why was Fred Flintstone fat?

No diet could overcome THAT!

That's all protein. No carbs.

Also, that poor waitress may have an OSHA complaint.

Its assumptions are wrong, and it uses a corny pop culture interpretation of tribal human societies that probably doesn't reflect reality.

Any diet that requires you take supplements to survive isn't a good diet.

I had vaguely heard of it and the umpteenth (>12 <20) family member or associate told me to try it. I was given a few websites to go to for the list of do's and don'ts. Then I looked for myself at legit websites to find that it is another fad/woo diet trend.

Dodged a bullet there.

dying young is one's goal.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/407406/Neanderthal/250002/Neanderthal-behaviour

snip: (emphasis mine)

The difficult existence of the Neanderthals is reflected in their high frequency of traumatic injury. The remains of all older individuals show signs of serious wounds, sprains, or breaks. There are abundant signs of nutritional deprivation during growth, more than 75 percent of individuals showing evidence of growth defects in their teeth. Life expectancy was low; few Neanderthals lived past 40 years of age, and almost none lived past 50.

Then do it with someone else.

Lost a couple of pounds.

Eat primarily vegetables. This isn't bad advice no matter what.

Avoid refined carbs. Again, not problematic.

Skip processed foods. Do I need to say this is always sensible?

Choose high quality, responsibly raised meats. Grass fed beef is better for the planet than feedlot; it tends to be lower in fat, too. High quality meat is always going to be better over all than pink slime or equivalent.

Exercise -- walk, run, lift, do. The exercise principle is don't be a hamster in a wheel; engage.

Properly done, it shouldn't require supplements any more than any diabetic diet requires supplements (which should never be the case). As a set of rules, it makes sense for people who need a framework to make functional changes. For someone coming out of Hamburger Helper and Stouffer's territory, setting up simple rules like no grain, no legumes, no processed helps them redevelop their sense of taste and priorities. The initial Whole 30 first month is like food rehab -- breaking bad habits.

It's not like nutritionists aren't subject to faddish thinking and buying into sunk-cost fallacies, too. We spent four years trying to keep spouse from becoming type II on the conventional wisdom of low calorie, low fat, vegetarian. That failed miserably, and the nutritionist constantly blamed us for "screwing up what should work." Finally, I cut bait and demanded someone else, who advised a modified Paleo type diet. Spouse has significantly improved -- blood sugar low normal, triglycerides coming down, cholesterol behaving, weight dropping, liver much less fatty than it was 2 years ago.

Like with any "program", there will be people making money off it, and there will be charlatans. I'm near the conclusion that any program with branding, subscriptions or an affiliated shop, forum or support group is mostly interested in the contents of my wallet.

I've told her she can have my carbs once they are pried from my cold dead hands.

I'll work at eliminating some of the bad things from my diet like soda or refined sugar, but there's no way to work out the way I do without the energy from carbs.

The seaweed can provide the same benefits as iodized salt without the sodium.

and lost about 40 pounds, it was a great experience. I've slipped a little since then, I'm not strict about no carbs anymore, but I've stayed out of the habit of a starch as a normal side dish with my meals. It definitely changed my opinion about what a balanced diet is. I have a better sense that things that are in the food pyramid - with 6-11 recommended servings a day - aren't necessarily nutritionally dense given their calories.

There are a lot of things that are allowed, like seaweed or brussel sprouts, but that doesn't mean you HAVE to eat those things if you don't like them.

There's always a place for God's creatures.....

right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy.

The twenty mile round trip commute on my bicycle loaded with raingear and sweater 7 days a week and I can eat what the hell I want. I'm almost 63, weigh 165 lbs at 6'1".....in fact, I have to increase calories for the winter. To about 3500 a day. Hello Olive Garden.

eat lots of crap and exercise hard, daily.

Lupus, kidney disease, and a couple more.

I'm all woo'ed out.

Die anyway.