# I found the secret to losing weight! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 19, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153 "2021-08-19T14:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/1 "2021-08-19T14:09:05Z")
I’ve been losing 2 pounds a week by avoiding non-olive oils. I simply don’t buy any product that contains any oil in the ingredients aside from olive (or coconut) oil. Also, I don’t buy any package of food that contains more than 1,000 calories total (multiply calories per serving X servings in package). It took me 30 years to figure this out. If you try it, let me know how it goes for you! ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/2 "2021-08-19T14:12:16Z")
So reducing caloric intake? Interesting and novel approach to weight reduction. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/3 "2021-08-19T14:12:52Z")
How long have you been doing this? Many diets appear to work in the phase where the dieter is very focused on following the diet and their menu has changed to something they are not used to, and then stops working once it’s a routine and they get used to the selection of foodstuff and eat more of it. > [@DaveRaver](#): > > Also, I don’t buy any package of food that contains more than 1,000 calories total (multiply calories per serving X servings in package). Do you also limit yourself to how quickly you finish a package? ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/4 "2021-08-19T14:15:01Z")
My secret was to give up sweets. During Lent I gave up cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. If I craved something sweet, I would have fruit. I lost 10 lbs. Since then I’ve really cut back on sugary treats. I have maybe one per day. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/5 "2021-08-19T14:16:05Z")
3 weeks! I intend to make this a lifestyle, not just a diet. I’ll be happy to update you with my progress. Time will tell! I only shop about once a week so that is my time limit for finishing a package. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/6 "2021-08-19T14:19:36Z")
Calorie reduction is only part of it. For more on the oils, read this: [https://www.eatthis.com/vegetable-oil-dangers/](https://www.eatthis.com/vegetable-oil-dangers/) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/7 "2021-08-19T14:25:01Z")
> [@DaveRaver](#): > > 3 weeks! I intend to make this a lifestyle, not just a diet. I’ll be happy to update you with my progress. Time will tell! 3 weeks is well within the time frame where many approaches to changing the diet will “work”. If this will help you maintain calorie restriction in the long term, good for you! But be aware of exactly how it’s restricting your intake, or it might “stop working” in a few weeks. For instance: > [@DaveRaver](#): > > I only shop about once a week so that is my time limit for finishing a package. How do you decide how many calories your total basket is allowed to have? What’s going to keep you from adding another couple of sub 1k calorie packages to the total? There is obviously more to how this diet is working than “only packages with less than 1000 calories” since four different foodstuffs of 250 calories each will fill you up just as well as a single 1000 calorie one. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/8 "2021-08-19T14:27:27Z")
> [@DaveRaver](#): > > Calorie reduction is only part of it. It’s actually ALL of it. > [@DaveRaver](#): > > For more on the oils, read this: [Why Vegetable Oil is Worse Than Sugar | Eat This Not That](https://www.eatthis.com/vegetable-oil-dangers/) Without getting into a protracted debate of whether the cited article is factually correct on many of its claims, oil is oil and gram for gram contains the same amount of calories. Reducing how much highly processed food you consume (with added oils and sugars) is more important than the kind of oil you put in a pan or add to your salad. Of course, drowning your food in oil is not a good idea if you are reducing calories. But it does give you a better way to control when you add it yourself to raw ingredients rather than open a package of processed food. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/9 "2021-08-19T14:28:32Z")
Yes I’m aware that I could theoretically buy many packages of lower calorie foods, but I really don’t. It’s a guideline I use to limit my calories, and it’s working so far. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/10 "2021-08-19T15:35:16Z")
The road to renewed excess poundage is littered with the carcasses of miracle foods and diets that eliminate _that one bad food_. The key is what I once heard a crabby ER doc tell a morbidly obese woman: “You need to eat less.” ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/11 "2021-08-19T16:44:46Z")
I lost over 50 pounds by breaking a femur and being subjected to execrable hospital food. The weight stays off, because something about the accident and recovery has radically suppressed my appetite. I can eat half portions of everything and be satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/12 "2021-08-19T20:24:22Z")
I do suspect specifically getting food with fewer calories is not in fact all of it. It’s also that oils that aren’t olive are common, so you’re limiting the amount of fatty foods you eat–and fatty foods tend to have higher calories. I doubt the fats being olive oils matters all that much, especially since they usually remove all the bits that would make olive oil special. It’s just that this leaves out a lot of other foods. As far as I’m concerned, whatever you need to trick you brain into letting you eat less is a good thing. I’m down with these diets that help you do it. My only objection is when they charge more than a minimal amount of money for the plan, or push you into buying their products. Ultimately it’s always going to be consuming and/or digesting fewer calories that helps. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/13 "2021-08-20T08:44:20Z")
