I recently received the comment:

Phyllis Collins, I've been following you and have been a fan of yours.
Have u tried the 24 or 36 hour fasts? Was wondering what your experience was?

I've done quite a lot of experiments with "modified" fasts --- like JUDDD & EOD, and with total water fasting as well. I’ve written quite a lot about this already. To easily find some of them here at DietHobby, …go to the right side of the page about half-way down.... for BLOG CATEGORIES, Fasting, ……where you can easily find past articles I've written about my thoughts and experiences with Intermittent Fasting.  

Once you’ve arrived at the “Fasting” category, the best way to find relevant articles is … go to the bottom of that page, below the 5 blog articles, where it says “Page 1 / Page 2 / …. Oldest", and CLICK the link to the Oldest.  Then work your way forward, from the past to the present.

Many of my previous blog articles discuss, in depth, my own experiences with various types of intermittent fasting.

The Donkey, the Stick,
and the Carrot,

an allegory applicable
to Intermittent Fasting.

"A farmer wants the donkey to take the load and travel. 


But, the donkey does not move.
He hits the donkey with a stick, but it still won’t move. 


So, he ties a carrot to the stick  and holds it in front of the donkey, just out of reach. 


The donkey wants to eat the carrot and moves forward. 


At the same time, the carrot also moves by the same distance.

The donkey cannot eat the carrot, till the farmer reaches his destination."

The Donkey is me, or another “intermittent faster”.

The Stick is Fasting = eating zero or very small amounts of food on “fasting” days or times.

The Carrot is the Promise of eating whatever you want on non-fasting days or times.

"Just get through today, and tomorrow you can eat whatever you want."

The promise of days or times of unlimited, unrestricted eating is a Carrot that lures one to an Intermittent Fasting diet, but unfortunately, …for many of us, …. that Carrot proves to be nothing more than an alluring, false promise.

The Truth is that on “tomorrow = the non-fasting days or times”,  you CANNOT eat what you want, in the amounts that you want…unless what you WANT is merely the same as what a naturally thin person consistently eats in order to maintain a normal weight.

Success with intermittent fasting requires the zero, or very-low-calorie, "fasting" days to be balanced together with days or times of eating at or near one’s maintenance calorie level … in other words, the restrictive days or times need to occur alongside the kind of “healthy” moderate diet that is followed by the naturally thin. 

However, If I WANTED only “normal” amounts of “healthy foods", obesity would never have become a problem for me.

The issue is calorie balance.  The calorie number of the fasting day or time gets added to the calorie number of the non-fasting day or time with that Total number being divided by 2. When this Averaged calorie amount creates an ongoing calorie deficit, weight-loss will result from the ongoing calorie deficit.  However, this ASSUMES that an unmonitored participant would NOT follow a “binge-fast” pattern.  For example, a fasting day or time  of 20% with a non-fasting day or time of 200% (instead of 110%) would be a “binge-fast” pattern, and a calorie Average that would result in weight-gain.

The most extensive scientific research on Intermittent Fasting to date was done by Dr. Krista Varady.  This research is frequently quoted by Dr. Jason Fung to support his own fasting viewpoints.    For a limited time, a limited number of people “moderately fasted” = i.e. ate 20% of their TDEE on one day, and ate “normally” which turned out to be 110% of their TDEE on the following day.  

Personally, I question Dr. Varady’s conclusion that the non-fasting day 110% calorie total was a “naturally occurring” limitation.  Since those people KNEW they were being temporarily watched as part of a diet research program, one could reasonably argue that … despite being told to eat “normally” on non-fasting days, they were highly motivated to “not overeat” on “normal” days during that limited time period … which resulted in a modification of the way they would probably choose to normally eat, long-term, when not being watched by scientists.

For larger, younger people – especially males -- whose daily calorie burn is between 2000 to 2500 calories, Intermittent Fasting can be relatively easy…IF… their normal way-of-eating is to  “normally” eat around that amount; and …IF…they don’t tend to be “binge-eaters”, which means that they usually only eat VERY-high-calorie on limited special occasions.


However, I am a small, elderly, inactive,"reduced obese", female whose “normal” daily calorie burn is a bit under 1000.  It is a continual struggle for me to keep my food intake within that “normal” range, and for me … the reward of getting 1000 to 1200 calories the following day doesn’t seem like much of a Reward after a day of eating only 250 to 500 calories. So, far, despite my best efforts, my results on the up days are often 1500+ calories … which tends to cancel out any weight-loss results of the 250 to 500 calorie “modified-fast” days, … while STILL being FAR LESS than the amounts I really want to eat after a day, or alternate days, of calorie deprivation.

Dr. Jason Fung, M.D. - who is the current medical guru on Fasting - recommends fasting as a fix for “insulin resistance” . However, I do not have any type of Diabetes, and my blood sugars are in the normal range. Although I am a small, “reduced obese”, inactive, elderly female with a very low metabolic rate, I don’t appear to be “insulin resistant”. 

Dr. Fung also says the nature of obesity is “multi-factorial”, and that “the key to understanding obesity is understanding that many different things can contribute to the development and the treatment …. Obesity is not a single problem. There is no single solution.”

There is no one perfect “diet” for everyone.  My problem is that I find Fasting to be … in and of itself…. "a form of suffering”, and I know that weight that is lost through suffering tends to comes back when I get tired of suffering.

I agree with Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, MD when he says:  "If you don't like the life you're living while you're losing, eventually you're going to find yourself going back to the life you were living before you lost. " Doing this will cause your body to re-gain the weight-loss.

Nevertheless, Fasting is an interesting issue. As part of my dieting hobby, I expect that I will continue to learn more about it, and find new ways to experiment with Intermittent Fasting concepts. 

NOTE:  Originally posted on 8/23/16, Reposted for New Viewers

There’s a lot of talk in the Diet World about Ophra’s purchase of WeightWatcher’s stock which caused the value of the stock to soar, to the extent that she doubled her $40 million investment in one day. 

