Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 46 posts

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#21

Post by robchez »

JohnsonB wrote: post #17
robchez wrote: post #7

I really wish the count calories, calories in = calories out, calorie is just a calorie mantra would just go away and die. The idea that your body has no clue as to what type (fat, protein, carb) of you're eating is stupid. I have advised nearly everyone in my family as well as lots of friends and colleagues to weight loss success with the following simple rules: 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars 2. Eat health…

> 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars This is only partially true; there is nothing wrong with unprocessed grains/legumes if eaten in moderation. This means whole grains and not processed wheat products. Actually the rest of your advice usually lines up with the "healthy carbs" mantra which refers to whole grains, legumes, nuts and some starches. The other thing that should be mentioned is to eat as much low-cal…

as per a post below the reason i shy away from grains/legumes are due to their lectins/protease inhibitors/phytates.

Sprouting them may limit these issues, but for me, healthy carbs are sweet potatos and some white rice now and then.

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#22

Post by Evgeny »

JohnsonB wrote: post #17
robchez wrote: post #7

I really wish the count calories, calories in = calories out, calorie is just a calorie mantra would just go away and die. The idea that your body has no clue as to what type (fat, protein, carb) of you're eating is stupid. I have advised nearly everyone in my family as well as lots of friends and colleagues to weight loss success with the following simple rules: 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars 2. Eat health…

> 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars This is only partially true; there is nothing wrong with unprocessed grains/legumes if eaten in moderation. This means whole grains and not processed wheat products. Actually the rest of your advice usually lines up with the "healthy carbs" mantra which refers to whole grains, legumes, nuts and some starches. The other thing that should be mentioned is to eat as much low-cal…

there is nothing wrong with unprocessed grains/legumes if eaten in moderation

It probably depends on one's definition of "nothing wrong". The fact that grains, whole or not, are packed with antinutrients like gluten, phytic acid or lectins is well-known.

Here's the best summary on the subject that I've found so far: http://anthonycolpo.com/?p=852

Edit: lectins

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#23

Post by robchez »

ciupicri wrote: post #15
robchez wrote: post #7

I really wish the count calories, calories in = calories out, calorie is just a calorie mantra would just go away and die. The idea that your body has no clue as to what type (fat, protein, carb) of you're eating is stupid. I have advised nearly everyone in my family as well as lots of friends and colleagues to weight loss success with the following simple rules: 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars 2. Eat health…

If you get rid of grains from where are you going to get the B vitamins? The grains have the advantage of having a lot of B vitamins while being ubiquitous. P.S. I eat pork muscle, chicken breast, tuna, sardines, mackerel and eggs and while they are rich in vitamin B12 and some of the others, they don't seem to provide the full spectrum of B vitamins. On the other hand with grains you can't go wrong, you can be sure…

Meat. You would be surprised how nutritionally dense a good steak is!

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#24

Post by battlebee »

robchez wrote: post #7

I really wish the count calories, calories in = calories out, calorie is just a calorie mantra would just go away and die. The idea that your body has no clue as to what type (fat, protein, carb) of you're eating is stupid. I have advised nearly everyone in my family as well as lots of friends and colleagues to weight loss success with the following simple rules: 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars 2. Eat health…

Really? Because I lost 40lbs in four months last fall by meticulously counting my calories.

* You're strategy is vague and difficult to determine compliance. How much is a "decent amount"?

* My method is quantitative. Everything I ate had a number, and that number totaled less than 15 by the end of the day.

The problem I have with your method is the idea that I need to have a huge knowledge-base to make it work. How many people do you think know if their butter is "grass-fed"? If I go to Applebees, the calorie number is listed right on the menu, yet I would never be able to find out if their butter is grass-fed.

I put off trying to lose weight for years because I thought I needed to read 10 books to figure out how. Turns out all I needed was a calculator.

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#25

Post by robchez »

russell wrote: post #2

Cut way back on refined carbs, esp. french fries and sugar. Cut back on red meat. I'm doing all that. I'm not losing weight, but my diabetes needs substantially less insulin. Peanut butter is helpful or at least neutral. Yea. Fruits and vegetables, very good. OK, I'm trying. Yogurt is good. Alas, beer bellies have bellies and winos are skinny.

get rid of the carbs and sugar, amp up the red meat and lose the peanut butter. Keep fruits on the lowish side, eat whatever vegetables you want.

