A while back someone asked me for my weight and diet history. I responded with the short version but needed to post the longer version. What diets have I tried and how did they work for me?
This post will be my nutritional origin story.
(For context on the weights listed below, my height is 6’2.5)
1991-1994: Vegetarian
At the end of college, I developed an interest in nutrition and was persuaded to try a vegetarian diet. This was a pre-Internet decision. I don’t recall why I switched to this diet, but I’ll speculate. I had run 2 marathons and was interested in using nutrition to improve my running times.
During this era, I consumed too many breads and cheese. But I was young and had just started learning how to cook.
Staples: Brown rice, bread, dairy, veggies, eggs
My weight was probably 175 or so.
1995-2007: Pesco-Vegetarian Zone
I moved to Florida after graduating. This is when I started lifting weights. I added seafood to my diet. The Zone Diet book was the rage then. It sounded cool and the author seemed persuasive, so I tried it. In 2012, I shared My Experience With The Zone Diet.
The diet that fooled me the longest was The Zone Diet.
The Zone Diet says to eat small meals every few waking hours. …Soon you’ll find yourself hungry all the time. I responded to that hunger by eating more.
I was weightlifting during this period. Even as late as 2007, my goal was to get to 225 like Evander Holyfield. The plan was to get swole first and then lean out later. I now know it was a ridiculous goal. I never had the genetics. But I kept eating every few hours. Lots of driving and hours sitting at a desk resulted in poor posture and gym injuries. When recovering from injuries, my appetite never decreased.
During my San Diego period, I was mostly weight stable around 210. I didn’t see that I was carrying too much weight for my ectomorph frame. I feared getting below 200 pounds.
Staples: Fish tacos, shrimp burritos, rice, eggs, veggies, salmon, dairy. I also added the occasional ostrich or buffalo towards the end of this period.
My weight increased from 175 to 215. Some of it was muscle. Years later, I would discover a lot of it was fat.
2008-2015: Paleo, Weston Price, Ray Peat
At a Christmas Eve party in 2007, a friend pointed me to an article that changed everything. It was Evolutionary Fitness An Interview with Art De Vany, PhD. Up until this point, I wasn’t even paying attention to nutrition. I was on autopilot from decisions I made more than a decade ago that I never challenged.
At that time, this blog was focused on finance. Reading about fitness and nutrition from a 70-year-old superfit economist was new to me and highly persuasive.
There were so many gems in that interview.
De Vany said, “I’m never sick”. At that time, I was starting to read about superfoods with the goal of not getting sick. He also explained why multiple meals a day is a bad idea. This was also my first exposure to the idea of fasting for athletes. I was hooked.
Soon Paleo took off in popularity with Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf. There were so many blogs back then. I was part of a Meetup group for Paleo here in Seattle.
I stopped eating bread and started cooking my meals at home. My skin cleared up and I started losing weight. I dropped down to 190. I was also training smarter in the gym (Body By Science HIT). I wasn’t getting injured. The result was I looked and felt great. I was preaching the Paleo gospel.
Paleo attached itself to low carb about the same time that Good Calories, Bad Calories was published. Paleo began with a solid message of avoiding processed foods, but it gradually got more restrictive and carb-phobic.
From Paleo, it was a short jump to Weston Price, which I outlined in Paleo vs Weston Price.
I still think the paleo diet is an excellent foundation. However, I think we can learn a lot about food from traditional cultures.
I see the paleo diet as primarily about food choices, whereas the Weston A Price group focuses on food preparation. I think they complement each other nicely.
My diet was heavier in meats (nose-to-tail eating). No processed foods. It was during this period that I became the most proficient in cooking.
Then I was exposed to the ideas of Ray Peat, which I outlined in 2012. From The Peat-atarian Diet For Those Of Us With Average IQs. I avoided seed oils and ate a lot of ice cream. My body temperature went up but so did my weight.
During the 2008-2015 era, my weight started at around 215 and dropped initially to the high 180s/ low 190s before rising back to 215 and eventually 222.
My biggest regret during this era was not doing a better job of recording my weight (pounds and inches) into a spreadsheet. I have data from January 2003 to May 2008, but not this period. Had I faced the data each morning, I would have made course corrections earlier.
My second biggest regret was not getting blood work, but at that time I was unaware of how to pull my bloodwork outside of the healthcare systems with companies like UltaLabs.
