# What things do all popular diets agree on? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 1, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735 "2013-01-01T03:16:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/1 "2013-01-01T03:16:30Z")
There’s lots of diet book authors who often contradict each other. What principles do they all agree on? I’ll start; If you eat an excess of foods high in both sugar and fat, you’ll gain weight. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/2 "2013-01-01T03:28:23Z")
You MUST use more calories than you consume for meaningful weight loss to occur. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/3 "2013-01-01T03:44:43Z")
don’t eat the same way you used to. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/4 "2013-01-01T03:57:49Z")
You will lose five pounds the first week. Also, most of those other diets is rubbish. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/5 "2013-01-01T05:25:01Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > There’s lots of diet book authors who often contradict each other. > > What principles do they all agree on? 1. If you buy my book, my bank account will be as large as your tummy. 2. Doing stupid and unhealthy stuff that takes off pounds fast but has no mechanism to keep it off once you get off the diet because you have to because it’s not sustainable, which is OK, because when the weight goes back on, you can buy my next book. 3. Ignoring what you’re supposed to be doing: permanently changing behavior, getting more exercise, getting more sleep, reducing stress, carefully examining ingredients and labels; eating more but smaller and balanced meals, focusing on fitness rather than weight, and all the other stuff real doctors say. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/6 "2013-01-01T05:58:36Z")
Most vegetables and fruits are good. Use more calories than you consume (which is easier said than done. How many calories are absorbed, how fast your RMR are, how much NEAT you do, etc. all vary from person to person as well as how far you are from your set point). Exercise is good (but this is usually just seen as a means of expending more calories). A western diet is bad for you. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/7 "2013-01-01T07:55:33Z")
Another one, Transfat is **bad** for you > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Most vegetables and fruits are good. It’s not universal, low carbers try to avoid fruit and starchy veg. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/8 "2013-01-01T15:11:05Z")
Increase water intake and eliminate soft drinks and alcohol? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/9 "2013-01-01T15:17:44Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > You MUST use more calories than you consume for meaningful weight loss to occur. [Calories Don’t Count](http://www.amazon.com/Calories-Dont-Count-Herman-Taller/dp/B000O86EPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357053438&sr=8-1&keywords=calories+don%27t+count). ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/10 "2013-01-01T15:26:55Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [Calories Don’t Count](http://www.amazon.com/Calories-Dont-Count-Herman-Taller/dp/B000O86EPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357053438&sr=8-1&keywords=calories+don%27t+count). Neither does a 52-year-old relic, in this discussion, at least IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/11 "2013-01-01T15:48:31Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > Neither does a 52-year-old relic, in this discussion, at least IMO. Why? It’s a forerunner of the South Beach Diet and its allowance of fats contradicts the OP as well. There is nothing that all diet books agree on. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/12 "2013-01-01T16:45:14Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Why? It’s a forerunner of the South Beach Diet and its allowance of fats contradicts the OP as well. > > There is nothing that all diet books agree on. I’ve yet to see one advocate eating potassium cyanide. But, yeah, a real expert needs to weigh in with a weightloss diet book. The real experts all agree on how to lose weight, right? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/13 "2013-01-01T16:48:07Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I’ve yet to see one advocate eating potassium cyanide. I’ll bet that you can go through a pile of diet books higher than your head and not find one that warns against eating potassium cyanide. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/14 "2013-01-01T16:49:31Z")
While some diets might discourage some vegetables, I’m not aware of any that doesn’t agree that, say, broccoli and spinach are good. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/15 "2013-01-01T16:53:41Z")
Moved from General QUestions to Cafe Society. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/16 "2013-01-01T17:13:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While some diets might discourage some vegetables, I’m not aware of any that doesn’t agree that, say, broccoli and spinach are good. Diets like Atkins advocate eating even these in limited amounts. 2 cups of vegtables a day but all of the fat you want. In fact if you are having trouble losing weight on the normal Atkins he has a high fat regimim that as I recall is almost all fatty substances and no carbs at all (no vegtables, fruits or grains etc) the only thing I can tell the diet books all agree on is there way is the only way. And eating less than you burn whatever form that takes. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/17 "2013-01-01T18:42:39Z")
Possibly the only thing they all agree on is that you can’t lose weight while eating what you want, when you want, in the quantities you want. ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/18 "2013-01-01T19:02:54Z")
Most sound diets agree upon portion control. Or should. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/19 "2013-01-02T01:33:14Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > Most sound diets agree upon portion control. Or should. Low carb doesn’t as far as I know, well at least the version I did did not advocate portion control. I think they all agree that sugar is a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735/20 "2013-01-02T01:39:47Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Low carb doesn’t as far as I know, well at least the version I did did not advocate portion control. > > I think they all agree that sugar is a bad thing. Yep, the Fuhrman diet basically says “stuff your face all day if you want, just stuff it with green, leafy vegetables.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-do-all-popular-diets-agree-on/645735.md?page=2)