Weight Loss

[Referee]

Hi all, I am 39 and the passed two years I have gained some weight about 40 lbs.
Do you all have any recomendations for natural methods for weight loss and metabolisim lift. I would like to drop at least 20 by mid March for a fitness test I am required to take for officiating.

I really want to know what worked for you.

Kind Regards,

Referee

[Earth Angel]

Ive heard that Braggs apple cider vinegar really works (along with controlling food and exercise)......I used Herbal Magic and lost 80 lbs , gained back about 60 then lost 40 using them again, now I am right back where I started so that's not working for me. Good luck, I will be watching to see if anyone else has some great tips. Oh a friend of mine just went vegetarian and in 5 months has lost 40 lbs.

[grapevine]

Juicing - vegetable juices mainly although using apples as the base (sweeter). Soups, no grains and little or no meat - bananas and avocados for protein (I cheat with cheese and eggs though not together). The juicing will keep up energy levels. I think the worst thing is a kind of boredom that sets in soon after starting a fat loss (as opposed to weight loss) diet. Quite a lot of us who are overweight like to eat for the sheer pleasure of it, ie. the taste, texture, etc., the smell when cooking and all sort of other (usually emotional) things. Food and preparing food is a very very sensual thing.

The people in my company have an annual slimming competition starting the first day back at work after New Year (3rd January) for 12 weeks only, ending March sometime. It helps to have a set time .... saying 'until I lose 2 stone' for instance is needlessly difficult and can last too long.... We pay £5 each to join and weigh in every Monday midday and laugh and cajole and take the piss out of each other. -But it works. And after 12 weeks, we all go out for a slap-up dinner, pay our £5 subs to a charity and also pay for the winner's meal. Believe it or not we also have people who want to put on weight and they never achieve their targets. Don't know why .. There's a saying that diets don't work, otherwise you'd only ever need the one . . . :)

My advice is to find yourself a riveting hobby, not particularly energetic, but something that will take you away from the whole idea that food is anything more than . . . . a means to an end. It's bloody difficult, but not impossible. And you will feel so good . . . Good luck Ref!

[Pete]

try and eat more raw vegetables and leave the car and either walk or cycle.

[conk]

It's incredibly simply Ref. Eat for health and weight issues resolve effortlessly. So, you ask, how do I eat for health? Again, very simple concept. Not so easy in a modern, fast-paced world, but easy enough.

Eat what Mother Nature provides, unprocessed and mostly unaltered. Eat as much as you can in its raw state. Eat very little or no sugar. Eat very little or no grains, especially wheat. Eat high quality, un-heated fats. Fats are critical for good health. No vegetable oils!!! That includes saffflower, corn, "canola" (no such thing really), sunflower, peanut, cottenseed (!). True extra virgin olive oil and coconut are your healthiest oils. You can cook with macadamia nut oil occasionally, as it has a very high flash point. Don't drink pastuerized milk. Of course don't consume chemicals, preservatives, msg (or other glutamates), sodas, candy, cakes.

Mainly, weight control is hormonal. Insulin plays a major role. Wheat and grains cause wild insulin swings. When the hormones are not balanced, signals to store fat are received. Grains and sugar are the main reason for weight gain.

Bottom line truth: It's not how MUCH you eat, its WHAT you eat. And exercise plays a small role in weight control, assuming you are not a total potato.

[Midnight Rambler]

Watch the produce you take in. Avoid MSG (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate), it makes you feel like you are never full. And buy locally – know where your food comes from. Eat organic or grow your own food. Find food that has some light left in it. Eat fruit, but peel the skin because of the pesticides when not organic. Eat nuts and do not eat light products – avoid aspartame (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame).

And maybe most important: dont starve yourself on some diet. The time it takes to get rid of the weight is the same time you gain it back when you stop the diet.

:)

[Tony]

There of course are loads of methods.
The one I found most beneficial was low carbohydrate, high fat. Go to SECOND OPINION by Barry Groves.
After forty years as a vegetarian, my belly was growing and I was getting very tired.
I went to see David Icke's doctor, Mike Lambert, he told me about Barry Grove's book Trick and Treat.
The food industry trick us into eating bad food, and the pharmaceuticals treat us with deadly drugs.....we get ill and pay them money for it!!!!

