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Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

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Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#41
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can lose weight on it but you are really tricking your body into starvation. Also it does nothing to help with our number one killer in the US, heart disease. It really isn't healthy for you and most people gain all the weight back. Here is a good video on it as well. He does a way better job at explaining it with links to all the sources he brings up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzHLAqyO7PQ

> but you are really tricking your body into starvation. Our bodies are not organisms that may be deceived. Thus, you are not "tricking" your body--it's simply utilizing a separate, historically common, metabolic pathway. > Also it does nothing to help with our number one killer in the US, heart disease I'm afraid you're mistaken. Most ketogenic studies and reports I've read pretty decisively say that the main predic…

> Our bodies are not organisms that may be deceived. Thus, you are not "tricking" your body--it's simply utilizing a separate, historically common, metabolic pathway.

Did you watch the video? Studies show you are starving yourself (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bmb.2005.49403304...). Ketogenic diet is very dangerous see: https://www.thepaleomom.com/adverse-reactions-to-ketogenic-d... There are no bad side effects from a starch based diet.

> I'm afraid you're mistaken. Most ketogenic studies and reports I've read pretty decisively say that the main predictors of heart disease improve dramatically on a ketogenic diet. LDL, HDL, and triglycerides all tend to improve.

Starch based diet has cured heart disease and has taken people from high 200's to under 150 and even lower.

> > It really isn't healthy for you > You're mistaken.

See first comment

> Most people gain most of the weight back, as per any diet ever. Do you think your starch-based diet is immune to this effect? I have a very "whatever works" opinion on dieting. Your starch diet works for you, a ketogenic diet works for others, and that seems okay.

Because you can stay on a starch based diet forever, which I plan on doing, as it really isn't a diet but a choice on the food I am eating. I am not hungry like all the other diets I have ever been on.

There are many other reasons to be on a vegan diet over just health like animal cruelty and environment. I would rather see wins in all three but I agree with you that you need to find what works for you. This is a person decision as you make the choice on what you put in your own mouth.

Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. An all "oreo" diet, could technically be a vegetarian diet.

Vegan, even.

You can't have a vegan all-Oreo diet... Oreos and milk forever go together!

Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#43
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint here: I went on a ketogenic, high fat, medium protein, low carb diet this past year, and managed to lose roughly the same amount in probably the same amount of time (if not less), doing basically the same thing. I ate what I wanted. I got full a lot faster, though. I also felt like I had more energy and suffered less brain fog while on the diet. I'll likely go back on it pretty soon here.

It could well turn out that the common factor here is not consuming a lot of highly refined carbohydrates (sugar, flour, etc.). More importantly, metabolism is just incredibly complicated, with many complex relationships and effects. On top of that, there is significant genetic variation, so these will differ across individuals. For now, we pretty much have to experiment on ourselves and observe what works.

> More importantly, metabolism is just incredibly complicated, with many complex relationships and effects

Plus you're missing on many other factors, especially sleep and mood.

Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#45

It's really "Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss" for people who have Type 2 diabetes AKA are already eating very unhealthy diets, and versus the control group eating diet X. That's two separate enormous caveats. I want to see a vegetarian diet for weight loss vs a high fat high protein meat based diet, a la: http://www.empiri.ca/p/eat-meat-not-too-little-mostly-fat.ht... > The vegetarian diet (∼60…

It's hard to read a ketogenic diet page that begins with a long disclaimer about you only you are responsible for your health and diet and "we can't take any responsibility for the consequences", and then conclude that the result represent good advice for the overall health of average people. Normal people are not going to tune their diet by measuring their blood chemistry.

Edit to say that the point may be that those diets were broadly comparable except in consumption of animal foods; the vegetarian diet was modestly higher and lower in protein and fat, but not by much.

Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#47
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh I know, I just wanted him to answer that. :)

Why though? He didn't say that "Given that ALL/MOST top body builders are vegans", but that "Given that top body builders are vegans". And indeed there are some. Which points that there's no necessary connection between being vegan and losing muscle.

