6 ms·

Losing 58.3 Lbs for Science

128 points by zt 12y ago

lrm242 12y ago
Congratulations on your weight loss! I'm down 30 of a targeted 60lbs weight loss, half way there! It sounds like an interesting study, I can't wait to read the results. My view of weight loss is simple: eat less. I eat anything I want, don't eat until noon each day, do essentially no cardio, and lift weights for less than 30 minutes 2-3 times/week. My weight loss is fairly constant at 1 lb/week. My progress: https://trendweight.com/u/2c41346d238544/ https://trendweight.com/u/2c41346d238544/ (note: chart starts at 210 which is 15 lbs into my weight loss when I started tracking). I say all this only to point out that losing weight can happen regardless of approach. One's chosen approach to losing weight may or may not be suitable to one's personal lifestyle or dietary preferences, but ANY approach can work because the math is infallible: calories in < calories out = weight loss. So, just eat less than what your body needs to burn on a daily/weekly basis. If low-carb makes you happy because you can indulge in 1 lb block of cheese, then by all means go for it. Yes, things like ketogenic diets have other physical effects on our physiology but I prefer a simpler point of view: there are only so many blocks of cheese one can eat before you get tired of it. If you're restricting your carbs, you simply ultimately eat less. The restriction of choice is the root cause, for example. So: for everyone trying to thinking about losing weight, find a diet you buy in to and go for it. Personally, I found the approach of analytically tracking my food and weight and permitting myself to eat ANYTHING I want liberating. I know precisely what I eat every day, and I like that. It fits my personality and liberates me from the nagging choice of where/what to eat. I have my favorite foods and I eat them, and have found ways to do so so that I hit my daily protein target and stay at or under my daily calorie target. The down side to this approach is I don't eat out much because it's hard to know what's in that food (this isn't a downside for ME, though). Don't buy into the need to do a specific diet, all diets can work if you find one that you are in tune with, because ultimately, it's all about finding the optimum path to eat less than what your body needs without sacrificing whatever mental and physical joy you get from food.
- alexmchale 12y ago
  Hey, congrats to you! I'm pretty much in your exact boat. I started the year at 267 and I'm down to 225 now. My goal is an even 200 (or I'll sometimes say 199 for the joy of seeing that 1 in the front). I've done it just as you have -- by eating less. At the start of my diet I was counting calories on a daily basis -- but after a while I started learning to pay attention to the calories of everything I eat. Now I simply keep a running tally in my head and know where I'm at. I'm fine with estimating when I need to. The biggest change for me is learning to be happy with smaller portions. I used to eat 3 enchiladas, then have another 2, then another 3,.. THEY ARE SO DELICIOUS! Now I know going in that I'm going to make my plate and that's it. There's times I wish I could have more, but enjoying the one plate is the biggest key to my success so far. The other side of it is avoiding calorie landmines. It's so easy to accidentally eat an extra thousand or two calories while eating out by not paying attention. Knowledge is power :).
  - dabernathy89 12y ago
    You and I have literally the same progress since the beginning of the year (mid 260s to 225). I don't really have much to add to that, I just find it interesting :)
  - beachstartup 12y ago
    i'm about 20 pounds into a 40 pound goal. i too, like/liked to gorge. i wasn't obese so it was never a serious psychological problem, i'm just something of a hedonist. i've found that intermittent fasting allows me to occasionally (occasionally!) gorge and satisfy that hedonist inside of me. i also do low carb so i will combine this with a carb cheat day maybe every couple of months. my weakness is popcorn so i will enjoy a small popcorn at the movies after dinner. conversely, if i accidentally eat a 'calorie land mine' as you put it, i'll just skip the next couple of meals. i just focus on work instead. i think most 'naturally' skinny people do this anyway. i was eating 3 (or more) meals a day no matter WHAT and that's not necessary healthy.
- alexmchale 12y ago
  Oh the other side of it --- weighing in frequently and drinking a ton of water! I weigh myself most nights. I know what days I didn't get enough water, because I'll have "lost" 2 pounds that day. That tells me that (1) I need to immediately drink some more water and (2) drink extra the next day. Dehydrating yourself will have a negative impact on weight-loss long-term.
brandonb 12y ago
Holy shit! Congratulations.
- zt 12y ago
  Thanks Brandon.
andyhnj 12y ago
Nice write-up. My experience is quite similar to the author's. I've gone from 230 to 170 over the last year or so. (Oh, and I'm also from NJ!) I wasn't involved in any study or organized plan though; I just stumbled through it on my own. I tracked calories with an iPhone app. I stuck to a plan that, theoretically, would allow me to lose one pound per week. That actually worked out pretty well. I never bothered tracking anything other than calories. I just tried to be sensible about fat, carbs, and sugar, but I didn't explicitly track them or set goals related to them. And I'm curious about the National Weight Control Registry now. I'm going to have to follow up on that, after I've maintained the weight loss for a bit longer.