[Mark]

Whenever I want to cleanse and lose a few pounds at the same time, I generally use the MasterCleanse (http://themastercleanse.org/), also known as the Lemonade Diet. It is a Fast though, not a diet, and not meant to be used just to lose weight, but to get rid of toxins in your body. You can do it for a few days to fast/cleanse, but one full round is generally 10 days in length where you're drinking nothing but this concoction made up of fresh, organic lemons, high-grade maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

The cleanse does have a few side-effect sometimes as you release toxins in specific parts of your body. There can be headaches, short-term pains in certain parts of your body as they releasing toxins, general aches, tiredness, things like that which generally accompany the Fast. You can go from 10 days up to 40 days. If you go to YouTube and search it, you'll see all these people who do it and leave a diary, all these beautiful young kids doing 40 days like it's nothing. LOL Must be nice. I've lost 30 pounds in 16 days doing it. Of course it all comes back if you take up the same habits, so after you fast, generally a change in diet is great. After one particular fasting period, I went vegetarian for almost 2 years.

[grapevine]

Whenever I want to cleanse and lose a few pounds at the same time, I generally use the MasterCleanse (http://themastercleanse.org/), also known as the Lemonade Diet. It is a Fast though, not a diet, and not meant to be used just to lose weight, but to get rid of toxins in your body. You can do it for a few days to fast/cleanse, but one full round is generally 10 days in length where you're drinking nothing but this concoction made up of fresh, organic lemons, high-grade maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

The cleanse does have a few side-effect sometimes as you release toxins in specific parts of your body. There can be headaches, short-term pains in certain parts of your body as they releasing toxins, general aches, tiredness, things like that which generally accompany the Fast. You can go from 10 days up to 40 days. If you go to YouTube and search it, you'll see all these people who do it and leave a diary, all these beautiful young kids doing 40 days like it's nothing. LOL Must be nice. I've lost 30 pounds in 16 days doing it. Of course it all comes back if you take up the same habits, so after you fast, generally a change in diet is great. After one particular fasting period, I went vegetarian for almost 2 years.

Isn't this how Beyonce lost all her weight . . . ? And she looks fabulous . . .

[TraineeHuman]

Nowadays almost all processed food has some form of MSG added. "Yeast extract" is a form of MSG. "Natural flavor" is a form of MSG. And so on. MSG is very addictive. That's why it gets added, in some form or other, to almost all junk food (including processed food) these days. If rats or mice are fed MSG for two weeks, their body weight triples and they all get Type 2 diabetes -- in two weeks! By the way, rats and mice have the most similar digestive system to humans. Rats also have 99.4% the same DNA as humans, incidentally.

The MSG that gets added isn't really natural. There is natural, organic MSG in tomatoes and corn, for instance, and that's OK. Though corn is very fattening and very high GI.

Also, there is another good oil to cook with. That is rice bran oil. It has about the same ignition temperature as macadamia oil, but it's easier to get, unless you live in Queensland perhaps.

[GK76]

Been there, done that. 5 years ago I lost approx 70lbs, since then I have gained some of it back though... the signs of a stressful work life and very little 'me' time.

The best advice/tricks I can give are:

- A 'diet' is nothing more than 'what you eat' - it WILL require a lifestyle change, not just a simple magical fix that the fad diets offer. Force yourself to be strict for 2-4 weeks while your body becomes accustomed, it will ease after that.
- A bad diet is just a bad habit which needs to be broken, this will take time. There are no quick fixes, at least none worth having. Succeeding to reach a goal like this is a huge life experience, one which is difficult to compare (in my current opinion). To help you through just visualise the improvement you will be making to your life.
- Exercise first thing in the morning to kickstart your metabolism. A 15-30 minute brisk walk won't be too strenuous (get the heart pumping), you'll feel better for it during the day too. Plan activities out each week and stick to it as best you can, don't leave it to whether you feel like doing it. Accept that when you least want to do it, is often the best time to just get up and go for exercise - it helps both mind and body.
- Don't skip meals, your body will want to compensate later. Eating breakfast is also an important way to kickstart your metabolism.
- Eat plenty of fruit and veg. Drop beef and lamb completely, chicken and fish are fine... you will still need protein. Try the best you can to go organic, often they are more nutritious than the mass farmed stuff.
- Try to remove bread, potatoes, pasta and similar foods from your diet, at least lower them dramatically.
- Important: don't let yourself make excuses, the more you rationalise cheating on your new lifestyle (diet) the easier it is to lose sight of the goal.
- If you find yourself craving a snack, brush your teeth - the flavour will give your taste buds something to occupy themselves, also the taste of mint would ruin the snack so another good reason to skip it.

Ultimately you know deep down what you should be eating and what to avoid... stop trying to fool yourself into accepting second best. There are many websites which will help you find the good and bad foods, education is important during this process.

I hope this will help you, it was certainly helpful for me to write my 'rules' down and to visit them often.

[marielle]

Every couple of years I decide I need to lose about 10 pounds and the only thing that has worked for me is calorie counting. I used to use a log book called DietMinder. Now I'm using a website called MyFitnessPal since they have apps for smartphones and my Kindle Fire (which really is an android tablet). I even use a food scale to weigh foods until I'm comfortable estimating the calories. I also work out on an incline trainer. Not all gyms have them but they are great if you want an aerobic workout without running. I set it to a 24% incline and walk at 3.5 MPH for 30 minutes--about 2000 vertical feet.

