Pop culture and food ideas ... opinions?

Hello All!

I have been hearing a lot lately in the pop culture rags and on TV shows about eating a certain way to promote healthier digestion and weightloss.  For instance, some examples of what I have heard are:

1. Only eat fruit in the AM and choose fruits low on the glycemic index (which kind of makes sense to me).
2. Eat carbs earlier in the day and stick to protein only in the evenings.
3. NEVER mix protein with carbs (of any kind -- even veggies).  i.e.:  eat your protein alone.
4. Cut out sugar as much as possible and when you must have it only take it in by fruit in the AM.
5. Drink 1/2 your body weight in water daily.
6. End your day with a no-sugar hot beverage.
7. Only eat fats that do no harden when put in the refrigerator (which totally makes sense to me).
8. Try not to eat after 8 PM.

Has anyone else heard these same things?  What do you think?  Has anyone tried this?  I have a girl friend who is skinny and she naturally does all these things and has never had a weight problem, so it got me thinking, "Has she never had a weight problem because she naturally does all these things?"  Or is it just genetics?  I was just wondering how others weigh in on this topic.  I figure it might not hurt to try some/all of them as long as I am getting my calories in and making health choices (like lean meats instead of bacon or red meat).  Opinions? 

i have some qualms with 5,7, and 8. it doesn't amtter a WHOLE TON( just a little) when you eat but I know it helps me sometimes to have that as a guideline. It doesn't matter if you eat your proteins and carbs. in fact it evens out the fact that youre having carbs. also drink more water than that.

also coconut oil is good for you and its hard at room temp. basically dont eat a lot of fats from meats.

Thank you for your response maddyp1!  It seems like everywhere I turn I am being bombarded with weightloss advice from the pop culture media.  As summer approaches I am certain this will only get worse as people are striving to be instantaneously beach body ready without putting in the hard work and dedication.  Some of these seem to be recurring and I know thin people who just by nature seem to instinctively do these things so it made me wonder the validity of them.  I have never tried coconut oil ... but it sounds appealing!  I generally stick to olive oil or flaxseed oil ... but it made sense to me because butter, cheese and bacon fat harden from a liquid state when put in the refrigerator and they are not full of good fats at all!

I am counting calories, exercising and eating a healthful diet but do sometimes struggle with digestion issues.  I mix my carbs and protein, I eat a little fruit throughout the day, I drink around 10 glasses of water a day and will often eat up until I go to bed.  I work REALLY hard to lose weight (and have lost 37.3 lbs since January) but if there are some things I can tweak and make it an easier and healthier process that is easing up on my digestion ... them I don't mind giving it a try.  I am not willing to compromise my health or calories and exercise but not mixing foods and trying to eat earlier in the day ... doesn't seem to be too unhealthy ... I appreciate your response!

no problem! congratulations thus far and I wish you an amazing time in the continuation of your journey!

Eating fruit and veggies throughout the day is great- don't just limit yourself to certain fruits only in the morning!

It is hard to know what to believe and what not to believe... but I agree, coconut oil is hard at room temp, but it's great for you. Plus, a lot of foods that have protein in them also have carbs or fats- you can't really isolate each macro all the time.

Eat what makes you feel best, eat whole, and eat lots of plants (if not all plants ;) )

I'm of the opinion that too many rules make most diets fail.  My only rule is to eat less than I burn over a given week.  Trying to make those foods nutrient dense is more of a guideline than a rule :P  There are just days that you need a half-pint of ice cream.  It seems to work well for me.  People comment on how quickly I lose weight when I get back on my wagon, and I'm never unhappy while doing it :)  It's a shame that I suck really badly at intuitive eating

these rules arent hard to follow but then again i dont see them as rules. you just have to slowly integrate them

Thanks everyone for your input!  josielynn, I think I am going to try it.  If it isn't working I could just stop.  It's not eating anything extra it's just shifting things that are harder to break down and that tend to turn into fat to earlier in the day.  If it doesn't work, I don't think it will hurt to go back to what I was doing before and not have reprecussions.  I will let you all know if I see a big difference one way or the other. =)