sjtrny 12y ago
I'm confused about why you would differentiate between vegetables and carbohydrates. That's like differentiating between a car and the engine within a car. Vegetables are mostly carbs and water.
- VLM 12y ago
  Not really, no. There are some high carb veg like sugar beets or potatoes but most are like cucumbers where a plate full is about one gram. Carrots are kinda borderline about 10% carbs so 100 grams of carrots (which is quite a bit) is about 10 grams. Most are kinda like celery which is about one gram for an entire stalk. My personal strategy is not counting but ranking and never eat something worse if I can eat something better. So I could roast some potatoes, but why not just buy carrots that are practically on the same shelf at the store?
  - adrr 12y ago
    Root vegetables are usually higher in carbs. For my diet, i stay away from them. I second the substitution is key to stay under your carb daily limits. Instead of mash potatoes, you can make it out of cauliflower. Lost 30 pounds, over a year with lots of cheat day/weeks. Low carb diet does make a big difference losing weight but watching net calories makes a bigger difference. If you're 500 calories under the maintain level. You'll easily drop a pound a week. Combine with some light daily exercises and you get that close to 2.
- mga226 12y ago
  "Carbs" in this context is referring to foods that have a high carbohydrate content, like potatoes, yams, bread, pasta, and to a lesser extent things like carrots, beets, parsnips etc. Foods to avoid if trying to keep carbohydrate intake below 20-50, as these diets typically require. It doesn't refer to cruciferous/fibrous veggies, as well as things summer squash, even though they are almost entire carbs, because the carb content per serving in these foods is quite low - low enough that you can probably eat as much of them as you like and still be within the prescribed range.
  - 12y ago
michokest 12y ago
Following the exact same approach helped to lose 20 lbs and motivated me to start a product around it. Check out http://8fit.com http://8fit.com, where we propose simple HIIT workouts you can do at home and low-carb meal plans (40/40/20 ratios). I'd love your feedback, if you'd like to take a look! So far we have about 50k users and 500 customers with great feedback.
comatose_kid 12y ago
Awesome article, especially regarding your relationship with food. Way to go zt. If you haven't seen this TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_usually_work http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_u...) about why dieting doesn't work, do so - the speaker talks about being intentional with what you eat. Also: Manresa is a great reason to skip out on a diet!!
juandazapata 12y ago
First of all, congratulations. Having lost around 40 lbs, I know all the work that it takes to achieve something like that. One thing that I want to share is I quit drinking sodas for about 1 year, and when I was finally 'allowed' to drink them again I just found them too sweet for my taste, I cannot drink them anymore. Also during the last month I've been using Freeletics to exercise with very good results (I'm not affiliated with them in any way). The most important thing that I've learned through my personal process is that the only thing that really matters is being disciplined and constant. Good luck and keep it up!
yinyinwu 12y ago
Major congrats! How helpful were the group therapy classes in helping you jumpstart the weight loss?
NicoJuicy 12y ago
I actually lost 79 lbs (25 kgs) from 220 lbs to 165 lbs in 6 months with an ebook (Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle), together with a lot of exercise (1-2 hours a day)... Remember that my genes aren't easy and i did a lot for it. (None of my family is actually slim). I did that 3 years ago at the end of college. This is what helped for me (if you don't agree, no problem, but it helped me a lot and there is so much research out there that it is difficult to get a decent perspective): - Get your metabolism as high as possible, eat every 3-4 hours except when you are a sleep. In the evening, eat less carbs. Last (very light) meal = 2 hours before you go to sleep. The higher your metabolism, the more your body will become a energy burning machine. - Losing weight = eating less then your daily requirement (intake of calories) or training more. Do this max. for 3 days in a row.. (so your body doesn't realize you are losing weight -> remember people surviving without eating in a month? it's a hormono called Leptine, it can severely destroy your metabolism :) ) - 60% is food, 40% is exercise (don't eat to little, it will hurt your metabolism. I don't advice a protein diet for too long.. Most people get much fatter afterwards because they destroyed their metabolism) - Sleep enough (this is a hard one for me) - No alcohol - it slows down your metabolism and contains empty calories. - If you want to exercise as less as possible, here are some pointers: - Running (= cardio), in the morning