What good is it?

Coach - I am going to respectfully disagree with you on this one.  The food industry wants you to think that you need to be eating all the time.  Think about that for one moment.

 

I started my transformation with 6 meals a day.  I have found (though research) it doesn't matter when you eat your calories.  I now skip breakfast most days.  I often skip lunch and yes sometimes skip dinner.  You want to make your metabolism go through the roof?  Go a full day without eating and hop on the scale the next day.  I guarantee you'll post a big number on the scale (e.g., between 5-7 lbs lost).  The trick with fasting is learning to eat normally (not rewarding yourself) when you come off the fast.  Fasting is the best diet ever invented but it is not in the interest of the food, diet, or supplement industry to promote that.

 

As reference for what I am talking about, Jack LaLanne's guru on diet and fitness was a man named Paul Bragg who wrote the Miracle of Fasting.  One of the best books I've ever read.  When you are overweight, your body has stored energy in the form of fat.  You deny your body food, it will live off the fat and no harm whatsoever will occur with your muscle or other vital organs.  Now, if you get really lean and ripped (e.g., well below 10% body fat) then it is possible to start consuming your muscles and vital organs.  By eating all the time, your body has no incentive to utilize its own fat reserves.  I know there may be many of you out there who disagree with me on this one but I've tried every diet out there.  Jesus fasted 40 days and in fact, that is about the limit one can go without food before the body starts to consume itself.

 

Here are two excellent free Internet sites on fasting if your are interested:

 

http://www.fasting.ws/

 

http://www.fitnessthroughfasting.com/

I understand and I agree that fasting will lead to weight loss but the problem is how many people are truly disciplined to do this?  I have no doubt in my mind I'm not and whenever I've tried to fast to lose weight I can do it for about a week but at some point I go off the wagon and pig out. 

 

It's like several people on here have said - there is no one fix as long as you start burning more calories than you consume.  By no means am I an expert on this (obviously if you can see my physique) and I'm just repeating what my doctor has told me. 

Four months ago I would have posted I'm fortunate to eat whatever I want and have never had a weight problem. If you're one of these people don't be fooled. I was. I had no idea what was going on inside despite an annual physical. 

 

CD made me laugh mentioning ice cream. I'm an ice creamaholic. Once I opened the container it didn't make it through the night. The change I made was buying Klondike bars and having the mental discipline to only eat one per day. The packaging provides the portion size for me. 

 

CD mentioned broccoli. Broccoli and cauliflower are two foods I never cared for. But with tumeric they taste great. They're good for you and so is tumeric. Just be careful the tumeric doesn't splatter. It stains. It's used in mustard to make it yellow. From a stain standpoint it's safer to bake than fry. It just takes longer.

Doing the right thing isn't that hard once it's habit. The hard part is the mental discipline to get started. The most dangerous word to someone trying to change their habits is tomorrow. Tomorrow turns into next week which turns into next month.

That is an outstanding suggestion.  Rather than deny yourself something you love and which overtime you will end up binging on anyways because of denial psychology, find a way to control the portion.

I've knocked off 30 lbs (so far) over the last 6 months when my doctor said I was racing toward type 2 diabetes.  I didn't go on a diet.  Instead took an approach of exercise and permanently adjusting my eating habits.  I highly recommend seeing a dietitian...you'll be stunned by what you don't know.  I bike for ~45 mins a day, 6 days a week.  For meals, I worked down portion size dramatically, reduced starches that turn into sugar (corn, potatoes, etc), dramatically cut back on processed foods and changes snacks to raw veggies.  Throw all the bad snack stuff out of your house...if it's there it's too tempting.  CD, you're right about denial...cut back don't deny, and just don't make it easy to screw up.  Packaging does help.

Outstanding.  Would you mind commenting on the snowball effect? I've found that when you first start seeing a few results that you can become "greedy" with both your diets and your workouts (because of extra energy and motivation) and things start to snowball in a positive manner.

