If anyone is the poster child for yo-yo weight gain and loss, it's Jonah Hill. From funny obesity Hill had serious weight loss in 2011. In 2012 he started to put on weight again and so the comedian began a no carb ketogenic Atkins-type diet. But he didn't lose, in fact Jonah Hill started gaining weight again and hit 300 pounds in 2015 -- more than he weighed before. He looks like he may be losing again, but with yo-yo weight that can change any time. Weight gain from no carb, paleo and meat-based diets highlight the danger of not eating in moderation.
Jonah Hill gained weight eating no carbs
Eating a no carb diet is good, right? Because carbohydrates are the enemy of weight loss, right? Well, yes and no. Refined sugar and flour are the villains, not carbs in general. The problem is, carbs have come to mean bread. Unless you are truly gluten-intolerant (and there are far fewer that are than claim they are), starch is essential. Remember the old maxim that bread is the staff of life? Carbohydrates in resistant starch and plant starch provide the back bone of a good diet. The problem is so much food, especially carbs, are refined, processed and stripped of their food value leaving only bulk. What does bulk do -- add fat, especially belly fat (something that plagues Jonah Hill and many others with yo-yo weight).
Paleo, Atkins, ketogenic diets work only if users eat lots of vegetables, even high carb ones like carrots and squash. The carbs to avoid are sugar, pop, baked goods, most dairy, processed foods and snacks, chips and alcohol (except a little red wine which is good). Like Chaz Bono, you can eliminate all those and never look back.
But cut starch completely and you'll be hungry all the time because your body is missing vital nutrients for energy.
Problems with paleo and ketogenic diets
Another problem with paleo and ketogenic diets is the misinterpretation. When Jonah Hill went no carb, he gained weight because he probably ate lots of meat and few vegetables.
A vegan will differ, but meat is good in moderation, but what matters is what kind you eat. You can't just pig out on pig and avoid bread to lose weight. Lean meat, fish, nuts and seeds are the best sources of low calorie high protein. And cutting carbs doesn't mean cutting vegetables, resistant starch and grains, even potatoes, corn, and beans. People like Khloe Kardashian have lost weight without really dieting. You just have to eat in moderation and choose the healthiest sources.
