The Twinkie Diet

[The Folk Prophet]

Very interesting:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/

 

I'm not sure one man doing one experiment is conclusive, of course. But it's interesting.

[omegaseamaster75]

inconclusive, but it supports my statement from a previous thread about weight loss

[Guest]

Gross. I bet he felt like crud. 

[The Folk Prophet]

I'm not sure there's any valid reason to presume that.

[Palerider]

Seems a few years ago there was another man who went on a Big Mac diet and lost weight.

[Palerider]

This guy lost 56 pounds over a 6 month period eating only McDonalds food.

[pam]

This guy lost 56 pounds over a 6 month period eating only McDonalds food.

 

Are you confusing this with the guy that ate only McDonalds for quite a period and actually gained numerous pounds?  The one that made the documentary about it?

 

Super Size Me?

[pam]

Gross. I bet he felt like crud. 

 

I know if that was all I ate no matter the number of calories, I would feel like crap.

[Lakumi]

Those things are barely food...

[Palerider]

Are you confusing this with the guy that ate only McDonalds for quite a period and actually gained numerous pounds?  The one that made the documentary about it?

 

Super Size Me?

No no....this dude actually lost 56 pounds.

[The Folk Prophet]

Regardless of how one felt, I don't think anyone could reasonably claim that eating Twinkies is healthy. The point, however, is simply that when it comes to weight loss, calories are king. That doesn't make eating Twinkies to lose weight a good idea. But...well...there it is. :)

[pam]

Regardless of how one felt, I don't think anyone could reasonably claim that eating Twinkies is healthy. The point, however, is simply that when it comes to weight loss, calories are king. That doesn't make eating Twinkies to lose weight a good idea. But...well...there it is. :)

 

I think that is the point that Eowyn and I are trying to make.  No matter the calories or the weight loss...eating nothing but Twinkies and the like are not healthy.  And your body knows this.  It would make me feel horrible.

[The Folk Prophet]

I think that is the point that Eowyn and I are trying to make.  No matter the calories or the weight loss...eating nothing but Twinkies and the like are not healthy.  And your body knows this.  It would make me feel horrible.

 

Right. I understand that. What I'm trying to say is that there is some relativity involved here. A few years back when I was extreme in my fitness and eating, and eating "clean" all the time, a cheat meal would make me feel horrible. Now that I'm steadily eating less "clean", the same foods that would make me feel bad a few years back do not. The body is two things: resilient, and varied. It does not strike me that a universal statement on how one would feel eating a certain food type can possibly be valid. For some people, yes. For some people no. Depends on a variety of factors. Age. Eating habits. Metabolism. Etc...  That's my thinking on it.

[omegaseamaster75]

I think that is the point that Eowyn and I are trying to make.  No matter the calories or the weight loss...eating nothing but Twinkies and the like are not healthy.  And your body knows this.  It would make me feel horrible.

I quick read of the article shows that his health actually improved with this diet, lower BMI, lower bad cholesterol, higher good cholesterol.  The writer of the article expresses mixed feelings about the results but the facts don't lie. 

 

Plain and simple if you want to lose weight EAT less EXERCISE more. I'd go as far as saying that 90% of it is caloric intake 10% exercise

[pam]

Now thinking back:

 

I do have to say however, back in April I spent 3 weeks eating clean. No sugars, no processed foods.   Lean meats, fruits and vegetables.  No white breads, potatoes, rice.   I was doing so good or so I thought.  That's when I ended up in the ER AGAIN but this time found out I had Crohn's.  Most of what I was eating were things that people with Crohn's shouldn't eat.  While healthy for some, not healthy for others.  

 

Now I know that I'm not your average person.  But if I eat a Twinkie,let's just say there had better be a bathroom close.

 

I feel horrible after eating stuff like that.  Not saying I don't.  One of the consequences I face when I eat something I shouldn't.

 

Just adding my two cents here like everyone else.

[omegaseamaster75]

I guess I should have quantified, as the author of the article did this diet is not for everyone. I in fact would never attempt such a thing. The premise remains the same....reduce your caloric intake and you will lose weight

[estradling75]

I guess I should have quantified, as the author of the article did this diet is not for everyone. I in fact would never attempt such a thing. The premise remains the same....reduce your caloric intake and you will lose weight

 

 

I would be careful with such a simplistic response.  Caloric restriction can trigger your body to protect itself (and the person naturally) from famine.  The human body is a fantastic machine but it can fight nasty to keep itself alive.   It your body thinks its starving it will make you hungry (with all the side effects of that) and it will tank your metabolism to conserve energy, and gear up to more effectively store fat over the long term.  This puts you in direct conflict with your body.  As long as your body thinks it is in danger it will work to protect itself, you might win over the short term but it will win over long-term.   This is why most diets fail, this is why people's weight can yo-yo back a forth.  Its doesn't have to be because of a lack of will power or self control that they fail.