 

I made an off the cuff comment to a doctor a few years ago that I just didn't seem to have the same energy anymore.  Without hesitation, he said "I want you to carry two 15 lb bricks around with you every minute of every day for a week.  At the end of the week, let me know if you have less energy than the week before."  I didn't need to report back to him because what he said made intuitive sense.  Lay down the bricks and unbelievable youthful energy will be restored!!!!

Another trick you can do to help in this regard at home is buy smaller plates.  I've got four small plates that I've started using and it's helped out so much.  I still get that "clean the plate" feeling out of the way but it's not as much as it used to be.

Outstanding advice.  Anything you can do for portion control is a great idea.  My wife and I never order an entree for ourselves and we always split.  We never leave a restaurant feeling like we are hungry and better yet, we never leave one feeling bloated.

 

I love Italian food but that is one I have to really watch.  Pasta and bread basically metabolize as sugar.  The other day, my wife, daughter and I, split one Chicken Parmesan meal between the three of us.  We did order one extra salad and split two salads three ways.  We were very full after the meal.  That ought to give you an idea how out of whack many restaurants are when it comes to serving reasonable portion sizes.

 

Small plate sizes are a great idea.  It is proven you will eat less.  One thing we all need to do is learn to savor smaller amount of food.  Take a reasonable portion size, turn off the TV, and take your time and chew/enjoy your food.  This one simple change will knock of dozens of pounds a year and you will end up with great enjoyment of your food.  Win/win. 

Very good point. I started the smaller plate usage at home, a few months back. It must have been a subconscious decision because It just happened one day when I reached for the plates in the cabinet. There is a saying in the nutrition world that you should really not consume any more, in one sitting, than what you can't fit in one of your hands. Anyone else ever heard of this? Those big plates are a LOT bigger than my hand. LOL

I don't always eat pasta, but when I do it's whole wheat...stay full my friends.

 

Ah... Makes sense with the animal protein.

Yes, I've heard it and it is good advice.  I'll say this though, you can back a dump truck up in your driveway loaded with spinach and you simply cannot get fat on it.  Leafy green vegetables are over 90% water.  They are a miracle food however with life-restoring, anti-aging nutrients.  

 

I am not a Vegan, but I lean that way because of my heart disease.  One book reference that kind of got me out of my depression after heart surgery was a book written by a Cleveland Clinic doctor named Dr. Essyltein and his book was entitled "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease"  He also provides excellent vegetable recipes in his book and I would highly recommend it to everyone.  The empowering thing for me after reading that was that I realized that even though I had screwed my body up to where I needed to have surgery, that I could rebuild and restore myself to health.  I am trying to get everyone who reads this thread to do just that.  Follow Coach May's advice and you will feel and look young again.  We've been lied to in this country and we all have it in our power to do something about it.

I turned 55 this year, and realized I could not have the life I want without making changes. I needed to lose at least 30 pounds, and get back to exercising.

 

I have the honor of being the president of the company where I work. This year I decided we would kick off the year with a health and fitness program. For 8 weeks we had a nutritionist and a personal trainer come in on Fridays. We had 1/2 an hour on nutrition, 1/2 an hour of fitness instruction.

 

I would say by far the nutritional information had the biggest impact, although we enjoyed the fitness as well. What we learned was scary, but good to know. Several people have lost weight.

 

I have developed a taste for greens. I now barely touch processed sugar, or even worse, products with corn syrup. I still eat bacon, but less of it. I gave up a 3 (or more) a day Diet Coke habit. I drink water all day.  I feel FANTASTIC. More energy than I know what to do with.

 

In March I started a running program designed for people who are out of shape. Slowly but surely. I'm up to 3 miles, aiming to run a 10k by Father's Day. I would have thought it was impossible 4 months ago.

 

As an added plus, my son is eating better, and has all but given up sodas, cookies, etc. We do splurge from time-to-time, but overall we are both eating better.

