[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by lazy

- don't do keto, GM, water, juice, sunlight, IF, diets at all - all these are unnatural and are harmful.

I'm quite surprised that you included intermittent fasting too in the above list. Like you, even I am wary of any fad diets, but in my opinion, IF is less of a diet and more of an eating approach, that too one of the more sensible ones (if you can pull it off). I personally know 3-4 people (off this forum) who have benefited by it, not only w.r.t weight loss but also w.r.t a noticeable reduction in constipation and acidity. Might be anecdotal evidence, but just thought I'd put it out there for what it's worth.

Cheers,
Vikram

[graaja]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

I'm quite surprised that you included intermittent fasting too in the above list. Like you, even I am wary of any fad diets, but in my opinion, IF is less of a diet and more of an eating approach, that too one of the more sensible ones (if you can pull it off). I personally know 3-4 people (off this forum) who have benefited by it, not only w.r.t weight loss but also w.r.t a noticeable reduction in constipation and acidity. Might be anecdotal evidence, but just thought I'd put it out there for what it's worth.

Cheers,
Vikram

Very well said. Many people mistake IF as a diet. Some other mistake it as creating a calorie deficit by cutting one meal.

The biggest advantage of IF is autophagy which actually gets rid of wastes in the body and can act as an age reversing mechanism. Weight loss is just a bonus you get out of IF

[Samurai]

Yeah, even I was surprised he added IF to the list, or even LCHF.

Sure, LCHF can be bit controversial. But it is a broad spectrum. I have merely reduced carb intake, not eliminated it. I have not increased FAT too much, I just eat as much as my parents and grandparents ate normally.

And IF is just timing of eating. In fact, lots of people traditionally ate like that.

[lazy]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

I'm quite surprised that you included intermittent fasting too in the above list. Like you, even I am wary of any fad diets, but in my opinion, IF is less of a diet and more of an eating approach, that too one of the more sensible ones (if you can pull it off). I personally know 3-4 people (off this forum) who have benefited by it, not only w.r.t weight loss but also w.r.t a noticeable reduction in constipation and acidity. Might be anecdotal evidence, but just thought I'd put it out there for what it's worth.

Cheers,
Vikram

Allow me to explain, but nevertheless, I guess it is okay to have a differing opinion.

Yes, IF is mostly altering the intake schedule rather than intake contents.
A large breakfast at 0900 and dinner at 1800 would be a better option than typical IF schedule.

A typical day - wake up at 0600-0630, leave for work at 0800, return at 1700, household chores and mild workout for 30-60 min, sleep at 2200 - IF type eating doesn't provide the continuous all day energy supply.
It would work for folks who have a defined time-slot lumped high energy expense lifestyle instead of a 14 hours of medium-level activity all day.

Originally Posted by graaja

Very well said. Many people mistake IF as a diet. Some other mistake it as creating a calorie deficit by cutting one meal.

The biggest advantage of IF is autophagy which actually gets rid of wastes in the body and can act as an age reversing mechanism. Weight loss is just a bonus you get out of IF

I just looked up autophagy, seems like a promising benefit of fasting.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Yeah, even I was surprised he added IF to the list, or even LCHF.

..... I just eat as much as my parents and grandparents ate normally.

Tried Low Carb Hi Protein (not LCHF) almost all through 2017, helped lose a few kilos, but not much. Moreover, it gave a heavy and tired feeling all day.
Also, it has no balance.
If it works for you, great.

Our parents and grandparents diet is not a valid reference that is applicable to us.
At those times, people who survived to old age were of above-average constitution, unlike many of us, who made it to adulthood only because of vaccines and quick access to medicines.
Their diet wouldn't be as harmless to us, as it is to them.

cheers
lazy

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by lazy

Allow me to explain, but nevertheless, I guess it is okay to have a differing opinion.

Yes, IF is mostly altering the intake schedule rather than intake contents.
A large breakfast at 0900 and dinner at 1800 would be a better option than typical IF schedule.

I have tried this and it doesn't work for me atleast. I tend to overeat and hammer sugar at 18.00 because of a BIG gap during waking hours between 9 and 18.00. This then negatively affects my sleep pattern at night.

What works very well for me to reduce weight is: Breakfast @ 8am; Lunch by 2pm (no craving because of a big BF + I have to force myself to put something in) and IF thereafter (better sleep, lots of water).

I think a lot of these fasting patterns are individual based - so try different things and stick to what works for you.

