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I gave up cereal years ago. A bowl of cereal keeps me full for about 90 minutes if I am lucky. Simple carbs from processed grains in cereals and bagels are just about the worst thing you can eat if you are trying to lose weight. If you can stay full on that type of eating more power to you, but there are better, more nutritional foods to eat that won't turn straight to sugar in your blood stream. I myself do not eat low carb, so I am not advocating that type of eating, even though it does work for a lot of people. There are much better grains to eat that will give you nutrients and fiber and will give you energy and keep you fuller longer. Breakfast for me is 1/2 of a slice of whole grain seed bread with 1/2 an avocado and a few nuts, or a quinoa/oatmeal blend with blueberries. This type of breakfast will give me energy for a morning workout and keep me full until lunch.
I guess all you can say is that we are all individuals and that there is no exact formula or plan that will work for all.
I've had nothing to eat today except my cereal, milk and banana. I visited the gym for a fairly serious workout, almost an hour, (and adding machines and reps every visit) and it's now almost dinner time and I'm not hungry at all. It should be noted of course that my current weight is 12 pounds over the BMI maximum normal weight for my height. In other words I am officially 'fat.' Thanks, gummint! I expect that in perhaps a month or a few weeks more my weight will have lost that excess and I'll be officially blessed as being 'normal.' My point being that I may need less food to stave off hunger because my body is living partly on drawing from my adipose fat tissues—and by doing that is also decreasing my weight. No question about it, I am burning more calories than I eat so in a metaphorical sense I'm slightly starving, although not hungry.
Furthermore even in the few short weeks since I returned to regular gym visits I'm feeling amazingly more energetic, and I swear I feel like I'm high on something considering my buoyant spirits and increased socializing in my everyday life. My attitude has a gained whole new latitude!
I have been working on this for many months, planning, reducing my food consumption in stages. I always understood that at some point I would have to resume a serious exercise program. The day that plan hit my reality was two weeks ago. I had finally lost enough weight that I felt I was ready for a regular exercise program!
I have no doubt now that my weight loss and bodily toning up will proceed at a greater rate, and that I will be smack in the middle of the BMI before the end of summer!
I see a similar amount of sugary cereals and obesity in my local Publix too.
I happened to have breakfast in a local independent cafe yesterday ( fruit,granola and low-fat yoghurt) when a couple of Leviathans waddled in for chow.
Stacks of pancakes,eggs,bacon,sausage patties,fried potatoes,rounds of toast and drowning in a lake of syrup added to everything.It made me feel ill just watching this conveyor belt of food go down.
There was barely any conversation between the couple bar the odd grunt and there didn't appear to be any enjoyment about what they were eating - just a sociopathic need to shovel as much stuff down them in as fast a time as possible.
And this was just breakfast.I dread to think how many calories they'd consumed all day yesterday.
The sad thing was this couple were in their 20s.I doubt they'll see 60.
I see a similar amount of sugary cereals and obesity in my local Publix too.
I happened to have breakfast in a local independent cafe yesterday ( fruit,granola and low-fat yoghurt) when a couple of Leviathans waddled in for chow.
Stacks of pancakes,eggs,bacon,sausage patties,fried potatoes,rounds of toast and drowning in a lake of syrup added to everything.It made me feel ill just watching this conveyor belt of food go down.
There was barely any conversation between the couple bar the odd grunt and there didn't appear to be any enjoyment about what they were eating - just a sociopathic need to shovel as much stuff down them in as fast a time as possible.
And this was just breakfast.I dread to think how many calories they'd consumed all day yesterday.
The sad thing was this couple were in their 20s.I doubt they'll see 60.
Eeew - thanks for the visual.
Positive thinking is needed: without them and others like that, social security may get some relief so a moment of silent gratitude that they are taking the fall so others can live.
I have had more than a few friends do Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig over the years and none of them were successful. Short term maybe, but most could not even get through the initial phase either because they thought the food was disgusting or they were eating more than they should as far as the snacks went.
Your words, "Short term maybe..." are very telling. I believe the advertising claims only because a severely shorted caloric intake is bound to reduce weight, other things being kept same. Eat that many calories/day for some number of days, you can calculate pounds lost.
The statistic is right on the Internet: 3,500 calories equals one pound. One site says Nutrisystem starts with an initial week of 1,000 calories/day then 1,500/day for men, 1,200/day for women. Just taking the female figure for example 1,200/3,500 = about one-third pound per day (about 2 pounds/week), eating just the diet product.
Another site says, "In short, Nutrisystem® programs provide portion-controlled, low calorie entrées and snacks, which customers supplement with grocery items (e.g., vegetables, fruit, dairy) to achieve a low glycemic-index diet of about 1250- 1500 calories per day. This calorie level should induce a weight loss of 1-2 lb per week." This has me somewhat confused now, since I don't know for sure if the previous figure include the supplemental items.
