The bottom line is that you have to go with the diet that is sustainable for you. There's no point in starving yourself to get down to a certain weight if it's not going to stay off. It took me 30 years of yo-yo dieting to figure that out. I've lost considerable amounts of weight numerous times. Richard Simmons Deal-A-Meal. Seattle Sutton meals. Meal replacement shakes. Phen-fen. They all worked, but did damage along the way - the DAM and Seattle Sutton foods were way too low in fat and way too high in carbohydrate. The meal replacement shakes were like a band-aid on a gaping wound - worked for a while, but how long can one subsist on liquid calories. And the ingredients of those shakes are horrible for you. And I was starving all.the.time.
Phen-fen was the worst - it effectively curbed my appetite, but a lot of people sustained permanent heart damage and/or ended up dead because of the medication. When the FDA cracked down on Phen-fen I had an echocardiogram done and thankfully I didn't have any heart damage.
With the foods that I currently eat, I stay full for hours. I rarely feel the need to snack, and I only eat 2 meals a day. Not because I'm trying to cut back on calories, but because I only eat when I'm hungry. I'm not currently logging foods, but I did log for several years. Calorie-wise, at my highest weight, I was losing at 2500 calories per day. Now I have to stay at or below 1950 calories. That number will go down as I continue to lose weight and as I age. For every year you get older, your calorie requirements drop by about 7 calories.
You don't have to cut fruit out completely, just cut back. The few times I've eaten fruit I've chosen low sugar fruits: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. And I always paired it with a fat - cream or full fat greek yogurt with the berries. A third of an apple with some really sharp cheddar cheese or a tablespoon of all-natural almond or peanut butter. Every once in a while I crave bananas, so I'll eat a half of a banana dipped in a mixture of all-natural almond butter, unsweetened coconut flakes and pumpkin pie spice.
Personally, I would never go on a statin, regardless of my numbers. I have a genetic predisposition to diabetes, and statin use increases your risk of developing diabetes. A good book for learning about cholesterol is Cholesterol Clarity by Jimmy Moore. Dr. Peter Attia also has a great blog that delves into cholesterol and its all-important role in maintaining health.
One thing that successful dieters (who have lost and kept the weight off for years) have in common is that they eat a diet low in processed foods and high in whole, unprocessed foods. A few good books that highlight the damage caused by diets that are high in processed foods are:
1. The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet, by Nina Teicholz
2. Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, by Michael Moss
3. Death by Food Pyramid, by Denise Minger
If you're interested in looking into the paleo diet, a good book is Practical Paleo, by Diane Sanfilippo. The Whole30 website is also a good resource. Mark Sisson's website, Mark's Daily Apple, is very informative.
One thing I forgot to mention in my previous posts about fats and heart health is that Vitamin K2 is super important. It's different from the Vitamin K supplements or the Vitamin K found in vegetables. The best source are pastured eggs, meats and dairy (preferably from grass-fed cows). Vitamin K2 shunts dietary calcium into the bones and teeth, where it belongs. A diet that is deficient in Vit. K2 results in calcium being shunted away from the bones & teeth and into the arteries - calcification of the arteries is a serious cardiovascular issue. http://chriskresser.com/vitamin-k2-the-missing-nutrient/
Good luck in whatever path you choose!
) As well as looking at your diet, if you have significantly changed your levels of activity, then as well as building up muscles, your fitness levels will have increased.
, kind regards Ron
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