 

For folks over 50, don't think you are too old to change your ways. And ladies, yes it is hard to lose weight over 50, but it can be done. I've lost 20 pounds and 2 dress sizes. Still going!

 

 

 

 

Also, pH balanced system is HUGE in the process of the body resisting degenerative diseases. Acidic systems turn into health issues. Go to the store and buy pH strips and pee on it. You may or may not be surprised at how acidic your body is. Do a search on Alkaline/Acidic based foods. Try and consume WAY more of the Alkaline based, on a daily basis. 

 

Here is more info for better understanding... http://www.livestrong.com/arti...s-vs-alkaline-foods/

twotex - that's just awesome!  I would encourage you to go all the way with it and fit into the dress sizes you wore in high school.  Also, don't be afraid to learn how to lift weights.  Most women only want to perform cardio, but weight training will tighten up all your loose skin. You'll be shocked at how well you look after weight training.  I got my wife into it and she thought I was nuts at first for suggesting it.  She has gotten excellent results and now she believes.

 

Other than an early post by TPM, I am glad we finally got some more female participation in this thread.  Come on ladies, you post and everyone here will help with the motivation 

I agree with that.  Our bodies want to maintain an alkaline state.  What causes acid buildup?  Sugar, alcohol, coffee, salt, and yes meat.  What causes a more alkaline state?  Fruits and vegetables.  

Exactly! However, I feel the break down for most people not understanding why certain things may or may not be good for them is one of the major reasons most people don't change their ways. I always knew veggies and fruits were good for me, but not at the degree of how much should I consume as opposed to the dairy and meat (acidic foods). Diving into the alkaline/acid food charts really put things in perspective, and also allowed me to understand just how acid those foods were that I was scarfing down multiple times a day. My body was dying (literally) for alkaline based foods (as majority of Americans). Hopefully others will really check it out and put an image with exactly what we are talking about that NEEDS to be consumed more, on a daily basis.

I'm eating my second Paleo-zone meal right now. There's a little chicken, lots of broccoli, and sweat potatoes in here. It cut ally tastes pretty good right now! I'm going to have to figure out snacks because I did get hungry before lunch...

My brother is a Paleo guy and he is in tremendous shape at age 44.  He looks like he is in his 20's and he has 6-pack abs.  Paleo is basically a low carb diet with healthy fat.  When I say low carb, I don't mean "no" carb.  It just means eat all the vegetables you like, with reasonable amounts of fruit, and avoid processed food.  If you stick to your Paleo Zone plan, you will lose weight effortlessly.  For snacks, apples work good and my favorite peanut butter and celery although some Paleo guys don't like peanut butter.  Hooey on that.  I am sure our Paleo ancestors ate peanuts if they came across them.    

I haven't defined healthy fat but some of the sources are found in nuts, chia seeds, flax seed or flax seed oil, avocado, olive oil, chocolate (unsweetened if possible), and coconut.  Many diet books will tell you to stay away from saturated fat but coconut is a healthy saturated fat.  Our bodies need fat to maintain perfect health.  Low fat diets are one of the dumbest ideas ever invented.  That said, some fats to avoid include trans fat (fat solid at room temperature), partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (found in margarine for example), and saturated fat found in meat.  That is why the emphasis on lean and unprocessed meat if possible.  For you steak lovers, they sell what is known as grass fed beef.  This is considered a healthy source of protein.  Eggs are indeed healthy and contain some fat.  Don't worry about the cholesterol contained in food.  Worry about the salt, sugar, and unhealthy fat.  You eat non-processed food, you have no worries.       

I am with you as to seeing a dietician because what you think that is good for you is not always good for YOU.

I don't subscibe to the eat all you want fruits and vegetables also. Fruits/vegetables can be high in sugar and carbohydrates.   Watch out for vegetables high in Vitamin K, if you have an underlying medical make sure you understand  why certain fruits and vegetables can be harmful. A woman at my work went on what she thought was a healthy diet.  Her problem was that she is diabetic.  She developed a blot clot in her leg, the doctor said it was from too much intake of vitamin K which caused clottingin her leg.

