DIET COMMENTS

Sunday, February 2, 2025

STARCH SOLUTION

My wife and I have been on this diet for more than a year and had much success with it. You will have to plan on being dedicated to not eating, meat, much oil, and processed foods. In place of these you will be eating half a plate of potatoes and half a plate of green vegetables. It really does work though.

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Sarah Hunt

B.A. Studied at the University of Guelph8y

What are the pros and cons of a starch based diet?

These are the components of a diet that generally make the majority of people gain weight. Starches cause a spike in insulin which tells your body to store fat. Also, because of the insulin surge, over eating of starches are one of the main causes of pre-diabetes which is rampant in our society today. On diagnoses of pre-diabetes, the first thing the medical community will tell you is to cut out all starches. I have first hand knowledge of this as my husband was diagnosed with pre-diabetes about 2 years ago. On the advice of our doctor he cut out all bread, pasta, potatoes and rice. Not only did he drop 40 pounds, but his blood sugar also returned to normal.

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Dale Grillot

Mechanical Engineer and advocate of Low Carb lifestyle8y

What are the pros and cons of a starch based diet?

Compared to the total history of man, agriculture is a recent development, starting about 10,000 years ago. Unfortunately, a species takes about 50,000 years to modify its genetics to accommodate such a major change. Plus I think that some things like potatoes would be limited to consumption for a portion of the year.

Additionally, foods have changed tremendously do to modern hybridizing of crops. The compact high yield wheat of today is very different from the wheat of only 60 years ago. It has 4 times as much gluten and as a result, we have a lot of people with celiac disease and other conditions caused by wheat sensitivity.

The modern western diet has encouraged people to get 55% or more of energy intake from carbohydrates and the result is epidemic obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, heart disease, and cancer.

100 years ago, everyone knew that bread, potatoes, pasta and other starches were fattening. Now we have decided we are smarter than our grandparents and these things are now promoted as health food. Unbelievable.

Carbohydrates are the food group most easily converted to body fat, and locked into fat cells by insulin that results from the near round the clock consumption of carbohydrates. You will also notice a lot of obesity in poor societies, where cheap carbohydrates are the major food staple.

No, this is not a healthy approach to eating.

Cyclic Fasting and Vegan regimen

What are the pros and cons of a starch based diet?

No pros. All cons. Who is HE? It is no longer, nor was it ever, the way to go in Africa because of GMO wheat, corn, potatoes and other starches. He is very wrong. It is the worst diet that would cause diabetes and obesity.

There is no such thing as a diet for all people. Different foods grow in different parts of the earth so it is impossible and fraudulent to believe in a simple solution to diet such as starches. This is a fraud.

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Edwin Ek

Hard-won expertise in this fieldUpdated 8y

What is your opinion on John McDougall's research about starch in our diet?

It is compelling as heck. McDougall is part of a growing cadre of physicians who espouse plant-based nutrition. That diet has been conclusively shown to be effective against many of the medical ills afflicting modern society: obesity, heart disease (the leading cause of death in the US for men and women), strokes, cancer, type-2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, other auto-immune disorders, etc. The range of diseases is remarkable. Food can be medicine, and of course it is inexpensive, without side effects, and pleasurable.

McDougall emphasizes starches (complex carbohydrates) in a plant-based diet to make sure there are ample calories. He has many exciting case histories on his website.

B.Sc In Computer from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Graduated 2008)Updated 1y

Have you had good results using the OMAD diet?

nomad weight loss results

Is it safe to say that you are fed up with attempting different eating regimens and not seeing significant results in your weight loss venture? Have you considered evaluating another way to deal with your dietary patterns? One Feast A Day (OMAD) is a well-known diet that has gotten some decent momentum lately for its possible advantages in weight loss and, by and large, well-being. In this blog, we will investigate the idea of OMAD and its potential consequences for weight loss without offering any spoilers. Along these lines, if you're charmed to study OMAD and its weight loss results, continue to peruse!

Benefits:

1. Fast weight loss: The OMAD (One Dinner Daily) diet has produced fast and recognizable results.

2. Improved feast arranging: With only one dinner to anticipate, it can work on feeding setting and simplify adhering to a solid eating regimen.

3. Diminished aggravation: A few examinations recommend that discontinuous fasting can lessen irritation in the body, which can have general medical advantages.

4. Further developed energy levels: Certain individuals report expanded energy levels while following an OMAD diet.

5. Practical: Eating one dinner daily can be more affordable than eating three feasts per day.

The OMAD (One Dinner Daily) diet has recently acquired fame as a weight loss technique. I have explored and read a few examples of overcoming adversity from people who have attempted this eating routine and accomplished noteworthy results. The OMAD diet expects you to consume your daily calories in only one meal, ordinarily during a one-hour eating window. Many individuals who have attempted this diet report critical weight loss within a brief timeframe. The OMAD diet additionally manages blood glucose levels, works on mental clarity, and increases energy levels.

In any case, it's vital to note that the OMAD diet may not be reasonable for everybody, particularly those who have existing ailments or are taking drugs. Counseling medical services proficiently before beginning any new eating regimen or workout routine is best in every case.

Generally, the OMAD diet can be a valuable instrument for weight loss whenever done accurately and with the direction of medical care proficiency.

