I’m the stereotypical overweight IT guy, have been trying to become less overweight, and one of the more popular ways to accomplish that seems to be dieting. I like to do research before diving into this kind of thing though; after reading The End of Craving and listening to podcast episodes like What’s the Most Sustainable Diet?, I’m almost convinced there isn’t a mainstream diet — such as keto or paleo — that’s sustainable enough to facilitate healthy, permanent weight loss.
Has anyone had long-term success with any particular diet or has it just been this same cycle over and over?
Diet a few months
Decide you’ve lost enough and any more would be unhealthy
Personally I am a perpetual ‘dieter’ - but probably not in the traditional sense - I just like experimenting with various diets to see how they impact me/make me feel/look (I don’t do it for weight loss though do observe how they impact weight).
I’d be curious to learn what you’ve tried to date @amolith - which diets have you tried and for how long, and what did you like/dislike about them?
which diets have you tried and for how long, and what did you like/dislike about them?
I tried a couple of different approaches a long time ago: intermittent fasting and calorie counting. Fasting just left me tired and constantly hungry and counting calories was a ton of work. Right now, I’m trying a combination of the approaches outlined in the book and podcast episodes I linked: purchasing raw ingredients, cooking my own food, and eating what tastes “right”. No idea how it’ll turn out so we’ll see!
I just like experimenting with various diets to see how they impact me/make me feel/look (I don’t do it for weight loss though do observe how they impact weight).
What diets have you particularly liked the effects of?
I’m not a fan of calorie counting (I agree with you - listen to your body). Intermittent fasting is great so long as you follow a species appreciate diet imo.
Cooking your own food is also great! I’ve been doing this for years and it’s the best way to control what goes into your body, well as much as possible anyway as you don’t really know how the food is produced unless you grow your own too.
I’ve found all them fairly interesting, though I have to be honest and say I don’t follow ‘fad’ diets (i.e those created by celebrities) but rather those based some sort of science or anthropology, so mostly those that are considered species appropriate or those that might fall into biohacking.
I generally recommend people try something like the paleo diet as a starting point because it’s pretty easy to follow given its popularity (there are lots of recipes online) and it’s not as restrictive as some of the others (so easier to stick to).
What do your meals look like atm? What do you eat in a typical day/week? Perhaps if something stands out we can comment on it specifically.
im guilty with this part. but what i did was 2 meals a day, doesnt matter if im munching alot as long as im not eating during evenings since im feeling full. took me few weeks to adjust and shed less than a pound (exercise included). My mornings are a bit vibrant, at the same time way too hungry.
I’m not a dieter but I just kind of eat only once a day (or less sometimes), which keeps my weight down. I’m not trying to only eat once a day, I just tend to forget to eat because always busy… >.>
Been like this for decades now though. I guess it’s technically intermittent (every-day?) fasting, but by accident, and been doing it since long before I ever heard of that, lol.
Do you eat any fermented foods? I’m always curious to learn about different probiotic foods
You’re doing OMAD (one meal a day) - I might try it one day just to see how I feel on it
I’ve been doing intermittent fasting too without intending to (just how my day panned out). Although not at the moment as I am currently experimenting with just easting when I feel like it (listening to my body)
Meals like chicken, vegetables, fruits, fish, sometimes beef, bread (some pastries i cant take, im not sweet tooth). water and sometimes juice, no alcohol. If im assessing myself via mirror, not slim and dont have abs
I was not interested in counting calories. There was no way I was going to measure amounts on a scale, and such. But despite the efforts by my wife & I to “eat healthier,” I just kept gaining.
Then our daughter showed us the app she uses: “Lose It!” I’m sure there are plenty of apps like it. Calorie counting is mostly scanning, or guessing.
I had to get over the idea that precision was important. It’s not. It just has to be a good enough guess. So I don’t break down ingredients, I just look up “chicken stir fry” for example, and call it good enough.
I’ve now lost 20 pounds. Once I reach my target, I will continue to use the app to maintain weight, not lose it.
I’ve been intermittent fasting for over three years now, eating on alternate days. I have also primarily cooked my meals from scratch for over a decade, and eat a lot of veggies.
I don’t find the skipping a day of eating onerous; others do. Because it’s not difficult for me to maintain, I just plan on doing it forever. On days when I don’t eat I have a lot of extra free time.
The downside is that I do tend to get tired on days when I don’t eat, but it’s a minor inconvenience. Exercise would help, but my primary means of exercise is my dog, who passed away a couple years ago; I plan on getting a new dog soon, which should help.