2016 - 2021: Potato Hack, Peasant Diet, Potatoes and Protein
During my year in the Bay Area, I didn’t track my weight. I gradually drifted up to 222. Up to this point, I hadn’t questioned a lot of what I had come to believe regarding calories and metabolism. Like most people, I researched enough to find the answer that I was looking for and once I got there, I stopped researching.
It was at this point that I figured out what most dieters fail to grasp. Most people who lose weight will gain it all back (or more) within 4-5 years. Maybe they know this fact, but optimistically charge forward confident that they will figure that out later. Considering that I had a few periods of weight loss followed by weight regain, I decided to approach whatever diet I chose with this in mind.
Most of my readers know my history with the potato hack and peasant diet. I went from 222 to 182. I learned how to use volume, protein, and lower-flavor whole unprocessed foods to get full on fewer calories. I learned how to lock in the exact weight desired without experiencing hunger. I’ve maintained my weight for over 4 years now.
Staples: potatoes, legumes, buckwheat groats, quinoa, sardines, fat-free Greek yogurt, chicken breasts, ground turkey.
2022 - Present: More Plant-Based
The last few years have been an extension of the previous era with a gradual reduction in meat. Now that I am lean, I think the best thing I can do for my health is reduce my exposure to environmental toxins. I explained my reasoning in Vegans vs Weston Price.
We also live in a modern world full of environmental toxins. These toxins and microplastics did not exist in traditional cultures. Eating a small amount of animal fat in a clean world that is calorie-scarce would be healthier than consuming a lot of meat in a calorie-abundant polluted world.
A mostly vegan diet solves these issues. You can get nutrient-dense food with fewer calories and fewer toxins. I still use the soaking, sprouting, and fermentation knowledge that I gained more than a decade ago. However, I consume far less animal fat. My blood work looks great and I’m leaner too.
Staples: legumes, tempeh, tofu, non-gluten whole grains, potatoes, see my pantry.
Weight: 182
Last Words
I’m sure I misremembered a few things. I tried to summarize 30 years into a single post. Let me know if you have any questions.
Comments
Marc
September 29 at 2024 at 6:19 PM
I would like to see some discussion on improving a diet to mimic GLP-1 agonists. The main purpose of such a diet would be health!
MAS
September 30 at 2024 at 2:54 PM
@Marc - Unless we figure out a way to get people more proficient in cooking for themselves, they will continue to eat take-out and processed foods. The Instant Pot is easy. Taking a pill is easier.
Jim
September 30 at 2024 at 4:16 PM
@MAS Great summary. A slightly off-tangent comment— your link to Art’s interview reminded me of one of your other interests, preserving internet data. I remember Art’s blog(s) fondly and the comment section had interesting posts from so many folks. And then he just shut it down one day. All of that info lost.
MAS
September 30 at 2024 at 4:58 PM
@Jim - So true.
It is starting to look like Art won’t publish the book he announced in 2020 he was writing.
https://www.ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-105/
In today’s interview, Art talks to us about the new book he’s working on that’s tentatively titled, “The Youthful Brain—A Revolutionary Program to protect the Brain, Extend Youthfulness and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Jim
September 30 at 2024 at 5:24 PM
@ MAS — Re Art: I think he’s better at delivering information serially over time, kind of like a college professor, which was his former profession. He came out early with that great evolutionary fitness essay, then posted consistently over five or so years as we awaited his book on the subject, and it ended up being a brief, watered down “diet” book.
Grubby
September 30 at 2024 at 6:44 PM
Questions:
Currently, do you try to get a certain amount of protein daily?
Do you eat a particular number of meals per day or have a certain eating window?
All very interesting, thanks for sharing.
Marc
September 30 at 2024 at 9:19 PM
MAS Sep 30, 2024 — 7:54 am @Marc – Unless we figure out a way to get people more proficient in cooking for themselves, they will continue to eat take-out and processed foods. The Instant Pot is easy. Taking a pill is easier.
We need something like the “Jetsons” dial-a-meal , Martian Meatballs, SpaceBurgers, to eliminate cooking. Oh wait.. we have frozen TV dinners, microwaves, meal replacement drinks., Amazon delivery. Planet Earth, what a mess!
Victoria
September 30 at 2024 at 9:39 PM
Do you plan on going full vegan at some point? You appear to be trending in that direction.
