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My point is most people are conditioned to eat at set times during the day. So they find themselves wanting something out of HABIT, not because of a craving.
Habits are definitely ingrained, pun intended, at a young age. What keeps weight down, however, is removing the appetite stimulating foods from your diet- resulting in fewer calories consumed.
You know what startled me? My daughter was one of the first people I knew to realize the abdominal pain and bloating she was experiencing was from gluten, when she was still a teenager. She began to ask for the gf menu at restaurants, and I came to learn that mashed potatoes--which by most people's logic should be gluten free--were never on the gf menu. The reason is that they stir friggin FLOUR into mashed potatoes in restaurants to stretch them and to make them smooth.
Flour. In. Mashed. Potatoes. If I were Mighty Queen, I would outlaw that.
But I'm sure it contributes to the problems. There is crap hidden in our food that shouldn't be there.
I agree, the amount of additives in food and the cumulative effect on people is money in the bank for large agri-business food conglomerates and the big pharmaceutical companies that "treat" effects of modern wheat as it relates to the obesity epidemic and multi-billion dollar healthcare apocalypse in this country- increasingly around the world. I began having severe issues with bloating, brain fog, inability to concentrate, digestive problems, and skin problems over 10 years ago. Regular "doctors" couldn't find anything wrong, but prescribed medications to "treat" the problem- not "solve" the problem. I then went to other specialists, including a naturopathic doctor, and ordered a comprehensive food allergy test. It came back with a very high reaction to gluten, off the charts. I transitioned to a new modified paleo diet and never looked back ever again. All of my health problems and likely auto-immune reactions disappeared within a few months. I have urged many others to try my approach and they have zero complaints at all. Take a look at many of those TV commercials pushed by big pharma- they're really just treating many of the deleterious results of modern wheat on the overweight/obese public. Sad but true..
--Just eat lots of vegetables,
--Protein from beans and legumes rather than from meat,
--Eliminate all the "white" processed carbs.
--Eat as little sugar as humanly possible.
Soups (not cream-based) and huge salads are your best friends. But without gloppy commercial salad dressings -- make your own dressings. Olive oil and red wine vinegar. Or just plain Balsamic Vinegar.
Read "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. One of the most helpful health & weight control books I've ever read...
--Just eat lots of vegetables,
--Protein from beans and legumes rather than from meat,
--Eliminate all the "white" processed carbs.
--Eat as little sugar as humanly possible.
Soups (not cream-based) and huge salads are your best friends. But without gloppy commercial salad dressings -- make your own dressings. Olive oil and red wine vinegar. Or just plain Balsamic Vinegar.
Read "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. One of the most helpful health & weight control books I've ever read...
It's not too complicated....
But if a person does not enjoy only eating those foods, they won't stick with it long term.
But if a person does not enjoy only eating those foods, they won't stick with it long term.
Yes, it does take time -- and determination -- to change habits, but everyone can do it. Just ask the millions who have stopped smoking. The many who have lost weight and kept it off.
Eating foods you enjoy can lead to being overweight -- and the search for a diet.
But every diet involves eating different foods from the food that led to the overweight issue. So either it's strict portion control or changing food eaten. And often both.
A diet of burgers, fries and soda and pizza makes us tubby-- as much as we may like these things.
Getting to a healthy weight -- no magic pills, no amount of exercise, just changes in what we eat.
Sad to say, but that's why the search for a diet goes on and on-- too many of us are resistant to change.
But if a person does not enjoy only eating those foods, they won't stick with it long term.
Exactly. Sure, I could will my body - for a time - to adapt to a certain eating plan. But if it's not something that I would particularly enjoy, I'd eventually stop doing it. That could be several months down the road, or even a year. But at some point my body would say 'screw it' and return to old habits. This can apply to any restrictive diet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LittleDolphin
Yes, it does take time -- and determination -- to change habits, but everyone can do it. Just ask the millions who have stopped smoking. The many who have lost weight and kept it off.
Eating foods you enjoy can lead to being overweight -- and the search for a diet.
