please don’t post if all you are gonna do is slag a certain person off.

about 8 years ago someone on here sent me a few printed pages of a diet he was pushing.
at first I was very sceptical about it, as I had tried loads of diets over the years.
but I gave it a go, as there was nothing to lose really.
it proved very successful.
at a time when I was not very mobile or active I managed to lose 5 stone.
but, as with most diets I managed to put most of the weight back on.
topping the scales at 21 stone now.

I am gonna give the diet a go again but maybe try and make this diet a way of life.
I did like it but got a bit complacent thinking the weight would stay off.

did anyone else have success with the diet?

I did, massively so, I’ve stayed with it and changed my eating habits permanently rather than seeing it as a diet.  It helped when I found out it was the slow carb diet (Tim Ferriss of 4HB fame) rather than the idave, as it opened up a load of resources and recipe ideas.

There is a pdf of the slow carb that I can send you if you pm me an email addy I think it’s being sold online for something silly like $20.

Today is my cheat day **** yes!

Pik n Mix, emailed you mate.

I lost 3.5 stone on it bitd. But it wasn’t sustainable for me as I ended up with reductionism and I got sick and fed up of eating the same 6 things over and over, all the time.

As predicted (yes Edukator, I’m talking about you) it’s gone back on and more. I’m hopefully started on the way back down but in a less extreme way.

I miss the feeling of being significantly lighter on the bike and the general dysmorphia. I’m hoping my recent self discoveries/awareness will allow me a stability to make it work.

I think I understand what food makes me fat and I’m going to try and cut down/avoid it when I can.

Pick n mix, if you don’t mind I’ll pm you for that pdf?

You got any rough information on the diet? I recently tried a diet that alternated eating carb meals on one day and no carbs on the other. Alternating indefinitely. Admittedly i only managed two weeks and did that twice but both times I lost a stone and have kept it off until I **** my knee up and started to do nothing and eat shite.

I agree with the lifestyle change aspect though if you don’t stick with these first usually it comes straight back on.

I started it about the same time as you, Ton, and I’m lighter than I was then. It suits me, which is the most important part of a diet (diet as in way of eating for ever, not just for 3 weeks) with the exception of what to have for lunch when you’re away from the house).
My cheat day is from Friday night to Sunday night.
I’m still mates with Dave. He doesn’t need to do the diet as he rides his gravel bike all day every day in a warm part of the world.

BigJohn, tell him I hope he is well. he sorted me out when I was in a very dark place health wise.
I lost the 5 stone which made me healthy enough for heart surgery, which worked .

There’s loads of posts from people it’s worked for over the years (including me). It’s a great way to reduce BF fairly quickly. I don’t think it was ever intended to be a permanent diet, but there are plenty of sound principles that can be adopted once you reach your desired weight. (Keeping the weight off is harder though as really it requires a permanent lifestyle change, adopting good habits etc rather than just being a strict willpower exercise for a few months whilst on the diet.)

Absolutely no need to eat a limited variety of meals, virtually any meal can be made “compatible” with a few basic replacements e.g. sweet potatoes for potatoes (or any other carb), quinoa or beans/lentils for rice/pasta etc.

Particularly suits someone who’s v active as you can “cheat” more often during/after hard exercise.

Sounds hard as a veggie. Plus I don’t know if I could give up milk in coffee (the only time I consume milk otherwise)

I did it a couple of years ago and lost a good chunk , have put some back on but it has introduced new meals into my daily diet , I didn’t eat lentils at all before but now I’m fairly keen on them.

Being honest I don’t claim to understand the science but I’m pretty sure that when I was on iDave I was basically running a calorie deficit which I know people say it’s not that simple but iDave put a framework in place for me that made me eat more veggies and less crap which has to be a good thing .

@pick n mix I have messaged you too, I need something to kickstart me into weight loss as I am currently 3st over weight. Due to other mental health issues I have been off all forms of exercise, I would like to shift some lard before getting back to it as my joints are a bit buggered and don’t like hefting me around!

Anyone got a link to the idave or idiet thing? Search isn’t helping.

I’m currently a week into a low carb/keto diet again after a shit year with knee replacement then heart issues (and meds) along with ‘poor me’ and crap eating has gotten me back the 50lbs I’d lost prior to the knee op 🙁

Good news is that this week with very little exercise and 1900cal a day I’ve dropped 6lb, though most of that will be water/inflammation from the cut in carbs.

I’m pretty much meat, some mixed nuts and full fat dairy and a bit of salad/veg, but some days has just been ribeye or chops on their own for tea.

Be interested to hear more about the diet

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw_T87IBJ5crZTE0YmU1OTMtOGM0Yy00MTk5LTk1OGUtMjY5NzY1NDk4YWNi/view

Not my file, got the link from one of the original threads.

I’ll pass that on, Ton.