In any case the nutritional sense is there, eat a limited intake (below 3,500 calories/day) and you have to lose weight. I've been somewhat casual with my use of the numbers but any diet like makes sense, eat less than you need to sustain your current weight and you will lose weight. It's inevitable.
But it is also expensive! $10/day for their least expensive plan? Any careful shopper can beat that daily price for food buying fresh ingredients and being on the lookout for sale items. The only question is what you consider your time spent cooking as worth? Unless you hate cooking (I enjoy it) I suggest the cooking labor is meaningless.
I think I could arrange a healthy weight loss diet (less than I usually eat—I'm already at my target weight) easily on that budget, and create interesting, tasty meals too. Even at my end point 'eat this for life' diet I'm sure I spend less than that when eating at home.
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Originally Posted by Luckyd609
I think a lot of people see the commercials for Nutrisystem and think it is going to be easy because the commercial tells them it is. Only a major mind shift and lifestyle change will allow you to succeed whether you start out on these type of plans or go it alone.
That is my objection too, the implied statement that, "it's easy!" Particularly from what others have said (I've never tried the food) apparently getting past the vile taste may be part of the challenge, or getting past the ugly food. My experience with both microwave and boil-in-bag foods is that I could eat maybe one meal—that's it. Eat it after a full day of school and work, I could eat that before I drop face first into bed without undressing. But eat it for a full month? There is no possible way I could do that unless they have discovered some remarkable trade secret that makes their packaged foods significantly better than ordinary supermarket brands of convenience foods. I highly doubt that is the case.
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Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO
The thing about Nutrisystem commercials is that they show the food displayed and it is supposed to make you want to eat it. thanks to my picking out a few items ala cart, I was able to try a few things. I picked a chicken and rice package.. and yes the package looks delicious. However, opening it up, it was gray rice. ugh! I didn't even want it.. I had 2 other items that I donated to the Thanksgiving food collection box.
That sounds horrid! I like white rice, I like brown rice, but gray rice? I wouldn't even consider eating gray rice!
Again, eat the same amount of food but cook it yourself from fresh, whole ingredients and at least you will get a palatable diet, better if you are good at cooking. Considering we all eat, I wonder how many of us can cook? For sure there are many people who just can't be bothered, but in my family we children were all taught to cook, even my brothers.
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Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO
anyway, why would I want that when its not appealing, when I can make my own delicious fresh stuff? And why would I want to indulge in the ingredients that they are displaying? I really do not want nor need Bars! Shakes! Cookies! no thanks! I suppose maybe the frozen food might be a bit better, but I don't feel comfortable them shipping frozen food in a FedEx box and I don't know how long that food stays frozen.
Masochism? seriously I too question the bars, shakes and cookies. Are they intended to make up for the tasteless, bland main meals? Other than the occasional cookie for a late dessert I don't eat any of them—at all.
I would rather delete the bars, shakes and cookies and increase the portion sizes of the meals. As has been mentioned (and is true) nutritionists question our typical 3 meals/day common habit, but I don't think they had cookies and shakes in mind when recommending perhaps 5 meals/day. I infer that they mean 5 well balanced meals each 3/5 the size of the 3 meals/day plan. Not cookies twice a day as snacks!
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Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO
I know why nutrisystem makes you lose weight - the food is bad and you wont eat it.
Try eating the packaging. At least you will be getting roughage!
Warning: do not eat plastic bags! Need I say why?
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Originally Posted by riaelise
I've never been a fan of prepackaged meal plans. Too often there's a disconnect between the dieter and the behavior modification component of these diets and the dieter becomes reliant on the meals and novelties while not learning portion control. that's not the fault of the diet, of course, but it's far easier to eat the five per day prepackaged 1300 calories meal plan ad infinitum than prepare your own food.
That's a good point! The only thing Nutrisystem seems to be teaching you is how to become a frequent Nutrisystem customer. It makes me wonder what part of their business is from regular users. The only behavior modification taught is apparently meeting the delivery driver at your door instead of getting your food at the market. (I wonder if this might give rise to a Pavlovian salivary drooling whenever one sees FedEx trucks!)
It can certainly be argued the relative inconvenience of preparing your own means vs. eating packaged food. As I said I can't stand even ordinary package food unless I am face plant, dead tired. Cooking is mindless tinkering with food for me, a welcome break from my typical daily routine thinking my brains out. I tell myself that at least mine is not mindless work. Sometimes it's pleasant to have mindless tasks at home. Well... not housecleaning. It's a good thing for me I like cooking and roomie doesn't mind cleaning!
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Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling
I see a similar amount of sugary cereals and obesity in my local Publix too.
