Sandra Alexander wrote:
>
>  Are most people on the Neanderthin diet on it for health reasons or for
> losing weight? I switched from
> Atkins three weeks ago.  First week I lost 3 lbs., second week I stayed the
> same, and this last week
> I slowly gained back 2 1/2 lbs.  My diet consisted of   eggs, meat, nuts and
> pemican and lots ( 1 gallon) of water. I was hoping for a better weight loss.
> I still have 75 pounds to lose. Can somebody please give me some helpful hints.

It's my understanding that *no* "diet" works to permanently reduce fat.
My understanding is that the majority of people who go "on a diet" gain
back the weight (and sometimes more) within 2 years of quiting the diet.

The best way to lose fat I know of is to change your eating habits (a
permanent, sustainable diet) and gain muscle.

Pound-for-pound muscle burns more calories than fat, *even at rest*.  By
increasing your muscle weight you will lose more weight, even at rest.

There's only one way to gain muscle, and that's to shock your muscles to
grow by...yup, you guessed it: exercise.  An increase in exercise also
raises your metabolism. You use calories *less efficiently* (i.e. you
eat the same ammount, but lose weight).

Exercise (particularly weightlifting) strenghtens your bones, decreasing
the risk of osteoporesis.

Bottom line:  Focus on increasing your exercise activity drastically
(which has been proven to decrease weight) rather than drastic caloric
reduction (which doesn't work in the long run).