I have total respect for doctors who stand up and admit “Hey we don’t actually know all the answers, and we have hurt people by assuming we do.” I’ve read about Peter Attia and his foundation but I had not heard him speak about it before.

Peter Attia: Is the obesity crisis hiding a bigger problem?

On Lose It! there is a lot of discussion about whether sugar is terrible, whether to avoid it completely or to dole out tiny amounts. Most folks will answer that it is best to measure out tiny amounts but not deprive yourself of it completely. But I wasn’t really satisfied with either approach. So I wrote the following.

I found it was best for Sugar and I to take a break from each other. I feel like I do want Sugar in my life, but lately we have become, shall I say, overly familiar, and when we see each other every day, multiple times a day, our relationship loses something. That spark wasn’t really there. Plus I think Sugar can get a bit… demanding? clingy maybe? Like, if Sugar thinks I’m not responding quickly enough to her… overtures, it can get uncomfortable for both of us.
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This is awesome because it mashes up two really awesome things: Joss Whedon and David Allen’s Getting Things Done.

The writer-producer-director who made Much Ado About Nothing while editing The Avengers, and who’ll return to TV this fall with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., knows a bit about “getting things done.” In fact, he cites David Allen’s book of that title as an important guide–even if he never finished reading it.

More here: How To Be Prolific: Guidelines For Getting It Done From Joss Whedon

As of today I have lost 100 pounds. This has been in progress for about 2.5 years.

I’ve written quite a bit about my journey. Check this blog post for a good summary of what I did. A tale of two diets — How I renegotiated my relationship to food: http://blog.nekodojo.org/archives/2013/1010 The short version is: Paleo and LCHF have been good for me, but it takes a lot of trying and experimenting to find the best plan.

I want to say “Thank You” to all my friends who have supported me and listened patiently while I talk about food. John C., your own success inspired me, and gave me a positive example. John G., you also inspired me and pointed me at some great info.

Most importantly I want to thank Michelle, who has been supportive, patient, and willing to eat whatever weird stuff I happen to make.

Is breakfast really so important when trying to lose weight?

It depends a lot on the content of your diet. Look at your nutrient balance from last week. If your carbs are over 50%, you are on the low-fat, high-carb plan. That plan depends on eating 5-6 times a day, very small amounts, and distracting yourself so the hunger won’t bother you. High-carb dieters get into BIG trouble by skipping meals. If you get so hungry that you’re desperate and reaching for anything and everything, that’s why. The only way to eat that many carbs and still lose is to do it constantly throughout the day, no more than a serving or two at a time, so you are burning it off and not overloading your system with lots of carbs at once. I think this is why high-carb dieters say to eat breakfast every day.

If you can get your carbs below 30% (not really low-carb, but more balanced) you can start listening to your body and trust your hunger signals, and you won’t be fighting with carb cravings all the time. Also adding some good fats helps balance out the nutrients and keeps you satisfied much longer. So if you don’t want to be eating 6 times a day, add some fat to your meals and try to get under 30% carbs. This is HARD at first, but if you can stick with it for 2 weeks it gets a lot easier. THEN you can eat 3 times a day, and you’ll probably be fine with no snacks. After a while of listening to your body’s signals and figuring out where the new hunger level is, you can start skipping one or even 2 meals easily and safely.

So, if you eat mostly carbs, then *when* you eat them is crucial. Get started early and have small amounts, all through your day, and stop at dinner so you can burn everything off before sleeping. If you eat less carbs and mostly fats/protein, it doesn’t matter when you eat them, you can eat whenever you are hungry. Good luck.