Dieting - Is this normal?

[cdollaz]

Originally Posted by FantasticVSDoom

but dont do that BS detox diet shit.

You got a problem with detox!

[al_bundy]

my treadmill serves as a baby obstacle course/mini monkey bars, my 16 month old loves it

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by al_bundy

my treadmill serves as a baby obstacle course/mini monkey bars, my 16 month old loves it

well, at least you put it to good use!

[4KRG]

Diets never work, don't diet, don't even have the mentality that you are on a diet, it's bad.

Make "lifestyle changes" that are permanent, otherwise, you are wasting your time and jumping your weight up and down is not good for you either.

Give up soda, FOREVER
Cut meat portions down to "palm sized" and don't have meat with every meal (maybe once daily

extreme diets that forbid all carbs or forbid all fats don't last, they are short term miracles

[Jadzia]

Originally Posted by D.Pham00

with regards to celery or carrot sticks, sure they're healthy, but i can't honestly eat them by itself. and eating them with ranch defeats the purpose. but if you can do it, then more power to you.

Try hummus. Hummus is made with chickpeas which is high in protein and fiber. Beans are a wonderful diet aid because they are low in calories and make you feel full.

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by Jadzia

Try hummus. Hummus is made with chickpeas which is high in protein and fiber. Beans are a wonderful diet aid because they are low in calories and make you feel full.

thanks, i've had hummus before with pita chips, never thought about celery or carrot sticks, might give it a try some day.

[C-Mart]

Originally Posted by 4KRG

Diets never work, don't diet, don't even have the mentality that you are on a diet, it's bad.

Make "lifestyle changes" that are permanent, otherwise, you are wasting your time and jumping your weight up and down is not good for you either.

Give up soda, FOREVER
Cut meat portions down to "palm sized" and don't have meat with every meal (maybe once daily

extreme diets that forbid all carbs or forbid all fats don't last, they are short term miracles

This is so true. Dieting isn't really the answer, making "lifestyle changes" is the answer. Or, as you said - you diet to get weight off, then you eat like you always did and the weight comes back.

[D.Pham00]

^^very true, that's what i did. just ate healthy and exercise regularly.

[Mrs. Danger]

No, dieting is not normal.



Good luck, stay healthy.

[rocketsauce]

Originally Posted by C-Mart

This is so true. Dieting isn't really the answer, making "lifestyle changes" is the answer. Or, as you said - you diet to get weight off, then you eat like you always did and the weight comes back.

This is why I love the Abs "Diet". Even though they call it a diet it's really not and says so in the book. It's about eating the right foods and the right portions. Portion size is a huge problem for most people. You can go to a restaurant and order a salad thats way too big. It defeats the purpose.

Plus the Abs diet tells you to "cheat" one meal a week. This does wonders for you psychologically. You know that you can satiate that craving you get and after awhile that cheat meal you eat won't be as bad as when you first start off.

I think alot of people here have had really good experiences with it.

[Dave7393]

Originally Posted by 4KRG

Diets never work, don't diet, don't even have the mentality that you are on a diet, it's bad.

Make "lifestyle changes" that are permanent, otherwise, you are wasting your time and jumping your weight up and down is not good for you either.

Abso-freaking-lutely 100% true. Unless you plan on doing what you're doing now for life, don't bother starting. I'll bet dollars to donuts that all the weight you lose will be back within 3 years, along with some additional poundage, unless this is a lifesyle change. Diets do NOT work at all (by "work," I mean keeping pounds off permanently). Unless your answer is, "We plan on doing this forever," it won't work.

And I agree about exercise-- add it, or don't bother. I've lose weight in the past, and I can't imagine just doing it by "dieting."

Something else to add-- when someone wants to drop weight, it's basically impossible to "just lose fat." When you go about losing weight, unless you add weight training of some kind, you'll lose muscle mass as well, so if you drop 20 pounds, let's say, you did not drop 20 pounds of fat only. I'm not talking about going out and doing bench presses everday, but weight training will help maintain and build muscle mass, in addition to helping shed excess fat.