Another suggestion, one of my coworkers lost a bunch of weight when she started doing "hot" yoga several times a week.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

[Cidersomerset]

Hi Referee just seen this before I've got to go to bed.......a couple of weeks ago Ion and the gang spent almost two segments talking about weight...

Calories have nothing to do with weight gain!!! He explains it in detail and you will probably have to listen a few times to 'digest'. ha ha...It will make sence eventually..
Remember he's discussing it with Dr.Carolyn Dean and the crew and Bob, James & Carolyn drill him down ....

http://informationfarm.blogspot.com/2011/12/ion-eating-fat-does-not-make-you-fat.html

Its the storage of weight that makes you fat !

As the essence of creation is the spoken word.......You have to say outloud 'spoken' ......' I enjoy my food and I want to burn every bit of energy'

I now say it before every meal ...LOL....Its fun like all Ions anicdotes and the discussion is intence....and makes sence to me...Goodnight...

[Snoweagle]

Stay away from the supermarket. It is a killer. It is pharmaceuticals across the product range. Predominantly GMO Frankenstein food. Designed to entrap you.
DO NOT buy or eat manufactured food, burgers, biscuits, cakes, chocolate bars, chips, fries or any other food stuff that somebody has produced for market. COOK OR MAKE THEM YOURSELF! select only natural locally sourced ingredients, do not make excuses. Mix and Bake your own bread (and keep on making it until you succeed). Be inventive and educate yourself.
Do not treat yourself to "nice" things until the reward is earned.
If a food product ingredient list has ANY chemical listed that you do not know what it is, DO NOT BUY or eat the ruddy thing until you research it.
Do not waste money on "diet" products. You are wasting your money, your effort and our time for asking in the first place.
Identify emotional or stressful things in your life around you and face up to them, deal with them and accomplish closure. Then move on sensibly
Learn to fast. Sensibly, identify ways and methods where you can fast without being foolish
Take regular exercise. Walk or play with the family or friends regularly. Gym attendance is a good stimulus though often clashes with work so be careful with commitment.
Check out Don Tolman on the internet for advice on "real" eating and "food management" for humanities sake.

Disconnect your television(s) (stash in garage or the local tip) and rearrange your living room. You will experience identical "cold turkey" that a recovering heroin addict endures and you will start to WAKE up. You will become more intellectually aware and find activities that will keep you engrossed so your meals then "mean" something to you.

All sounds harsh and extreme? WE all suffer when life becomes a comfortable rut, with convenience junk slops at our finger tips.
If any of these listed is a problem or you feel aggrieved at my tone then do not hassle me, just order a pizza. Not my belly, it's yours :-)

That forty pound belly is mid way between your mouth and arse. Those the only two ways in. Go figure:-)

The bottom line is, it's your gob the foods going into and you put it in there. Nobody forces you. You are going to have to be honest not with anybody else but yourself.
As everybody has suggested, there are alternatives, so consider a focus on a life style change to your eating habits.
We know its difficult and I genuinely wish you good luck. Do it :-)

[Ammit]

I have to go with W1ndmill, juicing lost me over a stone in a month, included a pint of beer per day and I ate a normal healthy meal to boot. With so many gimmiks out their, just try them all but I suggest juicing first.

Remember, what works for one, may not work for all.....

[Connecting with Sauce]

Ammit,

Check out my thread on HCG weightloss cure they don't want you to know about (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?3540-Weight-loss-cure-THEY-don-t-want-you-to-know-about...)... I lost 13kg in a few weeks using homeapathic drops for £15... I'd recommend a liver flush or two first AND avoiding the MSG, Aspartame and other additives etc as mentioned too... A good rule of thumb is if it has a label and isn't made by an ethical company it is likely to not be best for you. Salads and raw food are a good direction for your diet.

[wolf_rt]

Juice Fasting is great... Doesn't sound like much fun, but after 24hours you stop feeling hungry.

Mix the juice 50/50 with water, and drink a glass of water with each glass of juice.

The juice will keep your blood sugar up, so you don't feel like ass.

It's a good way to give your body (and gut especially) a break from all the toxins we ingest... people have cured there cancer by fasting.

There are many accounts of people loosing massive amounts off weight in 30 days or less, without ill effect, like sagging skin etc. as any tired old cells are broked down by the body for nourishment..
The body starts with the cells that are most toxic (often fat) so it is a great way to detox. This is why i fast, as i am over thin if anything... i can only fast for 4-5 days before i get way too skinny...lol

oh btw... if you smoke and drink (i do) you might find this unpalatable during your fast, as any drug will have a more pronounced effect, And you tend to notice the negative effects of drugs more than the pleasant ones. ie, smokes give you a head spin and make you 'buzzy' and alcohol makes you tired and depressed.

