Changing the way I look at food , dieting , lifestyle for life.

tonyb

cnh wrote: »

When all is said and done it is easier for some "personalities" to play Ayn Rand with their ability to go "cold turkey" with foods that are bad for one than others. Just like it is in most other fields. cnh

Eh.....but I don't think anyone is suggesting a cold turkey aproach. You can drop the pounds and not give up a thing, considering there are no medical issues involved. Look at it like going to work everyday. You don't go to work because you want to, it's because you have to....or bad things will happen in your life. You need the money to survive. Health is the same, you need good health to survive....or bad things will happen.

As we age, those bad things become more transparent. Sins of the past in the way of lifestyle, eating habits become painfully obvious. Kinda like getting new speakers and hearing all the details in the music you never heard before. You have to start listening more and more to your body as you age, it's telling you things you may be ignoring. Thing is, if you ignore it too long it may create other problems causing you to go on medication possibly even surgery.

Dan hit the nail on the head, it becomes a balanced aproach to a happy lifestyle, whatever that is for each individual. Dentist used to have a slogan, also appropriate for all around general health. If you don't pay attention to your health, it will go away.

deronb1

Great Thread! (obviously) Bought a used treadmill for 100 bucks a couple of years ago. Best money I ever spent. I was never really fat, but felt rundown and stressed out. Running on the treadmill is great for relieving stress and burning calories. Also, zero chance of getting run over and can rock out while I do it!

mantis

Beer was a huge cause of weight gain for me. I now drink maybe 1 to 3 beer a week from 12 to 15 easy.
I cut way down on Lunch meat as I now have Tuna Solid white , Turkey Breast Meat Loaf , Egg whites , Chicken Breast cooked on the grill and sliced up , Pork . I cut out white bread and now have Whole wheat , country Oakmeal or some really nice Whole grain. I'm a huge bread lover and had to cut down on my bread intake.
I switched from regular yogart to Greek which I actually find to taste better.
I cut way down on red meat to maybe once a week.
I eat raw carrots and Broccoli with plain Hummus.
My suit intake as been changed to 2 to 3 a day.
The key to make all my changes work is the 5 to 6 small meals a day. Eating less per meal allows you body to use the fuel you eat and not store so much as fat.

My workouts have changed as well. I don't have any set in stone order but I work out for 30 minutes in the morning during the week , I ride on weekends , lift weights 2 to 3 times a week. Morning workouts are usually cardio of some kind.

It's a life long change of doing it wrong to figuring out how to do it right. It's not easy at all but it's totally worth the effort.

steveinaz

Good for you Dan. You'll never hear me bashing overweight folk's; because if it wasn't for my metabolism, I'd be as big as a house the way I eat. Just luck of the draw, and I can surely understand overweight peoples' enjoyment of food. My wife accuses me of having a hollow leg, at 5'11" and 170, I eat like a 300lb'er.

bikezappa

There is a lot of diet BS out there.

Who you going to believe?

Dr Phil (he has a diet book) or Jack LaLanne?

Jack said exercise is King, nutrition is Queen, put them together and you've got a kingdom.

99% of the diets FAIL because people gain all the weight back in two years.

Good luck

tonyb

bikezappa wrote: »

There is a lot of diet BS out there.

True my man, and alot do gain the weight back over time. Which is why we aren't really talking about diets, more so life changes that include better eating habits, more sleep, less stress, and keeping fit in ways that may include a variety of activities taylored to each individuals tastes. Just a tad bit of effort, education, and simple changes to ones lifestyle can have a huge effect on overall health without having to eat tasteless diet foods the rest of your life or live at the gym.

fatchowmein

YMMV. Not to be a contrarian, but I...

1. Eat tons of red meat but also fish and chicken.
2. Eat a massive amount of leafy greens, usually at lunch, or dinner but rarely both.
3. Eat twice a day on weekdays, usually, and maybe 3 times on the weekends depending on schedule. If I'm lifting heavy that day, I'll eat 3 meals.
4. Usually skip breakfast. No headaches. No brain fog. No shakes.
5. No bread. No wheat products unless I'm cheating which occurs very rarely. Tears me up. I'm glutten sensitive and the first reaction is my nose starts to run.
6. Occassional rice. I'm Asian. Go figure.
7. No milk. Full fat Greek yogurt now and then with blueberries. Blood calcium levels are excellent.
8. I try to up my fat intake. Sometimes I forget and I end up hungry. If my fat intake is good, I'm not hungry. That was a huge revelation.
9. Avoid sugar most of the time. I'll have very dark chocolate for a treat now and then. Mostly, dessert = fruit.
10. I drink whiskey, vodka, and tequila (100% agava) on an empty stomach. No calories and my liver can just concentrate on the alcohol. No beer (glutten).
11. I don't do "balance". I did try it but it didn't work for me. "Balance" only got me mediocre results. YMMV.
12. I intentionally increase my salt intake. If I don't, I sometimes cramp at night. My magnesium, potassium, blood pressure levels are very good. I just need the salt.

