I just dropped from 227 to 195 in 4 weeks. Target, 180. This is the first time in my life I have lost, or tried to lose, weight. It has been pretty successful. Everyone criticizes me for various reasons in regards to the diet method I use, so I need some verification from people who truly know and can be candid. Before you give the knee-jerk, canned responses, read my logic and think about which of the arguments is most concerning and let me know. I eat about 500 calories a day and spend most of my day on my feet. Please take this from a well reasoned approach and don't copy my diet because it probably really is bad for some people. Here are the arguments I've been harped on about along with my 2 cent rebuttal on the logic of the nay-sayers (my question is #8):
1. Your organs can lose weight too fast and you can die.
-Common sense tells me this is going to happen to people who are either already emaciated or skinny and are starved for a really long time, like in concentration camps. I am (was) overweight and I'm sure my organs will only work better when not crowded by masses of fat.
2. You are going to get sick/weak.
-This isn't true, because I feel stronger, more nimble, flexible and lithe than I ever have. I also have to say I feel MORE ATTRACTIVE, which has made me a happier man and is the best part.
3. You are going to lose your appetite.
-I love food and can still devour anything I want still. The quantity may be effected, but I had a splurge the other day and ate a 1/3lb certified black angus medium-rare cheeseburger with applewood smoked bacon and sharp cheddar cheese and mayo and tangy, spicy barbecue sauce on a buttered and toasted sesame-seed fresh raised bun and golden shoestring fries dipped in zesty tartar sauce. It was like milk from the angel's teat - my mouth is currently drooling. It takes very strong resolve to not eat for me, even after 4 weeks of starvation.
4. You will gain it all back quick.
-Isn't this true for any diet when you stop and go back to old ways? I'm hoping after a 6-8 week hold out I will be able to reset my eating habits in a better way.
5. You need a greater range of nutrients to survive.
-I am well traveled, especially in third world Asia and Latin America, and I can tell you that the world's population does not get a full range of nutrients. Are they healthy? YES! Healthier than Americans! While birth rates and life expectancies are worse, the well being of the average adult in all of Asia is better than an average America! This is an unscientific observation, but I challenge someone to show me otherwise, as it relates to dieting and exercise. Go ahead, tell me I am wrong and I need to do my research, but there are no fat people there, and obesity is a worse illness than any other non-curable illness because it affects your mind and self-worth in terrible, horrific, diabolical, evil, and destructive ways that deteriorate your relationships with other people, your ability to succeed in social settings - need I say more? People don't say it, but the real danger of obesity is what it does to your spirit. I once heard a nutritionist rattle off a "necessary" diet before and acted like it was a travesty that I didn't touch all the food types she listed on a regular basis. Nuts, berries, legumes, different types of fruits and vegetables, different types of meats and omegas and dairies, etc etc etc. Dieting seems to have become a form of hypochondria - what would happen if doctors and nutritionists here in America saw that 80% of the world lives off rice or potatoes or millet and probably only experiences diverse meals on holidays? That the poor majority of this world have probably never had more than 3 ounces of meat in a sitting ever, and that is on a lucky day? Or that they only time they eat fruit is when it is in season? Our access to resources has warped our perception of need, and I am wondering if this also applies to nutrients.
6. Your body will attack your muscle too, you will lose it.
-Who cares? My goal is to lose girth and size, and once I get down to a thinner size, I know I can build back an aesthetically appealing muscle definition within weeks of trying. I realize my heart is a muscle, but I am talking about losing 20% of my body weight, not 50+.
7. You don't know what you are talking about.
-Honestly, who does? There are so many marketing lies and so much propaganda about dieting it is silly. Everyone, including doctors, see green when they see fat, unhappy people willing to exchange money for hope. If you think doctors are all about your health and are objective, explain to me the multi-billion dollar cosmetic surgery industry, abortion doctors, and the blatant over-prescribing of prescription narcotic analgesics. MONEY. I DO believe doctors know the best way to get in shape. I do believe that a medical doctor's body of knowledge and common sense in the field of medicine is better than mine. HOWEVER, I strongly feel that they overstate dangers. Doctors are businessmen too, and a patient's fear of medical problems drive expensive doctor visits. They also face a lot of risk in their field, and not overstating dangers and risks can cost them their lives via litigation.
8. You are stupid for what you are doing and need to stay fat until you figure out how to diet without starving yourself.
