this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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[–] [email protected] 70 points 6 months ago (5 children)

My trick is to portion control and not do something asinine like Keto. We are meant to eat a wide array of things including grains. What we are not meant to eat is processed crap. I'm down 10 pounds this month simply by restricting the amount of crap I eat.

At the end of the day it's calories in < calories out and you lose weight.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Yeah, keto got popular because many people lost a lot of weight doing it. And so they naturally attributed the weight loss to the lack of carbs. But in reality, the diet only works because it actually forces you to watch what you’re eating. When you have to think “does this have carbs or sugar” for every single snack, you suddenly snack a lot less. Because the overwhelming answer of “of course it fucking does, it’s a mass produced snack.” When your only options are “make something yourself instead of eating pre-packaged junk” or “don’t snack” a lot of people will opt to skip the snack.

Basically, keto works because by eliminating carbs you’re also eliminating snacking, and are actually forced to track what you eat. At the end of the day it’s just calories in<calories out.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago (1 children)

All weight loss diet plans are just tricking you into eating less calories. Grapefruits don't have magical weight loss powers, it's just if you go on the grapefruit diet you can't physically bring yourself to eat more than one or two, so you eat less than you normally do.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Speak for yourself, I could absolutely eat 5+ grapefruits in one sitting.

I would regret it afterwards, but those massive bitter oranges are among my favorite fruits

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Same, I could eat all the grapefruit. I'd continue eating grapefruit even as I destroyed my toilet due to all the grapefruit I've eaten.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

As long as grapefruits in<grapefruits out

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

That, and fats are more filling than carbs, so if you up the fats and cut the carbs, you're more likely to stick with the diet since you feel more satisfied. The same is true for fiber vs regular carbs.

So if you want a simple weight loss strategy, increase the fat and fiber you eat, and cut out the junk food. Don't count carbs or anything, just try to increase the healthy fats and fiber you consume, that'll naturally help you feel better and make it easier to cut calories.

I do think counting calories is helpful though, but i prefer to do it after the fact instead of limiting myself. If I can see I'm regularly over the target, I'll make a conscious effort to adjust my expectations (usually snacking), but starving yourself for the rest of the day sucks and makes it more likely you'll abandon it entirely.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago

It is calories in/out but having guardrails is super helpful to a lot of people. Many overweight people got that way because they run pretty loose ships when it comes to diet to begin with. Rules can be helpful. Intermittent fasting of course is pretty popular and followers seem to get results.

Couple years ago I lost a bunch of weight just following “Eat Right for Your Blood Type” which I’m sure is quackery- but it was effective. Felt great too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This is what I've been doing too. I eat less, and I've stopped snacking in the evening. I use to eat 3-4 piece of bread in the morning, a big playe for lunch and sometimes 2 plates at night.

I'm eating 1-2 piece of bread for breakfast. If I eat a big breakfast in the weekend, I just skip lunch.

I eat half a plate in the evening. Works pretty well. I think the more you eat, the more your stomach expects, so by reducing the amount of food, you stomach is full quicker

Now, I absolutely need to learn to eat slowly

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I actually snack only at night. I keep track of what I eat during the day, made easier by not snacking, then I know how much I can eat later.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Ditto! Sometimes I struggle with getting carried away at night, but talking through to myself when I go to snack helps me with getting it back under control (..usually.) Just going "Why do I feel like I NEED a second dessert?" can sometimes get me to stop and walk away.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Also, just going and brushing my teeth seems to be a good portion control hack.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Oh yeah, there's definitely times I go overboard, but then the next day may be a fast day. It's worked pretty well. I'm trying to get my six pack to be more defined now, instead of losing my belly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

There was a time when I had... significant cashflow issues and I got into amazing shape just by eating less because I couldn't afford to eat more, and the things I could afford were mostly healthy. I couldn't afford to drink anything but coffee and water, and ate one small bowl of food at each meal and went to bed hungry.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 6 months ago (4 children)

It's not 'that' simple. Not all calories are the same, avoiding processed Oils, Sugars and Starches is essential.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

Even if you only eat pure sugar, as long as you eat less than you burn, you'll loose weight. You would of cause get scurvy and all other kinds of disease, but you'll still loose weight. Your body can't produce something out of the air, that's thermodynamics 101.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

Hence the part where I said to not eat processed crap.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It is that simple. I pretty much just focus on protein (for gains) and total calories and I'm in great shape. I do avoid sugary things (because it's empty calories) but never had to care about oils or starches. If all you care about is not being fat you can just focus on calories.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Plus, running around your carb intake mostly negates carbs converting to sugars.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Yes all calories are the same. It. Does. Not. Matter