after a protein shake. Maximal effect + positive effect during the day, untill you go to sleep. - Reduce sugar intake as much as possible (don't worry about fructose and dextrose though) - Adding muscle (this is harder for women), in the evening after eating. If you want to do cardio combined with this, do it after your weight exercises. Muscle needs 48 hours to recover, so that's two days of extra fat burn. One way of eating would be Paleo diet (popular with Crossfit). I call it : "eating like a caveman" and starting with it in 2 months. PS. Changing the way you eat shouldn't be a diet (=temporarily), you should be changing your lifestyle or eating routine. PS 2. I seriously advice Tom Venuto - Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle... If you want to know more about how your body works,i also liked the stuff Lyle McDonald wrote.. (but that's more extreme)
- Keats 12y ago
  Congrats ! A few points: - metabolism: http://examine.com/faq/do-i-need-to-eat-six-times-a-day-to-keep-my-metabolism-high.html http://examine.com/faq/do-i-need-to-eat-six-times-a-day-to-k... - Losing weight = eating less than your TDEE. Training more is a bonus, all you need to do is eat less to lose weight - what do you call a protein diet? around 2g/kg of bodyweight is enough (http://examine.com/faq/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day.html http://examine.com/faq/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day....) - alcohol is ok if you are not abusing it (ie a 6 pack is unlikely to be good), you can pick the alcohol depending on how many calories they have if you want http://getdrunknotfat.com/ http://getdrunknotfat.com/ As for timing of exercises, do it whenever you can really, I workout fasted at 7am but that's not going to be a huge difference if you are working out at 6pm or noon. As mentioned, Lyle McDonald (http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/ http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/) has lots of good stuff
madaxe_again 12y ago
To anyone else considering this, be careful what you do - there can be long term consequences to rapid weight loss that may not be obvious, and you know that bit where people say "consult your doctor" - they mean it. I shed about the same amount of weight over the same amount of time in 2010, in the same of way. I'm having my gall bladder removed some time in the next few months, as about eight months after finishing my diet, my life, in a nutshell, turned to shit - literally. Turns out that eating plenty of protein (along with the fat that comes with, if it's animal) and not much in the way of carbs (>20g/d) can be a great way to give yourself gallstones. Which are horrendous, and cause you to lose days at a time of your life to feverish pain-and-vomit-filled null-time. I've been about 180-190 lbs since then, and I'd rather be 240lbs again than have these to live with. Graph: the big drop in Aug '11 is the first gallstone attack. http://i.imgur.com/7fHJNqR.png http://i.imgur.com/7fHJNqR.png
- exelius 12y ago
  That sucks; but not every diet is for everyone. Our bodies are all different, but you're right: if you plan on undertaking a massive weight loss plan (more than 30 lbs) you should probably have a doctor monitor you. Many insurance companies will cover this kind of care under a wellness plan, because let's face it: if you can lose a lot of weight in your 30s, you're probably going to have fewer health problems when you're older.
JoeAltmaier 12y ago
Cool if the study confirmed the dichotomy of low-fat vs low-carb genotypes. This article doesn't say - its essentially a straw-man. One success doesn't prove anything. In fact, I'm not sure what the study was trying to do? Imagine they're right - you have to choose a diet that works for you. What else is new? What's actionable about that? Already folks would try one diet, and if it didn't work they'd try the other. Now you can take a blood test and save a couple of days? No thanks, I don't like needles.
exelius 12y ago
I did no-carb dieting for about 6 months and lost 30 pounds. Obviously it's not right for everyone, and I absolutely love carbs so I could never keep it up forever, but the author mirrors many of my observations. Cutting out carbs entirely for even a short period of time will change your relationship with food: it's actually pretty hard to eat your daily recommended calorie intake while avoiding carbs. Thus you end up eating because you have to. It's just incredibly easy to over-eat on carbs: they generally have a neutral flavor, and our bodies evolved to prefer the taste of sugar. They also tend to dissolve into liquid in your stomach almost immediately upon contact with stomach acid, so they don't keep you full for long. They're also incredibly calorie dense: something like french bread is almost 100% digestible carbs. It's not so easy to over-eat other things. I could probably sit down and demolish 600 calories of ice cream, pasta or bread without a second thought. Serve me 600 calories of steak and even though I like steak, I'll have a hard time finishing it. Vegetables are even worse (or rather, better) - they have lots of nutrients, but very few calories by weight or volume. Hence the author's use of cheese (I'm guessing hard cheese, which has fewer carbs) as a source of dense calories to replace most carbs.