She is now acting as a spokesman in WW advertisements, and the 2016 catch phrase is “Beyond the Scale.”  Allegedly the focus is now “Healthy” eating …although the diet program is … and has always has been… WEIGHT WATCHERS.

As someone with years of participation in that diet program,… between 1972 and 1992 I joined and involved myself as a WW member more than 15 times,….. I am greatly amused by this recent development, and the fact that otherwise intelligent people will no doubt buy into this latest Shell Game.  

My own position is:
Every diet works for someone, but no diet works for everyone.
 
Decades of records show that only a very tiny percentage of WW members have ever achieved long-term weight-loss. (Long-term is 5 years or more.)

This current plan is clearly an attempt to refocus members toward the belief that it’s okay to continue shelling out the big bucks for an unsuccessful diet program because…  “Well, I’m still fat (or fat again), …but NOW I’m healthy.”

As part of my dieting hobby, after a bit of online research, I made a brief visit to the local WW store and bought a few books about the 2016 program. After that review, I was unimpressed, but even more amused when I understood that their “new” point system contains limitations which, if followed correctly, will serve to ban all but the tiniest amounts of sweet, fatty foods.  WW’s new system also penalizes saturated fats despite the tons of current scientific research on that matter.

Originally WW used an extremely restrictive Food Exchange Plan in order to guarantee that memers ate a "healthy" diet while losing weight.  See the detailed 1972 food rules posted below. Over the years the Food Plan evolved into a more flexible Exchange System.

By 1997 WW had changed it's Food Exchange System to a "Point" system, which was highly advertised as a change that was designed to allow a great deal of personal choice in the selections of one's daily foods.

WW’s previous point systems have treated all types of food in a similar manner, assigning about 40 calories as 1 point, however their 2016 new points+ system limits choices of foods such as sweets and saturated fats by assigning them a far higher point number than the points of “healthier” foods which have the same calories. 

Almost all fruits and vegetables are still “free” foods with zero points, (as they were in the most recent past points system). One can eat however much one wants of them every day (as long as they aren’t juiced or dried etc.). 

Upon review, It appears to me that women following the “healthy” recommendations would probably be eating between 1200-1800+ calories daily.  Since my own total daily calorie burn is around 1000 (see my past status reports here at DietHobby), for me…. following the current WW plan would turn into a personal weight-maintenance disaster.

Some of you might be interested in specifics of the original plan WW had when I first joined as a member back in the early 70s.  Instead of Counting Calories or Counting Points, one had to strictly follow a Recommended Food Exchange List.  At THAT time the focus was also on HEALTH as well as WEIGHT LOSS.


The Way It Was...
1972 Weight Watchers Program

THE BASIC PROGRAM
Please follow the Program as given. Eat only the foods listed in your Menu Plan, in the quantities and weights specified and at the meals named. Never skip a meal. Foods may be combined in varied ways, as described in our recipes, but remember to count all ingredients. Keeping a daily food record as outlined later in this book will help you do this.

1.  DIETETIC PRODUCTS  For the most part, dietetic products are not permitted. The exceptions are the artificial sweeteners, carbonated beverages and imitation and/or diet margarines.

2.  USE AS DESIRED  A number of condiments and seasonings, such as herbs, spices, certain prepared sauces, and beverages, may be used as desired. See p. 235 for a complete list. Note that the products listed under #2A are unlimited; those listed under 2B are limited.

3.  VEGETABLES (UNLIMITED AND MODERATE AMOUNTS)  The 3A vegetables are unlimited - nibble on these whenever you're hungry. The 3B vegetables are to be eaten in the amounts given on p. 243. All vegetables in groups 3 and 4 may be used fresh; canned; frozen (without sauce); or freeze-dried (measured or weighed after rehydration.

4.  VEGETABLES (LIMITED)  Select one vegetable or a combination of several (totaling 4 ounces daily) from the list on p. 286, at noon or evening meal. Vary your selection from day to day. A serving is 4 ounces, weighed after the vegetable is cooked and drained.

5.  FRUIT  See your Menu Plan for the amount of fruit you are allowed. Choose one fruit or juice daily at breakfast. Fruits are divided into 3 groups; see pp. 128-130 for lists and details.

6.  FISH, MEAT, POULTRY AND ALTERNATES  Your Menu Plan gives net cooked weight (fat, skin and bones trimmed away from fish, meat and poultry; cooking liquid drained from Alternates.) Do not use natural gravies from any item below except from Group A.

Fish: Must be used at least 5 times a week, counting only lunches and dinners. (Although fish is allowed at breakfast, you don't use enough to consider it a fish meal.) Just once a week, you may select from the special shellfish group and count it, if you wish, as one of your 5 must fish meals.

Meat, Poultry and Alternates: These are divided into Group B and Group C foods. Choose from Group B foods exactly 3 times a week - no more, no less - for lunch and dinner, as you wish. Group B is further divided into two parts, and you are not to choose from the second part more than once a week. Choose from Group C as desired (but allow for must meals).

7.  LIVER  You must eat liver at least once a week - if you have it more often, consider it in the Group C category. Liver from any meat or poultry that's permitted on program may be used: beef, chicken, calf, steer, lamb, pork, etc.

8.  BREAD  You may have bread at mealtime only, as listed on your Menu Plan. Use packaged, presliced, enriched white bread, 100% whole wheat bread, or enriched rolls. Each slice of bread and each roll should weigh one ounce.

9.  CEREAL  You may have one ounce (or cup measure equivalent) of ready to eat (not presweetened) or uncooked cereal with at least 1/2 cup skim milk.

10. CHOICE GROUP  Two or three times a week you may, by omitting one slice of bread from your menu, substitute one item from this group.

