re: People who've lost a lot of weight, how did you do it?

On the Alone tv show, some guys lose 50+ pounds in 50 days so I guess you could go to the wilderness of northern Saskatchewan or Patagonia.

I bought a Fitbit and started working out a couple days per week . Then, I started to count calories for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I made sure to eat 500 calories less than my calories out (Doing that for a week resulted in 1 pound loss per week). Calories for food per day were around 1,400 and I tried to burn 1,900 or more. I lost 40 pounds and have kept it off since 2017. No miracle drug, just discipline. I now workout 5 days a week because I just feel better. I hope this helps!

Stopped eating out so often. Starting cooking at home more. This plus some walking after work every day has done wonders. Have lost 60ish lbs in the last few years.

I dropped 15 lbs just by cutting out soft drinks entirely. No other changes to my physical activity.

I “may” have a sweet tea when we go out to a restaurant.

Diet and exercise. Cut out sugar and reduce carbs to minimum, increase protein, and walk at least two miles every day. Weight will start dropping quickly.

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The OMAD, Fasting, and Intermittent Fasting subreddits are FULL of success stories/progress pics of huge people dropping significant weight, like dropping 100+ lbs. It’s amazing to see. Those forums are also very positive because fasting and clean eating make people feel so much better.

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OMAD is awesome. So simple, yet so effective, shows how many empty/needless calories Americans consume daily. I’m 5’10 and was able to ‘culk’ from 225 to 173 on a modified omad diet, basically eating a few 180-200 calorie 20g protein bars/shakes throughout the day, while also going to gym for lifting/cardio 4-5 times/week, during times I would have ordinarily been eating. I found without the protein bars I had no energy for the gym. Goal is to arrive home at a net 0 calorie intake after accounting for calories burned. Cut out all alcohol intake during the week, and really watch it on the weekend. Alcohol is important because not only is it caloric, it also disinhibits you, leading you to eat more. I can’t recommend that program enough.

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If you don’t kickstart the hunger hormone (ghrelin) with eating, you don’t even feel hungry, and in fact, without any sugar crash, you have a ton of energy.

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Right. People say they could never do it, and then once they’re past the first few days they see how easy it is and how it’s just not necessary to eat 2-3 times/day. Combine that with how much better you feel from actual physical exercise, and it’s a literal life changing event.

And I second your comment above about cooking at home. I’ve also tried a bunch of different ethnic cuisines, and anything you make at home will have a fraction of the oil, salt, and calories of restaurant food. One thing we make often is Paul prudhomme’s blackening seasoning (recipe available for free on NYT). A little olive oil and a healthy application on chicken, shrimp, or steak cooked on a screaming hot cast iron pan on the grill or outside burner is quick, super healthy, and you don’t feel like you’re dieting at all.

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One has to make a decision every single day on what foods you will/will not consume. For the rest of your life. You can never quit.

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This doesn't have to be the case and honestly seems discouraging. This is what people mean when they say you should change the way you think about food. It does take time (not as long as you think) but after your taste buds have recovered from a lifetime of assault by sugar, sodium, oil, and artificial flavoring you will start to appreciate whole unprocessed food on a new level. I even started loving a lot of real foods that I never liked before.

Nature has given us so many options with so much variety in taste and texture. Unfortunately, the modern industrial diet (aka SAD), and the never ending chase for the 'bliss factor' has robbed us of our ability to fully appreciate them.

Unplug from that bullshite completely and you'll be cranky for a few weeks or months but if you have an open mind to trying a few new things you might be surprised to learn that the human body actually likes real food.

And the best part is, unlike modern frankenfood, your body knows how to respond to natural food. It actually recognizes what you're giving it. When you've had enough you're not hungry anymore so no counting calories and eat when you want.