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The Startup Diet: How I Lost 35 Pounds While Working Overtime

135 points| PStamatiou | 15 years ago |paulstamatiou.com | reply

143 comments

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[+] KirinDave|15 years ago|reply
I'm not sure why people feel any type of carb is bad for regular weight loss. There is no significant evidence that refined or unrefined carbs are bad for your weight loss (assuming you are not diabetic). Carbs can be bad because carb-rich foods tend to be surprisingly high in calories, but that's about it from a weight loss perspective.

Also, 1,200kcal/day diets are brutal. Caloric restriction diets have overwhelming scientific evidence of being an ineffective strategy in the long term. Even if you have some elaborate food system with rest days, it doesn't matter. They fail for the overwhelming majority of people. They lose weight, fail to maintain the difficult diet, then pop back up.

Your body doesn't defy thermodynamics, but your metabolism is a clever thing. The best way to achieve permanent, long term body-fat loss is to reduce your diet to something reasonable and exercise (both aerobic and weight) regularly. I know hackers desperately want the clever solution, but as it stands there is no evidence-based way to get results that is as reliable as the "eat-less-workout-more" approach.

[+] msluyter|15 years ago|reply
I don't believe the evidence is on your side. The reason carbs damage us more than merely their caloric content is, to quote Dr. William Davis of The Heart Scan Blog:

"Carbohydrates increase small LDL particles. Or, in the cholesterol-speak most people understand, "carbohydrates increase cholesterol." It's counterintuitive, but carbohydrates increase LDL substantially, far more than any fat.

Carbohydrates increase blood sugar. Eggs don't increase blood sugar, nor do chicken, raw almonds, onions or green peppers. But a bowl of oatmeal will send your blood sugar skywards.

Carbohydrates make you fat. Carbohydrates, whether in the form of wheat flour in your whole wheat bread, sucrose in your ice cream, fructose in your "organic Agave nectar," or high-fructose corn syrup in your dill pickles. They all provoke de novo lipogenesis, or fat formation. They also stimulate insulin, the hormone of fat storage.

Carbohydrates cause glycation. High blood sugar, like the kind that develops after a bowl of oatmeal, triggers glycation, or modification of proteins by glucose (blood sugar). This is how cataracts, kidney disease, and atherosclerotic plaque develop. Small LDL is 8-fold more glycation prone than large LDL, providing a carbohydrate double-whammy."

I also recommend Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes, which is a well documented indictment of our common wisdom regarding nutrition (ie, things like the preposterous food pyramid). The general point is that not all calories are alike.

My own merely personal anecdote: after eliminating all wheat and almost all other carbs from my diet, I lost ~35 points effortlessly. All this while not doing much exercise at all (recent evidence suggests that your body simply adapts to exercise by getting hungrier). I was much hungrier and unhappier on a low fat diet.

[+] starkfist|15 years ago|reply
There's a lot of glycemic index nonsense out there today. There is a low carb meme which will have you believe that just a few ounces of "carbs" will throw your metabolism out of whack and you won't lose weight even if you keep calories low. This is bullshit.

However, if you are trying to lose weight, it's often good to leave out carbs simply because it is so easy to overeat carbs. I love pasta and could easily eat 1200 calories worth of spaghetti and still have room for more. On the other hand , I almost have to choke down 1200 calories of eggs, fruit and vegetables.

[+] mrtron|15 years ago|reply
Avoiding carbs is a hack.

What it really should say is avoid 80% of the crappy cheap carbs you get from super refined/processed foods and sugars.

Just try eating 1000 calories of these categories: -breads -meat -veggies -fruits

Which one is by far the easiest to intake? Breads. An average person eats way too many calories by carbs. So it is undeniably true that cutting down carbs will cut down your calorie intake, and cut down your weight.

Not many other cultures eat flour and sugar in such quantities.

[+] desigooner|15 years ago|reply
any calorie deficit of more than 500 cals a day doesn't really help as you'd be putting those pounds again after you return to your regular diet.

A healthy deficit of 500 cals and working out 3-5 times a week should be the best approach as far as the long run goes as it's just not about losing weight but maintaining it as well in a healthy manner.

