# Tell me your secret for weight loss \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2014, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407 "2014-06-09T14:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/81 "2014-06-12T16:57:19Z")
Allow me to pre-emptively correct a possible overstatement: he is _possibly_ or even _probably_ “underweight”, depending on his height. He may be very short and not underweight at 125. OTOH even low “normal” BMI is associated with poorer health outcomes than high normal BMI or even low overweight (associated with not exactly the same as caused by of course). Limitations of BMI definitions of “underweight”, “normal”, “overweight” and different degrees of “obese” duly noted and having been discussed before ad nauseum. And of course duly noting that while I personally consider the prize to keep the eye on as being health outcomes, living a vibrant active life, both physically and cognitively, now and into a productive active old age, that not everyone thinks the same way - for some people what the scale says is the be all end all in and of itself. Or how people react to how they look. Mileage varies. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/82 "2014-06-12T18:11:30Z")
To add to my previous, more general advice: Le Puy lentils are awesome. I used to add them to all sorts of things for bulk, fibre and protein, plus they taste good. The same goes for other legumes, such as beans. Find something healthy and filling for breakfast that you actually like - don’t try to eat a tiny breakfast. I used to make omelettes with half the yolks removed and a cottage cheese and spinach filling (with fresh nutmeg, naturally). Cottage cheese is a good, low-fat source of protein (especially for vegetarians like me) but it’s not very nice. I found blending it, so it’s more like ricotta, vastly improved its palatability. For most breakfasts I would eat low fat yogurt with some kind of bran cereal and some dried fruit and nuts. At other times of the day I would avoid things like cereal, but some energy in the morning is good. Keep fruit around. If you need a snack (snacks aren’t necessarily evil) eat an apple or something. Allow yourself a few pleasures. I _love_ cheese, and used to eat far too much of it. It’s obviously not helpful if you’re trying to lose weight, though. So I allowed myself _some_ cheese, rather than cutting it out altogether. And I tried to stick to things like Parmesan so that a small amount is still gratifying. I think that works better than being ultra-low-calorie all week then eating a 15" quattro formaggi on Sunday. Oh, and despite thinking I hated running, I actually quite enjoyed it in the end, even in the rain. ETA: learn to appreciate the puritanical smugness you get from being mildly hungry and not eating for another hour or so. And remember that it gets easier. You’ll get used to it after a few weeks, and once you see results you’ll be further encouraged. Eventually it will feel good! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/83 "2014-06-12T18:12:12Z")
I’m one of the people who went through an extended unhealthy phase thanks to a high-stress desk job with absurdly long hours. I put on 50-60 pounds of weight (which was probably more than 50-60 pounds of fat because I lost a lot of muscle over the same period). About 5 years ago I decided to get back in shape, and since then I’ve lost the weight, and have kept it off. Just giving my background–I’m not a lifelong obesity sufferer, but I did manage to lose weight and keep it off. I did a lot of reading while I was trying to get my diet under control, and I thought I’d list some facts that I found surprising: [ul] [li]Muscle doesn’t burn as many calories as you think. I’d always heard that each pound of muscle increases your caloric needs by 50 kcal/day. Turns out that’s wrong–it’s only about 6 kcal a day (compared to 2 kcal/day for a pound of fat). So adding muscle won’t do as much for weight loss as you might think.[/li][li]The post-exercise effects of exercise are pretty small. I’d always believed that if you work out, your metabolism increases all day. Turns out the effects are pretty small, maybe 10% additional over the amount you burn in the gym (e.g., if you run for 30 minutes and burn 300 kcal, the increased metabolism from exercise will only result in burning another 30 kcal over the course of the day.)[/li][li]I thought lifting weights burned more calories than cardio. Turns out lifting weights only resulted in me burning about 5 kcal/minute. That’s about half of what I was losing doing cardio.[/li][/ul] Basically, I found out first-hand that when people said “abs are made in the kitchen,” they were correct. I thought that was silly when I was younger because I ate anything I wanted while staying fit–turns out the level of activity needed to do that is more than a grown man with a job can accomplish. Cutting calories was the only way to lose weight. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/84 "2014-06-12T18:19:28Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > Basically, I found out first-hand that when people said “abs are made in the kitchen,” they were correct. I thought that was silly when I was younger because I ate anything I wanted while staying fit–turns out the level of activity needed to do that is more than a grown man with a job can accomplish. Cutting calories was the only way to lose weight. Plus, you can do all the crunches you want, but you’re not going to have visible abs if there’s fat in the way. Generally - not aimed at you, **Evil Economist** : And no, you can’t target your belly fat by exercising that area. It’s all, nothing, or liposuction. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/85 "2014-06-12T18:45:43Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Plus, you can do all the crunches you want, but you’re not going to have visible abs if there’s fat in the way. > > Generally - not aimed at you, **Evil Economist** : And no, you can’t target your belly fat by exercising that area. It’s all, nothing, or liposuction. No worries–I learned that the hard way also. I spent a long time doing crunches until I had rock-hard abs (invisible under a few inches of fat 🙂 ) But to make it clear, exercising, and in particular weight lifting, were critical to losing weight and keeping it off, especially in the way they curbed my hunger. That was actually interesting–when I started going back to the gym (for the first time after however many years of not working out) I would get really hungry after exercising. After a month or two though, exercising would really blunt my hunger. My body’s reaction to exercise dramatically shifted, and I’m sure I wouldn’t have kept the weight off without exercising. Also, diet soda is the best thing ever! When I get hungry I can trick my body into feeling satisfied with some diet orange crush (at some point I should probably shift to Crystal Light to save my teeth). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/86 "2014-06-12T19:50:50Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > [http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/](http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/) > [www.marksdailyapple.com/](http://www.marksdailyapple.com/) > > I agree with other posters that you’ve got to create sustainable, effective eating patterns for yourself. For me, this has meant cutting out wheat entirely, and I keep things fairly strictly paleo. > > I think it’s virtually impossible to be fat in our society if you strictly cut out wheat. That alone deletes 95% of junk and processed food, let alone the actual biological benefit of eliminating the wheat. Corn. Potatoes. Ever hear of Corn chips or Potato chips? Nor has there ever been proven “actual biological benefit of eliminating the wheat” for most humans. Mind you, yes, cutting junk food out of the diet is a Good Thing on so many levels. OP, cheap fast way to lose a few pounds- get that orange fiber powder stuff. Take a dose with a large glass of water 1/2 hour before dinner. After you get used to it, you can even go to a larger even doubled dose. you likely don’t get enuf fiber anyway- few people do. Next thing- cut One Bad Thing out of your diet. Forever. Religiously. For example- chips. French Fries. White rice or bread. candy bars. Fast Food. It has to be something you eat often but not something you super crave. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/87 "2014-06-12T20:02:53Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Your baseline metabolism is roughly 2000 calories a day To estimate baseline metabolism I’d use 15kcal/lb, so maybe around 3,000 kcal/day for a 200lb man. Though it can vary widely, so anyone interested in dieting should keep a food journal and track their eating and weight changes. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/88 "2014-06-12T20:06:43Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > There is a lot of talk because there is real [research](http://http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v37/n4/abs/ijo2012229a.html) that backs up that timing does make a difference. > > Later main meal eaters " lost less weight and displayed a slower weight-loss rate during the 20 weeks of treatment than early eaters (P=0.002). Surprisingly, energy intake, dietary composition, estimated energy expenditure, appetite hormones and sleep duration was similar between both groups." > > Some of the [basic science speculations](http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2009.264/full) on why … > > True for everyone? Doubt. The big deal? Doubt. “The secret?” No. Categorically true that timing isn’t going to make any differnce? No as well. Wait, am I reading that study correctly? If so, the study was done on mice, which are a) not human, and b) nocturnal. Not sure I would reach any conclusions on late eating for humans from that study. ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/89 "2014-06-12T20:26:17Z")
My advice: Cut out Soda (regular & Diet) and sugary fruit juices, and replace it with water. Cutting out the sugar is good by itself, but i’ve found that personally, cutting the soda made portion control a lot easier. Also: soda was pretty much my only source of caffeine, and i had minor headaches for a few days, and for about 2 weeks i was the thirstiest person on planet earth, could not drink enough water… but after that 2 weeks things seemed to get back to normal, though i obviously drink more water daily than before. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/90 "2014-06-12T20:43:16Z")