ETA:

Originally Posted by C-Mart

WebMD says if I want to lose 1lb a week I should have 1848 calories per day. If I want to lose 2lb a week, then 1348 calories per day. My healthy body weight range is 129 to 174 lbs.

Again, you could make this much easier by adding cardio. If I do an hour of treadmill daily (which I often do), that's over 1,000 calories gone right there, everyday. At that pace, that would be over 7,000 calories gone in a week. And since you have to burn about 3,500 calories to lose one pound, it starts adding up nicely-- and it's much better for you than starving yourself down to 1,300 calories a day. I'd go crazy if I had to only eat that much per day/everyday. If you want a caloric deficit (which you do, compared to where you were before you started this process), it's more efficient to not drink a can of soda than it is to run a mile, but you should run that mile anyway.

So that means I need to lose about 50-75lbs. Obviously the 2lb per week regiment would be best, but I definately need to ease into this, so we'll see how this goes for a couple of weeks and if it gets easier then I can cut even more calories and bump it up a notch.

Basic rule of thumb is that your can safely lose 1% of your body weight per week (that's not written in stone, but it's a good place to start in terms of what can be done within reason). I really think losing and keeping off 2 lbs/week will be very hard unless you really start adding some cardio in there.

[Sdallnct]

1st...you can lose weight without working out. There is no doubt. If the ONLY issue is losing weight then it is a simple formula....eat less calories then you burn in a day. You will lose weight. You can increase exercise or eat less calories or do a combination.

2nd...working out has other health benefits and should be done. It can also also allow you a few more calories. But eating is the key.

3rd...the most important thing, again is a calorie deficit. But the type of calories is also important. You might lose weight only eating a 1,000 calories per day of nothing but ice cream, but your going to have have other issues. And it will be hard because you won't feel full. Go with lots of protein and whole grains (whole wheat bread).

4th...you might try changing things up. Many recommend a larger breakfast and less at dinner. Why? You went a full 8+ hours or more after you last ate and then went to sleep. Plus eating a larger breakfast gives you all day to burn it off.

5th...it does take your body a while to adapt. Water is a good idea. If you feel hungry, you might be surprised how that hunger will go away. Every time I change things up it takes me a bit to adapt.

6th...going slow is smart. You likely didn't gain all that weight in a month, don't try to lose it in month.

7th...I really like Men's Health. Sure there is some hard core stuff in there, but there are a lot of simple easy things that can make a big difference. I also recommend their book "eat this not that".

I'm lost a lot of weight in 18 months. And if I learned nothing else, it is that slow and steady, consistency...pays off. Sure you will have a cheat day or a cheat meal...just get back to your normal stuff as soon as possible.

Currently I'm eating about 1600 calories a day. Working out daily (burning 400-600 calories). I've added yogurt and almonds as my snacks. I eat protein in every meal and skip the fries, chips and all that. Turkey sandwiches, Chicken breast salads, eggs are my standard fare. But I'll occasionally throw in a burger. I also try to eat some fish once a week or so.

[Dave7393]

Originally Posted by Sdallnct

1st...you can lose weight without working out. There is no doubt. If the ONLY issue is losing weight then it is a simple formula....eat less calories then you burn in a day. You will lose weight. You can increase exercise or eat less calories or do a combination.

It may indeed be a "simple formula" that works fine on paper, but it's still a fact that most people who try to permanently keep weight off by limiting caloric intake only fail miserably in the long run.

[big whoppa]

Many people snack on crap all day long and aren't even aware of it or may not be aware of it. Grocery stores are loaded with processed, artificial food covered with preservatives.

Instead, try some of the suggestions mentioned previously like yogurt (low in sugar only), nuts, or peanut butter. I do the latter with pb spread on whole grain toast. Just tried yogurt. Don't love it but will try a few times with different flavors before giving up on it. You could try sugar-free Jello pudding/gelatin like the Biggest Loser recommends. I don't like most sugar-free substitutes but I've tried syrup made with Splenda and it isn't so bad.

