Best diet?

[Twilight]

The best diet of all

 

 

Many diets tell you to restrict certain nutrients or foods—or they tell you to load up on just one or a few.

 

For instance, the Atkins Diet advises you to avoid food high in carbs and eat foods composed primarily of protein, fat and fiber.

 

The Paleo Diet encourages you to avoid dairy and grains.

 

And the Grapefruit Diet suggests that you eat few carbs, a moderate amount of protein…and a whole lot of grapefruit.

 

For people with certain chronic health conditions, a limited diet may be beneficial, but what if you don’t have any major health problems and you’re simply trying to shed a few pounds? With so much conflicting advice, how are you supposed to know what to put on your plate?

 

A new study weighed the benefits of multiple types of diets and came up with a solution—and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how simple it is.

EAT UP, SLIM DOWN

 

One thing I like about this study is that it followed participants for two years—well past that initial but misleading burst of success that many diets produce. There were 811 overweight or obese men and women. Researchers gave each participant a diet plan that would reduce his or her calorie intake by 750 calories per day, and subjects were randomly assigned to one of four diets…

 

1) Low-fat/average-protein

 

2) Low-fat/high-protein

 

3) High-fat/average protein

 

4) High-fat/high-protein

 

Participants prepared and ate their own foods, but researchers periodically met and spoke with them—and gave them blood tests—to see whether they were following their diets.

 

The results: At the six-month mark, most people in all four groups were adhering to their diets and had lost, on average, 12% of their fat and 3.5% of their lean body mass (a healthful ratio). But by the two-year mark, adherence to all four diets was poor. About the same number of participants in each diet group had deviated from their diets, and these people had gained back, on average, 40% of what they had lost by the six-month measurement. Only the participants in each of the four groups who had adhered to their diets for the full two years were able to keep off the weight that they had lost at the six-month measurement.

 

In other words, the amount of weight lost and kept off didn’t depend on the composition of the diet—it depended only on whether or not the dieter stuck with the reduced-calorie game plan.

A DIET “DO”

 

Is it really that simple, I wondered—are all of the arguments (and all of the books!) about which diet is “best” simply pointless? To explore this, I called endocrinologist George Bray, MD, chief of clinical obesity and metabolism at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge and one of the study’s coauthors.

 

The reason that no diet seemed to be more effective than another may be due to the fact that no matter what you eat, a calorie is still a calorie, said Dr. Bray. You need to either burn off or not eat 3,500 calories to lose one pound of weight, he said, and this study showed that ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether those calories come from fat, protein or carbs.

 

As far as adherence to a diet goes, Dr. Bray said, what’s at work is simple inertia. Humans don’t want to change their behavior—or at least not easily. So when you’re checking out different diets, don’t just pay attention to how much weight it says you’ll lose—also pay attention to how long you think that you’ll realistically be able to stay on the diet. Do you love meat? Then why subject yourself to a diet that eliminates it? Do you adore carbs? Then what in the world are you doing on a diet that forbids pasta?

 

Eat less and you’ll lose weight. I think this is good news—what do you think?

 

Source: George A. Bray, MD, endocrinologist, chief, division of clinical obesity and metabolism, professor of clinical research, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

[Vic303]

Eat less (and better foods for general health) and exercise more. Yes, it really is that simple.

[Mother]

Please note, this is just my own opinion on diets and I won't feel bad if it's contradicted.

 

It is interesting to me that this is yet another study that can be contradicted by other studies that are just as serious. It is easy enough to say eat less and you will loose. Other studies show that what you eat is just as important as how much you eat, and some prove that under-eating is necessary for proper health, and like Vic says, exercise thrown into the mix is another factor.

 

From what I remember from the anatomy and biology in my Holistic Health Courses, our bodies are designed for homeostasis, meaning that they are constantly trying to maintain an even state of balance in all systems. It wants to live. Our ancient ancestors had periods of feast and famine but their bodies were constantly adjusting to the changes to preserve life. Now we almost always have an abundance of food available to us, year around, and take advantage of it but our bodies are still designed for feast or famine. If we eat more than our bodies can utilize the excess is stored as fat against the lean times. If we eat significantly less than normal (for our particular body) our systems are led to believe we are starving and the body goes into saving mode to compensate. It burns the fat it has stored if there is any. It also can utilize muscle tissue for energy. Once we return to our former 'normal' way of eating we tend to gain weight simply because the systems haven't shifted off conservation mode yet but they will as soon as the body realizes it is not starving any longer. By that time, however, it's possible we will have not only regained what we lost but more besides, the rebound affect.

 

When we eat unhealthily our bodies have to work overtime to maintain the balance, robbing Peter to pay Paul so to speak, because we aren't giving them the nutrition needed to fuel our systems. Not just calories but minerals, vitamins, co-enzymes and the unknown factors in food needed for maintaining healthy functions. Eventually systems can wear down or malfunction. Illness or inability to ward off illness can be the result. It isn't just overeating that is a problem, it can be overeating, under-eating, or eating the wrong type of foods for our particular body type or needs as well as not giving our bodies the proper nutrition.

