I know I'm not coming from the same place "only" fluctuating maybe 40lbs max, and if had morbid obesity, I wouldn't be so picky, but I would have more requirements:
-Ability to concentrate/focus
-Energy throughout the day
- Sleeping well
-Skin stays same or gets better
These are not related to calorie deficits, for me anyway. Directly related to the food types.. When I did a very clean keto with high fat (low pufa), mod protein and very low carb, I had to take a nap every afternoon and I never nap. I ate plenty of calories, had no cravings (the only part I liked about it). And I had fitful sleep. That blend of macros was just awful for me and I should have stopped it sooner because it took me a year to recover my metabolism, my skin took years to get back to what it was, it became dull with fine lines and it was always so good before that, fortunately it's good again.
Getting more ideal, I would also add that you can go back to a moderate diet and not rebound. Like you, I have tried almost all the options, and when I try something, I follow it exactly, do not cheat, at all. Even a tiny bit. But I always rebound gain even on just normal intake. Keto again being the worst, I gained weight on "norma lowl" range calories that I never gain on. Took a year for that to stop.
Then unicorn, a truly successful diet would "fix" the reason I gain weight and make me "constitutionally thin" a phrase I found in research that says it nicely I think.
I also follow Fire in a bottle which is where I came across you, and I've just started his Pre-emergence diet. It's one I've never tried low BCAA. I am eating rice and cassava but no wheat. Some lentils. And yummy cream. I just tried your instant decaf powder in it, nice twist! I use allulose for a little bit of sweetener. Have you made panna cotta? it falls in line with low BCAA even though gelatin is all protein, it's very low in BCAA content. And it gives it a great alternative texture. So far so good (day 5). Very easy, good energy, I can do this all day! I will have pizza one day a week even though cheese has higher bcaa, but generally "cheat" days have worked very well for me. I prefer margherita pizza anyway, so I'll probably get about 4-5g bcaa in that which will be my highest intake all week.
I find your dedication to your experiments very impressive! If "people" only knew how much willpower many overweight people have, they would be shocked. Truly, they have far more than my constitutionally friends have, to eat things they hate, go hungry, try and try. It is not about willpower.
I'm curious about how you think about sneaky caloric deficiancies and the CICO thing. I think the notion of sustainability is completely correct (intuitively), but I also get the sense that you also believe you need to be (are?) in some kind of deficit when actually losing weight, no?
I know I'm not coming from the same place "only" fluctuating maybe 40lbs max, and if had morbid obesity, I wouldn't be so picky, but I would have more requirements:
-Ability to concentrate/focus
-Energy throughout the day
- Sleeping well
-Skin stays same or gets better
These are not related to calorie deficits, for me anyway. Directly related to the food types.. When I did a very clean keto with high fat (low pufa), mod protein and very low carb, I had to take a nap every afternoon and I never nap. I ate plenty of calories, had no cravings (the only part I liked about it). And I had fitful sleep. That blend of macros was just awful for me and I should have stopped it sooner because it took me a year to recover my metabolism, my skin took years to get back to what it was, it became dull with fine lines and it was always so good before that, fortunately it's good again.
Getting more ideal, I would also add that you can go back to a moderate diet and not rebound. Like you, I have tried almost all the options, and when I try something, I follow it exactly, do not cheat, at all. Even a tiny bit. But I always rebound gain even on just normal intake. Keto again being the worst, I gained weight on "norma lowl" range calories that I never gain on. Took a year for that to stop.
Then unicorn, a truly successful diet would "fix" the reason I gain weight and make me "constitutionally thin" a phrase I found in research that says it nicely I think.
I also follow Fire in a bottle which is where I came across you, and I've just started his Pre-emergence diet. It's one I've never tried low BCAA. I am eating rice and cassava but no wheat. Some lentils. And yummy cream. I just tried your instant decaf powder in it, nice twist! I use allulose for a little bit of sweetener. Have you made panna cotta? it falls in line with low BCAA even though gelatin is all protein, it's very low in BCAA content. And it gives it a great alternative texture. So far so good (day 5). Very easy, good energy, I can do this all day! I will have pizza one day a week even though cheese has higher bcaa, but generally "cheat" days have worked very well for me. I prefer margherita pizza anyway, so I'll probably get about 4-5g bcaa in that which will be my highest intake all week.
I find your dedication to your experiments very impressive! If "people" only knew how much willpower many overweight people have, they would be shocked. Truly, they have far more than my constitutionally friends have, to eat things they hate, go hungry, try and try. It is not about willpower.
I'm curious about how you think about sneaky caloric deficiancies and the CICO thing. I think the notion of sustainability is completely correct (intuitively), but I also get the sense that you also believe you need to be (are?) in some kind of deficit when actually losing weight, no?