Seriously, I eat meat, however, I think the proportion of vegetarians in modern society would quadruple if we had to kill and butcher the carcasses of the animals.

The other interesting result is that none of the participants did a good job of adhering to their particular diet plan.

I’ve been on a low-carb (less than forty grams a day) diet for seven years. It works really well to help control my diabetes.

I’ve done the ketosis diet, back when I was in my 20′s and feeling the need to lose about twenty pounds. It worked fine, with me eating lots of hamburger meat and peeing on the little stick that tells you whether you’re in ketosis. Enjoyed peeing on the stick and feeling rewarded when it changed color, and lost the weight without ever feeling deprived.

Back at the beginning of this century, I lost almost 70 pounds. I did it by essentially cutting my caloric intake to about 40% of what it had been, for about 8 months.

Didn’t control what sorts of food I ate or try to balance fruits and leafies or do meal plans or anything like that. I just ate much less. I also walked at least a half an hour a day, sometimes an hour.

I felt great and strong and lean. I maintained the weight for a year or so, then let it slip away. Walking and not eating for comfort are practices that must be maintained, and the less you do them, the harder it is to get back to them. They must become habits for life, as has been mentioned above.

As soon as I get this cast off, I start walking again.

…One of my favorite bumper stickers: If God didn’t mean for us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat?

I respect the Vegans out there; they’re better people than me in an important way. But I’m a carnivore, awful as the implications may be, and I don’t think I’ll become enlightened enough to change that.

[Fun stuff: an archeology student’s experiment cooking with a skin pot: http://www.wynja.com/arch/cooking.html

I will admit to having lettuce on my cheeseburgers, though.

Still not eating any but green veggies?

Just wondering-
Doug

However, I have decided that part of the problem with diets is that we don’t eat “real” food any more. We drink low-fat this and that instead of putting real cream in our coffee. We eat margarine instead of butter. And instead of treating soda like a treat, we treat it like a necessity.

And don’t even get me started on corn syrup, American portion size, and anything with Olestra in it. (Sweet nattering Jesus, why would anyone eat something that could give them “anal leakage?”)

When The Dude and I were in Europe a few years ago, I ate A LOT. Every day it was full fat yogurt, butter, cream, pastries, crepes, mmmmmmmm, you get the idea. And I lost weight during this eating extravaganza.

So now I try to eat the way I did in Europe. Smaller portion size, but better food. And if I want a cookie, fuck it, I’m having a cookie.

I love your “eat nutritionally dense foods” idea, Maureen. It’s difficult to get as much of what you need without them. I just wish broccoli wasn’t so damned good for you. The only way I can tolerate it is with a healthy dose of cheese sauce.

But I really want a doughnut. Or three.

…I love healthy food. I prefer it to unhealthy food.

…I hate cooking, and I am a lazy eater.

…If there is healthy food that is in front of me and ready to eat, I go with that. If there is unhealthy food in front of me and ready to eat, I go with that.