Anyone have an unusual diet that has worked for them or others in losing weight?

[downbyariver]

I could stand to lose some weight, and the only thing that ever really worked for me in that regard was a modified more risky version of the Atkins diet over 20 years ago, when it was considered a fad (Though I should mention that a whole bevy of health issues hit me a few months afterwards and my doctors through the years have been divided on whether they were related to the diet or not, so, you know, caveat emperor.).

What are some fad diets that are popular today, or maybe are popular in your area and unheard of elsewhere, that have worked for you or for others?

I'm never going to be able to sit and eat salads all day, but maybe there's something I hadn't thought of, just as the last diet that really worked for me was something that people dismissed as a fad years ago, and was an unusual regime for trying to lose weight.

Major bonus points if I can work two beers a day into the diet plan.

[Somis Sound]

The I Don't Want to Live Anymore Diet: No beer, wine, bread, pasta, sugar. It is effective....

[Enlighten]

Just to riff off of what Erik is saying, the main thing is reducing the carbs. Three years ago I weighed 241, I’m 6’3’. I eliminated bread, pasta and rice, they were the main culprits. I’ve always loved vegetables, so no problem there. If I wanted a carb with dinner or lunch it was quinoa. I also stopped eating after 7 pm. I do intermittent fasting as well. In 1 year I went from weighing 241 to 217 and my total cholesterol numbers are 153. It really wasn’t that hard. Don’t overthink it and believe a fancy shmancy diet is the answer. Reduce your carbs, eat lean meat if your non vegetarian, get plenty of fresh veggies, drink water liberally and try intermittent fasting.

[Somis Sound]

Just to riff off of what Erik is saying, the main thing is reducing the carbs. Three years ago I weighed 241, I’m 6’3’. I eliminated bread, pasta and rice, they were the main culprits. I’ve always loved vegetables, so no problem there. If I wanted a carb with dinner or lunch it was quinoa. I also stopped eating after 7 pm. I do intermittent fasting as well. In 1 year I went from weighing 241 to 217 and my total cholesterol numbers are 153. It really wasn’t that hard. Don’t overthink it and believe a fancy shmancy diet is the answer. Reduce your carbs, eat lean meat if your non vegetarian, get plenty of fresh veggies, drink water liberally and try intermittent fasting.

Yep. It's them darn carbs....

[alex peters]

What do you eat now? What is your present weight and height?

Do you eat 3 meals per day? Do you snack between meals? Do you drink cokes etc ? Do you eat fast food and how often? Do you eat Donuts and pastries? Do you get any exercise?

These are all questions you must answer before anyone can figure out a plan for you.

Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes work and sticking to them

[yamishogun]

and my total cholesterol numbers are 153.

The strange thing is that studies have shown those who live the longest have a total cholesterol of 230. Those who are at 180 to 280 are still close to the ideal. And 153 isn't that much of a higher risk of dying earlier, all things equal. Cholesterol levels have been over-hyped for 70 years and the medical and public shift to realty is taking a long time. For a healthy heart, avoid trans fats and walk/bike often.

[Enlighten]

The strange thing is that studies have shown those who live the longest have a total cholesterol of 230. Those who are at 180 to 280 are still close to the ideal. And 153 isn't that much of a higher risk of dying earlier, all things equal. Cholesterol levels have been over-hyped for 70 years and the medical and public shift to realty is taking a long time. For a healthy heart, avoid trans fats and walk/bike often.

There’s been a lot of back and forth on this one but I tend to agree with you. I loved that a few years back some of the leading cardiologists came out and said that cholesterol was not the main contributor in heart disease. They uniformly said that inflammation was the main issue and that’s a wink and a nod towards saying how crappy the typical American diet is, including those awful trans fats you spoke of. It was a ballsy move for those cardiologists to speak about what they uniformly see when they perform heart surgery. I’m sure it pissed off the pharmaceutical industrial complex and those in the medical profession who submit to the white coat code of silence.