YMMV. I just wanted to show that there are those of us doing the exact opposite of conventional wisdom and living to tell the story. I have not yo-yo'd for the first time in forever. I'm a steady 130-135 depending on what I'm lifting.

I used to do the exact opposite of the 12 points I listed above. That got me down to around 145 lbs but I was always obsessing over food, exercise, calories, and my allergies were horrendous. YMMV. Sorry if I muddied the waters.

cnh

So fatchowmein aren't you really saying that you're following the above diet with a LOT of heavy exercise in there. Because it is well known that if you're an exercise freak you can do things that could take most people out? There's that famous old study of Dock workers who lifted heavy loads all day and had perfectly healthy readings eating a steak and potato diet, etc. almost daily?

Tony, I don't disagree. Not saying anyone actually suggested that you go cold turkey, but that many people's eating disorders have psychological roots which if not addressed makes it very difficult or almost impossible to reform their relationship to food. Even "tiny" steps refuse to take hold with these and the yo-yoing is legendary. I only mention this because some of my best friends fit that description. I just don't want people to feel beaten down because their addiction is akin to alcoholism?

Otherwise we're on the same page. Good thread! I have a lot of hypertension in my family (several generations going back to the old country and a Mediterranean diet so this has to be genetic) regardless of what I do with my diet and exercise I can't "completely" normalize my pressure so meds are necessary. Recently, I got a new prescription which seems to have "solved" the problem for good. Fingers crossed!

cnh

fatchowmein

cnh wrote: »

So fatchowmein aren't you really saying that you're following the above diet with a LOT of heavy exercise in there. Because it is well known that if you're an exercise freak you can do things that could take most people out? There's that famous old study of Dock workers who lifted heavy loads all day and had perfectly healthy readings eating a steak and potato diet, etc. almost daily?
cnh

Great question! I used to lift and exercise a lot. Used to do it twice a day. Now, I lift twice a week, maybe. Moderately heavy because I do it at home and I just don't have the right equipment. I'm using dumbells for squats and they're just not heavy enough. Curling bar for deadlift. Not heavy enough. Sprint for 15 min on Tuesday. Off on Wed and Sun. Run 2.5 to 5 miles on Saturday really, really slowly if I feel like it. Skip all workouts every 4th week or whenever a holiday rolls around. Skip the month of May for my 30 day birthday bash, lol!

But it works and I no longer workout twice a day, 6 days a week. Thank, God! Maybe I'll join a gym or get a house big enough for my wife to allow a power cage. Too hot to put it in the garage. This is Texas!

For me, and YMMV, lots of exercise didn't work. Some exercise with my current lifestyle and eating plan works great. YMMV, depending on your goal. My goal is to do the least amount of work and get the most bang out of it and still drink some Lagavulin 16, chase my wife, and fit in size 29/30 pants.

I concur on your Chinese lifestyle. Sent my wife over there for 2 weeks and she came back skinny, lol! She won't completely follow what I do, she won't give up sugar and bread, so I harrass her all the time and ask, "did you eat/do that in China?"

Oh, did I forget to mention, YMMV?

tonyb

Your a great example, find what works for you. Everyones bodys are different thus respond differently to all sorts of things you may try. You just need to try different stuff/regiments that are easy to introduce and accompany your lifestyle. As you age though, you may have to tweek certain things.

CNH,
I hear ya bro, we are pretty much on the same page with this but I believe what your talking about is a somewhat small percentage of the masses seeking to trim down. None the less, it does exist.

bikezappa

tonyb wrote: »

True my man, and alot do gain the weight back over time. Which is why we aren't really talking about diets, more so life changes that include better eating habits, more sleep, less stress, and keeping fit in ways that may include a variety of activities taylored to each individuals tastes. Just a tad bit of effort, education, and simple changes to ones lifestyle can have a huge effect on overall health without having to eat tasteless diet foods the rest of your life or live at the gym.

Tony you are 100% correct, it's all about lifestyle.

In my 20s I lost my drivers license for 6 months. I road my bike to work, shopping for everything. After I got it back I still road my bike to work. I have bike commuted to work for 40 years to the present day. That lifestyle change has kept me healthy.

I wouldn't have made that change in lifestyle on someones advice nor do I expect any one to make that change on this forum.

It works for me. Every one needs to find what works for them.

But based on the data, diets alone just don't work long term for 99% of the people.

Sell your car. Grin.

Good luck to you all.

tonyb

Good point ^^^

Could also be why those Europeans seem healthier. They do alot of walking and bike riding. Ever see those hills in the small towns ? I get tired just looking at them. Yet.....there's Granny.....walking up 200 ft of stairs with bags of groceries. God help her if she forgot something at the store.:cheesygrin:

mantis

bikezappa wrote: »

There is a lot of diet BS out there.

