I am so confused about weight loss

[Highserotonin90]

I say that the training window where the so-called "stress hormones" are stimulated must be left to act in a physiological way to trigger adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol in the adipose tissue which is rich in receptors, unfortunately or fortunately also estrogenic based on how much aromatization and body fat we have. Of course this would be nice if the receptors were only in that type of tissue…but if you frequently trigger these hormones and receptors you risk getting the opposite of what you are looking for. I personally know triathletes who don't even know what cortisol is and have physicalities to envy to some Fitness Models....while other subjects who also have a low-stress job have enormous difficulty in changing their body composition even by paying attention to these hormones defined as "bad". The only sure thing is self-experimentation that does not imply abusing exogenous hormones.

 

[Highserotonin90]

@tasfarelel Exactly I very much agree. When you are overweight in addition to estrogen, PUFA lipid peroxidation, you have a toxin release so maintaining a minimum of hepatobiliary efficiency with chelation will certainly help.

 

[eimearrose]

Have you tried a diet fairly balanced in all 3 macros? I have a history of never feeling satiated and after experimenting for years, I find what I feel my healthiest and most satisfied on, and actually enjoy my meals (just as important, IMO), is a fairly equal amount of all 3 macros. I’ve been tracking my food intake on cronometer for about 20 years now and the times I’ve averaged around 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat, I’ve been satisfied on much less food. The worst for me is high-carb, low-protein and low-fat fruit-based and root-based diets. I averaged over 3,000 calories daily and still felt ravenous after meals. On 40/30/30, I only need around 2,500 calories. For context, I’m 5’1” and train for 1 hour 3x a week

Same for me. Low fat destroys my blood sugar stability and if I try to eat less fat than I desire, I'll not be able to sleep. I don't track but I am fairly good at eyeballing it as I have tracked plenty in the past, that my macros are roughly equal too. It makes for a very palatable diet which just like you have found, means I can eat/be satisfied with less than when higher carb/lower fat.

 

[Tansia]

I’ve tried lowering protein but I use a lot of collagen. I get about 80 - 100g per day. The key is complex carbs friendly to digestion and minimizing (but not eliminating) fat calories. Aim for 65% of calories from carbs.

Thank you @ecstatichamster I appreciate your response

 

[kimbriel]

Did you go low fat too? And did you restrict calories?

Not low fat - but moderate fat. And very low calories to start with (as I said, it was medically supervised and I made sure I got the necessary nutrients and plenty of sodium). I'm now back on a more normal diet, but still eat low calories. Heavy on protein, but moderate on everything else.

 

[Sefton10]

Something I don’t see mentioned here much is how Ray talked about the importance of enjoying the food we eat as this starts the digestive process. If there’s one thing I’ve learned experimenting with different diets, it’s that my body has the final say. If my diet takes willpower to follow, it means it’s not healthy for me or sustainable long-term.

 

[Cayennepepper]

Lentils are good imo. I drink whole milk, eat lentils and have oysters with my meals. I mix calcium ascorbate into my lentils for my vitamin C, and i mix bromelain into them. I also put some yoghurt in them for taste along with lots of strong seasonings and capers with vinegar. Plant protein isnt subpar to animal protein as long as i add bromelain to it. Its very satiating and ive been losing weight. I think cutting out meat and lowering my methionine, cysteine and tryptophan helped me lose fat and im still putting on good muscle. for me starch sustains energy better than sucrose, carbs are good for energy though, fat helps to elongate that energy, protein helps with strength and satiation, fiber helps to feel full, and making a tasty meal is important for being happy while in a deficit. Those who say that CICO doesnt matter are missing the forest for the trees imo

 

[Jennifer]

View attachment 54989

Thank you, Sefton! This is perfect. It should be added to the emojis so when there’s argument over what constitutes a Ray Peat diet, we can just post this. I appreciate that Ray said not only eating foods that taste good, but also those that contain all the essential nutrients and make us feel good and function well. We can eat to live and live to eat.

 

[MountainMouse]

switching to primarily starches that are safe for me, lowering sugar (now I don't worry about sugar but it was helpful to minimize it for awhile for fat loss) and having moderate lowish fat.

Masa harina and white rice are my primary starches, well cooked. I do occasionally have a piece of sourdough white bread, but it's not my staple.

I was so fixated on getting calories from sugar, that I was constantly getting endotoxin symptoms from that, and from milk.

I drink some milk now, but not a lot. I don't have endotoxin symptoms very often anymore. And I've lost fat and am at an ideal weight and body composition for me now.

I am finding I do better with starches and use fruit on the side.

When you eat like this for losing weight, what do you eat before bed? Or what if you wakeup?