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If you really want to understand why it's difficult to lose weight, and "hack" your body like you hack on computers, I highly recommend a book called Ultrametab

If you really want to understand why it's difficult to lose weight, and "hack" your body like you hack on computers, I highly recommend a book called Ultrametabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman. In the last 3 months I've lost 20 pounds, just by doing mainly these 3 things: 1. Eat breakfast every day, and make sure it has protein. 2. Eat only whole grains and no refined flour, pasta, and avoid simple carbs. 3. Eat plenty of fats, including nuts, avocadoes, olive oil, and other healthy fats. I've done all of this while eating filling breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with snacks in between meals and even dessert like chocolate brownies, dark chocolate, etc. Not only have I lost 20 pounds, I can eat this diet for the rest of my life and be completely healthy. This is the diet that humans evolved on, whole grains, fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. The diet is very similar to Mediterranean or Asian diets. Some other benefits, since I switched to this diet, I have more energy, my cholesterol is perfect, and my blood sugar levels don't spike. The entire secret to this diet is that by eating whole grains and avoiding simple carbs, you avoid foods that turn into sugar in the blood and cause your blood sugar to spike. These foods like breads/pastas/etc give you quick energy, but then cause a crash later, causing you to eat even more food. Also, your body can't deal with that much sugar in the blood so it stores it as fat. By eating whole grains, your body takes longer to digest them, releasing blood sugar at a slow, even rate. Thus, you have energy all day and don't crash, or get hungry between meals. edit: I also want to point out that the author of the book has done considerable scientific medical research, and his diet is based on empirical research, not pseudo-science like many diets.