First study humans. Documenting that there is an impact that is not explained by differing intake or activity levels. Second study, yes mice used to investigate mechanisms. Feed off natural activity cycle, so mice fed daytime since natural cycle is to eat at night. Just an example of the studies done on a variety of mammals but mice often used for the basic science investigations of what is already clinically seen in humans mainly because they are cheap. Investigating the nature of differing tissues circadian systems with samples is going to be done on mice before the expensive human studies are done. Of course the clock is not exclusively set by feeding time and studies in other mammals does not prove that such is also the mechanism in humans … but they are where the basic science _speculations_ of the mechanisms of the impact of late feedings in humans derive from. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/91 "2014-06-12T20:45:13Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > To estimate baseline metabolism I’d use 15kcal/lb, so maybe around 3,000 kcal/day for a 200lb man. Though it can vary widely, so anyone interested in dieting should keep a food journal and track their eating and weight changes. Point well taken but I’m going to still say that I was using the indefinite “you” to refer to the female OP. > [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > Wait, am I reading that study correctly? If so, the study was done on mice, which are a) not human, and b) nocturnal. Not sure I would reach any conclusions on late eating for humans from that study. Those links didn’t open for me but I did read a little about “intermittent fasting” a few months ago that supported people going 16-20 hrs in between meals and basically eat in the same 4-6 hr window every day to a) limit calorie intake and b) restrict glycogen stores so that your body dips into fat stores more readily. Obviously not recommended if you’re acutely susceptible to low blood sugar. > [@Clawdio](#): > > My advice: Cut out Soda (regular & Diet) and sugary fruit juices, and replace it with water. Cutting out the sugar is good by itself, but i’ve found that personally, cutting the soda made portion control a lot easier. > > Also: soda was pretty much my only source of caffeine, and i had minor headaches for a few days, and for about 2 weeks i was the thirstiest person on planet earth, could not drink enough water… but after that 2 weeks things seemed to get back to normal, though i obviously drink more water daily than before. Drinking calories is SUCH a bad habit. I’m always blown away when I see people drink entire 2-liters of full sugar soda or entire pitchers of sweet tea. However, I’m quoting this to ask a question since it seems like more than one poster has had bad things to say about diet soda and how giving it up helped with portion control. Really? How so? ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/92 "2014-06-12T20:49:26Z")
Never eat these five things below and then eat everything else in moderation. You will lose weight. cookies cakes pizza pasta bread ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/93 "2014-06-12T21:13:09Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Never eat these five things below and then eat everything else in moderation. You will lose weight. You could say the same thing about any five foods. ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/94 "2014-06-12T21:30:16Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Drinking calories is SUCH a bad habit. I’m always blown away when I see people drink entire 2-liters of full sugar soda or entire pitchers of sweet tea. However, I’m quoting this to ask a question since it seems like more than one poster has had bad things to say about diet soda and how giving it up helped with portion control. Really? How so? I don’t have any science, or cites, just personal annecdotes that when i was drinking diet soda with most meals, i usually had no problem eating whatever portion was set in front me. However, while drinking water i find that i get that full feeling, and it would be uncomfortable for me to soldier forward and “clean my plate”… taking home a lot more doggy bags these days. Also - i participate in a lot of long distance running events. But getting a little older i really wanted to give it a good attempt in 2014 and do the best i can before starting to dial participation back a bit, and part of that is reaching a goal race weight that has always been a little out of reach. Cutting out the sugary drinks has helped me get past a plateu that i’ve been stuck at for years. And my current mindset about the diet drinks is: while the jury is still kind of out regarding the harmfulness of artificual sweetners in diet sodas, there certainly isn’t any _benefit_ to consuming them, so i cut them out too. Besides, drinking water _feels_ healthier and (i think) causes me to make healthier food choices as well. For Example: whlie drinking water i’m more likley to choose mixed greens for my side instead of the french fries… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/95 "2014-06-12T21:42:10Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You could say the same thing about any five foods. Rutabaga Snails Blowfish Collard greens Muktuk See, by cutting those out my diet, I have reduced my caloric intake by about…zero.😛 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/96 "2014-06-12T21:47:07Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > r. > > Drinking calories is SUCH a bad habit. I’m always blown away when I see people drink entire 2-liters of full sugar soda or entire pitchers of sweet tea. However, I’m quoting this to ask a question since it seems like more than one poster has had bad things to say about diet soda and how giving it up helped with portion control. Really? How so? Studies vary. It does appear that drinking water as opposed to diet does seem to be better for you. But diet vs sugar? I doubt it. There seems to be some indications that if you drink diet, your body then expects sugar calories and when it doesn’t get them, you crave them. People give into cravings all too often. But I have no doubt that those who drink a 2 liter bottle or more of sugar soda a day would benefit from switching to diet. Also note- for about 2-4 weeks, yes the diet soda doesn’t taste right. Oddly, if during those two+ weeks you NEVER backslide, and keep away from fruit juices, sweet tea etc, after that period sugared sodas start to taste weird. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/97 "2014-06-12T21:55:38Z")
Oh, the bit about weights vs cardio. The issue is not so much weight or calories but body composition. Do resistance exercise to help maintain higher amount of muscle mass. Most experts advise both resistance and aerobic exercise as they both have positive impacts on health of slightly different sorts. [Some details:](http://http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/113/22/2642.long) > [@](#): > > … In practice, RT intervention studies report REE increases in the range of 28 to 218 kcal/kg of muscle.79–82 RT, when sustained over years or decades, translates into clinically important differences in daily energy expenditure and age-associated fat gains. However, even without a change in REE, maintenance of muscle mass through midlife years may prevent age-associated fat gains by promoting an active lifestyle.15,83,84 … > > … regional distribution of fat may be more important to health than the total amount of body fat. … Several studies have demonstrated decreases in visceral adipose tissue after RT programs.84,85,87,90,91 … the overall available body of literature supports the use of RT, with or without aerobic exercise, and with or without diet modification, as an effective intervention that contributes to the reduction of abdominal obesity. … RT studies with less severe caloric restriction have shown muscle mass gains with only modest losses in body weight.87,90,91,94 RT studies that attempt to maintain caloric balance during the intervention typically do not observe major changes in body weight in either gender, despite significant reductions in fat mass and percent body fat.15,84,85,87 In essence, body weight does not change much because loss of fat mass is generally offset by the gain in muscle mass. Conversely, endurance training–induced decreases in fat mass are more likely to be associated with reductions in body weight because there is no offsetting gain in muscle mass … ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/98 "2014-06-12T22:04:33Z")
I’m doing very well on a ketogenic diet right now. That’s very low carb, moderate protein, and high fat. I’ve lost 15 lbs (Female, age 41, 5’5", was 190 lbs) since May 6 and I feel like I’m going to be able to keep it up for a while. It really helps with the carb cravings (I am a serious sugar addict). I’m not quite ready to start trying to convert anyone to the keto cult yet. I’m due to have my cholesterol etc. checked, and I am very interested to see how that goes. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/99 "2014-06-12T22:16:48Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Oh, the bit about weights vs cardio. The issue is not so much weight or calories but body composition. Do resistance exercise to help maintain higher amount of muscle mass. Most experts advise both resistance and aerobic exercise as they both have positive impacts on health of slightly different sorts. > > [Some details:](http://http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/113/22/2642.long) All your links have a double http, which makes them fail: “[http://http](http://http)://circ.ahajournals.org/content/113/22/2642.long” ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407/100 "2014-06-12T23:28:36Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > To estimate baseline metabolism I’d use 15kcal/lb, so maybe around 3,000 kcal/day for a 200lb man. Though it can vary widely, so anyone interested in dieting should keep a food journal and track their eating and weight changes. This is interesting. I weigh 58.8kg, which converts to about 129lb, I think? By that reckoning, I should be eating about 2000 calories a day. No way can I eat that much without gaining weight. It could be my history of stuffing and starving and the concomitant weight losses and gains. Or it could just be my age (60) which is against me. I find I can eat no more that 1500 calories without gaining. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-secret-for-weight-loss-edited-title/690407.md?page=6)