# Best way to lose weight ?



## ehanes7612 (Jul 3, 2018)

Swim with sharks


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## Ozpaph (Jul 3, 2018)

Is this a serious discussion or...................amputate a leg?


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## NYEric (Jul 3, 2018)

I lost 20 Lbs, 195 to 175, in 2 weeks by cutting carbs and sugar. I stopped most starch and all snacks and diluted any sweet drinks with 50% seltzer.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jul 3, 2018)

Eric is onto the real culprit - carbs out of control. Fats and oils do contain a heap of calories, but you can only eat so much of that before feeling sick. You can eat carbs until the cows come home.

Currently on a low carb diet now too, just as you describe - including the love of my life, beer. If this don't work, I'll consider the shark alternative.:rollhappy:


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## ehanes7612 (Jul 3, 2018)

Supposedly Shark Tank show is doing a show on challenging people to lose weight or I guess come up with a best marketable strategy..when I saw the promo I thought , well, metaphor aside (Shark Tank) ,..one way is to get in a real shark tank and swim with sharks..especially if they are hungry


but yeah, Eric's way is probably the best way


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## Ozpaph (Jul 3, 2018)

The ONLY medically proven way to achieve sustained weight loss is bariatric surgery......................unfortunately. Very few people can achieve sustained weight loss with diet and exercise - old habits dont die, nor do the metabolic drivers to eat.


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## ehanes7612 (Jul 3, 2018)

Ozpaph said:


> The ONLY medically proven way to achieve sustained weight loss is bariatric surgery......................unfortunately. Very few people can achieve sustained weight loss with diet and exercise - old habits dont die, nor do the metabolic drivers to eat.



makes sense...we probably evolved over time with much more limited food resources and of course daily routines that burned more calories..where we didn't have a need to reason with are eating habits


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## AdamD (Jul 3, 2018)

I’ve got a good one. I’m working outside in the sun. The heat index most days is 100-115F. It really curbs the appetite. Down 8 lbs so far this summer (176-168).


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## John M (Jul 4, 2018)

I lost 40 pounds a couple years ago by cutting out ALL sugar and refined carbs. For 4 or 5 days, it was HELL!!!! The sugar cravings were terrible. But, then I got past the withdrawal and I was pretty happy after that. I ate as much protein (pork, beef, chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish) and veggies that I wanted and a sensible amount of complex carbs (high fiber/whole grain). I even started adding some extra high fat foods to my diet, like pork sausages and full fat Cheese. I was never hungry. I missed the taste of sweet foods; but, it was just missing them....it wasn't a craving any longer. Once I got over the 4 to 5 days of sugar withdrawal, I didn't crave the sugar any longer and the weight began to fall off at up to 5 pounds a week. You don't get fat from eating fat; you get fat from eating sugar.


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## AdamD (Jul 4, 2018)

So John, no more fruits?


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## John M (Jul 4, 2018)

Right....sort of. I cut out overeating fruit; but, I didn't cut out fruit altogether. I stopped eating bananas and for other fruits, I'd have one piece, or a few slices, instead of just eating a lot of fruit. Fruits we eat today are desert fruits. Wild fruit has more nutrients, more fiber and less sugar. It should be noted that I have since eased up on the "no sugar" life and I've gained back 10 pounds.


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## Heather (Jul 5, 2018)

I’m doing low carb paleo with intermittent fasting. Have lost 30 lbs since January. I’ve been paleo for years so mostly just cleaned things up (less fruit initially) and started the fasting.


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## TyroneGenade (Jul 5, 2018)

AdamD said:


> So John, no more fruits?



Sugar from fruit is absorbed slower than refined sugars or simple starches. Eat as much fruit as you like.

I don't advocate for a high protein diet (I fear for people's kidneys), but a high sugar/simple starch diet is not good for you. It will cause the insulin spikes that drive many health issues and cause weight gain as well as cause the liver to produce bad cholesterol* (to transports the fats its synthesizes from glucose) while suppressing the good cholesterol released from adipose tissue which scrubs your arteries for you.

*It isn't the cholesterol, but how it is packaged: high (good) vs low density lipoproteins (bad).

Whether you replace that simple starch/refined sugar with salad greens or meat is largely irrelevant for weight loss (I think high protein is bad for your kidneys in the long run). Both result in about a 30% reduction in calorie intake and increase the levels of good cholesterol. I favor the salad greens as you will ingest more vitamin A, C and D and minerals. (You can get B-vitamins from beans, eggs and potatoes. Nothing wrong with potatoes in my opinion.)