[kkleinschmidt]

Weight loss is a tough subject for sure. I used to work at HJ Heinz and people there swore by Weight Watchers, which at that time was part of Heinz (food part still is at last check but the weight loss program is gone), but programs like that always seemed too fiddly to me (OCD folks that like to keep track of details seem to generally do well). Atkins style programs definitely shed weight but like you said Dbar it comes at a cost and a vast majority of the people I know who have gone down that path have put it all right back on (and more) because they don't stick to it.

What works for me started with completely cutting out soft drinks of all types. I used to love a cold Coke or root beer but I haven't had one in ages and I drink water (flat) now with most meals. Alcohol is another big contributor and of course my favorites wine and beer are at the top of my list so I definitely watch my consumption of them. Betsy is always looking to avoid carbs in general so that's another element in my life and she's also a good cook so that helps cut down on outside crap. Enlighten mentioned the don't eat late trick (after 7 for him) and that's also something we have as a goal.

Final thought - stop eating at chez nous

[Yorkshire Square]

Eat less, move about more. It's not unusual, but it works...

[Roundabob]

I got hit with high blood sugar and irregular heart rhythm about a year and a half ago. I was 65 at the time, and in good physical condition from years of running. I weighed just under 190 lbs. I cut my carbohydrates intake down to an average of 100 grams per day, and had to cut back alcohol because of the heart situation. The combination of reduced carbs and reduced alcohol lowered my weight to 170 lbs. in approximately 6 months. I have maintained that weight for over a year. I have continued to be vigilant about holding carbs down to 100 grams per day. I only drink around 4 beers per week. It is not fun, but I was able to quickly lose weight, even though I was not overweight at the start of this routine. I discovered a number of Keto conducive products (bread, breakfast bars, ice cream, etc.) that have made this journey a lot easier. I also have drastically cut my intake of pasta, rice, and potatoes. Lower carbs, lower alcohol, and consistent exercise are the keys. It’s a healthy and sustainable combination, but, I repeat…it is not fun.

[alex peters]

All these Diet food packages are gimmicks in my opinion. You see them all right after the holidays. Some like the scam Nutrisystem say eat all you want and lose weight. You look at some who advertised with them years ago like Terry Bradshaw and look at him today in horrible shape and 60 lbs overweight.

People want things easy but lifestyle changes are not easy and as Roundabob says Not Fun.

Quit entirely all cokes and carbonated beverages. Quit drinking beer. TWO ounces of wine a day is fine. Quit eating all fast food. Quit eating Donuts and pastries. No cookies and cakes. Stay away from sugar

Eat an apple each day. Alot of vegetables. Chicken and fish. Drink plenty of water. Red meat no more than twice per month. Some pasta with fish is fine.

Walk 3 miles per day or swim.

Once you change your lifestyle habits it becomes second nature

You do that and the weight will come off. But no diet scams or gimmicks will work but take the $ out of your wallet.

[rePete]

So there are two things here: Weight loss, and Good health. They aren't one and the same, contrary to what some people will tell you.

There are lots of different diet options, obviously. No matter what anyone tells you, regardless of the diet, portion control is critical for weight loss. Simply put, you have to consume fewer calories than you burn during the course of the day to lose weight. This should be done slowly and consistently.

As with most things in life, the best thing for both weight loss AND good health is about balance and moderation. Strictly eliminating one food group in favour of others (Like carbs, for example) may provide a temporary shortcut that offer faster (and more encouraging!) results, but typically that doesn't last once people stop the diet, the weight all comes back. And once again, you're sacrificing good long term health because of the lack of balance in the diet.

North Americans are overweight - mostly because of our high sugar, high fat, high protein, highly processed, imbalanced diet, combined with sedentary lifestyle.

If you're looking for weight loss AND improving your health long term, don't look for quick results - think more long term. Eliminate processed foods, prepackaged foods, fast foods, and refined sugars and refined carbs completely - they cause obesity and are believed to be responsible for increased cancer rates, diabetes, inflammation and arthritis, cognitive decline, and a whole host of other health issues.