11. FATS  Daily, but at mealtime only, you must use one tablespoon of any one of the fats listed on p. 213 (or 2 tablespoons of imitation - diet - margarine). The fat may be used in a spread, salad dressing, or sauce; it may also be used in cooking.

12. EGGS AND CHEESE  

Eggs: Use 4 eggs a week for morning or noon meals only. Cook them in shell, poach or scramble without fat. See p. 73 for additional rules.

Cheese: Cheese and cheese products, while not required, add variety to your breakfasts and lunches. Select cottage cheese made with skim milk. Use no more than 4 ounces of hard cheese weekly.

13. MILK  See your Menu Plan for amounts of milk permitted; you may have skim milk, evaporated skimmed milk or buttermilk, as described on p. 196. Milks labeled "skimmed milk products" are not allowed on Program.

14. Do not eat or drink the following (except, of course, for "legal" recipes as given in this book):
Alcoholic beverages, beer, wine
.
Bacon or back fat (fat back)
.  Butter.
Cake, cookies, crackers, pies. 
Candy, chocolate
,
Catsup, chili sauce
. Coconut or coconut oil
. Corn
.
Cream, sweet or sour
. Cream cheese,
 Fried foods
,
Fruit-dried, canned in syrup or dietetic
.
Ice cream, ice milk, ices and sherbets
. Jams, jellies, or preserves.
Luncheon meats
, Muffins, biscuits. 

Non-dairy creamers or toppings
, Olives or olive oils. 

Pancakes, waffles
. Peanut butter
, Peanuts, other nuts
.
Pizza
, Popcorn, potato chips, pretzels
. Pork products
.
Puddings, custards, flavored gelatin desserts. 

Raw fish or meat
. Specialty breads.
 Salad dressings.

Sardines
, Smoked fish (except finnan haddie and salmon)
.
Soda pop, ades, punch, 
Soups,
 Sugar, 
Syrups.

FOOD RULES

BREAD

1.  Amounts: Woman (1 slice for breakfast, 1 for lunch)  -  Man (2 slices for breakfast, 2 for lunch)  -  Youth (1 slice for breakfast, 2 for lunch, 1 for dinner.

2.  Use packaged, pre-sliced, enriched white bread or 100% whole wheat bread. Slices should be 1/2" thick or about 1 ounce. No thin-sliced, dietetic or specialty bread. Use packaged, enriched white or 100% whole wheat rolls weighing about an ounce each.

3.  The bread must be eaten at mealtime only; never between meals.

4.  Exceptions: When you are having cereal for breakfast, you may either have your bread at breakfast, or transfer a slice to another meal. You may also omit one slice of bread from the menu for one of the Choice Group (but don't do this more than 2 or 3 times a week).

CEREAL One ounce (or the cup measure equivalent) of any ready-to-eat cereal or uncooked (not presweetened) cereal may be used if desired. Cereal must be eaten with at least 1/2 cup milk. If cereal is taken - it is allowed only at breakfast - your slice of bread may be taken at breakfast or another meal.

CHEESE
1. Amounts: Breakfast (1 ounce hard or 2 ounces farmer or 1/4 cup cottage or pot cheese)  -  Lunch (2 ounces hard or 4 ounces farmer or 2/3 cup cottage or pot cheese.

2. Do not use more than 4 ounces of hard (or semi-hard) cheese weekly.

3. Cheeses are "illegal" if they are soft enough to spread evenly and not hard enough to slice easily. Do not use cheese spreads.

4. Any hard or sliceable cheese and any soft cheese which does not spread smoothly are approved. Follow your Menu Plan. The following cheeses are permitted:

Hard or Semi-Hard: American cheese - mild to sharp; Bleu - sharp, spicy; Canadian slices; Cheddar - mild to sharp; Colby and Coon (type of cheddar) - mild to sharp; Edam - mild, nutlike; Farmer (colby type); Feta - slightly salty; Monterey Jack (Monterrey, or jack cheese) - mild; Mozzarella - mild; Muenster - mild to mellow; Parmesan - sharp, piquant; Port Du Salut (oka) - mellow to robust; Ricotta salata; Romano - sharp, salty; Roquefort - sharp and spicy; Stilton - piquant, spicy; Swiss - sweet, nutlike; Tilsit - mild to sharp.

Soft: Basket; Cottage (skim milk variety preferred); Farmer; Pot; Ricotta

CHOICE GROUP

Omit 1 slice of bread from the menu and select one item from this list 2-3 times weekly, if desired.

Beans (fresh) - lima, 1/2 cup cooked; red or white, 1/2 cup cooked; soybeans, 1/2 cup cooked; Cornmeal (1 ounce dry)
Cowpeas and/or black-eyed peas: 1/2 cup cooked; Hominy Grits (enriched): 3/4 cup cooked; Pasta (enriched): 1/2 cup cooked noodles (see note); 1/2 cup cooked pastina (see note); 2/3 cup cooked macaroni or spaghetti; Potato: 1 (about 3 ounces) baked or boiled; Rice (enriched), 1/2 cup cooked. Rice, brown: 1/2 cup cooked. Note: Green noodles and green pastina are permitted.

EGGS

1. Use 4 eggs a week, for breakfast or lunch only, never for dinner.

2. Eggs may be cooked in shell, or poached or scrambled without added fat. Do not eat raw eggs.

3. Egg whites and egg yolks may be prepared in separate recipes, provided that both white and yolk are consumed as part of the same meal.

FISH & SHELLFISH

1. Amounts: Woman, Man & Youth (2 ounces for breakfast; 4 ounces for lunch); Woman & Youth (6 ounces for dinner); Man (8 ounces for dinner) When buying fish, allow 2 ounces extra for shrinkage in cooking and 2 ounces more for bone, in addition to cooked weight.

2. You must eat a minimum of 5 weekly fish meals (for lunch or dinner), but use shellfish only once a week. You may have more fish meals if you wish - follow the Menu Plan.