[RogueEllis]

This thread is old but gives some great advice!

I'm really curious about the apple cider vinegar. Any personal experiences with that?

Also, any particular herbal vitamins that might help?

I'm vegetarian, drink a moderate amount of water and do less than a moderate amount of exercise. I eat vegan 99% of the time, but lately have been resolving some issues with high-fiber "snack" bars. I'm basically abusing them at this point, and need to get my diet back on track. I was hoping I could replace the high-fiber bars with apple cider vinegar and certain vitamins to help. Just wondering your all's experiences...?

[Bill Ryan]

Thanks for finding the thread! Yes, it deserves to be bumped. :)

It's very clear to me that the main factor in weight gain is fluctuating blood sugar levels. If one can stabilize one's blood sugar, then weight just gradually falls off.

That means cutting down on carbs with a high glycemic index (https://glycemicindex.com), not overdoing the coffee or other caffeinated drinks, staying off candies and cookies, etc etc.

The reason for this is that the liver always works hard to bring down excess blood sugar. The glycogen is stored temporarily in the liver (basically, it's 'filtering out all the sugar', as it were) — and then the liver gets rid of it by depositing the excess glycogen as fat.

That's how come sugar turns to fat in our bodies. One does NOT get fat from eating fat. (In fact, it's likely to be the opposite, as healthy fats in foods always to stabilize blood sugar by slowing digestion, and making one feel satisfied earlier.)

And: do take note. None of this is ANYTHING to do with calories. Anyone seeking to lose weight can completely forget about 'calorie counting'... that's really important to understand.

:muscle:

[Olaf]

...
It's very clear to me that the main factor in weight gain is fluctuating blood sugar levels. If one can stabilize one's blood sugar, then weight just gradually falls off...

Thank you, Bill! I strongly support that statement.

I've tried a lot. These are my experiences

Fastening is one of the things that not really worked for me in the long term. Yes, I was able to reduce my weight for some months, but my last fastening in 2006 drove me directly into a burn out, that I was able to end 10 years later (by curing my adrenal cortexes and many of my other deficiencies).
Also the positive effect of weight reduction was almost consumed 6 months later, and after that my weight constantly grew.

Sugar can be regarded as a drug, but longing for sugar has a very real material backround in the body.
When nitrosative stress is produced in the body, nitrogen oxyde (NO) reacts with vitamins und also with a lot of trace elements. The strongest reactions are with vitamin B12 (which contains cobalt) and with iron. As a result, enzymes based on iron are damaged..

In many of these people, the enzyme PDH (pyruvate dehydrogenase) is damaged, which the mitochondria need to process sugar into energy (ATP).
As a result, after eating sugar, blood sugar rises massively and cannot be converted into energy.

The body then releases insulin to lower blood sugar. As a direct effect of insulin blood sugar is directly converted into body fat.

About three to five hours lateryou will get hypoglycaemia in the blood, because at that time all sugar has been converted into fat, so that you will get very low blood sugar levels. In that situation you will get a craving for something sweet because the brain needs sugar to survive. Then the cycle starts all over again.


Part A: Repairing sugar processing in the cells

Hence the first steps in therapy are:

- LOGI nutrition (Low Glycemic and Insulinemic Diet) with healthy milk fats, cheese etc. and little carbohydrates.
- Then correct any deficiencies in youe body so that it will be able to rebuild the enzyme PDH. (Above all: B vitamins, vitamin B1 in high doses and moderate alpha lipoic acid. Also zincum and magnesium are needed, to activate vitamin B1. Optimal iron levels must be reached, because iron is needed as part of that enzyme.)

A lack of chromium also leads to more insulin being secreted, resulting in more body fat being produced.
Therefore, a chromium deficiency must also be stopped (if present).

If all this has been done, you will not gain any more weight. You will then have a relatively constant blood sugar level and there will no longer be a yo-yo between hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia.


Part B: Reducing weight

Moderate movement + interval fasting + correct copper defencies

During normal fasting, the body adjusts to the lack of supply and starts a special programme after approx. 3 days. This has some healthy effects, but by switching on sirtuins, the metabolism goes into an effective special mode and therefore needs fewer calories, so you lose less weight.
I also do not recommend fasting to weakened people.

With interval fasting (intermediate fasting), the body does not go into this special program and you do not have healthy effects of sirtuine activation. But you can lose weight better and you don't have to go hungry for it.

