eventually starts stretching back out.  He's already found he can defeat it by eating certain foods (he knocked back 2 cans of nuts in an hour for 2,500+ calories last month).  Doctor wants him to use the recovery period as an opportunity to relearn his normal eating habits.

Anyway, we'll see.  Cost him $12,000 cash.  I hope it works out.

[ChadTower]

No offense intended but an adult male who is 152 and needs to lose weight will have no idea what it's like to have the type of body that needs to lose 80lb.  Life is just different in both cases.  The only way I can think to express that is that the big guy can get strong fast but can't get lean the same way the small guy can lose weight fast but can't get strong.  People with body types on opposite ends of that spectrum experience their body in completely different ways.


The guy is who 240lb is not built to lose weight eating a double quarter pounder for dinner the same way that 150lb guy is not built to  bench press 300lb.  You guys may as well be speaking different languages.

[stu33]

I dropped about 100 pounds in around six months.  I was MORBIDLY OBESE though, so it was probably easier for me than the guy needing to lose the last 20.  Now I'm just morbidly obese (capitals make a difference).

I didn't really do anything special, just counted calories, really.  Didn't change my diet much, just ate less.  I added in more vegetables and swapped out stuff like white rice for brown and white bread for whole wheat.  But that wasn't really a big deal.  I found that brown rice tastes better to me, and I didn't eat a ton of bread anyway.

Also, for anyone that can get it (I don't know if it's a regional thing), but the Gianelli Hot Italian Turkey Sausage is just amazing.

The big thing was the exercise regimen.  I ran (and still do) three days a week, and did a 90-day cycle of the Chalean Extreme program, which is like p90x for fat people.  Worked amazingly with the bowflex selectable dumbbells and one protein shake a day.  Since then I've tapered off, losing about a 1/2 pound per week.  I've been doing my own dumbbell-based weight training and kept up with the running.

That being said, I'm seriously considering the Insanity program now.

[theonegoku]

No offense intended but an adult male who is 152 and needs to lose weight will have no idea what it's like to have the type of body that needs to lose 80lb.  Life is just different in both cases.  The only way I can think to express that is that the big guy can get strong fast but can't get lean the same way the small guy can lose weight fast but can't get strong.  People with body types on opposite ends of that spectrum experience their body in completely different ways.


The guy is who 240lb is not built to lose weight eating a double quarter pounder for dinner the same way that 150lb guy is not built to  bench press 300lb.  You guys may as well be speaking different languages.

This ^ is the common misconception.  So many people look too quickly at genetics and "oh ur an ectomorph and im not so u wouldnt understand".  But it's all actually BS, yes, sometimes u have a thyroid problem or something that prevents you from losing weight, but 95% of the time, u just gotta put down the fork. 

I had an old coworker who was taller than me and literally weighed 112, he couldnt gain weight no matter how much he ate, and mostly becuz the dude was extremely active, so i could see how he couldnt relate to a 250 pounder, but in my case, i WAS 200 pounds, I know how ---smurfy--- it feels, but I also knew how to be knowledgable and solve my problem.

The OP could eat a double quarter pounder every day for dinner and lose just like i did, it has nothing to do with the way he is built, if dude is packing on an insane amount of muscle, then yes, its going to be hard to lose it all, and he probably wouldnt want to lose it all anyways, but in his case, im sure high LBM isn't a concern -_-, im at 150 and bench 220, so trust me, its always in the realm of possibility to have the best of both worlds.

The OP wants to lose weight, which means he has to be in a calorie defecit, so as long as he burns more calories then he consumes, hes going to lose weight.  I dropped to 130 for a competition and knew that i couldnt eat more than 1500 calories.  A double quarter pounder is 750, so I could have ate mayo out of a jar for the other 750 and still been fine.  BUT, ur always going to have people with  "broscience" who swear that if u dont eat anything other than salad and chicken breasts, that ur not on a "diet" and ur not going to lose weight.  Educate urself and THEN, educate others.