128 points by zt 12y ago

Congratulations on your weight loss! I'm down 30 of a targeted 60lbs weight loss, half way there! It sounds like an interesting study, I can't wait to read the results. My view of weight loss is simple: eat less. I eat anything I want, don't eat until noon each day, do essentially no cardio, and lift weights for less than 30 minutes 2-3 times/week. My weight loss is fairly constant at 1 lb/week. My progress: https://trendweight.com/u/2c41346d238544/ https://trendweight.com/u/2c41346d238544/ (note: chart starts at 210 which is 15 lbs into my weight loss when I started tracking). I say all this only to point out that losing weight can happen regardless of approach. One's chosen approach to losing weight may or may not be suitable to one's personal lifestyle or dietary preferences, but ANY approach can work because the math is infallible: calories in < calories out = weight loss. So, just eat less than what your body needs to burn on a daily/weekly basis. If low-carb makes you happy because you can indulge in 1 lb block of cheese, then by all means go for it. Yes, things like ketogenic diets have other physical effects on our physiology but I prefer a simpler point of view: there are only so many blocks of cheese one can eat before you get tired of it. If you're restricting your carbs, you simply ultimately eat less. The restriction of choice is the root cause, for example. So: for everyone trying to thinking about losing weight, find a diet you buy in to and go for it. Personally, I found the approach of analytically tracking my food and weight and permitting myself to eat ANYTHING I want liberating. I know precisely what I eat every day, and I like that. It fits my personality and liberates me from the nagging choice of where/what to eat. I have my favorite foods and I eat them, and have found ways to do so so that I hit my daily protein target and stay at or under my daily calorie target. The down side to this approach is I don't eat out much because it's hard to know what's in that food (this isn't a downside for ME, though). Don't buy into the need to do a specific diet, all diets can work if you find one that you are in tune with, because ultimately, it's all about finding the optimum path to eat less than what your body needs without sacrificing whatever mental and physical joy you get from food.