Many, many people have claimed to have the ‘secret’ to losing weight. They usually retract after some months have gone by. Here’s my suggestions: - eat less - replace processed foods with healthy foods - take more exercise - aim to lose weight slowly (it’s hard to stick to a diet, let alone a dramatic one) - get help and encouragement from family, friends and reliable organisations ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/14 "2021-08-20T09:04:40Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I lost over 50 pounds by breaking a femur and being subjected to execrable hospital food. T I lost 30+ by having my jaw broken and my jaw wired. If only I’d known earlier how easy it was! Over the next 10 years I gradually put it all back on again. There is an interesting contrast with intermittent fasting. When I tried intermittent fasting, my mind played tricks on me. I’d walk through the kitchen, and then discover a piece of food in my hand. When my jaw was relocated and wired, eating was difficult and scary and frightening: it was to easy to chew badly, and too difficult to clear my throat and mouth. Food inhalation was only a moment of inattention. When I walked through the kitchen, I didn’t discover pieces of food in my hand. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/15 "2021-08-20T09:12:09Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Many, many people have claimed to have the ‘secret’ to losing weight. > They usually retract after some months have gone by. > > Here’s my suggestions: > > - eat less > - replace processed foods with healthy foods > - take more exercise > - aim to lose weight slowly (it’s hard to stick to a diet, let alone a dramatic one) > - get help and encouragement from family, friends and reliable organisations You wild thing with your crazy advice. I’ve struggled with my weight since puberty, which was kind of a long time ago. Things that really help me when I can manage to do them every day for a long time include (besides the above): Use a smaller bowl (if you eat out of big bowls like I used to). Take a small reasonable helping, never put a big pile of anything in front of you. If you are truly hungry between meals eat something calorie-dense but small, like a quarter cup of nuts. Notice when you are eating because you are sad, bored, thirsty, tired, agitated, or just to keep others company, and do something that is appropriate, instead of eating. Don’t deprive yourself, it will boomerang against you. If you crave cake, eat a little slice. Have a life-changing event that resets your world. Break a femur, for example. I didn’t do that, but some examples of mine are: getting married. Moving to a completely different environment. Being given a horse. Latest was my stable burning to the ground from a lightning strike, last month. I stopped eating for about a week, from stress. I still have a hard time even feeling hungry. This won’t last but I’m using it; last time this happened the effects lasted about three years, with careful attention. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/16 "2021-08-20T12:40:59Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Being given a horse. So what you’re saying is: If it wasn’t for your horse… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/17 "2021-08-20T12:45:11Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I lost 30+ by having my jaw broken and my jaw wired. If only I’d known earlier how easy it was! > > Over the next 10 years I gradually put it all back on again. - The Knuckleduster Weight Loss Clinic. Catchy. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/18 "2021-08-20T13:03:22Z")
The secret to weight loss is simple. It’s not easy, but it’s very simple. Eat a diet consisting of vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Cut out the rest of the stuff. That’s all there is to it. This diet has been “invented” many times, and goes by many names with a few different details. Atkins, Wahls, South Beach, Paleo, Keto, and many others. The problem isn’t trying to figure out some rare esoteric ingredient, or being super strict with what time of day you eat, or anything of that sort. The problem is sticking to this simple diet is extremely difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/19 "2021-08-20T13:10:10Z")
The diet my mom uses has worked for her for a couple of decades now. She eats ten servings of fruits and vegetables per day, plus whatever else she wants. It’s flexible enough that she can stick to it, even on special occasions like Thanksgiving, and that “whatever else she wants” can accommodate things like that last slice of cake that’s calling to her. But after ten servings of fruits and veggies, she’s just not very hungry for much else. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153/20 "2021-08-20T13:30:27Z")
Oh, I like that idea. What I do currently is eat very sparingly during the week, then whatever I want on the weekends. It’s not too difficult to stick to, and even on my free days I tend not to go hog wild. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-secret-to-losing-weight/949153.md?page=2)