[+] noodle|15 years ago|reply
i think its more an issue with the fact that our older food pyramid has trained people to eat lots of carbs, and carbs are a staple in many american meals. over the course of the day, you can eat a lot of carbs if you're not paying attention. the point of counting carbs is to make sure you're not eating 10+ servings in a day from your bagel breakfast, sub sandwich lunch and pasta dinner.
[+] gxs|15 years ago|reply
You are exactly right.

>Carbs can be bad because carb-rich foods tend to be surprisingly high in calories, but that's about it from a weight loss perspective.

This is exactly right also. The reason I avoid white bread, etc. is only because it is so calorie dense. That said, a carb is a carb is 4cal/gram.

[+] rubashov|15 years ago|reply
> There is no significant evidence that refined or unrefined carbs are bad for your weight loss

There's a ton of evidence, actually. See GCBC.

> there is no evidence-based way to get results

High fat diets work. The clinical trials are pretty clear. Eat more saturated fat and less starch, and people get thin.

Also, this "refined carbohydrate" and "glycemic index" business is pretty much nonsense. Carbs are carbs. It doesn't much matter if the source is sugar or rye bread. The total resulting insulin exposure is the same.

[+] maukdaddy|15 years ago|reply
Some of the “low fat” foods are actually bad for you because they are high in HFCS or other sugary additives.

This is a biggie. Much bigger than people realize. Foods that are advertised as "low fat" must have those fat calories replaced with something. And that something is usually refined carbs of some sort, be it sugar, HFCS, or something else.

My wife has fructose intolerant, so we don't eat anything containing fructose or HFCS. You would be shocked to see how much food contains HFCS, and REALLY shocked to see how much "healthy" and "low fat" foods contain HFCS.

[+] manvsmachine|15 years ago|reply
Nice writeup Paul. One thing I'd point out is that your dietary needs will evolve as your body and metabolism does. Once your body adapts to its new state and you start gaining muscle mass, you'll actually start needing more calories and you can relax on the little thing like egg yolks, etc.

Another thing that you might want to consider if you're not the hardcore gym type is adding some less traditional forms of exercise. A lot of people really get into martial arts despite not liking to "workout"; I know you like driving, so I'd recommend seeing if there are any good karting options in SF. Karting is crazy amounts of fun, and its a great all-around workout: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=46561&PO=4656...

[+] eru|15 years ago|reply
Why do people eat egg whites without the yolks? The yolk is the best part of the egg (flavourwise).
[+] mipapage|15 years ago|reply
Nicely done PStamatiou. I went thru the same crunch a couple of years ago and dropped bread, dairy, coffee etc and it made a world of difference.

I actually had the folks at the gym and some friends casually tell me to eat more food as I had taken it a bit too far. What happened was mostly me trying to find that sweet spot where you can get benefits from the gym and not overdo it on either side (weight too low versus weight too high).

[+] teej|15 years ago|reply
"I went thru the same crunch a couple of years ago and dropped bread, dairy, coffee etc and it made a world of difference."

What's the compelling reason to drop coffee? Coffee is nothing but brown caffeine water and caffeine is a safe, cheap appetite suppressant.

[+] InfinityX0|15 years ago|reply
"I lost 20 pounds...How? I drank bear piss and took up fencing. How the fuck you think, son? I exercised." - @shitmydadsays
[+] Oompa|15 years ago|reply
I've lost 30 pounds over the course of 6 months by eating more reasonable portions (No more downing 2 cokes, 1 lb of chicken wings, and fries in 1 sitting) and exercising more. I did this gradually, never too concerned about it. Sure it wasn't as quick as Paul's story here, but it works fine and requires very little effort.
[+] Samuel_Michon|15 years ago|reply
The science behind losing weight really isn't complicated: just make sure your intake of calories is less than you need to sustain your current weight.

To lose 1 lb, you need to give up 3500 kcals. This can be accomplished by eating less, exercising more, or ideally, a combination of the two.

Say, you're a programmer, you're 6' and you weigh 220 lb. Assuming you don't exercise, you need to consume 2700 kcals to sustain your curent weight. If you want to lose 2 lb a week, a doable and healthy method would be to cut your calorie intake down to 2000 and burn 300 calories through exercise.

Ofcourse, the trick is to eat well, so that you don't feel hungry all the time. Foods that are rich in protein (like chicken, fish, beans and greek yogurt) will keep you from feeling hungry. Corn syrup, trans fat, and saturated fat are the stuff to stay away from (that's most processed foods), those will only make you more hungry.

