Fiber=Easy Healthy Weight Loss

At 6' and 197#, I wasn't in good shape and had been thinking about weight loss for years. I had been eating better, but at 55 years old my metabolism was slowing too.  I heard of a fiber drink that would keep you from getting hungry for hours, but couldn't find it, so I made my own. 

I eat breakfast, then start sipping my 16oz fiber drink when I start getting hungry at 10:00.  Lunch at 12-1:00 is light because I'm not ravenous.  May have some nuts or fruit at 2-3pm, then 2nd fiber drink starting around 4 and finish on the way home from work.  3rd Fiber Drink with a light, high protein/low carb dinner.

I monitored my cals for 2 weeks, which average 1274. I lost 1/4 pound per day average for 150 days.

My original goal  was 170, but this was so easy and fast (2 months) that I kept going to 150#, where I have been for 4 months now.  I am much leaner of course, and cholesterol went from 220 to 170, ldl from 140 to 89, hdl up from 51 to 69, and triglic down from 134 to 60!  I'm off my blood pressure med. 

I started walking in the middle of the weight loss (2.5 miles), now I run 5k in around 23 minutes every other day, and have started some strength training.  Its fantastic buying new skinny clothes: 36 to 31 jeans!  I've run in 5k, 8k and 10k races.  Diet THEN add excercise!  Diet is the key to your weight, excercise is the key to your strength and endurance (and help weight loss, off course).

The fiber drink allow you to eat very selective meals because you aren't starving.  anytime you get hungry, you can just take a few sips and no more hunger.  It also helps any sugars you do eat to be processed more slowly without causing a big insulin response.  See "Protein Power" by the Dr. and Mrs. Dr. Eades.

Now I'm 56 and can outrun most teenage guys (except my son-in-law who is Marine!)   You can do this!

The fiber drink is a tablespoon of name brand flavored, sugar free psyllium mix in 16 oz of water.  Three flavors.  I mix them in my wife's propel bottles.  I call them Repel (fat repellant!).  Especially need these before a buffet or party!

Original Post by favson:

I monitored my cals for 2 weeks, which average 1274. I lost 1/4 pound per day average for 150 days.

 

 What you were doing was very dangerous i.e. crash-dieting and masking your body's genuine need for energy and nutrition by artificially suppressing it with filling drinks.  In Victorian times ladies used to eat tissue paper to acheive the same effect.  Too much nutritionless fibre from things like psyllium husks rather than natural foods  is believed to contribute to certain diseases and also inhibits the absorbtion of nutrients in the body.   The minimum calorie intake recommended by CC for a sedentary adult male is 1500 cals just to keep body and soul together.  You may have got away with a lot less since you're middle-aged.  But a more active or younger man needs more than that.

This isn't a good solution to recommend to others.....

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Hello gj,

Is 2#/week crash dieting?  I thought that was considered a pretty safe rate.

The summary paragraph of your cited website doesn't seem to agree with your assertions:

"Although most of the experimental studies conducted using fiber consumption of 30-40g/person/day and with supplements added in the range ten to thirty grams per day (which are broadly around the levels recommended) had little adverse effect, tests on mineral availability do suggest that excessive consumption would have ..."

I used and am using around 18 g/day of supplemented fiber with a balanced lo-cal diet to lose 45# and now maintain my weight at 150, so I don't seem to understand your concerns.  My weight has been stable, my energy level is high enough to irritate my wife, and my body fat is 18%. 

I think this approach would really help a lot of people get out of a really dangerous position they have gotten into because of our fast food/sedentary lifestyle/processed food industry "blessings" in this modern age.

Respectfully,

gi-jane's concern is that you were eating fewer calories than sedentary men need to stay healthy. Under 1300 calories a day is not enough for a sedentary man, who should have at least 1500 calories a day in order to get necessary nutrition. Since you are also active, your diet was essentially a crash-diet because you were not eating enough calories.