alexmchale 12y ago
Hey, congrats to you! I'm pretty much in your exact boat. I started the year at 267 and I'm down to 225 now. My goal is an even 200 (or I'll sometimes say 199 for the joy of seeing that 1 in the front). I've done it just as you have -- by eating less. At the start of my diet I was counting calories on a daily basis -- but after a while I started learning to pay attention to the calories of everything I eat. Now I simply keep a running tally in my head and know where I'm at. I'm fine with estimating when I need to. The biggest change for me is learning to be happy with smaller portions. I used to eat 3 enchiladas, then have another 2, then another 3,.. THEY ARE SO DELICIOUS! Now I know going in that I'm going to make my plate and that's it. There's times I wish I could have more, but enjoying the one plate is the biggest key to my success so far. The other side of it is avoiding calorie landmines. It's so easy to accidentally eat an extra thousand or two calories while eating out by not paying attention. Knowledge is power :).
- dabernathy89 12y ago
  You and I have literally the same progress since the beginning of the year (mid 260s to 225). I don't really have much to add to that, I just find it interesting :)
- beachstartup 12y ago
  i'm about 20 pounds into a 40 pound goal. i too, like/liked to gorge. i wasn't obese so it was never a serious psychological problem, i'm just something of a hedonist. i've found that intermittent fasting allows me to occasionally (occasionally!) gorge and satisfy that hedonist inside of me. i also do low carb so i will combine this with a carb cheat day maybe every couple of months. my weakness is popcorn so i will enjoy a small popcorn at the movies after dinner. conversely, if i accidentally eat a 'calorie land mine' as you put it, i'll just skip the next couple of meals. i just focus on work instead. i think most 'naturally' skinny people do this anyway. i was eating 3 (or more) meals a day no matter WHAT and that's not necessary healthy.
alexmchale 12y ago
Oh the other side of it --- weighing in frequently and drinking a ton of water! I weigh myself most nights. I know what days I didn't get enough water, because I'll have "lost" 2 pounds that day. That tells me that (1) I need to immediately drink some more water and (2) drink extra the next day. Dehydrating yourself will have a negative impact on weight-loss long-term.

brandonb 12y ago

Holy shit! Congratulations.

zt 12y ago
Thanks Brandon.

andyhnj 12y ago

Nice write-up. My experience is quite similar to the author's. I've gone from 230 to 170 over the last year or so. (Oh, and I'm also from NJ!) I wasn't involved in any study or organized plan though; I just stumbled through it on my own. I tracked calories with an iPhone app. I stuck to a plan that, theoretically, would allow me to lose one pound per week. That actually worked out pretty well. I never bothered tracking anything other than calories. I just tried to be sensible about fat, carbs, and sugar, but I didn't explicitly track them or set goals related to them. And I'm curious about the National Weight Control Registry now. I'm going to have to follow up on that, after I've maintained the weight loss for a bit longer.

sjtrny 12y ago

I'm confused about why you would differentiate between vegetables and carbohydrates. That's like differentiating between a car and the engine within a car. Vegetables are mostly carbs and water.

VLM 12y ago
Not really, no. There are some high carb veg like sugar beets or potatoes but most are like cucumbers where a plate full is about one gram. Carrots are kinda borderline about 10% carbs so 100 grams of carrots (which is quite a bit) is about 10 grams. Most are kinda like celery which is about one gram for an entire stalk. My personal strategy is not counting but ranking and never eat something worse if I can eat something better. So I could roast some potatoes, but why not just buy carrots that are practically on the same shelf at the store?
- adrr 12y ago
  Root vegetables are usually higher in carbs. For my diet, i stay away from them. I second the substitution is key to stay under your carb daily limits. Instead of mash potatoes, you can make it out of cauliflower. Lost 30 pounds, over a year with lots of cheat day/weeks. Low carb diet does make a big difference losing weight but watching net calories makes a bigger difference. If you're 500 calories under the maintain level. You'll easily drop a pound a week. Combine with some light daily exercises and you get that close to 2.
mga226 12y ago
"Carbs" in this context is referring to foods that have a high carbohydrate content, like potatoes, yams, bread, pasta, and to a lesser extent things like carrots, beets, parsnips etc. Foods to avoid if trying to keep carbohydrate intake below 20-50, as these diets typically require. It doesn't refer to cruciferous/fibrous veggies, as well as things summer squash, even though they are almost entire carbs, because the carb content per serving in these foods is quite low - low enough that you can probably eat as much of them as you like and still be within the prescribed range.
- 12y ago