All in all, OMAD (One Feast a Day) can be a successful methodology for weight loss. By confining your everyday food intake to a solitary dinner, you can create a calorie shortage that can prompt weight loss. In any case, it is critical to remember that OMAD may not be appropriate for everybody. Counseling medical services proficiently before beginning any new eating routine or exercise regimen is vital; furthermore, a proper and sound eating routine guarantees your body the necessary supplements. At last, consistency and persistence are critical to achieving weight loss results with OMAD.

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

CICO

It is much easier to blame something else for you being overweight, rather than being accountable.

Keto blames too many carbs.

IF blames eating too often.

Vegan blames eating animals.

CICO states that you are eating too many calories. (Doesn't this one hurt more than the others?)

It is hard to admit that you are overweight because of eating too much. It feels offensive and embarrassing. I want to stress that I'm not implying it's your fault. Stress, poor judgement of calories, low thyroid, medications all have an effect on your calorie consumption. That being said, if you don't take in less calories than you burn, you won't lose weight. A lot of people don't want to hear this.

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Peter Harris

I've studied Nutrition for decades.5y

They tend to follow these diets because society today emphasizes shortcuts.

I can’t tell you how many questions I’ve seen here that ask: “What is the quickest way to lose weight?”

While CICO (calories in vs calories out) is certainly the correct overriding principle, many people still think that shortcuts exist.

The most extreme shortcut is to literally starve yourself & consume nothing but water but the human body, being one of the most adaptable species on the planet, will slow its metabolism in an effort to “keep working” at optimal levels.

This will certainly result in gaining back all of your lost weight as soon as you begin to eat food again.

When people understand that your body will not readily accept more of a loss than 2 pounds per week, they might discover that simple moderation likely works best.

The real trick is to modify your eating habits permanently and accept sensible eating habits for the rest of your life.

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Jessica Reimoti

Studied at Master of Health and Science

Because they try out different methods with mixing diets, because if something works with someone, it does not mean that it will necessarily benefit someone else.

There are also many different factors that drive people to experiment with different diets which include but are not limited to: genetics, social environment, potential allergies from certain foods and people’s different tastes and choices in nutrition.

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Samantha A.

Lives in Rural England

Because calories in calories out is not the whole story; the body adapts to reduced calories in by lowering BMR.

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Eileen M. Gormley

Why do people follow different diets instead of eating what they want on a caloric deficit?

Calorie counting is hard.

Unless you are planning to eat nothing but protein bars and yogurt pots, you have to weigh all your food. And I mean weigh it properly, not just eyeball it and guess.

Just weighing food is quite awkward. Your family dinner of chicken, potatoes and carrots for instance, means you not only have to weigh the chicken, possibly in two lots if you have breast and thigh on your plate, your carrots and your potato, but also the gravy and any butter you add. Then you have to do the looking up and calculating the number of calories in that one meal.

Multiply by three for a single day. What do you do when you go out and have a latte and muffin on the go? Do you know what the calorie count is?

So yeah, just counting the calories is difficult, and then you come to the really difficult part, the calorie deficit. Sometimes it’s impossible to believe that those small meals really add up to the number of calories in your food diary, and you nibble a couple of your kid’s cookies and your spouse’s spice bag.

For most people, a calorie deficit is hard to maintain. You’re always a bit hungry and the prospect of weeks or months of being hungry is not appealling.

So a diet which is simpler than that is appealling, particularly if it promises less hunger.

For instance, I took part in a weight loss trial, and hated the suggested diet plan, which was three small meals and three small snacks a day, all exactly portioned (a 25g potato, for instance). I knew it would obsessive amounts of weighing and eating on my own, and still feeling hungry.

Instead, I did Intermittent fasting, one big meal a day, which was still under the same calorie limit, but less weighing, and psychologically I found it easier to be hungry when I knew there would be a good meal that day.

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Steve R

Lives in Los Angeles, CA (1983–present)5y

Why are there so many different diets that people are following these days? Which is the best?

That’s a great question and you’ve received some good answers thus far.

Philosophically, the best diet is the one that you can stick to. Now, that said, are you referring to a ‘diet’ in the context of what food staples to eat OR in the context of dieting to lose weight??? I guess the good news is that it doesn’t really matter…..what I’ve honestly found is that if you’re eating the right foods, you’ll not be inclined to over-eat and you’ll naturally fall into a healthy weight. I suppose this is what they mean when they say “Don’t diet, just change your lifestyle”

Having lost a lot of weight AND maintained it off, what I can share is this:

Whether it be Atkins, Paleo, Keto, Mediterranean, Zone, Vegan, Weight Watchers of whatever the dietetic flavor of the month, the consistent directive always involves eating more vegetables and reducing/eliminating sugar (refined carbs). The various diets will argue about fruit and other complex carbs, eating meat, how much protein to eat consuming saturated fats….but you can’t go wrong with eating more vegetables and avoiding sugar!

To write anything more would involve writing a short novel and taking a position with or against many experts, doctors, research, documentaries, nutritionist, dietitians, certified nutritional therapist, professional trainers, articles and bro’s at the gym.

Dieting is a LOT like religion; it’s just a matter of who and what you want to believe. There are certain ground rules that everyone will agree upon but once you start down the rabbit hole, it gets VERY convoluted with experts proclaiming things and other expert debunking them.

