Diet - High carb, low carb, high protein or fat???

I think it worthy of its own thread, there has been much discussion around diet after Oscar lost weight on a low carb diet.

The general Atkins principle has worked well for me too but I am interested to know what has actually worked for different people.

This is not intended to raise perceptions or percieved dangers of various diets but to hear what actually works.

I was on a very strict balanced, low fat diet for nearly a year, visited homeopaths and even tried accupuncture to no avail. The doc even suggested I train less to ensure I release less Cortizol hormone as my Insulin levels were remaining high.

On trying a high protein diet, and I haven't eaten as much tuna or Fish as I should (I really enjoy Lamb chops and egg) and am really working on nicreasing my veg intake. I have found my Insulin, cholesterol and weight are starting to rapidly normalise.

In my younger days cycling 4-5 hrs a day it didn't really matter what I ate but now at 41 it is clear my body just doesn't tolerate carbs. That said i am aware that once down at my goal weight not having excess fat to leverage off my diet will have to adapt in particular if my training durations increase.

I am interested to hear what "against the grain" no pun intended diets have worked for others that are active in sport.

Read, or listen (Audio Book) The China Study.

It may change you views about food altogether. Especially high protein diets.

When I was proper fit and fast, loosing weight was a problem.
Simply shoveling enough food into my mouth was the limiting factor in how much I could train and ultimately my speed.

But surf ski is a little different.
The calorie requirements for me to paddle are far lower than any other discipline I have done.

I have certainly noticed a very different response to differing foods as I age.
But the one constant, is stay away from highly refined breads.

Extremely high glycemic index causes huge insulin swings and generally make me put on weight at the same time as feeling tired.


Getting a negative calorie balance is the only non drug induced way to loose weight and finding what works for you is highly individual.
I'm sure hat every ice-cream I have ever eaten has gone directly to my belly.


Every time a proper study is done on how skinny people stay thin, the end result is that they eat less calories than people that slowly get fatter over time.


Just cut out the crap, eat natural and don't go home from the supermarket with boxes and tins, go straight to the fresh produce section and then get out the door.

Personally, unscientifically, and all opinion based on unprovable personal experience...

If I eat more protein (either shakes, tuna, meat, lentils) and sometimes add a bit of olive oil to my food (after cooking), then I find I don't feel like eating as much junk / high-gi carbs etc.

If I eat less junk, and drink less wine (depends on work stress, right...), then I get leaner.

That may not lose me any weight, but it means I wobble less when I jump up and down, and that makes my vanity feel good.

Seriously though, at the level of a mid-packer, I think the main part of the diet is to eat less junk. Adding a bit more protein is working for me. Adding a bit of olive oil to things also helps.

... would that I could roll back the clock to the chips n pies diet of last decade ...

I used the Lite n Easy program for a month last year which was long enough to develop some eating habits that saw me drop 10kgs over a period of 10 weeks.

The gist of the program is 5 meals a day with the bigger meals first. Big brekky, MT, normal lunch(protein based sanga and fruit), arvo tea, and a light evening meal.

If I was a single bloke, I would prbably use it just so I wouldn't have to shop.

As Red said on the other thread

Weight loss is very, very simple. Expend more energy than you consume. Regardless of what kind of diet you follow, if this does not occur, you will not lose weight.

My 2cts :
I eat what i like, have a few beers and i'm not gaining weight. In fact I lost 10 kg over the las 2 years.
What have worked for me was keeping track of EVERYTHING I was eating by writing it in a notepad... Helps you realize how much junk food you're eating between meals... Done that for a year, and before I knew it, I was eating less of all that shit. Now I'm not eating anymore between meals.