The key is to eat a balanced diet that includes fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, beans (like chickpeas, lentils, etc), nuts and seeds, healthy proteins like fish, chicken and eggs, and healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. In North America, meals tend to feature a big piece of meat/protein, with a little bit of veg and starch like potatoes and rice. That's not balanced. In the healthiest diets in the world, meats are less a feature of the meal, and treated almost like a seasoning, providing flavour and texture in food. The focus of meals is more the veggies, beans and whole grains, complemented by the fish, chicken etc. (Bread and pasta etc are NOT generally considered healthy whole grains, so you should limit those.)

The Mediterranean diet - long considered one of the healthiest in the world by far - is not so much a diet as it is a lifestyle. It emphasizes the healthy foods mentioned above, as well as other things like the importance of the social component of food (cooking and eating with people), increasing physical activity etc etc. Its more about adopting health lifestyle, not fad diets that ultimately don't keep the weight off long term, and deprive the body of essential nutrients that it craves, throwing your health out of balance in the long run.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan#the-basics

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0866GJF3S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0593136039/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1948703947/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1948703068/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sorry for the long post.

[alex peters]

So there are two things here: Weight loss, and Good health. They aren't one and the same, contrary to what some people will tell you.

There are lots of different diet options, obviously. No matter what anyone tells you, regardless of the diet, portion control is critical for weight loss. Simply put, you have to consume fewer calories than you burn during the course of the day to lose weight. This should be done slowly and consistently.

As with most things in life, the best thing for both weight loss AND good health is about balance and moderation. Strictly eliminating one food group in favour of others (Like carbs, for example) may provide a temporary shortcut that offer faster (and more encouraging!) results, but typically that doesn't last once people stop the diet, the weight all comes back. And once again, you're sacrificing good long term health because of the lack of balance in the diet.

North Americans are overweight - mostly because of our high sugar, high fat, high protein, highly processed, imbalanced diet, combined with sedentary lifestyle.

If you're looking for weight loss AND improving your health long term, don't look for quick results - think more long term. Eliminate processed foods, prepackaged foods, fast foods, and refined sugars and refined carbs completely - they cause obesity and are believed to be responsible for increased cancer rates, diabetes, inflammation and arthritis, cognitive decline, and a whole host of other health issues.

The key is to eat a balanced diet that includes fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, beans (like chickpeas, lentils, etc), nuts and seeds, healthy proteins like fish, chicken and eggs, and healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. In North America, meals tend to feature a big piece of meat/protein, with a little bit of veg and starch like potatoes and rice. That's not balanced. In the healthiest diets in the world, meats are less a feature of the meal, and treated almost like a seasoning, providing flavour and texture in food. The focus of meals is more the veggies, beans and whole grains, complemented by the fish, chicken etc. (Bread and pasta etc are NOT generally considered healthy whole grains, so you should limit those.)

The Mediterranean diet - long considered one of the healthiest in the world by far - is not so much a diet as it is a lifestyle. It emphasizes the healthy foods mentioned above, as well as other things like the importance of the social component of food (cooking and eating with people), increasing physical activity etc etc. Its more about adopting health lifestyle, not fad diets that ultimately don't keep the weight off long term, and deprive the body of essential nutrients that it craves, throwing your health out of balance in the long run.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan#the-basics

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0866GJF3S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0593136039/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1948703947/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1948703068/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sorry for the long post.

Yes. You said it better than me.

[yamishogun]

Eliminate processed foods, prepackaged foods, fast foods, and refined sugars and refined carbs completely - they cause obesity and are believed to be responsible for increased cancer rates,...

The cancer incidence rate in the U.S. was 400 people per 100,000 in 1975, peaked at 500 per 100,000 and has declined to 430 per 100,000 in 2019. From the peak in 1990, smoking continued to decline but the obesity rate rose a lot, from 12% in 1990 to 40% in 2019.

The U.K. rates are similar except obesity is lower at 28% of the population.

Figure 2.https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wi...322/caac.21708

[Oldie on the Goldie]

For me, red wine is at the bottom of the pyramid, not the top.