If you have a copper deficiency, you have to correct it.
Copper is needed to reduce body fat (there was a study regarding copper and body fat in mice in 2016).

CAVE!
Body fat is known to store toxins. When you loose weight, the process could release toxins into the body. It is important that at this point detox mechanisms work and that the weight loss is not too fast.


This is my program in the last months:
I eat around 19.00 evening meal and sometimes still nibble a few peanuts afterwards. Then for 14 hours nothing more is eaten up to 11 a.m the next day.
If I have to do intellectual work, I allow myself to drink cocoa at 8:00, which is boiled with water and some cream (no sugar). Also a coffee would be possible.

With that regime I lose weight continuously without having to starve for the first time in my live. After 11.00 a.m. I eat plenty and allow myself also little delicacies from time to time.

[Hervé]

...


See: The [intermittent] fasting cure is no fad (https://www.sott.net/article/417915-The-fasting-cure-is-no-fad)

[RogueEllis]

Thanks so much for saving this thread, Bill! (And yes, I hoped instead of starting a new thread it was okay just to bump this one!)

I like the idea of eating during limited hours. I just recently found out breakfast was for "breaking-the-fast" of overnight fasting.

I went walking this morning and I feel so good. Sugar may get you high but so does burning it off!

[Deux Corbeaux]

I think it’s all about “Non Violence”, what Buddhists call Ahimsa.....

All kinds of rigid diets, where you have to skip many kinds of food, or even eat just one kind of food, is violence to the body.
It’s difficult to keep up with and doesn’t make you feel happy or satisfied in the run. And often it’s a disaster to your social life as well.

Eat what you love and what becomes you, which is what you know and feel is good for you. But then .... HALF THE SIZE you usually take.

2 pieces of bread = one piece
1 piece = 1/2 a piece
2 drinks = 1 drink
2 spoons of whatever = 1 spoon.
1 cookie. 1/2 a cookie
So you can eat and drink what you like, just half of it.

You won’t lose weight very fast, but usually one doesn’t gain weight that fast either. However, it’s not difficult to sustain and nobody will notice you are on a “diet”.

You will be hungry at the end of the day, but only for the first 2 or 3 days. By then your stomach has shrunk and the hunger is over. You will enjoy your food by eating everything you love, but in moderation.

[Patient]

Being vegetarian changes lives. I am slim and healthy. I look 10-15 years younger than most people my age.

Eat healthy foods and your body will crave healthy foods.

[Deux Corbeaux]

Being vegetarian changes lives. I am slim and healthy. I look 10-15 years younger than most people my age.

Eat healthy foods and your body will crave healthy foods.

Great. You must be an active but moderate person with good genes, like me ...... and I’m not a vegetarian anymore (for try to be a vegetarian , living in France !).

I have a friend who has been a vegetarian by birth, since both her parents were vegetarians. And guess, she has weight problems too and can reduce them only by eating the same food...... bud half of it.

[Perdido]

Have your thyroid checked if you gain weight rapidly for no specific reason.

Dr. William David, Heart Doctor and author of "Wheat Belly" says it is the worst food for you... It triggers hunger pains, spikes blood sugar worst than a candy bar... causes diabetics, inflammation and digestive problems.

So I thought... No Hunger.. Well, I can do anything without hunger. Sure enough.. it is true. I have been on it about 6 months and have had Zero Hunger pains...I lost 24 lbs... Now I need to cut back on fruits and sugar.

He also wrote the most important medical help book I have seen... "UnDoctored"... I recommend it on CD.. as you can learn driving around. He is outspoken and warns you about the dangers of our food system and medical system. He also has a superscription blog.. and post answers for common medical problems.. Cheapest health advice you can get.. Sign up.. but don't complete the process.. go to close the site.. and they will off you a 50% saving the 1st year.. for about $18.

[mojo]

Thought to revive a thread that is of current interest and also possibly hear from others on similar journeys. Almost a year ago started to make changes but it was only in the last few months took things serious. I'm very hopeful but there is still a long way to go. Found this series of videos for the first time about personal trainers getting fat to help their clients. Wow talk about empathy, and the peoples stories were very inspirational. It really seemed to help stay the course and maybe help others.

Hvt8Pwwp5iw

[TomKat]

Hi all, I am 39 and the passed two years I have gained some weight about 40 lbs.
Do you all have any recomendations for natural methods for weight loss and metabolisim lift. I would like to drop at least 20 by mid March for a fitness test I am required to take for officiating.

I really want to know what worked for you.

Kind Regards,

Referee

A guy I knew lost a lot of weight by eating normally every other day, then the other days eating half the amount.
Personally I've found that my definition of "full" determines how much I weigh n the long rrun. I've recently lost 25 lbs by eating a smaller amount -- I used to need to stretch my stomach to feel full, but now it's a lot less to feel full.
I've also found, in the long run, my body doesn't resist the weight loss if I don't change my actual diet, same diet, but less.

