The Sumo Wrestler/Fitness Model part of the answer made so much sense. I do believe that you have to look at what works in real life. Years ago, when the Atkins diet was so popular, I picked up the book in a bookstore and browsed through it. And when I saw the photo of Dr. Atkins, my first thought was “He does not look healthy and fit. If he follows his own diet protocol, then this does not appear to be a healthy program.” He was not a good diet/healthy lifestyle model.

Like many other people, I read about diet programs and want to believe the authors when they say that the reason why people are so fat is because they haven’t tried the author’s program, which contains newly discovered methods for weight loss. The Leptin angle really was new and because it came out of the Human Genome project, I was excited about it. It was when I reached the part about not eating mini-meals spread more evenly throughout the day, that I began to question it.

But after listening to your in-depth response to my question, I have tried to look at it from the viewpoint we had when I was much younger. And that was calorie control and increased exercise. I’m talking about the late 1960′s/early 1970′s here. When we needed to drop a few pounds, we’d cut back on calories and starch – like omitting bread or rolls at dinner, skipping dessert and only eating one serving of each course. We didn’t load our plates with the super-size portions you see in restaurants today. We always skipped “sweets”. We didn’t omit fats, as far as I can recall. And I don’t recall soft drinks/sodas being kept at the home. We drank water, milk, tea and juices. Juice was for breakfast and was served in a small glass (4 oz). This method seemed to work, no matter who was dieting.

Thanks for reminding me to use common sense and remember that if a method is peer reviewed and approved, it’s a better choice until science can find and agree on a newer method.

Mitzi C. (mcamp)