Yes. The most important part is to control the intake of sugar.
I often not to have too much soft drinks in the office, because office provides food and drink.
Some of the most solid and evidence-based advice (as opposed to fads) is coming from the Newcastle University research team. Their focus is on controlling Type-2 diabetes. However, they have discoverd that the best way of controlling it is to reduce weight - and remarkably, have shown that in most/many cases, weight reduction results in Type 2 Diabetes being eliminated. Which has been quite a surprising result.
They have developed extensive advice on how to initially reduce the weight (essentially, an 800-calorie per day diet of three shakes and a low calorie meal of salad and protein) and then how to keep it off. All of this is applicable even if you don’t have Diabetes. I cannot claim long term success (yet) but it is certainly effective for weight loss in my case.
If you’re interested in a science based approach - that has significant peer-reviewed results, it would be worthwhile having a look at their website. I’ve included a couple of links below.
After a sedentary recovery from surgery, I was classified as “overweight” according to the US CDC BMI index. I wanted to lose about 20 lbs, and had tried trendy diets in the past, but always struggled with maintaining them, whether out of boredom or inconvenience.
I went with these basic tenants:
Establish rules around alcohol intake - I would often have a glass of wine during the week with a meal, but now limit myself to drinking on the weekends, and mostly socially.
Replace soda with water - this turned out to be much easier than anticipated. I carry a refillable water bottle and track water consumption with an app on my phone. I target 76oz of water a day, and often hit my mark. Sparkling water, and the myriad of market choices, has really helped here.
Choose less processed foods - I cook dinner for the family a minimum of three nights a week and rarely eat processed snacks, but instead reach for a piece of fruit.
Start a regular exercise routine - I’ve taken to cycling and routinely log 50 miles a week. While I personally feel this has been a huge boon in my success in shedding pounds, regular cardio exercise has been immensely fulfilling for both hormone regulation and personal achievement. Start slow, establish a routine, and track all the data you can.
I think @cs44 is pretty bang on. Create a healthy lifestyle rather than trying to jam a diet into your current lifestyle. Eat real food, exercise regularly and fast a couple of times a week.
Getting into exercise can be hard if you’re out of shape (you might not get all the lovely endorphins straight up) but once you’re somewhat fit or strong you’ll hopefully get addicted.
Recognising the association between eating some jank (maybe feeling good momentarily) and the affect on your mind/body and the association between eating well/exercise and feeling good is important in building and maintaining the habit IMO.
Yeah I think @cs44 is the most accurate here as well. I gave up the thought of “dieting” years ago, it just ain’t happening, you have to make it your new lifestyle now and forever otherwise no results will last and you might even end up weakening your body with these “shock” diets (that people stop doing after a month or two).
Reducing inflammation is super crucial as @holder66 mentioned. That allows your body to recover faster from anything and everything. And that means stop most carbs and consume probiotics in one form or another.
I haven’t succeeded in dropping kilos yet but have been maintaining a two-times-a-week workout routine at my physiotherapists’ facility for at least two full months now, and I feel somewhat better. And I just ordered an elliptical gym appliance for the apartment.
After I finish my medical examinations I’ll start attacking the real problems. Currently it’s only known I have high insulin (17 as opposed to the recommended maximum 10) and maybe signs of liver problems (or immune hemolytic anemia due to bigger and little more dense red blood cells; likely iron defficiency).
BUT! Stopping most carbs, never drinking soda drinks, no alcohol, hydrating properly (4-5L of water a day), preferring non-processed foods, and regularly drinking two kinds of Kefir drinks (they are full of probiotic compounds i.e. gut bacteria but not only) I am already significantly better compared to a year ago. I still slip occasionally because I hate cooking and I have zero fantasy about meals – I just stare at the fridge --but I plan on fixing that because there’s seriously no way around it. I view it as one of those skills you might hate but still have to be excellent at so I’ll get to it sometime this year.
Gotta fill up a questionnaire one of the next days and schedule a meeting with a doctor. Also started taking an iron + B12 supplement (+ several other compounds with fancy names) just yesterday. Finally started actively fighting for my health, sadly almost no results yet but I am optimistic.
So yeah, no such thing as a “diet” in the 80s and 90s meaning. You can’t just shock your body with a big change, introduce changes to it that are only due to stressful conditions, and then think you’ve invested in enough health for the rest of your life. Doesn’t work like that. Changing your life is the only true way to longevity and good health.