PStamatiou 17y ago
I am also trying to lose a few pounds. I started calorie counting stringently over the last weeks. I keep track of everything I eat in excel. I started at 167 and I'm now at 161 3 weeks later (I'm 23 & 5' 9"). I've started taking flaxseed oil, a regular one-a-day vitamin pill and some extra vitamin C and D (1000 IU), acai with antioxidants and some fiber with psyllium husks (helps control hunger at times... expands like 40x its size in your stomach). I have whey protein shakes everyday or every otherday (esp if I'm going to run or the gym). Meals have much less bread and less dairy than I would usually eat. In general I eat less meals more. Like around 300 calories for a small meal. I eat lots of egg beaters (much less calories and fat than real egg - 70 cal/4.5g fat per real egg including yolk), salads with light balsamic vinaigrette (watch out - lots of them are fatty and have lots of calories. I found one with 40 cal/2tablespoon). Other small meals include fresh sliced turkey (25 cal/slice) and a slice of bread. I've replaced everything I might drink - like milk, orange juice or sodas - with water. I have not done much working out yet - all my weight loss thus far is just from diet change. I am somewhat active taking my dog on 2 mile walks but I now have access to a gym and have been planning out workouts - dips, crunches, pushups and lots of running (for now). While I used to eat probably 2150 calories/day (according to a calorie calculator), I now eat 1500 or less per day, usually 1200. The first two weeks are the hardest and you're always hungry, grumpy, tired but then you get used to it. I of course eat more calories when I am active, go on runs and so on, but for coding days I'm just fine with low calories and proper vitamins and protein. I also drink a cup or two of green or black tea each night. I cut my alcohol intake down a ton, rarely eat out and haven't had red meat since I started this diet. Do not take this as a suggested diet. I am not a doctor.
- illumin8 17y ago
  You don't need to be so restrictive on your caloric intake. I still eat about 2000 calories a day (I'm 6'1" and 168 pounds now, was 188 when I started). You just need to eat the right calories. The hardest thing for me was cutting out the bread and pasta. I can still eat bread, but only "sprouted wheat" bread, which you can find at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Also, I eat real eggs (about 2 for breakfast scrambled with vegetables, slice of sprouted wheat toast, cup of fruit, 3 times a week) all the time. The myth about eggs causing high cholesterol is just a myth. Your body can process the cholesterol in eggs just fine, since your own liver can produce way more cholesterol in a single day. It just depends on the rest of your diet. It sounds like you are making some great choices so far, but I would personally avoid the "low-fat" foods since most of them are packed with sugar, or even worse, High Fructose Corn Syrup. Instead, just eat good fats. Try putting olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your salad instead of sugary "light balsamic vinagrette." Also, you're right to cut out the fruit juices. Unfortunately, as much as I used to love orange juice, it has a lot of sugar. Much better to just eat an orange, because the fiber that comes with the orange will make your body take more energy to digest it, and your body will absorb the sugar more slowly. I also cut down on my alcohol intake a lot. I can still drink a glass of wine with dinner every day, but I stay away from drinking beer or more than 1 drink at a time. Green tea twice a day is also really good for me. Stick with it! Sounds like you're doing well, although I don't think you need to cut your calories down so low.
  - PStamatiou 17y ago
    Hey - just wanted to say thanks for the comment. I just had breakfast with the sprouted wheat bread you recommended along with my eggs & garden veggies. Good stuff! I also picked up pure balsamic vinaigrette made from just EVOO and balsamic. Less calories indeed. I still have yet to solve the problem of how to keep salad greens from going bad after just a few days in my fridge.
Evgeny 17y ago
This is the diet that humans evolved on, whole grains, fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. I don't think that humans could evolve on whole grains because these only became available with the invention of agriculture sometime between 10 and 20 K years ago. Also, some studies link the spread of agriculture to the huge drop in human health. That's why I personally removed all grains from my diet completely. As for the rest of the post, I completely agree. Edit: found a couple of links http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/03/paleopathology-at-origins-of.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/03/paleopathology... http://www.environnement.ens.fr/perso/claessen/agriculture/mistake_jared_diamond.pdf http://www.environnement.ens.fr/perso/claessen/agriculture/m...
- illumin8 17y ago
  Very good point, but a lot of the whole grains I eat are things like organic lake wild rice, which is actually a wetlands grass plant that has probably been eaten since before modern agriculture was invented. Do you do a paleolithic diet? I heard about that, but to be honest, eating raw red meats sounds pretty scary, unless you're going to be eating grass-fed animals that are not grown in a "factory farm" like most meat is now. edit: I read your links and found them very interesting. I think one of the problems that agricultural societies in general have is that they started milling their whole grains into flour. The articles mention tooth decay as a problem of modern agricultural societies. Flour is a huge problem because it is easily processed and turns into sugars quickly, growing bacteria that causes tooth decay. As long as you stick to whole grains, and not "crushed" or milled grains, you should be ok. Brown rice instead of white rice, buckwheat, quinoa, wild rice, amaranth, and a host of others. The important part is not to break or remove the outer shell or husk of the grain. The husk has most of the vitamins and fiber in it anyway.
  - Evgeny 17y ago
    Actually, the author of the blog I linked mentions a few times that all non-industrial cultures were fermenting their grains before eating them, which is supposed to get rid of antinutrients such as lectins or phytic acid. But I did not go deep into the details of that. And no, paleo does not mean eating raw red meet - cooked is fine according to most sources I came across. Some indeed do eat raw, but I think it's the 'hardcore' minority.

PStamatiou 17y ago

I am also trying to lose a few pounds. I started calorie counting stringently over the last weeks. I keep track of everything I eat in excel. I started at 167 and I'm now at 161 3 weeks later (I'm 23 & 5' 9"). I've started taking flaxseed oil, a regular one-a-day vitamin pill and some extra vitamin C and D (1000 IU), acai with antioxidants and some fiber with psyllium husks (helps control hunger at times... expands like 40x its size in your stomach). I have whey protein shakes everyday or every otherday (esp if I'm going to run or the gym). Meals have much less bread and less dairy than I would usually eat. In general I eat less meals more. Like around 300 calories for a small meal. I eat lots of egg beaters (much less calories and fat than real egg - 70 cal/4.5g fat per real egg including yolk), salads with light balsamic vinaigrette (watch out - lots of them are fatty and have lots of calories. I found one with 40 cal/2tablespoon). Other small meals include fresh sliced turkey (25 cal/slice) and a slice of bread. I've replaced everything I might drink - like milk, orange juice or sodas - with water. I have not done much working out yet - all my weight loss thus far is just from diet change. I am somewhat active taking my dog on 2 mile walks but I now have access to a gym and have been planning out workouts - dips, crunches, pushups and lots of running (for now). While I used to eat probably 2150 calories/day (according to a calorie calculator), I now eat 1500 or less per day, usually 1200. The first two weeks are the hardest and you're always hungry, grumpy, tired but then you get used to it. I of course eat more calories when I am active, go on runs and so on, but for coding days I'm just fine with low calories and proper vitamins and protein. I also drink a cup or two of green or black tea each night. I cut my alcohol intake down a ton, rarely eat out and haven't had red meat since I started this diet. Do not take this as a suggested diet. I am not a doctor.

