Nutrition and exercise

Trying yet again to get in shape.How do you trick your brain into feeling full on less calories?And has anyone experience with sports nutrition books such as the ones by Robert Haas and Nancy Clark?TIA.

I'll tell you, some of those hefty German mineral waters I had last weekend (Gerolsteiner, Appolinaris) were actually very filling and every bit as satisfying as a soft drink.

Also, I find that when I'm going for weight loss, sugar-free jello is great: you can eat a whole box, fill your stomach, and clock in at only 40 calories.

Now, if you're working out, too, obviously you need more than water and jello...

Hammond

i'm a huge eater (with a great metabolism, which makes my life a lot more pleasant than it otherwise might be). when i was backpacking in europe a long while back, i lost 15 pounds (over 10% of my weight) over one month, but i rarely if ever felt hungry and i was definitely doing the trip on the cheap. my diet during the day consisted of some cheese, a baguette, a piece or 2 of fruit, and lotsa water. i'm convinced it was the copious amounts and frequent drinking of water that made me feel full.

foo d wrote: i'm convinced it was the copious amounts and frequent drinking of water that made me feel full.

foo d, and not only will the water make you feel full, it will help you lose weight for physiological reasons I'm ill-equipped to explain.

Weight Watchers (an approach I once flirted with -- and one of the few weight-loss programs that consistently shows good results) encourages participants to drink a lot of water... and eat a lot of fiber. The combination of water and expandable fiber is very likely to give you that "nice and full feeling" without consuming a lot of calories.

Hammond

I'm a life long dieter. When I was 11 years old, my mom took me to Weight Watchers and I lost 60 pounds in 1 1/2 years, which I've managed to keep off since, with a fair amount of zigs and zags (college, babies, etc.) along the way. I am a firm believer in the Weight Watchers system--you have to look at losing weight as a life long change in eating, and not as a one time solution. Portion control, including weighing your food, rotating foods, eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, using appropriate amounts of "good" fats, drinking water, etc. I couldn't even tell you the last time I've eaten fried food or been at McDonald's (especially after reading Fast Food Nation and watching Supersize Me).

I've lost about 15 pounds in the last year through 3 simple things: my family got a dog, and I'm the one reponsible for the morning walk (30-60 minutes each day); I starting working out at the Y in a combo weights/aerobics class; per a suggestion in the Trib, I think, I started eating my lunch in 2 parts--1/2 at noon, 1/2 at 2 PM, until my stomach shrank, and I got used to the normal portion sizes.

Don't drink soda--there are about 150 calories in each can. Fizzy mineral water with a little fruit juice or lemon/lime juice is just as satisfying.

I do not deprive myself. That only leads to binge eating. Today alone, I ate 1 1/2 paczki, 1 fabulous brownie, 1 glass of wine, several sausage samples at the local deli--in additional to breakfast, lunch and dinner, all nutritious and low fat. Tomorrow, it's back to dried fruit and a few walnuts as a snack.

There is no magic pill. Take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight; burn more calories than you eat, you lose weight. Ideally, you should lose about 2 pounds a week.

There's a new best seller about why French women don't get fat. They enjoy their food, eat only the best, but in small quantities. That's a good start. Best of luck--Anna

Hi,

Just today I was talking to someone about hunger. She observed sometimes when we think we are hungry, we are really thirsty. Rather than immediately preparing to eat, it was suggested to drink some water, then wait a few minutes to see if this settles your needs.

I go to an aerobics-type class in a pool almost every day for an hour. If I go there without having had some breakfast before, then I am fiercely hungry. If I did eat breakfast before, then I eat with a sensible level of need when I do eat.

Until I started this exercise class, I was walking 3 miles a day 5-6 times a week at Northbrook Court. I called it my 'no excuses' workout. If I walked my neighborhood, then if it was cold, rainy or looking grey I would stay home or my 'excuses, excuses' workout.

I've belonged to TOPS on-and-off for some years. Their classic program is simply counting calories or there is an exchange diet where you account for units of various food categories eaten. They expect you will stay with the organization once you have reached your weight goals for yourself as well as to support others. The cost is nominal and is considerably less commercialized than other programs.

I don't enjoy my exercises too much. I do enjoy my friends who buddy up with me. It is the social angle which keeps me doing it.

The doctor has had me on 1200 calories for a long time.I cannot cut back much on that.Stopped routinely exercising and need to get back to it.The only time I lost and kept off weight was on a diet using meat more like a flavoring than as the entree.

stop eating bread, doughnuts, bagels, pasta, and rice for 2 weeks and youll lose weight.. i gaurantee it! You dont have to excercies at all and youll lose weight if you cut out carbs from your diet!