 

So what IS the proper diet/food/amount that we need? In the past, and in some cultures even today, what we consider overweight now was or is considered healthy. What we were told to eat by modern science even as little as fifty years ago, like the basic four food groups, is considered unhealthy today. The food pyramids are different from country to country and now our country doesn’t HAVE a food pyramid, it has a ‘plate’.

 

A question we might ask is, Who ARE these people who conduct these studies and WHO funds them? And what is their agenda? What makes them an authority even? For every one serious study that is truly trying to help mankind live better you will find hundreds of equally serious studies that are funded by the giants in the industry, like the food corporations, pharmaceutical companies, or heaven forbid, Monsanto. You might have to dig very deeply to find out who’s backing what as often it is a very hidden agenda but it is there none the less. Even the USDA, our supposed consumer advocate, is not an ‘authority’ on what we should eat. They are just compiling studies and basing their advice on them. The comparable agencies in other countries often give totally different advise to their citizens. Are they wrong? Is the USDA wrong.?

 

There are a lot more questions than there are real answers to the questions “What do we eat? How much do we eat? And What IS nutritious?” We might even ask, is one thing right for everyone? We are all the same yet all different. We are products of not only our DNA but our environment and even our evolution. Humans are in a constant state of adapting. Survival of the fittest doesn’t always mean survival of the strongest but to the entity that can adapt to it’s environment the best. The problem is, the last hundred years have thrown more changes at the human body than at any time in history. We are having difficulties evolving/adapting fast enough to keep up with the changes in our diets. Our systems cannot adapt readily to the chemicals now being used, modern processing procedures, and lack of nutrients from soil depletion that has come about in the near past.

 

So what do we do about it? It is only my opinion, and everyone has their own, but I believe it’s a matter of how you FEEL. If you feel well and energetic and can accomplish what is necessary for life AND continue to feel well and energetic then you are probably eating healthy enough for your particular body systems never mind that ‘modern’ science or society tells us we need to be a certain weight for our heights and etc. The key word here might be ’continue’. Sometimes we find that what we’ve eaten our whole life no longer serves our aging bodies, changing circumstances, or one that has to deal with certain injuries, diseases, or illnesses. Perhaps it can not cope with the chemicals, additives, preservatives and etc that modern growing and processing give us. Modern science really has come a long way and we can use a lot of that information to redefine our diets but one thing I truly believe is that we should be listening to our BODIES, not society to tell us what we need to look like.

 

What does YOUR body tell you?

 

I'm looking forward to other opinions and ideas on this subject.

[TurtleMama]

I am personally a fan of Weight Watchers. I started it summer of last year, and had to stop around October because I couldn't afford it anymore....the "meeting" type plan was $50 a month with the online tools. However, I discovered from an acquaintance at my kids' school that you can do WW online for only around $18 a month. With my DH's go-ahead, I signed up and am now in my first week of online WW.

 

I don't know about everyone else, but being a southern girl who loves her biscuits, gravy, and fried food, it is REALLY hard for me to keep track of what I'm eating if I am not being held accountable for it. I love the program I'm on now because I sit down and enter everything I eat, the points automatically pop up and are added into my day, and I can see how many I have left. In addition, I get 49 extra points a week to play with. I can either eat a little "treat" every day, or I can hoard them all and blast them on a big ol' Mexican dinner if I want to. It feels good to have that flexibility.

 

WW also helps me to be conscious of what I'm putting into the foods I make. For example, right now I am drinking a smoothie. Before, I would have made it with fruit (good), either some italian ice or sherbert (eh) and 2% milk (not so great for losing weight!). Today, I made a 2-point mango-cherry-orange smoothie with ice and a splash of soy milk and 1 cup of orange juice. It's just as creamy and yummy and I'm saving a lot of calories. Hooray!

 

My only difficulty is not jumping on my scale every day to see, "Did I lose weight????" I'm trying to set a pattern that I will only weigh myself at most two times a week.

 

So that's just my input into the conversation. I think that pretty much, whatever works for somebody is good as long as it is a healthy approach that encourages them to learn new patterns of eating behavior and isn't "punishing" their choices. I think that as humans, if we feel "punished," we'll just figure to heck with it...I'll eat what I want and stay chubby! (I can say that because I have totally done it before....more than once!)

 

Hugs to everyone!

[Amishway Homesteaders]

also make sure you eat 3 meals a day!

Skipping a meal with not help you lose weight.

[Twilight]

What one eats should be considered individually. One can eat no breakfast and a big noon meal and/or supper.

Others may skip the noon meal for the same reason. Still others may browse all day long - in small portions. We are not all made alike , physically or in strength. Most people eat far more than necessary. Some people need more protein, others need more carbs for best results.

 

John the Baptist ate locust and wild honey. No one can really tell anyone what they should eat. I do believe we should be as active as possible every day .