illumin8 17y ago
You don't need to be so restrictive on your caloric intake. I still eat about 2000 calories a day (I'm 6'1" and 168 pounds now, was 188 when I started). You just need to eat the right calories. The hardest thing for me was cutting out the bread and pasta. I can still eat bread, but only "sprouted wheat" bread, which you can find at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Also, I eat real eggs (about 2 for breakfast scrambled with vegetables, slice of sprouted wheat toast, cup of fruit, 3 times a week) all the time. The myth about eggs causing high cholesterol is just a myth. Your body can process the cholesterol in eggs just fine, since your own liver can produce way more cholesterol in a single day. It just depends on the rest of your diet. It sounds like you are making some great choices so far, but I would personally avoid the "low-fat" foods since most of them are packed with sugar, or even worse, High Fructose Corn Syrup. Instead, just eat good fats. Try putting olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your salad instead of sugary "light balsamic vinagrette." Also, you're right to cut out the fruit juices. Unfortunately, as much as I used to love orange juice, it has a lot of sugar. Much better to just eat an orange, because the fiber that comes with the orange will make your body take more energy to digest it, and your body will absorb the sugar more slowly. I also cut down on my alcohol intake a lot. I can still drink a glass of wine with dinner every day, but I stay away from drinking beer or more than 1 drink at a time. Green tea twice a day is also really good for me. Stick with it! Sounds like you're doing well, although I don't think you need to cut your calories down so low.
- PStamatiou 17y ago
  Hey - just wanted to say thanks for the comment. I just had breakfast with the sprouted wheat bread you recommended along with my eggs & garden veggies. Good stuff! I also picked up pure balsamic vinaigrette made from just EVOO and balsamic. Less calories indeed. I still have yet to solve the problem of how to keep salad greens from going bad after just a few days in my fridge.

Evgeny 17y ago

This is the diet that humans evolved on, whole grains, fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. I don't think that humans could evolve on whole grains because these only became available with the invention of agriculture sometime between 10 and 20 K years ago. Also, some studies link the spread of agriculture to the huge drop in human health. That's why I personally removed all grains from my diet completely. As for the rest of the post, I completely agree. Edit: found a couple of links http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/03/paleopathology-at-origins-of.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/03/paleopathology... http://www.environnement.ens.fr/perso/claessen/agriculture/mistake_jared_diamond.pdf http://www.environnement.ens.fr/perso/claessen/agriculture/m...

illumin8 17y ago
Very good point, but a lot of the whole grains I eat are things like organic lake wild rice, which is actually a wetlands grass plant that has probably been eaten since before modern agriculture was invented. Do you do a paleolithic diet? I heard about that, but to be honest, eating raw red meats sounds pretty scary, unless you're going to be eating grass-fed animals that are not grown in a "factory farm" like most meat is now. edit: I read your links and found them very interesting. I think one of the problems that agricultural societies in general have is that they started milling their whole grains into flour. The articles mention tooth decay as a problem of modern agricultural societies. Flour is a huge problem because it is easily processed and turns into sugars quickly, growing bacteria that causes tooth decay. As long as you stick to whole grains, and not "crushed" or milled grains, you should be ok. Brown rice instead of white rice, buckwheat, quinoa, wild rice, amaranth, and a host of others. The important part is not to break or remove the outer shell or husk of the grain. The husk has most of the vitamins and fiber in it anyway.
- Evgeny 17y ago
  Actually, the author of the blog I linked mentions a few times that all non-industrial cultures were fermenting their grains before eating them, which is supposed to get rid of antinutrients such as lectins or phytic acid. But I did not go deep into the details of that. And no, paleo does not mean eating raw red meet - cooked is fine according to most sources I came across. Some indeed do eat raw, but I think it's the 'hardcore' minority.