Giving up bread doesn't work because it is bread/carbohydrate/whatever, it works because of the packaging e.g. it's easy to get to. If you stop keeping bread in the house you have to think a bit harder to eat something and snack less – or maybe that is just me !

There is lots of rubbish/pseudo science in this thread, but it's t'internet not Radio Four. To the Original Poster, if he hasn;t wandered off to the vending machine (rapidly, before breakfast, for a quick snack of insulin) you will soon figure out what works for you, its different for different people depending on your aims.

And as some people have said, a lot of it is in your head.

Dirtygirl – I saw your note if you check back but I don't have your email address

we should do another 100 sit up type goal on here.

See if we can collectivity loose a ton in weight over the next month or 2.

We need to poke Mardsenman with a stick to see if he will do the Fat Club v3…..saying that tho it always seemed like a lot of effort to just have people not bother send in results.

Incidentally i have cherry picked some of the info in this thread as want to shift 10lbs before Nov 25th. Still going to eat bread tho as Hovis seeded granary is just yummy.

I bought a sports nutrition book some time back. The gist of it was that carbs & protein contain about 4 calories per gram, fat 10, alcohol 8. Daily calorific intake was made up of say 40% calories from protein, 40% from carbs, 20% from fat.

It took a bit of effort, and I followed it quite strictly for about 2 months (wow !). Felt better for it, didn't feel bloated if I didn't exercise for a few days, and my weight came down steadily.

Trouble is I like beer & wine. I like food. I like wine & food after a good ride/walk. My wife buys cakes that I like. I know what needs to be done if I want to look sporty, the fact that I don't is down to my own lack of self discipline.

The figs I quoted are rough and from memory, but I don't think they're too far off.

ive been trying to lose weight for ages now and all i can seem to shift is about a pound or two.

ive changed my diet , cut down on all the sugar and coffee and carbs.

been doing 2 hours in the gym for a bout 4 weeks now.

whilst i do feel fitter i dont feel thinner??

im still 17.5 stone????

It took me a few weeks after changing my diet and training regime before it noticed on the scales. Be patient, be sure to concentrate on muscle building exercises, eat as much protein as possible and the weight should drop off.

Daily calorific intake was made up of say 40%

that sounds high to me – unless you're body building or growing you only need enough to replace attrition – skin, hair, nails and other secretions…

eat as much protein as possible and the weight should drop off.

YAY eat to slim! If only…

Simon,

The figs were off the top of my head, 40% protein may well be too high. But I think the principle is sound. A given percentage of the calories from each of protein/carbs/fat.

Tandem Jeremy

A 2003 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that dieters on the best-known low-carb diet, the Atkins diet, tended to lose weight not because they ate fewer carbohydrates, but simply because they ate less overall.

That's certainly true but the reason they ate less overall is because they avoided carbs. It's very easy for some people to binge on carbs. If they have one biscuit, they'll end up eating the other five. On a low carb/ high protein/fat diet you don't have those urges to binge. The Atkins diet recommends that if you find yourself falling off the wagon and having some carbs, eat something high in fat as soon as possible as it will kill the urge to binge on carbs.

But it also proves the point that its not the carbs that count -its the calories no matter what the form. The reason people on the atkins diet lost weight is that they took in less calories – not that they avoided carbs.

Too much rubbish spoken about losing weight. Look at the NHS site for the real truth

But it also proves the point that its not the carbs that count -its the calories no matter what the form. The reason people on the atkins diet lost weight is that they took in less calories – not that they avoided carbs.

It totally proves the point that for some people it is the carbs that count. Not everyone suffers from that urge to binge on carbs but many people do.

Yes, you're correct that they took in less calories, but that wouldn't have happened if they were eating carbs. The "taking in less calories" aspect is the ultimate result but the source of those calories is the driving matter.

It's easy to say "just eat less" but if it was that simple then why do many people struggle with their weight?

Hels – dgoab AT hotmail DOT com – thanks and sorry for the hijack 🙂

People have mentioned "ignorance about nutrition", but biology cannot trump physics and chemistry.
1) you digest most of the calories in whatever you eat – and you want this, as if the efficiency is surpressed you get 'anal leakage' of fats or much increased flatus as the bacteria chow down
2) once the calories are inside you, there are only 3 routes out: a) burn b) excrete c) store

excretion is limited to hair, skin/oil, nails, menstrual blood (+ babies) and semen – ie not much, which leaves use it or store it. No amount of gaming the system is going to beam those calories into hyperspace.