The fiber might not necessarily be harmful by itself, but if it kept you from eating enough healthy foods to fuel your body, it's not a great diet plan.

Thank you, jean

Without commenting on the OP's particular strategy, yes, fiber is definitely an important component of a good weight loss program (and a future maintenance strategy).  Fiber in general is a barometer of how much of your food is "whole."  As a vegetarian, when I was in weight-loss mode, I was consistently getting 60-70g fiber daily, mostly from meals but I also took psyllium in the mornings (only contributed about 3g to my daily total, but helped me not snack mindlessly at work).  I was extremely regular, felt great, lost all the weight I needed to (and no more) on about 1800 cals per day.  So yes, another fan of the fiber method here.

I agree with the fiber thing lalida--you should eat lots and lots...I also agree the guy needs to eat more..I also think drinking your fiber is ridiculous when you can eat the same amount of calories in vegetables and beans and whole grains...and still be low calorie....I think your just hurting your body in the long run by drinking so much fiber--you should eat it for the health benefits because currently your not reaping many nutrients...

I'm with favson!  I don't believe that you only need x amount of calories in order to be healthy...I do believe that you have to make sure those calories pack the biggest bang for nutrition though.  As long as he's getting all his nutrients and is not underweight, I don't think 1274 calories is very unreasonable. He SHOULD check this with his Doctor. :)  His weight loss of 1/4-lb per day is not unreasonable either.

I think that fiber is very important and if he's using it along with eating healthy foods...well, KUDOs!  I have been eating fiber cookies (Kellog's or Metamucil -- higher calories, though) and will be trying his liquid method instead. 

He says he is eating "selective meals" so the fiber is just squashing his desire to snack on non-nutritious foods (as some of the gainers on this site admit to doing).  I think it's a great and healthy way to curb the munchies. 

:)

From the Carnation Instant Breakfast site:

Why is fiber important for health?
Fiber is important for your health in a number of ways. Most importantly, fiber is essential for healthy digestion and regularity – it keeps food moving through your digestive tract at the right pace, not too fast and not too slow. It can also play an important role in slowing of glucose absorption, which may be beneficial with glucose control. There’s also evidence that it can lower the risk of heart disease, have a positive effect on cholesterol levels in your blood, and may even reduce the risk of some kinds of cancer.

Also gj, I just said that for a specific two week period my calories were such and such.  I ate what I thought I need to get the nutrients I needed: lots of vegies and around 30 grams of protein per meal based on my lean body mass (based on "Protein Power" book, and others as well). 

I monitored and still monitor my weight (now stable at 150 for 5 months) and energy to determine if my calories are suffient.  Not counting anything now, but trying to be careful not relapse into old snacking habits and getting large helpings and seconds and thirds of carb items (my wife and daughters are too good of cooks)  I am also weening the family of sugar and starch items we buy at the grocery store.  I'm trying to increase our consumption of vegetables and fish.

Bottom line, I can't be getting too few calories if my weight is stable and doing lots of active things, can I?

Besides making me feel a whole lot better, upping my fiber intake really has helped me lose weight.   My weight loss is slower, but that is by design.  I don't want to eat significantly different while losing than I would in maintenance. 

But I eat my fiber rather than using supplements.  I have a high fiber cereal for breakfast and sometimes a snack. I eat 8-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day and eat whole grain and high fiber breads and wraps.  I aim for 35 grams a day, and would rather go over than under. 

Hi Kay,

This is a great way to get low cal, high fiber, high nutrient meals.  Jack LaLanne eats 10 raw vegetable servings per day.  I am trying to work toward this with my family.

The fiber drinks are portable though.  You can have a few with you for the day, and drink one on the way to the restaurant or party.  I usually bring 3 to work each day, because sometimes I give one away.

I had one before a catered fashion show my daugher was in.  Boy did they have some good food!  I did pretty well, though.  Anyway, a little splurge every couple of months is not a problem.  Its the one (or 2 or 3) 30 carb gram soft drink (or juice) every day that will kill you!