Twinkie Diet
Back in 2010, in order to prove his theory that "in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most — not the nutritional value of the food," Kansas State University professor of human nutrition Mark Haub lived almost entirely on Twinkies for 10 weeks. He ate one every three hours.
Though he added some variety into his diet with side helpings of Doritos, sugary cereals, and Oreos. As well as a multivitamin pill, protein shake, and some vegetables daily.
But by limiting himself to 1800 calories a day he lost 27 pounds, and other measures of health, such as cholesterol levels, all improved.
Source: cnn.com
Though he added some variety into his diet with side helpings of Doritos, sugary cereals, and Oreos. As well as a multivitamin pill, protein shake, and some vegetables daily.
But by limiting himself to 1800 calories a day he lost 27 pounds, and other measures of health, such as cholesterol levels, all improved.
Source: cnn.com
Comments
He was not the first. Back in the 1920s or '30s, The University of Minnesota performed a 30 day study where young male volunteers ate nothing but White Castle fare.
Posted by mjbird on 02/11/18 at 11:20 AM
mjbird -- There's actually an old post here on WU about the White Castle Experiment:
http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/the_white_castle_experiment
http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/the_white_castle_experiment
Posted by Alex on 02/11/18 at 12:42 PM
On the one hand, using multivitamins is cheating. If he'd done this on Twinkies alone, he'd have suffered some serious malnutrition.
On the other hand, if he'd done that with only protein shakes, keto crap, or other fad diets, similarly without multivitamins and other cheating, he'd have been just as dead.
So yes, dieting is all about joule counting - as long as you make sure to get a balanced low-energy diet, not the one-sided ones which every single effing "doctor" (struck off) on the Oprah show is shilling.
On the other hand, if he'd done that with only protein shakes, keto crap, or other fad diets, similarly without multivitamins and other cheating, he'd have been just as dead.
So yes, dieting is all about joule counting - as long as you make sure to get a balanced low-energy diet, not the one-sided ones which every single effing "doctor" (struck off) on the Oprah show is shilling.
Posted by Richard Bos on 02/11/18 at 01:09 PM
The statement: "in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most — not the nutritional value of the food," has to be the stupidest thing I've read in months. By that theory, you could live on coal, plastic, or alcohol. Isn't it time for people to move past the 19th Century belief everyone has a little steam engine inside them?
How effectively a food is digested/absorbed determines it's true value to the body, and that varies by person/time of day/quantity consumed at one time and a host of other factors.
How effectively a food is digested/absorbed determines it's true value to the body, and that varies by person/time of day/quantity consumed at one time and a host of other factors.
Posted by Phideaux on 02/11/18 at 02:02 PM
If that's the stupidest thing you've read, Phideaux, you haven't read anything else about diets. He's cheating, but the essence of what he says is correct. By contrast, all the "eat this special superfood and the pounds will magically fly away" you get from magic powder hucksters, paleo idiots and the like, is complete and utter rear-end cattle produce.
Posted by Richard Bos on 02/11/18 at 04:06 PM
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Category: Food | Junk Food | Dieting and Weight Loss