Also here is some tips for you:
1. substitute "old fashioned" oatmeal for cereal
2. eat plain yogurt 2% or less milkfat with natural berries you buy from grocery store!
3. subsitute natural honey for sugar in your tea!
4. drink 1 teaspoon of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with 8 ounces of water twice a day! (apple cider vinegar is a natural appetite suppressant) Has to be organic and unfilterd.... not the dominicks or heinz brand! Bragg's Organic unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar is the one i think is best!

polster wrote:stop eating bread, doughnuts, bagels, pasta, and rice for 2 weeks and youll lose weight.. i gaurantee it! You dont have to excercies at all and youll lose weight if you cut out carbs from your diet!

Also here is some tips for you:
1. substitute "old fashioned" oatmeal for cereal

Polster, you must be talking about refined flour basically, right? Oatmeal has a load o' carbs, no?

Hammond

I'm familiar with Bragg's.We have a book from Paul/Patricia,his daughter.I don't eat cereal that often.Of course oatmeal seems to have that stick to the ribs feeling.Give up bread?Never!And I do have to exercise.Toning and build muscle.And the endorphins.

I find that a lot of water, fiber and protein are good ways to stay satiated. Also, if you don't eat breakfast now, you should. Even something as light as a small Egg Beaters omelette can keep you going until early afternnon!

The chief issue with following a "diet" is that you MUST be willing to follow it FOREVER in order for it to be 100% effective. Most people I know who have flirted with Atkins/South Beach have regained the weight after reintroducing all the previously-denied tasties (bread, booze, pasta, etc).

What takes me down time and again is alcohol. It outstrips my body's ability to metabolize it, even despite a good regimen of cycling and weight training. As of yesterday, I have left alcohol behind (and cigarettes...I'm SOOO pleasant to be around now ), and I'm hoping to see some results pretty fast!

Hi,

You are also better off eating regular meals.

Several years ago, we had a guy join our diet group. I never felt he was a comfortable fit and kept suggesting he join the Sir Tops group. His joining us coincided with Lent, which he chose to give up dinner. I very diplomatically advised this wasn't a sound idea because there would be too long a period between meals. His food intake for the next 40 days was:

Breakfast: Go to Dunkin Donuts to flirt with the girls and buy a corn muffin (600+ calories) and a coffee.

Lunch: Subway for a low calorie submarine and diet pop.

That's it!

He lost 40 pounds and found a girlfriend, then disapeered for a few months. After putting most of the weight back on, he returned asking for support from "His mothers and sisters," which I didn't feel and didn't care to be. He took over the meeting and asked each person to pledge to give up something for their diets. I might have been more conducive to this conversation but as much as he was pressuring pledges from people, he didn't offer any from himself. I was quietly growing angry from his behavior, so when he asked me what I would pledge, I turned the tables: "Why don't you pledge to give up your morning corn muffin?" Surprise, surprise, he didn't like my suggestion and refused to pledge. I said, "Great, I decline to pledge as well."

Sal Monilla wrote:What takes me down time and again is alcohol. It outstrips my body's ability to metabolize it, even despite a good regimen of cycling and weight training.

Sal,

I also find that when I have alcohol with dinner, I tend to eat a lot more. I'm sure you know the cycle: a little more wine, a little more cheese, hey I still have a sip of wine, maybe I'll have another piece of bread, and so on. Lately, I'm limiting myself to two glasses of wine a night, max, and that seems to help (also, my doctor has recommended it, so, you know, got to follow doctor's orders).

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:

polster wrote:Also here is some tips for you:
1. substitute "old fashioned" oatmeal for cereal

Polster, you must be talking about refined flour basically, right? Oatmeal has a load o' carbs, no?

oatmeal and whole wheat, give you lasting energy stabilizing insulin levels providing sustained energy you need throughout the day! Basically the refined (instant oatmeal) does the opposite as it get absorbed quickly in your blood stream and doesnt have any heart healthy benefits of old fashioned oats! Its the same theory with white flour bread... your body breaks down and absorbs the sugar rapidly and thats why you eat more bread and are not satisfied with 1 piece of bread!

Old Fashioned Oatmeal (i like the oven toasted one from trader joes) is a rich source of soluble fiber which has been scientifically proven to reduce cholesterol. Make sure you dont buy the instant one (thats bad for you).

polster wrote:

David Hammond wrote:

polster wrote:Also here is some tips for you:
1. substitute "old fashioned" oatmeal for cereal

Polster, you must be talking about refined flour basically, right? Oatmeal has a load o' carbs, no?

oatmeal and whole wheat, give you lasting energy stabilizing insulin levels providing sustained energy you need throughout the day! Basically the refined (instant oatmeal) does the opposite as it get absorbed quickly in your blood stream and doesnt have any heart healthy benefits of old fashioned oats! Its the same theory with white flour bread... your body breaks down and absorbs the sugar rapidly and thats why you eat more bread and are not satisfied with 1 piece of bread!

