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Post by Calidore on Jan 4, 2024 13:37:51 GMT -5
As a general rule, diets that go easy by simply lopping off a category of food are pretty much worthless. You might see fewer pounds on the scale, at least short term, which is all they need to sell it to the masses, but it's not desirable long-term. Every year, U.S. News & World Report brings together a large group of nutritionists to evaluate a large group of diets. Have a look and see what sounds good to you. health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overall
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Post by impulse on Jan 4, 2024 15:04:52 GMT -5
Yep. Atkins for example will make you drop weight in the short term, but it’s horrendous for your health long-term. The diets that offer shortcuts to short term results are not sustainable long-term.
Edited. Also not surprised Mediterranean is at the top of that list.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 5, 2024 22:36:41 GMT -5
I've struggled with weight all my life, due to a sweet tooth and eating when I am bored and stress eating. I dropped weight in college, due to a combination of cafeteria food that was not great, so I ate a lot of salds and lighter foods I did like, had no money to regularly eat junk, and was working out constantly due to military requirements. In the military, I went up and down and put on a lot, due to stress. I got sent to a weight loss program that involved psychological counseling as well as dietary and fitness stuff. I dropped quite a bit and kept it off, for a bit, but never fully altered a bad diet. Once I was out of the military, I put it back on, though I was better off while running the receiving department, because I was more physically active in the job, hauling shipments back and forth, and doing a lot of lifting and walking back and forth sorting books. When I moved out to the floor, I put more weight on, especially as I got stressed more. After a run-in with kidney stones, I decided to change things.
I cut out sugar as much as I could, though it was a slow process. I used to get cookies and other treats, in our cafe, most days. I basically tried to wean myself off, by slowly reducing the frequency, until I cut it out most days of the week. I allowed one cheat day, where I could have something sweet and one candy bar, when I picked up groceries; but, the rest of the time us was fruits and nuts instead of fats and sugars. I switched to leaner meats and got turkey patties and ground turkey for things like tacos and ate more salads and vegetables. I also tried to cut portions. I weaned myself of stuff like McDonalds, by first getting a regular hamburger, instead of a quarter pounder, then cutting it out all together.
Meanwhile, I started walking for at least 40 minutes, at the fastest pace I could maintain, for the whole 40+ minutes. I started walking circuits around my apartment complex, since there wasn't a good "neighborhood" route. I did that every day, including walking while wearing a rain poncho, in the rain, and buying a self-powered treadmill, for the colder winter months. I walked a minimum of 6 days a week. At first, I was slow; but, as the weight came off, I had better wind and could keep a faster pace, for the duration. I dropped about 80 pounds and was in the best shape since the military and it did wonders for my self esteem.
I kept it off for a while and maintained the healthier eating and exercise. I started dating, which is how Barb & I met. After she moved in and we later started having issues, as I dealt with her depression and mental health problems, as well as lots of work stress, I fell off my program and got back to eating crap.
I have started again and am trying to do the same thing, of making slow changes, reducing the bad, increasing the good, rather than trying to radically shift things at once. The walking is a harder thing, right now, as I have been heavy long enough that I have some joint and sciatic issues. However, Barb had gotten a stationery bike, at one point and marginally used it; so, I am going to start trying it out. It's a bit cumbersome, as it isn't the best design in the world; but, I think I will be able to do enough to increase my physical activity to aid the dietary improvements, until I can get to where I can handle walking for a longer stretch. I live next door to a park; so, I have a great place for walking. I may just need to get a walking stick, for some extra support, until I at least get a significant amount of weight off.
As others have said, I found that my energy was best and my weight loss was best when I ate a good mix of foods, with minimal starch, sugar, salt and fat and lots of lean protein and complex carbohydrates. My weight loss was slow, about 2 lbs or so a week and it was about 2 years before I was really at my ideal weight; but, I felt improvements quickly and they got a little bit better, every few months. The problem is when people think they are going to lose significant weight in 6-8 weeks. It is going to take longer and you have to have a maintenance diet, for long term, eating healthy, with the odd indulgence, here and there, but not on a daily or even weekly basis.