If you want to know what I’m doing, it’s the ultimate protocol for a person who is seriously challenged in being able to lose weight. I’m doing intermittent fasting + 90/10 vegan-pescatarian, which means I don’t eat until 2pm, I shut it down by 9–10pm and I’m vegan 90% of the time and occasionally I’ll have fish. I weight train 2–3x week along with spin class, mountain biking, racquetball, swimming and working at a ranch property I own. Mouth Party is over aside from a bit of dark chocolate and sushi. I’ll keep this up until I see a 6-pack on my abs and then I’ll moderate back in and see where it goes. I’m not saying this is what others should or need to do, it’s just what works for me.

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Floyd A.

Associate Professor of Anthropology (2001–present)6y

Why are people coming up with all these ridiculous diets?

Because, at least in the United States, there are a lot of people who are overweight and want to slim down, and who have more money than brains. The diet gurus make all sorts of wild promises that they certainly can’t keep, but there has always been a sizable number of gullible saps who think that there is some secret trick to losing weight other than “eat less and exercise more.”

USAmericans, as a group, tend to be pretty lazy (for good reason; we don’t get as much vacation time as any other industrialized population, so we have less energy after work). So we keep hoping for “magical” solutions to practical problems. If some huckster comes along with promises that we can eat all we want and not increase our exercise, we jump at the chance to give them money. Then, when the “magic” weight loss program doesn’t work, we will blame ourselves for not following it appropriately, and then get sad and angry at ourselves and finish off a pint of Ben & Jerry’s while watching TV, looking for the next miracle cure.

So, like anything else in a capitalist society, the diet fads will persist as long as they are profitable.

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Steve R

Lives in Los Angeles, CA (1983–present)Updated Aug 9

Does the CICO diet work?

Any diet that results in fat loss is the result of our consuming less calories than you needed, this is inescapably and inevitable truth.

CICO, Calories In vs Calories Out……is more of a conceptual approach or even a math equation! A better way to look at it would be to realize that our bodies become as heavy as the average amount of calories we consume!

As a general rule, each pound of body weight requires 14 calories per day, more if you’re more active, more if you carry a lot of muscle, less if you’re more sedate, less if you’re more flab then muscle.

If you take a young kid who weighs some 140 pounds and start feeding them 3,500 calories per day, they will gain weight and continue to gain weight until they end-up around 280 pounds, at which point they’d reach an equilibrium point. This is why obese people don’t continue to get bigger and bigger and bigger. The body stores fat but also creates more energy dependence because it now has to sustain that living tissue. And yes, even fat cells require energy (albeit far less then muscle tissue).

I can’t speak towards the CICO diet…..but I can attest to the math equation that it does come down to calories. You’ll also notice that when you are following a diet that controls your insulin or changes your gut biome, you also seem to be reducing calories. And lastly, here’s the golden image:

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Doug Freyburger

Works at IT- Industry5y

Why does it seem that most of the diets don't work on over weight people?

“Why does it seem that most of the diets don't work on over weight people?”

Because most diets don’t work for most people. Pretty simple how that works.

NO diet plan type works for everyone. If it did we could go to the mall and not see fat people. When some read that they go nuts about concentration camps. No, that’s NOT what the word “works” means. For a plan type to work it has to not trigger hunger to the point of obsessing about food. No one in a concentration camp fails to refeed the minute they have unlimited food available.

Roughly 20–30% thrive on low fat. For the rest of us it fails us. If low fat works for you of course you should stay on it but never imagine that since it works for you it must work for others. When we go to the mall the people who thrive on low fat look slightly dried out and a bit flabby.

Roughly 30–40% thrive on portion control. They say things like “I’m not hungry” or “I’m full” that many of us never, ever, experience. We know it’s real because we see others saying it but we never experience that ourselves. When we go to the mall the people who thrive on portion control look like they have never been fat in their lives. Indeed many of them never have been fat in their lives. They say stuff like “calories work” not understanding that what works for them fails others.

Roughly 30–40% thrive on low carb. The problem is high carb foods never stop being tempting. Low carb is hard to get onto because of the early cravings. Low carb is easy to stay on because the cravings go away. Low carb is trivial to fall off because that slice of pizza is carby enough to knock us off plan. And starting again is the same effort as starting the first time.

I’m pretty sure there exist people that none of those plan types work for.

The final rate of keeping it off for years is only a few percent. No matter the plan type it only really “works” for a tiny percentage. The vast majority of fay people struggle. Even if we ever find a plan type we thrive on, the hunger never ends. The temptation never ends. The pressure to eat wrong never ends. All while we are surrounded by unlimited food.

For most of us the best we can hope for is a few years fat, a few years back on our plan. Back and forth for life.

Figure out prevention that actually works and you’ll be the world’s first trillionaire. No, calories do NOT work. People have been pushing low calorie since the era of the sharp stick and there are still fat people.

Figure out how to actually cure obesity and being a trillionaire will just be your Monday. There’s no possible way this can be done by diet. It would have to be changing the hormones to act like a person who has never been fat in their life and is never interested in eating foods that make them fat. Something like a little insulin pump but controlling many different hormones instead of just adding a couple of them.

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C.S. Friedman

Novelist for 35 Years8mo

Why do people follow different diets instead of eating what they want on a caloric deficit?

Lots of people keep eating what they want. I have lost 42 pounds this year doing exactly that. But there are a couple of important conditions.

”What I want” is mostly decent food. Not like celery-and-protein-bar good, but not all junk food and greasy burgers. I'm getting the nutrion I need, more or less, and not overwhelming my body with crap.