/rant

[pinballjim]

Billions of dollars in research invested in this and all we needed to do was consult theonegoku.

 

[theonegoku]

Billions of dollars in research invested in this and all we needed to do was consult theonegoku.

 

Or...you know...go to a site dedicated to this kind of thing and read a sticky...but either way gets you the same answer

[Howard_Casto]

Eat smaller portions, exercise more.  Continue these new habits for LIFE.

There.... I've saved you all countless dollars and time researching the issue and that is the ONLY proven method to effectively and permenantly lose weight.

[theonegoku]

Eat smaller portions, exercise more.  Continue these new habits for LIFE.

There.... I've saved you all countless dollars and time researching the issue and that is the ONLY proven method to effectively and permenantly lose weight.

Thank you.

People dont realize that the formula to losing weight is stupidly simple.  There have been billions of dollars of research BECAUSE they are looking for the miracle pill that can solve laziness, but the sad truth is that there isnt one, just move more and eat less.  Everything else that people THINK makes it impossible "body type, only eating salads" are excuses.  There's only one thing preventing you from losing weight, laziness, and weak mentality.  Get through that and ANYONE can look how they want.

[pinballjim]

 

[javeryh]

That being said, I'm seriously considering the Insanity program now.

I've been doing this since February and it is great but really really hard.  I don't follow the exact schedule because I can't work out 6 times a week but I manage to do it about 4 times per week on average.  I also run 5 times a week for 30 minutes and do some light lifting 3 days a week for about 20 minutes.... so basically I'm at the gym from 5:30-7ish most mornings during the week.  I eat OK but it could be better.  No alcohol either.... which blows.  I want to lose another 10 lbs. but I don't have the mental energy right now to go through with it.  I'm 6'0" and about 183-185lbs. (down from my all time high of 234lbs. about 2.5 years ago) and I feel like the last 3 months or so I've just been "maintaining" which is OK I guess.... better than gaining.

[theonegoku]

That being said, I'm seriously considering the Insanity program now.

I've been doing this since February and it is great but really really hard.  I don't follow the exact schedule because I can't work out 6 times a week but I manage to do it about 4 times per week on average.  I also run 5 times a week for 30 minutes and do some light lifting 3 days a week for about 20 minutes.... so basically I'm at the gym from 5:30-7ish most mornings during the week.  I eat OK but it could be better.  No alcohol either.... which blows.  I want to lose another 10 lbs. but I don't have the mental energy right now to go through with it.  I'm 6'0" and about 183-185lbs. (down from my all time high of 234lbs. about 2.5 years ago) and I feel like the last 3 months or so I've just been "maintaining" which is OK I guess.... better than gaining.

I was about to say same thing.  When I first wanted to get in shape I tried p90x, and instanity just looked like that...on steroids lol, but from ppl who do it I only hear good things.  And agreed, no alcohol can kill anyones mental energy

[Xiaou2]

Every body is different.

  Id work out twice as hard, and twice as often, as some of my former martial arts students.. and my muscular development was twice as slow, and less developed.

 I also know people who can eat all day, and not gain... where as I know others, who eat one or two things... and get instant bulge.

 This has to do with body and brain chemistry, digestion / absorption efficiency,  food allergies (many people dont even know they have),  Youth (young bodies heal, develop, and shed mass much quicker), and much more.   Youth also tends to be IGNORANT... thus you see these kinds of idiotic posts.


 If you want to lose mass... Eat more veggies, cut back on sugar, less starches, and Drop almost all the FATS.  Most especially the man-made stuff that clogs your arteries.  Trans-fats, High Saturated fats, Hydrogenated fats.   Look on the packages.  Note the amounts and the kinds of fats.

 Fast food and cheap food, is most likely to have high saturated fat content, as well as man made fats which do major internal damages over time.

