Aside of the weight loss (congrats BTW!!!!!!) ... what else has this particular diet done for you? Any negatives (i.e. constipation, skin changes (such as more or less acne, etc.) or any difference in how you feel about diets in general?

My answer is yes and no.

Yes, it's the calories. 1200 = 1200.

But no, it's not JUST the calories. We're talking quality of life, feeling healthy, feeling satisfied by what we eat, getting nutrition.

For example, you could eat nothing but bread. Let's say you don't want to lose weight particularly, so you're eating 2000 calories of bread a day. Well, after some length of time, you'll have vitamin and protein deficiencies. You may even have gained weight, but your hair will be falling out, you may be anemic, you may have developed rickets, etc.

Many obese/overweight people are actually malnourished for this reason, in spite of how much they eat.

Jay

I completely agree as far as losing weight goes - which is what OP is talking about.

As far as nutrition goes, obviously not - but I don't think anybody was making that argument.

Totally agree thanks now I dont have to report lol

Yes and no...

Whether a person is consuming "healthy" or "unhealthy" calories the body is still subject to the laws of physics. The energy balance equation, or what some people describe as "calories in, calories out" will determine whether mass is lost, gained, or remains the same. However, the kinds of foods we eat can shift (but not negate, that distinction is important) the "out" part of the equation, as Amanda described. Since protein has a much higher thermic effect than fat or carbohydrates, your body will expend more calories to process it. So eating a higher percentage of protein will increase your calorie maintenance level relative to eating the same number of calories with a higher percentage of fat or carbs.

I agree with Jay also... technically it is the same but I can tell you since I started eating healthier foods, I have never felt better. And the right healthy foods are more satisfying making your diet so much easier.

Okay, I have a question to throw into the mix. I've been so confused about this. For those who have been successful at losing weight (a lot or a little, it doesn't matter), what did you find your percentage of macros was? Is it optimal to do something like The Zone (40-30-30), or something that's USDA recommended for a healthy lifestyle (not sure about the percentages, but the carb intake seems pretty high)?

I'm so confused. I don't know what the best amount of carbs would be. Personally, I'd love to follow the USDA guidelines, but I feel like I wouldn't lose weight that way. Obviously it's different for everyone, but what have you all noticed was your intake when you were losing weight successfully?

Hi Beach Patrol - I partly agree. I think overall that calories are the main key to weight loss, unless there are problems with insulin resistance, or at least some insulin metabolism issues, which actually isn't too uncommon. In that case, reduced carbs or better carbs come in to play. Additionally, I also think that the body is going to be more resistant to weight loss if the diet isn't balanced enough. If my body desperately needs a certain nutrient, I'm going
to crave it or be 'hungry' until I give my body what it needs.

(Oh, edited to add that Amanda basically already said this - sorry!)

Personally, I make sure to eat a minimum of 100g of protein and 30-40g of fiber each day. Everything else is fat and carbs, but I don't target a particular macronutrient ratio.

I strongly disagree. If I tried to eat 1200 calories of sugar per day, or even 900, I would gain weight uncontrollably. For me, I cannot touch most carbs. There are almost no good carbs in my world...virtually all carbs are bad carbs. The only carbs in my diet come from leafy green vegetables and almonds, and the occasional egg. Period. Of course, everyone's different. This is just me.

I agree that where the calories come from can change the math. Not the truth of the math, but both sides of the equations (calorie intake vs calories burned or otherwise excreted{not to be intentionally graphic, but some foods are not digested completely, so some of their calories leave the body intact, such as those from fiber/cellulose which humans cannot digest}).

Most of my dieting life (38 years and counting) I thought 1200 calories of fat would result in the same amount of weight loss as 1200 calories of protein. I also believed that low-carb diets were unealthy. Only in the last, oh about five years somewhat and only the last two years seriously have I begun understanding how important the calorie source is to my weight loss, and how much concentrated carbohydrate foods (even to a degree "good" ones) negatively affect not only my hunger and food intake, but also my energy level, my autoimmune symptoms, and mood. I don't think it's at all a coincidence that this has been the only time ever in my life in which I have been able to sustain a weight loss, and ENJOY it.

