What’s the best diet for weight loss ?

Mellor · 12-05-2021 2:26pm

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Keto isn't as simple as eating less calories, although that is absolutely part of it.

Keto works so well because you have almost no glucose in your blood, so your body has to use its own fat for energy.l.

It only needs to do that when you’re in calorie deficit.
So while there are additional mechanisms. It’s still about energy in/energy out.

bb1234567 wrote: »

I've tried lots of diets, vegan, keto, paleo..and I think they are all overly restrictive for no good reason.

The restrictive part is usually what lends a diet to create an automatic calorie deficit.
Take keto, high fat satisfying, 40% of energy is eliminated and only partial replace. Without tracking calories, you create a deficit. For me that’s a very good reason for restriction.

If only Icould eat chips, and crisps, and bread along with the steak, cheese, bacon and wings. And just happen to stop at 2000cals because I’m full..

SouthWesterly · 12-05-2021 6:04pm

I cut out the crap, the snacking and reduced the carbs.
I get out for an hour walk most days.
Lost 20lbs since January.

zerosugarbuzz · 12-05-2021 6:18pm

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Is it a lifestyle change or a yo yo diet?

Diets don't work. You need to change your lifestyle, permanently.

Gotcha.

LittleBrick · 16-05-2021 8:10pm

I put on about 11 lbs over Christmas that I couldn't shift (I had lost about 30lbs from September to Christmas, so it was annoying that a third of it was back on).

For the last week I've been pairing a VLCD with intermittent fasting, and the weight is coming off at a relatively fast pace (5 lbs in the first week). I know a large amount of this is without a doubt water weight, but I'm hoping to do this until I'm about 6 lbs under target, then hope the water weight is the 6lb difference.

I drink only water until 6 p.m.
At 6 I have a bowl of All Bran with soy milk and either a banana, raspberries or strawberries, and a cup of tea (with sweeteners and soy milk).
Between 7 and 8 I will have 3 weetabix (with sweeteners and soy milk) and tea (with sweeteners and soy milk).
Then, before I go to sleep, I have a final cup of tea (with sweeteners and soy milk) and a treat (regular size bar) about 10. If I'm still hungry I'll have a bowl of sugar free jelly with 0% greek style yogurt.

Is it smart? No, definitely not. But if you need to lose a small amount of weight (10-15lbs) quickly, I'd advise it. Just take supplements so you are getting your RDA.

FintanMcluskey · 16-05-2021 8:17pm

The best way I find to maintain weight is drinking water, not just drinking for thirst but drinking for habit.

I drink 3L of water a day and I’m never hungry for snacks etc or even craving sugary drinks

I’d highly recommend a water addiction

rolling boh · 16-05-2021 8:20pm

For me it is a lifestyle change that will bring results for anybody looking to shed weight not a diet over a short period of time that is almost impossible to keep up the sometimes drastic changes suddenly that people have to make .

sunshine2018 · 17-05-2021 7:05am

Thank you to everyone- some great advice and thanks to whomever recommended the fitness chef - just bought his book ‘eat what you like and lose weight for life’ which is an excellent read.

kiki smiling · 17-05-2021 9:20am

LittleBrick wrote: »

I put on about 11 lbs over Christmas that I couldn't shift (I had lost about 30lbs from September to Christmas, so it was annoying that a third of it was back on).

For the last week I've been pairing a VLCD with intermittent fasting, and the weight is coming off at a relatively fast pace (5 lbs in the first week). I know a large amount of this is without a doubt water weight, but I'm hoping to do this until I'm about 6 lbs under target, then hope the water weight is the 6lb difference.

I drink only water until 6 p.m.
At 6 I have a bowl of All Bran with soy milk and either a banana, raspberries or strawberries, and a cup of tea (with sweeteners and soy milk).
Between 7 and 8 I will have 3 weetabix (with sweeteners and soy milk) and tea (with sweeteners and soy milk).
Then, before I go to sleep, I have a final cup of tea (with sweeteners and soy milk) and a treat (regular size bar) about 10. If I'm still hungry I'll have a bowl of sugar free jelly with 0% greek style yogurt.

Is it smart? No, definitely not. But if you need to lose a small amount of weight (10-15lbs) quickly, I'd advise it. Just take supplements so you are getting your RDA.

How many calories in total per day are you consuming LittleBrick? How long to you expect to do this for?

wildwillow · 17-05-2021 9:42am

LittleBrick, that regime is not sustainable as you know, but it also doesn't help change your eating habits.