There is another woman at me work who is a diabetic (that does seem to be rampid in our society) at my work. She went on Jenny Craig, and has lost weight.  Everyone is talking about going on this diet. I took a look at the ingredients in the meals she heats up for lunch and I almost threwup.  The sugar low, the carbs low the calories very high as well as the sodim content. Today it was chicken with cheesy broccoli, yuck!  Why not just have a peice of chicken with salad? 

Here is some info for those just beginning the journey to healthy eating.  It shows the many pitfalls of thinking that things may be healthy probably are not.

 

http://www.webmd.com/food-reci...singly-high-in-sugar

 

Also, have a body fat index analysis done, as stated it helps to understand that carrying that extra stuff around causes you to lose energy.

 

Reading and understanding labels is more important than anything, it helps you to understand why most foods, unless it's fresh and unprocessed is NOT good for you.

TPM - the only vegetables you might need to limit would be potatoes, corn, and rice.  This category of carbohydrates are starches and they metabolize as sugar.  Other than those three (if you are diabetic) then there are no dietary limitations on vegetables.  There is no diet that restricts them that I am aware of - even Atkins.

 

There is no one-size fits all diet.  The best thing for people to do is figure out what works best for them in their lifestyle and do their own research frankly.  The general guideline of trying to avoid processed food is a good one and still leaves hundreds and hundreds of healthy food combinations which will all lead to restoration of the body.  

 

The Internet is loaded with misinformation on nutrition and much of that is marketing hype by the food, diet, and supplement industry.  I have made many mistakes following Internet advice. 

Start reading some food labels too after you get armed with some dietary facts.  It will help you figure out what to steer clear of.  It's very eye opening what the calorie count (make sure you read close on servings...they try to trick you there) are and the top few ingredients.  If you're unsure, you're a lot safer to stick to organic foods.  Pretty good idea to steer away from anything that has partially hydrogenated oils or high-fructose corn syrup in the first few ingredients.

CD,

This person ate leafy green vegetables and cheese for months.  Severe diabetic, the amount of vitamin K in those vegetables, along with the fat amount in cheese,  caused a clot in her leg. 

Before going into a weight loss/excercise program see your doctor, then understand based on your health issues seek help in finding out what will work best in your situation.

We try to stear clear of any processed foods, and as THusker implies hydrogenated oils and HFS, these things are deadly!

CD, I love free weights! I lifted consistently for years, but then life happened. I definitely want to get back in the weight room. In fact, I don't believe I can reach and maintain my goals without lifting. I need the muscle mass to keep my metabolism revved up. 

 

My plan is to balance running with lifting and an occasional yoga class.

 

Speaking of yoga, my son attended a couple of classes with me, and thought the stretching and breathing were great. In fact, he uses the breathing techniques when he is rolling. 

 

CD the fasting for came about by accident. I was conditioned to eat. It's morning so I need to eat. It's lunch time so I need to eat. Everyone else is eating so I should eat. Once I changed my eating lifestyle I found myself on certain days simply not hungry. So I didn't eat meals or skipped a meal. I will eat an apple or orange. In other words if your not hungry don't feel like you have to sit down and stuff yourself because everyone else does or because that's what you have always done.

The weight loss during these periods was dramatic. I think it's common sense. Eat when your hungry and if your not don't eat out of habit if your not. Before I changed my eating lifestyle I was always hungry. Always snacking. Always thinking about what I was going to eat and when. That totally changes when you change the way you look at food and eating.

By the way the same discipline and mental out look that will allow you to win this battle will allow you to win the financial battle in life. It transforms you not only in your healthy lifestyle but transcends into every part of your life. Buts another topic. The goal of losing weight and getting healthy can turn into and did for me into the goal of taking control of every aspect of your life. Not being a slave to food, money, fears, worries etc.