Also, timing is important to keep from eating too much. Start with a breakfast rich in fiber, and don't skip meals during the day. Drinking enough water is important too, at least 8 glasses a day. And for each cup of coffee, compensate it with a glass of water.

Finally, knowing how many calories are in the foods you eat helps a lot. I use Livestrong.com's Daily Plate service to track my daily intake of calories, calorie goals, weight, and weight goals. Any math geek or stats addict looking to lose weight should use it. There's even a free DailyPlate iPhone app.

[+] timdorr|15 years ago|reply
Of course, there's a big distinction between losing weight and losing fat. You can simply lower your calories and lose weight, but your body fat % might stay the same simply because you're also losing muscle mass too. That's why exercise is really the key, unless you want to get very militant about your food intake. You can lose fat without exercise, but it's not fun or easy.
[+] jmtame|15 years ago|reply
laughed a bit at this part:

"My motivation for going to the gym was rather stupid but it worked — I wanted to become the mayor on Foursquare. I never did get the mayorship.. the gym rat badge will have to suffice."

[+] yummyfajitas|15 years ago|reply
Side topic, but can anyone suggest a diet (vegetarian, ideally) for putting on muscle?

I've been hitting the gym regularly (2-4x/week) for the past year, lifting weights consistently each time, and haven't made any major gains.

[+] Samuel_Michon|15 years ago|reply
To gain muscle mass, you need lots of calories, and at least 35% of it to be protein. For a vegetarian, major natural sources of protein are beans (including soy) and dairy. Ofcourse, those also happen to be full of calories, so instead, I would recommend whey protein powder to support your usual diet. I personally find protein shakes gross, so here's a breakfast that works for me:

1) 1 part 0% fat greek yogurt, 1 part water (stir)

2) 1 scoop of whey protein powder

3) some sunflower seeds, oats and raisins

For a protein fix after a work-out, replace step 3 with some fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries.

Also, switching from 3 meals a day to 6 or 7 smaller meals a day works miracles, but it might take some effort to accommodate such a switch. Preparing meals in advance goes a long way.

[+] starkfist|15 years ago|reply
You just need to eat a lot more calories. You might be doing the wrong weightlifting routine. If you can do egg whites, those work pretty well. I went from 150 to 180 in college on a "hard gainer" program. My diet back then was: egg whites, brown rice, vegetables. Now I'm trying to get back down to about 165, so be careful what you wish for...
[+] mrtron|15 years ago|reply
Lift heavy and eat more.

Lifting: What are you doing now? Squat every workout, and then switch back and forth between a benchpress/upper body and deadlift/lower body routine.

Eating: Eat more, especially protein. You probably will have to have shakes to get enough. Eat two more small meals during the day.

It took me a while to realize why I had my best gains in 1st year university. It was because I was on a meal plan, eating twice as much as I normally would.

And now, I am losing weight doing the same workout routine as usual. Why? Because my diet has drastically changed from living abroad.

[+] chipsy|15 years ago|reply
A lot depends on your body and its preferences, so I wouldn't recommend anything specific yet. Nail down "what's healthy for you" before you aim to gain weight. If you can find the right diet, you can just eat more of it and add protein shakes[1], and you'll probably gain. But if it's the wrong diet, you can ignore its problems at a low level of consumption and function in daily life, but eating more will just make you feel ill, sleep poorly, etc. and amplify whatever was wrong with it in the first place. So figure out what you can eat a lot of easily, and what makes you sick. I did not gain until I did this.

[1] Again, a lot depends on what blend you're working with. Some are really bare-bones and use only one type of protein, others are heavily fortified meal replacements with a mix of different protein sources.

[+] eru|15 years ago|reply
4 litres of whole milk a day (plus some normal meals) will make you put on muscles if you follow a program like the one advocated in the book "Starting Strength" (http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength...).

You will also put on some fat, so you may want to cut back later.

Of course other sources of protein (and fat, carbohydrates etc) besides milk are also possible. Milk is just easily available.

[+] matwood|15 years ago|reply
Up your calories. Since you're a vegetarian keep eating tons of veggies (snack on them all day if you can), actually everyone should take this advice. Eat nuts, great source of cals, good fat and healthy. Personally I like something better than peanuts.

Find a whey protein powder that you like. This will require some trial and error. Drink a serving post workout. In a pinch, chocolate milk will work fine.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/an-objective-co...