I did eat some processed foods, when I last took weight off; but more things like Lean Cuisine entrees, with vegetables in them, rather than meat and starch dishes. I also forced myself to cook more, with regular ingredients, rather than pre-packaged foods, for the majority of my week. When I did eat in restaurants, I tried to order lean items, with green vegetables and have the salad bar (if available) and stayed away from the desert menu. I didn't eat McDonalds for nearly 2 years and stopped at one while driving to South Carolina (from Illinois), to visit my folks, and nearly got sick trying to eat it. I had a handful of fries and threw the rest away, because they tasted horrible and the same for the burger, as all I could taste was salt and fat. For the rest of the trip, I stopped at places where I could get something like a turkey sandwich or something at a grocery deli. I had healthy snacks and water, in the car, to avoid the trap of candy bars or cookies.
I also started reading ingredients and anything that has sugar in the first 3 ingredients was to be avoided. Also, notice words like "dextrose," "fructose" and other sugar keywords. A lot of processed foods will list "sugar," but, there are other sugar forms in there, as well. Also look at the nutrition sample size; in many cases, it is abnormally small, to make the product seem healthier. If the portion is 3 crackers and it says 170 calories; but, you consumed a dozen crackers, you just quadrupled the caloric content, as well as the other negative elements.
As for water, after the kidney stones, I tried to drink at least a half a gallon a day, based on what my urologist told me. The main reason I developed stones was because I wasn't getting enough pure water and was drinking lots of iced tea and diet coke and was dehydrating myself and my kidneys weren't getting flushed properly. Yeah, you go to the bathroom more often; but, your urine is clearer and kidney stones hurt like a mo-fo. I feltlike someone was punching me in the back for the better part of an hour, when it first flared up. Then, I was constantly needing to urinate, but not expelling a lot. I ended up having to have lipotripsy, because I wasn't passing the stone (it ended up not being large, just oddly shaped and it didn't move through the passages easily. Cold water is more palatable than room temperature or luke warm and adding things like a slice of lemon or lime will give it some flavor. Drink mixes can be high in salt, even if sugar-free, so read the ingredients.
That has been my only major health issue in my adult life; and, after last year, with Barb, whose weight was a factor in her death (along with immobility, alcohol abuse, depression and then COVID), I don't intend on going out that way. She was nearly 300 lbs and that was after having gastric bypass, before we met and shedding off a similar weight, until she ended up a bit underweight, when we first met.
Sensible, regulated diet, plus as much activity as your body will allow will take off weight and keep it off; but, you also have to look at your eating habits. There are psychological factors. Do you eat while engaging in passive activities? Do you eat when stressed? Do you eat when you feel sad? Do you over-indulge with certain foods? Do you eat too quickly? Do you eat on a schedule? Do you eat all over the house, rather than one consistent place? Do you use large plates? Do you cook or microwave? Are you getting fresh vegetables or boiling them? Do you eat meats other than beef? Do you eat other protein, especially plant-based?
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 5, 2024 22:45:04 GMT -5
ps When you are trying to lose weight, don't get hung up on weighing yourself constantly. Change will be slow. Limit it to once a week or less and measure physical changes more, like your abdomen or some other part, with a measuring tape. Pay attention to how your clothes fit, vs what a scale says. You get less wrapped up in the number and pay attention more to your behaviors and your diet and exercise. I went more on how my clothes fit and every few months they felt looser, until I was going down a size.