3. Use fresh, frozen or canned fish (except if packed in olive oil). Drain off oil before using any allowed canned fish.

4. The only commercially smoked fish allowed are finnan haddie and smoked salmon. Raw fish is not allowed.

5. Fish may be boiled, poached, broiled, roasted, baked or browned in a non-stick skillet and the sauce or liquid left in the pan when fish is cooked may be consumed.

6. Fats (see p. 213) may be added by any of the following methods:
a) After fish has been cooked and served on your individual platter, you may add fat. b) After fish has been broiled, transfer it to an individual broiling pan, spread it with "legal" fat, and return it to the broiler for no longer than one minute. c) For luncheon, combine "legal" bread crumbs with fat, and spread on cooked fish in an individual pan, then put under broiler just long enough to melt fat (no more than one minute).

7. Approved fish (select 5 meals weekly from this list):
Abalone, Angel, Bass, Blackfish, Bluefish, Bonita, Bullhead, Buffalo, Butterfish, Carp, Catfish, Chicken haddie, Clams, Cod, Crappie, Cusk, Dolphin, Drum fish, Eel, Finnan haddie, Flounder, Frog's legs, Grouper, Haddock, Halibut, Leopard shark, Mackerel, Mullet, Octopus, Oysters, Perch, Pike, Pompano, Porgy, Porpoise, Red Snapper, Roe (from any fish in this group), Salmon, Scallops, Scrod, Sculpin, Scungilli, Scup, Shad, Shark, Smelts, Snook, Sole, Speering, Squid (cuttlefish), Sturgeon, Sucker, Sunfish, Swordfish, Tile fish, Trout, Tuna, Turbot, Weakfish, Whitefish, Whiting.

8. Choose only once a week, if desired. Crab, Crayfish, Lobster, Mussels, Shrimp

FRUIT
1. Amounts: Woman (3 fruits a day); Man and Youth (5 fruits a day)

2. One fruit must be taken at breakfast. Select 1 daily from List #1 and the others from List #1 or #2.

3. Use fresh, unsweetened frozen or unsweetened canned, packed in its own juice. Freeze dried may be used if equated to fresh fruit.

4. List #1:
Choose 1 fruit from this list daily.
Cantaloupe, 1/2 medium; Currants (fresh), 3/4 cup; Fruit juice: orange, grapefruit, orange and grapefruit, or tangerine, 1/2 cup (4 fl ounces); Grapefruit, 1/2 medium; Honeydew or similar melon, 2-inch wedge; Orange, 1 small; Orange sections with juice, 3/4 cup; Papaya (1/2" cubes), 3/4 cup; Strawberries, 1 cup; Tangelo, 1 small; Tangerine, 1 medium; Tomato juice or mixed vegetable juice, 1 cup (8 fl ounces); Ugli fruit, 1 medium. Note: If tomato juice is used in this way - it is in addition to your daily bonus of 12 ounces tomato juice.

5. List #2:
Choose daily from this list, if desired.
Apricots (12 per pound), 3 whole or 6 halves with 2 tbsp juice; Berries (blackberries, blueberries, loganberries or raspberries), 1/2 cup; Boysenberries, 2/3 cup; Caimito, 1 medium (available in Puerto Rico); Crab apple, 2; Cranberries, 1 cup; Gineps, 2; Guava, 1 medium; Jobo, 1 medium; Mandarin orange, 1 medium; Mandarin orange sections, 1/2 cup; Nectarine, 1 medium; Paw Paw, 1/4 medium; Peach, 1 medium or 2 halves or 1/2 cup slices with juice; Pineapple (canned in its own juice), 2 small slices (or 1 large) with 2 tbsp of juice or 1/2 cup crushed, chunks or diced, with juice; Pineapple (fresh), 1/4 medium; Plums (any type), 2 medium or 1 large; Rhubarb, 2 cups raw or 1 cup cooked; Sour sop, 1/3 cup; Sweet sop (or sugar-apple), 1/2 cup. You may choose from the following daily if desired: Woman (as 1 of your 3 fruits); Man (as 2 of your 5 fruits); Youth (as 3 of your 5 fruits) Apple, 1 medium; Pear, 1 medium

6. List #3: Once a week, if desired, you may substitute one of the following for one of your daily fruits. Do not choose the same fruit every week. Woman and Man (On the day you make this choice, do not include an apple or pear among your fruits); Youth (On the day you make this choice, do not include more than 2 apples or 2 pears among your fruits). Banana, 1 medium; Grapes (any type), 1 cup; Sapote (marmalade plum), 1/4 cup diced; Sweet or sour cherries, 1/2 cup pitted or 3/4 cup unpitted.

LIVER
1. Amounts (net cooked weight): Woman and Youth (4 ounces for lunch, 6 ounces for dinner); Man (4 ounces for lunch, 8 ounces for dinner)

2. Liver must be eaten at least once a week, either for lunch or dinner. It may be taken more often. If so, consider it as a Group C meat, which may be broiled, baked, roasted or pan broiled (without added fat). If liver amount is split, you may not count it as one of your required liver meals.

3. Liver from any meat or poultry that's allowed on Program may be used. This includes chicken and calf liver (the tenderest and most delicately flavored); lamb (not often available), steer and baby beef liver (usually tender and of good quality); and the more robust kinds of liver, which include mature beef, turkey, rabbit and venison livers. This last group of livers are frequently marinated for 30 minutes before they are cooked. Or they may be covered with boiling water, drained after a few minutes, dried and cooked as directed in the recipe.

MEAT, POULTRY AND ALTERNATES
Amounts (net cooked weight): Woman, Man and Youth (4 ounces for lunch or Alternates, 7 ounces; except soybeans, 6 ounces); Woman and Youth (6 ounces for dinner or Alternates, 10 ounces; except soybeans, 9 ounces); Man (8 ounces for dinner or Alternates, 14 ounces; except soybeans, 12 ounces).