When you get to thinking about it, every time you turn around someone is telling you what you should or should not eat. What was good for you 5 years ago is now bad for you. My friend, a retired nurse, said the "doctors are changing their minds every 5 years. ie Milk is good for you milk products are bad for you , you should have low chlolesterol , it should be high . Every day seems like something new is spouted as gospel truth.

If it isn't broke don't fix it. If your diet is keeping you healthy and active with a good weight why change?

We are not all supposed to be skinny or all heavy. A person with small bones should not be carrying a lot of weight, a big boned person can carry more weight.

Also do we all have the same metabolism? If we have a faster rate we will need more of certain foods to support it. If it is slow that will also need to be taken into consideration.

[Cat]

I was inching closer and closer to 300 pounds. The highest I weighed myself at was about 270.

 

Our son moved out of our home into his own home, and he started coming home for supper after the novelty of fast foods and quick grocery store "dinners" wore off. I never knew when he was coming, and I'd started cooking for 3. So when he dropped in, I ate a couple of bites of everything and gave him my portion.

 

Imagine my surprise when my pants got looser and looser. Before I knew it, I had lost 20 pounds.

 

Well, then when Mom had her stroke and went into the hospital and later the nursing home, I was skipping meals all over the place. I continued to lose weight. The stress after her death & the emotional toll of dealing with the siblings wore on, and I have lost about 75 pounds total.

 

I didn't use any "special" diet. I didn't necessarily exercise more, though I know that would have helped just lose weight. But I'm healthy, haven't felt "deprived", and I'm thrilled to be wearing my old clothes that now fit.

 

I now know the value of just eating less in the evenings. That started it for me, and when I inched up a bit recently, it brought me back down. This has worked for *me*.

 

Any time I have tried some "magical" combination of yes or no foods, I don't like it, I don't stay on it, I'm too aware of it, and I resent it.

 

Be aware that any medications you take can have a huge effect of your weight, too. For good *or* for worse. I don't take anything daily, and only over-the-counter meds as needed.

 

[Twilight]

The old saying

 

Breakfast is Gold

Lunch is Silver

Supper is Lead

[Andrea]

The old saying

 

Breakfast is Gold

Lunch is Silver

Supper is Lead

 

 

 

On the one hand, it really is eat less, move more.

 

On the other hand, I eat a tremendous amount of greens and unprocessed foods and controlled amounts of low fat proteins (fish and foul). I lose weight on this diet. Essentially, I'm eating more, but they are higher quality calories and I'm back to losing weight and feeling better

 

But, I really do believe that there is no ONE diet for every single person. Everyone is different.

[Katz25]

I am personally a fan of Weight Watchers. I started it summer of last year, and had to stop around October because I couldn't afford it anymore....the "meeting" type plan was $50 a month with the online tools. However, I discovered from an acquaintance at my kids' school that you can do WW online for only around $18 a month. With my DH's go-ahead, I signed up and am now in my first week of online WW.

 

I don't know about everyone else, but being a southern girl who loves her biscuits, gravy, and fried food, it is REALLY hard for me to keep track of what I'm eating if I am not being held accountable for it. I love the program I'm on now because I sit down and enter everything I eat, the points automatically pop up and are added into my day, and I can see how many I have left. In addition, I get 49 extra points a week to play with. I can either eat a little "treat" every day, or I can hoard them all and blast them on a big ol' Mexican dinner if I want to. It feels good to have that flexibility.

 

WW also helps me to be conscious of what I'm putting into the foods I make. For example, right now I am drinking a smoothie. Before, I would have made it with fruit (good), either some italian ice or sherbert (eh) and 2% milk (not so great for losing weight!). Today, I made a 2-point mango-cherry-orange smoothie with ice and a splash of soy milk and 1 cup of orange juice. It's just as creamy and yummy and I'm saving a lot of calories. Hooray!

 

My only difficulty is not jumping on my scale every day to see, "Did I lose weight????" I'm trying to set a pattern that I will only weigh myself at most two times a week.

 

So that's just my input into the conversation. I think that pretty much, whatever works for somebody is good as long as it is a healthy approach that encourages them to learn new patterns of eating behavior and isn't "punishing" their choices. I think that as humans, if we feel "punished," we'll just figure to heck with it...I'll eat what I want and stay chubby! (I can say that because I have totally done it before....more than once!)

 

Hugs to everyone!

 

 

Do you mind if I ask where you found it $18 month. I had to give up my membership because it was to expensive also?

[out_of_the_ordinary]

My DH lost 70 lbs.

 

He quit eating most processed foods. He eats salad alot. He ate salad before, but there was a bunch of UNhealthy stuff we were adding to it. That changed. He now fills it up on healthy stuff. He quit drinking pop (soda). And he exercises.

 

He recently quit chewing (snuff) and used the nicotine mints. This is the first time he's quit on his own without me nagging him to quit. I had been praying for this. Anyway, he has been eating some junk. I haven't said too much about it as quitting chew has made him a mean ------- (insert bad word here). Now he said he's not craving the sugar he was when he first quit nicotine and is working out more regularly to loose that extra weight he's gained with that.