 Choose lean meats, like Chicken... over high fat meats..such as burgers and sausages.
 Lose the high fat salad dressings.
 Cease the Ice Cream.
 Stay away from nuts.  Eat lean protein instead.
 Reduce portion sizes gradually... and wait an hour after finishing, even if you feel hungry, before eating more.
 Eat lower quantities of less foods more often... rather than in large mass lumps.
 Dont starve the body of nutrients or stop eating.  This trains the body to save the food as fats, because it never knows when the next meal will come.

 Exercise.
 Dont exceed a certain level of calories intake.
 
 If you Pig Out often.. that shows you have probably have a loss of control / compulsive condition / or have a psychological issue.  That may need other methods to correct it, such as medication, counseling, etc.    Or it may be self fixable, by putting effort into Internal Strength development:  Start daily meditations, and start to gain control of the deeper inner mind, soul, and thus body.

 No more time for the rest.  Might post more later.

[theonegoku]

Every body is different.

  Id work out twice as hard, and twice as often, as some of my former martial arts students.. and my muscular development was twice as slow, and less developed.

 I also know people who can eat all day, and not gain... where as I know others, who eat one or two things... and get instant bulge.

 This has to do with body and brain chemistry, digestion / absorption efficiency,  food allergies (many people dont even know they have),  Youth (young bodies heal, develop, and shed mass much quicker), and much more.   Youth also tends to be IGNORANT... thus you see these kinds of idiotic posts.


 If you want to lose mass... Eat more veggies, cut back on sugar, less starches, and Drop almost all the FATS.  Most especially the man-made stuff that clogs your arteries.  Trans-fats, High Saturated fats, Hydrogenated fats.   Look on the packages.  Note the amounts and the kinds of fats.

 Fast food and cheap food, is most likely to have high saturated fat content, as well as man made fats which do major internal damages over time.

 Choose lean meats, like Chicken... over high fat meats..such as burgers and sausages.
 Lose the high fat salad dressings.
 Cease the Ice Cream.
 Stay away from nuts.  Eat lean protein instead.
 Reduce portion sizes gradually... and wait an hour after finishing, even if you feel hungry, before eating more.
 Eat lower quantities of less foods more often... rather than in large mass lumps.
 Dont starve the body of nutrients or stop eating.  This trains the body to save the food as fats, because it never knows when the next meal will come.

 Exercise.
 Dont exceed a certain level of calories intake.
 
 If you Pig Out often.. that shows you have probably have a loss of control / compulsive condition / or have a psychological issue.  That may need other methods to correct it, such as medication, counseling, etc.    Or it may be self fixable, by putting effort into Internal Strength development:  Start daily meditations, and start to gain control of the deeper inner mind, soul, and thus body.

 No more time for the rest.  Might post more later.

Oh wow...where to begin...I will admit you said a few things that were correct "Dont exceed a certain level of calories intake" being one of them.  But 80% of your post sounds like the normal crap that someone who just finished watching "forks over knives" likes to spew.  So instead of lengthy paragraphs, I will make it easy for you.  Watch "fathead" on netflix or something, research IIFYM, realize how wrong all of the propaganda you have been fed actually is, then come back here and apologize to all these forum members for spreading your broscience.

[Malenko]

Xousche doesnt lose weight, weight loses him.


I lost 27 lbs in 6 weeks, better diet and P90X routine. 30 lbs in 30 days doesnt sound very safe, unless maybe youre just poopin alot.

[AtomSmasher]

Here's an entertaining article: http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/fat-officially-incurable-according-to-science/
It is on cracked, so don't take it as gospel, but they do link to some good studies on fat loss.

Pretty much all of the studies show that people can keep off 5% of their weight over the long term, and statistically your more likely to survive a gun shot wound to the head than to keep anything significantly more than that off.