-Here is my REAL question. Is it better to stay a fat man and continue to grow than to starve yourself to get back into a healthy weight range? There are health risks to a starvation diet and health risks to being fat. I am seeking guidance on which route is better as a person who wants to put no effort into losing weight beyond food deprivation.
1. Your organs can lose weight too fast and you can die.
-Common sense tells me this is going to happen to people who are either already emaciated or skinny and are starved for a really long time, like in concentration camps. I am (was) overweight and I'm sure my organs will only work better when not crowded by masses of fat.
2. You are going to get sick/weak.
-This isn't true, because I feel stronger, more nimble, flexible and lithe than I ever have. I also have to say I feel MORE ATTRACTIVE, which has made me a happier man and is the best part.
3. You are going to lose your appetite.
-I love food and can still devour anything I want still. The quantity may be effected, but I had a splurge the other day and ate a 1/3lb certified black angus medium-rare cheeseburger with applewood smoked bacon and sharp cheddar cheese and mayo and tangy, spicy barbecue sauce on a buttered and toasted sesame-seed fresh raised bun and golden shoestring fries dipped in zesty tartar sauce. It was like milk from the angel's teat - my mouth is currently drooling. It takes very strong resolve to not eat for me, even after 4 weeks of starvation.
4. You will gain it all back quick.
-Isn't this true for any diet when you stop and go back to old ways? I'm hoping after a 6-8 week hold out I will be able to reset my eating habits in a better way.
5. You need a greater range of nutrients to survive.
-I am well traveled, especially in third world Asia and Latin America, and I can tell you that the world's population does not get a full range of nutrients. Are they healthy? YES! Healthier than Americans! While birth rates and life expectancies are worse, the well being of the average adult in all of Asia is better than an average America! This is an unscientific observation, but I challenge someone to show me otherwise, as it relates to dieting and exercise. Go ahead, tell me I am wrong and I need to do my research, but there are no fat people there, and obesity is a worse illness than any other non-curable illness because it affects your mind and self-worth in terrible, horrific, diabolical, evil, and destructive ways that deteriorate your relationships with other people, your ability to succeed in social settings - need I say more? People don't say it, but the real danger of obesity is what it does to your spirit. I once heard a nutritionist rattle off a "necessary" diet before and acted like it was a travesty that I didn't touch all the food types she listed on a regular basis. Nuts, berries, legumes, different types of fruits and vegetables, different types of meats and omegas and dairies, etc etc etc. Dieting seems to have become a form of hypochondria - what would happen if doctors and nutritionists here in America saw that 80% of the world lives off rice or potatoes or millet and probably only experiences diverse meals on holidays? That the poor majority of this world have probably never had more than 3 ounces of meat in a sitting ever, and that is on a lucky day? Or that they only time they eat fruit is when it is in season? Our access to resources has warped our perception of need, and I am wondering if this also applies to nutrients.
6. Your body will attack your muscle too, you will lose it.
-Who cares? My goal is to lose girth and size, and once I get down to a thinner size, I know I can build back an aesthetically appealing muscle definition within weeks of trying. I realize my heart is a muscle, but I am talking about losing 20% of my body weight, not 50+.
7. You don't know what you are talking about.
-Honestly, who does? There are so many marketing lies and so much propaganda about dieting it is silly. Everyone, including doctors, see green when they see fat, unhappy people willing to exchange money for hope. If you think doctors are all about your health and are objective, explain to me the multi-billion dollar cosmetic surgery industry, abortion doctors, and the blatant over-prescribing of prescription narcotic analgesics. MONEY. I DO believe doctors know the best way to get in shape. I do believe that a medical doctor's body of knowledge and common sense in the field of medicine is better than mine. HOWEVER, I strongly feel that they overstate dangers. Doctors are businessmen too, and a patient's fear of medical problems drive expensive doctor visits. They also face a lot of risk in their field, and not overstating dangers and risks can cost them their lives via litigation.
8. You are stupid for what you are doing and need to stay fat until you figure out how to diet without starving yourself.
-Here is my REAL question. Is it better to stay a fat man and continue to grow than to starve yourself to get back into a healthy weight range? There are health risks to a starvation diet and health risks to being fat. I am seeking guidance on which route is better as a person who wants to put no effort into losing weight beyond food deprivation.
