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"Dieting" seems to me to mean a regimen you adhere to for awhile, get tired of, get off of, then put weight back on until you decide to diet again. Some do lose weight and stick to it forever. Kudos to them. I've found to just cut back is a way to live. Eat less, move more. You start making better choices, at least I do. (Not bashing any diet plan if it works for you though.)
Last edited by pekemom; 08-02-2012 at 01:32 PM..
Reason: words
"Dieting" seems to me to mean a regimen you adhere to for awhile, get tired of, get off of, then put weight back on until you decide to diet again. Some do lose weight and stick to it forever. Kudos to them. I've found to just cut back is a way to live. Eat less, move more. You start making better choices, at least I do. (Not bashing any diet plan if it works for you though.)
Common sense does not seem to sell all that well here.
The sentence which I place in bold type above is directly counter to the advice given by most nutritional scientists, who are telling us to minimize saturated fats.
But the experts have been telling us for decades that fats are the problem, and yet people in this country are fatter than they have ever been.
I have been earnestly trying over the past year in earnest to finally begin to lose the extra 30 lbs. I have gained over the past decade after turning 40 and quitting smoking that same year. I have tried several approaches and nothing worked. In some cases, I have started to GAIN eveb more weight, a definite no-no.
Some things I have learned:
- Many diets assume you have no one else to think about, or no one else to concentrate on but yourself on a daily basis. Most of us have lives full of distractions and other people to do for, leaving little time for rigid calorie counting, etc. That is why most diet "programs" and plans don't work. I see donated diet books and materials at the Goodwill all the time that tell you to get up and plan out your entire day to revolve around yourself: what you're going to eat and at what time, when you're going to excercise, lots of time to pack that perfect diet lunch for work, yeah right. Not in my world anyway.
- The problem really is the carbs. I absolutely hate that, because I would rather eat carbs any day than protein. I so wanted the diet with the wine and chocolate thrown in to work!
But, when I look around me and observe, I can see it is the sugar in everything that is really killing us.
I have put myself on a protein rich, low carb diet, and believe me, it's no fun. But the weight has finally started to come off when nothing else worked.
Many *many* people around my age (50) started out in a reasonable weight range, maybe were even athletes. They had no special diet then, though the athletes were told to carbo-load the night before a competition. And then we turned 30, and our bodies shifted somewhat. We were still in decent shape, but maybe our pants didn't fit around the waist as smoothly as before, or our shirt arms were oddly snug, or we were getting cellulite on our thighs. Then we turned 40 and all hell broke loose. Our bodies were changing significantly, we no longer could eat as we used to, because we were all busy doing our dot-com jobs or telco jobs sitting in cubbies 8 hours a day without enough time for lunch *and* a workout. Our lives changed, but our eating habits didn't. Our hormones were changing too.
So we gained 20, 30, 50 pounds -
What we need to do, is get that extra 50 off..
.
Isn't this the truth. I stayed slim and trim, even after my two babies, until I hit my early-forties.
I am now thirty pounds overweight, and have been for some time. I hide it well, but I, and my closet full of pretty clothes I can't wear right now, knows it there.
But I've finally gotten sick of it enough to try to do something about it. What motivates me is going to the Assisted Living place where my father lives, or just taking a trip to Wal-mart and observing the unhealthy sloths walking around. I can take getting older, but I do NOT want to live that way, bent over and leaning on a shopping cart for support, fat dangling from my mid-section, pants about to burst at the seams from behind. NOT in this lifetime.
I joined a gym and my first time on the treadmill showed me how out of shape and how little stamina I really have. It's easy to kid ourselves sometimes.
"No progress can be made without some struggle". Saw that somewhere and I try to remember that.
Don't diet at all, it doesn't work. Sure you can drop some pounds but they come back when you go back to your old eating patterns.
What the god and bad calories, when you work out cardio is not what you should be doing, fat burning is your goal.
Medium intensity workout to burn fat, high intensity for cardio.
"Carbohydrates don't clog anything up, in particular the human body is "designed" to consume starches. They provide the body with its preferred source of energy and are easily digested in large amounts without any health consequences. The same can't be said of fats and protein."
I haven't found any science that supports this. Unfortunately, our standard American diet, heavy with too many carbs (including sugar and most especially the processed white carbs loaded with trans-fats) lead to obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes, which leads to carb restriction. It's easier to restrict carbs before all this illness takes place.
