I think optimal vitamin D levels=optimal weightloss. The difficulty to lose weight can be associated with vitamin D deficiency. I raised my vitamin D to control my blood glucose and surprisingly I lost 8 lbs. within 3 weeks. I have not lost this quickly since induction.

http://www.mndaily.com/blogs/newsst...ted-weight-loss

Another thing that can help with weight loss is finding out if you have food allergies/intolerances/sensitivities. I have read that eliminating these foods can really help. But you have to know what they are - either from self-experimentation or by getting the tests done (the immune response tests I think are best?).

This is indeed very important and is too often overlooked.

Patrick

Here's some random thoughts on PaNu, carbs, etc.

PaNu's 12 step list is a good one. I follow most of it, and I have lost weight.

Kurt Harris is right about some folks who have a "broken metabolism." I am one of them. I was thin until about 30 years old. Gained a lot of weight in one year, then did the yo-you dieting thing with mostly high-carb, low cal diets. Gave up on the whole thing and started reading WAPF literature. Gave up on that a few months ago and went on and off a Paleo-style diet for the last few months. For about a month, I've been following the 12 steps of PaNu and I'm finally losing weight.

I'm hardly ever hungry. I can't eat more than 2 meals a day. I eat at 11am and at 7pm, so I guess I do enough fasting.


Why do people return to carbs after a LC/ZC diet? Carbs make people feel good short-term and they are just as addictive as any highly addictive illegal substance or tobacco. Julia Ross has a book out about this called The Diet Cure. Very interesting book. She used to work with drug addicts and alcoholics. Now she works with carb addicts.

http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Cure-Jul...66951771&sr=8-1

Of course she advocates much of what PaNu/Paleo/Primal folks advocate regarding food and diet.

I've accepted that I WILL lose weight on PaNu/Paleo/Primal, but I've also accepted that it will come off slowly.

6 months ago I learned that I am severely gluten intolerant after 53 years of eating gluten. So I started doing intensive research into grains/sugars and I learned that they are essentially poison to the body. My research led me to people like Kurt Harris, Michael Eades, James Carlson, Mark Sisson, Gary Taubes, and Julia Ross. My way of eating, and essentially my life, has changed forever. I am very grateful to all of them.

Yes, people can lose weight on any type of diet, and maybe even keep it off, and maybe not destroy their health all that much.

But for the majority of people, if the desire is to be at their goal weight AND healthy for life, the only way to do that is to eliminate grains and sugar from their diet forever, 99% of the time. And that is not just if you are gluten intolerant or diabetic.

There is a lot of information out there that supports that statement, and Good Calories, Bad Calories is the definitive work.

Kurt Harris is a smart guy. I wish he'd write a book.

He is writing a book. I will pre-order it as soon as it is available.

Patrick

Panu is very close to Optimal eating.Dr.Harris takes it further in line with all the new studies coming out.I follow it also and am trying to get my parents to abide by the 12 steps.They are low fat eaters so it will not be easy at all.

I think low-fat eaters might be more easily seduced by the "Protein Power Life Plan". And when they start eating more low-carb, then you can maybe introduce something like PaNu.

Patrick

Hehe I know what you mean Patrick.My father especially flinches when I mention eggs.I really don't think he will ever be persuaded to eat high percentage of his daily calories from saturated fat.

I know for myself that I gave up on low-carbing originally not from a desire to return to eating crap, but continual cravings for fruit. And with hindsight and a good solid 4 years+ of lcarbing this time round, I now know it was simply not enough fat. I was eating mayo and olive oil, but to be honest in order to remain on LC, I have to make every meal high fat. Too much protein with too little fat = fatigue and carb cravings. The body knows what it needs for energy- fat or carbs. I seriously think people what with the 'new' Atkins recommendations are really being set up for failure cutting out carbs and not subbing nearly enough fat. Just my experience in the long-term. I have seen some people's ideas of high fat low carb being around 60% but that just never worked for me to keep me on plan - it ended up being way too much protein and I was so tired all the time. Not knowing any better I dived into the fruit and then lost all faith in Atkins. When I returned I ate all high fat foods and bingo, easy to stay on plan.