[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Ha ha, Bare, I never said anything about limiting to an occasional glass wine... Wine is not food in my book!

Originally Posted by CFrance

Everyone's body and metabolism is different. Several small meals a day not only puts weight on me, the apples and carrots add too many carbs. Everyone's different, and I am glad the OP found something that works for her/him, because I know how frustrating it can be to maintain a good weight or even attain one.

Exactly! Everyone's body and metabolism is very different.
While eating weeds and twigs or skipping meals works for some people, for others it just makes them cranky, hungry and likely to binge.
People need to experiment with different food plans to find out what works for them.
I think a food diary is very helpful, or some method of keeping track of food consumed.
It doesn't have to be anything complicated, all that is needed is a pen and paper.

[TrudyM]

If you look at any of the sites or aps you will see that to maintain the same weight men get to eat more calories. I know it is the way it is but it does seem unfair. Hubby has been loosing as much as I have eating 600 or more calories a day than I do. BOOO

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

No eating after 1 PM? Good for you and congrats on your weight loss.
Does that mean you never go out at night for dinner with friends?
As Dr. Boogie says, it seems like you would really have to isolate yourself, which wouldn't work for us.
Everyone needs to find a path that is suitable for them. It's not one size fits all.
I usually keep a food diary, that works for me and keeps me mindful of what I eat.

I could never keep a food diary. Takes too much time away from enjoying what you are supposed to write about.

[Halibut]

Sincere congratulations to everyone for being mindful of all facets of health. And it isn't even new year's yet!

I'm fascinated by the issue of weight and metabolism since (1) there are so many variables and individual differences, and (2) so much is still unknown on a basic biological level.

It's easy to demonize sugar, or saturated fat, or carbs, or wheat, or dairy, or meat, or fast food, or processed food, or non-organic food, or pesticides, and on and on, but there isn't one simple answer. So many "rules" are diametric opposites, such as eating five small meals vs intermittent fasting. There's also research into how sleep restriction causes weight gain. An interesting topic, indeed.

In passing, there is a school of thought that glucose regulation may be impaired when meal frequency is reduced: Morning plasma glucose concentrations were significantly greater in subjects when they were consuming 1 meal a day compared to when they were consuming 3 meals a day. When consuming 1 meal a day, the subjects exhibited poorer glucose tolerance as indicated by a significantly greater and more prolonged elevation of plasma glucose concentrations compared to subjects consuming 3 meals a day.

But hey, glucometers are available over the counter if anyone is interested in tracking specifically how and what they're eating affects their blood sugar.

On the other side of the coin, I am what most people would probably call frail and need to gain weight, which has been quite difficult for me my whole life.

[RVRoadie]

My wife and I did the Advocare 24 Day Challenge about 8 weeks ago. It worked well for us and we have stayed on the nutritional supplements and kept to the diet and exercise guidelines. They are very easy to follow, and very sensible. After dropping about 10 lbs during the first 24 days, we are losing about 1 lb per week. I buy their products through my kids distributor account.

Not too hard to stick close to the diet when eating out, or partying with friends.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Halibut

Sincere congratulations to everyone for being mindful of all facets of health. And it isn't even new year's yet!

I'm fascinated by the issue of weight and metabolism since (1) there are so many variables and individual differences, and (2) so much is still unknown on a basic biological level.

It's easy to demonize sugar, or saturated fat, or carbs, or wheat, or dairy, or meat, or fast food, or processed food, or non-organic food, or pesticides, and on and on, but there isn't one simple answer. So many "rules" are diametric opposites, such as eating five small meals vs intermittent fasting. There's also research into how sleep restriction causes weight gain. An interesting topic, indeed.

In passing, there is a school of thought that glucose regulation may be impaired when meal frequency is reduced: Morning plasma glucose concentrations were significantly greater in subjects when they were consuming 1 meal a day compared to when they were consuming 3 meals a day. When consuming 1 meal a day, the subjects exhibited poorer glucose tolerance as indicated by a significantly greater and more prolonged elevation of plasma glucose concentrations compared to subjects consuming 3 meals a day.

But hey, glucometers are available over the counter if anyone is interested in tracking specifically how and what they're eating affects their blood sugar.

On the other side of the coin, I am what most people would probably call frail and need to gain weight, which has been quite difficult for me my whole life.

There is even a school of thought that people with a higher BMI have a lower mortality risk:

"The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality remains the subject of much debate. A recent meta-analysis concluded that compared to those of normal weight (BMI<25.0), overweight individuals (BMI 25.0–29.9) had a significantly lower mortality risk. Even Class 1 obesity (BMI 30–34.9) was associated with marginally reduced mortality."

I'm not saying that is true; I have no idea! Information is constantly changing, and much of it is contradictory.

As Halibut said:

"I'm fascinated by the issue of weight and metabolism since (1) there are so many variables and individual differences, and (2) so much is still unknown on a basic biological level."

[dbussone]

I try to practice a paleo diet as much as possible. Have done so for about 5 years. Although I am a type II diabetic, my A1C typically is about 5.3-5.6...which is low normal. I believe the key is understanding physiology- which few do. It was my undergrad major.

[jebartle]

during this thread....Hmmmm!....I've noticed that every time I think about a diet, I'm surrounded by temptation! Even on TOTV...Maybe I'm too sensitive!

[GeoGeo]

It is true that one diet does not work for everyone. So here is another suggestion to consider.

The best "diet" that worked for me and my sweatie was the South Beach Diet. The only problem was that I couldn't eat as much as they said. Can you believe a diet where you are stuffed instead of starving? I would be stuffed and then some. I had to cut back. The thing is to eat every 3 hours....even if it is just a snack....and never wait until you feel hungry. If I wanted to go out and eat spaghetti or go to a fast food joint once in awhile, no problem. I would find that helped rev up my metabolism and I would lose more weight. You couldn't do this every day. But having a cheat day once a week or once a month is fine.

Any diet that combines healthy meats (chicken, fish, low fat cuts), low glycemic veggies/fruits, a little healthy fat, a little grain , etc. is good. I think the secret is to eat every 3 hours. Picture your body as a wood stove. You've got to keep feeding the fire. The reason to eat every 3 hours is to keep your blood sugar levels even....big spikes and drops. Also making your food colorful and flavorful helps. South Beach Diet recipes taught me a lot. Love the pretty reds, yellows, greens, etc. I never felt deprived or like I was on a diet. Just the opposite.

[TheVillageChicken]

All successful diets can be boiled down to one truth. Eat less calories and burn more calories. There is no pixie dust.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

There is even a school of thought that people with a higher BMI have a lower mortality risk:

I believe it's a biased school-of-thought promoted by the food industry. And some overweight people love it because it gives them something to hang their hat on.

[Villages PL]

I don't like complicated fad diets. The simpler the better.

For example, I never count calories. Everyone knows the difference between a high calorie food and a low calorie food, right? Processed foods are high calorie and natural (unprocessed) whole foods are low calorie.


Eat unprocessed natural whole foods.