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What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

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Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#61

Post by sshine »

thepete2 wrote: post #28
taneq wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest scam the weight loss industry ever pulled on society was to redefine "diet" from "a description of what you eat" to "a temporary modification to what you're eating". You don't "go on a diet", you HAVE a diet. And if your diet is what is making you fat, then to not be fat, you have to change your diet, permanently.

In German, they're still separate words, I think "diet" made its way into German and became "Diät".

In Danish there's both "en diæt" (what you eat, permanent) and "på diæt" (on a diet, temporary).

I didn't even think about the fact that that word didn't always have the temporary meaning of the word.

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#62

Post by tomhoward »

bobcostas55 wrote: post #14

You ever read about other people's experiences and it seems utterly alien to you? SSC had a post sort of on this theme[0]. I just don't understand how people can fail to lose 5% bf. Over 12 months, even! Just eat a bit less. 100kcal per day is enough to lose 5 kilos in 12 months, how hard can it be to eat 100kcal less than normally? It's literally one slice of cheese. I have regular cut periods where I lose more than…

> What are these people doing?

Responding to their metabolic and emotional needs, which are complex beyond comprehension.

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#63

Post by hnuser1234 »

flukus wrote: post #42
Negitivefrags wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The hardest part of dieting is realising that in order to keep it off, you will have to continue like that forever. In the back of your mind, you want to think that the diet is temporary. Once you have lost the weight, you can go back to eating all the great tasting foods that you ate before. True success is the acceptance that, no, your life will be worse in very real ways. You will no longer be able to just eat whe…

> The hardest part of dieting is realising that in order to keep it off, you will have to continue like that forever. Why would that be? To lose why your are taking a net negative mass balance, once the weight is lost you probably can't go back to the exact diet you had (otherwise you wouldn't need to lose weight) but an mass neutral one should suffice to keep you at the same weight.

If you are a 300 pound person and want to be a 150 pound person, you have to eat like a 150 pound person. Forever.

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#64

Post by rdm_blackhole »

A couple of years ago I found myself weighing 250lbs. Basically morbidly obese.

I decided to change that. I went through all the food I bought during the week and decided to do some culling.

I removed anything with sugar and replaced it with Stevia. Removed the soft drinks, alcohol, and carbs.

I follow this diet 6 days a week. One day a week, I indulge myself: a pizza or burrito or have a few beers.

I also go to the gym 5 times a week. Run 5k in 25 minutes plus one hour of weight lifting. Nothing to intense mind you.

I have lost nearly 80lbs with the last 24 months. The trick is to do it slow and steady.

I always cringe when I read about the latest fad diet: Lose 5 lbs in one week or some crap like that!

In the end, it takes time and will to achieve results but once you get into a routine, if very easy to keep going.

During my holidays, I usually drink, smoke and eat whatever I want but as soon as I get back home, I go back to my routine.

Some people think that this is boring but honestly, unless you are an athlete competing at a high level, you don't need to eat carbs every day.

This is just my experience. Results may vary.

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#65

Post by seer »

There has been quite a lot of new, exciting and actually useful science in recent years about how to have a healthy body, but I think most people only look at calories. Some may look at fat/carbs. And some may also look into excercise as well. But in order to have a healthy body long term it seams you need to look into all of that, and sleep quality, and mindfullness/stress control.

That may sound like a lot, but each piece helps you out a little to keep the other pieces in check. Having a full night of sleep keeps your impulses in check. Excercise helps you sleep, keep muscle mass and fat at desirable levels. Eating healthy makes sleep easier etc. And they reinforce each other.

So keeping yourself in this healthy steady state is actually quite easy, as long as you take a holistic apriach and not over specialize in each area.

This is a hunch of mine though I havent really found any studies that take all of those things into account, just the specific interactions between those things.

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#66

Post by galvs »

It is very simple. There are 8000 calories in 1kg of fat. If you want to lose 10 kg you'll need to burn 80,000 calories through deficit, either through diet or exercise.

Personally I find it easy to live on a strict diet and limiting alcohol intake to once every few weeks

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#68

Post by kranner »

galvs wrote: post #66

It is very simple. There are 8000 calories in 1kg of fat. If you want to lose 10 kg you'll need to burn 80,000 calories through deficit, either through diet or exercise. Personally I find it easy to live on a strict diet and limiting alcohol intake to once every few weeks

Everybody who's trying to lose weight knows it is about sustaining a calorie deficit. The problem is how.

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#69

Post by taurath »

zbentley wrote: post #29
taurath wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comments while I agree with the correctness are incredibly disheartening and demotivating.

Not as disheartening or demotivating as dieting with a target body shape in mind, achieving it, rejoicing, and being right back where you were before the diet 6 months later. Source: it me.

Sure. It’s me as well but after 2-3 years.

Re: What I learned from reading over 100 weight loss studies

#70

Post by ambivalents »

Negitivefrags wrote: post #23
mirceal wrote: post #16

The weight loss is not really what matters. anybody can lose weight. with a little education you can do it. the problem is doing it in a sustainable way and to actually keep it off. the hardest part about weight loss is keeping it off. you have limited will power and unless you are willing to change the way you live your efforts are in vain. Sure it may make you feel good about yourself and your journey but it's doom…

The hardest part of dieting is realising that in order to keep it off, you will have to continue like that forever. In the back of your mind, you want to think that the diet is temporary. Once you have lost the weight, you can go back to eating all the great tasting foods that you ate before. True success is the acceptance that, no, your life will be worse in very real ways. You will no longer be able to just eat whe…

I don't actually think that's true. If you're making positive lifestyle adjustments (and not just going on a flash diet hoping for instantaneous results), then there really isn't a "there" to go back to. You gradually adopt healthier habits, replacing older ones, and they become learned behavior. Your tastes change. Your stomach gets smaller. Not to mention your "set point" average weight will decrease and your body/metabolism adapt to living at a lower weight.

This sounds a little vague, apologies. I've done many diets (paleo, keto, South Beach, etc.) and nothing worked. So instead, over the course of six months I gradually gave up sugar, I gave up meat, I stopped eating snacks between meals. I still ate delicious foods, but in smaller portions. Only sweets I had were fruit. I kept my exercise the same (3-5x/week).

I lost 15 pounds and have kept it off. Have no intention of gaining it back. I can't imagine reincorporating old ways, they are an older me. I cringe at the thought of eating a full pint of ice cream after dinner, which I used to do on a near weekly basis.

Tl;dr: as your body and habits change, so too do your desires and preferences.

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