If you could

Andy, you just gave me flashbacks to every paper I ever handed in late in school...only my citations always looked seriously JACKED UP!!! Eek...nightmares. Right on though...you are super...count me in as someone who never would binge on chicken, unless it was like, a nice half a chicken to top off the 49 cakes I just ate, if I was sure I was not STUFFED ENOUGH!!! yet...

mmmm filet mignon binge....how utterly UNtempting. seriously, don't mess with me. i know my **** give your opinion, but don't cite it as legit peer-reviewed scientific research. that's what greater than 20 years of schooling will get you...... what a frightening thought that is!

I eat protein almost exclusively, and less than 50 carbs most days...and yet I still don't feel the need to tell others that Mine is The Light and The Way. It is *my* way, not *the* way. You need to appreciate the distinction.

"I still don't feel the need to tell others that Mine is The Light and The Way. It is *my* way, not *the* way. You need to appreciate the distinction." I never said it is the only way, that's what spin you and others put on it.  I did say that I consider it a better way because you're not hungry, you're not sabotauging yourself, you won't feel guilt, etc.   I suggest it as a better alternative yes, especially when I see others suffer unnecessarily and when it's shown to be all the things I've cited and why. Enough.  The animosity here and the predisposition to attacking others isn't worth more of my energy.

I'm not hungry, I'm not sabotaging myself, I don't feel guilt-- and I *still* find your approach to be haughty, unctuous and altogether rude. There's one of you, and twenty individuals who found you offensive. Don't blame the "clique" as there isn't one. It's also not the content of your diatribe (whi*****identally is hardly novel, since Atkins kicked it over a few decades ago) that's of issue: it's your attitude. You likely have excellent contributions to make, underneath your preachy exterior...unfortunately, we won't be able to benefit from what you have learned because your delivery is dismissive, unkind, insensitive, and grating. Twenty people who do not know one another agree on one simple point: your arrogance makes you tedious to listen to.  It's a numbers game. I know you're excited because you've found what you believe will be your salvation-- but you have to remember that you didn't invent the wheel here, and a few dozen people you are railing at (and not talking with) have felt that way as well. You can't blame them for rolling their eyes at you, really.

but does she know what unctuous means? 

my ex used to complain that I used big words to confuse him when we fought.  LOL  nope, I did it to prove he was stupid...  LMAO

Melinda, I'd shared this in part in another thread but thought to repost it and edit for clarity: My recent posts have been in the hope that I can share my experience and knowledge.  I am not coming from the perspective of the journey being done, but rather, it being a totally different journey than before and with greater k nowledge and understanding than before. I have dieted and exercised before.  Always I gained it all back.  It's not because I simply started overeating or eating the wrong foods, I now understand it's what diets and foods did to me. I started dieting at age 7.  And every year I gained more and more.  I'd have some success and then I'd "fall off the wagon" and gain it back and then some.  Traditional yo-yo dieting.  Many of us do it.  But why?  Is it us, or is it what the diets did to us? I have come to believe that more often than not it's what the diets did to us.  My recent venture with my trainer has confirmed that for me.  It started when he said "diets don't work--stop dieting" and then when I researched his most recent nutritional direction he suggested which finally proved successful for me. My approach has been to employ the guidance of a trainer who taught me the right approach to exercise.  I was always an avid exerciser, but had no clue to intensity levels and workouts that would give me the maximum return on my investment of time.  Through trial and error of food choices, we decided on eliminating starches.  The benefit of that approach to eating is that you're getting sufficient protein (~1g per desired body weight), the protein prevents hunger, cravings and keeps you satiated, and you can eat the appropriate number of calories without severe restriction.  The research I've been doing is showing that this is an effective plan for most bodies and by the mere point of satiety, there is rarely a "I can't stick to it" reaction. Regain is often due to the method with which one lost the weight.  Most people who employ means of severe restriction (either with a tool such as WLS or pills or with diet--and yes, most commercial diets!) end up gaining it back because they taught their metabolism to work on less so that when they ate normally (and I don't mean bad habits--I mean normal calories) they gain it back, and quite quickly because the body believes it can't handle the calories, and if they're notably overweight because the type of foods they were eating sent signals to their body contrary to their goals, not necessarily because they fell off the wagon.  Sometimes that wagon is the wrong thing to hitch yourself to.