Granted, that kind of eating gets harder and harder as your calorie allowance goes down. I'd give my right arm for a slice of real NY pizza right now, but I can't work that many calories into my current math. So I have little individual frozen pizzas. Supermarkets sell oodles of snack foods in 100 calorie portions for folks who want a taste of chocolate or chips without blowing their diet. Right now I'm portioning out chocolate macaroons left over from Passover. One a day, 90 calories.

BUT…if your normal diet is just crappy food, and that is all you want, then change may be necessary. When you are only eating 1400 calories a day, they have to count. So for people where the “food they like” would not give them the health and energy they need, a structured diet can help them choose the right foods. Some obese people have no clue what a balanced diet looks like. Food plans can help them make good choices.

All diets ultimately control your calorie intake. Whether it is the rain forest diet of seeds and nuts or Atkins unlimited meats and fats, all of them come down to a calorie deficit. The question is simply what foods will enable you to maintain that deficit and stay healthy.

Ultimately, the “right diet” is the one you can stay on.

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Mahfud Abdul Jalal

Studied Body Weight at Weight Loss4y

What are the benefits of a CICO diet?

During a CICO (calories-in-calories-out) diet, there is no focus on the type of food that you eat. Only the number of calories consumed is taken into consideration.

Do THIS Simple 60-Second Trick, To Lose Weight - Click Here to Read

CICO’s approach is very simple: its proponents believe that if you eat fewer calories than you burn (fewer calories in than calories out), you will lose weight.

The goal of this diet is for the body to end up burning more calories than the amount being consumed. As a result, the body needs to burn storages of fat for the extra energy, resulting in weight loss.

CICO’s straightforward approach to weight loss can be highly beneficial for obese individuals who are suffering from weight-related health complications. The CICO diet is considered safe when calorie deficits are balanced with nutrient intake.

To avoid nutrient deficiencies and other potential adverse effects, work with your doctor or nutritionist to design and implement a healthy and balanced CICO diet.

1) Calorie Deficits

Calorie restriction, when done correctly, refers to reducing calorie intake by 30-40% while maintaining proper nutrition (vitamin, protein, mineral, and water intake). If done this way, calorie deficits are believed to have many health benefits including :

Inverse association with tumor and breast cancer risk

Reduced oxidative stress

Reduced incidence of heart disease (particularly atherosclerosis) and stroke (due largely to decreased blood pressure)

Reduced tissue injuries caused by lack of oxygen (ischemia)

Reduced cholesterol (hyperlipidemia) and obesity (through intermittent fasting)

Hormonal balance: increased insulin sensitivity (useful for diabetics) and ghrelin reduction (causes hunger)

Less inflammation

Eye protection (protects the retina and may help reduce the symptoms of cataracts and glaucoma)

Slowed aging and increased longevity

Improved brain and memory function

Slowed progression of brain diseases (e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease)

2) Weight Loss

Weight loss is associated with a wealth of benefits, including:

Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke (reduced blood pressure)

Reduced risk of diabetes

Reduced risk of different cancers

Reduced risk of asthma

Reduced risk of gallbladder disease

Improvements in osteoarthritis

Improvements in chronic back pain

Improved cholesterol levels

Improved movements

Reduced risk of stroke

Do THIS Simple 60-Second Trick, To Lose Weight - Click Here to Read

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Wayne Brown

Chemical tank driver( otr)4y

How can some people be so slim and eat so much while others eat so little but be so fat no matter what they do?

Metabolism! That is how an individual person/ body burns calories. Sometimes, if the slim person is very active( grass doesnt have the time to grow under their feet… they are always moving/ doing something).

If a person is not very active, has low self esteem, eat a lot of processed foods, don't exercise. All this examples could contribute to a person being “ bigger". ( Also, the slim person might eat alot in public, when out and about. At home( alone), they dont eat that much!

Genetics comes in play.. what is inherited from parents and grandparents.. family! Some people cannot help it.. ( They are just BIG BONED🙂🙂🙂). NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THAT! People will just accept you as you/ i am.

In the scope of everything, it really doesn't matter, all that matters is a good heart, good character, be honest, fair. Treat others as you wish to be treated!

Your life, Your rules!

Good blessings!

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Victorio Beckamo

Does the CICO diet work?

The CICO diet isn’t a book or an eating plan endorsed by a health expert or celebrity. It’s an approach that involves eating fewer calories than you burn. Do THIS Simple 60-Second Trick, To Lose Weight - Click Here to Read The idea is that as long as you stay within a calorie range that's in line with your body's needs, you can eat what you want and still lose weight (or maintain your current weight). To stay on track, people often use a calorie counter app when following a CICO diet. But managing weight with calorie restrictions isn't as simple as it sounds.

Users on social media have said they’ve noticed changes. And while it can be a useful tool for quick weight loss, it’s not the healthiest. Since it’s about eating whatever you want, it might mean getting your calories from unhealthy snacks instead of healthy fats and proteins. It might leave you feeling hungry too if you set calorie targets for yourself and aim to burn more than that. ‘At the core of it, it’s true that calories will rule things when it comes to weight loss,’ says Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Superfood Swap. ‘If you’re eating just a tonne, you’re not aware of calories, you will not be successful. That is true in the crudest, raw possible way.’ The aim of his diet is to create a calorie deficit but not all calories are created equal. So if you chomp 1500kcal of Mars bar throughout a day and then work it off, it doesn’t mean it’s a healthy choice.