[mojo]

After researching my BMI and finding myself way over weight, I find a discrepancy with using the daily caloric intake chart. To loose weight a person has to be on a daily calorie deficit but the caloric chart for my age & activity says about 3350 calories daily. I have enough body fat to fill the daily needs so it's difficult to figure out what would be a reasonable calorie deficit without starving. Maybe using half the daily caloric needs will work?

[JackMcThorn]

After researching my BMI and finding myself way over weight, I find a discrepancy with using the daily caloric intake chart. To loose weight a person has to be on a daily calorie deficit but the caloric chart for my age & activity says about 3350 calories daily. I have enough body fat to fill the daily needs so it's difficult to figure out what would be a reasonable calorie deficit without starving. Maybe using half the daily caloric needs will work?

1/2 is probably not going to be enough calories. I recall the nominal caloric intake is 2ooo to 3ooo calories for men per day. I realised my intake was higher than that and I need to increase my activity. I have a decent breakfast and dinner and a small lunch.

[Ankle Biter]

Firstly I want to say to anyone that makes changes to their daily living habits with the intent to improve their physical condition and general well-being, nice one! No matter what your reasons are or your personal goals it takes dedication, perseverance and discipline.. therefore, even the slightest marginal gain is to be commended and viewed as nothing less than success. I wish you all receive the cosmic energy to help you rise up with each fall and keep going.

Right, that's out of the way lol... I guess it's been 15months since I turned my sh|7 around and got serious about living better. Smoked lots of ciggies, was terribly overweight and so unfit that I was looking at death square in the face every time I went upstairs from my office to the kitchen.

I didn't look at counting calories or try science things to n''th degree, not to say there doing this isn't going to be useful to anyone wanting to get trim. Basically All I did was eliminate certain foods (Pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, dairy, refined sugar).. breakfast was oats, nuts & seeds with almond or oat milk and at midday.. dinner the only other meal was 6pm and usually meat and leafy greens & veg. As much as possible when it comes to food I aim for the least amount of processing...It's easier when I grow a lot of my own veg in the garden but am still figuring how is the most humane way I can run down a deer in the forest and bite a clean steak straight out of its ass and cause it no harm... sorry I digress.... I guess this is an intermittent fast.. between meals I'd have a banana before doing weights. Maybe a few almonds near bed time if hunger got really intense.. and in the mornings I'm on a 3-5km hike.

Pretty much it's basically eat less move more.. and eat none of certain things.. just cutting out the sugar alone I'm certain yielded tremendous benefits.. Oh and yes, goes without saying, ditched the ciggies cold turkey. My only vice I guess is 1 coffee no milk or sugar / day. I went from 115kg to 80kg in 9 months and now am maintaining in that range with view to go down another 5-10kg.

[TomKat]

a friend of mine just went vegetarian and in 5 months has lost 40 lbs.[/QUOTE]

that's how I gained a lot of weight, vegetarian diet

[mojo]

Lost about 30 lbs since March and more to loose. I never realized that our fat deposits store glucose and help to cause insulin resistance. I have been type 2 since gaining the weight and now understand about fat adapted burning which takes about 1-3 months for our bodies. Food cravings almost disappear when you are fat adapted as well. It took 3 months but now I can avoid those heavy carbs and don't feel like Im missing out. A daily 600 cal burn has helped too.

[mojo]

Wow just past the 100 day challenge and another 10 lbs lighter, woohoo! It was so easy to pack it on but a whole different story taking it off... Some of the instructors on Youtube mention having to count caloric measurements daily and prepack meals portioned out ahead of time. It sounds like a lot of work, I'm just guessing each day about meals and only considering what food types & the portion. It has worked so far... But in sharing the important thing it is the overall health and energy that keeps me going. I dont feel as old as my age says.. :)

[mojo]

This older Ted talk video on Carbs is really helpful especially finding out so many of us have insulin resistance.

da1vvigy5tQ

[Peace in Oz]

Human adenovirus 36 (HAd36/ADV36) infection has been associated with obesity.

Experiments using 3T3-L1 adipocyte cultured cells and human adipose stem cells (hASCc) have shown that HAd36 stimulates the expression of genes implicated in cell differentiation and increased lipid accumulation. The presence of HAd36 in adipose tissue of overweight and obese women has also been confirmed.

It is suggested that ADV36-induced lipogenesis may be mediated by vitamin D deficiency in children with obesity. more on this study here (https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-020-02216-4).