Whole grains and legumes are a different story and belong in our diets, in moderation. But those highly-processed carbs we all love so much (white bread, baked goods, snacks, white pasta, sodas) are evil when over-done.
Not sure if this has been covered, but if you're having trouble losing weight with nutrition changes & exercise, may be worth getting your Vitamin D levels checked out. Before I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency, I was watching calories & exercising, I was having a hard time losing weight. I got discouraged and gained weight when I stopped with those changes. My levels were really low, so my dr. prescribed a prescription strength level of Vitamin D. Then when the levels came up a bit, I started taking Over the Counter supplements instead. She monitored it for the next year and the level of Vitamin D is good. I made some moderate changes in nutrition and exercise and I'm seeing quicker, more results than I did when I made stronger efforts. Lost 20 pounds so far.
"Carbohydrates don't clog anything up, in particular the human body is "designed" to consume starches. They provide the body with its preferred source of energy and are easily digested in large amounts without any health consequences. The same can't be said of fats and protein."
I haven't found any science that supports this. Unfortunately, our standard American diet, heavy with too many carbs (including sugar and most especially the processed white carbs loaded with trans-fats) lead to obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes, which leads to carb restriction. It's easier to restrict carbs before all this illness takes place.
Whole grains and legumes are a different story and belong in our diets, in moderation. But those highly-processed carbs we all love so much (white bread, baked goods, snacks, white pasta, sodas) are evil when over-done.
In addition to increasing, my Vitamin D intake, I've been working with a dietician, who pretty much confirms what you've just said here. She's emphasized that meals need to be balanced and include a good fat (avocado, olives, etc) as well as vegetables and protein with a complex carb. I have high blood pressure and had borderine numbers for cholesterol and blood sugar. One of the reasons I'm making the changes is I'd rather moderate the "treats" now than have to restrict them altogether later and suffer the various health consequences of diabetes and cardiopulmonary disease.
One thing I learned that I didn't know is that good fats are actually necessary to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. I tended to think of all fats as "bad". Since there are so many good fats out there, raw nuts, avocado, olives, etc. I've found this way of eating to be a lot less restrictive than I thought it was going to be.
I'm trying new foods, enjoying them, not feeling deprived and I'm still losing weight. Now, I just need to get myself into gear to up the exercise
The sad thing though, is working with a dietician is a luxury for a lot of people. Since I was diagnosed with hypertension, my insurance covers it. But it doesn't qualify if the numbers are borderline. Meaning that one is close to developing the condition but hasn't quite yet. I think the earlier with educational intervention, the better.
In addition to increasing, my Vitamin D intake, I've been working with a dietician, who pretty much confirms what you've just said here. She's emphasized that meals need to be balanced and include a good fat (avocado, olives, etc) as well as vegetables and protein with a complex carb. I have high blood pressure and had borderine numbers for cholesterol and blood sugar. One of the reasons I'm making the changes is I'd rather moderate the "treats" now than have to restrict them altogether later and suffer the various health consequences of diabetes and cardiopulmonary disease.
One thing I learned that I didn't know is that good fats are actually necessary to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. I tended to think of all fats as "bad". Since there are so many good fats out there, raw nuts, avocado, olives, etc. I've found this way of eating to be a lot less restrictive than I thought it was going to be.
I'm trying new foods, enjoying them, not feeling deprived and I'm still losing weight. Now, I just need to get myself into gear to up the exercise
The sad thing though, is working with a dietician is a luxury for a lot of people. Since I was diagnosed with hypertension, my insurance covers it. But it doesn't qualify if the numbers are borderline. Meaning that one is close to developing the condition but hasn't quite yet. I think the earlier with educational intervention, the better.
Yep, I'm pretty much on the same page with you. It's taken a lot of self-education and trial and error to come to a new way of eating that brings wellness and normal weight into my life. My HDL numbers have greatly improved since I restricted the bad carbs, added more lean protein (and eggs) and cut way, way back on sucrose and HFCS...my weight stays within a pound or two of where I want it to be...and no sense of deprivation at all.
I do a moderate exercise routine at the gym that includes cardio and weights...5x a week, also ride my bike around town to get fresh air and Vitamin D.
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. I absolutely hate that, because I would rather eat carbs any day than protein. I so wanted the diet with the wine and chocolate thrown in to work! 