When you get to your desired weight you need to alter your eating habits. Take it from someone who did all kinds of daft diets and now am my ideal weight by eating regular food sensibly.

The reliance on sweetness and preprepared food struck me also. Try to concentrate on non processed foods sch as salads and vegetable rich meals.

You feel better and your energy levels will increase.

I understand eating only later in the day as the time for temptation is reduced, but you should be having your final meal at 6pm rather than your first.

Good luck.

LittleBrick · 17-05-2021 10:57am

kiki smiling wrote: »

How many calories in total per day are you consuming LittleBrick? How long to you expect to do this for?

Probably in or around 800-1000 calories. Doing it for 12 days, taking the weekend off (Eurovision!), then probably another week or two before I go back to normal eating (spuds, veg, plant protein, some fruit). I lost the 30lbs slowly, but need this to come off faster this time (I know it's unsustainable long term). I bought a new wardrobe when I lost the weight and it was starting to look like a scuba suit.

kiki smiling · 17-05-2021 11:06am

LittleBrick wrote: »

Probably in or around 800-1000 calories. Doing it for 12 days, taking the weekend off (Eurovision!), then probably another week or two before I go back to normal eating (spuds, veg, plant protein, some fruit). I lost the 30lbs slowly, but need this to come off faster this time (I know it's unsustainable long term). I bought a new wardrobe when I lost the weight and it was starting to look like a scuba suit.

Very best of luck LittleBrick! Keep us posted

El_Duderino 09 · 17-05-2021 11:21am

Patsy167 wrote: »

Yeah that's absolutely true. Diets have a kind of mythology attached to them but different diets suit people differently.

I tried keto and I found the fatty foods like fish and meat very satisfying, the biggest volume of food in the diet was veg which I liked and and the snacks of nuts kept me going nicely. It worked (the same as every other diet works) by having a calorie deficit but I was happy to stick with with the calorie deficit because the foods I was eating satisfied me.

So the keto diet "worked" for me. If you see what I mean.

Alf Veedersane · 17-05-2021 12:55pm

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Yeah that's absolutely true. Diets have a kind of mythology attached to them but different diets suit people differently.

I tried keto and I found the fatty foods like fish and meat very satisfying, the biggest volume of food in the diet was veg which I liked and and the snacks of nuts kept me going nicely. It worked (the same as every other diet works) by having a calorie deficit but I was happy to stick with with the calorie deficit because the foods I was eating satisfied me.

So the keto diet "worked" for me. If you see what I mean.

Absolutely. Sustainability is the key and there are different tools for people to get to that point. For you it's keto, for someone else it's something else.

drunkmonkey · 17-05-2021 1:55pm

With the intermittent fasting what's the most sustainable, I've read 16/8, is it 7 days a week, I assume you can have water? Anything else?
Started the keto again this morning as I didn't like the scales reading. Just had a nice steak with a blue cheese and spinach sauce, hard to think it's a diet. Going to mix it with the fasting this time.

El_Duderino 09 · 17-05-2021 2:41pm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

With the intermittent fasting what's the most sustainable, I've read 16/8, is it 7 days a week, I assume you can have water? Anything else?
Started the keto again this morning as I didn't like the scales reading. Just had a nice steak with a blue cheese and spinach sauce, hard to think it's a diet. Going to mix it with the fasting this time.

The 8/16 is doable every day, I think. (but i imagine you can do it any way you like as long as you're in calorie deficit then you're winning to one degree or another). The 8/16 is pretty sustainable so it's doable every day. The night time can be a bit hungry but as long as you know you've had a decent amount of calories and nutritious food during the day, it's usually fine. I found the mornings a bit more difficult as you're genuinely quite hungry. That part has taken discipline. I do 11-7. So breakfast at 11AM, lunch at about 2 or 3 and dinner finished by 7PM.

I just read a bit here and there so open to correction, but water is fine during fasting hours (drinking a normal amount of water is encouraged) and black tea and coffee are fine too. Milk counts as food so milk in tea or coffee not really ok in the fasting hours.

That's just my layman's understanding so totally open to correction.

drunkmonkey · 17-05-2021 4:30pm

Cheers, I'll see how it goes for the week I need to reign in this bubble belly, probably do the same hours as yourself it's usually not until 11ish I start feeling hungry in the morning.

ILoveYourVibes · 26-05-2021 8:40pm

The diet that works best is the one you can sustain and the one that makes you feel best.

