[CliffordK (OP)]

There are some foods that are considered to be "negative calories", although there is still debate on whether they are truly real.

I noticed a couple of years ago that I can loose a lot of weight...  quickly...  (well, relatively speaking) during blackberry season.

My formula:
Eat as many (wild) blackberries as I can pick and eat, usually microwaved for a few seconds and sprinkled with sugar (I often get a few red ones).  And, yes, at 15 calories per teaspoon, I never worry about a few teaspoons of sugar.  No pies, and I've been avoiding making juice.

Picking blackberries is a good way to also get outside for some fresh air.

I will also make mini-steaks (about 3/4 of an inch cubed), often bought pre-sliced as "stew meat".  I'll barbeque up a batch of these, and freeze them, and pop one, or a couple in the microwave so that I always get some good protein while dieting, but not having a huge steak.

After growing a garden, I also add in some fruit and veggies.  I can't resist that.

Also a good multivitamin.

A little exercise isn't vital for loosing weight, but is probably a good idea when dieting to avoid loosing muscle.

NO SIGNIFICANT FLOUR SOURCE.

Sometimes I'll crave variety so I won't always stay on my diet.  But, when on my high blackberry diet, I'LL LOOSE ABOUT A POUND A DAY, and never really be that hungry as I can always get another bowl of blackberries whenever I desire.  And, they are generally satiating. 

(YES, I have a sweet tooth).

It is easy to gain some of the weight back in the winter, but I'm convinced that some of the weight loss is "real", and not just the effects of short term starvation, and one can knock off more and more weight day after day (10 to 20 lbs for me during the couple of months of blackberry season).

My theory of the reason for the success of blackberries.  Wild Himalayan Blackberries are mostly seed which is poorly digested, and generally passes through whole.  But, it is also reasonably well tolerated, although it can have laxative effects at times.  Thus one gets the satiating feel of a full stomach without the calories of a full stomach.  There should be some calories in sugars in the blackberries, as well as the sugar I'm adding.  But, the losses are so tremendous that I believe that the body expends energy passing them through the digestive system, with little or no gain from the berries themselves.

Yes, I realize that 10 to 20 lbs in a summer doesn't equate to a pound a day, but like I said, I don't always stay on the diet, and can rebound upwards a few pounds if I break the diet. which then resets the point one is loosing weight from.  I also think it would be good to overshoot one's goal by a few pounds because of the rebound.  And, my target isn't loosing that much.

[RD]

... when on my high blackberry diet, I'LL LOOSE ABOUT A POUND A DAY

A pound a day is way too fast a rate of weight loss.

The recommended weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds per week ...

A sensible rate of weight loss is around 0.5kg to 1kg (1lb to 2lb) a week. To achieve this, you need an energy deficit of 3,500kcal to 7,000kcal a week, which means eating 500 to 1,000 fewer calories a day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/your_weight/active_loss.shtml

A person could lose a pound in one day through water loss, (particularly on a laxative diet), but that rate is unsustainable.

 I think someone would have to run a marathon daily to achieve a pound per day weight loss, (fat not water).

[ Keep away from toffee with peanuts ... 

[:0] ]

[CliffordK (OP)]

For those of us not in the UK, I think this is the toffee film.

A pound a week or so...  would take a lot of patience.  Of course, it would also mean developing long-term habits.

I realize the short-term weight loss is higher than should be sustainable...  and may be one of the reasons why I get wicked rebounds when going off of the diet.  And a good reason why I do add extra protein and vitamins.

But, like I said, the results are pretty extraordinary.
Cheap too...  no reason why one should spend more money for less calorific food.

Like the Atkin's Diet, carbs in the form of flour or potatoes are heavily restricted.

I believe the berries give a level of satiation that aren't experienced through eating salad vegetables, and have a larger interaction with the body.  I do wonder sometimes how bears and other animals can deal with diets high in berries, but human metabolism may be different.. 

[Karen W.]

I am a Blackberry freak!! I love them! They just began ripening up here about two weeks ago. They are coming along very nicely now...They can be filling for sure. They are really high in antioxidants...so that is great...I. believe they are now on the top of the super foods list! Nutritionists these days are really singing the praises of Blackberries in your diet.. I usually pick tons and freeze them for the year and have them all year round.. I have both Wild Blackberries and Himalayan Blackberries.. I find Himalayans  are easier to pick in quanIty and size as they tend to be a lot bigger then wild blackberries. So with the Wild Blackberries picking is more time consuming...lol..but I love them as I do Marion
berry and Raspberries. Logan berries, and Boysen berries.. we have raised
many ourselves and even coddled and protecred the wild blackberries here.
because the himalayans seem to try to crowd out the Wild Blackberries.