Also, if you are looking for exercise, but have physical issues with some exercise programs, look into stuff like yoga and water aerobics. The latter has the resistance of the water and supports bad joints.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 6, 2024 7:34:41 GMT -5
We have a weight loss thread on the forum where a lot of this is covered. Ultimately , it comes down to calories in calories out. The junk food people love have a high calorie content. I disagree about the weigh in frequency, I weigh in every day. That way I can see how the way I'm eating is effecting the body on a daily basis. I log my food every day also.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 6, 2024 13:18:21 GMT -5
We have a weight loss thread on the forum where a lot of this is covered. Ultimately , it comes down to calories in calories out. The junk food people love have a high calorie content. I disagree about the weigh in frequency, I weigh in every day. That way I can see how the way I'm eating is effecting the body on a daily basis. I log my food every day also. That's fine for maintenance; but, when you are significantly overweight and trying to lose, it can by discouraging if you aren't seeing significant change day in and day out and it can cause you to fall off a program. There are a lot of psychological underpinnings to obesity and weight gain, not just the pure mechanics of caloric intake. If you never address the issues that cause you to over-eat or eat poorly, then you are more likely to put the weight back on.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 6, 2024 14:31:00 GMT -5
Do what works for you.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,740
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Post by shaxper on Jan 6, 2024 14:46:52 GMT -5
As a general rule, diets that go easy by simply lopping off a category of food are pretty much worthless. You might see fewer pounds on the scale, at least short term, which is all they need to sell it to the masses, but it's not desirable long-term. Every year, U.S. News & World Report brings together a large group of nutritionists to evaluate a large group of diets. Have a look and see what sounds good to you. health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overallI designed my own diet a few years back and dropped about 80 pounds. It was incredible and also the healthiest I've ever felt. The problem with it was you had to KEEP eating like that...forever. When my fiance (now wife) moved in and it was no longer reasonable for me to be cooking/meal-prepping just for myself anymore, my metabolism went wacky and I ended up gaining far far more than I'd lost in the first place. For what it's worth, the diet was pretty common-sense: 1. Design an every-day meal plan that follows the FDA suggested daily intakes of nutrients and vitamins. 2. Make up for any differences with vitamin supplements. 3. Keep it as organic and unprocessed as possible. 4. Keep it under 2,000 calories per day. 5. Keep sensible cheat foods around the house and allow 1 to 2 cheats per day. 6. Eat what you want at social gatherings and at restaurants. But if you can't make a lifetime commitment to eating like this, it does more harm than good in the long run.
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jan 7, 2024 13:21:58 GMT -5
Food for thought...
-M
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Post by Rags on Jan 7, 2024 13:50:02 GMT -5
Thanks Umberto, that would apply to 1700+ of my comics and half of my Hardcovers....half of the fun is owning them and knowing I can get to them at my own pace. Or sell them if I lose interest.
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Post by Calidore on Jan 7, 2024 18:24:57 GMT -5
I also appreciate Mr. Eco's absolution for making only negative progress with my book backlog over the decades.
I have just started on one part of the backlog, however. I saw a post here from someone mentioning being an Alexandre Dumas fan, which reminded me that I am too; and since I was just about to take some things out of storage, maybe I should include a Dumas book.
The random volume I took out of the container was one of his Valois trilogy (La Reine Margot, a.k.a. Queen Margot, a.k.a. Marguerite de Valois; La Dame de Monsoreau, a.k.a. Chicot the Jester; and The Forty-Five Guardsmen), so I pulled out the rest of them, and also the three other related novels (Ascanio; The Two Dianas; and The Page of the Duke of Savoy). That should keep me busy for a bit.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 7, 2024 18:58:00 GMT -5
I get a thrill whenever I buy comics at a show or a store. That's a reward in itself.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 7, 2024 20:45:04 GMT -5
I get a thrill whenever I buy comics at a show or a store. That's a reward in itself. I found that the thrill of the hunt and the find was a bigger joy than possessing the comic.
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Post by berkley on Jan 7, 2024 21:43:09 GMT -5
I also appreciate Mr. Eco's absolution for making only negative progress with my book backlog over the decades.
I have just started on one part of the backlog, however. I saw a post here from someone mentioning being an Alexandre Dumas fan, which reminded me that I am too; and since I was just about to take some things out of storage, maybe I should include a Dumas book.
The random volume I took out of the container was one of his Valois trilogy (La Reine Margot, a.k.a. Queen Margot, a.k.a. Marguerite de Valois; La Dame de Monsoreau, a.k.a. Chicot the Jester; and The Forty-Five Guardsmen), so I pulled out the rest of them, and also the three other related novels (Ascanio; The Two Dianas; and The Page of the Duke of Savoy). That should keep me busy for a bit.
Can we see a shot of the covers? I haven't read any of the Valois books and would like to see how yours look.
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Post by wickedmountain on Jan 8, 2024 0:50:19 GMT -5
Hi Everyone , Been a long time i know but i haven't forgot about you all Been trying to get my life straightened out , will take some time but I'm doing my best. Hope you are all doing well and had a great Christmas. Happy New Year to you all too.
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