I am committed to sticking to my IF diet throughout the summer of Apr-May-Jun. I could include keto, but its too much pressure. I am doing millets for carbs instead (no white stuff). If I travel, I will restrict to a keto diet on the road, and a day time only non keto diet (where ever I stay the night so I can explore local cuisine) so I can keep IF going.

Hoping to drop 5-7 kilos minimum in this period. I weigh about 70~

[the_skyliner]

It's been 8th week of IF for me.

I follow following schedule:

- Wake-up at 7am and office at 8:30am
- Black coffee (some days and not all) at around 9:30am
- Lunch at 1-1:30pm
- Dinner at 7pm
- A small snack/fruits/nuts at 9pm

Have reduced weight from 80ish to 74 in first 4 weeks and no weight reduction after that. Which is what I wanted. And also have reduced waist size by 2".

Haven't been doing any work-outs but I do go for a run now and then. Also, managing a toddler at home keeps me active. I do IF on almost all days except sometimes I skip it on Sundays due to late night partying on Saturdays.

Initial 2 weeks were hard as I used to get hunger pangs from 9am till 1pm. But it went away from 3rd week and since then no complaints.

IF has brought a great deal of change in me. Following are the positive changes due to IF which I am experiencing:

1. Craving has reduced drastically. I have to literally push myself to eat something tasty. This was unimaginable prior to IF.

2. High energy levels. I feel energetic way more than earlier for whole day.

3. I feel I am giving justice to the food I eat. Earlier it always used to feel like I am overeating but now it feels just right to have a whole meal.

4. I save a good amount of time in the morning as I need not to worry about breakfast anymore.

I am principally against any kind of radical diet plan hence IF was something that seemed to make sense to me as it just follows the natural way of eating, that is: with an appropriate time gap, rather than focusing on what to eat.

I must thank this thread (and folks like, graaja, Samurai) for the vast knowledge that it provided to decide to go with IF.

[LazyGunner]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

It's been 8th week of IF for me.
.
.
Haven't been doing any work-outs but I do go for a run now and then. Also, managing a toddler at home keeps me active. I do IF on almost all days except sometimes I skip it on Sundays due to late night partying on Saturdays.
.
.
1. Craving has reduced drastically. I have to literally push myself to eat something tasty. This was unimaginable prior to IF.

2. High energy levels. I feel energetic way more than earlier for whole day.

Wow! what a thread to stumble upon.. And @the_skyliner, I can relate to a lot of changes you've been seeing although our methods are different.

So, a little background. I'm 29 years old software engineer and would love to keep eating tasty (veg) stuff - often rice and fatty foods like Pizzas and pastries. Very lazy - so no physical exercise of any form. I'm overweight by 7 kgs for my height as per BMI index. I can't run for a km at a stretch but just cant control my craving for food. I belong to the category of people eating desserts after a crazy buffet dinner thinking if I get breathing problem later in the night due to over-eating, I'll drink hot water but not going to leave that gulab jamoon with ice cream now.

Couple of weeks ago on my birthday I was reminded by my wife and sister that I'm soon going to enter 30s and suggested(insisted?) that I should start paying more attention to my health.

Fast forward 3 weeks, I have reduced 3.5 kgs as of this morning by making two simple changes in my diet. First, ditched my 3 mugs of coffee I used to have throughout the day - after all it was free. Secondly, I replaced my dinner of two servings of rice with 2 chapathis. Was very very difficult during the first week. Many a times I felt I'm sleeping without having dinner but somehow controlled and I guess it was just a phase. Now, I feel content with my food and its easy to say NO to whatever desserts with lunch or dinner. I also walk for half an hour after dinner at least 4-5 times a week. I feel lighter, more energetic and most importantly I can sleep better. Although I don't see visible changes in my waist size yet, I'm confident I'll get there. I guess I can run longer now (I haven't tried yet, still lazy ) I'm left inspired by the positive changes in my body with a little bit of discipline. I'm looking forward to add some physical exercise in my routine and stay healthier than before. Looks like this thread has a lot of information for me.

[Surprise]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...JcfsnGq5hRsZys

So what exactly causes ‘diet face’ - and can anything be done to reverse it?



The key lies in the make up of the human face, which is comprised of several different fat compartments, located both immediately under the skin and within our bone structure.

When we’re young, these compartments are readily supplied with nutrients, keeping them plump and youthful. As we age, however, these nutrients are diverted elsewhere in the body, causing the fat pockets to start deflating.

‘This leads to gravitational descent,’ explains Dr Costas Papageorgiou, a surgeon who specialises in facial rejuvenation.