Read labels. Look out for transfat, high sugar content, high sodium content, high calories.

Get 5-6 small meals including snacks a day every 3-4 hours. Try to have a source of protein at each meal. One benefit is it makes you feel full.

No New Year's resolutions that will last until summer or before. This has to be a life change to work as others have already stated.

Oh yeah, exercise!

[Sdallnct]

Originally Posted by Dave7393

It may indeed be a "simple formula" that works fine on paper, but it's still a fact that most people who try to permanently keep weight off by limiting caloric intake only fail miserably in the long run.

It is what it is. You have to take in less calories then you burn in a day to lose weight. Trust me, I have had to work hard to lose what I have lost. I know what your saying. I workout every day.

But the point is still the same. Lets say based on your size and weight you burn 2,500 per day doing NO exercise. You then workout 45 minutes per day burning 500 calories. But you eat 4,000 calories per day. What is going to happen? You will gain weight.

Now, don't workout. Take in 2,000 calories a day. What will happen? You will lose weight.

Your point may or may not be right. I'm sure there are people who don't workout and gain weight back. I'm sure there are people who workout and don't lose weight or gain weight. Since this country has an obesity problem, you can look at every way and find things that work and don't work.

Look, I'm not disagreeing with the general point. I totally agree for overall health you should workout. You should give yourself the best chance to make long term changes. And that should include working out. I'm just pointing out that "many" people fail miserably at controlling their weight by ONLY working out. Remember that 45 minute workout and 500 calories? That is barely a Cheeseburger. If you don't change your eating your waisting your time working out, if your goal is to lose weight.

Heck, my dad was impressed by my weight lose and joined my same gym. I told him the vast majority of what was successful for me was watching what I eat. Sure enough when his personal trainer helped him, she told him straight up that about 80% is your eating and 20% is your workout. And this is a gym that makes their living having people work out!s

[Sdallnct]

Here you go...from Mens Health taken from guys that have lost weight "successfully". Well this is their "Belly off club" so it makes sense about the working out!

96% cut out refined grains and sugars (white bread, soda's, candy, potato chips, etc)
93% now eat more protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich produce and whole grains
75% eat breakfast every day (they talk about a study where the biggest losers had a 610 calorie breakfast!)
90% weight lift 3 times a week
80% do cardio workouts
100% are highly motivated (x-factor)

[Ginwen]

Originally Posted by rocketsauce

This is why I love the Abs "Diet". Even though they call it a diet it's really not and says so in the book. It's about eating the right foods and the right portions. Portion size is a huge problem for most people. You can go to a restaurant and order a salad thats way too big. It defeats the purpose.

Plus the Abs diet tells you to "cheat" one meal a week. This does wonders for you psychologically. You know that you can satiate that craving you get and after awhile that cheat meal you eat won't be as bad as when you first start off.

I think alot of people here have had really good experiences with it.

Not me. I consistently added weight when I was on it, and ended up aggravating a pre-existing hernia so I had to stop exercising completely until I had the surgery. May be good if you're already in shape, crap for me.

[big whoppa]

Originally Posted by Sdallnct

Look, I'm not disagreeing with the general point. I totally agree for overall health you should workout. You should give yourself the best chance to make long term changes. And that should include working out. I'm just pointing out that "many" people fail miserably at controlling their weight by ONLY working out. Remember that 45 minute workout and 500 calories? That is barely a Cheeseburger. If you don't change your eating your waisting your time working out, if your goal is to lose weight.

Heck, my dad was impressed by my weight lose and joined my same gym. I told him the vast majority of what was successful for me was watching what I eat. Sure enough when his personal trainer helped him, she told him straight up that about 80% is your eating and 20% is your workout. And this is a gym that makes their living having people work out!s

I have to agree. What you eat and how much is even more important than working out for many of the reasons you just stated. Most of us aren't that Olympic swimmer.

