Diet Advice - Page 2

jtur88 · August 22nd, 2008, 08:06 AM

Drinking just water is excellent advice. If you just don't like water, buy fresh lemons or limes, and squeeze enough juice into your water bottle to add a tang to it. But not enough that you need to add sugar to offset it. I drink only tap water, and at certain times of the year, it has a bad flavor, but the citrus juice makes it pretty tolerable at the worst of times.

dlb · August 22nd, 2008, 06:31 PM

Don't give up anything. Don't go on some crazy regimen like you're training for an Olympic event. Don't try to lose 25 pounds in three months.

Eat a little less of every thing. Once you've got that down, eat a little less. Give yourself one day a week when you don't care how much you eat. Five pounds per month is excellent progress.

It really isn't that hard to lose weight the right way. Diets tend to make it hard. That's why most diets fail.

marshallz · August 24th, 2008, 08:54 AM

Best thing mentioned, by Hawk, is mental committment. As to the 'zero tolerance' for snack foods, whatever your faves might be, this is usually unsuccessful. Hell, even pro athletes fall 'off the wagon' from time to time.

Moderation when these moments hit is far more attainable and realistic.

Specifics:

Try to get at least five fruits or vegetables into your daily intake. Fruits not only are great for ya, they often relieve cravings for other crapola.

Try to eat many small meals or snacks throughout the day, rather than the usual 'three squares'.

Try not to eat after 7:00 to 7:30 PM, and if you must, have some yogurt or some cottage cheese with fruit or something......something that won't sabotage your whole day.

I've personally lost 80lbs over roughly five years and have kept it off.

When you get up to 20-25 minutes running, not jogging, you're ready to add some hills.

A bicycle will do as much if not more for ya, without the impact and joint wear, but if you're young, it ain't no big thang.

Good luck.

jtur88 · August 24th, 2008, 12:41 PM

Exercise isn't all that great. Sure you use up a lot of calories exercising for a half hour, but you can use just as many sitting on the couch watching TV for about 6 hours. Just kidding.

Why don't you post a picture of yourself (clothes on, face optional) so we can follow your progress? Might give you some incentive.

Grandstander · August 24th, 2008, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cochise22

I would really like to lose at least 25 pounds by December. Any more than that would just be icing on top of the cake.

You mentioned that you are a fairly active person, yet have managed to get at least 25 pounds over your desired weight. I also note your selection of metaphors in describing your goals..."icing on the cake."

Based on those factors, I would wonder if you are a member of one sort of eating class, the food enthusiasm group. Belonging to the class does not mean that you are a gourmet or that you have to be overweight, but it does mean that you place a great deal of sensory reward value on food.

If you are this sort, you will know it by these signs:

1) You have a lot of conversations with people about food, especially just before meals.

2) You find making a final menu selection difficult because everything seems tempting.

3) When you think about picnics, weddings, holidays etc, a big focus for you is on the food associated with those things.

4) You have an affection for all you can eat places.

5) At restaurants, you often are involved in swapping bites of yours for bites of theirs.

Now, if this were a self help book, what would follow would be the seven steps towards overcoming this personality disorder or something like that. Of course it isn't, the above are just summaries of observations I have made over the years among friends, relatives and co-workers. I am in the opposite group, the largely indifferent eaters who are pressed to recall what they had for dinner the night before, so i can't even offer empathy.

I would speculate that for those in that food enthusiasm group, losing weight is a matter of having to fight against core personality traits, and victory is a matter of preference, as in which is worse? Having the extra pounds, or not being me?

dlb · August 24th, 2008, 04:36 PM

GS made a good point earlier: losing weight is all about burning more calories than you take in. If you are a moderately active adult male, take your desired weight, multiply it by 15, and that's the number of calories you get to consume each day.

For weight loss purposes, it doesn't matter if you get those calories from a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream or 10 lbs of lettuce (though for health purposes, the source of the calories is critical). Just to make it easy on yourself, take your current weight and multiply it by 15. That's the approximate number of calories you're eating every day. Now, just start trimming that number, working your way toward your desired weight times 15. You should have no trouble getting where you want to be within one year (unless you're really overweight now).