Meat and Poultry   1. For each serving, allow 2 ounces for shrinkage in cooking and 2 ounces for bone, in addition to cooked weight. Fresh and frozen meats are permitted. The only smoked (or cured) meat allowed is ham. 2. Remove all visible fat before cooking. 3. Broil, bake or roast Group B Meat on a rack. Broil, bake, roast or pan broil Group C Meat. Meat marked with an Asterisk may be boiled. To do this, pierce first if necessary, then boil until cooked. Drain before serving.

Alternates,  Dried peas and beans, as listed, may be used. Cook them according to package directions. Drain, weigh and serve in the amounts indicated in your Menu Plan. Liquid drained from Alternates may be consumed. Group B (choose only 3 times a week): Beef, Gizzards; Kidney (beef, calf, lamb); Lamb

Choose only once a week, if desired: *Frankfurters (all beef); *Ham; *Heart; *Knockwurst (all beef); *Sweetbreads (beef, calf, lamb); Pork; Beans, dried lima, red or white; Lentils, dried; Peas, dried, black-eyed or cowpeas, chick or garbanzos, split. *Can be boiled, pierce first if necessary, drain.

Group C (choose as desired): Antelope; Buffalo; Capon; Caribou; Chicken; Cornish hen; Elk; Goat meat; Guinea hen; Moose; Pheasant; Pigeon; Quail; Rabbit; Soybeans, dried; Squab; Tripe; Turkey; Veal; Venison.

MILK
1. Amounts: Woman and Man (16 fl ounces skim milk, or 12 fl ounces buttermilk, or 8 fl ounces evaporated skimmed milk); Youth (1 quart skim milk, or 24 fl ounces buttermilk, or 16 fl ounces evaporated skim milk).

2. The skim milk we allow is the instant non-fat dry milk, reconstitute according to label directions; or skim milk labeled either "skimmed milk" or "modified" or "fortified skim milk" with no whole milk solids added. Do not use milk labeled "a skimmed milk product" or "99% ft free."

3. Your daily allowance of evaporated skimmed milk may be diluted with an equal amount of water to make a total of 16 ounces skim milk.

4. The buttermilk may be made from either whole or combination of skim milk and whole milk; Bulgarian buttermilk is not permitted.

5. You may use your milk at any time, at meal times, as snacks, at bedtime, in coffee or tea, or in our popular milk shakes and whipped toppings, but you must consume the amount allotted to you in your menu plan.

6. Mix-and-match your milk if you like. For example, a woman may use 1 cup (8 fl ounces) skim milk and 1/2 cup (4 fl ounces) evaporated skim milk to complete daily requirement.

7. Instant non-fat dry milk reconstitutes to the ratio of 1:3; therefore, if you stir 2 tsp dry milk into your coffee, you must count 6 tsp (1 fl ounce) skim milk.

FATS
1. Fats in the amounts included in your Menu Plan must be taken daily (at mealtime only):

...1 tbsp (3 tsp) mayonnaise; or 1 tbsp (3 tsp) vegetable oil; or oils such as corn, cottonseed, safflower, sesame seed, soybean, peanut and sunflower; or 1 tbsp (3 tsp) liquid vegetable oil margarine or 2 tbsp (6 tsp) liquid vegetable oil imitation (or diet) margarine.

2. Fats may be mixed-and-matched; e.g., you may have 1 tsp margarine and 2 tbsp mayonnaise daily.

3. Any product labeled "mayonnaise" and any oil labeled "vegetable oil" may be used.

4. Two types of margarine may be used. Molded margarines in stick form or by the pound may be used only if the first word on the label ingredient list is "liquid" followed by the name(s) of the vegetable oil(s) used. The second type of margarine which may be used includes those labeled "imitation and/or diet" margarine. These are usually sold in containers.

5. Fat must always be spread with a spatula or knife (not brushed on) so that none will be lost.

USE AS DESIRED

1. Dietetic Products: Two are permitted, in reasonably unlimited amounts: Any artificially sweetened carbonated beverage not to exceed 15 calories per day. If a 12-ounce container of beverage has only 3 calories, you may consume 5 containers in one day. If a 16-ounce bottle contains 8 1/2 calories, you may drink 28 ounces per day. Any dietetic beverage that contains 3 calories per fl ounce must be limited to approximately 5 ounces.  

Artificial sweeteners: There's no limit on the amount allowed (until you reach the Leveling Plan). However, many of the revised formulas for sugar substitutes have changed in caloric content. Check labels: If the packet (equivalent to 2 tbsp or more of sugar) lists up to 4 calories, consider it "legal."

2A. Unlimited - Use as desired the following: Browning sauce (liquid); Clam juice; Club soda; Coffee; Dehydrated vegetable flakes (as seasonings), e.g. celery, chives, onion parsley, not dehydrated vegetable flakes containing carrots or potatoes; Herbs, spices and other seasonings (e.g. shake-on type) for flavor. Shake-on seasonings in which either sugar or starch is listed as first ingredient are not permitted; Horseradish (red or white); Lemon and lime juice, fresh or reconstituted (for flavoring only); Mustard, prepared or dry; Pepper sauce; Postum (limited to 2 cups daily); Red hot sauce; Salt, pepper; Seaweed (agar agar, dulse, kelp, etc.); Soy sauce; Tea (mint, Gossip, rose hip, sassafras, unsweetened instant teas, and usual tea leaves); Vinegar (all vinegars are "legal": Cider vinegar, made from apples, wine vinegar from grapes, malt vinegar from grain, etc.); Water, Worcestershire.