But every diet involves eating different foods from the food that led to the overweight issue. So either it's strict portion control or changing food eaten. And often both.
A diet of burgers, fries and soda and pizza makes us tubby-- as much as we may like these things.
Getting to a healthy weight -- no magic pills, no amount of exercise, just changes in what we eat.
Sad to say, but that's why the search for a diet goes on and on-- too many of us are resistant to change.
I agree that it does take time to change ingrained habits.
I disagree that eating foods you enjoy can lead to being overweight. OVEREATING leads to overweight.
Elimination may work for some, but not for all.
We all need to analyze who we are and our eating patterns since everyone is not the same. that is why there's a million diet plans out there (which all calorie restricted in some shape or form) and you need to find the one that you are most comfortable with. For me, I had to ask myself what adjustments was I willing to make? Some folks may really like things like whole milk, wonder bread, sugar, etc. Many dieters inevitably get frustrated when told that their favorite things are "no-nos", almost like an invisible hand slap every time they even look at the food. During the low fat revolution, people were told to give up their bacon, steaks, eggs, whole milk, etc. now the pendulum swings somewhat towards the opposite direction and fat's not the enemy, it's sugar. I really don't think any food is the enemy - fat, sugar, meat. At the end of the day, if bacon really means a lot to you, by all means work with your caloric budget (which is helpful to know if you are losing weight) and have your bacon.
I'm a sugarholic. However, if I completely eliminate sugar I will binge. Same thing if I don't eat at least one greasy, unhealthy thing per week. I'll obsess about food all of the time and then break and binge, consuming far more calories and over a longer period than if I had just had the unhealthy food. So I eat sugar - in smaller amounts - and have one meal per week where I eat pizza, burgers (with fries), etc. I'm saner, and have gone the long haul.
What I learned was the art of portion control, learning to be full on less, and not forcing myself to kiss favorite things good bye and like it and be a diet martyr. That was the most significant change and once I mastered that, things were better.
I disagree with "no amount of exercise" because if you want to successfully lose and keep the weight off, you can't be a couch potato. Sure, you can diet your way down (best of luck for all those trying to eat only 1200 calories, which is what many women would have to do if all you did was diet), but you'll still be unfit and a couch potato. You'd have no muscle tone and though you may be thinner, your body composition may not be as you'd like. If you're middle aged, no exercise is IMHO BAD. You lose muscle anyway and dieting taxes your already tanking metabolism. In addition, you'll hit (and get stuck) on more plateaus just dieting. In 70lbs lost, I had one plateau, which was corrected due to exercise (intense physical labor), not diet.
The best pill for sustained weight loss is.................a diet that you can live with, whatever that may be....and exercise.
* disclaimer for those who beat me up for my "eat what you want in moderation" approach. You eat what you want to an extent. It all comes down to calories. I advocate making as many healthy choices as you can, but if you can't stand wheat bread, don't eat it even if it is healthy. Use your "healthy" card elsewhere then. If you want a treat, enjoy it. In moderation. Make adjustments if you just can't eat a smaller portion of the higher calorie version. And yes, you can lose weight if all you ate was 1500 calories of twinkies, but in no way is that good or healthy. but you will lose weight. i doubt though, that someone could stomach in the long term nothing but twinkies for nourishment.
* disclaimer for those who beat me up for my "eat what you want in moderation" approach. You eat what you want to an extent. It all comes down to calories. I advocate making as many healthy choices as you can, but if you can't stand wheat bread, don't eat it even if it is healthy. Use your "healthy" card elsewhere then. If you want a treat, enjoy it. In moderation. Make adjustments if you just can't eat a smaller portion of the higher calorie version. And yes, you can lose weight if all you ate was 1500 calories of twinkies, but in no way is that good or healthy. but you will lose weight. i doubt though, that someone could stomach in the long term nothing but twinkies for nourishment.
This paragraph sums up successful dieting in a nutshell. But then we both advocate for not eliminating food groups. Funny thing is that both of us have been successful with this way of eating - you for at least 1 year and I am going of 10 years.
