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Originally Posted by blankall
I'm not an expert either but, the main things to think about IMO are total calories and protein intake. The reason why diets like the paleo-diet are effective is because they limit calories while keeping protein high.
There's nothing evil about carbs. They just happen to be the easiest thing to eliminate from your diet that will accomplish the goals of limiting calories without limiting protein. Plus it's really easy to overeat if your eating processed flours and sugars. Humans have basically taken plants and extracted and concentrated calories from them. In a time when we struggled to reach our calorie goals, this was a huge advantage. Now it leads to over eating.
There's also supposedly some effects on appetite too. Apparently lean meats will fill your appetite in fewer calories than carb heavy foods.
Basically, my overall point is this. These diets are all window dressing. In order to lose weight you need to find a way to decrease calories while maintaining protein intake. Carbs aren't evil, but they are the easiest thing to eliminate from your diet. Carbs are also very easy to over indulge on.
These diets will work for people who have trouble controlling their own appetite or structuring healthy meals. However, the problem with an ultra strict diet is they are hard to maintain. You're much better off thinking about the basics and making manageable changes to your lifestyle and diet.
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Pretty much this.
Expend more calories than you intake, maintain your nutrients while doing so (either through supplements or proper nutrition).