How Adv36 initiate or contribute to obesity
Adv36 rapidly inserts its genetic element into adipose tissues and induces metabolic dysregulation therein. Adv36 increases the expression of 35 genes involved in human adipogenesis — the generation of new fat cells from the existing stem cells. These genes then become cross-regulated and sustain their upregulation, even in the absence of Adv36.

Adipogenesis, hence, ensues despite that our immune system may have eradicated Adv36. Interestingly, Adv36 also enhances angiogenesis (formation of blood vessels), glucose uptake, and mitochondrial function SELECTIVELY in fat cells — promotes “metabolic robustness” in fat cells.

This may explain why hunger remains despite consuming sufficient calories for the day. Adv36 may be allocating those energy resources to the adipose tissues, depriving other tissues or cells of energy. When Adv36 infection is coupled with the easily accessible, hyper-palatable, caloric dense, high-fat, high-carb foods, obesity might as well be a pandemic that is hardly reversible long-term.
https://medium.com/microbial-instincts/obesogenic-effects-of-adenovirus-36-the-latest-research-58b0e53af1df

https://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=66195

[Peace in Oz]

The correlation between gut microbiome and weight management
The billions of bacteria that live in and on the human body are called the human microbiome. The bacterial community composition weighs just over a kilogram. The majority of the microbial community are acquired after birth and throughout life from the environment.

The diversity of gut microbiome is important for overall health and wellbeing. A high microbial diversity in the gut is considered to be good for human health and conversely, a low microbial diversity is linked to a number of conditions including obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome and cancer.

Dietary intake contributes to your microbial diversity index. The gut microbes shift in response to your diet on a daily basis. A diet containing plant based foods which includes vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains is associated with an increased microbial diversity.

A healthy gut microbiome community assists in your health in multiple ways, in the breakdown of foods that you can digest, altering mood and appetite, synthetising vitamins K and B12 and protecting you from pathogens.

Prebiotic-rich foods
Prebiotics are types of dietary fibre found in fruits and vegetables that act as fertiliser feeding the friendly bacteria in your gut. Prebiotic rich foods feed the gut bacteria helping them to produce nutrients for the cells in your colon which leads to a healthier digestive system. Some of these nutrients are called short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, acetate and propionate. These fatty acids can also be absorbed into the bloodstream and improve your metabolic health.

Probiotic rich foods
Probiotics are bacteria that are intended to seed the gut microbiome promoting health. Probiotics have been reported to help re-balance the gut microbiome in individuals that have gastro-intestinal issues. Dietary sources of probiotics are kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi, miso, kombucha, pickles, buttermilk, natto and some types of cheese.

Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes are two major phyla found in gut microbiome. A high F/B ratio is correlated with obesity and other disease.

The youtube video below explains in a more scientific way, although the presenter is a bit hard to follow. Unfortunately, there are not many such videos, as our society is more oriented to kill the bacteria rather than looking after them.

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[mojo]

I've since changed my philosophy about weight loss and lot of that is due to Greg Doucette. Anyone interested in weight loss I highly recommend you check out his channel.

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[Casey Claar]

Very negative messaging.

[mojo]

This was me not long ago... 60% or more highly processed foods.

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[palehorse]

Industrialized food is a big issue in weight loss, you got no option but halt its consumption.
Bill explained so well (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?37112-Weight-Loss&p=1312858&viewfull=1#post1312858) I would pay attention for each word he said.

My experience in losing weight was basically what Bill explained + lots of exercises like run, swim, push up, pull up, burpees, abs, plank, bike and whatever you feel you like to be doing, also martial arts is a great training if you are into it.

Cut the sugar, exercise and sleep well, you should be fine.

[Peace in Oz]

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Why are we all getting fatter? Why are some people hungrier than others? Why, despite all of the latest advice, is obesity on the rise? And why don't diets work?

University of Cambridge Geneticist Dr Giles Yeo on weight loss:
Yeo Truth #1: It ain’t S’posed to be easy
Yeo Truth #2: Eat a little less of everything
Yeo Truth #3: Food that takes longer to digest generally makes you feel fuller (such as protein and fiber)
Yeo Truth #4: Don’t blindly count calories
Yeo Truth #5: Eat more unsaturated fats (such as avocado, olive oil, fish)
Yeo Truth #6: Don’t fear food
A diet only works when you can stick with it.

An interesting point, if you want a healthy aging, increase your muscle mass.

[Bill Ryan]

Bumping this thread with a new post on Infowars, speculating that weight gain might somehow be transmissible.

(I don't believe this — yet! — but the apparent facts presented made the article very interesting to read.)

https://www.infowars.com/posts/the-mysteries-of-obesity-how-much-do-we-really-know-about-the-causes-of-weight-gain

The Mysteries of Obesity: How Much Do We Really Know about the Causes of Weight Gain?