Of course that shouldn't stop anyone from trying to lose weight (I've lost over 60 pounds in the past year and am still dropping weight), but it should help clear things up to people who think everyone's body is the same.

the person who is at 175 pounds after a huge weight loss now has a completely different physical makeup from the person who is naturally 175 -- exercise benefits them less, calories are more readily stored as fat, the impulse to eat occurs far, far more often. The formerly fat person can exercise ten times the willpower of the never-fat guy, and still wind up fat again. The impulses are simply more frequent, and stronger, and the physical consequences of giving in are more severe. The people who successfully do it are the ones who become psychologically obsessive about it

[Well Fed Games]

Wow, a lot of successful weight loss stories here... I gotta get on top of that... 

[ChadTower]

Eat smaller portions, exercise more.  Continue these new habits for LIFE.

This is true.  Nobody is disputing the basic methodology. 


The variables for any given person will always affect how much exercise they need, with which portions, to get which results.  You don't take the same portions for the same people nor the same workouts.  It just doesn't work that way.


Everybody in class can read the same books and attend the same lessons.  Even if everybody puts in the same effort the results are going to vary by individual.  Everybody will learn.  Some will learn more than others, some will learn faster, some will have to bust their ass to learn half as much.  Diets are the exact same concept. 


The metabolic variables are not something we can dismiss with such a simple statement as "eat less, exercise more".  That's a good starting point and really the only long term key to success but there is a lot more to the process than that.

[pinballjim]

Here's an entertaining article: http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/fat-officially-incurable-according-to-science/
It is on cracked, so don't take it as gospel, but they do link to some good studies on fat loss.

   Great read.  Time to stop making excuses and start eating more chicken wings.

[ark_ader]

I had to turn around and get back to where I started from.  Before I jumped ship from the Atkins diet I was not losing as much as I was before, due to my body figuring out what I was doing.  What I didn't think about is what your body does automatically and when it reacts to changes in routine.  Like you eat dinner at 6pm every night and you work late until 8pm and your stomach is crying foul at about 7pm.  Your body like routine, which is one of the most difficult habits to break.

I was in serious trouble mentally and physically with the added weight.  It was like carrying a child on your shoulders all day, every day. It really ticks you off.  And your clothes do not fit and you go buy from Mr Big or from a department store swearing that their sizes are incorrect.  That is plain sad.

My physio says to keep on the free weights as I will lose weight faster after doing my reps days after.  I have started introducing macadamia nuts into the diet, which helps with the ruffage.

I never eat at McDonalds, pizza hutt, if we did have a taco bell I would not eat that either.  The chicken, cauliflower and broccoli mix for dinner.  Omelet for lunch, and bacon & eggs in a cup for breakfast.  No deviations.  No desserts, but plenty of milk at meal times.

After I hit 220 I will go on the South Beach diet.  Remember that fruit has as much sugar as candy, rots your teeth and causes stomach problems due to acids.  Your one a day will save you a small fortune in fruit.

Bananas are fine if they are small, and the odd strawberry or blueberry in your shake for taste.  I'm on 5 net carbs a day, and I do watch the fat intake.

Lost 2 more pounds today.  Its slowing down but I should be at goal by Christmas. 

At the end of the day it is not what you eat.  I used to eat once a day when I was 20 years younger and got myself down to 170.  You must WANT TO DO IT, because believe me, you are capable of doing anything life changing.  Only if you put your mind to it.   

[DaveMMR]

The metabolic variables are not something we can dismiss with such a simple statement as "eat less, exercise more".  That's a good starting point and really the only long term key to success but there is a lot more to the process than that.

Or, put more simply, consult your doctor if you need to lose weight.

To be blunt, this thread is full of terribly fad dieting techniques that can be quite dangerous. If you want to take your chances with "instant results" go for it, but you're doing more harm to yourself in the long-term.

Simple exercise and better eating habits are still best practice for overall better health. But if you have special needs beyond those few extra pounds - you need to see your physician, not an arcade control website. 

[Xiaou2]

That artical was a bunch of BS, like Most.  Especially when they are typically sponsored by McDonalds and Taco Bell... directly, or indirectly.

 First Coffees supposed to good for you.  Then its not.  Then it is.  Then its not.   Theres never any substantial truth.

