On Oct 9, 2:28*am, PB wrote:
Low-carb, low-fat, low-cal ?

A) All of the above ?
B) None of the above ?

Nutrionists are like economists. I'm confused.

Calories are the ONLY fundamental contributor. You can't build body
weight without excess energy; you can't maintain it with deficit
energy.

Low-carb and low-fat diets target particular foods, because of their
caloric properties, and are not any more or less effective than just
eating the same proportion of foods you eat now, but less. You could
go on a twinkie diet and lose weight, as long as you are eating X
number of twinkies daily that brings you short of your daily calorie
need.

Obviously, however, a twinkie has a LOT of calories/volume, because of
what it's made of. You could eat a HUGE bowl of salad and get the
same calories from it (sans dressing, that is). Salad is very leafy
and fibrous, so it contains less calories for the same volume. Your
hunger and your digestive system (a particular concern if you're not
crazy about developing diverticulitis) are driven by VOLUME, not
calories. You feel more full and take a better deuce after eating a
salad than you do a twinkie, but both contribute the same caloric
value.

Aside from that, it's all just preference and "success" ratings. I'm
more of an advocate of reading LOTS of diets and extracting the
REASONS for their peculiar strategies, rather than the strategies
themselves. Experiment! Try lots of different foods, expand your
horizons, but don't make it a huge change. I've lost 23 lbs since
February 08, and for 5 months of that time, Hot Pockets and Cup O'
Noodles (salt aside, this is an amazing diet tool. 300 calories, lots
of bulk, and it's hot, so it's filling!) composed roughly a third of
my diet. It's a ****ty way to eat, nutritionally (read: salty), but
even though they're "bad" foods, I still lost weight by only
concerning myself with the calorie count.

So, don't make a diet an exclusive change in what you eat. You want
to change a few habits, as well. Plan meals ahead of time, read
nutritional information, even for products you have no intention of
buying (sometimes, you get surprised and find a new food for your diet
toolbox). Get INTERESTED in what you're putting in your body.



Gonna try the paleolithic diet. Raw fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds
I hope i don't get the opportunity to shoot me a moose whilst i hunt
and gather


I don't personally think that's a healthy way to think about a diet.
We're built to eat a lot of stuff. When you limit that, the body gets
'bored' with your intake, and you feel like crap. Not to mention,
it's BORING.

Ok, ok, will just eat my weight in caramel and lie back on the couch
for a year

I never said I was self disciplined

You have to want it. Weight loss doesn't happen to you. It's the
other way around.