Just how much do we know about the causes of obesity? What if you could catch it like a cold?

“The study of obesity is the study of mysteries.”

That’s the opening to one of my favorite blogs of all time, the series “A Chemical Hunger (https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/07/07/a-chemical-hunger-part-i-mysteries/)” on the charmingly named Slime Mold Time Mold.

The truth is, there are many, many things we still don’t know or understand about obesity, despite decades of scientific research. The blog explores some of the more glaring mysteries, and some of the weirder ones, too.

The more obvious mysteries include the sheer speed with which Americans have become so fat.

In the 1920s, the average man in the US weighed 155lb, and about 1% of the population was obese. Today, he weighs 195lb, and about 40% of the population is obese.

The change took place much more abruptly than you’d think. It wasn’t a gradual rise. Between the 1890s and the late 1970s, “people got a little heavier” in the US. Then, suddenly, beginning in 1980, the obesity rate went through the roof, from about 10% to closer to 30% within 20 years.

Between 2010 and 2018, obesity rates in the US increased more than twice as much as they did between 2000 and 2008.

Then there’s the weirder stuff.

How do the Mbuti people of the Congo stay lean despite getting up to 80% of their calories from honey in the rainy season?

Why are lab animals and even zoo animals getting fatter, despite being fed the same food as before?

Why do people who live at higher altitudes in the US have a lower risk of obesity? Colorado, the highest-altitude state, has the lowest incidence of obesity. US service personnel assigned to low-altitude areas are at greater risk of becoming obese than their colleagues in high-altitude areas. It’s not just the US, either: the same patterns have been observed in countries as diverse as Spain and Tibet.

Here’s my personal favorite: Is obesity catching?

Literally: Is being fat transmissible?

And I mean that in a biological, rather than a social sense. I’m not talking about picking up bad habits from living among a herd of fat people or becoming obese for socio-economic reasons.

No: Can you catch fatness like a cold?

It’s been a while since I read “A Chemical Hunger” from start to finish, so I can’t remember if infectious obesity is actually one of the weird mysteries discussed. I certainly can’t be the first person to suggest it, though. For one thing, it would be a very handy explanation for the otherwise baffling speed with which obesity has spread in recent decades.

And just like with infectious diseases, microbes would be the agent.

Here are some facts.

Certain species of bacteria are associated with obesity, and what’s more might actually cause weight gain if they end up in your gut.

In a 2006 study, researchers compared (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17183312/) the gut microbiomes of genetically obese and lean mice. The bacteria in the guts of the obese mice were difference from those in the guts of the lean mice, with a much higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes bacteria. When the researchers transplanted gut bacteria from the obese mice to the lean mice, they put on more body fat, even when their diet remained constant.

This is clear evidence that weight gain can be caused simply by changes to the bacteria in the gut.

A follow-up study from the same researchers showed (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1931312808000899) that a gut transplant from obese humans to lean mice had the same effect.

It’s also widely known that germ-free mice—mice raised to have a sterile gut—are much more resistant (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0605374104) to diet-induced weight gain.

So what if microbes that encourage obesity—we know they exist—were passed between humans through close contact? What then?

We already know that other conditions, including psychological conditions, have a previously unknown infectious component.

For example, recent research has shown (https://www.xiahepublishing.com/2472-0712/ERHM-2025-00013) that microbes associated with depression and anxiety pass between romantic partners when one of them experiences an episode (the microbes were found in the mouth). What’s more, the transfer of these microbes was associated with worsened mental health in the recipient, including disrupted sleep.

So, if you can make your wife or husband’s mood worse by sharing an intimate space with them—eating together, kissing, touching, borrowing their toothbrush—could you make them put on weight by the same mechanism?

It’s a fascinating possibility.

Imagine it: people coming into close contact with each other, sharing microbes, and making each other fat. It wouldn’t just have to be couples: It could be parents and children, friends, housemates and roommates, coworkers—anybody who shares space regularly.

It rather makes you want to go and live in a cabin in the woods somewhere, far away from everyone else…

The truth is we simply don’t know. What I’ve suggested is plausible, and if I held the purse strings at the NIH, it’s the kind of research I’d be funding right now. Sadly I don’t.

On social media this week, people have been hailing the end of obesity, with the announcement of President Trump’s “universal basic fat jabs.” After securing an historic agreement with pharma companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to bring prices of their drugs crashing down, the President has now launched a new website called TrumpRX to allow Americans to find the best deals for drugs like Wegovy/Ozempic and many others.

We should be glad the Trump administration is taking obesity seriously—and not just through TrumpRX, but also through RFK Jr’s crusade to Make America Healthy Again. But obesity isn’t just going to disappear overnight. My prediction: We’ll still be unraveling its mysteries for many years to come.