It is very complicated. Simple people in the fitness industry believe in the simplicity of exercise more eat less. What I'm arguing is that it's terrible advice, which it is, since it fails to produce long term health or long term weight loss, simplest reason being stress. Discipline is irrelevant, it's about where to direct that discipline. Try getting people to lose weight with this bullshit then get back to me
Edit: There are plenty of people with discipline who get fat because they over-rationalize what to eat instead of listening to their body. Bodybuiders, and low carb dieters are the best example. Perhaps take a look at the links I sent, or remain stupid like the Americans you accuse of being.
so how can people then lose weight?
I have no idea how to multi quote, but I will also address the guy on page 2, who said "did that one dude just say you can get fat from not eating?" or something along those lines.
Yes. Cortisol can RELOCATE fat into the abdominal area. It can take stored glucose reserves, or burn muscle to make glucose, and store that as fat, in the midsection.
http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/stresscortisol.htmlI've seen it happen to myself.
Gary Taubes mentioned people on true starvation diets looking emaciated, but fat. Stop eating for 50 days, will you have a 6 pack? Only if you're black. (slight joke there). Clearly in the starvation picture on page 1 of this thread they're not fat looking. It really depends on your genetics, some people will look a little fat in the lower abdomen.
Ok so how do you keep weight off in the long term.
Well this is the advice i'd give to people. Eat clean, and eat till you're satisfied, but it must be automatic and subconscious (haha). Clean = complex carbs, not much bread, no refined starches, organic fruit veggies, humanely raised meats/eggs, raw dairy, and maybe some supplements, and cycle the diet.
Now I never said you wouldn't burn fat eating less and exercising more, I said you wouldn't in the LONG term. The reason most people fail on low calorie diets in the long term is because when they overfeed, they stuff themselves with fat and sugar, which is the best way to store a lot of fat and gain weight and become insulin resistant. if people overfed only on carbs, or say 70-80%, they could slowly restore their metabolism while keeping the fat off. So yes it can work, but chances are you'll splurge on really bad things, despite how much willpower you think you have, cuz your body is smarter than you.
Yin and yang, need to be balanced, everyone knows this. You can call it homeostasis if you will. A low carb diet/fasting/eating less/exercising are all yang. Carbohydrates and sugar, sleeping, loungin, are yin. Having both is great. Take cheat meals for instance, they are restoring the metabolism, and preventing the shut down that occurs from long term low cal dieting, and restoring yin. But they're not necessary if you listen to your body and learn to just eat a lot when the body asks for it, and not think about food naturally when occupied.
Puttin an emphasis on carbohydrates can be a good idea for athletes. A really great way to overtrain is going on a low carb diet while exercising. Great way to kill your HPA axis. Not eating too much fat with the carbs is also a good idea. When you're nice and carb loaded, and have restored a lot of yin, expend it, and just eat fats, or fast intermittently. So it's al about balance. Anything and everything can work as long as it is not depleting the body. Exercisin more and eating less are depleting and unsustainable