He also didn't say "Given that SOME top body builders are vegans".

Top body builders eat meat. Top body builders do not eat meat.

The implication is "The top body builders", but yes, there's wiggle room for when someone challenges the statement.

Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole idea that eating vegetarian will lead to a less muscular physique is just completely unfounded. There are elite athletes that are vegetarians who make no special effort to get protein. (citation: my wife was one). My build didn't change when going vegetarian. It just isn't a thing. it isn't a magic pill for weight loss either.

Throwing another anecdote on the pile: I've been vegetarian for 2 years and have zero perceptible changes to weight or muscle mass (I don't take supplements either).

another anecdote here:

I went pescatarian 1.5 years ago and have put on 10-20 pounds. It's really been hard (for me) to feel full without those chicken breasts I used to make and the occasional steak. Fish simply doesn't keep as long. I end up eating lots of junk food :(

I don't think it's a bad idea. I just need to get more prepared, clever and disciplined. I actually wasn't looking to lose weight at all, just be healthier. It's been a surprise how hard it is to get back to my original weight.

Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#49
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but you are really tricking your body into starvation. Our bodies are not organisms that may be deceived. Thus, you are not "tricking" your body--it's simply utilizing a separate, historically common, metabolic pathway. > Also it does nothing to help with our number one killer in the US, heart disease I'm afraid you're mistaken. Most ketogenic studies and reports I've read pretty decisively say that the main predic…

> Our bodies are not organisms that may be deceived. Thus, you are not "tricking" your body--it's simply utilizing a separate, historically common, metabolic pathway. Did you watch the video? Studies show you are starving yourself ( http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bmb.2005.49403304... ). Ketogenic diet is very dangerous see: https://www.thepaleomom.com/adverse-reactions-to-ketogenic-d... There are no bad s…

> Did you watch the video?

I'm trying to formulate a reply, without sounding snarky, expressing the notion that a youtube video by "Vic the Vegan" claiming to have "debunked" an entire diet (which has more downvotes than upvotes, mind you) might not be a credible source and it's probably in no one's interest to pay it any credence. Especially, as it seems, that Vic himself has no particular expertise in the field (a field which is highly prone to Dunning-Krugerism). I'm sure if the video makes any good points you'll be able to formulate an argument around them.

> Studies show you are starving yourself

Have you read that link? I ask because it's obvious you have not as it speaks volumes to ketogenic dieting's benefit. """Fuel storage depots, like subcutaneous and abdominal adipose tissue, have a high calorie:weight ratio and are capable of meeting the energy requirements directly or indirectly (lactate and pyruvate powered by free fatty acid oxidation) for most tissues, without adverse effects. As we demonstrated, survival during prolonged starvation depends upon the ability of the body to spare the oxidation of vital proteins in the liver, muscle, heart, kidney, etc. Of special importance in this regard is the metabolic role of ketone bodies. Because of their association with diabetes, ketone bodies were long held to reflect a disease state; our research totally changed this view"""

Also, thepaleomom is not a good source.

> Starch based diet has cured heart disease and has taken people from high 200's to under 150 and even lower.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19641727

> Because you can stay on a starch based diet forever, which I plan on doing, as it really isn't a diet but a choice on the food I am eating. I am not hungry like all the other diets I have ever been on.

This same point can be made for a ketogenic diet.

> There are many other reasons to be on a vegan diet over just health like animal cruelty and environment.

Oh, absolutely. But that's nutritionally notwithstanding in this context. Like before, if you have found something that works for you, that's great, but it's ridiculous to say that anything else is somehow wrong or dangerous, especially when you can't claim any degree of expertise in the field.

Re: Vegetarian Diets May Be More Effective for Weight Loss Than Restricting Calories

#50
post #4

Does anyone who has studied this in depth know: How much of the lost weight is muscle mass?

Given that top body builders are vegans, I'd guess - not much

How many of those vegan body builders don't take massive doses of anabolic steroids?
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