Most people agree that the best way to really start losing weight is to get the carbs out of your diet.

I'm not a follower of the paleo diet - but I think because it's such a low carb diet that it can be amazing for fat loss.

What do you think?

I believe when you take the carbs out of your diet weight loss will come almost immediately. I wrestled in high school, and I needed to drop some weight really quickly, so I went on the cabbage soup diet. Pretty much, you can have as much cabbage soup a day as you want throughout the whole week. In th first few days however, you are limited to a few vegetables one day, a few fruit the next, both fruit and vegetables the following day. The diet pretty much goes like that until the 5th or 6th day when you are allowed to have 6 oz of lean beef, and then the next day you can have as much lean beef as you'd like. I did not work out that week, and I followed the first 5-6 days intensely and I lost 11 lbs. In the beginning, it was just water weight, but towards the 6 day I made my weight class and was visibly thinner. I believe that was possible because there were absolutely no carbs. However, I am also a firm believer in having carbs and working them off, especially through intense exercises like rock climbing and running with a lot of weight.

Nice.

I think this is the first time I've ever heard of the "cabbage soup" diet. Really interesting reply Guzzlinsuds!

-Rafi

Yup... I've heard of this one.

Highschool wrestlers are an interesting bunch. I knew a guy who drank slim fast and spent 2 hours a day in a sauna during drop weight week.

Mike

The paleo diet seems like it works well, but for people living with family or their parents, it may be difficult to convince them.

Eat only when hungry, and when you do, eat paleo/primal, exercise hard, play hard. I know that sounds like a primal credo, but it works for me.

Doesn't the "cabbage soup" diet count as one of those "negative calorie" diets? If you ate nothing but cabbage soup, you'd soon starve to death. I can see how someone, like a high school wrestler, could be pressured into doing this as a way to drop weight quick, but I never saw how it would be worth the accompanying loss in strength. There would be no way to maintain your energy levels (non)eating like that.