Cochise22 · August 24th, 2008, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grandstander

You mentioned that you are a fairly active person, yet have managed to get at least 25 pounds over your desired weight. I also note your selection of metaphors in describing your goals..."icing on the cake."

Actually, I put on the weight because of a broken leg. I didn't do much other than eat, read, and sleep. With that kind of workout routine there is much else to do than put on weight.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm trying my best to put it into good practice, especially the exercise tips. I haven't had any real substantial weight loss yet (maybe a couple pounds), but I guess I just need to be patient and not expect any overnight weight loss miracles. I'm finding that I am no where near as tired after working out as I was when I started so I am starting to push myself a little more. I've also found that I really am not getting as many hunger pains as I did back when I started which is pretty cool.

jtur88 · August 24th, 2008, 05:33 PM

To add to the highly valid list that GS contributed, I'd like to add another thought, which in a way, sort of combines them all:

Eating is a part of your daily socialization.

In other words, your eating choices are often made in concert with another person, who may or may not be a family member. Eating out, you are influenced by where someone else wants to go. Eating with family at home, you are influenced by what someone else wants to eat. Worst of all, having to say the mortifying words "I'm on a diet".

I have found that it is very, very easy to lose weight if I place myself in a social environment where I always eat alone, when and where and what entirely of my own choosing. Skip meals completely if I feel like it.

Wiggen · August 24th, 2008, 05:41 PM

Diets don't work in the long run. Changing your eating habits does. I've stopped between meals eating and dropped three foods completely from my diet - breakfast cereals, cookies or sweets of any kind except on very rare occasions, and potato chips. I used to practically live on all three.

I drink a high protein, low glycemic shake for breakfast and otherwise eat normal meals, except I'm much more careful about portions. I've also cut way, way back on breads.

I exercise for one hour every day by walking. That's all, just walking. I could mix in some weight training with that, but I know I wouldn't stick with it so I haven't done so.

So far it's worked for me to the tune of about 35 pounds since the first of the year.

A lot of good suggestions from everybody here. Good luck.

Grandstander · August 24th, 2008, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cochise22

Actually, I put on the weight because of a broken leg. I didn't do much other than eat, read, and sleep. With that kind of workout routine there is much else to do than put on weight. .

If before the broken leg you did not have a weight problem, should not the problem solve itself upon your return to your regular eating and exercise habits?

Or have you not returned to your regular routine?

Cochise22 · August 24th, 2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grandstander

If before the broken leg you did not have a weight problem, should not the problem solve itself upon your return to your regular eating and exercise habits?

Or have you not returned to your regular routine?

I guess you could say it's because I have not returned to my regular routine. I did it freshman year of college when I still had time to go out and play some sort of pick-up sport with friends just about every night. Since about that time classes have become far more difficult and time consuming, so I was less concerned about playing basketball and football and more concerned with keeping scholarships. Now that classes are getting less time consuming and I'm dropping a couple extra-curricular activities I will have more time to exercise again.

marshallz · August 25th, 2008, 05:13 AM

Exercise is imperative for cardiovascular health, and for most people, for mental health. Endorphines are the great equalizer in the fight against ordinary depression, and provide an uplift unattainable through drugs and alcohol.

Especially if your body has undergone a trauma (broken limb) you need to address your physical well being on a daily basis. I suffered a multiple fracture of the left fibula (one simple fracture, one spiral fracture, with titanium plate and screws for repair) which nearly ended my tennis career.

So yes, yes, and yes................exercise is key.

August 22nd, 2008, 08:06 AM	#16 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	Drinking just water is excellent advice. If you just don't like water, buy fresh lemons or limes, and squeeze enough juice into your water bottle to add a tang to it. But not enough that you need to add sugar to offset it. I drink only tap water, and at certain times of the year, it has a bad flavor, but the citrus juice makes it pretty tolerable at the worst of times. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much.

August 24th, 2008, 12:41 PM	#19 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	Exercise isn't all that great. Sure you use up a lot of calories exercising for a half hour, but you can use just as many sitting on the couch watching TV for about 6 hours. Just kidding. Why don't you post a picture of yourself (clothes on, face optional) so we can follow your progress? Might give you some incentive. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much. Last edited by jtur88; August 24th, 2008 at 12:44 PM.

August 24th, 2008, 05:33 PM	#23 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	To add to the highly valid list that GS contributed, I'd like to add another thought, which in a way, sort of combines them all: Eating is a part of your daily socialization. In other words, your eating choices are often made in concert with another person, who may or may not be a family member. Eating out, you are influenced by where someone else wants to go. Eating with family at home, you are influenced by what someone else wants to eat. Worst of all, having to say the mortifying words "I'm on a diet". I have found that it is very, very easy to lose weight if I place myself in a social environment where I always eat alone, when and where and what entirely of my own choosing. Skip meals completely if I feel like it. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much. Last edited by jtur88; August 24th, 2008 at 05:35 PM.

August 24th, 2008, 05:41 PM	#24 (permalink)
Wiggen Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,288	Diets don't work in the long run. Changing your eating habits does. I've stopped between meals eating and dropped three foods completely from my diet - breakfast cereals, cookies or sweets of any kind except on very rare occasions, and potato chips. I used to practically live on all three. I drink a high protein, low glycemic shake for breakfast and otherwise eat normal meals, except I'm much more careful about portions. I've also cut way, way back on breads. I exercise for one hour every day by walking. That's all, just walking. I could mix in some weight training with that, but I know I wouldn't stick with it so I haven't done so. So far it's worked for me to the tune of about 35 pounds since the first of the year. A lot of good suggestions from everybody here. Good luck. __________________ "There are plenty of blacks who do not look like monkeys... Obama, however, does sort of look like a monkey..." Zen, May 18, 2008.

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August 22nd, 2008, 06:31 PM	#17 (permalink)
dlb Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,511	Don't give up anything. Don't go on some crazy regimen like you're training for an Olympic event. Don't try to lose 25 pounds in three months. Eat a little less of every thing. Once you've got that down, eat a little less. Give yourself one day a week when you don't care how much you eat. Five pounds per month is excellent progress. It really isn't that hard to lose weight the right way. Diets tend to make it hard. That's why most diets fail.

August 24th, 2008, 08:54 AM	#18 (permalink)
marshallz Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: North Jersey Posts: 1,296	Best thing mentioned, by Hawk, is mental committment. As to the 'zero tolerance' for snack foods, whatever your faves might be, this is usually unsuccessful. Hell, even pro athletes fall 'off the wagon' from time to time. Moderation when these moments hit is far more attainable and realistic. Specifics: Try to get at least five fruits or vegetables into your daily intake. Fruits not only are great for ya, they often relieve cravings for other crapola. Try to eat many small meals or snacks throughout the day, rather than the usual 'three squares'. Try not to eat after 7:00 to 7:30 PM, and if you must, have some yogurt or some cottage cheese with fruit or something......something that won't sabotage your whole day. I've personally lost 80lbs over roughly five years and have kept it off. When you get up to 20-25 minutes running, not jogging, you're ready to add some hills. A bicycle will do as much if not more for ya, without the impact and joint wear, but if you're young, it ain't no big thang. Good luck.

August 24th, 2008, 04:36 PM	#21 (permalink)
dlb Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,511	GS made a good point earlier: losing weight is all about burning more calories than you take in. If you are a moderately active adult male, take your desired weight, multiply it by 15, and that's the number of calories you get to consume each day. For weight loss purposes, it doesn't matter if you get those calories from a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream or 10 lbs of lettuce (though for health purposes, the source of the calories is critical). Just to make it easy on yourself, take your current weight and multiply it by 15. That's the approximate number of calories you're eating every day. Now, just start trimming that number, working your way toward your desired weight times 15. You should have no trouble getting where you want to be within one year (unless you're really overweight now).

August 25th, 2008, 05:13 AM	#27 (permalink)
marshallz Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: North Jersey Posts: 1,296	Exercise is imperative for cardiovascular health, and for most people, for mental health. Endorphines are the great equalizer in the fight against ordinary depression, and provide an uplift unattainable through drugs and alcohol. Especially if your body has undergone a trauma (broken limb) you need to address your physical well being on a daily basis. I suffered a multiple fracture of the left fibula (one simple fracture, one spiral fracture, with titanium plate and screws for repair) which nearly ended my tennis career. So yes, yes, and yes................exercise is key.