 If you think your going to chomp down McDonalds 3x a day... and keep a nice waistline (never mind all the Triple Bypass you will soon need),
then you truly are an Idiot.

 I added a single bread roll in the mornings to my diet... and I saw the effects quite rapidly.   And recently, Ive taken away the soda.. and have lost about 25lbs.  Its stayed off now, for several months, with no change in exercise.


 Yes, its VERY hard to lose mass.  But no, its not impossible to keep it off.  The main reason why people tend to gain it back.. is because they have been raised on eating certain quantities... as well as eating very unhealthy things regularly.   The typical "dieter", either barely makes a dent... or they go to extremes.   The extremist, like Ark.. never keep it off... because they cant stand not eating the things the Love to eat regularly...
like heavy fat dressings on their salads, every night.   A whole Pizza every week.  Deep-Fried breaded food twice or more a week.  Fast Food nearly every day for lunch.  Large Portions (+6cups) of Super-High fat desserts.. like Ice Cream.

 (As a Manager of an Ice cream shop... I watched a mother get her and her young 4ft tall and already Fat daughter... a 28oz high fat ice cream bin to munch on.   Most people get a 7oz med... or at most, a large 10oz.  The 28oz was meant for freezer storage!   So here this 10?yr old is.... chowing on 10grams of fat per OZ... and eating a full 28oz bucket of Ice Cream!   This is a learned behavior... which she will probably pass down to her kids as well.   Monster portions, and high-fat content foods.   We did sell fat free frozen yogurt, which tasted pretty good.. and had like  1/20th of the calories.   Many people chose that over the high fat ice cream... which included the thin people.  Not the 400lb mom and her plump daughter.  Its different if you have a fatty treat once in a while... but heck, it should be reasonable.  Not outrageous, like this...


 Fats are extremely high in calories, and the body seems to store them quite easily in its plentiful stores.
Sugars are easier to burn off, rather than turning into fat.  However.. if you eat enough sugar... the calorie count will match or exceed a high fat
treat.  BUT... at least you wouldnt be getting the man-made artery clogging crap in your system.

 There are a lot of tasty alternatives to the chemical laden high-fat crap out there.

 Because of my several food allergies... Ive had to learn to make dishes and sauces without many typical ingredients.    I can tell you, that Ive tasted many non or low fat foods/dressings in the past... and found them to be disgusting.  However, Ive made things that taste much better than many of the typical 'fatty' commercial products.  Mostly, its in the natural seasonings... and nothing to do with the fat and chemical fillers.

 Ultimately, its up to the person, to reprogram themselves.  Change the way they eat, the portions, and they kinds of foods they eat.

[AtomSmasher]

(As a Manager of an Ice cream shop... I watched a mother get her and her young 4ft tall and already Fat daughter... a 28oz high fat ice cream bin to munch on.   Most people get a 7oz med... or at most, a large 10oz.  The 28oz was meant for freezer storage!   So here this 10?yr old is.... chowing on 10grams of fat per OZ... and eating a full 28oz bucket of Ice Cream!   This is a learned behavior... which she will probably pass down to her kids as well.   Monster portions, and high-fat content foods.   We did sell fat free frozen yogurt, which tasted pretty good.. and had like  1/20th of the calories.   Many people chose that over the high fat ice cream... which included the thin people.  Not the 400lb mom and her plump daughter.  Its different if you have a fatty treat once in a while... but heck, it should be reasonable.  Not outrageous, like this...

[DaveMMR]

That artical was a bunch of BS, like Most. 

Well this Cracked article says that beer bellies are a myth. I choose to believe that and have started a diet of nothing but beer. Although I can no longer consume lunch at work (stupid company policies), it's otherwise working out quite well. I've already found my repartee to be wittier, I'm more sexually attractive and I am the most fantastic dancer.