[al_bundy]

Originally Posted by Sdallnct

Here you go...from Mens Health taken from guys that have lost weight "successfully". Well this is their "Belly off club" so it makes sense about the working out!

96% cut out refined grains and sugars (white bread, soda's, candy, potato chips, etc)
93% now eat more protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich produce and whole grains
75% eat breakfast every day (they talk about a study where the biggest losers had a 610 calorie breakfast!)
90% weight lift 3 times a week
80% do cardio workouts
100% are highly motivated (x-factor)

the last time i saw Dr. Oz on Oprah they were looking at Blue Zones, where there are large numbers of people that live past 100 with almost no health problems. pretty much all the people ate a large breakfast and lessened the amount of food they took in at a time as the day went on.

[rocketsauce]

Originally Posted by Ginwen

Not me. I consistently added weight when I was on it, and ended up aggravating a pre-existing hernia so I had to stop exercising completely until I had the surgery. May be good if you're already in shape, crap for me.

Sorry to hear that. I'm not in shape by any means and it worked me for the first time I was on it. As with anything else of this nature everyone's experience will vary

[KirstenS]

I'm getting married this year, so I've been dieting since October. I've lost 21 lbs so far, and I'd like to lose another 20 before the wedding this summer. The hungry feeling is completely normal for the first week or two while your body adjusts. Once you get over that hump, it's easy. I'll agree with what everyone else has said (drink lots of water - helps increase metabolism, keeps you from retaining water, and makes you feel full, eat whole grains, etc), but I'll also add one thing that's really helped me. Make sure you eat lots of "roughage." I was losing about .8-1 lb a week, and when I started including a "free" salad or veggies like green beans into my diet, my weight loss kicked up to 1.5 - 2 lbs a week with the same calorie intake and exercise level. I also do the graze all day technique, and that's increased my metabolism enough that I lost weight both over Thanksgiving and Christmas, even after eating a full traditional dinner on those days with lots of alcohol, etc. I try to eat something every 1-2 hours to keep my metabolism going. That keeps you from feeling as hungry as well.

Good luck! You'll feel so much better once the pounds start falling off.

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by Sdallnct

Here you go...from Mens Health taken from guys that have lost weight "successfully". Well this is their "Belly off club" so it makes sense about the working out!

96% cut out refined grains and sugars (white bread, soda's, candy, potato chips, etc)
93% now eat more protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich produce and whole grains
75% eat breakfast every day (they talk about a study where the biggest losers had a 610 calorie breakfast!)
90% weight lift 3 times a week
80% do cardio workouts
100% are highly motivated (x-factor)

with regards to refined grains, i love to eat rice, so what i did is instead of eating two bowls at dinner, i'd just eat one bowl. the key here also is moderation. don't cut out whatever you love altogether, or you'll get cravings.

[TimeandTide]

Originally Posted by 4KRG

Diets never work, don't diet, don't even have the mentality that you are on a diet, it's bad.

Make "lifestyle changes" that are permanent, otherwise, you are wasting your time and jumping your weight up and down is not good for you either.

Give up soda, FOREVER
Cut meat portions down to "palm sized" and don't have meat with every meal (maybe once daily

extreme diets that forbid all carbs or forbid all fats don't last, they are short term miracles

Good post.

I lost four waist sizes (from a 40 to a 36) and made vast improvements to my physique/appearance by a.) lifting (mostly free weights) and doing crunches three times a week (at about 45 minutes per workout), b.) running between seven and 10 miles a week, and c.) making slight changes in my diet, like cutting out soda almost completely, avoiding things like mayo in sandwiches, and eating more fish. I've never dieted.

The time on the treadmill was the single most beneficial thing I did. At first, I could barely make it to half a mile at a slow run (6.2 on the treadmill), but after about a year I could do two miles at a near-sprint (7.6) and did three miles for the first time recently.