2B. Limited Items - Bouillon cubes, instant broth and seasoning mixes: Not more than 3 per day; Extract and flavors (natural or with added imitation flavor): Use 2 tsp per day. Please note that we use the term "flavor extract" throughout the book to signify products labeled either "flavor" or "extract."; Unflavored gelatin: Up to 3 envelopes (3 tbsp) per day. Kosher unflavored gelatin is permitted; Tomato Juice or Mixed Vegetable Juice: You may use up to 1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) daily, if desired. In cooking, 3/4 cup tomato puree or 1/3 cup tomato paste may be used in place of 1 1/2 cups tomato juice reduced to half its volume.

#3 VEGETABLES
1. Use vegetables raw or cooked; fresh frozen (without sauce), or canned, either at meals or between meals (but always have at least one #3 vegetable at lunch).

2. You may eat all you want from Group A. Eat up to 4 cups raw or 2 cups cooked from Group B.
Note that cucumbers, peppers, pickles and tomatoes are counted rather than measured. The number listed (e.g. 2 medium cucumbers) counts as the total daily requirement of #3B vegetables. However, you may mix and match; for example, on the day you use 1 medium tomato, you may also have up to 1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw #3B vegetables.

*3. Please note asterisks designating dark green, deep yellow and red vegetables. You must select from these marked vegetables at least 2-3 times weekly. Vary your selection from day to day.

3A. Unlimited: Capers; Celery; Chicory; Chilies (peppers); Chives; Escarole; Gherkins; Lettuce; Nasturtium leaves; Parsley; *Pimentos; Radishes (Daikon); Romaine; Truffles; Watercress (Peppergrass).

3B. Moderate Amounts: Anise; Asparagus; *Bean sprouts; *Beans, green; Beans, wax; *Beet greens; *Broccoli; Cabbage, red or white; Cabbage, swamp; Cauliflower; Chard (Swiss); Chinese cabbage (Bok Choy); Chinese pea pods (Snow Peas or Chinese peas); Chinese winter melon (Tonqua); Collard Greens; Cucumbers, 2 medium; *Dandelion greens; Eggplant; Endive (including Belgian); Fennel; Fiddlefern (Fiddlehead greens); Finocchio; Grape leaves; *Kale; Kohlrabi; Mushrooms; *Mustard greens; *Peppers (green and red), 2 medium; Pickles (dill, sour), 2 medium; Poke salad greens; Sauerkraut; Sour grass; *Spinach; Squash (summer); Casserta; Chayote; Cocozelle; Cymling; Pattypan; Scalloped; Spaghetti; Straight or Crookneck; Vegetable Marrow; Zucchini; Tomatoes, cherry (1 1/2" in diameter), approximately 10-12; *Tomatoes (green or ripe), 2 medium; Turnip greens.

#4 VEGETABLES

1. You must eat 4 ounces (drained raw or cooked weight) per day, or a combination totaling that amount (for example, 1 ounce each of 4 different kinds). The #4 vegetables may be eaten only at the noon or evening meal.

2. Please note asterisks designating dark green, deep yellow and red vegetables. You must select from these marked vegetables at least 2-3 times weekly. Vary your selection of #4 vegetables from day to day.

3. These may be bought fresh, canned or frozen (except for those frozen with butter or other sauces); they may be eaten raw or cooked.

4. Drain your vegetable before you weigh it, but not down the drain. You may consume the liquid as is, or use it to replace water in making soups from bouillon cubes, etc.

5. The following vegetables belong to this #4 group:
Artichoke hearts; Bamboo shoots; Beets; Burdock; *Brussels sprouts; *Carrots; Celeriac (celery roots); Jicima; Leeks; Okra; Onions; Oyster plant (Salsify); Parsnips; *Peas; *Pumpkin; Rutabagas; Scallions; *Squash (winter) - Acorn, Banana, Butternut, Calabaza, Des Moines, Gold Nugget, Hubbard, Peppercorn, Table Queen or Danish Turban, Turks Turban; Turnips.

               From "Weight Watchers Program Cookbook" by Jean Nidetch
               © Weight Watchers International, Inc., owner of the registered trademark.

 Originally posted on December 30, 2015, updated for new viewers June 26, 2016

I am not, nor do I wish to be, a nutritional expert. My writings here at DietHobby are a result of my choice to manage my own personal problem with weight-loss and weight-maintenance by treating the many aspects of dieting as an enjoyable hobby.

I enjoy looking at many different viewpoints on the issues of food, nutrition, and obesity, and remain open to the possibility of new ideas. I have opinions about what behaviors are effective for me, and sometimes even opinions about which behaviors appear to be effective for others. My opinions are based on my own experiences; on what I have personally witnessed; and on information that I’ve gathered in my own pursuit of knowledge about those issues. Sometimes my opinions change.

For Dieting Perspective, see my past article located in the DietHobby ARCHIVES, What is the Best Way to Diet?

Life is filled with conflicting views, and just because two different “experts” hold differing opinions doesn’t really mean that either one is wrong.

“Experts” can be correct in some areas, and incorrect in other areas.

I have no personal need to decide who is “right” and who is “wrong”, and although an “expert” with a convincing argument can cause me to lean toward a specific belief, another “expert” can make a counter-argument which results in me changing my mind.

DietHobby is a combination of thoughts and ideas that interest me. Often, when I share the ideas and thoughts of others, I include my own. Sometimes I haven’t yet formed an opinion on an idea that I share here at DietHobby, except for the fact that I find it worth thinking about.

I read many, many books, articles, and comments involving issues relevant to my Dieting Hobby, but usually, I only write about the concepts that I find the most valuable to me, OR the most interesting to me.

I was recently intrigued by the statement: “Obesity is seen as a simple problem: people get overweight because they eat more calories than they expand. That’s a bit like saying “cancer is simply a cell gone wrong”.

After reading a few articles by the author of the statement, I ordered a book that he published about a week ago, November 2, 2012, entitled: “Something to Chew On: Challenging Controversies in Food and Health” by Mike Gibney, who is a professor at University College Dublin, with a global reputation for research on food and nutrition.