 

[hypernova]

As a Manager of an Ice cream shop... I watched a mother get her and her young 4ft tall and already Fat daughter... a 28oz high fat ice cream bin to munch on.   Most people get a 7oz med... or at most, a large 10oz.  The 28oz was meant for freezer storage!   So here this 10?yr old is.... chowing on 10grams of fat per OZ... and eating a full 28oz bucket of Ice Cream!   This is a learned behavior... which she will probably pass down to her kids as well.   Monster portions, and high-fat content foods.   We did sell fat free frozen yogurt, which tasted pretty good.. and had like  1/20th of the calories.   Many people chose that over the high fat ice cream... which included the thin people.  Not the 400lb mom and her plump daughter.  Its different if you have a fatty treat once in a while... but heck, it should be reasonable.  Not outrageous, like this...

Wouldn't have mattered whether she had the high fat version or low fat froyo.  28 oz of anything at one time isn't healthy.

But 80% of your post sounds like the normal crap that someone who just finished watching "forks over knives" likes to spew.  So instead of lengthy paragraphs, I will make it easy for you.  Watch "fathead" on netflix or something, research IIFYM, realize how wrong all of the propaganda you have been fed actually is, then come back here and apologize to all these forum members for spreading your broscience.

Something tells me he's not the only person that regimen has worked for.  If it works, it works.  And if you're going to call out people for spouting out what worked for them, I'm going to have to call out this little nugget:

A double quarter pounder is 750, so I could have ate mayo out of a jar for the other 750 and still been fine.

You may be getting the proper calorie count, but the positives don't extend much further on your hypothetical (at least I hope it's hypothetical) diet of mayonnaise.  Now your getting into malnourishment, which isn't going to help you in the long run.

It's all about the metabolism, baby.  Which at 32, I still have a ton of, and am extremely thankful for it.

[shmokes]

Eat smaller portions, exercise more.  Continue these new habits for LIFE.

This is true . . . ish.

I mean, of course it's true, burn more calories than you eat and you'll be ahead. But, chemistry does matter. Calories derived from the consumption of protein and fat do not affect your body in the same way as calories derived from processed sugar or high fructose corn syrup. In particular, they don't cause an insulin production spike that encourages the storage of fat. Nutrition is more complicated than mere calorie counting. I don't care how much you exercise and how many calories you ingest. If you aren't consuming protein, you will not bulk up.

Don't get me wrong. How much you eat is critical. But what you eat matters too. This is made obvious by ---P&R denizen--- diets like Atkins. People on Atkins can eat a million calories a day and they still lose weight. It's an incredibly stupid and invariably short-lived way to lose weight, but there's no denying that it works.

At any rate, even if chemistry were completely irrelevant, you end up having to de facto fall back on managing types of food rather than calories. A Big-mac, medium choc shake and medium fry is like 1800 calories. If you're trying to lose weight you're already way over your limit and you've still gotta feed yourself two more times today. Even if all you're doing is counting calories, many foods simply have to be eliminated or you'll spend the rest of the day starving.

edit: typo

[DaveMMR]

Don't get me wrong. How much you eat is critical. But what eat matters too. This is made obvious by ---P&R denizen--- diets like Atkins. People on Atkins can eat a million calories a day and they still lose weight. It's an incredibly stupid and invariably short-lived way to lose weight, but there's no denying that it works.

I've seen numerous examples of acquaintances who did Atkins, lost weight, and promptly gained it back within six months.

What worked for me doesn't even involve counting any calories. Just have to be more active. I've tried to lose weight and fail by dieting. But by simply doing things like adding a quick little workout routine and walking whenever possible, I've taken off a respectable amount of weight. No, you won't go "fat to fit" overnight like these quick-fix diets but you'll have better overall body health and loads more energy.   

[shmokes]

I've seen numerous examples of acquaintances who did Atkins, lost weight, and promptly gained it back within six months.

This basically describes every person on Earth who has done the Atkins Diet

[Xiaou2]

Wouldn't have mattered whether she had the high fat version or low fat froyo.  28 oz of anything at one time isn't healthy.