The order in which you eat also matters. Eating vegetables first, then meat and finally starch you can avoid the glucose/insulin spikes*. The presences of the vegetables and meat in the stomach cause the stomach to retain the meal longer (the job of the stomach is to acid sterilize vegetables and digest meat) as well as secrete secretin which stimulates insulin production before the glucose is absorbed. The glucose is then absorbed slower from the stomach and without a massive spike in blood sugar. The full stomach also shuts down production of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, which will make you feel satiated so you don't over eat. 

*This is just one of the wonderful things you learn by watching NHK instead of western BS-laden news channels. You will also experience a desire to visit Japan... 

There is nothing wonderful and mysterious about weight loss. It is rather basic biochemistry and physiology. You should need to read more than an A4 printed page to get the message.

Bon appetit.


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## ehanes7612 (Jul 6, 2018)

TyroneGenade said:


> Sugar from fruit is absorbed slower than refined sugars or simple starches. Eat as much fruit as you like.




Caveat: as long as you have a well balanced and healthy diet 

eating too many strawberries or blueberries in one sitting can mess you up big time


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## Ray (Jul 6, 2018)

While cutting carbs is a very effective way to lose weight, the truly smart way is to eat a well-balanced diet but reduce your overall calorie input.

Not that I am able to grasp either concept....


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## ehanes7612 (Jul 6, 2018)

Ray said:


> While cutting carbs is a very effective way to lose weight, the truly smart way is to eat a well-balanced diet but reduce your overall calorie input.
> 
> Not that I am able to grasp either concept....



our society eats too much empty calorie bread, processed potato stuff and refined sugar crap...cut this out and generally speaking, people will default to a well balanced diet


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jul 6, 2018)

Too much red meat and senseless fat too. Potato chips=death in a bag :rollhappy: 

Apropos to this discussion, my wife excitedly emailed me the other morning, "can you make scones, I want to taste a real one... and also that thick creamy stuff..." Then I mailed back, "you mean clotted cream?" And she immediately shot back, "YES!" She is a serious food junky. We're never moving the US. 

balanced diet + regulated calorie intake + good sleep + daily exercise = a healthy thriving body

As for a person's mind, that's a whole other discussion! I can offer no advice there...


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## John M (Jul 6, 2018)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Potato chips=death in a bag :rollhappy



But...but...but, potato chips are so-ooo good....they're like a gift from God!:clap::drool:


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jul 6, 2018)

John M said:


> But...but...but, potato chips are so-ooo good....they're like a gift from God!:clap::drool:



Ha, ha! More like a pact with the devil! :evil:


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## John M (Jul 7, 2018)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Ha, ha! More like a pact with the devil! :evil:



:fight: Them's fightin' words!



Heather: Congratulations! It's always great when you make an effort, that it actually works! 30 pounds in 7 months is very good. When dieting, you want a steady decline in your weight; but, not too fast. If you go too fast, then what you're doing is likely so extreme that it's hard to keep up, long term. Also, if you lose weight too fast, you get a lot of sagging skin!


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## tomkalina (Jul 7, 2018)

Atkins was right....


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## Tom Reddick (Jul 8, 2018)

Ray said:


> While cutting carbs is a very effective way to lose weight, the truly smart way is to eat a well-balanced diet but reduce your overall calorie input.
> 
> Not that I am able to grasp either concept....



I have had periods of both being overweight and in incredible shape in my adult life- and it basically comes down to what you said above.

All the various "diets" out there- low carb, high carb, branded diets where you eat prepackaged food (yuk), cleanses etc- are pretty much variations on the same theme but with temporary gimmicks. 

My "secrets" are no secrets at all- but just take discipline,

1. With the assistance of a doctor or degreed nutritionist, find out what your daily calorie needs are, taking into account your regular exercise regimen.

2. If needed, plan an interim and more extensive exercise regimen for weight loss.

3. While in weight loss mode, eat fewer calories than you need to sustain current weight (as directed in #1.)

4. When out of weight loss mode, eat your normal daily intake.

5. Common sense on foods- fast food is out 100%. That stuff is hideously bad for you no matter how much you weigh. Avoid processed foods. Fried foods sparingly etc. 

6. Fasting is actually a very viable concept- but don't overdo it. For example, stop eating at 8PM, and then work out the next morning before you eat breakfast. Then you exercised 10-12 hours after you last ate. Very effective concept.

7. Drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep. These get overlooked- especially the last one. If you are regularly getting 3-5 hours of sleep a night only, that is going to do terrible things to your metabolism. And for me, the sleep issue has been one of the most difficult during very busy times.

YMMV.


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## TyroneGenade (Jul 9, 2018)

ehanes7612 said:


> our society eats too much empty calorie bread, processed potato stuff and refined sugar crap...cut this out and generally speaking, people will default to a well balanced diet



I don't mean to nitpick but the confabulation of the concepts of nutrition and calories in the BS term "empty calories" only perpetuates the confusion.

Speaking as someone that teaches Biochemistry and Physiology I want to emphatically state that calories refer to energy consumption by your body, i.e. doing work. The average person burns about 2000 calories per day that need to be replaced to maintain their body weight. It doesn't matter how you get those calories in: meat or potatoes or bread. If you consume more energy than you use your body stockpiles. If you consume less than you use then you consume your fat-reserves (and even protein/muscle tissue). 

This is separate to the issue of adequate nutrition which is a discussion of the amount of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and amino acids. You can get an excess of these even if you take in a deficit of calories (e.g. eating several lbs of spinach per day). You can even take in the appropriate calories without getting enough vitamins and minerals. 

It we want to talk about empty calories you can't put potatoes and potato chips in that bracket. Potatoes (baked, fried, boiled, eaten raw) are amazingly nutritious and you can live a whole year eating nothing but potatoes and be healthier for it: https://www.today.com/health/spud-fit-man-loses-weight-eating-only-potatoes-year-t106144 .

I want to separate these ideas of calories and nutrition. They are different concepts and when you separate them you can better manage your health. Losing weight is all about calories. Maintaining health is all about getting the right amount of nutrients. Too much protein and your cells won't clean out their junk (recycling old proteins), not enough vitamin C and you can't repair your body properly.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jul 9, 2018)

That's it then! I'm going on a potato chip diet.

I did make the scones and clotted cream. The blackberry jam is homemade from my garden. BTW, if you do try to make clotted cream, DO NOT do the double boiler method on the stove top. It took me 4 hours. Use an oven instead at very low heat overnight.







I guess this should really be in the "what's fer dinner" thread.


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## NYEric (Jul 10, 2018)

Heather said:


> I’m doing low carb paleo with intermittent fasting. Have lost 30 lbs since January. I’ve been paleo for years so mostly just cleaned things up (less fruit initially) and started the fasting.



Hello there! 

I'm genetically meant to be thin and I'm pretty active with tournament paintball but I was up to 195 LBS!!!! I went down and now we are pretty observant with carbs. Everything in moderation and we should all be OK>


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## John M (Jul 10, 2018)

NYEric said:


> I'm genetically meant to be thin...



I hate you.:viking:


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## ehanes7612 (Jul 10, 2018)

NYEric said:


> Hello there!
> 
> I'm genetically meant to be thin ....



yeah, right ..whatever

I am 5'11" and have been between 135 and 140 lbs all my adult life (52 now)...no matter my diet and I have tried every way possible to gain weight...I am genetically meant to be thin (my bio father was the same way)


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## eOrchids (Jul 11, 2018)

My diet consists of mostly meat (mostly chicken) and vegetables. I'll have carbs here and there. I also gave up soda (10+ years) and mainly drink water. Plus I work out 6x a week.


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## Justin (Jul 13, 2018)

I lost 50 lbs in the past three years.

The first push in year one was via very low carb...it was hell for 5 months but worked.

These days i follow an intermittent fasting diet.

But the #1 trick for me is running. Ran my first marathon last year at age 44 and am training to do it again this year.


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## John M (Jul 13, 2018)

Justin said:


> I lost 50 lbs in the past three years.
> 
> The first push in year one was via very low carb...it was hell for 5 months but worked.
> 
> ...



Congratulations on your success! I've heard that running, or walking, is the best way to lose weight and keep it off, assuming you eat a sensible diet, too. Success is not supposed to be determined by the time it takes you to travel a given distance (when you run, you reach the end faster). What determines success is the distance you travel while running or walking. It's just that walking the same distance takes longer. So, whether you run or walk (briskly...no slow speed ambling around), if you do it often and you cover a lot of ground, you'll be doing a great service to your body and burn a lot of calories = losing weight.


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## ehanes7612 (Jul 13, 2018)

"Individual results may Vary"


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## John M (Jul 13, 2018)

ehanes7612 said:


> "Individual results may Vary"



Well, yeah. Sometimes genetics sucks!


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