Of course my faith in God and leaning on him was and is a big part of this as well. But I don't want to side track great thread so I will leave it that. I want to thank CD and everyone that has posted on this thread. Awesome stuff.

The financial topic is not off limts here.  I am talking total health - mind, body, spirit.   

 

I've had the exact same experience as Coach May.  When I got my physical health in order, I began taking care of the other problem areas of my life.  I live a simple life now and I LOVE it.  If I can't afford something, then I cannot afford it.  No longer use credit cards.  If I can't pay cash for something, I cannot afford it.  I can list all my bills on one hand.  Was I always this way?  Shamefully no.  I no longer watch much TV either.  Too busy having fun at living.

 

Fasting is an advanced topic but it deals with detoxification and the spirit.  It provides an open channel to God.  If you want your prayers to be answered, try it.  Always do it in secret however.  Never let anyone know you are fasting.

Coach May touched on something that honestly is what got me up and going. I came home and would just sit and soak in my recliner for the past 9-10yrs until of course at the beginning of this year. But just prior to this year I had this epiphany all of a sudden (while sitting in my recliner!) that his CAN'T be how life is suppose to feel at 49yrs old. It just can't be. There HAS to be more and doggone it I was going to find out. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Not feeling like going out with the family or the energy to do any projects around the house, etc etc.

 

The Dietician we saw also recommended eating on a small plate and begin eating the protein first. And then enjoy all the non-starchy veggies you can until satiety. I have a sweet tooth every once in a while so my wife bought some sugar-free chocolate pudding cups in the fridge and will put it in a bowl with some cool whip. Does the trick for me.

 

Someone above just gave me a wonderful idea to train for a 5K marathon. I jogged 2 miles today (not all at once!) and walked 1 and now Im thinking why not set a goal for myself to work towards! Thank you whoever that was!

 

My wife has also lost about 35lbs during this journey with me even with Graves disease. She walked in the living room the other day with a new peach dress on and my mouth hit the floor. She was stunning!

 

YGD

Just thought of another change I've made when I got home earlier and looking through the fridge for something to drink.  I've switched from regular cow's milk to almond milk and it's amazing how much better it tastes and is good for you.  I had a doctor's appointment and it was with a different one than my normal one and this new guy suggested going to almond milk instead of cow's milk.  At the time I was thinking what kind of wizardry is he talking about - making milk out of almonds - because I had never heard of it before.  Couple of days later I was at the store and went to the milk section and found some vanilla flavored almond milk and bought some.  I figured I was going to take a sip, hate it and then it would sit in my fridge for about 8 months before I would finally throw it out.  I took that sip and it was awesome.  I will never go back to cow's milk again.  It also keeps in the fridge a lot longer than cow's milk.

 

Good point. I am lactose intolerant, and well, forced myself to drink milk from time to time and just accepted the consequences (not pretty). I switched to Soy milk and it tasted great and didn't have any negative digestive effects. However, I was told soy milk mimics the hormone estrogen. I'm not certain what that means, but my initial reaction is I do not need any injections of female hormones. Maybe my ignorance got the best of me with this one? BUT I still will consume soy milk over cow milk, just not as much as when I first started. Goat milk I gave a shot a few times and find it too grassy tasting. I know it's highly healthy, but I simply can't get over the taste.

For Heaven's sake, this is a baseball site.  Someone has got to bring this thread back around to baseball...

I have not had a chance to read through all of this but I need to.  Tomorrow, we have a 5 hour charter bus ride one way for our sectional quarterfinal baseball game.  I have printed this out for my reading material on the bus (yeah, yeah, I know - laptop or notepad).  There.  Now it's about baseball.

 

BTW, my wife is coming along to take photo's for the team.  She'll be reading along with me and  I'm hoping we will both be inspired to do what we know we need to do.  Thanks to you all in advance.  I'm sure I'll come back with questions... oh, and hopefully a baseball win.  