 For arguments sake..   28oz of water, or heck... even Carrots, wouldnt be that bad.
But YES, theres a HUGE difference between giving a 4ft tall butterball girl 280grams of fat... -vs-  maybe 3grams of fat from the same amount of Frozen yogurt.  The difference is Staggering.



9oz of  Choc. Frozen Yogurt

Calories                330
Sodium                190 mg
Total Fat                    1 g
Saturated                0 g
Polyunsaturated    0 g
Monounsaturated    0 g
Trans                    0 g
Cholesterol          10 mg
Total Carbs          62 g
Sugars              43 g
Dietary Fiber            2 g
Protein                  10 g
Vitamin C      4%
Calcium    40%


4oz (1/2 cup) Perrys Vanilla Ice Cream

Calories              190    
Sodium                 85mg     4%
Total Fat               10g      15%
Saturated Fat         6g    30%
Trans Fat                0g
Cholesterol          65mg    22%
Carbohydrate       21g      7%
Sugars 20g    
Dietary Fiber           0g      0%
Protein 4g    
Vitamin A      8%
Vitamin C   2%
Calcium    15%

 So, lets compare...

Yogurt:   9 oz  x   3  = 27 oz.... which is close enough to the 28 mark.
Perrys:   3.5 cups    = 28 oz...  so  thats SEVEN half cup servings.

 Lets recalculate the damages with that in mind:

27 oz  Frozen Yogurt

Calories                990
Sodium                570 mg
Total Fat                    3 g
Saturated                0 g
Polyunsaturated    0 g
Monounsaturated    0 g
Trans                    0 g
Cholesterol          30 mg
Total Carbs        186 g
Sugars            129 g
Dietary Fiber            6 g
Protein                  30 g

Vitamin C      12%
Calcium    120%


28 oz  Perries Ice Cream

Calories            1330
Sodium               595mg         28%
Total Fat               70g          105%
Saturated Fat       42g         210%
Cholesterol        455mg         154%
Carbohydrate      147g           49%
Sugars                 140g    
Protein                    28g
Vitamin A     56%
Vitamin C  14%
Calcium    105%

 And remember... that was just a Snack for the little girl...

 Also note, that even a mere 8oz (Typical Medium size cup)  of Perrys is a whopping 60% of your Saturated Fat,
and 44% of your Cholesterol.   

 Its pretty disgusting when you think about it.    And when I do think about it... All I see is large lumps of animal fat being ground up...and churned into this stuff.   Even in low dose amounts... the stuff is shockingly bad for you.

(which is why they put the serving measurement at 4oz servings.  4oz is like two spoonfuls.  Nobody eats just 2 spoonfuls of Ice Cream)

[Xiaou2]

Omelet for lunch, and bacon & eggs in a cup for breakfast.  No deviations.  No desserts, but plenty of milk at meal times.

 Omlet = Eggs + Cheese.    Cheese = Dairy + FAT.   Eggs = Cholesterol.
 Cheese is one of the higher Fat content products.  Its mega fat, and mega calories, even in small amounts.

 You could eat a whole bag of carrots, and not get the calories and damage from a single 1" block of cheese.

 Bacon = One of the highest Fatty meats, and its fried in Oils.  Wonderful diet  / Health kick.

 Substitute LEAN meats, like Chicken or Turkey... and you wont need a quad bypass on your Arteries at age 45...
Even Ham or decent cuts of Beef are far leaner than Bacon.  Unreal.

Remember that fruit has as much sugar as candy, rots your teeth and causes stomach problems due to acids.  Your one a day will save you a small fortune in fruit.

 Ive never once had a problem with Fruit giving me stomach problems.  As for teeth rotting.. that can happen just as easily, when you get some meat stuck between them.. and dont floss.

 Fruits also have beneficial nutrients.  Nutrients that your body needs.  Nutrients that you wont find in Bacon fat.

Bananas are fine if they are small, and the odd strawberry or blueberry in your shake for taste.  I'm on 5 net carbs a day, and I do watch the fat intake.