Old Fashioned Oatmeal (i like the oven toasted one from trader joes) is a rich source of soluble fiber which has been scientifically proven to reduce cholesterol. Make sure you dont buy the instant one (thats bad for you).

Polster, I'm sure you're right; my only question regarded how one can simultaneously reduce carbs AND eat more grains.

The Wife makes a big pot of Irish oatmeal for herself and random daughters every morning. Me, I just can't bring myself to eat much of that stuff (too bland and gloppy), though I know it's good for me, and I would never go the instant oatmeal route.

Hammond

You don't want to reduce carbs so much as replace the refined ones with whole grains.Or brown rice instead of white.Increase the soluble and insoluble fiber.

hattyn wrote:You don't want to reduce carbs so much as replace the refined ones with whole grains.Or brown rice instead of white.Increase the soluble and insoluble fiber.

yep.. thats right! There are good carbs and bad ones! If you like bread so much Its better to buy RYE bread or 100% whole wheat rather than white bread / french bread!

I grew up in restaurants and was a chubby child. My late mother believed food could not be bad for you and more was better. My adored older cousin from California, when she moved back to Chicago, took one look at me and said, "You have to go on a diet". I was 12. I spent my teens and twenties on one diet or another always dieting and always very unhappy. I gave up dieting in my thirties.

While I basically agree with everyone here, it's because our bodies and our nutritional needs are so very individualistic.

My philosophy: eat whatever my body is hungry for, enjoy what I eat, stop before I feel full (this one is sometimes hard for me), don't eat with distractions (also sometimes hard) and move, move, move my body around (since I drive to work now, I don't walk as much and I really miss it).

Life is short! Food should be savored. And, we should move our bodies in ways that bring us joy! Walking, dancing, ice skating, chopping onions (I like chopping onions)...

Another WW fan here.

hattyn, I suspect that if you've been on 1200 calories for a long time-- and unless you are very small--you are no longer metabolizing your food efficiently and you could in fact be eating more and losing if you exercise. Exercise for its own sake bores the bejeesus out of me, so just I try to do 1/2 hour on the elliptical trainer more days than not and then get the rest of my movement in some other way. I lost the bulk of my weight during the tennis season and am looking forward to that again.

I have to agree about the alcohol. I would drink half a bottle of wine a night if I weren't on a diet, but I really cannot lose weight if I drink regularly.

I mentioned previously in the thread tofu tips http://www.dwlz.com calculates Weight Watcher's points for restaurants.DWLZ is Dottie's Weight Loss Zone.And I guess I should go offline and do my workout.

Before I forget two other food sites I like are http://www.calorieking.com and http://www.dietfacts.com they both have info on restaurant and grocery nutrition.

hattyn, these sites are very cool! Thanks!

We don't have poultry,meat and fish at home much ,which is the cause of my hunger for cheesesteaks and reubens and such when we dine out.I remember reading various books on combining proteins to ensure getting all the amino acids especially the eight essential.For those not faniliar with the concept an example would be a dish with rice and beans so the proteins in each complement one another.Books for example that discuss this are Diet for a Small Planet and Recipes for a Small Planet.However I've heard that as long as you have all the amino acids in one day you do not have to combine them at each meal.Anyone tried this concept and if so did it seem to help or did you not notice a difference?

I heard Francis Moore Lappe, the author of Diet for a Small Planet speak at Earlham College in the 60's. It seems that she became interested in food becuase the library of the agricultural school at the CalState campus she attended was the quietest on campus.

Seriously, the ONLY people that I have really seen have problems with amino acid deficiencies are people who eliminate all animal proteins from their diet without really doing their homework. I had a teenage niece who started having major problems with stress fractures as she was not getting enough calcium. Her aunt had laid a heavy vegan trip on her without taking the time to really explain the concept of complementary proteins. After a few months of adding dairy products and meats into her diet, she could return to running.

I think that you can cover all your needs with a wide variety of the various proteins over the course of a week.

For more help in the struggle- ediets.com and efitness.com.For the guys- askmen.com although not solely about health and nutrition.

hattyn wrote:ediets.com and efitness.com.

Hattyn,

If you take an extra second and add http://www the .com addresses you are posting will become hyperlinks and one click will take you directly to the url.

http://www.ediets.com
http://www.efitness.com

Enjoy,
Gary

Thanks.Resubmitted for your approval.Hope this works.I went back and corrected the others from yesterday. http://www.askmen.com