Help! I am overwhelmed researching a diet that will help me lose 40lbs (hormones, carbohydrates)
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REDUCE sugar. There is no way around that one. And bread is sugar. Potatoes are sugar. Pasta is sugar.
Anything fat free is loaded with sugar. Avoid fat free
Fats will also make you feel fuller longer. Add in full fats not unlimited, but calorie count into your diet.
Potatoes are fine. Rice is fine. Pasta is fine. You can lose weight from eating from ALL the food groups if you choose whole, fresh foods and avoid pre packaged and fast foods. Eliminating food groups for most people results in diet failure. It is up to the individual to decide what works for them and some may choose to opt out of those types of foods. Some may choose to eat those foods in moderation. They will still be successful if they burn more calories than they consume.
Potatoes are fine. Rice is fine. Pasta is fine. You can lose weight from eating from ALL the food groups if you choose whole, fresh foods and avoid pre packaged and fast foods. Eliminating food groups for most people results in diet failure. It is up to the individual to decide what works for them and some may choose to opt out of those types of foods. Some may choose to eat those foods in moderation. They will still be successful if they burn more calories than they consume.
I agree, you have to enjoy the foods you eat while dieting down or else you won't stick to your nutrition once on maintenance, where you should be eating the same foods, just a little more.
I eat white rice/pasta and regular potatoes every single week and the occasional white bread. You just have to keep portions in check. No problems as long as my calories are on point.
If you can't or don't want to eat certain carbs for whatever reason, don't, but if you want to, you can fit it in.
I cut carbs and have lost 20 lbs, even over the Holidays. Does not bother me, do not miss them. Mind you, I went to a Dr and had tests ran since I ate healthy and exercise regularly. My body processes certain foods differently. I can have some fruits and beans, but no potatoes, rice, pasta, junk food, etc. I drink wine daily and still lost the weight, can have grapes, lol. All of our bodies are different, so you may need to consult a physician as well. I was really upset because I ate right, whole grains, gluten free, and still could not lose the weight. They finally did tests on how my body processes foods, along with other tests.
And yes, you are absolutely right. Changing your diet and eating less can change your setpoint. What I'm trying to do is get people to see it in a different light, rather than torturing themselves with a non-nutritious starvation diet and feeling pathetic when they fail.
When you eat a different diet or restrict calories, you lose weight predominately due to changes in the composition of your gut bacteria. That's right folks, it's all about your gut microbiome! This piece sums it up fairly well: https://sites.tufts.edu/absorption/r...f-fat-storage/
It's all very confusing, actually. The by-products of the bacteria (short-chain fatty acids, SCFAs) are the ones that are supposed to (and often do, in studies) make you fat. But they can also turn on fat-burning! Sounds paradoxical, but it makes sense because the body ultimately wants to burn the fat it stores for energy. If you read the article above, it'll tell you that if you have the right gut bacteria, you will produce FIAF (fasting-induced adipose factor) when you fast. This allows you to burn fat when you're not eating!. Eating suppresses FIAF, and that's how it's supposed to work to make you fat. There's a ton more information out there, but it's too much to write here. Don't even get me started on the gut-brain connection.
You are designed to store and burn fat seamlessly at the right times, IF ALL OF THE SIGNALS ARE WORKING PROPERLY AS DESIGNED BY MILLIONS OF YEARS OF EVOLUTION. That is the key point. Get all of your signals working properly.
We've only recently began studying the gut microbiome, but all of the research seems to show that if you keep your gut bacteria diverse and competitive, you will not only be able to reach a healthier setpoint, but have a greater ability to both burn AND gain fat for a wide variety of metabolic conditions. The ability to get fat sounds bad, but it's healthy. That means the fat is in your belly and NOT your liver, and is useful for energy production in athletes or heat production/insulation in extremely cold climates. Also, healthy fat is sexy fat, you heard that right.
So what do we know makes the gut microbiome diverse and competitive?
For the average person reading this: Eat a wide variety of naturally-raised meat and veg, eat lightly-cooked seafood + herbs, avoid sugar and processed foods, don't eat a couple hours before bedtime, get good sleep, and get sunlight all day everyday. Sound simple and natural? It should.