Do THIS Simple 60-Second Trick, To Lose Weight - Click Here to Read

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Seshadri Srinath

b tech in Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) (Graduated 1991)

Because CICO isn’t how they all “work”. When you pee on ketostix and thurn them pruple, that = lots of ketones leaving your body - and since ketones can be used to fuel you, AKA thy got lots of calories (9 cal a gm) that = CO (in pee, poop, breath, and sweat as well as what leaves your skin as a gas)

So CICO is right, just as soon as CO includes Calories in pee, poop, breath, skin, sweat etc.

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Muralasa Murasaki

Why are there so many different diets that people are following these days? Which is the best?

We’re all different. The best diet for each person is different from the best diet for someone else. It depends on genetics, epigenetics, and environmental factors, so even identical twins may need different diets, and the same person might need a different diet as they go through life. The best diet for a newborn baby is different from the best diet for a growing teenager, and that is also different from the best diet for a senior citizen. The best diet for someone who is allergic to peanuts might be different from the best diet for someone who has gluten intolerance. The best diet for an athlete who is actively training for a world-class competition is different from the best diet for that person when they stop competing.

The “best diet” changes from person to person and from situation to situation. There are so many diets because each person has many different diets that work best for them as they go through different circumstances.

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Christian Finch

Former Plumber/builder11y

Why do people follow illogical silly diets?

They do this for the same reason that they play the lottery; the truth is that they want rewards without putting in the work to get them. Society in general seems completely besotted with the something for nothing way of thinking and those who encourage it tend to make quite a bit of money from them. Imagine being fat as hell, with little to no willpower and then someone comes along and says "hey I can sell you a book that shows you how to get to your desired weight while eating as much of your favorite junk food as you want!

People go with these crazy diets because its a lot easier than taking responsibility for their weight, letting go of excuses and doing the work :(

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Thomas Moura

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering & Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) (Graduated 2015)

Why do people diet, when they know that diets don't work?

Diets do work. What people apparently don't understand is that diet is a long term deal. If you managed to loose weight with diet you don't simply go back your old eating habits.

So isn't much as dieting don't work in long term. It's people that don't.

Long term nutritional reeducation is the key.

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Matthew Rockwell

Studied Computer Engineering7y

Why do people result to quick fix diets instead of putting in the work needed?

Because they were never taught how to properly feed themselves.

I see it all the time… how much CANDY do adults give children, only “because their kids” ??? Grandparents, neighbors, etc. EVERY occasion, we have sugar-ridden candies. We have no choice but to be destined for obesity in those lifestyles. Then we need to lose weight “for a wedding”, or “for graduation”, or “high school/family reunion” or (insert excuse here), instead of just being a healthy person every day. I learned the hard way, and kinda late too, but I had to take it upon myself to realize there is a whole new world outside of my little community back home, and to break so many bad habits that I was ”taught”.

People are conditioned to like sugar, carbs, processed food, etc, because guess what? They kinda taste good! Also guess what? So does whole food.

I’ve been researching this sort of thing for quite a while now. The sugar industry amazingly had convinced everyone that fat in food made people fat…

So, generally speaking, people are lazy and weak minded, and get addicted to food easily. A strong minded person will CHOOSE to eat properly and CHOOSE to exercise and CHOOSE to be consistent.

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Iris Lemley

Is a fat vegan4y

Why can't people stick to their diet plans?

Many can and do, but they might not be believed about it, because it still doesn't usually lead to permanent weight loss so everyone just assumes they are cheating and sneaking snacks. The ones who keep on their diets even after the diets cause weight regain usually have other reasons, medical, ethical, etc.

Weight loss diets don't actually work for most people, and it's not because people give up and fail to maintain them. There just isn't much point in continuing them indefinitely if all the diets are doing is ruining your metabolism and making you miserable while creating an even more severe regain in spite of sustained compliance. So a lot of times, people stop when the diets obviously aren't working anymore, after their weight goes back up to what it was before or higher, despite the fact that they are still doing the same things that seemed to work temporarily.

But, then there really are those who react to their body's survival cues by eating when they are desperately hungry, because the metabolic damage has made them perpetually ravenous, and then, sadly, they often feel like they are the ones who failed. Even in those cases, really it is still the fact that diets don't work. This is just another way they don't work.

Over time, they make your body store more fat and use energy more efficiently so you expend less, and they can also make you hungry all the time.

So I don't recommend dieting unless you absolutely have to be put on a special diet for a specific condition, even knowing that you'll likely end up heavier because of it. Instead of focusing on weight loss as a goal, just choose health-promoting behaviors and learn to appreciate the body you have.

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Louise Sackville

I was obese, had bariatric surgery & lost 105 lbs.4y

How can some people be so slim and eat so much while others eat so little but be so fat no matter what they do?

Some people simply have a higher metabolic rate than others, likely due to having a higher-than-average muscle-to-fat ratio, being very physically active most of the time, and not being prone to over-eating.

My dad’s mother was a tiny, slender little bird of a woman whom I literally never saw just sitting and relaxing. She’d sit for a minute or two, then jump up to do some thing or other, like make tea, make food, serve food, dust furniture, move a chair, move it back again, clean the kitchen (even though it was already spotless) etc.