 So, taking in 600 calories for Bacon... is supposed to be better than eating a 1/2 pint of berries and a few slices of Turkey?

 I dont think the math adds up.   It seems like an Excuse for people who like to eat Fatty foods.  Im 6ft tall, about 170 lbs... and have never gone about 185lbs.  I Rarely ever eat bacon, and if I do... its only a small portion, on some kind of sammich.
Where as I see people eatting a full plate of the stuff for breakfast.  And then wondering... why cant they keep the mass off?  And why do they keep having to go to the doctors for high blood pressure.. chest pains... numb limbs... mild strokes, heart attacks... and need bypass surgeries...

 But Berries?  Ohh yeah.. they are the Killers.    

[ark_ader]

The high fat diet is not supposed to be forever.  It is designed to change your eating habits.  I would love to have carrots but they contain too much sugar.  The most I have stayed on Induction with Atkins is 6 months, then you are able to reintroduce other foods while you balance your weight loss/gain.  Portion control is another hard rule to follow, but you can have the sweets and desserts if you limit how much you intake.  But as a rule I never slide into sweets.  Greek yogurt with honey is as close as I dare to venture into naughty foods land.

I have an old picture of myself stuck on the wall, my stomach looking like a baby elephant's.  I think of that when I let temptation get the better of me.  Cream cheese is a good alternative for desserts. I have stopped that also. Bread and potatoes is a no no.  My friend is on weight watchers and she is totally amazed by my weight loss, and wants to join but I tell her to stay on WW as she likes the treats too much.

Unfortunately there is a lot of disinformation being posted here.  Atkins is not for everyone, and certainly effective for the first-timers, but those on the second or third try is more difficult to stay the course.  Yes it is unhealthy to eat fatty foods, but if you move to light fat products your sugar intake increases also, so there is no remedy.  I used to contract at a cardiac ward and I know all about heart disease.

I had a cholesterol and blood sugar check with a complete physical and I checked out fine.  The blood pressure is a bit low, but the doc is still pissed at me, and knows how stupid I can be with my diets.  I used to have salads but I found that it was stopping me from losing weight, and now they are off the list.  I prefer baby spinach and raw cauliflower as an alternative.  Guinness makes me sleep and gives iron in my diet.

BTW I lost another 2lbs today so I'm on target for another 30 lbs by the end of September.   

Still reckless.   

http://www.hark.com/clips/wttrmhtgbb-you-are-reckless

[Malenko]

ark, just be careful on what you eat, make sure you're getting the nutrients your body needs and continue to exercise.

xoouche, who are you arguing with? who cares about the fat little girl? didnt you sell the mom the snack for the girl? dont you reserve the right to refuse service to any customer? You are part of the problem.

[CheffoJeffo]

How wrong does a thread have to go for Malenko to become the voice of reason ?

[HaRuMaN]

How wrong does a thread have to go for Malenko to become the voice of reason ?

Pretty wrong...   

[pinballjim]

I tried Atkin's for a little while.  The first couple of weeks, you get so sick of the restricted types of food that you quit eating so much overall.  I tracked what I ate and found that it was ranging 600-1,000 calories a day.  When I was waking up in the middle of the night and making scrambled eggs I realized it wasn't working for me. 

Maybe some people enjoy eating sticks of butter but I found it really hard to get to substantial calories on broccoli and steak.

12 weeks into that program it turns into the same lean meat, whole grains, green vegetables diet that all the rest of them do.

 

[ChadTower]

Maybe some people enjoy eating sticks of butter but I found it really hard to get to substantial calories on broccoli and steak.

Isn't it amazing how difficult it is to crank up the calories on normal natural foods?  When I was trying to GAIN pounds ten years ago I would literally have to eat until I was burping up potato chunks.  Grilled chicken, baked potatoes, tuna, and carrots.  Really, try to put down 1500 calories of grilled chicken and baked potatoes in one sitting.  It's tough.