I have found Muscle Milk to taste the best, but it's not cheap. Take a look at www.trueprotein.com for a good deal on protein, but you have build your own mix. If you get unflavored whey you can mix it with all sorts of things to simply up the protein content. Something to think about.

Finally, if you're still not gaining weight drink milk. The classic bulk was to drink 1/2 gallon or more/day in addition to your regular meals. I promise you'll start putting on weight then :)

One more thing, check your workout. Get a book like New Rules of Lifting or Huge in a Hurry to get a set of great professionally made workouts that will last nearly a year.

[+] minouye|15 years ago|reply
Vegetarian will be tough - although I don't have all the specifics, I remember hearing about how Tony Gonzales (NFL tight-end) went on a vegan diet and he seemed to be managing OK. Granted he was probably more in maintenance mode, but diet looked like it would provide enough protein for significant gains as well.

http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB12012211618291529...

[+] unknown|15 years ago|reply

[deleted]

[+] vaksel|15 years ago|reply
you won't build muscle on a vegetarian diet. You need protein to build muscle, so you'll want eggs and meat. Alternatively you can try some of those protein shakes...but they aren't as fulfilling
[+] misterbwong|15 years ago|reply
Have you tried taking protein powder along with your diet? Depending on how much you want to gain and the type of shake you get, you'd probably want to drink one within 20 mins of a weightlifting session and one a day in the morning.
[+] rubashov|15 years ago|reply
"glycogen supercompensation" dieting definitely works. You eat zero carbs for about four days, going ketogenic. (Eat plenty of saturated fat instead; lots of butter.) Then you lift extra hard. Then for the rest of the day you eat a ton of carbs: loads of potatoes, whatever.

I don't think it's possible to put on a lot of muscle mass without either eggs or whey protein. If your vegetarian rules keep you away from even those protein sources, you may have to rethink your priorities.

[+] _emice|15 years ago|reply
Simple Carbs like refined white flour, pastas – instead I opted for only whole grains, nothing milled or crushed.

Is he chewing on whole grains? Boiling them as porridge? I figure you have to mill or crush at some point to make most things. Whole grain flours, unbleached and with the germ/bran unfiltered seems fine to me. When dealing with wheat, some people may want to watch the gluten content as well, depending on their sensitivity.

[+] Tamerlin|15 years ago|reply
"a post for programmers and startup folks that are looking for a way to learn some healthy eating habits while doing their necessary 12+ hours per day on the computer thing:"

That would be the FIRST thing that I would fix -- if you're doing 12+ hours per day on the computer, odds are you need to rethink your development process first, and then use the extra time to improve your health. Then reap the benefits that a healthier mind and body have one one's productivity.

This obsession with long hours is a bug, not a feature -- rather than trying to find ways to enable it, we should be looking at how to fix it.

[+] peteforde|15 years ago|reply
I love that you've proven the Butterfield Diet Plan works!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjnuBTPOaKY

Don't forget... Saturday is Treat Day.

[+] peteforde|15 years ago|reply
I object to the down-mod. Stammy suggests eating anything you want, one day a week.

Sorry if you don't have a sense of humour, but my comment was topical.

[+] lessthanideal|15 years ago|reply
I'm writing about my journey to getting in better shape as a programmer and I find stories like Paul's to be inspirational. Thanks for all the information Paul. My goal is two-fold: get in shape / live longer and to get as strong as possible. The "getting stronger" part keeps me motivated through those long and arduous cardiovascular workout sessions. Here's my journal:

http://www.strongestprogrammer.net/

[+] bconway|15 years ago|reply
Congrats on your success, even if you do get a few critical responses on your food choices. I had a lot of post-college weight to lose (45 pounds) and did it with cardio and not overeating. My diet stayed mostly the same, much to my wife's chagrin, but I got through all the weight in 9-10 months and it hasn't been back since (a few years now). Keep up the good work.
[+] duck|15 years ago|reply
Nice write-up Paul. As a fellow GT grad I think I gained 15 pounds because of the Varsity.

One tip - lose the metal spatula on the non-stick pan.

[+] PStamatiou|15 years ago|reply
Yeah I got a softer one a few months later. I had a metal one in that pic because my dog chewed up my plastic one...
[+] jc-denton|15 years ago|reply
Probably by not eating all the time :D