I know how it feels to regain, I have with every major diet I undertook.  That stopped when I stopped dieting and just ate healthy and exercised.  What do I mean by healthy?  I mean lean proteins, veggies and fruits and no starches.  I also mean clean, nothing with preservatives, nothing processed.   I'd done low carb before and been successful, but researching no starch diets taught me more and gave me more.  For the first time, I'm no longer suffering hunger pains.  I have no cravings.  I can usually resist temptation.  I can manage moderation if I do give in.  I am also feeding my muscles what they need and therefore feeding my metabolism what it needs.  I've given my body what it needs to do what I need it to do. When I did a traditional 30/30/40 diet (as recommended by the FDA and most doctors), I gained or maintained.  I did some research and now believe what I'd heard before about the role of insulin and weight.  And further research taught me that whether one has 30 or 100 lbs+ to lose, what starches and sugars and preservatives are doing is making us fat. But instead, we believe we're supposed to just keep lowering our calories.  Wrong!  You should never reduce more than 300-500 calories from your BMR, and that's after you include what you've burned from activity.  If you do, you're setting yourself up for failure. You should also not expect more than 1-2 lbs a week.  But instead we hold on to media/diet industry expectations and consider ourselves failing for what is real weight loss.  Did you know your body can only lose 1-2 lbs fat per week anyway?  Anything else is water weight.  I know I bought into the thinking I should lose 3-4 lbs/week given my high weight.  Wrong.  And that played with  my mind for too long.  I got over it, fast.  Fast when I saw my body changing even when the weight wasn't.  Fast when I was getting into smaller sizes in spite of my weight (I'm heading to a size 16 top pretty quickly).  Yes, there are many ways to lose the weight and to keep it off.  But I am of the belief that the best way is a) the healthiest and b) the happiest.  When one chooses means that set them up for failure/regain/or struggle, that to me is not the best way, even if they got the weight off.  The thing I see about the people around me who have employed the same means and succeeded to goal and maintenance is something I don't see on this board.  They no longer struggle.  Sure they have to work at it--continue to eat well and exercise, but they don't have to eat little--that to me is failure in and of itself.  The body wasn't meant to live on 1200 calories, but more like 2000+.  If we do what our body needs, it will reward us, IMO with stability.

JG,

Now this post is very informative, giving useful ideas, theories, and tips.  I would only disagree with one aspect, you've forgotten to include the emotional factor that can derail even the most commited person.  Life happens and sometimes we faulter, no matter how perfect our eating plan can be.   Let me give you a tiny snapshot of one of those occasions.  I had a high protein/low carb (low starch) eating plan in place 6 years ago.  I lost weight, I don't know how much as I didn't weigh myself.  I no longer craved sweets and if I had a bite, it didn't really appeal to me.  Food didnn't rule my life.  What happened?  Did I fail or my eating plan?  I don't really analyze it.  What happened was life at it's most painful.  I lost my mom suddenly and it was the most horrible thing I've ever had to live through.  She was my best friend, though this is really how special she truly was as I can name at least 4 or more people who believed she was their best friend as well.  Anyway, all of a sudden she was gone and there was a huge spot in my family and I had to take up the slack.  When dealing with the loss of someone so special and important, trying to remember to take care of yourself isn't your main concern.  For some, including myself, I wasn't really living in life for months.  I felt like I was observing life from outside of my body...yup, shock.  I eventually worked through most of it, but my family wa**** with more sadness.  No need to go further, but sometimes it isn't the plan that fails...we're human and there are times when we don't think of ourselves. 

The largest body of real research - The Food Pyramid - is backed by the National Insitute of Health, CDC, I won't trouble to go grab the bibs on it all, but trust me, there's more than a few who know a little more about nutrition. People who have identified micronutrients....real, science based stuff.  And the best way to control binges:  give you body what it needs every day. Balance - grains, fruits/veg, lowfat dairy, lean meats, healthy fats.  When one excludes any one of these, there are nutrients that your body will seek for homeostasis.  Jerz, in about two months, if that long, you best not be left alone with a bag of tortilla chips, I swear you will snap.  Credible exercise physiologists know that complex carbs (evil grains) are needed, and you body WANTS them = craving.

Good luck on excluding a food group. Sure, you can survive, just fine. You are making it harder than it has to be.