michokest 12y ago

Following the exact same approach helped to lose 20 lbs and motivated me to start a product around it. Check out http://8fit.com http://8fit.com, where we propose simple HIIT workouts you can do at home and low-carb meal plans (40/40/20 ratios). I'd love your feedback, if you'd like to take a look! So far we have about 50k users and 500 customers with great feedback.

comatose_kid 12y ago

Awesome article, especially regarding your relationship with food. Way to go zt. If you haven't seen this TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_usually_work http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_u...) about why dieting doesn't work, do so - the speaker talks about being intentional with what you eat. Also: Manresa is a great reason to skip out on a diet!!

juandazapata 12y ago

First of all, congratulations. Having lost around 40 lbs, I know all the work that it takes to achieve something like that. One thing that I want to share is I quit drinking sodas for about 1 year, and when I was finally 'allowed' to drink them again I just found them too sweet for my taste, I cannot drink them anymore. Also during the last month I've been using Freeletics to exercise with very good results (I'm not affiliated with them in any way). The most important thing that I've learned through my personal process is that the only thing that really matters is being disciplined and constant. Good luck and keep it up!

yinyinwu 12y ago

Major congrats! How helpful were the group therapy classes in helping you jumpstart the weight loss?

NicoJuicy 12y ago

I actually lost 79 lbs (25 kgs) from 220 lbs to 165 lbs in 6 months with an ebook (Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle), together with a lot of exercise (1-2 hours a day)... Remember that my genes aren't easy and i did a lot for it. (None of my family is actually slim). I did that 3 years ago at the end of college. This is what helped for me (if you don't agree, no problem, but it helped me a lot and there is so much research out there that it is difficult to get a decent perspective): - Get your metabolism as high as possible, eat every 3-4 hours except when you are a sleep. In the evening, eat less carbs. Last (very light) meal = 2 hours before you go to sleep. The higher your metabolism, the more your body will become a energy burning machine. - Losing weight = eating less then your daily requirement (intake of calories) or training more. Do this max. for 3 days in a row.. (so your body doesn't realize you are losing weight -> remember people surviving without eating in a month? it's a hormono called Leptine, it can severely destroy your metabolism :) ) - 60% is food, 40% is exercise (don't eat to little, it will hurt your metabolism. I don't advice a protein diet for too long.. Most people get much fatter afterwards because they destroyed their metabolism) - Sleep enough (this is a hard one for me) - No alcohol - it slows down your metabolism and contains empty calories. - If you want to exercise as less as possible, here are some pointers: - Running (= cardio), in the morning after a protein shake. Maximal effect + positive effect during the day, untill you go to sleep. - Reduce sugar intake as much as possible (don't worry about fructose and dextrose though) - Adding muscle (this is harder for women), in the evening after eating. If you want to do cardio combined with this, do it after your weight exercises. Muscle needs 48 hours to recover, so that's two days of extra fat burn. One way of eating would be Paleo diet (popular with Crossfit). I call it : "eating like a caveman" and starting with it in 2 months. PS. Changing the way you eat shouldn't be a diet (=temporarily), you should be changing your lifestyle or eating routine. PS 2. I seriously advice Tom Venuto - Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle... If you want to know more about how your body works,i also liked the stuff Lyle McDonald wrote.. (but that's more extreme)