Al
October 1 at 2024 at 12:38 PM
Let me see how this photo sharing in iCloud works. One thing I have done consistently is log my weight in a spreadsheet from age 35 to 67.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a7_kOuqmjTYirPgD2yli-K0w
MAS
October 1 at 2024 at 1:46 PM
@Grubby - I don’t count protein, but if I had to estimate it would be around 100-150 grams a day. I haven’t been doing much time-restricted eating this year. My eating window is 10-11 hours.
@Victoria - For the past few years, I do a cycle of more plant-based in the summer and then I add in some high quality meat in the winter months. I don’t know if I will this winter. I may do a post on this topic. The short version is I can get 90-95% of the way to vegan and experience great benefits. Reaching for that last bit is the challenge and probably isn’t necessary.
@Al - Impressive collection of data!
Julia
October 6 at 2024 at 2:42 AM
Omgosh, I’m at a low point in my weight-loss journey. The lowest weight I’ve been in three years, cheers!
I’m doing completely the opposite of you: LOW CARB. And only getting lower.
The month of Sept, I basically tried three different strategies. Autumn Elle Nutrition (which I’ve been with since mid-April), then I switched to NSNG (Vinnie Tortorich) “No Sugar, No Grains” and was a part of their VIP group for 11 days. Then lastly I took a very inexpensive online keto course, it was great! https://adaptyourlifeacademy.com/start-keto-right-challenge/? I’m shelling out more money - but I honestly think that it’s worth it - to continue on.
Question - this is what I am learning in the low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet class (online class) - it’ amazing & I love it - aren’t you concerned about your insulin level? Eating all those carbs, I mean.
Just b/c you have a “normal” blood sugar (do you get your blood sugar tested?), doesn’t mean that your insulin level isn’t super high to control them.
Your diet wouldn’t work for me, too high in carbs.
PLUS, it’s really a lot harder for women to lose weight. I have to go with the hormonal approach.
From the class, “The reason low-carb diets are so effective for weight loss is b/c of the effects of dietary carbohydrates (especially refined sugars and starches) on blood sugar and insulin. The human body is not a calculator, so counting calories and following mathematical formulas for the exact amounts of protein, fat, and carbs you should eat, or how many calories you “burn off” during exercise is often a losing strategy.” - Dr. Eric C. Westman
MAS
October 6 at 2024 at 11:47 AM
@Julia - Please research the debunking of many of the things you’ve been taught. There is no low-carb advantage. The insulin hypothesis never was validated. Research NuSI. Calories count. There are metabolic ward studies that confirm this.
https://criticalmas.org/2023/11/keto-and-carnivore-diets-were-always-a-no-for-me/
My diet is full of complex carbs which are fiber rich. My blood sugar numbers are optimal. You WANT a healthy insulin spike and then for the number to return to baseline quickly. Many low-carbers are inducing insulin resistance by avoiding carbs. Lowcarb/keto can be magical in the short term, but they can be problematic as the years pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fysUuGrTDac
My diet would absolutely work for you. It is nutrient-dense, higher in protein, high in fiber, and very low in environmental toxins.
I agree with the exercise statement. You get lean in the kitchen, not the gym. I still go to the gym and walk for health reasons - not to drop pounds.
MAS
October 6 at 2024 at 11:53 AM
@Julia - FYI: I once believed the insulin hypothesis with conviction. Here is a 2015 post on how I changed my mind.
https://criticalmas.org/2015/02/tell-me-low-carb-lies/
And here is a 2014 post on how low-carb can you fool you in the short term. https://criticalmas.org/2014/01/low-carb-paleo-can-fool/
Julia
October 6 at 2024 at 7:47 PM
Ketones are magic for me though!
I can’t go back! Even if low-carb takes years off my life, what kind of life would it be? having sugar highs, and sugar lows all day are not worth it for me. It’s better to have no hunger and sustained energy all day. Plus, on low-carb, I enjoy my food, and I have less pain & inflammation from injuries. amongst other benefits. Plus, I love the weight loss!
Going “low carb” is the easy way to lose all that weight, imo. And it tastes good.
By the way, I just learned of a Seattle doctor who recommends women of my height (5’7) eat 135 grams of protein per day. Ted Naiman, MD. “The P.E. Diet”
MAS
October 6 at 2024 at 11:55 PM
@Julia - If you eat complex carbs, there are no sugar highs. And the diet is highly anti-inflammatory.