I find it almost a shocking experience walking down the supermarket aisle because it seems to me like all the cereals are screaming, "Buy me! Buy me!" I put on my blinders and go for my relatively plain cereals, the ones without the sugar coating or HFCS. Strangely the brands I pick have less garish packages. Is it a psychological thing? That somehow manufacturers of healthy cereals understand that their customer base are not impressed by screaming packages? Maybe I should write my thesis on that! (No, just kidding. I kind of want to graduate, and I'd be laughed out of college by such a thesis. Anyway, how much could you say about my assertion, even if true?)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling
I happened to have breakfast in a local independent cafe yesterday ( fruit,granola and low-fat yoghurt) when a couple of Leviathans waddled in for chow.
Stacks of pancakes,eggs,bacon,sausage patties,fried potatoes,rounds of toast and drowning in a lake of syrup added to everything.It made me feel ill just watching this conveyor belt of food go down.
There was barely any conversation between the couple bar the odd grunt and there didn't appear to be any enjoyment about what they were eating - just a sociopathic need to shovel as much stuff down them in as fast a time as possible.
And this was just breakfast.I dread to think how many calories they'd consumed all day yesterday.
The sad thing was this couple were in their 20s.I doubt they'll see 60.
Your story makes me shudder. And worse, maybe elbow bending was their only exercise for the day, that and walking to/from their auto.
Sure they'll see 60, that's 30 each! But seriously, they'll develop glucose intolerance, they'll go on drugs to treat that, eventually the drugs won't work and they'll have to go to the stick-your-finger, test your blood sugar level, inject an appropriate amount of insulin. Maybe by then they'll be forced into a more reasonable diet, but sadly too late to just eat intelligently and get decent exercise your whole life.
And the benefit of a life long healthy diet combined with exercise makes you feel good, energetic, and gives you a healthy musculature and facility of body movement that enhances your enjoyment of enjoying the physical freedom of being a healthy person!
Incidentally, Canadians are Americans too. I've lived in the US and attended college there. I can't see much difference between CA and US diets except for our dreaded poutine! LOL! Other Canadians seem to enjoy it. I'm not one of them!
I see a similar amount of sugary cereals and obesity in my local Publix too.
I happened to have breakfast in a local independent cafe yesterday ( fruit,granola and low-fat yoghurt) when a couple of Leviathans waddled in for chow.
Stacks of pancakes,eggs,bacon,sausage patties,fried potatoes,rounds of toast and drowning in a lake of syrup added to everything.It made me feel ill just watching this conveyor belt of food go down.
There was barely any conversation between the couple bar the odd grunt and there didn't appear to be any enjoyment about what they were eating - just a sociopathic need to shovel as much stuff down them in as fast a time as possible.
And this was just breakfast.I dread to think how many calories they'd consumed all day yesterday.
The sad thing was this couple were in their 20s.I doubt they'll see 60.
Dude, seriously, are you so devoid of self entertainment that you pay such particular attention to people as they're eating? Also, people who feel the need to tear others down usually have issues themselves. Most people who are secure with their weight and themselves do not pay such acute attention to others and feel the need to fat shame. You spend way too much time posting about Americans and their weight problems...as if it's some sort of revelation.
I find standing in supermarket checkout lines very boring, and amuse myself comparing my fellow shoppers and the foods they have selected to (presumably) eat. It's virtually cliché that as goes the shopper so goes the food too! I spot a well ripped man ahead of me in line (ahead is much better!) and see his purchase mostly healthy foods. I spot a fat woman and there's the donuts and Ding Dongs and cakes, and strangely sometimes right next to package diet foods. (And many liters of dietetic soft drinks.) Does eating Lean Cuisine immunize against eating Ding Dongs? But mostly the fat lady has fat lady food as her purchase.
People watching is fun!
Try my supermarket experiment and I'll be surprised if anybody doesn't notice the correlation. Fat people buy fat food.
I find standing in supermarket checkout lines very boring, and amuse myself comparing my fellow shoppers and the foods they have selected to (presumably) eat. It's virtually cliché that as goes the shopper so goes the food too! I spot a well ripped man ahead of me in line (ahead is much better!) and see his purchase mostly healthy foods. I spot a fat woman and there's the donuts and Ding Dongs and cakes, and strangely sometimes right next to package diet foods. (And many liters of dietetic soft drinks.) Does eating Lean Cuisine immunize against eating Ding Dongs? But mostly the fat lady has fat lady food as her purchase.
People watching is fun!
Try my supermarket experiment and I'll be surprised if anybody doesn't notice the correlation. Fat people buy fat food.