Cabbage ... Get with the times. You don't need a laptop. You need a tablet. Now taking the conversation back to health I have two apps on my phone for when eating out. One provides the nutritional values of foods in general. The other provides the nutritional values of the menu items of all the chain restaurants.

I'm in Chico, CA (Northern Calif)picking my daughter up from her first year of college at Chico State. Sitting in my hotel room after a long ten hour drive and dealing with a fun 5.7 earthquake!

Anyway, I have to say that I appreciate the comments/suggestions that have been discussed in this thread.  I know that I need to do a better job with the choices I make, especially in regards to eating out too often. I'm not looking to get back to high school weight, I'd be happy in the 220-225lb range, pre-baby weight.  Yes, I got pregnant with my wife with our son and lost the weight, but twenty months later I went through the same thing (sympathy LBS) when our daughter was born, and I kept it on.  A combination of less activity, besides lifting weights 4-5 days a week, I also played in adult basketball and softball leagues. I still lift weights, but I stopped doing the latter activities, and I have a desk job to boot....needless to say, I need a metabolism jump start!  As I stated in my previous post, I weighed 268lbs a few days ago, I'm just under 6'3".  I downloaded the Fitness Pal App on my iPhone with the intention to use it in a few days...that was a few months ago! Has anyone utilized this app? What are your thoughts? I love hearing the success stories and I'm gonna do my best to get on track!

I love almond milk and it is a source of healthy fat. 

 

Estrogen will give you man boobs and that is a problem I am still dealing with - highly embarrassing.  Estrogen can be found in soy products.  Another source is called xeno-estrogen and these are compounds that mimick estrogen in the body.  These harmful chemicals can be found in plastics and inocious places like the receipts you get at the checkout - I never tough them anymore and almost always have them throw them away or stick them in the bag for me.  Switch all your cooking at home to glassware and never heat a plastic dish up in the microwave.  I hardly ever use plastic anymore.  Beer drinking can also cause estrogen like effects and probably is the biggest reason males develop the dreaded spare tire around their mid-section.  Some of the things we know are bad for us lower our testosterone and that also amplifies the effect of estrogenin the body - another dreaded double whammy.  You can raise your testosterone by eating healthy protein such as eggs and lean meat and also eating tons of vegetables like spinach, brocoli, and kale.  Working oout will of course also raise your T-levels which leads to some of the snowball effect I described above. 

You don't have to do anything drastic or hard to get back to your ideal body and yes you should strive for that - your heart will thank you for it.  Follow the Jack LaLanne diet (If man made it, don't eat it (or limit it)) I outlined above and walk moderately- it is that simple.  You start eating more of those things you know are good for you and walking which is good for your mind, your body will transform effortlessly.  Those things that are good for you can be found on the perimeter of the grocery store including your beloved steaks

 

Thank you CD for starting this thread - I really needed to hear it right now! Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories.

 

Notice the men are willing to tell their starting and current weights... you won't hear that from me, or most females.  

 

To make a long story short, I was athletic and slim in HS and college, then over 25+ years of marriage and children, gained about 50 lbs. Two lbs per year really adds up eventually! After turning 50, I lost 40 lbs doing basically what the dads have described here... exercising every day, eating lots of veggies, a little fruit, and lean protein. Once you get used to it, a salad with a variety of veggies, some chicken, a little shredded cheese and a vinaigrette dressing can taste delicious! Fresh fruit can be dessert. It took me about a year to lose the 40 lbs.

 

I kept the weight off for about a year, but then my job changed and I started working around the clock. No time for exercise. In the past few years I have gained back about 20, and I don't feel healthy or strong.

 

Time for a change, and this thread is my trigger.  Every day (or 6 days per week) I will:

• Walk 2 miles or more (or equivalent exercise video)
• Eat veggies, salads, healthy proteins, and fruits
• Not eat junk

Thanks... I needed this! A holiday weekend is a good time to get started. Now I need to go find my tennies...

 

Julie