General Diet Plans and Questions General diet questions, support for various diet plans other than those listed below.

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Old 08-24-2010, 09:42 AM   #1  
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Default High Fibre diet - does it work?

So I'm reading about going on a high fibre how it tricks your body into thinking it is full and therefore you do not eat as much. I am wondering if this i bad as you go on starvation mode and therefore start to store fat?
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Old 08-24-2010, 01:18 PM   #2  
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High fiber diets are good. As long as you slowly increase your fiber intake. Don't go from 0 to 100g in a day or you'll really regret it-bloating, gas, diareaha or constipation-if you don't drink enough water, general intestinal discomfort.

I don't think it will put your body into starvation mode. Unless you plan on eating nothing but fiber. Most people who eat a high fiber diet eat lots of veggies, beans and whole grains. Which have tons of vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. It just stays with you longer, takes a little longer to digest in the stomach and a little faster passage time once it gets into the intestines.

Only increasing your fiber intake won't really help a whole lot with weight loss, it still needs a combination of watching what you eat and exercise.

I can eat a high fiber diet and still eat more calories then my body needs.

Good luck
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Old 08-24-2010, 02:08 PM   #3  
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A low-carb, high fiber diet, is the "natural" human diet. For the two million years before agriculture was developed, humans lived as hunter/gatherers. The (plant) fiber content varied according to the seasons, and the environment, but nutritional anthropology tells us, that they ate a lot more fiber than we do (The Inuit of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Siberia.... being the notable exception. Some argue that they can survive on a low fiber diet, only because of the unique nutritional properties and the large amount of fat that is present in the cold-water sea animals that make up so much of their diet).

If you only ate celery, or woodpulp I suppose it would be possible, that your metabolism could be impacted, but if you're eating a wide range of plant foods, this isn't going to be a problem (vegans and other vegetarians do so every day).

Some scientists (the nutritional anthropologiest and other nutrition scientists) estimate that humans are designed to eat 100 to 150 grams of fiber, which makes the 30 to 35g recommendation of the current governmental "healthy guidelines" seem paltry.

In addition, fruits and vegetables have many other micronutrients that are important to a healthy diet.

If you ate only fiber (cellulose - wood pulp or sawedust, essentially) you could have a problem in theory, but that's not how humans get fiber. We get it from fruits, vegetables, and grains - from which there are plenty of nutrients and calories to fully sustain us. Which is why weight loss is not a guaranteed outcome of a high fiber diet. You can still eat enough calories to maintain or even gain weight - if you don't watch portions.

When I first started following South Beach (a high fiber, "good carb" diet), I lost weight initially, because the higher fiber foods meant I felt like I was eating the same amount that I was to maintain my weight. Because I was actually eating fewer calories for the same amount of volume, I lost weight - until I didn't. My failure to continue to lose, wasn't starvation mode - it was portion shift. I thought I could eat more and still lose, and it worked for a while. But overeating fruits and vegetables and whole grains, is still overeating. Portion control is still important.

As Sarah pointed out, suddenly increasing fiber can cause digestive troubles (to put it mildly, the actual experience can make you wish for merciful death. It can be that painful, especially if you have IBS).

There are other benefits to a high fiber diet, such as a tool in the prevention of digestive system cancers, particularly colon cancer. A high fiber diet is associated with other health advantages - resistance to heart disease, cholesterol issues, diabetes.....

Adding fiber is a good thing, not only for weight loss but for overall health (thought o be clear, I mean natural fiber, from fruits and vegetables - I'm not talking about using fiber supplements such as Metamucil as your primary source of fiber)
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Old 08-26-2010, 07:58 PM   #4  
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High fiber diet is great because of the "all natural" approach to weight loss. If you are to deal with this kind of diet, you must consider your food intake and be familiarize with the fiber content of every meal. Being strict to diet means having the knowledge of basic food components. Your gradual reduction is the basic and most easy step to attain dieting at the most of its worth. Remember that all takes time and if you have the patience for dieting then, you might eventually see yourself with the body you are ever dreaming of... slim and healthy.

"I love to meet new people, connect and participate in engaging conversations. I also like reading, yoga and anything relating to health. Oh and ofcourse dieting!"
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