Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, you did say you ate no carbs. I quoted you saying it, and you said it in all caps. You were referring to a specific day that you believed you didn't eat any carbs at all, not even rice. I even pointed it out in my response, so you'd know exactly where to look.
Second - you didn't have "people telling" you to eat grapefruit. You read it on a livestrong article. Livestrong captures all kinds of health articles, some that have merit, some that don't, and some that are just bits and pieces of facts strung together to create a topic of interest.
You're trying to micromanage your diet, and that's going to bite you in the end. In fact, it did - or you wouldn't be here saying you gained weight while trying to lose it.
Third - there is nothing *wrong* with eating a grapefruit. But you need to have a better understanding of what you're eating. Your vegetables ALSO have carbs, so even if you didn't eat a grapefruit, your claim "NO CARBS YESTERDAY NOT EVEN BROWN RICE" would have been false.
You'll see some people here in this forum dismiss my nit-picking as unimportant, or as missing the point. But your posts prove the point that I'm trying to make. There are people who don't understand this fact:
All starches are carbs BUT
NOT all carbs are starch.
Good carbs, bad carbs, whatever - but when someone claims "NO CARBS YESTERDAY" and then adds that they had grapefruit and vegetables, AND they're trying to go low-carb, AND that they're gaining weight and don't know why - then there is a very significant disconnect that needs to be corrected.
Regardless: Whatever it is you're doing, isn't working. Why? Because you *think* you're doing one thing, but in reality - you're not doing that thing. You *think* you're going "low-carb" but you're not really understanding what that means. This is typical, and it's why so many people who go "low-carb" either don't stick with it, or gain weight while doing it.
Before you undertake a new way of eating, you need to know what it entails. And reading about one food type on a random internet article is not the way to learn.
Go to a doctor, get checked to make sure you're otherwise healthy and have healthy levels of all the various vitamins and minerals and glucose and thyroid and whatever else a yearly blood test shows.
Assuming it all checks out fine (or within reason), have a visit with a dietician, and have them work with you to create a menu plan and food options.
You don't need to know "If I eat this today, then I need to not eat something else, and make up for it with two ounces of that, and then take a pill, and it'll all even itself out." That - would be micromanaging. If you know that you're eating healthy every day and getting some exercise, then you will lose weight as a natural result of being healthy, not dieting.
Grapefruit is actually good for you. But it isn't because of fat-burning powers - if that was the case, then there wouldn't exist any fat people who eat grapefruit. Grapefruit is not the best option for someone on a low-carb diet, but there's no reason why you need to be on a low-carb diet, specifically. That's just the diet you've chosen. And since you've chosen that, you need to know what that MEANS, and it also means you need to check the foods you're eating to see if the daily total is acceptable for that specific type of diet.
Use your common sense and don't blindly accept whatever you read on the internet just because it sounds like an easy way to do things.
A much nicer way to word this is that the OP needs to do some research on what constitutes a low carb diet (which has been recommended by her doctor).
OP-please see Low Carb Diet Program and Weight Loss Plan | Atkins for really good, free information on low carb diets. You do not have to buy Atkins products to benefit from this site. I would recommend that you DO NOT buy the Atkins products as they are highly processes substitutes for higher carb junk. Low carb junk is still junk.
The best guide is the OLD Atkins book, "Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution" which is out of print. You can probably find an inexpensive copy for sale online. But the free website has LOTS of good information on it.
ok, I just foudn out through you that grapefruit has carbs, I honestly didnt know this before, especially when I am feeling like I am munching on lemons as I eat the grapefruits (I didnt like grapefruits to begin with, only ate it cuz I read on more than 1 article that it burns fat).
Did I say I ate no carbs? I think there are some posts where I did say I eat carbs, but I try to limit as much as I can therefore I categorized my diet as "low carb" not "no carbs", since almost everything has carbs in it, like you said, even veggies have carbs.
Ok, I dont know what to eat anymore, since I keep getting conflicting ideas. There's people who's telling me to eat grapefruit since it burns fat, and now I find that grapefruit is not all that good.
I looked at the food pyramid to recall what a balanced diet is like and in the fruit group it says 2-4 servings...so do I not eat fruit at all then?
Grapefruit is good for you (just not in large quantities), but it does not burn fat; there are claims of such on the 'net, but very little research to back up those claims. One of the diets traps that a lot of people fall into is the hype that if food X has some positive effects, then eating a ton of food X will have even more powerful effects. Hence, the other tends of double-fisting avocado and choking down globs full of coconut oil; some people do luck out and lose weight, but it's not because of specific foods they are eating (unless they are dieting for a a specific medical condition). On the same vein, not every dieting technique works universally well, and for the most part they over-complicate weight loss for the masses.
In short there are no miracle fat-burning foods or superfoods; that falls under the categories of Broscience and Food Woo. The only things that burn fat are exercise and maintaining a caloric deficit, and that requires two things from you:
1. Tracking your calories
2. Being honest about how active or sedentary you are, and letting that be your guide for how many calories you really need
I have to agree, I rely on those health articles way too much. I did see my doctor though when I was a whooping 234 lbs and really did not want it to spiral out of control any further. I made an appointment with him just for that purpose and got straight to the point "is there any way you can help me lose weight?"