I love sugar too - I have never been able to eliminate it for any significant period of time. In the past I have tried the low carb/atkins approach and I was able to eliminate it and simple carbs for a while. I did lose my appetite for them initially. But it didn't last. And I really got tired of being in situations where I had to abstain from eating anything because just about everything was a no-no.
I dont eat a lot of sugar now, but occasionally I will eat a piece of cake or have a cookie. I love ice-cream and Skinny Cow has made it possible to enjoy it on a regular basis.
No matter what way of eating one chooses it is always going to come down to burning more calories than you consume.
Food groups should be eliminated or their consumption severely reduced if they are BAD foods. Why would you want to eat food that is bad for you? Sugar is fine for treats once in a while but to consume it with every meal is asking for trouble both for weight and health. Same goes for other refined grains such as flour and corn. Want is one thing, Need is another. The five groups we all learned about in elementary school is bad and outdated information. We have come a long way since then. Certain foods should not have been on the food pyramid to begin with. Now, can someone tell me why I should be eating 6 portions of bread, cereals and potatoes every day. Is it for nutrients? Is it for fiber? This is BAD advice for anybody.
This paragraph sums up successful dieting in a nutshell. But then we both advocate for not eliminating food groups. Funny thing is that both of us have been successful with this way of eating - you for at least 1 year and I am going of 10 years.
I love sugar too - I have never been able to eliminate it for any significant period of time. In the past I have tried the low carb/atkins approach and I was able to eliminate it and simple carbs for a while. I did lose my appetite for them initially. But it didn't last. And I really got tired of being in situations where I had to abstain from eating anything because just about everything was a no-no.
I dont eat a lot of sugar now, but occasionally I will eat a piece of cake or have a cookie. I love ice-cream and Skinny Cow has made it possible to enjoy it on a regular basis.
No matter what way of eating one chooses it is always going to come down to burning more calories than you consume.
Yes.
This is how I think. I liken a caloric budget to your paycheck. You're paid X dollars. How you spend the money is up to you. With the caveat that if you spend it all on useless garbage, you won't have enough to pay for things that you really must pay - i.e. your rent. But sometimes you just have to make that impulsive buy. Sometimes you want to buy something that some may feel has no value, but YOU value it. Some work better with the elimination approach. Others will try that for a while but get frustrated from not having any fun. Where things go wrong is when your spending outpaces your income. You get more and more in debt.
Calorie management in relation to weight loss is no different than money management.
The art is learning how to budget responsibly without deprivation.
Salt sugar and fat are popular because dang it food tastes good when those things are present. Let's not kid ourselves.
Good points made re weight loss. Yes, eating in moderation works for some. If portion control works for them. Which it sometimes does, sometimes doesn't.
Me, I have little self-control over certain foods (like chips and ice cream) -- so I've learned not to have them in the house.
Don't get me wrong about exercise. I'm something of a gym rat and feel good and sleep well when I exercise. But at my gym there are more than a handful of folks I've seen over the years who are quite large (50 plus pounds and more over a healthy weight)--and they have stayed large -- despite their exercising. I've not seen any weight loss. I give them a world of credit for exercising and I wish them the best. But it seems not to impact their weight -- even though it could be doing great things for their hearts so I hope they keep coming.
After I do a half hour on the treadmill, walking briskly at 3.4 mph and at a 5 degree incline, I've only burned 140 calories. That's equal to about 12 potato chips. Or a small candy bar. I cannot exercise my excess pounds away. To do that, I've got to cut back on portions, avoid the high caloric foods that I enjoy, and eat other lower calorie foods that I also enjoy.
I'm lucky that a favorite meal is a big salad and a piece of wild salmon or a piece of grilled skinless chicken.
But I also love pizza and a good burger which are now monthly treats.
Guess each of us has to do what works best for us, eh? After trial and error, I know not to let the food temptations in my door. Cannot eat them in moderation. Cannot control their portion size.
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