The diet is really simple:

• NO bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc
• NO drinks with calories
• NO fruit
• NO Cereal
• NO Dairy
• As in NONE. Just don’t do it, even a bit

As much as you want of …….
• Vegetables
• Beans/lentils
• Lean meat
• Eggs
• Seeds/nuts
• Lots of water
• Coffee
• Red wine with meals.
One day a week eat what you want

The science bit: It avoids foods that cause a rise in insulin levels. These foods then cause a blood sugar dip which in turn leads to an uncontrollable urge to eat sweet and fatty stuff.

If you stick (roughly) to it then after a short while your body adapts and it acts as an appetite supressant. So, there’s no magic, you actually end up consuming fewer calories than you would. But there’s no need to be hungry or undernourished, neither, if you’re sensible, will you go into ketosis and have breath like nail varnish remover.

And here’s the controversial bit: not all calories are the same. So to those (skinny buggers) who love to say “eat less, move more” as the answer to everything; yes, but eat the right things.

And another two penn’orth from me: Diets make you fat – and so do diet drinks. Apparently the artificial sweetners can trigger the same responses a sugar. I have a doctor friend who tells me that the most fattening things are lettuce and Aspartame. All her morbidly obese patients swear that all they have are salads and Diet Coke!

Sounds hard as a veggie.

its not. There’s a lots less resources online, but I’ve got some great meals in rotation.

It’s been proven I think that sweetners are fine. I think diabetic people rely on them sometimes. I may stand corrected though.

There was a BBC doc where someone showed you could induce changes in the body while exercising by just swilling out your mouth with energy drink, you don’t have to actually drink any. Your mouth detects the sweetness and anticipates the extra incoming energy? Don’t know if any studies have been done with diet drinks containing calorie-free sweeteners but it wouldn’t surprise me if they had the same effect.

As in NONE. Just don’t do it, even a bit

I think it’s that absolutism that makes it repetitive and unsustainable. I’ve lost weight by mostly following those rules (for instance, I don’t rule out dairy).

I know diet threads only go one way on here, but this is just my experience and hope it helps.

Carbs are necessary – but the right ones. A portion of brown rice is great and there’s nothing wrong with a potato or two. Bread is treat; wholemeal if you must have it. White bread and pasta is generally counterproductive.

Keep main diet on white meat, fish, veg and pulses. Eat as much as you want. A small bit of fruit and maybe a few nuts.

That’s it 🙂

Spices, garlic and pepper add flavour.

It’s been proven I think that sweetners are fine.

Yep, no significant changes in insulin levels or hunger levels from Aspartine.

Hunger levels: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2900484/

Insulin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3046854

https://www.ruled.me/keto-diet-plan-best-and-worst-sweeteners/

There’s a table of sweeteners about halfway down

It helped when I found out it was the slow carb diet (Tim Ferriss of 4HB fame) rather than the idave

AFAIK he consulted with Ferris for that chapter of the book.

You don’t need to do all or nothing. If you allow a little bit of the starchy food it just works less well. I couldn’t do it without cheese for instance.

It worked really well for me first time but due to lifestyle issues I couldn’t keep doing it, so I yoyoed and I think my body is now wise to it. If I do any kind of intense riding I just can’t cope and I have to eat carbs; this wasn’t an issue at first.

It does work, and once your weight is low you can introduce carbs back enough for your needs. It can be modified to suit, see what the effects in you and your lifestyle are

I never eat tons of starch or sugar these days, like I used to. So that habit is gone.

For reference ton, I’ve been using weight watchers this year, so far so good. It doesn’t rule out foods, just make you aware that some have an impact on what else you can eat that day.

I just used the app, not meetings and stuff and it’s helped me be a lot more mindful of what I eat (and let’s be honest, what I drink). But with a about 17-18kg loss and still eating stuff I like most of the time it’s been really good for me.

At this point I’m tracking my weight and not my intake as much (as that did get tedious) and I’m maintaining a decent weight that I’m happy with.

I used it successfully as well and still have a copy somewhere. People ended up being rude to him in the end or have I made that up?

I didn’t follow it to the letter I ate cheese, tortilla wraps even the odd Freddy frog and often had a cheat weekend rather than day. I drank lots and lots of water. At the time I was gym obsessed and cycled a lot, I weighed myself daily and became slightly obsessed with weight loss. Although I accepted I’d be heaviest on Monday morning and lightest on Saturday morning. I went from 13.5 stone to about 11.12 (5’9″) It’s a good way to lose weight and was used by many STWer.

My cirmcumstsnces changed I got married to someone who’s food habits are very different. I’m a snacker rather than big meal eater. So I started eating big meals and snacking. I also don’t enjoy the gym anymore. I’m currently at 14st squeezing into clothes. It’s not nice.