Naiman has a solid higher protein diet that will work for many. We have lots of overlap in our approach.
Chris
October 8 at 2024 at 9:53 AM
This was interesting… I remember much of your journey as I’ve been reading this blog for many years. I can reflect on my own journey and its various influences. I’m more on the Peat end of things now the principles are what matter
Do you have any idea what has happened to Art DeVany? He seems to have disappeared. His excellent blog with some real gems just disappeared too which was tragic.
Chris
October 8 at 2024 at 9:59 AM
@Julia - I can see you are new here. Read through some of the things MAS cites. The low carb thing was been well discussed and tested and it is not valid.
Calories in calories out is not simple - what you eat does matter but it is not about carbs. You need a healthy metabolism and I’d start by avoiding PUFAs not carbs.
But to be honest this is all feels like a debate from 5 or 10 years ago. We have moved on.
MAS
October 8 at 2024 at 1:04 PM
@Julia - Chris’s comment reminded me of this 2015 post.
https://criticalmas.org/2015/09/notes-for-the-survival-of-the-smartest-lecture-by-diana-schwarzbein/
It is about the dark side of chronically restricting carbs (via fasting or low-carb). What feels good initially has a cost. I know several women that went strict low-carb. They all lost weight and felt great. They all crashed within a few years. Terrible sleep. Thyroid issues. Then they added back carbs. Felt better, but regained all their lost weight. Then felt terrible again.
I’ve seen this pattern play out numerous times. Totally unnecessary. Carbs are not the enemy. Processed food is.
Hs
October 13 at 2024 at 2:29 AM
@MAS - the recent trend towards getting bloodwork and tracking biomarkers is intriguing. I am curious though - does it ever mess with your head? Seems like there is some potential for obsession or anxiety when monitoring numbers. Also I understand there is a great deal of noise with medical testing. Have you ever had a test show something is out of whack causing you to think you are ill? Seems like stress, poor sleep, etc., could cause invalid or misleading results. I admit, I have limited experience or knowledge with such tests and blood work so maybe its just a misunderstanding. I’d consider tracking more biomarkers, but I do worry about it creating a head game.
MAS
October 13 at 2024 at 3:06 PM
@Hs - Last year I had my surgery, so I didn’t even get bloodwork. This year the plan was to cut off caffeine in the summer for a week or so and then get bloodwork. That didn’t happen. So, I’m way behind.
I see your point and given my history with wearables, I could see getting a lot of tests frequently would be problematic.
https://criticalmas.org/2022/07/rejecting-wearables/
I often joke that I was in the Army, not the Marines. This means I like for others to go first and make sure their ideas and methods are effective and safe before I try them.
We are in the very early phases of longevity hacking. My guess is a lot of what the hackers are learning now may end up being weak or false signals. Let them storm the beaches. I can wait. In the meantime, I can still get some of the classic panels to confirm I’m on the right track.
Hs
October 15 at 2024 at 2:39 AM
To me, how problematic tests would be mentally depends on several factors relative to each biomarker. How much agency we have in moving numbers through lifestyle. How accurately the biomarkers predict health. How much stress and transient factors affect readings. For the later, I think of the old joke (which isn’t really a joke) that nothing raises blood pressure like worry about blood pressure. I admit I’m ignorant on much of that. I don’t even have a good sense of how much stress affects basic panels for example. I feel like I would have to pour significant time into analysis to determine if it is worth it. I suspect your guess is correct about much of the biohackers. My secondary guess is that some of the biomarkers are reliable indicators that are underutilized by the medical profession.
The other thing on this topic I’ve been pondering is how the masses must not adjust lifestyle much from checking the basic panels. I heard a stat that something like 50% of US adults have high blood pressure. If true that suggests a crazy apathy and neglect or some form of disempowerment. It also seems like a ton of people I know over a certain age have diabetes. An average joe can probably go very far reducing risk by avoiding HBP, diabetes and elevated cholesterol.
BTW - The army approach is my MO too. It usually seems like an asymetric risk.
MAS
October 15 at 2024 at 4:33 PM
@hs - My idea for America to have “Jiffy Lube” style franchise for health metrics. Stop in without an appointment and be rushed through a series of tests at an affordable price. Share the data directly with your doctor or keep it private. We’d catch a lot of stuff earlier if we could measure quickly, cheaply, and more frequently.