She was just full to the brim with nervous energy and apparently had a high metabolic rate; she ate well but stayed the same weight her entire adult life. Her daughter, my aunt, is exactly the same. Her son, my dad, didn’t inherit that gene and although he had a lot of her nervous energy he struggled with obesity in his later years.

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Janet McKenzie

BSN, MBA, ND, Canadian (1961–present)

Why do people diet, when they know that diets don't work?

“Why do people use WEIGHT LOSS diets, when they know that WL diets instead of lifestyle changes don't work?”

A2A

Note that I make a distinction between fad diets, and healthy diets designed to promote weight loss.

Healthy diets designed to promote weight loss work when applied with intelligence. The most effective way to change your weight is to use caloric restriction.

That said, long term maintenance of a reduced weight is best accomplished when you deal with all the variables that led to increased weight in the first place, which could include psychological issues and lifestyle factors.

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Predrag Maksimovich

Medical Doctor. Dental Surgeon. Specialist OTOHNS. (1973–present)

Why do people diet, when they know that diets don't work?

Us fatty fatty boom booms!

What shall we do!

Die!?!

Of course, we are going on reduction diets.

All of them work but people lose weight, stop dieting, and get all the fat back with vengeance.

Simple!

BTW, I prefer LCHF with bouts of intermittent fasting.

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Rajan Sampath

Life and Wellness Coach, Motivational Speaker

Why do people go on diets if all it does is shifts your body from one extreme to another?

That is fundamental problem of the current generation or time. People have no time to understand themselves. They constantly look for easy and quick solutions externally.

That is why all these diets, supplements, health foods are doing roaring business.

Only if people understand that their problems occur due to the way they eat, breathe and they are the best ones to solve their problems life would become better for most people.

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Peter Geiger

Lost 60 pounds of fat.6y

Why do people follow fad diets?

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this question over the last year.

People want to lose weight. Losing weight is simple, but difficult. People who want to lose weight have likely failed in the past. This sets up a scenario where they feel like they were doing it wrong even though they 'worked so hard’.

In this psychological state people begin searching for alternatives.

Fad diets are viral: you see the awesome results everywhere in the media. Your brain tells you that this diet indeed works because you see the results. You already assumed you were doing it wrong, so you turn to this new diet that obviously works.

The thing is, any calorie restricted diet will work. Some are easier on the body and maintain more muscle, but any of them will work.

The problems are numerous. A week feels like a long time when you're trying to lose weight and the 1 week change might not even be easily measured. People give up because it's hard and they don't see change. The fad diet failed them. The cycle is repeated.

You couldn't sell a diet if you told the truth.

To lose weight you must eat less (calories).

Healthy weight loss is slow.

Weight loss is only permanent if you permanently change the way you eat.

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Suruthi Murugeshan

Personalized Nutritionist at Qua Nutrition - Signature Nutrition Clinic (2019–present)Updated 4y

Why are diets usually so hard to follow?

The term “Diet” originally comes from a Greek word “Diata” meaning - way of life.

Looking at diet as a restrictive food pattern to starve or reduce foods for weight loss is a misconception.

Diet or a nutrition plan should be created based on your current way of eating (veg / non-veg / cuisine/culture), type of physical activity, likes and dislikes and preference and your daily schedule.

Nutrition plan created based on the above-said factors would just be a modification from your current food pattern at home, modified based on your goals (like weight loss/ immunity etc.,). Educating yourself with the right combination of meals, and minor modifications in your current food pattern should be the focus of the diet.

This way diet will be do-able and sustainable lifestyle modification. Food, unlike medicine, cannot be taken just for a month or two. Healthy eating should become a lifestyle.

If you try to follow a “Diet” which didn’t consider the above factors, will be hard to follow and maintain. Hence approach a nutritionist who can structure your personalised nutrition plan which enables you to follow it without difficulties.

Suruthi - Nutritionist

QUA Nutrition - Signature clinics

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Marjan Pregelj

Why can't people stick to their diet plans?

Had same problem for decades, nothing worked or at least not for long …. that is until I have discovered around 4 years ago keto and later carnivore. Staying for life, recovered most of my health and removed nearly all healthy problems after decades of high carbs (even if so called “healthy” one) foods. Incredible benefits and positive changes.

For more do your research, great authors like dr. Ken Berry, prof. Tim Noakes, dr. Sten Ekberg, dr. Jason Fung, … than books like The Big Fat Surprise (N. Teicholz), The Great Cholesterol Myth (Bowden, Sinatra), The Diabetes Code (dr. Jason Fung), The Carnivore Code (dr. Paul Saladino, The Carnivore Diet (dr. Shawn Baker), ….

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Brad Gunn

Former Food Process Engineer at Big Name (1999–2018)5y

Why are there so many different diets that people are following these days? Which is the best?

You might as well ask what is the “best” religion. Look at all the disparate answers you got here now.

It seems obvious that the worst diet is what your average idiot is doing: drink sodas and eat all day long.. eating mostly processed packaged frozen junk. Even most restaurant food comes packaged or frozen.

At the other extreme are the Vegans. My opinion is that Veganism is more of a religion than a scientific approach to health. Vegan brownies should give you a clue that the whole thing is nonsense.

Somewhere in the middle would be the “best” diet. Drink clean water. Don't eat anything with chemicals. Try and go at least 12 hours without eating anything, give your guts and teeth a rest. Eat fresh “real” food, like eggs, meat, fish. (not processed, not frozen)

Just obeying those few rules already is harder than most will attain.