(while obv still losing weight to a healthy weight etc and being fit and getting nutrients)

If you feel awful it isn't a good sign.

And if you can't sustain it you will only put it all back on.

You really have to find out what your body likes best what you like best and what works for you.

I think its why people tend to disagree ....everyone reacts physically and psychologically differently to foods etc.

Bananahands · 28-05-2021 9:49am

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

The diet that works best is the one you can sustain and the one that makes you feel best.

(while obv still losing weight to a healthy weight etc and being fit and getting nutrients)

If you feel awful it isn't a good sign.

And if you can't sustain it you will only put it all back on.

You really have to find out what your body likes best what you like best and what works for you.

I think its why people tend to disagree ....everyone reacts physically and psychologically differently to foods etc.

Ditching the carbs is crucial for weight loss, you have to look at the spuds, bread, pasta, porridge etc as bowls of sugar. Do this alone and you won’t feel so hungry and naturally eat what you need. I used a continuous blood glucose monitor for a month(freestyle Libre2) to gauge the effects of different carbs. Even the so called healthy carbs cause big spikes. This feedback loop worked for me and helped dodge temptation to eat sh!te. Have also ditched the beer, only drink red wine and whiskey now, again low sugar.

jam_mac_jam · 28-05-2021 10:27am

Bananahands wrote: »

Ditching the carbs is crucial for weight loss, you have to look at the spuds, bread, pasta, porridge etc as bowls of sugar. Do this alone and you won’t feel so hungry and naturally eat what you need. I used a continuous blood glucose monitor for a month(freestyle Libre2) to gauge the effects of different carbs. Even the so called healthy carbs cause big spikes. This feedback loop worked for me and helped dodge temptation to eat sh!te. Have also ditched the beer, only drink red wine and whiskey now, again low sugar.

That's what works for you. Low carb is not for everyone.

Plenty of people loose weight without restricting carbs but restricting calories.

silly · 28-05-2021 10:32am

I could not do low carb or no carb like Keto - for me its is just not sustainable.
I decided 11 weeks ago to start calorie counting and use my fitness pal to track it. I have 15 lbs lost in the 11 weeks, and I can still have my crisps and chocolate if I allocate correctly during the day.

Macy0161 · 28-05-2021 11:20am

Bananahands wrote: »

Ditching the carbs is crucial for weight loss, you have to look at the spuds, bread, pasta, porridge etc as bowls of sugar.

Science says no. Overall calorific deficit is all that is crucial for weightloss.

El_Duderino 09 · 28-05-2021 11:32am

silly wrote: »

I could not do low carb or no carb like Keto - for me its is just not sustainable.
I decided 11 weeks ago to start calorie counting and use my fitness pal to track it. I have 15 lbs lost in the 11 weeks, and I can still have my crisps and chocolate if I allocate correctly during the day.

Yeah fair play. It's about what suits you and people are different so different things suit different people. You won't know unless you try one of these methods and see how it goes.

My Mrs and I tried keto together and it suited me, the food was satisfying and i was happy to maintain a calorie deficit. She hated it, the food never satisfied her and she ditched it pretty quickly.

It's about finding the diet that keeps you happy while in calorie deficit and that will be different for different people. Keto definitely "worked" for me but I wouldn't expect it to be the same for everyone.

Hoboo · 28-05-2021 11:39am

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Keep it simple.

Keto + 14 hours fast each day.

Some exercise (optional).

That's all you have to do and you'll lose 4 stone in a few months.

So an average day would be something like this:

Breakfast: 4 eggs, some bacon, kimchi.

Snack: Small handful of almonds

Lunch: Chicken, broccoli

Snack: Cheese

Dinner: Steak, spinach

No more food - roughly 14 hours (includes sleep) until your next meal.

Drink lots of water, about double what you usually drink.

The key to keto is low amount of carbs, especially simple carbs - so you have to give up sugar (chocolate, etc.), pasta, rice, potatoes, crisps, noodles, cakes, bread.

I've done keto. It works. In the short term. But it's another fad. And as for recommending optional exercise? Stop. This is the lazy person's way to a quick fix that doesn't work long term. I should know. I was that person.

How can someone maintain muscle eating less than 100g of protein and no resistance exercise? They can't. They lose it, along with some fat, weight goes down, they think its fat. It's not. I'm out.

Bananahands · 28-05-2021 12:11pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Science says no. Overall calorific deficit is all that is crucial for weightloss.