I've had better luck maintaining than losing, because I STILL find myself falling into the trap of thinking that "only calories matter" or that it's not healthy to limit grainfoods and other high-carb, but "healthy" foods, or that it's unfair or unreasonable to give up favorite carb-dense foods. I tell myself that I can enjoy high-carb foods if I count the calories, or if I limit the servings, or if it's a whole-grain or lower GI food......

It all "sounds good," and many people have lost weight with these same "rules," but I've proven to myself over and over again in these last five years, that I do need to eat fairly low-carb to maintain my weight and I need to restrict carbs even further to lose weight. When I believe it, I lose weight. When I don't, and choose to believe that only calories count, I don't do so well.

It's practical, really. I've experimented (38 years of experimenting) and I've found what does work for me. I don't like the conclusion that I've reached. I want it to be different. I want to be able to eat more than two servings of fruit in a day. I want to be able to eat whole wheat bread. I want to be able to eat pasta. I "can" eat any of those things (and less healthy carb choices also), but if I do, I will not lose weight. Whether it's because those things make me hungrier and I end up eating more calories - or whether they slow down my metabolism so that I burn fewer calories IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.

Most of my dieting life I've been searching for a WOE that I find not only effective, but doable. Not only when I devoted every moment of attention to it at the exclusion of other important things in my life, but indefinitely. A WOE that could become part of my life without overshadowing the rest. A WOE I could actually enjoy.

The sad part is that I have found it. A diet that is almost grain-free (I seem to do ok, with small amounts of rice and other non-gluten grains. I don't know if gluten is actually a problem, or if the grains that have worked so far just happen to be non-gluten grains like rice, tapioca, corn, quinoa...). A diet in which non-starchy vegetables are my main carbohydrate source. A diet that limits fruits to a couple servings. A diet that includes a serving or two of dairy.

I have achieved half the battle - finding a food plan that is effective and enjoyable. So what's holding me up? Denial? Laziness? Fear of change?

Maybe all of those, but I believe that much of it is just the feeling that I'm swimming upstream. It's difficult to live counter-culture. At least I find it so. I like to think that I'm unique and independant, an individual, a non-conformist; but the truth is that I'm a very conventional person in most things. I tend to think that not only majority rules, but that the majority is usually right, so I keep talking myself out of what I know to be true - just because it's still a minority opinion.

La Bonita, I do best when I follow the Zone percentages. I also aim for 100 grams protein a day when I'm working out a lot.

Jay

Beach Patrol~I gotta agree with you.
A calorie is a calorie~However I think It is good to eat the best types of foods are body needs to thrive.(like the fruits and veggies as you mentioned Are super)
I have counted calories For a little over 10 months now and I have lost weight consistently. A little over 80 lbs ~anyways I sometimes eat good for my body and sometimes so so. I Feel better & healthier When I eat things better for me and that my body needs~but I lose the same ~either way.
BUT I HAVE TO SAY~WHEN YOU EAT THE RIGHT TYPE OF FOODS YOUR BODY NEEDS YOU FEEL HEALTHIER ALONG WITH THE WEIGHT LOSS~WHEN YOUR EATING JUNK FOODS SOMEWHAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY~YOU FEEL LOUSY.
SO CHOOSE TO BE HEALTHY ALONG WITH THIN~It's hard to do But Best to do.

I have to agree "carbs", I can not eat carbs and lose. In fact even eating small portions of carbs stalls my weight loss.

I think perhaps the difference between those who can eat carbs and those who can just reduce food intake (calories) may be linked somehow to the way they became overweight.

Were they overweight all their lives?

Or did they gain weight by over eating?

I believe their is a metabolic link that some people just can not eat carbs.