He asked me some questions about my diet
doctor: "do you like junk food such as cookies, chips, cake, soda, candy..."
me: "no"
doctor: "do you like potatoes, yams, or beans"
me: "no"
doctor: "you're asian, so I am assuming you eat white rice"
me: "Yes!"
doctor: "so there's your problem"
So ladies, and gentlemen the culprit for me is white rice. As revealed to you, I am asian and I was practically born eating white rice. It wasnt a choice I took on as an adult, I didnt walk into an asian restaurant, stumbled upon white rice and suddenly became addicted.
Its almost like a habit that is difficult to break since it was the first food that was introduced to me as soon as I started solids.
I told my doctor that and he understands the cultural viewpoints, and he told me although he's not going to ask me to ditch rice completely and go cold turkey (since it might not last long anyways), he hopes I can switch to brown rice at least. I've been to a dietician a handful of times already, and most of the time I am given the same information because there's really not much to it. I am given a list of free foods that are low in carbs, and the dieticians said that if I really am keen on white rice, then I need to watch the servings. If I am allowed 60 grams of carbs for the day I can eat 2 cups max and save the rest of the carbs for veggies.
Typical white rice has 36 grams of carbs in a cup BUT I was able to find a particular brand that only has 23 grams.
Anywho, I have since stopped eating white rice and just eating brown rice now, if I am really craving rice.
When I posted and said I didnt have any carbs, I probably didnt eat any brown rice that day, and didnt know the grapefruit has carbs. I havent been brown rice for at least the past 5 days though. About to go dump it out since its been sitting in the rice cooker too long and starting to smell.
doctor: "do you like junk food such as cookies, chips, cake, soda, candy..."
me: "no"
doctor: "do you like potatoes, yams, or beans"
me: "no"
doctor: "you're asian, so I am assuming you eat white rice"
me: "Yes!"
doctor: "so there's your problem"
So ladies, and gentlemen the culprit for me is white rice. As revealed to you, I am asian and I was practically born eating white rice.
LOL. This is exactly the case with a couple of my buddies. They cannot imagine life without white rice. They tried brown rice and HATED it. They were finally able to get around this by doing two things:
1. Making sure to keep the rice intake to a minimum and making sure that foods eaten with it were low in sodium and fat.
2. They both incorporated Tabata workouts into their workout plan. They would end every single one of their workouts with a Tabata. This has actually helped them to lose weight despite having to have rice with every meal.
LOL. This is exactly the case with a couple of my buddies. They cannot imagine life without white rice. They tried brown rice and HATED it. They were finally able to get around this by doing two things:
1. Making sure to keep the rice intake to a minimum and making sure that foods eaten with it were low in sodium and fat.
2. They both incorporated Tabata workouts into their workout plan. They would end every single one of their workouts with a Tabata. This has actually helped them to lose weight despite having to have rice with every meal.
OMG that looks amazing (the workout). Dont know how I can handle it with all this weight, but who cares as long as I am getting the workout lol. Will try that after lunch.
I think a lot of the eating habits are incorporated at a young age. Unfortunately, my parents were big on white rice, we ate it at every meal as I was growing up. Not meaning to stereotype, but its similar to how Hispanics gotta have their beans at every meal.
When we sat at the table it would always be like this:
Here's your fish
Here's your steamed veggies
Here's your soup
And here's you BIG BOWL of rice! Ta da!
Not much of a selection really. There were no dairy, and no fruits.
I dont want to put my kids through the same thing, so I have taught them to eat a balanced diet, and I do this my referring to the food pyramid, and guess what? My 2.5 year old is not really fond of white rice. He'll eat a few bites and move on to something else. He loves raw veggies such as carrots, raw tomatoes, strawberries,blueberries, etc.
I wish my parents had done the same thing for me, if they did, I dont think I would be a rice addict.
Regarding the Tabata workout - what if I am physically unable to do those? I tried and it is soo awkward unable to get anything done =(
Tabata is a form of high intensity interval training. You don't have to do any specific type, as long as you keep the basic premise in mind:
20 seconds of intense aerobic exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest.
Repeat that for five minutes, and feel free to switch up the exercises you use.
So for instance:
20 seconds of fast jumping jacks
Then stand there for 10 seconds.
Then sprint up and down your house's longest hallway for 20 seconds.
Then stand there for 10 seconds.
Then do jump-squats for 20 seconds
and stand there for 10 seconds.
Etc. etc. etc.
During each resting period, focus on deep breathing, in through the nose, out though the mouth, try not to pant, work on controlling each breath. It'll get harder to stand there with each progression, and you will absolutely positively start sweating before you're done with your 5 minute session.
If the switches are coming too fast for you, you can pace it slower, but the point is to keep your heart rate up so don't rest for too long or it'll defeat the purpose.
As always - if you feel dizzy, weak, or unable to control your breathing while you're on the aerobic part, do NOT sit down. Instead, slow the pace significantly, and then start to walk, until your heart rate returns to normal again. You CAN return to your exercise but slow the whole process down a bit so you don't get dizzy again. You shouldn't ever work so hard that you get dizzy or feel unsteady on your feet. If you sit when you're feeling weak or dizzy, you could pass out. So don't do that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
