Most people who are concerned about the health effects of food are concerned about the quality of the food they eat. But in the vast majority of cases where food sickens or kills people, it is not the quality of the food they eat but the quantity. Why are all diets about eating something different of what people normally eat? Why isn’t there a simple diet that says, eat whatever you normally eat but less. And not much less, not starving less, but just a little less, so you may get into a new eating habit for the rest of your life and not just during the diet. So you change nothing but eat a slightly smaller amount. That is my diet. My weight is incredibly constant over the years, I just eat the same diet every day. And when I don’t work out, I just eat the same but in smaller amounts.

It’s not what people eat that kills them, the global obesity epidemic and its toll on life is happening because of how much people eat.

Follow Martin Varsavsky on Twitter: twitter.com/martinvars

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Dr Salomon Jakubowicz on August 7, 2011  · 

Martín,
Evidentemente no sufres de Cerebro de Gordo y por eso no entiendes el problema. Algunos alimentos (whey protein) tienen mayor poder de saciedad.
Revisa esta video interactivo para mis pacientes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbuXG58hReQ

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Martin Varsavsky on August 7, 2011  · 

I can’t find Cerebro de Gordo as an accepted medical term by universities or researchers so I can’t comment.

mahjonf on August 7, 2011  · 

“Cerebro de Gordo” sounds pseudoscience to me too.

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Pere Urbón-Bayes on August 7, 2011  · 

This is our same principle when dealing with our diet, in order to be a healthy personal you have to eat an average of every type of food, but according to what you burn during your day.

There was an important book, from Francisco Grande Cobian, who said the same many years ago, I strongly recommend everyone to read it. Also it is important to notice that there are some diets that can kill you, for example the Dunkan or Atkins diet,

[1] http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Grande_Covi%C3%A1n

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/fashion/17skin.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1302693242-pTOk/l7YMGdnMY6hnAwFgw

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Elliott Block on August 7, 2011  · 

The late Victor Herbert, MD, JD, [http://www.VictorHerbert.com], a famous hematologist, told me succinctly decades ago, “Eat whatever you want, but in moderation.” He served on the USA Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences and its RDA Committee. He was the author of “Nutrition Cultism: Facts & Fictions,” “Vitamins and Health Foods: The Great American Hustle,” “Total Nutrition: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need: From the Mount Sinai School of Medicine” & numerous scientific papers and other books. Don’t eat more calories than you burn up!

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Alejandro Inestal on August 9, 2011  · 

That’s what “Arguiñano” always says 🙂

I agree since I lost more than 10kg by eating the same as before but just half the quantity (and drinking a lot of water for not being so hungry)

The only “but” is that you need a more or less healthy diet (that is: to eat a little bit of everything, not the same everyday).

Mediterranean diet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet is great

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Ben on August 21, 2011  · 

you have to eat an average of every type of food, but according to what you burn during your day.

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Ben on August 21, 2011  · 

sorry, ‘t was a wrong click – an no UNDO. OK, I wanted to cite.

Well, what you really burn is diffucult to know.

I’m 53 now. In the last 20+ years I had about the same lifestyle as now, which includes some moderate excercise (typically about 1 hour a day on a bicycle at moderate speed). Subjectively, I feel my condition is about the same as than (and not bad). But now I normally eat may be 50 to 70% of what it used to be 20 years ago – and I used to eat moderately even then. On the other side, I used to weight 58 kg, the weight being constant for many years. Then it started to grow, and now I’m at 64 kg (well, still no reason to worry).

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Ben on August 21, 2011  · 

Martin, now please find a way to market your idea.

“Special” diets and “special” lifestyles is a huge market. It is easy to sell something “special” to people, or better than something that’s “extreme” in some respect. People try this and that, they mostly get no reliable success, and then buy something new again and again. And yes, special and extreme diets and lifestyles may be harmful.

Now if you find a way to sell them something as dull and simple as the idea to eat a bit less and do some moderate exercise – and the humanity will never forget you (and you will get rich in the course).

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Moxian on September 1, 2011  · 

As our food quality is decreasing and people do not excise enough and it’s easier to come to the point of food quality first. But it’s an opportunity to balance again between quantity and quality, so why not?
But I do agree for smaller portions and think it better if including Max. Variety+Max. exercise.

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