And there is your answer Andre, it is simply HARD to eat perfectly well every day.

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Ellen Fleischer

Reads nutrition labels routinely5y

What are the benefits of a CICO diet?

EVERY diet is a “CICO” diet. Because CICO isn’t a diet; it’s an equation.

If CI>CO, weight is gained.

If CI<CO, weight is lost.

If CI=CO, weight is maintained.

And that’s it. Whether you’re doing keto, paleo, vegetarian, South Beach, Mediterranean, raw food… it’s CICO. Whether you’re trying to impact your weight or just change your eating habits, it’s CICO.

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Heart Wings

If weight loss is so unlikely, why do so many people go on diets?

Because they somehow think they can “go on a diet” lose weight and go back to what made them fat in the first place and somehow the weight won’t come right back.

I have lost 36 pounds so far. I AM NOT ON A DIET!!! I made permanent lifestyle changes that will stay with me. I quit snacking and I gave up junk food like chips. I exercise nearly every day now, it's a new habit that I can stick with. They way I eat now is healthy and I will keep on eating that way. When I reach my goal weight I can slowly add in more calories until I find how much more I can eat to maintain.

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Steve R

Lives in Los Angeles, CA (1983–present)3y

How come some people can eat a lot/never work out and stay skinny while others need to be on a constant diet and exercise daily?

I’ll tell you exactly why……

It’s a misperception! See, we’re all made from the some 30-trillion cells and each of them require energy each day. It’s ALMOST like cars….they very in gas mileage and you’ll find a very close correlation between horsepower/weight/mpg and while technology has helped make things more efficient it still boils down to a certain amount of fuel to move a certain amount of weight.

Getting right to it, we’ve studied people who boldly proclaim they can eat anything and never gain weight…..and yeah, they sometimes do take-down some huge meals! If you go to the all-you-can-eat places and ask the server’s what type of person really chows down the quantity, you’ll be shocked to come to realize the consistent reporting that it’s not the big obese huge people but actually, more often, it’s the skinny guys!

So how is this? Well, it’s a compounding effect. I’m sure you’ve heard about how you can put $10 each week into a bank account at the age of 10 and by age 55 you’ll have $250,000 or something. Well, that’s how the morbidly obese person gets it done……sure, they eat some huge meals but the ‘secret’ is perpetual consumption….they wake in the morning with hunger and then appease that hunger throughout the day! They have breakfast, a snack, lunch, snack, more snack, a bit of a nosh, dinner, dessert and then later while watching TV and 2nd dinner with more dessert. It’s a veritable Foodfest and making matters worse, it’s usually comprised of bad food choices that are calorie dense: junk food, fast food, foods loaded with both fat and particularly SUIGAR!

But let’s get back to our skinny person…..can they really eat anything and as much as they want and magically not gain weight? No! What they aren’t telling you is that they often skip meals, sometimes don’t even eat for the day and the bottom line is that they simply aren’t driven by hunger all that much. Ultimately, at the end of the day/week/month/year they simply consume less calories overall than their obese counterpart.

Yeah, the mythical ‘metabolism’ comes into play…….but our metabolism doesn’t speed-up or slow-down, it simply increases or decreases…not the same thing! The actual term metabolism refers simply to the process of converting food into energy….and yet somehow we’ve come to regard it as some magical thermostat which dictates how many calories we burn and how many calories we store into fat. In reality, our metabolism is merely the massive collection of all our living cells + our activity level. Generally referred to as our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and along with our activity it’s our TDEE, Total Daily Energy Expenditure…..but these are just acronyms so who cares.

Back to the metabolism, there aren’t some people who require more energy to maintain their body than others, our energy needs are based on our weight and activity level. Our metabolism can adjust to account for perceived famines but it largely amounts to making us more lethargic and less active, at best we can adjust about 5–10%……so no, it’s not like some people are like Hummer’s and others are like Prius’s….human bodies are quite similar, at least in terms of energy needs relative to body mass combined with activity level.

From my experience (and science is still learning/discovering stuff)….it seems to come down to an inherent inclination towards consumption. Not unlike alcohol: some people take a drink of whiskey and think it tastes like gasoline….others crawl into the bottle and die as alcoholics…why? Genetic predisposition. Some people modestly enjoy eating and while others become obsessed with it.

Closing note: what really changed was our food supply! I call it the Culinary Revolution….we learned to deep-fry foods, how to refine foods into sugars and fats. We created flavors, salts, preservatives and cooking methods that made foods HYPER-PALATABLE……so freakin’ delicious that we eat far more than we otherwise would in their natural state. Perfect example: give an obese person a basket full of apples and they’ll maybe eat 1–2 and go 200–350 calories deep…..now given them an XL size bag of Doritos or peanut M&M’s and they’ll go quadruple digits deep into the calories before backing away! How much water will you drink as compared to lemonade or Coke?

Hey, listen….I took MY time on a Sunday to significantly answer your question so instead of a messily upvote how about a personal thank-you. I’m getting a bit tired of giving my time & advice (which is frankly awesome) to random people who often don’t take the time to offer appreciation.

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Vincent Esposito

MS, DC Nutrition | Nutrition Solutions | Podcast Co-Host5y

Why do people follow fad diets instead of an actual working diet?

