Did anyone watch the CNN special on Weight Loss?

[psi]

For those who didn't, it outlined 7 characteristics that most succesful dieters have in common.

High Carb, Low Fat was one of seven- I still don't get it, the popularity of this diet. I would say 7 out of 10 people here follow low car diets, and are furthermore, adept at maintaining some level of fitness.

I know that I could never lose weight on high carb- I attribute this primarily to appetite. Hunger in ketosis, or in a carb-depleted state is certainly a rarity, at least for me.

Also, of interest, they alluded to the manipulation of Leptin as the true diet aid, but din't actually use the word "Leptin"- maybe it's too "technical" for the layman dieter.

"Leptin" is my favorite word- it was the key to understanding how my body used food. I recommend that everyone look into it.

 

[Madd Hatter]

Yeah, I saw it, and the high carb diet thing stood out to me as well.

Also, as an open-minded, intelligent, pro-marijuana individual, a certain hypocrisy leaped out at me towards the end where they talked about the possibility of a wonder drug to curb obesity. Let's see if I can paraphrase it:

"Drugs are bad! Drugs are bad! Drug war! Drug war over all else! We don't want drugs!.... Getting in shape is hard, give me a drug for it! I don't want to work for it! Drug! Drug!"

Just one more example. It is true that we are a drug culture, made up of the "majority" and the unlawful/delinquet/whatever sectors. The majority just chooses prescription drugs for everything under the sun whether they should take it or not (look at all the ads on TV), while the "minority" uses mary jane/shrooms/whatever. Somehow the "majority" is a-ok though.

 

[Vageta]

It doesn't surprise me that the high carb diet was mentioned, it is still popular and it still works. As psi said he can't do it because of hunger problems which is the same for me. I lost most of my initial fat when I was severely out of shape with that kind of diet. I learned later on that higher fat was better for hunger but I never experienced any "faster" weight loss, just made dieting easier. Also consider most dieters aren't looking to get down to 6% bodyfat. I'm guessing the average middle age male dieter would be very happy at 12% and anyone can get here on a high carb diet. Women make up a large majority of dieters and I can't imagine the average woman doing some sort of high protein regimen.

You also have to remember we are a minority so we don't usually make much of a difference in the statistics. We account for probably 1% of the population at best so even if all of us answered a "low carb/high protein" diet we'd still be outnumbered by the rest of the population who follow high carb diets.

 

[psi]

Vageta,

We are a minority, but I don't think we would be if the common person gave high protein/low carb, with periodic refeeds a try. Knowledge is the greatest asset one can have, and think/know that it is on our side in the "diet debate." And when I say knowledge, I am referring to anectodal evidence, leptin studies, ketostix, Insulin Resistance, etc.

Therefore, my point is, while high carb may be a means to the end of at loss, I offer that it is less efficient. Even if it is Calories In vs Calories Out, the hunger aspect comes into play- and that is not, at least to me, is the most important variable in a given dieting scenario.

 

[Vageta]

The problem of course is getting the "average dieter" to quit following the typical Cosmopolitan Magazine diet and actually try the type of dieting we all take for granted. Again though if their goals are much more meager than ours they probably wouldn't need to go that far.

 

[bm2k]

The problem of course is getting the "average dieter" to quit following the typical Cosmopolitan Magazine diet and actually try the type of dieting we all take for granted. Again though if their goals are much more meager than ours they probably wouldn't need to go that far.

Obviously society's goals aren't that much more meager, because the vast majority continues to complain that the measures they take don't work.

The problem is, for the average individua what we do is just "too hard". My father asked me to put together a diet for him when he saw the progress I'd made. I presented him with a sample day and he made millions of excuses as to why he couldn't follow it. In truth, I'd made him a very moderate diet that encorporated plenty of foods he ate and tried to maximise convenience. The fact is, most people are so set in their ways and are reluctant to change a thing. They're lazy and want maximum results from no effort.

The mainstream attitude to dieting doesn't help address these problems, in fact, I think it makes them so much worse...

 

[krayziefresh]

The media feeds off lazyness. There is no quick fix to get in shape. Everybody knows this but fails to embrace it. I have never heard of one person losing weight by sitting on their couch after popping a few pills and strapping on a miracle product; its unheard of. I think most people know how to lose weight, wether it is high fat/ low carb or vise versa, the most intolerable and less desirable diet is what is going to get you into that dream figure. The worst is when I see informercial after informercial telling me that I can lose weight while still eating the bullshit that tastes good. I guess the calories and carbs and fat just magically dissapear huh

 

[Vageta]

The problem is, for the average individua what we do is just "too hard".

That's the definite truth. My family and friends who knew how out of shape I used to be constantly ask for diet advice. Yet when I give it to them they instantly brush it off as extreme and not worth it. They always claim they want to lose weight but they aren't willing to sacrifice a few things to achieve this. Most won't even attempt such mundane items as low-fat mayo, skim milk, whole wheat bread, etc...

The people at work who have seen my before and after photos used to ask for advice but then they see what i eat and think I'm nuts. I commonly eat strange combinations of food that aren't considered a "meal". Sometimes I'll much on a chicken breast and a scoop of natural peanut butter just to fit my specified macronutrient ratio for the meal. They look at me funny when I measure out my tablespoon and think that I'm going to extremes. Of course I get leaner by the day and they constantly are amazed but it somehow doesn't sink in.

Bottom line is until someone truly wants to lose the weight by getting motivated they won't make progress. When I was fat I always "wished" I was lean but never cared enough to do something about it. Finally I got it into my head that getting lean was my number one priority in life at the time and that's when it happened. Until people reach this critical point, all of their half-assed attempts at dieting are like pissing against the wind. Once I decided in my mind that I was going to lose the weight it actually happened very quickly, it just took motivation and dedication.

 

[plornive]

The fact is, most people are so set in their ways and are reluctant to change a thing.

I find that people that are unwilling to give up some sort of traditional staple, like toast, white bread, putting milk in any kind of drink mixture, etc. are hopeless. The people that are closed-minded to trying foods as simple as oatmeal are even more hopeless.

To have an atypically lean physique, one must eat an atypical diet. When I say typical diet I am refering to what most Americans eat.

What the F*CK is up with people who are grossed out by whole wheat bread, I don't get it...

 

[Bobarell]

I think what a lot of us aren't seeing here though is that the average person does not need to get rid of the things we see as the devil. They just need to get rid of the Super Size coke and fries.

A calorie deficit to most everyone will do wonders. A friend at work that has been pretty heavy all of his life was talkign to me the other day about him losing 19 pounds in the last couple of months. He said all he did is watched what he ate and stopped drinking cokes.

Stop eating McDonalds and eat a good dinner at home will benefit most everyone that is trying to lose weight. I look at the people I work with go out to eat EVERYDAY and have slowly gotten bigger and bigger and turn around and bitch and moan about their wieght. Also if people eat right, 6 times a day, it will help them a lot too. These people eat one BIG ASS meal a day and think that it is OK. I eat more than alot of these folks and am much thinner than most.

I Don't think it matters much what kinda diet "MOST" people are on because they are not like us. They Don't care about muscle loss or not being able to WO. They just need to get educated as to what your body does. 6 small meals and just cutting cals will benefit most people great.