Keats 12y ago
Congrats ! A few points: - metabolism: http://examine.com/faq/do-i-need-to-eat-six-times-a-day-to-keep-my-metabolism-high.html http://examine.com/faq/do-i-need-to-eat-six-times-a-day-to-k... - Losing weight = eating less than your TDEE. Training more is a bonus, all you need to do is eat less to lose weight - what do you call a protein diet? around 2g/kg of bodyweight is enough (http://examine.com/faq/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day.html http://examine.com/faq/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day....) - alcohol is ok if you are not abusing it (ie a 6 pack is unlikely to be good), you can pick the alcohol depending on how many calories they have if you want http://getdrunknotfat.com/ http://getdrunknotfat.com/ As for timing of exercises, do it whenever you can really, I workout fasted at 7am but that's not going to be a huge difference if you are working out at 6pm or noon. As mentioned, Lyle McDonald (http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/ http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/) has lots of good stuff

madaxe_again 12y ago

To anyone else considering this, be careful what you do - there can be long term consequences to rapid weight loss that may not be obvious, and you know that bit where people say "consult your doctor" - they mean it. I shed about the same amount of weight over the same amount of time in 2010, in the same of way. I'm having my gall bladder removed some time in the next few months, as about eight months after finishing my diet, my life, in a nutshell, turned to shit - literally. Turns out that eating plenty of protein (along with the fat that comes with, if it's animal) and not much in the way of carbs (>20g/d) can be a great way to give yourself gallstones. Which are horrendous, and cause you to lose days at a time of your life to feverish pain-and-vomit-filled null-time. I've been about 180-190 lbs since then, and I'd rather be 240lbs again than have these to live with. Graph: the big drop in Aug '11 is the first gallstone attack. http://i.imgur.com/7fHJNqR.png http://i.imgur.com/7fHJNqR.png

exelius 12y ago
That sucks; but not every diet is for everyone. Our bodies are all different, but you're right: if you plan on undertaking a massive weight loss plan (more than 30 lbs) you should probably have a doctor monitor you. Many insurance companies will cover this kind of care under a wellness plan, because let's face it: if you can lose a lot of weight in your 30s, you're probably going to have fewer health problems when you're older.

JoeAltmaier 12y ago

Cool if the study confirmed the dichotomy of low-fat vs low-carb genotypes. This article doesn't say - its essentially a straw-man. One success doesn't prove anything. In fact, I'm not sure what the study was trying to do? Imagine they're right - you have to choose a diet that works for you. What else is new? What's actionable about that? Already folks would try one diet, and if it didn't work they'd try the other. Now you can take a blood test and save a couple of days? No thanks, I don't like needles.

exelius 12y ago

I did no-carb dieting for about 6 months and lost 30 pounds. Obviously it's not right for everyone, and I absolutely love carbs so I could never keep it up forever, but the author mirrors many of my observations. Cutting out carbs entirely for even a short period of time will change your relationship with food: it's actually pretty hard to eat your daily recommended calorie intake while avoiding carbs. Thus you end up eating because you have to. It's just incredibly easy to over-eat on carbs: they generally have a neutral flavor, and our bodies evolved to prefer the taste of sugar. They also tend to dissolve into liquid in your stomach almost immediately upon contact with stomach acid, so they don't keep you full for long. They're also incredibly calorie dense: something like french bread is almost 100% digestible carbs. It's not so easy to over-eat other things. I could probably sit down and demolish 600 calories of ice cream, pasta or bread without a second thought. Serve me 600 calories of steak and even though I like steak, I'll have a hard time finishing it. Vegetables are even worse (or rather, better) - they have lots of nutrients, but very few calories by weight or volume. Hence the author's use of cheese (I'm guessing hard cheese, which has fewer carbs) as a source of dense calories to replace most carbs.