Comments on: Dieting Boils Down to One Thing: Calories http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/02/dieting-boils-down-to-one-thing-calories/ Diet Column - bringing you all the best diet news and opinions Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:01:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: mary http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/02/dieting-boils-down-to-one-thing-calories/comment-page-1/#comment-7531 mary Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:50:23 +0000 http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/?p=6047#comment-7531 Reducing calories is just a part of it - we have to get moving. Daily excerise is the key to weight loss. Reducing calories is just a part of it – we have to get moving. Daily excerise is the key to weight loss.

]]> By: Steve Parker, M.D. http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/02/dieting-boils-down-to-one-thing-calories/comment-page-1/#comment-7242 Steve Parker, M.D. Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:56:41 +0000 http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/?p=6047#comment-7242 Hi, Jason. I read the 15-page study carefully, and had a few comments: Losing excess weight is hard! If you want to lose excess weight, reducing caloric intake is important. The researchers judged a food diary to be an important tool, and I agree. Although average amounts of weight lost over two years is not much, some individuals do much better than average. 14-15% of subjects lost 10% or more of initial body weight, as measured at two years. That's a fair amount. Some lost more. In case you’re wondering, the Mediterranean diet is closest to dietary pattern #3 above. The Mediterranean diet is considered moderate or middle-of-the-road in terms of the three macronutients. Pattern #1 is a standard low-fat diet. Pattern #4 is reminiscent of the Atkins diet, which is low-carb. Only one dietary pattern has been shown to prolong life and reduce rates of cancer (breast, colon, prostate, and uterus), cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes), type 2 diabetes, dementia (both Alzheimers and vascular dementia, Parkinsons disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and melanoma. That’s the Mediterranean diet. Not low-fat. Not low-carb. The authors surmise that unspecified “behavioral factors” rather than macronutrient metabolism are the main influences on weight loss. Allow me to name the major influential behavioral factors: commitment, discipline, and willpower. These seem to be verboten in some quarters of the obesity research community. George Carlin had a famous comedy routine called “The Seven Dirty Words You Can’t Say on Television.” Well these are The Three Dirty Words You Can’t Say in Obesity Research Reports: Commitment Discipline Willpower -Steve Hi, Jason. I read the 15-page study carefully, and had a few comments:

Losing excess weight is hard!

If you want to lose excess weight, reducing caloric intake is important. The researchers judged a food diary to be an important tool, and I agree.

Although average amounts of weight lost over two years is not much, some individuals do much better than average. 14-15% of subjects lost 10% or more of initial body weight, as measured at two years. That’s a fair amount. Some lost more.

In case you’re wondering, the Mediterranean diet is closest to dietary pattern #3 above. The Mediterranean diet is considered moderate or middle-of-the-road in terms of the three macronutients. Pattern #1 is a standard low-fat diet. Pattern #4 is reminiscent of the Atkins diet, which is low-carb.

Only one dietary pattern has been shown to prolong life and reduce rates of cancer (breast, colon, prostate, and uterus), cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes), type 2 diabetes, dementia (both Alzheimers and vascular dementia, Parkinsons disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and melanoma. That’s the Mediterranean diet. Not low-fat. Not low-carb.

The authors surmise that unspecified “behavioral factors” rather than macronutrient metabolism are the main influences on weight loss. Allow me to name the major influential behavioral factors: commitment, discipline, and willpower. These seem to be verboten in some quarters of the obesity research community.

George Carlin had a famous comedy routine called “The Seven Dirty Words You Can’t Say on Television.” Well these are The Three Dirty Words You Can’t Say in Obesity Research Reports:

Commitment Discipline Willpower

-Steve

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