Allegedly, the book covers … from a scientific point of view… all of the worldwide controversies dominating the popular press in relation to the modern food chain. He says he wrote the book to help the average person to gain some understanding of the mainstream science of food & health and in so doing to de-bunk many common myths and misperceptions.

The book appears to have a chapter that challenges the claims of environmental groups that genetically modified foods are a danger to health and the environment. Another chapter looks at data about the rise in obesity pointing out that obesity has been rising in the US in waves dating back to the early 20th century, and challenges the conventional wisdom that it is simply due to junk food.

One chapter challenges the myth that organic food is more nutritious, more tasty, more flavoursome and more environmentally friendly than conventionally grown crops. Another chapter explores “the roles of the players in the drama of food politics”, and includes the issue of starvation existing now for some populations. A chapter apparently explains how society assesses risks in our food supply and the testing processes. Evidentially the final chapter has a focus “on the two great food tragedies of modern times: obesity and malnutrition”. 


I love exploring ideas from different perspectives, and am looking forward to learning specifically what the author has to say. Will I be writing about it in the future?  Maybe… it all depends on what I see when I read the book.

NOTE:  Originally posted on November 6, 2012.  Reposted for New Viewers.

I believe that this is not a one-size-fits-all world, and that every diet doesn't work for everyone, but every diet works for someone.

That said, I'll admit that I have my own personal biases and prejudices. I've written about them here and there in various articles here on DietHobby, and you can find them in the Archives section. 

Personally, I'm strongly opposed to the concept of Intuive Eating as a means to lose weight or maintain weight-loss. I've read many books about it. I've attended seminars on it.I've experimented with it. I've spent a great deal of time observing others who try it out.

My conclusion is that ... for anyone who has a long-term problem with obesity ...Intiutive Eating as a weight-loss or maintenance of weight-loss diet is simply "wishful thinking", and it almost never works.

I am a great believer in using a computer software program to daily track one's food intake ... forever. I've written a very great deal about that, and although my own personal favorite is DietPower, any such software program that you can learn and use will work well. 

I've experimented quite a lot with various low-carb diets, and with alternate day eating, and I frequently incorporate elements of those plans into my own eating plans. 

One Diet that I am quite taken with, is the No S Diet.  While I do not follow it myself, I have incorporated many of its concepts. It is a simple plan, and its theme of moderation is a sound one.  Although it is ineffective for many, as a stand-alone-diet, It can be a behavior base for many other diets, and with a few modifications can become an excellent plan for almost everyone. 

The book, The No S Diet is simple, well-written, and quite excellent. I've read it many times, and have purchased copies for friends. You can find an extensive review of it here.

Here is a recent testimonial from a long-time user of the No "S" diet.  

I'm nervous and excited about finally writing this because I love No S so much and want to sing it to the high heavens, and not after just the honeymoon phase of success. At age 58 and two years, this marriage is going to last! 

I can’t be a source of hope for anyone who is trying to get into the low end of his/her BMI range, but there are others who can. However, No S HAS SAVED MY EATING LIFE AND MY SANITY AROUND FOOD. In 2 years, I’ve gone from 185 to 161 (13% of my weight) and am still losing. Not the huge drops some have, but I had some setbacks, and yet I’m stronger now than ever, unlike most people who follow traditional diets; they are usually heavier 2 years later. Plus, I look good in my clothes and I feel confident and peppy. I wasn’t even sure I would lose weight on No S, but I knew I had to do something about my insane compulsion to overeat, mostly sweets, and mostly in private. If you want freedom from the tyranny of food as much as or even (as I did) more than weight loss, I ecstatically recommend it! 

(BTW, the National Weight Loss Registry reports that it takes 2-5 years of compliance for the likelihood of relapse of overeating to drop to 25%, and this is only in the 3-15% who actually do lose weight in the first place. And those people do not usually get thin, just thinner. Sobering news, and more reason not to choose radical plans, in my opinion. Consistent moderation forever!) 

• I no longer worry about the pull of fattening or processed foods/ carbs/sugar. I can have small amounts without going overboard-- or none. 

• I don’t fear restaurants or social eating situations where lots of food is available. 

• I don’t feel deprived or in food prison. 

• I’m completely happy with the program. I’m not afraid that there’s a better, faster way to get lean and mean that will last. 

• I love my three meals a day and love getting hungry. I overeat some on the weekends, but less and less, and I enjoy all that I do eat. 

• I stuck it out even when I was bingeing on weekends much longer than many and it has paid off. Don't fear the weekends! 

• Thank you, thank you, thank you, Reinhard and all the long-term No S-ers here. 

The challenge for anyone with disordered eating is to find the right balance of ordered eating to counteract it. As I see it, the major problem is too many random decisions to eat a lot of calorie-dense food, especially in the face of promises to self not to eat. No S has been the best of both worlds for this recovering disordered secret “emotional” binge eater, even though it was not designed for it: a program that promotes flexible food choices with ordered limited access to food, and free eating on weekends to promote more independent judgment. Jackpot! I found that it didn’t matter what the reason was for my wanting to eat during the week. I just didn’t do it between meals. So freeing. And two years of mostly compliant weekdays tamed my weekends enviably. 

History for those who need to hear if it matches their problems: I started eating sweets secretly when I was about 10 years old and was told at 12 to lose 10 pounds (I weighed 120 at 5’4”). I did not and weighed 145 after high school when I went on my first real diet for a gymnastics class (even though I was in my normal BMI range). I managed over 40 years to stick to diets and lose weight for probably about 3 years total in that time. The rest of the time, I agonized over eating and my body, never able to stick to my attempts to cut eating sweets, especially at night. My disordered eating got progressively worse so that my weight rose from mostly in the 140-150’s before my 40's to eventually to over 200 for a short time.