People are attracted to dramatic changes in short periods of time that take little effort. That’s the dream right? I can reach my health goal (lose weight, feel better, lessen symptoms) by not putting in a great deal of effort. This is where fad diets shine. And they do work… to a point. The problem with fad diets out there today is that they are so restrictive, you are almost guaranteed to see some change short term.

However, problems arise when you continue them for weeks and months, if you even make it to that point. Take the ketogenic diet for example. The ketogenic diet, from a medical perspective, is meant to be a short term therapy, not lasting longer than a month. Even hardcore proponents of the ketogenic diet implement what is known as “carb cycling” if they want to continue the lifestyle beyond 30 days. Carb cycling basically means every third day or so, they introduce carbohydrates in the form of sweet potatoes or brown rice, for example.

The restrictiveness of fad diets are kind of a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, because they are so restrictive, they are virtually impossible to commit to for life. On the other hand, these restrictions make it much easier to go shopping. Almost all of them make it impossible to participate in social engagements without deviating.

While they might seem attractive on face value, they are not meant for long-term use, and this is why you see many people “yo-yo,” and claim they have tried everything and nothing works. I have seen this in my practice.

True changes come when you develop a plan you can commit to for years to come. The transition will be much slower, and you will not see the dramatic changes in weight, but you develop habits that will promote health in a more manageable way.

The foods you eat will play a big role ( and we will cover the basics here), but you must first understand that the process begins with setting up good habits and having a positive mindset.

If you are not looking long-term and approaching the process as a lifestyle change, chances are you might fall back into previous ones.

Now with that said, here are some actionable basics I give all of my patients as a starting point in my clinical practice.

THE BASICS:

Eat real foods, with at least 50% of each plate being vegetables.

Eat a diet primarily of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

Drink clean water.

Eat fermented foods to balance your gut flora.

Cut out inflammatory foods.

80% of the time eat right, allowing yourself 20% “wiggle room.”

Drink lemon water in the morning, it helps boost metabolism and liver function.

Look for foods that are high in fiber (whole foods) and low in sugar.

Eliminate all packaged foods, if possible.

Be sure to read ALL ingredient labels.

Never eat out of a box or bag.

Eat greens at least twice per day.

Choose organic foods as often as possible.

Listen to your body!

Hope this helps!

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Penny

Lives in Napa, CA

Why do people go on extremely restrictive diets or starve themselves to lose weight when this method isn't effective?

This is usually because people are desperate to lose weight in a hurry. They don’t have the patience to go on a proper long-term diet that will take off weight more slowly. They might have some upcoming event - a class reunion, a wedding, or some other important social event they want to look really good for. Maybe they’ve procrastinated losing weight, and now the time is closing in, and they are determined to do whatever it takes to get the weight off before the event. If they find some diet on social media that claims they can lose 20 lbs. in two weeks, they go all in for it.

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Sanjay Gupta

Former DGM (Environment, Safety, Laboratory & ISO) at HEG Limited, Mandideep, Bhopal (1996–2020)4y

Why are diets usually so hard to follow?

Craving for food arises due to feel-good deficit from your occupational activity and lack of exercise. When you start compensating this deficit from food then it becomes one major reason for deviation from the diet plan. The three other major reasons are water intake, protein intake and sleep.

When you take sufficient protein (30% of your calories or roughly 1 gram protein per kg of body weight), which give you energy over a period, you feel full & will not tend to eat more (carbs) which give instant energy and which if not used gets accumulated as fat

3–4 Liters of water intake will also make you feel full & you will not tend to eat more

Good sleep will give more healing to the body & feel-good will increase.

Exercises of three types namely Breathing, Cardio and Strength will release feel-good chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin etc resulting in substantial decrease in craving for food

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Mary-Ellen Candage

Lives in Perigord, France3y

Why do some people eat whatever they want but stay skinny?

Probably one or more of:

Genetics

Healthy eating

Lots of exercise

My husband eats enormous quantities of foods of all kinds and never gains an ounce. He swims with some regularity but is far from being an exercise freak.

I’m not skinny, but I’m not even close to being fat, and for the past 2 years because of a couple of non-serious health issues have done very little exercise. I don’t limit what I eat at all.

I think we both just got good genes. And although we’re never on anything even resembling a diet, and eat PLENTY, we eat fresh, healthy foods almost exclusively. Fortunately, you’d have to work hard at eating badly where we live.

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Ellen Fleischer

Reads nutrition labels routinely5y

What is the CICO diet?

A misnomer.

CICO is an acronym for “Calories in/Calories out”

If Calories In > Calories Out, weight gain happens.

If Calories In < Calories Out, weight loss happens.

If Calories In = Calories Out, weight is maintained.

It’s not a diet; it’s an equation than underlies every weight-related diet out there.

It’s ALL CICO.

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Richard Dihlman

Former Owner/operator at Commercial Cleaning Service, Commercial Janitorial Cleaning Service, Office Cleaning (1979–2014)

It's way more than calories in calories out.Thats just some BS from some doctor wrote a book.Have you ever heard of the poison GMOS????Or MSG,HFCS, Aspartame, Nitrates,? Well you should research these subjects and you'll realize the poisons they are selling you in supermarkets.Gluten is another subject and it's effect on weight gain and absorption of nutrients.Take control of your health and don't trust MDs or other so called experts on nutrition they have a different agenda.