To me the term “weight loss” has nothing to do with how much you weigh. I think the focus on weight is misleading.

For me it’s about how healthy I feel and what “size” I am. Not what the scales show.

I cycled every day last week, plus did two spinning classes. Had to put an extra hole in the belt on Fri, as my trousers were getting looser. But I’m 5kg heavier than I was last week.

So in weight loss terms I failed. But in overall health I’ve improved.

When we say ‘weight’ we mean ‘fat’ I think, this is what it means to most people.

I get the science behind iDave – I try to do low GI but I just cannot eat many pulses, so it’s not for me. I wish I could – I love falafels, hummus, refried beans. But they don’t love me and if I train after eating pulses I will get horrific acid reflux and bloating that lasts a few days. It’s worse if I combine pulses and meat – urrgh.

Now I try and base my diet around good quality protein, vegetables, some fruits (the lower fructose/fructan ones like blueberries, rhubarb, canteloupe melon and bananas) and small portions of low GI carbs like sweet potato, quinoa or basmati rice. Once or twice a week I have a bit of cheese as I can’t do much dairy. Tried Torq recovery after my rides but whey protein just bloats me, so my recovery drink now is almond milk.

Weight is starting to drop now, slowly, but I can feel my clothes are looser.

Even though I don’t follow iDave myself I can see it works for others and think it’s a good thing that it’s out there.

But I’m 5kg heavier than I was last week.

😯

Did you weigh yourself after a 20 mile run wrapped in clingfilm last week? 🙂

Assuming that you used the same set of scales, what do think was the cause of such a huge change?

I try to do low GI but I just cannot eat many pulses, so it’s not for me

Really it is for you, and you are doing it. The point is that it’s not some all or nothing programme – the actual point is lowering the insulin you produce, which you are doing successfully by the sound of it.

…..however baked potatoes, lots of fruit, bread, rice and pasta are all on the conventional ‘healthy’ list but can be almost as damaging to your weight loss goals.

looks like you’re confusing a “healthy” food with one that will help you lose weight.

You become overweight by eating more calories than you use, regardless of their source (unless you have a metabolic defect).
By becoming overweight you profoundly alter your bodies biochemistry, this will have a consequence dependent upon your genetic make up, what variety of calories you overconsumed and if you were exercising and overeating or just overeating.
How you then lose that weight is an individual issue, there are no “quick fixes”, “magic plans” or “healthy Vs unhealthy foods” – you got fat by eating too much, you’ll get thinner by eating smarter…

IanMunro,

Correction I meant 5lb not 5kg!! 😳

I was quite shocked at even the 5lb increase, given that my clothes are all noticeably looser. I can only assume its fluid uptake, as it’s only a couple of kgs, so not hard to be under/overhydrated by that amount.

hilldodger,

it could of course also be that your biochemistry makes you more pre-disposed to putting on weight (for weight read fat) and therefore it is not due to overreating per se but what you eat. Thus what you would reqard as healthy (for you) e.g. starchy food/carbs may not in fact be healthy for me. That’s exactly why nothing is gospel and there is not a one size fits all solution.

By way of example. I tend to put on weight if I’m stressed, but if I’m depressed i will lose weight whilst eating exactly the same. My biochemistry (in this case my adrenal hormones, most notably cortisol) therefore has a very real effect on my size.

I just dont buy into the calories in/out hypothesis. Overeating is ultimately caused by what you eat not how much. One leads to another but people dont sit down intentionally to overeat. It’s just what they eat induces them to eat more. Its a downward spiral from there.

I’m so lucky not to be like all the special people on here who can only loose weight by eating a certain diet.
I have lost 22lb so far, and I have 4 pieces of fruit and a chocolate bar every day. 😀

you’ll get thinner by eating smarter

This is not under debate. My point has always been that you need to eat smarter not (necessarily) less. Different foods cause different things to happen in the body.

I’m so lucky not to be like all the special people on here who can only loose weight by eating a certain diet.

It’s not that I can only lose weight by doing something weird. It’s that certain things that work work much more easily than others for me. I have learned a bit about how my body actually works, and how to use that knowledge to achieve what I want.

I like being special!

Just had some strawberries and some chocolate. Off to beat myself with a birch branch now. 😆

I eat what I want, when I want and don’t put on weight. How crazy is that?

I agree with molgrips.

Insulin is critical in producing fat.

All carbohydrate produces an insulin response and turns into glucose in the bloodstream.

White rice and jacket potatoes have a more severe insulin response than table sugar.

If you are, like many people and have high “insulin resistance” foods high in carbs can lead to excessive fat production.

insulin is produced in response to the blood concentration of glucose and some amino acids, so most carbohydrates and most proteins will induce insulin secretion.
This in itself is not a “bad thing” as the primary role of insulin is to facilitate the entry of glucose into cells, in addition it stimulates lipogenesis, diminishes lipolysis, increases amino acid transport into cells & modulates transcription thus altering the cell content of numerous mRNAs.

I’m not going to argue with what individuals have found works for them, that’s the best way to establish your own pattern of eating for how you want to function but to start quoting “Low GI, high protein” is equally as facile as quoting “Eat less, move more”

It’s not what you eat, it’s how you eat 😀

I must say I’m noticing a change in how my body responds to the iDiet…

I must say I’m noticing a change in how my body responds to the iDiet

That’s good, and it looks like iDiet has made a few people consider their eating habits more closely.
Just out of interest, what did you find were the major changes you made from your regular diet to iDiet ?
I’ve pretty much always eaten close to iDiet, so never been a great consumer of bread, pasta, spuds, cakes and all the other quick carb stuff.
I have, and always will, eat wholegrains, a bit of dairy and a piece of fruit every day but have been pretty much the same size/weight since I was a teenager – maybe being brought up as a 60’s “hippy child” with lots of bean/lentil/veg based food tweaked my metabolism/palate for the “better” ?

The changes I’ve noticed arne’t really good though. My body seems to be insisting on fast carbs, beans and veg aren’t fooling it. I don’t seem full no matter how much I eat, unless I have some fast carbs.

I used to eat plenty of carbs, which was the suggestion for athletes, and supplement to the suggested level when riding, with the assumption that it would allow me to train harder. It does, but it kind of negated the weight loss.

Biggest change for me though really and perhaps what will turn out to be the clincher is the no carbs before and during the first hour of a long ride. Major change, allows me to ride far far longer on far far less fuel.

I don’t seem full no matter how much I eat, unless I have some fast carbs.

weird isn’t it, I’m just the opposite – a little bit of cheese, couple of oatcakes and half a handful of nuts and I can ride for hours on just water but if I have any “fast carbs” I’m ruined.
But, to be honest, I rarely eat to feel full, just not hungry.