Who you going to believe?

Dr Phil (he has a diet book) or Jack LaLanne?

Jack said exercise is King, nutrition is Queen, put them together and you've got a kingdom.

99% of the diets FAIL because people gain all the weight back in two years.

Good luck

You can't go on a diet , lose weight then go back to the way you use to eat. It's what got you there in the first place. It's why diets fail. They also make you lose lean muscle mass which fools you into believing your losing fat weight. Then when you gain it all back , your actually fatter then you where before at the same weight as you have a lose of muscle mass.

It's crazy how we as Americans really don't understand what a proper diet is meaning a way of life eating. It's why so many Americans are over weight. I don't even blame any of them as they just have the wrong info and to many readily foods which most are very bad for you. Shame 2 as someone who even tries to eat correctly with the wrong info will never get where they want to me , which is who I use to be. Now that I feel I have the right info , I have been noticing changes in my life for the better.

tonyb

mantis wrote: »

You can't go on a diet , lose weight then go back to the way you use to eat. It's what got you there in the first place. It's why diets fail. They also make you lose lean muscle mass which fools you into believing your losing fat weight. Then when you gain it all back , your actually fatter then you where before at the same weight as you have a lose of muscle mass.

It's crazy how we as Americans really don't understand what a proper diet is meaning a way of life eating. It's why so many Americans are over weight. I don't even blame any of them as they just have the wrong info and to many readily foods which most are very bad for you. Shame 2 as someone who even tries to eat correctly with the wrong info will never get where they want to me , which is who I use to be. Now that I feel I have the right info , I have been noticing changes in my life for the better.

Exactly Dan. Again, comes down to lifetyle changes rather than diets per say. The American culture is a very busy one and alot of foods were geared around a busy lifestyle. The invention of the microwave opened the door for pre packaged foods that the 2 working parent household could easily use to their advantage.

Also makes you wonder why the food industry is hell bent on keeping people fat, and that plays into another industry, healthcare. In either industry, the choices are yours to make. The pre packaged foods are embedded in our way of life and for some it's not an easy transition out.

Somebody earlier brought up that metro area's are lacking in fresh farm raised foods. Alot of towns these days have farmers markets where the local farmer brings his goods to more urban areas. Visit these.....your taste buds will thank you. Combine that with limiting your couch time and turning the tv off in favor of other activities and I have no doubt people can improve their health and weight loss.

bikezappa

Just a suggestion.

A different approach is to forget the weight scale and use body fat calipers to measure your body fat.

Many diets allow you to lose weight by reducing muscle mass whuch is not good. The only way to burn body fat is through muscle action. Less muscle means you can't burn fat as fast. That's why young or fit people can burn/lose fat quicker. They have more muscle mass.

The way to measure fat % is with calipers.

http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Guide-Caliper-Black-Booklet/dp/B0000AN3UB/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1345040031&sr=8-14&keywords=body+fat+calipers+digital

Your change in lifestyle should reduce your body fat. Calipers can measure this fat loss.

A good book that explains this is "Fit or Fat".

Good luck

mantis

bikezappa wrote: »

Just a suggestion.

A different approach is to forget the weight scale and use body fat calipers to measure your body fat.

Many diets allow you to lose weight by reducing muscle mass whuch is not good. The only way to burn body fat is through muscle action. Less muscle means you can't burn fat as fast. That's why young or fit people can burn/lose fat quicker. They have more muscle mass.

The way to measure fat % is with calipers.

http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Guide-Caliper-Black-Booklet/dp/B0000AN3UB/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1345040031&sr=8-14&keywords=body+fat+calipers+digital

Your change in lifestyle should reduce your body fat. Calipers can measure this fat loss.

A good book that explains this is "Fit or Fat".

Good luck

The scale is only one tool to judge correct weight loss but doesn't account for body fat so using it as your only tool is correct.
Body fat is what you wanna lose not lean muscle. As said above.
I basically don't use the scale much at all other then curiosity. I've been building muscle for years and lately I'm sure I put on a few pounds overall as my workouts have been more intense with the right amount of fuel in my body at the right times. This is key.

5 to 6 meals a day with the right fuel so the body can burn / use all of it or at least most of it.

Danny Tse

cnh wrote: »

Want to lose weight? Move to China, eat like a Chinese, no other diet or even exercise needed except walking around Beijing. I went from 222 to 185 in one year there without trying. Lots of water and tea as well--no calories! I know that's not practical but the American diet is a Killer! Since I've been back for two years I'm back up to 205.

Don't need to be that drastic. I went to Guangzhou, China for 10 days during one summer....lost 10 pounds. Just being in the hot, humid weather....lots of walking (and therefore sweating)....plenty of water drinking....and before I knew it....lost a lot of weight. I had really bad back pain that summer as well and I believe all that walking helped a little in alleviating the pain.

Then I met my ex-fiance....I'm closing in on 200 :eek: