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[Bealost]

I've been going through this myself since February. The first time I weighed myself I weighed 261 lbs. This was after already having been dieting and exercising a lot in the previous 3 weeks. This morning I weighed in at 210 exactly. Still a bit flabby for someone who is 6 feet tall on a good day.

I have done a TON of reading on the subject at tons of different websites trying to get a decent general consensus on good information on diet and exercise.

One important thing I've picked up, is that losing weight (body fat specifically) is a SLOW process. Any more than say 2 pounds a week (or 1% of your body weight for heavy people like me when I started) and you are basically losing lean body mass over fat. Do yourself a favor and don't rush it! Losing two entire pounds in a week is excellent progress, you can lose over 100 pounds in a year at that pace! Just think about how long it took you to put on all the extra weight (many years for me) and just be glad you can undo it all in a year.

Good luck to everyone, and keep fighting the good fight.

 

[Chorazin]

Lost about 7lbs doing low carb the last two weeks, bringing my total to a little over 37lbs lost since the end of May. I lost most of it on Weight Watchers, but I'm really feeling low carb as something I could do for a very long time, even staying below 20grams of carbs a day is pretty easy.

 

[Keylime]

Why don't you get a scale that measures body fat and water %?

Don't trust them at all to be accurate.

 

[Zoe]

Don't trust them at all to be accurate.

It may not be the most precise, but it would be consistent enough to track changes.

 

[Shabadoo69]

ok help gaf....
We are having a weight loss challenge at work. Winner gets $500. Im not super over weight but i want to get into really good shape and look good naked (since i just got divorced) I weigh 192 and want to get to around 173. Im 5'10''
Our competion is 9 weeks long and we are a week into it. I think im doing good so far. I try to stay around 1400 calories. I work out at the gym about 45 minutes before work and an hour to hour and half after. I mostly do cardio but i do life some weights too. Here is typically what i eat in a day...
Breakfast
a piece of fruit, banana, peach or something and a V8 fusion. (100% juice) I know eggs are good but i don't reall like them
Lunch
I usually go out to lunch but still eat healthy, subway or some type of turkey or ham sandwich. i always try to keep lunch around 400 calories.
Dinner
Some type of protein, fish or chicken with some vegies and baked potatoe or salad.

Am i eating enough calories for working out twice a day? I don't always work out twice a day but most days i do. I only drink water. I also love to drink adult drinks so this is going to be hard to stop this or at least cut way way back. Also i want a rock hard 6 pack to if you know of a good routine or something let me know. Thanks

 

[FallingEdge]

Intermittent Fasting - leangains.com

Look into that. Care to post your routine? I suggest a traditional 3x5 or Starting Strength style lifting regiment.

 

[noire]

deleted

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

If out work were to have a contest for $500 I'd be a hell of a lot more motivated.


Well, I cannot seem to stick to any diet but "my" diet, which isn't getting me too far. I seem to eat great during the week because I work and exercise so I don't tend to think about my meals but as soon as Friday night comes it's "what can I go grab for dinner?"

The issue seems to be that when I grocery shop I know what I need for the week, and by the time I get all that I am tired of shopping, not to mention I have already spent $50.

Now I know that paying $70 for food for the weekend too at the grocery store would save me money vs $50 for groceries and $40-$50 for food Friday night, Saturday noon, Saturday night and Sunday noon, but I just can't get myself to do it.

I think one of the main issues is that I can't seem to find recipes for the weekend that make me want to cook as opposed to grabbing a delicious Subway or Chinese food. Plus most of these recipes would add at least $10 in ingredients to my shopping trip, so I wouldn't really be saving any money.

Yeah, I know it all sounds pretty petty, I just am stuck in the same healthy weekday eating, bad weekend eating routine I have been in forever and can't seem to jump myself out of it. For reference I am 6'0 and last time I weighed myself (April) I was 227, which I know I am less than now, but I need to be around 185, I do have a slightly bigger build, but with a shirt on you can't tell too much that I am overweight.

Any tips from you all? Sorry for the novel, just need to get it out there as it is frustrating me beyond belief that Friday night comes and my barren fridge directs me to the nearest Subway.

 

[noire]

deleted

 

[harSon]

If out work were to have a contest for $500 I'd be a hell of a lot more motivated.


Well, I cannot seem to stick to any diet but "my" diet, which isn't getting me too far. I seem to eat great during the week because I work and exercise so I don't tend to think about my meals but as soon as Friday night comes it's "what can I go grab for dinner?"

The issue seems to be that when I grocery shop I know what I need for the week, and by the time I get all that I am tired of shopping, not to mention I have already spent $50.

Now I know that paying $70 for food for the weekend too at the grocery store would save me money vs $50 for groceries and $40-$50 for food Friday night, Saturday noon, Saturday night and Sunday noon, but I just can't get myself to do it.

I think one of the main issues is that I can't seem to find recipes for the weekend that make me want to cook as opposed to grabbing a delicious Subway or Chinese food. Plus most of these recipes would add at least $10 in ingredients to my shopping trip, so I wouldn't really be saving any money.

Yeah, I know it all sounds pretty petty, I just am stuck in the same healthy weekday eating, bad weekend eating routine I have been in forever and can't seem to jump myself out of it. For reference I am 6'0 and last time I weighed myself (April) I was 227, which I know I am less than now, but I need to be around 185, I do have a slightly bigger build, but with a shirt on you can't tell too much that I am overweight.

Any tips from you all? Sorry for the novel, just need to get it out there as it is frustrating me beyond belief that Friday night comes and my barren fridge directs me to the nearest Subway.

If you're on a low carb-diet, just make your meals simple. Buy a Foreman grill. Buy a bunch of meat, spices and marinades to keep things from getting stale. Buy a bunch of frozen vegetables, salad ingredients, etc. I cook 3 meals a day and I only spend about 20-30 minutes doing so across all 3 meals.

A sample day for me:

Breakfast:
- Churizzo and Eggs
- Pork Sausage
- Microwaved Bacon (or I bake a bunch on the weekend, refrigerate it and reheat it through out the week)

I cook the sausage first, and while I'm cooking the sausage, I throw the Churizo on the pan and cook it till its ready. I throw in two eggs, and while I'm doing that, I throw the bacon into the microwave. They typically all finish cooking at the same time. It's roughly about 10 minutes of cooking.

Lunch:
- Cheese burger w/o the bun, chicken or sausage cooked on the Foreman Grill.
- Salad w/ Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Avacado, Bacon Bits, Parmesan Cheese and already cooked chicken strips I buy from the store.
- Broccoli, Cauliflower or Zucchini

Just marinade/season up the meat and throw it on the grill, and while that's cooking, prepare your salad or vegetable. About 10 minutes of cooking, possibly a bit more if its a thick cut of meat.

Dinner:
- Chicken, Cheeseburger w/o the bun, Chicken, Sausage, Steak, Porkchops or Fish on the Foreman grill.
- Salad w/ Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Avacado, Bacon Bits, Parmesan Cheese and already cooked chicken strips I buy from the store.
- Broccoli, Cauliflower or Zucchini

Preparation is the same as lunch.

Snacks:
Strawberries and Black berries. Natural Peanut Butter w/ Flax Seeds in it (2 net carbs) and I typically throw a bit of sweetener to spruce up the taste a bit.

All of the food is tasty if you cook them correctly and extremely simple. I do make more complex meals from time to time when I have time, but these simple meals dominate my diet. Oh, and Sriracha makes everything taste awesome.

 

[omgkitty]

Natural Peanut Butter w/ Flax Seeds in it (2 net carbs)

How exactly do you eat that? I used to use it in my protein shakes and that shit is some of the stickiest peanut butter I have ever seen. I couldn't imagine just eating a spoonful or two of it.

 

[mollipen]

agreed 100%... grains are awful for us. no reason in first world countries of moderate income any of us have to stick to grain heavy diets.

The idea of a world without bread makes me cry.

Curious, though, since I know nothing about all of this and just happened to wander in here - is rice as bad as bread in this regard?

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

You've asked this like 3 times already. Switch that subway sandwhich to a subway salad. Hit up Chipotle for a fajita bowl. Skip chinese, unless you can get something that doesn't have a sauce full of sugar, tempura or a bowl of rice.

Plan better. Look at menus before hand and figure out what you can eat. Remember that you can substitute steamed vegetables for fries. Buy more food so that your fridge isn't empty on the weekend.

Yeah, again sorry, just going back and forth over it in my mind. I have come kind of mental block against getting Subway salads as I feel I could make a better one at home, but then I don't want to go out and buy all the stuff. My backwards thinking needs some work, mostly.

Although fajita bowls, etc sound great. I'll look into that.

EDIT: Thanks Harson. Only question I have is about Chorizo and burgers all the time, I know you need fat on Low carb but aren't those two things full of "bad" fat too (saturated, trans)? I know chorizo is just terrible for you, I love the stuff, but avoid it because of the massive amounts of saturated and trans fats.

I do have a foreman and love the thing, I just get tired of my meat selection. Maybe marinades are key.

Also +1 on the Sirracha comment!

 

[borghe]

The idea of a world without bread makes me cry.

Curious, though, since I know nothing about all of this and just happened to wander in here - is rice as bad as bread in this regard?

grains are really bad in general.. poor nutritional value (vitamins, minerals, protein, etc) and often refined to create a high glycemic load. this includes corn (corn is not a vegetable), rice and wheat. legumes are arguably pretty bad also.. beans (including green beans, peas, peanuts, soybean/soy, etc).

legumes and grains came to prominence because they are inexpensive ways to make us full, and the environment needed to grow these crops is much more forgiving than needed to grow vegetables.

I agree though... I love bread, I love peanut butter, I love cereal, etc.

So my philosophy (and remember, I got down almost 60lb to my target weight in 6 months) is simply, keep active, eat lots and lots of lean meats and fresh fruits and veggies, and when it comes to grains and refined sugar (don't worry about sugar in fruits) and bad fats (including most of the fats people in here consume on low carb), don't be stupid about it. I follow a very-loose paleo diet. Lots and lots and lots of lean meats and veggies, and when I happen to eat some grains/bread/sugar/high-omega6 fats I don't feel bad about it and my body shrugs it off like it was nothing. Mind you I'm not a spring chicken either (almost 37). So it's not "I'm 18/19 and can eat whatever and however much I want without gaining weight". Basically eat smart and stay active. That philosophy has kept my weight off for over a year now and still going strong. and fwiw, I workout 6 days a week, but only about 10-15 minutes per day (Convict Conditioning is probably the greatest book ever written)

 

[Kickz]

awesome progress - keep it up man

Thanks man, I hope I can keep this up before cracking and messing up the diet

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Oh and one quick breakfast question, I have been doing eggs with this handy egg cooker I got off Amazon but decided to try some smoothies this week. Anyone have any good smoothie recipes for low carb?

Also, the smoothie I make has been peanut butter, a banana, and skim milk, and the calorie tracker I use says it is 67 carbs, that seems like a hell of a lot for a low carb diet. Are peanut butter/bananas "good" carbs?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

The idea of a world without bread makes me cry.

Curious, though, since I know nothing about all of this and just happened to wander in here - is rice as bad as bread in this regard?

Rice is not nearly as bad as wheat, but it should still be avoided if you are actively trying to lose weight. Some decent info here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Oh and one quick breakfast question, I have been doing eggs with this handy egg cooker I got off Amazon but decided to try some smoothies this week. Anyone have any good smoothie recipes for low carb?

Also, the smoothie I make has been peanut butter, a banana, and skim milk, and the calorie tracker I use says it is 67 carbs, that seems like a hell of a lot for a low carb diet. Are peanut butter/bananas "good" carbs?

Absolutely not. Peanuts and peanut butter, in particular, should really be avoided no matter what kind of diet you are on. They aren't good for you. Try all natural almond butter (not that shit mixed with vegetable oil, sugar, and other weird stuff) if you must have an alternative. In fact, a bit of almond butter on celery can be a pretty damn good snack if you are hungry late at night or in between meals.

Bananas are very starchy, but in moderation they should be fine. I wouldn't recommend eating them everyday, though.

Yeah, again sorry, just going back and forth over it in my mind. I have come kind of mental block against getting Subway salads as I feel I could make a better one at home, but then I don't want to go out and buy all the stuff. My backwards thinking needs some work, mostly.

Although fajita bowls, etc sound great. I'll look into that.

EDIT: Thanks Harson. Only question I have is about Chorizo and burgers all the time, I know you need fat on Low carb but aren't those two things full of "bad" fat too (saturated, trans)? I know chorizo is just terrible for you, I love the stuff, but avoid it because of the massive amounts of saturated and trans fats.

I do have a foreman and love the thing, I just get tired of my meat selection. Maybe marinades are key.

Also +1 on the Sirracha comment!

You're buying into the conventional wisdom if you are demonizing saturated fat. Some more decent info: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/

 

[RoninChaos]

Just switched jobs so I'm in a place where I can actually regulate what I eat. The problem is I'm fucking picky. I can do the burgers without buns, etc. I don't like salad but I'll figure something out. Can anybody suggest some simple things I can start with? I'm not sure if going no carb immediately is a great idea. I'd like to gradually knock it down over the next month.

What I'm more worried about are the things that have hidden carbs that I won't know about and getting off routine because it will be easy to do so. I can bring my lunch to work, and I can do the same for breakfast.

Something else I'm confused on is people saying eating fruits are okay on low carb but I thought they weren't because of the sugar. I LOVE fruits, just don't dig on salads. Are fruits okay? Because the cafeteria in our building has fresh fruit on hand all the time.

I'm a simple guy. I eat meat, I like american food mostly. I don't care too much about mixing it up, but I"m sure I will. I also love peanut butter and pizza. So I'm pretty sure this is going to be a hard road.

Somebody told me I could be okay doing something like cottage cheese and pinapple for breakfast, a burger with no bun for lunch, and a chicken breast and salad for dinner. Does that sound about right?

What about things like diet soda? I drink stuff like diet dr pepper and things like that but I was told that's bad.

Suggestions? I REALLY REALLY want to start this off right.

Are costs an issue? It sure seems cheap to eat terribly.

*edit* Also, not to sound juvenile, but what do you do about keeping regular? I heard on low carb things can get backed up.

 

[Dash27]

Absolutely not. Peanuts and peanut butter, in particular, should really be avoided no matter what kind of diet you are on. They aren't good for you.

What makes you say this? All natural peanut butter (ingredients are peanuts and salt and that's it) is a source of good fats. They are very calorically dense though so use in moderation if you're trying to shed pound.

I know the paleo diet folks dislike them for the lectin content. Perhaps that's what you're referring to?

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Thanks for the replies all.

If anyone has some good breakfast smoothie recipes I'd love to hear them. Something with enough in it to keep me going until lunch (or a snack) but low carb and healthy.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

What makes you say this? All natural peanut butter (ingredients are peanuts and salt and that's it) is a source of good fats. They are very calorically dense though so use in moderation if you're trying to shed pound.

I know the paleo diet folks dislike them for the lectin content. Perhaps that's what you're referring to?

The anti-nutrient Lectin is definitely one of the problems with peanuts. The fact that so many people are allergic to the things should be a hint that they might best be avoided. Another problem is the carcinogen Aflatoxin that is produced from the mold that grows on peanuts (and other nuts, but peanuts have the highest concentration).

They are also far less nutritious than other nut-types (not to mention their anti-nutrient content). All-in-all, almonds or other nuts are just a far better choice.

 

[borghe]

You're buying into the conventional wisdom if you are demonizing saturated fat. Some more decent info: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/

The problem is that saturated fat almost ALWAYS goes hand in hand with high levels of omega6 unsaturated fats. when you see omega6 levels drop and omega3 levels rise, surprise surprise you see saturated fats drop. The studies demonizing saturated fat as cholesterol causing are in fact ridiculous and obviously discredited.. but that doesn't discredit the fact that saturated fat has little to any inherent value, especially compared to monounsaturated fats with relatively high omega3s, or even better polyunsaturated oils with very high omega3s.

the only way to make saturated fats and omega6 fats work in a diet is through ultra-low-carb diets.. start going past 100g of carbs in a day (very easy to do with fruits and veggies) and your body starts processing those saturated and omega6 fats as reserve and not energy.

What makes you say this? All natural peanut butter (ingredients are peanuts and salt and that's it) is a source of good fats. They are very calorically dense though so use in moderation if you're trying to shed pound.

I know the paleo diet folks dislike them for the lectin content. Perhaps that's what you're referring to?

lectin and high omega6 fats. it is mostly unsaturated fats, but again with what I was saying, as a high omega 6 fat source it really only promotes itself as an ultra-low-carb ingredient. and even for ultra-low-carb there are plenty of other better foods out there. like real nuts for example.

 

[ant_]

Peanuts are hella good. Eat at least 4 tbsp Peanut butter a day. Sometimes I even eat non-natural peanut butter. Some of you guys take this shit way overboard (in my opinion, of course).

 

[cbox]

Almond butter is my love. Though I scarf down my fair share of PB aswell.

 

[borghe]

Peanuts are hella good. Eat at least 4 tbsp Peanut butter a day. Sometimes I even eat non-natural peanut butter. Some of you guys take this shit way overboard (in my opinion, of course).

legumes and whole wheat/brown rice all fall under the same category for me... they're fine in moderation, I have them on occasion, but for the most part, there are just much healthier and better tasting foods out there instead.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Peanuts are hella good. Eat at least 4 tbsp Peanut butter a day. Sometimes I even eat non-natural peanut butter. Some of you guys take this shit way overboard (in my opinion, of course).

How do you figure? We've got evidence of anti-nutrients, generally poor nutritional value, high omega-6 content, presence of toxic carcinogens and you've got "hella good".

Well, no shit. Cake and ice cream and all manner of pastries, breads, fast food, and whatever have you are also "hella good". They should all be avoided if you care about long-term good health, though.

By all means continue eating peanut butter if you like it, but do realize that the only thing "hella good" about it is the taste, especially if you're eating the stuff mixed with vegetable oil, preservatives, and sugar.

legumes and whole wheat/brown rice all fall under the same category for me... they're fine in moderation, I have them on occasion, but for the most part, there are just much healthier and better tasting foods out there instead.

Same here. I'm not going to pick out the peanuts if they appear in a rare meal, but I'm also not going to go out of my way to consume them with any kind of regularity.

 

[Bealost]

I've been following this thread for awhile now (5 or so pages, god help me I don't have the time or patience to read all 200 pages). You guys have been demonizing a lot of different foods that I always had no problem eating. I would love to get a post with some decent links to information regarding the claims of whole wheat being unhealthy, or most recently peanuts being "bad" for you.

I find it difficult to find reliable sources using google on such topics because you find what you search for. Search for "Why is whole wheat bad for you?" and you will get a hundred pages saying so. Such is the information age. I would like some credible sources just so I can try to be a little bit more informed.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I've been following this thread for awhile now (5 or so pages, god help me I don't have the time or patience to read all 200 pages). You guys have been demonizing a lot of different foods that I always had no problem eating. I would love to get a post with some decent links to information regarding the claims of whole wheat being unhealthy, or most recently peanuts being "bad" for you.

I find it difficult to find reliable sources using google on such topics because you find what you search for. Search for "Why is whole wheat bad for you?" and you will get a hundred pages saying so. Such is the information age. I would like some credible sources just so I can try to be a little bit more informed.

It all depends on what you choose to define as "credible". There isn't a consensus in the world of nutrition, and there are still a lot of prominent individuals with proper credentials who cling onto the conventional wisdom of whole grains and vegetable oil.

Regarding why wheat is awful for you, the best book I've so far read on the subject is "Wheat Belly". I highly recommend it.

 

[borghe]

I've been following this thread for awhile now (5 or so pages, god help me I don't have the time or patience to read all 200 pages). You guys have been demonizing a lot of different foods that I always had no problem eating. I would love to get a post with some decent links to information regarding the claims of whole wheat being unhealthy, or most recently peanuts being "bad" for you.

I find it difficult to find reliable sources using google on such topics because you find what you search for. Search for "Why is whole wheat bad for you?" and you will get a hundred pages saying so. Such is the information age. I would like some credible sources just so I can try to be a little bit more informed.

on legumes (including peanuts)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectin#Digestion_and_immune_distress

not only that, but the high concentration of phytates usually found in legumes and grains actual BLOCKS the absorption of most nutrients including protein!! So for all the protein that peanuts (and little protein that grains) have, you end up getting little of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytic_acid

yes almonds and walnuts are on there also... and frankly we've known for a while that almonds are the "worst" of the real nuts... walnuts aren't that bad for phytic acid and also crazy high in omega 3s..

 

[Dash27]

I've been following this thread for awhile now (5 or so pages, god help me I don't have the time or patience to read all 200 pages). You guys have been demonizing a lot of different foods that I always had no problem eating. I would love to get a post with some decent links to information regarding the claims of whole wheat being unhealthy, or most recently peanuts being "bad" for you.

I find it difficult to find reliable sources using google on such topics because you find what you search for. Search for "Why is whole wheat bad for you?" and you will get a hundred pages saying so. Such is the information age. I would like some credible sources just so I can try to be a little bit more informed.

Nutrition information, like most fitness information is ... let's say trendy. Full of conflicting info, opinion as fact, exaggerations and all the rest.

Peanuts are kinda like eggs. People alternate telling you they are either good for you or bad for you. Eat eggs! Do NOT eat eggs! Eat some eggs, not too many. For the love of god DONT EAT THE YOLKS! Go ahead and eat the yolks.

The whole wheat and peanut thing sounds like the paleo diet to me. A lot of guys and girls at my gym are on paleo, and I like the overall idea of it but sometimes it goes overboard. Peanuts is a good example.

I say do what works for you and keep an open mind. For me eating "clean" food works. Not processed, lean protein, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds. Keep away from processed sugars.

 

[ant_]

How do you figure? We've got evidence of anti-nutrients, generally poor nutritional value, high omega-6 content, presence of toxic carcinogens and you've got "hella good".

Well, no shit. Cake and ice cream and all manner of pastries, breads, fast food, and whatever have you are also "hella good". They should all be avoided if you care about long-term good health, though.

By all means continue eating peanut butter if you like it, but do realize that the only thing "hella good" about it is the taste, especially if you're eating the stuff mixed with vegetable oil, preservatives, and sugar.



Same here. I'm not going to pick out the peanuts if they appear in a rare meal, but I'm also not going to go out of my way to consume them with any kind of regularity.

I just like to enjoy my life. I do have my hella good, and lost weight as fast as everyone else. I ate carbs, lost weight. Drank soda. Ate fats. Ate steak.

Moderation, counting calories/macros is all I did.

And now you will tell me how unhealthy I am, aspartame, leptin or something, etc.

Oh, by the way, I also ate sugars.

 

[Bealost]

EDIT:: just a disclaimer here. I'm not a nutritionist or particularly educated in food sciences. Just someone who has been trying to learn how to feed themselves over the last year.

I'll have to read "Wheat Belly" at some point in the near future, can't run out and get it this second. Should be a good read.

As for the wiki link that was posted, the first link on lectin is interesting, but the studies it sources don't seem esepcially reliable.
One was done studying in 2000 on the "modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis." From what I can tell the whole study is basically advocating the removal of lectins from diet to help remedy RA.

The second study is about how "Ingestion of the lectins present in certain improperly cooked vegetables can result in acute GI tract distress." Basically they ran an experiment to discover the mechanism that causes GI distress. Their conclusion "Lectins potently inhibit plasma membrane repair, and hence are toxic to wounded cells. This represents a novel form of protein-based toxicity, one that, we propose, is the basis of plant lectin food poisoning."

I'm not sure either of those studies are enough to say that you downright shouldn't eat peanuts or all natural peanut butter.

The second link dealing with phytic acid basically states that it does indeed block some nutrient absorption and "This process can therefore contribute to mineral deficiencies in people whose diets rely on these foods for their mineral intake, such as those in developing countries."

I'm not advocating that people go out and eat fistfuls of nuts and grains here. You guys demonized this stuff pretty bad, and I don't think eating an all natural peanut butter sandwich on some whole wheat bread once a week is unhealthy. Everything in moderation.

Well, no shit. Cake and ice cream and all manner of pastries, breads, fast food, and whatever have you are also "hella good". They should all be avoided if you care about long-term good health, though.

Did you really just compare peanuts to ice cream?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I just like to enjoy my life. I do have my hella good, and lost weight as fast as everyone else. I ate carbs, lost weight. Drank soda. Ate fats. Ate steak.

Moderation, counting calories/macros is all I did.

And now you will tell me how unhealthy I am, aspartame, leptin or something, etc.

Oh, by the way, I also ate sugars.

Good for you. However, as you must well know, most people fail when they attempt eating whatever they want and simply restricting calories. Your body is telling you to eat more under diets like that and you are denying it what it wants. That takes a lot of willpower for most people.

That's cool that it worked for you, but surely you don't think that weight loss is everything, right? Surely you understand that leptin, sugars, soda, grains, etc. are unhealthy on more levels than simply making you fat.

Did you really just compare peanuts to ice cream?

Sort of? They are both in the big category of "avoid", but obviously they aren't close to being the same thing.

 

[harSon]

Jesus you're annoying about nutrition...

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'm not advocating that people go out and eat fistfuls of nuts and grains here. You guys demonized this stuff pretty bad, and I don't think eating an all natural peanut butter sandwich on some whole wheat bread once a week is unhealthy. Everything in moderation.

Wheat is that bad, though. Whole grain or no, an equivalent amount of it spikes your blood sugar higher than plain table sugar (sucrose). In simple terms of controlling insulin to aid weight loss, you're probably better off eating a Snickers bar.

With that said, wheat wasn't always so bad (it was never 'good', though). The wheat we consume today is dramatically different than that of even the early 20th century. The Green Revolution started a process of cross breeding and genetic modification that brought us the modern dwarf wheat which compose 99% of the wheat crops across the world today. Ancient wheat is not so much worse than rice, but it's the modern stuff that gets real nasty.

And, sure, you'll be okay eating a peanut butter sandwich every once in a while, just like you'd be okay having a few pints of beer on the weekend. Neither of those should ever comprise even a small portion of your standard diet, though. Also, if I'm going to cheat and eat something bad, personally I'd go with something a lot tastier than a peanut butter sandwich.

In the end, though, for me at least, after being on this diet since February, I find that cheating just isn't worth it, because more often than not I feel like shit afterward, and any enjoyment derived from the bad food I consumed is soon forgotten.

Jesus you're annoying about nutrition...

Okay...? I'd prefer a response with some more substance, but if that's your opinion...

 

[FallingEdge]

There is nothing wrong with eating a peanut butter sandwich every day either. It depends on your goals. There are plenty of people who do it and continue to lose fat and gain muscle. It is perfectly fine. There are multiple aspects to reaching your end result. Whether you chose to go more of a paleo diet, low carb, or IF, it is all fine.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

All in all I would say there is no "end all" to weight loss, it is all about taking things others have had success doing and molding them to your body type, motivation, and figuring out what works the best for you.

 

[RoninChaos]

There is nothing wrong with eating a peanut butter sandwich every day either. It depends on your goals. There are plenty of people who do it and continue to lose fat and gain muscle. It is perfectly fine. There are multiple aspects to reaching your end result. Whether you chose to go more of a paleo diet, low carb, or IF, it is all fine.

Is this who I think it is?

 

[ant_]

Good for you. However, as you must well know, most people fail when they attempt eating whatever they want and simply restricting calories. Your body is telling you to eat more under diets like that and you are denying it what it wants. That takes a lot of willpower for most people.

That's cool that it worked for you, but surely you don't think that weight loss is everything, right? Surely you understand that leptin, sugars, soda, grains, etc. are unhealthy on more levels than simply making you fat.



Sort of? They are both in the big category of "avoid", but obviously they aren't close to being the same thing.

Lecturing someone about leptin, the "horrors" of wheat, about how they can no longer eat sugar, the dangers of fruit, and how bad pretty much (it seems) everything is because of some random ass chemical that 99% of people dont give a fuck about (and in the context of a weekly diet probably don't matter)

That is more appealing than telling someone, " Hey it's no so bad, just count calories and eat at a deficit. Also try and keep your protein high."

lol.

 

[borghe]

Lecturing someone about leptin, the "horrors" of wheat, about how they can no longer eat sugar, the dangers of fruit, and how bad pretty much (it seems) everything is because of some random ass chemical that 99% of people dont give a fuck about (and in the context of a weekly diet probably don't matter)

That is more appealing than telling someone, " Hey it's no so bad, just count calories and eat at a deficit. Also try and keep your protein high."

lol.

ummm... I don't agree with him on everything, but you are kind of wrong here...

first, while I don't subscribe to ultra-low carb diets, eliminating grains, sugar and legumes seems to be pretty minor in the gran scheme of things.

second, it is DEFINITELY easier to eliminate these things that you might miss, than it is to be hungry, and while hungry sit there and tell yourself "don't worry, it will be worth it in the end", etc.

I mean whatever works is definitely the mantra of weight loss, but it's scientifically proven that, while calorie restriction works to a degree, it is also the single hardest diet to subscribe to, and the most frequent diet (by a substantial margin) that people fall off from. You are quite simply willingly starving yourself.

So yeah, eating foods that don't make you unhealthy and don't leave you hungry, vs. eating whatever foods you want that leave you hungry AND have adverse affects on your health beyond weight gain.. congratulations on losing the weight, genuinely.. but also understand that the method you took from a nutritional and psychological approach is probably the hardest diet to do (you can't say maintain, because you can't maintain the diet permanently), is the easiest to fall off both during the diet (because you are starving) AND after the diet (because you never actually learn about proper nutrition, only starvation), etc. Yes it works, but there's a reason that 99.8% of people who approach a calorie restriction diet fail, and it's not because they simply "choose" not to stick with it. You are forcing your body to behave in an abnormal way.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Lecturing someone about leptin, the "horrors" of wheat, about how they can no longer eat sugar, the dangers of fruit, and how bad pretty much (it seems) everything is because of some random ass chemical that 99% of people dont give a fuck about (and in the context of a weekly diet probably don't matter)

That is more appealing than telling someone, " Hey it's no so bad, just count calories and eat at a deficit. Also try and keep your protein high."

lol.

You consistently suffer from a lack of understanding in this thread. You're being disingenuous and misrepresenting pretty much everything I said in the last couple of pages (except for maybe the "horrors" of wheat part). It sure would be cool if you went back and actually read people's posts instead of dismissing everything you don't immediately agree with simply because you seem to think that "counting calories helped me lose weight, so it must work for everyone--overall quality of health be damned."

I'd like to have an honest discussion, but you're really not bringing much to the table with your "hella good" and "random ass chemical that 99% of people dont give a fuck about" comments. How is any of that going to help anyone? Or are you just here to spread doubt and tell people that you can lose weight despite poor eating habits?

 

[Bealost]

I agree with you bread and grains should generally be avoided, but when you say something like:

Wheat is that bad, though. Whole grain or no, an equivalent amount of it spikes your blood sugar higher than plain table sugar (sucrose). In simple terms of controlling insulin to aid weight loss, you're probably better off eating a Snickers bar.

How your blood sugar levels and insulin levels respond to eating different foods are two different things. I read a really good article on it awhile ago, and am currently looking for it.

I find it very difficult to believe that eating wheat bread is even close to eating a snickers bar. I'm not even sure how to respond.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I agree with you bread and grains should generally be avoided, but when you say something like:



How your blood sugar levels and insulin levels respond to eating different foods are two different things. I read a really good article on it awhile ago, and am currently looking for it.

I find it very difficult to believe that eating wheat bread is even close to eating a snickers bar. I'm not even sure how to respond.

I thought I worded it very carefully. I'm not recommending you eat a snickers bar over some bread--I'm just saying that an equivalent amount of the bread consumed in the same time frame will spike your blood sugar more and bring about a stronger insulin response than the candy bar. I don't know about anyone else, but I was very surprised to learn that initially.

 

[Bealost]

So yeah, eating foods that don't make you unhealthy and don't leave you hungry, vs. eating whatever foods you want that leave you hungry AND have adverse affects on your health beyond weight gain.. congratulations on losing the weight, genuinely.. but also understand that the method you took from a nutritional and psychological approach is probably the hardest diet to do (you can't say maintain, because you can't maintain the diet permanently), is the easiest to fall off both during the diet (because you are starving) AND after the diet (because you never actually learn about proper nutrition, only starvation), etc. Yes it works, but there's a reason that 99.8% of people who approach a calorie restriction diet fail, and it's not because they simply "choose" not to stick with it. You are forcing your body to behave in an abnormal way.

I can't reasonably respond to anything you have to say at this point. The statement that I quoted from your last post basically flies in the face of every nutrition/weightloss/training article I have ever read.

When it comes down to it ALL that matters in losing weight is a caloric deficit. The trick to it is doing it in a way that is easy to stick to (until you are at your goal weight, when you begin to eat at your maintenance levels) and doing it without having problems with malnutrition.

When losing weight you aren't "on a diet" you are changing your diet to what your body requires. As opposed to eating substantially more than your body requires.

 

[borghe]

yeah, likewise it's why I participate in this thread so sporadically.. there is such a trend in this thread much of the time: a) weight loss first, b) health distant second if at all

Is it worth it to not be fat if you can't even do more than 2 or 3 pullups? Or can't do more than 8 or 8 pushups? I'm not talking body building or any such nonsense. I'm just talking about being able to easily move around your own body weight.. run at top speed for 5 minutes straight. not be winded climbing 4-5 flights of stairs. If you have a bmi of 20 and can't do that stuff, I don't give a shit what the chart tells you, you are unhealthy.

being obese or overweight lends to their own health problems, but not being overweight doesn't suddenly mean you're healthy. I get many people just think about that outward physical appearance... but who cares what you look like if you can't even do anything with it?

 

[Bealost]

I thought I worded it very carefully. I'm not recommending you eat a snickers bar over some bread--I'm just saying that an equivalent amount of the bread consumed in the same time frame will spike your blood sugar more and bring about a stronger insulin response than the candy bar. I don't know about anyone else, but I was very surprised to learn that initially.

Are we talking about the same volume of food, the caloric equivalence or what here?

 

[ant_]

You consistently suffer from a lack of understanding in this thread. You're being disingenuous and misrepresenting pretty much everything I said in the last couple of pages (except for maybe the "horrors" of wheat part). It sure would be cool if you went back and actually read people's posts instead of dismissing everything you don't immediately agree with simply because you seem to think that "counting calories helped me lose weight, so it must work for everyone--overall quality of health be damned."

I'd like to have an honest discussion, but you're really not bringing much to the table with your "hella good" and "random ass chemical that 99% of people dont give a fuck about" comments. How is any of that going to help anyone? Or are you just here to spread doubt and tell people that you can lose weight despite poor eating habits?

Sometimes I like to chime in out of frustration, but other than that you guys are free to eat however you want. My overall health is fine, and judging my health by the context of single foods is pretty damn ridiculous (and funny).

Calories in v. Calories out works. Counting macros works. Most of your arguments, seemingly, against it are that some people get hungry or that it is unhealthy.

The fact is people can lose weight with poor eating habits (brb eating 1 Twinkie a day). I'm not encouraging that. I'm encouraging people to stop worrying about individual foods, meet your macronutrient requirement (proper amounts of protein, carbs, and fats), take a multivitamin for insurance, and eat at a deficit.

I ate ice cream once a week while I was cutting. Am I saying, " OMG ICE CREAM DIETTTT!!!!!! ONLY EAT ICE CREAM AND LOSE WEIGHT"?

Not at all. I'm just trying to get over the mindset that most people on a diet usually have (demonize one category of food, or one specific ingredient - fats, sugars, carbs, anything).

Eat proper macronutrients, eat at a calories deficit = lose weight.

 

[Gary Whitta]

yeah, likewise it's why I participate in this thread so sporadically.. there is such a trend in this thread much of the time: a) weight loss first, b) health distant second if at all

Is it worth it to not be fat if you can't even do more than 2 or 3 pullups? Or can't do more than 8 or 8 pushups? I'm not talking body building or any such nonsense. I'm just talking about being able to easily move around your own body weight.. run at top speed for 5 minutes straight. not be winded climbing 4-5 flights of stairs. If you have a bmi of 20 and can't do that stuff, I don't give a shit what the chart tells you, you are unhealthy.

being obese or overweight lends to their own health problems, but not being overweight doesn't suddenly mean you're healthy. I get many people just think about that outward physical appearance... but who cares what you look like if you can't even do anything with it?

Well that's where exercise comes in, right? Many people here will tell you (rightly) that exercise is not mandatory for weight loss but I think we'd all have to agree it is mandatory for health. I started adding exercise a couple of months ago and I've stepped it up lately with more vigorous workouts and I definitely feel better for it. I'm still out of shape by anyone's standards (can't do a single pull-up) but I'll get there. And of course the more weight you lose the easier exercise becomes.

 

[Bealost]

yeah, likewise it's why I participate in this thread so sporadically.. there is such a trend in this thread much of the time: a) weight loss first, b) health distant second if at all

Is it worth it to not be fat if you can't even do more than 2 or 3 pullups? Or can't do more than 8 or 8 pushups? I'm not talking body building or any such nonsense. I'm just talking about being able to easily move around your own body weight.. run at top speed for 5 minutes straight. not be winded climbing 4-5 flights of stairs. If you have a bmi of 20 and can't do that stuff, I don't give a shit what the chart tells you, you are unhealthy.

being obese or overweight lends to their own health problems, but not being overweight doesn't suddenly mean you're healthy. I get many people just think about that outward physical appearance... but who cares what you look like if you can't even do anything with it?

I agree with that statement. but it is irrelevant to your other post.

Your diet has almost nothing to do with how physically fit you are, that's what training (not the same thing as exercise) is for. If your goal is to lose weight, count calories, make sure you eat what your body needs to thrive.

If your goal is to be physically fit that would require just a little bit more effort and require some decent training for a handful of hours every week.