‘Volume loss in one area can affect neighbouring tissues, leading to a cascade of ageing signs: eyebrow deflation, jowling and neck laxity.’

I have seen some people who have drastically reduced their weight also look much older than their age after losing weight. Fat loss in face and laxity on neck area I feel is a downer. Any suggestion here on this?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Here is a scary news for Keto diet followers:

https://indianexpress.com/article/li...ssels-5656252/

Good thing that we're going "low carbs" instead of "zero carbs", right? I have my share of carbs on a daily basis, and even heavier on the cheat nights. Guessing that won't shock my body versus someone who is consuming zero carbs?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by GTO

Good thing that we're going "low carbs" instead of "zero carbs", right?

Yeah, you have merely reduced your carb intake or switched into carbs with lower glycemic index, and eliminated sugar. You don't even go into ketosis. You don't have to worry about the findings in the article.

[am1m]

What's the real deal with chapatis versus rice?

I remember about 5-10 years ago, it was de facto for someone trying to lose weight to stop eating rice and switch to chapatis instead. These days I hear several people say that it makes no difference, that in fact it may be counterproductive as chapatis might increase blood sugar.

Very confusing, all these continuously shifting diet trends!

[mxh]

Originally Posted by am1m

What's the real deal with chapatis versus rice?

I remember about 5-10 years ago, it was de facto for someone trying to lose weight to stop eating rice and switch to chapatis instead. These days I hear several people say that it makes no difference, that in fact it may be counterproductive as chapatis might increase blood sugar.

Very confusing, all these continuously shifting diet trends!

Both rice and chapatis have very little nutritive value. Just like bread they are empty carbs which are basically sugar and get converted into fats since the body can't utilize so much carbs.

[carboy]

Out of all the sugar substitutes, I prefer saccharin. I used to use Sweetex for many years but then it stopped being available many years back. Then I shifted to Abbot Saccharin. But they also discontinued a few months back. Does anyone else know any other saccharin tablets available. I see only imported Sweetex which costs double or triple of what local Sweetex used to cost.

[Sunil2307]

Tale of my weight loss journey....

We visited Kerala during the last week of 2018. Got a few pics clicked with cousins in the extended family. Got back to Bangalore and was looking at my own pics and went

Looked at my weight, and weighed in at 81kg. I am 5 ft. 7in, so this is way over par. This is the heaviest I have ever been.
This was all on the 2nd January 2019. Picked up my jaw from the floor and promised to myself, I will get back into shape.

This was the easy part. How do I go about this now?

Went through this thread and decided to cut down on the carbs. Decided to attack dinner so no more carbs in dinner. It had to be salads (a different one everyday). Chicken/ Fish/ Eggs/ Paneer. Dinner time had to be before 8:30 pm and no later.

Next, need to get my sleep patterns fixed. Decided to get into bed at 10:30 pm no matter what

Next, increase the water intake.

Next, moderate exercises. Say about 25 mins 6 days a week

Next, brisk walking at least 30-40 mins a day

Cut to present day. Have stuck to my new year resolution, have been able to reduce 7 kgs. I weigh in a much better than before 74 kg. Target is still about 5 kg away.
Hopefully will get there sooner than later.

Mod Note: Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this.

[mn2363]

Originally Posted by am1m

What's the real deal with chapatis versus rice?
...
Very confusing, all these continuously shifting diet trends!

Have been following this thread & the field of health, weight loss, nutrition in general for more than a decade (work in this field). Quite a lot of the info on this thread (Samurai Sir's particularly) is based on sound principles.

There a saying in the medical field (at least among the folks I know) - "Diets are like vacations. You go on one, then you come off it".

There's always a hot new promising spectacular "diet" every couple years.

In the long run nothing succeeds like moderation. Eat clean, do some form of whole body workout (regular moderate stuff is way better than inconsistent high intensity 'good looks' stuff), get basic regular check-ups (nothing fancy, simple stuff is very good predictor for an experienced doc), mind your rest/sleep routine & finally mind your mind (mental & emotional stuff).

Originally Posted by mxh

Both rice and chapatis have very little nutritive value. Just like bread they are empty carbs which are basically sugar and get converted into fats since the body can't utilize so much carbs.

And here I've been counting them in my (& entire family's) whole grains, trace minerals & fibre intake since the last 20 years!
(PS: We do use whole grain, local organic farm sourced stuff though. Even got a domestic flour mill a couple years back - preserves the B vitamins of wheat! )

Originally Posted by Sunil2307

Tale of my weight loss journey....

Going great. Just stick with your plan.