 

Unless instead of fight against your body you learn to work with it.  Learn to eat when your body says it needs food and stop eating when it says it is done.  Rather then eating emotionally and/or fulfill social expectations.  And when you do eat, eat the right things.  Give your body the things it needs so that it can work well, chances are it will then demand less.

[jerome1232]

It's very interesting. You know what I take away from this? We have ALOT to learn about our bodies.

He was basically doing everything we say isn't ideal. Eating nutritionless food and making up for the lack of nutrition with supplements. He doesn't report feeling terribly and several "Health metrics" improved.

I see a few possibilities with the assumption that this could be replicated and it isn't a one off weirdness.

1. The metrics we use to measure health aren't as meaningful as we thought

2. Our bodies can cope with a bad diet as long as it's getting the stuff it needs better than we thought.

3. We don't really know what the heck we are talking about when it comes to biology and diets.

I'm in favor of number 3. We are all idiots, just slowly getting confused at higher levels .

[kapikui]

Seems a few years ago there was another man who went on a Big Mac diet and lost weight.

I remember after that hack wrote "Supersize Me"  someone else (apparently severely overweight) tried the same experiment, eating nothing but McDonalds with one minor change.  Instead of eating everything, every time he stopped when full.  At the end of the experiment he'd lost weight.  It all depends. Supersize me was written to further a political agenda, not to do any actual science.  Now I have no problem with writing to further a political agenda, but when you're telling bald faced lies to disguise it, you lose all present and future credibility with me.

[The Folk Prophet]

I remember after that hack wrote "Supersize Me"  someone else (apparently severely overweight) tried the same experiment, eating nothing but McDonalds with one minor change.  Instead of eating everything, every time he stopped when full.  At the end of the experiment he'd lost weight.  It all depends. Supersize me was written to further a political agenda, not to do any actual science.  Now I have no problem with writing to further a political agenda, but when you're telling bald faced lies to disguise it, you lose all present and future credibility with me.

 

What lies were being told? He seemed pretty upfront that it was about "supersizing" the meals and finishing them. I'm not arguing on behalf of the documentary or something (I tend to think many docs like that are misleading), just curious as to what you're specifically accusing it of.

[Palerider]

I still think following the word of wisdom is wise.

[kapikui]

What lies were being told? He seemed pretty upfront that it was about "supersizing" the meals and finishing them. I'm not arguing on behalf of the documentary or something (I tend to think many docs like that are misleading), just curious as to what you're specifically accusing it of.

First was the bald faced lie that he wasn't trying to promote a patently political agenda.

 

Then there was his entire vile premise that you're too stupid to make intelligent decisions on your own and need to be nudged and guided and even forced if necessary to make correct decisions in all aspects of your live, quite possibly one of the most vile and satanic lies of our day.

Edited August 29, 2014 by kapikui

[Over43]

What does eating clean mean? I see that phrase thrown around quite a bit, but I do not believe it is anything more than a cultural meme the diet/exercise/industrial complex came up with to scare us into futility. If one "eats clean" then that same person can "eat dirty"?

The Twinkie Diet was nothing more than one researcher's attempt to see if people could lose weight on an "anti" low carb diet. And he did. The media got a hold of his study and ran with it. I do not think he promotes it as a life style change. He did not just eat Twinkies either...his diet "evolved" into 1200 calories of junk food a day.

Tom Naughton was one of the gentlemen who watched Super Size Me and cried "bologna"! (Literally) His term. He made a responding documentary called Fathead. Interesting stuff, and he did eat fast food for a month and lost weight.

Roy Walford wrote Beyond the 120 Year Diet. His research showed, in "lower life forms", life could be extended through calorie restriction. It is presumed that such practice could extend human life significantly as well. Aubrey de Grey, at Oxford (Cambridge?), believes he is on track to extend human life expectancy indefinitely. Hugh Nibley presented an interesting essay/talk on "the boredom" of endless life titled "But What Kind of Work?" it can be read in Approaching Zion.  It certainly would be a challenge, but according to Mormondom's gadfly, worth it.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Over43

[The Folk Prophet]

What does eating clean mean? I see that phrase thrown around quite a bit, but I do not believe it is anything more than a cultural meme the diet/exercise/industrial complex came up with to scare us into futility.

 

Really? Conspiracy theory much? The diet/exercise/industrial complex is out to get us?

 

This seems just a bit paranoid.

 

The term "eating clean" simply implies sticking to an eating plan that will render results. It's not used to manipulate or scare or anything like that. When we talk about eating clean it means, generally, staying off unhealthy fats and refined carb, and keeping one's calorie intake at the proper level. It doesn't have any implication beyond that.

 

Scaring people into futility? That doesn't even make sense. But even if it did make sense, and some were scared into futility (whatever that means) by the term, what possible motivation could the diet/exercise/industrial complex have for wanting to scare people into futility?

[pam]

Clean eating to me also means staying away from processed and packaged foods.  Eating fruits, vegetables, lean meats.  Staying away from sugars except for the natural sugars found in some foods.

 

I don't find much of a conspiracy theory in that at all.