I'll check out your links. Interesting. Truth is weight loss/management as simple as it sounds is very complex. I wholeheartedly agree that starvation dieting is not good at all and did not practice that. Caloric restriction involves a gradual tapering off, but many dieters decide to do drastic changes (i.e. "I'm only going to eat 1300 calories from now on!" (despite eating well over 2500 daily for years) and then wonder why their body responds in the way that it does.
I agree, you have to enjoy the foods you eat while dieting down or else you won't stick to your nutrition once on maintenance, where you should be eating the same foods, just a little more.
Exactly. If the way that you're eating is not something that you can follow for the rest of your life, then you're kidding yourself.
actually, the thread can help her. it just shows that there are many different ways to a similar outcome. the one that's the "best" is the one that you can stick with. For life. Not until you reach your goal weight.
For me (I can only speak for myself), I can't eliminate sugar. I eat less of it. But I love desserts and sugary things and still continue to eat such. If eating a Skinny Cow chocolate bar during the day and eating an ice cream cone at night helps keep me from going crazy (eliminating sugar triggers bingeing on high calorie sugary crap, exactly what I don't want), then I allow myself room in my diet for those empty calories. That's why I advocate soul searching. Find out what things you can't do without, what you can do without, and what you can adjust. I refuse to drink skim milk, for example. As a compromise, I drink 2%. I can live without potato chips and stuff like that, so I don't eat them. I adjust, by not eating the lower fat frozen novelty items - i.e. the greek yogurt bars, skinny cow/weight watchers bars, etc. At the end of the day, for all of us, if we've kept the weight off and are happy with the results, then it's a win
The only reason I said the thread wouldn't help her is because she said she was overwhelmed by all the diet information out there and most of it was repeated on here.
I agree that a person has to find what works for them. For me, it's easier to cut out sugar and white flour entirely than to have a little here and there. It's really hard for about 2 weeks, and then it's no problem. Also, I'm almost 56 and cutting out sugar, white flour and processed foods actually reduced my belly fat and the "diet" itself was virtually effortless because I didn't get hungry.
Real food made with real ingredients is filling. A piece of homemade bread made with 100% whole wheat flour is so filling I can't finish two slices. Add some turkey and an avocado and I'm stuffed til dinner.
Potatoes are fine. Rice is fine. Pasta is fine. You can lose weight from eating from ALL the food groups if you choose whole, fresh foods and avoid pre packaged and fast foods. Eliminating food groups for most people results in diet failure. It is up to the individual to decide what works for them and some may choose to opt out of those types of foods. Some may choose to eat those foods in moderation. They will still be successful if they burn more calories than they consume.
The only reason I said the thread wouldn't help her is because she said she was overwhelmed by all the diet information out there and most of it was repeated on here.
I agree that a person has to find what works for them. For me, it's easier to cut out sugar and white flour entirely than to have a little here and there. It's really hard for about 2 weeks, and then it's no problem. Also, I'm almost 56 and cutting out sugar, white flour and processed foods actually reduced my belly fat and the "diet" itself was virtually effortless because I didn't get hungry.
Real food made with real ingredients is filling. A piece of homemade bread made with 100% whole wheat flour is so filling I can't finish two slices. Add some turkey and an avocado and I'm stuffed til dinner.
The only reason I said the thread wouldn't help her is because she said she was overwhelmed by all the diet information out there and most of it was repeated on here.
I agree that a person has to find what works for them. For me, it's easier to cut out sugar and white flour entirely than to have a little here and there. It's really hard for about 2 weeks, and then it's no problem. Also, I'm almost 56 and cutting out sugar, white flour and processed foods actually reduced my belly fat and the "diet" itself was virtually effortless because I didn't get hungry.
Real food made with real ingredients is filling. A piece of homemade bread made with 100% whole wheat flour is so filling I can't finish two slices. Add some turkey and an avocado and I'm stuffed til dinner.
But you're right--if it works, it works.
Honestly though the real food doesn't produce any more satiety with me:/
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