You’ve been a big guy for as long as I’ve been on here Ton. I think you’re going to have to really look at what’s going on with your diet. Have a look at jamie olivers 5 ingredient meals. Quick easy food that can be adapted to a diet. That body coach chap is a real gem and very positive. Just simple stuff like some press ups and other home exercises. Leon happy salads and happy soups are worth a look. Many people say don’t use scales for me it was a reward seeing I’d lost 0.5 of a pound. Find something that works for you. I think you ride a lot anyway, but would an electric bike help, some people in here swear by them for weight loss. And beer less beer! Good luck.

Ton – how many pints a week? its what 300 calories in a pint of ale?. 10 pints a week = an extra days calorie intake.

Certainly for me reducing my beer intake dramatically led to a 2 stone loss

As above, I have recently stopped taking in as many carbs; bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. If I do they are all brown versions. I also saw this ted talk video about the REAL science behind weight gain and weight loss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaE . It is so clear and simple that it takes away any confusion and helps you focus on what is needed. Seems to have helped me.

People ended up being rude to him in the end or have I made that up?

Not undeserved though; STW’s original Great Trainer Robber. Now living it up on the Costa Brava 😂

It does work, and once your weight is low you can introduce carbs back enough for your needs. It can be modified to suit, see what the effects in you and your lifestyle are

I never eat tons of starch or sugar these days, like I used to. So that habit is gone.

Yep. Matches my experience.

not all calories are the same

I’m oot, it’s a measure of energy like a joule or a watt. 1 calorie is 1 calorie no matter what food it’s in.

A calorie (4184 Joules) derived from a high GI food will have quite a different effect from one derived from a low GI food. And because it’s Sunday, a cheat day, I feel quite OK conversing with a Sandwich.

Sandwich – you’re right, but it’s availability and the affect that the food has that has some bearing. e.g. on the face if it, sweet corn is relatively calorie dense, but not all the calories are available – I’m sure you’ve seen the evidence. It’s the same for some nuts etc.
Calorie estimation is/was based on a bomb calorimeter that assumes full combustion, which is different to the body.

Yes, all calories aren’t equal in our bodies, our bodies aren’t a physics lab.

Hormonal responses determine how our bodies deal with different types of food and as above different foods have different nutrient availability with things like fibre and the energy to process them.

500cals of steak is not the same as 500cals of jelly babies to your body.

I’m oot, it’s a measure of energy like a joule or a watt. 1 calorie is 1 calorie no matter what food it’s in.

Yes thanks smartarse we know this – just also that a calorie’s worth of chemical energy means nothing to your body if it’s in a form it can’t process – see the oft-quoted example of drinking petrol, which is highly calorific.

It used to be said that meat is hard to digest and takes as much energy as you get from it, so it’s energy neutral. However if you look at the label it still says it has energy.

 just also that a calorie’s worth of chemical energy means nothing to your body if it’s in a form it can’t process

Then say this, not the simplistic ‘not all calories are the same’ because until they are processed ALL calories are the same.

For reference ton, I’ve been using weight watchers this year, so far so good. It doesn’t rule out foods, just make you aware that some have an impact on what else you can eat that day.

Mrs DOD has been WWing it and it’s working well because it’s er not a fad diet.

The fad diets will all work short term but the gotcha is you can’t stay on them indefinitely and before you know it your er looking for another magical diet bullet when in reality you just need to tweak your existing diet to a little smaller portion size and some substitutions for the really bad options.
(You can’t outexercise a bad diet)

It’s all about long term tweaking of stuff you like eating and nipping bad eating habits in the bud when they start again.
(Mmm Chocy Lidl croissants being my current nemesis)

Try my fitness pal for a week to get an idea of what your really eating and the calories and go from there you don’t need a crazy calorie deficit to lose weight but it’s easy to eat the deficit 😉

looks like a good keto diet. I lost weight with the atkins but due to lack of starchy foods I had IBS for a while after. This diet would not cause this.

Ton, Dave says “Yes, I remember him, that’s so great to hear. Tell him well done and all the best from me.”

I too did it back in the day and it still influences some of my food choices today. Having said that, the missus and I (in our 40s) use the following a lot:

Midlife Kitchen
The Medicinal Chef

One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not always about the ingredients you take out, it’s what you add. I’m talking about the so-called superfoods and spices etc that add a health boost. Also, it’s not about hitting a plan for a month or two, it really is about sustaining change and enjoying it.

We did 4HB for a while and it did work if you can rigidly stick to it all.

It’s not great if you’re vegetarian, even with my wife’s exhaustive veg Indian knowledge. No dairy plus no rice, no bread, no roti, etc gets a bit tedious. My wife doesn’t really eat eggs either.

Big thing is having straightforward go-to meals, ideally with ingredients you can just keep in stock. If you get home hungry and have to think too much about what to cook you’re screwed.

We quite enjoy gram flour flatbreads, pakora etc. instead of naan or chapattis. Chick peas, black eyed peas or broad beans make great falafel.
Right now I’m making a black pudding and fried onion omlette and looking forward to it immensely. I’ve run out of home made baked beans so will have to make another batch using a can of pinto or borlotti beans with onion, tomato, chorizo and other bits and bobs.