Eat less move more is too simplistic and all calories are not equal. Carbs are the only macro not essential to sustain humans. If you are addicted to sugar I get it may be hard to cut carbs out but if they make up a substantial portion of your diet you are on a road to nowhere. Evolutionarily we couldn’t have made it this far with such a reliance on carbs.
I’ve cut carbs drastically and train fasted every other morning at 6.30, don’t eat till 12.00. None of the sugar crash hunger pangs I used to get and no loss of energy, even slightly better tbh. I get back from a 40mile cycle and no longer feel like clearing the larder, and that was after coffee buns and jelly babies! nutritional science is not in agreement with the essential carbs theory, Google a few podcasts on the subject.

silly · 28-05-2021 1:13pm

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

My Mrs and I tried keto together and it suited me, the food was satisfying and i was happy to maintain a calorie deficit. She hated it, the food never satisfied her and she ditched it pretty quickly.

My sister and her husband were the same, it really suited him and he lost a ton of weight on it and she hated it, she would do it in bursts and lose some but put it on again as soon as she came off it. He still does it and he enjoys it.

Macy0161 · 28-05-2021 2:35pm

Bananahands wrote: »

I’ve cut carbs drastically and train fasted every other morning at 6.30, don’t eat till 12.00. None of the sugar crash hunger pangs I used to get and no loss of energy, even slightly better tbh. I get back from a 40mile cycle and no longer feel like clearing the larder, and that was after coffee buns and jelly babies! nutritional science is not in agreement with the essential carbs theory, Google a few podcasts on the subject.

Peer Reviewed science still says no. Not small sample studies, which may (or may not) be on actual humans.

You lost weight because you were in calorie deficit, not through ditching carbs or sugar, not through fasting. You found a method to achieve calorie deficit that was sustainable for you.

I've lost (and maintained) over 8 stone, while still consuming carbs and sugars. As have millions of other people. Because my method of calorie restriction and change in diet was sustainable for me.

El_Duderino 09 · 28-05-2021 3:46pm

silly wrote: »

My sister and her husband were the same, it really suited him and he lost a ton of weight on it and she hated it, she would do it in bursts and lose some but put it on again as soon as she came off it. He still does it and he enjoys it.

Yeah this is it. There are no rules apart from the fact that burning fewer calories than you consume results in weight loss. There are different ways to achieve that calorie deficit and finding one that suits you and is sustainable is important.

bb1234567 · 28-05-2021 3:50pm

Bananahands wrote: »

Ditching the carbs is crucial for weight loss, you have to look at the spuds, bread, pasta, porridge etc as bowls of sugar. Do this alone and you won’t feel so hungry and naturally eat what you need. I used a continuous blood glucose monitor for a month(freestyle Libre2) to gauge the effects of different carbs. Even the so called healthy carbs cause big spikes. This feedback loop worked for me and helped dodge temptation to eat sh!te. Have also ditched the beer, only drink red wine and whiskey now, again low sugar.

Not crucial at all. You can eat mostly white bread and lose any amount of weight you wish with restraint.

Xander10 · 29-05-2021 9:45am

Bananahands wrote: »

Ditching the carbs is crucial for weight loss, you have to look at the spuds, bread, pasta, porridge etc as bowls of sugar. Do this alone and you won’t feel so hungry and naturally eat what you need. I used a continuous blood glucose monitor for a month(freestyle Libre2) to gauge the effects of different carbs. Even the so called healthy carbs cause big spikes. This feedback loop worked for me and helped dodge temptation to eat sh!te. Have also ditched the beer, only drink red wine and whiskey now, again low sugar.

Is putting porridge in there correct?

LeakyLime · 29-05-2021 12:08pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Peer Reviewed science still says no. Not small sample studies, which may (or may not) be on actual humans.

You lost weight because you were in calorie deficit, not through ditching carbs or sugar, not through fasting. You found a method to achieve calorie deficit that was sustainable for you.

I've lost (and maintained) over 8 stone, while still consuming carbs and sugars. As have millions of other people. Because my method of calorie restriction and change in diet was sustainable for me.

Actually the science is changing rapidly and more and more studies are leaning towards weight gain being hormonal, not calories in, calories out.

e.g. women when they hit menopause and undergo huge hormonal changes put on weight while eating the same amount of calories.

Not all calories are equal. Carbs do crazy things to insulin levels which in turn converts energy to fat more readily.

Look up Gary Taubes.

I'm also reading Grain Brain at the moment - the effects of carbs on the brain is quite scary over time.

What’s the best diet for weight loss ?

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