I first joined No S in October of 2008 (age 55), probably weighing 180, had brief success, but fell off after Thanksgiving and didn’t return in earnest until Dec. 26, 2009 at 185. I WAS DESPERATE AND KNEW THAT MY DISORDERED EATING WOULD ONLY GET WORSE AND BE WITH ME MY LAST YEARS ON THIS PLANET IF I DIDN'T DO SOMETHING. I knew that eating 5-6 meals a day as I had been for 7 years was not stopping it. I knew that though intuitive eating had helped me get rid of a lot of food prejudices against supposedly fattening foods, I hadn’t been able to use it to lose weight. I knew that though I had actually learned a lot about what combinations of whole foods I enjoyed and actually satisfied me on traditional diets, I wouldn’t follow one, nor track calories forever. And I believed that at least for me, there was no food I couldn't learn to eat in moderation. No S was and remains my best bet, and I am so grateful I found it! I may alter what I eat at meals or how much on weekends but I will never go back to snacking, tracking, or sweets every day. This is it! 

May we all find peace with food soon.

_________________

Ht. 5'6" 

SW 12/26/09 185 lbs.

10/11/11 166 lbs.

1/08/2012 161 

Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:33 am    
Post subject: controlling disordered/emotional eating

NOTE:  Originally posted on 1/10/12, Reposted for New Viewers

 One should read the book “The No S Diet” by Reinhard Engels  even if only to access his wisdom, common sense, and Habit concepts. 

Reinhard Engels is a software engineer who created the diet for himself and lost 40 pounds.

His diet has just three rules and one exception: No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds, Except (sometimes) on days that start with "S" (Saturday, Sunday and Special Days).

The No S Diet is incredibly simple. It has just three rules.
These three rules   focus attention on the three primary areas that affect a person’s diet.

No Seconds…means you have to use portion control. 
                All of the food in your meal must fit on one normal sized plate (the one-plate rule).
No Snacks..…means you have to eat at mealtimes only..no food in-between meals.
No Sweets......means you have to avoid foods that have sugar as the principal ingredient.

All of these rules apply on all normal (N) days.

 None of these rules apply on (S) days, i.e. weekends, holidays, and special occasions..
However, you are advised to normally stay with your normal-N day- habit and only SOMETIMES use your allowable exceptions. Just because it is an "S" day, doesn't mean sweets or snacks or seconds are REQUIRED. It just means there's no RULE against them. It isn't permission to binge. Following N day principles on S days is appropriate behavior.

Reinhard's No S is: ..."except SOMETIMES on S days".
Reinhard’s basic warning is: "Don't be an IDIOT".
Putting all of your food on one plate in front of you at the same time is meant to help you see how much you are actually eating, and keep you from deceiving yourself about that issue. Both the "No Snacks" rule and the "One Plate" rule are meant to keep one from DECEIVING oneself about how much one is actually eating. Reinhard hopes that the REALITY of seeing the food all together will jolt one into choosing to eat less. However, this depends on one's subjective beliefs about the size of "normal" food portions. 

The one-plate rule (no seconds) can be helpful information for a "normal" person, who is struggling in the "overweight" category if they understand how little food-intake they actually need, and have simply allowed their weight sneak up on them.
But it isn't very helpful for a person well into obesity, who thinks of large portions of high-calorie food as a normal amount.

No S is a simple, straightforward diet that is non-restrictive in nature. There are very few rules that must be followed. It allows people to occasionally eat foods that are normally restricted. It will fit into any lifestyle, and can be used together with other diet plans. It also is very affordable.

The No S diet relies strongly upon the concept of Habit, and the plan is based on getting people to cultivate habits that are sustainable for life…Habits which are intended to result in weight loss, or at least, result in the maintenance of one’s current weight.

There isn’t any fixed step-by-step plan, which could be an advantage to some, and a disadvantage to others. No S diet does initially demand huge amounts of self-control when it is used by people who have lifestyle habits that normally involve large amounts of between-meal eating, or large amounts of food at meals. You might suffer from hunger pains until your body adjusts to the No S way of eating.
You are the one who decides whether to make healthy food choices while eating within those rules. The No ‘S’ diet plan asks people to stick to a healthy diet plan. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less! The only food problem one needs to address, is the snacking, portions, and sweets part of their diet.

Initially, these rules tend to commonly result in weekend binge eating. This binge eating lessens over time for some people, but for other people weekend binge eating becomes habitual.

The primary problem with the basic No S Plan (known as “vanilla” No S) is that it won’t necessarily result in weight-loss. As Reinhard says,

"The No S Diet is not designed to get you "trim trim;"
it's designed to help you eat moderately (and see what happens)."

People differ in their energy requirements. The energy requirements for large, active males are far different than for small, sedentary females. This distinction is not addressed in the No S diet, and under the basic No S rules, it is easy for small, sedentary females to eat more than their body requires which, over time, can actually result in weight-gain.

The No S diet is based on the principle of Moderation. For people who don’t want to count calories, carbs, or keep track of points or food-exchanges and want something simple, then the No ‘S’ diet can be a good plan. It is simple, but not necessarily easy. The primary problem is whether you can actually follow the restrictions underlined in the diet.

I am very interested in the No S diet’s Habit concepts, and have watched many others on the No S diet for several years. My personal observation is that "vanilla" No S tends to activate the "binge/fast" cycle for many people, and my observation over the past couple of years, has been that, time alone,does not seem to stop "IDIOT" behavior for obese people who tend to binge. It seems clear to me that these people need additional eating restrictions on "S" day eating.

Reinhard makes some good suggestions on some additions and modifications that might help resolve this problem for some people.My personal version of No S greatly differs from Reinhard's basic plan.
My opinion is that the brilliance of The No S Diet is not in the specific rules of the diet,
but instead in the philosophy of cultivating eating habits that are sustainable for life. 

NOTE:  Originally posted on 3/30/11, Reposted for New Viewers