I'm actually in better shape now than when I played college basketball 13 years ago.

My step-mom lost 95 pounds in the last year and a half from doing cardio in the treadmill and cross country skiiing and monitoring her caloric intake for every meal. I visited her for the first time in three years last week and marveled at her weight loss and consistency -- she used a small portable scale to weigh her portions and kept a journal that tracked her food intake. She even brought her own meals in a cooler to the hotel our families stayed at. Extreme? Perhaps. But she lost 95 pounds.

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by big whoppa

Instead, try some of the suggestions mentioned previously like yogurt (low in sugar only), nuts, or peanut butter. I do the latter with pb spread on whole grain toast. Just tried yogurt. Don't love it but will try a few times with different flavors before giving up on it. You could try sugar-free Jello pudding/gelatin like the Biggest Loser recommends. I don't like most sugar-free substitutes but I've tried syrup made with Splenda and it isn't so bad.

artificial sweeteners may not be that good for weight loss.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0210183902.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/Sto...4271246&page=1

Originally Posted by big whoppa

Get 5-6 small meals including snacks a day every 3-4 hours. Try to have a source of protein at each meal. One benefit is it makes you feel full.

i do this, and it really helps.

[The Bus]

Originally Posted by Jadzia

Try hummus. Hummus is made with chickpeas which is high in protein and fiber. Beans are a wonderful diet aid because they are low in calories and make you feel full.

You need protein so you won't be hungry.

Originally Posted by iwantsixpackabs.com

You want to make an effort to consume high quality protein and fiber in every meal. A suportive eating rich in lean protein is very crucial for numerous reasons. Protein is essential for repairing, building, and preserving your muscle. Of course, the more muscle that you can keep and build, the higher your metabolism. In addition, protein is needed for the production of important hormones and enzymes.

However, one of the biggest reasons why protein plays a big role in your supportive eating is because protein does not spike your sugar level up. The more your blood sugar is steady, the more fat your body can release to be utilize as energy.

Protein is hard for your body to break down causing up to 20% thermic effect compared to carbohydrates and fat. What does that mean? When you consume protein, 20% of the total protein calories are used just to break down the protein into small chains of amino acids. That is extremely important to help boost your metabolism.

Here are the top 12 sources of high quality lean protein:

1. White egg omelette (hard boiled eggs)
2. Lean skinless chicken and turkey (white meat)
3. Wild Salmon
4. Lean beef
5. Tuna
6. Lean Pork
7. Sardines
8. Skim milk
9. Cottage Cheese (Fat Free)
10. Beans, nuts, legumes
11. Soy (Tofu)
12. Whey protein drinks.

Let's Talk About Foods That Are High in Fiber:

Adding fiber into your meal is crucial for overall heath. Fiber (soluble) absorbs water making your feel fuller and for much longer time. For example, plain oatmeal is high in soluble fiber with attract water to keep you satisfied for hours. However, eating cereal that is high in sugar and low fiber causes you to get hungry very quickly. Insoluble fiber help move the food faster through the stomach and intestines to prevent constipation and other disease. It is recommended to consume about 25-35 grams of fiber per day.

Like I said earlier, you must make an effort to consume lean protein in every meal. But you also want your supportive eating to be rich in high fiber food. The list below are food that are high in fiber and packed in vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are essential muscle building, fat burning meal.

Top 12 Foods That Are High in Fiber:

1. Broccoli
2. Spinach
3. Yellow and red peppers
4. Cauliflower
5. Kale
6. Sweet potatoes
7. Brown rice
8. Plain Oatmeal (my favorite breakfast food)
9. Tomatoes
10. Berries (extremely high in antioxidants which speed up your recovery)
11. Bananas (my simple carbohydrates after working out.)
12. Legumes, beans, nuts

And you need, need need to do exercise. My best advice is to do something where you will be active and do it consistently: at least 2, preferrably up to 5 times a week. Could be basketball, could be running, could be weights, swimming, walking, etc.