Honestly, I just don't care about/pay attention to what others are eating/doing, sorry :/
I find standing in supermarket checkout lines very boring, and amuse myself comparing my fellow shoppers and the foods they have selected to (presumably) eat. It's virtually cliché that as goes the shopper so goes the food too! I spot a well ripped man ahead of me in line (ahead is much better!) and see his purchase mostly healthy foods. I spot a fat woman and there's the donuts and Ding Dongs and cakes, and strangely sometimes right next to package diet foods. (And many liters of dietetic soft drinks.) Does eating Lean Cuisine immunize against eating Ding Dongs? But mostly the fat lady has fat lady food as her purchase.
People watching is fun!
Try my supermarket experiment and I'll be surprised if anybody doesn't notice the correlation. Fat people buy fat food.
Yep! I notice that too.. when I was buying lots of junk food I also was thinking, I bet people are watching my cart and seeing all this. haha so when I now buy good food, I also think SO THERE !! all good food..
The person above who called fat people a Leviathan.. sheesh.. I hope no one thinks that of me as I go out to the restaurant eating. I mean before dieting, maybe a few months ago, I too was probably looked down by the skinny people especially at the buffet or maybe my plate of food,, this one restaurant put the pancakes on one plate and the rest of the breakfast on the other, and it was just me, sheesh they were big dinner size plates. I got embarrassed thinking what if someone is watching all these plates? Worse yet, this one other restaurant I went to, the waiter was kinda chummy with me, he kept on asking me "do you want more .. do you want more? I didn't want to be rude, but NO I DO NOT WANT ANOTHER SODA POP. Before the pop was half way done, he'd want to refill it already. then I asked for my food, and he kept pushing this other food on me. I kept saying NO NO NO NO NO. I finally told him why do you keep forcing food on me? he said because I want you to have the best value.. smh. I did not want all that food.. I'd order a small entre and he'd try to push the big lunch on me, and since I was a ***** I didn't speak up, and even if I did, he still would not change. he kept pushing all these freebies at me. finally I solved it by not sitting at his station anymore. he would not stop pushing all that damn food at me "for value" sake. it ended up he gave me 5 plates that would have butter on one plate, rolls on another, (he would give me 3 rolls and then ask me if I wanted some for the road! smh!
well I hope no one here would look at me and call me a Leviathan. I'm guessing that person means someone over 500 pounds! but im sorta a mini leviathan then haha ..
Positive thinking is needed: without them and others like that, social security may get some relief so a moment of silent gratitude that they are taking the fall so others can live.
I kind of like the idea of fat, unhealthy people giving up their lives so that health conscious people can lead better lives with their additional years of life expectancy!
Actually it's sad that fat people can't be diverted into weight reduction programs to improve their health. But alas, they say you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
Quote:
Originally Posted by per se
People watching is fun!
Try my supermarket experiment and I'll be surprised if anybody doesn't notice the correlation. Fat people buy fat food.
I too do the same thing in California, and also see that fat people generally buy huge amounts of foods I would eat only if the alternative was starvation. I also enjoy chatting with my fellow shoppers to pass the time in line, but for some strange reason I just realized I rarely talk to fat people. Perhaps I'm equating fatness with lack of intelligence? If so I never intended that. I'm just somehow more interested in talking to other people.
As I think about it, being fat may be some form of social ostracism. I wonder if fat people are shunned by healthy people. And worse, could being shunned stunt their social lives and encourage them to turn to food as a substitute for what is missing in their lives?
In fact that begs the question, why are people fat? Of course some have medical or genetic conditions, but my reading indicates they are a minuscule minority. I'm guessing they are over-eating to compensate for something else in their lives that they are lacking in.
I guess you don't choose to be fat as much as simply making no choice and becoming fat as a default. And of course eating makes you feel good, even over-eating. Choosing to eat a healthy diet and get a healthy amount of exercise requires difficult choices and not all of them are fun.
I'm beginning to enjoy parts of my workouts although watching the treadmill running up to 1.0 miles is pretty boring. I've been upping my speed (and reps on other machines) and now my mile run takes only 20 minutes at 2.5 mph. I have tried short periods of jogging but gave out quickly, I'm not there yet.
I particularly enjoyed my new addition of the devious, malacious ab cruncher! I'm embarrassed that I leave the pin dangling, selecting no weights, but there is still serious effort left in the machine from its innate weight alone. A trainer suggested I continue on for another 1-2 weeks, increasing reps near the end, then consider adding 10 pounds. I also enjoy the hand bike (pedals operated by hands) because the shoulder and upper arm involvement feels good!
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I expect that in perhaps a month or a few weeks more my weight will have lost that excess and I'll be officially blessed as being 'normal.' My point being that I may need less food to stave off hunger because my body is living partly on drawing from my adipose fat tissues—and by doing that is also decreasing my weight. No question about it, I am burning more calories than I eat so in a metaphorical sense I'm slightly starving, although not hungry.