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#26

Post by subsection1h »

csshelton wrote: post #10
robchez wrote: post #7

I really wish the count calories, calories in = calories out, calorie is just a calorie mantra would just go away and die. The idea that your body has no clue as to what type (fat, protein, carb) of you're eating is stupid. I have advised nearly everyone in my family as well as lots of friends and colleagues to weight loss success with the following simple rules: 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars 2. Eat health…

Why do you suggest forgoing legumes?

Why did he make any of those suggestions? I don't know because he didn't provide any citations to research papers.

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#27

Post by robchez »

battlebee wrote: post #24
robchez wrote: post #7

I really wish the count calories, calories in = calories out, calorie is just a calorie mantra would just go away and die. The idea that your body has no clue as to what type (fat, protein, carb) of you're eating is stupid. I have advised nearly everyone in my family as well as lots of friends and colleagues to weight loss success with the following simple rules: 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars 2. Eat health…

Really? Because I lost 40lbs in four months last fall by meticulously counting my calories. * You're strategy is vague and difficult to determine compliance. How much is a "decent amount"? * My method is quantitative. Everything I ate had a number, and that number totaled less than 15 by the end of the day. The problem I have with your method is the idea that I need to have a huge knowledge-base to make it work. How…

that's great you lost weight, but for me, and i assume others, counting calories is just another thing to think about in life.

forget the grass-fed butter, i shouldn't have added it in. the reason i said decent amount, is because it's not a quantitive amount. have a steak or some chicken every day.

a good diet is one that has the least work and you can stick with for life.

Eat lots of fat, some protein, little carbs.

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#28

Post by robchez »

Evgeny wrote: post #22
JohnsonB wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars This is only partially true; there is nothing wrong with unprocessed grains/legumes if eaten in moderation. This means whole grains and not processed wheat products. Actually the rest of your advice usually lines up with the "healthy carbs" mantra which refers to whole grains, legumes, nuts and some starches. The other thing that should be mentioned is to eat as much low-cal…

there is nothing wrong with unprocessed grains/legumes if eaten in moderation It probably depends on one's definition of "nothing wrong". The fact that grains, whole or not, are packed with antinutrients like gluten, phytic acid or lectins is well-known. Here's the best summary on the subject that I've found so far: http://anthonycolpo.com/?p=852 Edit: lectins

i think you mean leCtins not lePtins

:)

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#29

Post by dgrant »

robchez wrote: post #18
csshelton wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you suggest forgoing legumes?

this has got to do more with health rather than weight loss i guess. legumes have 3 things that suck - lectins, protease inhibitors and phytates lectins - known to cause inflammation and have been show to cause gut permeability which is followed by auto-immune type diseases. protease inhibitors intefere with the breakdown of proteins into amino acids phytates have been shown to inhibit mineral absorption

I call bull shit. This sounds like some Paleo-diet nonsense rather than the result of rigorous scientific study.

Re: Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

#30

Post by kenjackson »

Evgeny wrote: post #22
JohnsonB wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Get rid of grains, legumes and sugars This is only partially true; there is nothing wrong with unprocessed grains/legumes if eaten in moderation. This means whole grains and not processed wheat products. Actually the rest of your advice usually lines up with the "healthy carbs" mantra which refers to whole grains, legumes, nuts and some starches. The other thing that should be mentioned is to eat as much low-cal…

there is nothing wrong with unprocessed grains/legumes if eaten in moderation It probably depends on one's definition of "nothing wrong". The fact that grains, whole or not, are packed with antinutrients like gluten, phytic acid or lectins is well-known. Here's the best summary on the subject that I've found so far: http://anthonycolpo.com/?p=852 Edit: lectins

Here's the best summary on the subject that I've found so far: http://anthonycolpo.com/?p=852

That summary is pretty horrible. Maybe you were testifying to the state of the literature, but it read like two children arguing. Both kind of referring to literature, but little really putting together coherent arguments.

Based on this, I think I'll eat what tastes good. :-)

Post reply on HN