How To Lose Weight

[Henning]

I have heard of the mystical weight loss property of grapefruit but have never experienced it myself. I am too afraid of sugar to try.

There is nothing wrong with sugar, most things you eat turn into sugar. It's about regulating the intake to provide consistent energy for use rather than to have a few masses of food that the body then turns into fat to store for later. It's POOR NUTRITION that bring about the majority of our obesity issues and most of the problem is connected more to how we eat than what we eat. Nutrition and energy are what regulate the metabolism between anabolic and catabolic modes. You need plenty of calories to lose weight quickly and healthily, you need to break them into smaller more frequent portions though.

 

[weilke]

Getting old stinks.

Tell me about it. 3 months ago I scratched my skin taking down christmas lights and ended up with bacterial cellulits. Who gets this? drug addicts, immunosuppressed folk and old people. I decided that 'old' was the preferred option.

 

[Henning]

I have lost considerable muscle mass compared to my Army days. Getting old stinks.

Have you had your testosterone levels checked? That's a major issue with weight as we get older.

 

[Gary F]

Have you had your testosterone levels checked? That's a major issue with weight as we get older.

Testosterone decreases with age therefore so does muscle mass. Most endocrinologists will only give replacement if you are below normal for your age and not to the normal level for a younger man. If you know of one who does in my area please let me know. That stuff is highly regulated due to the potential for abuse.

 

[Gary F]

There is nothing wrong with sugar, most things you eat turn into sugar. It's about regulating the intake to provide consistent energy for use rather than to have a few masses of food that the body then turns into fat to store for later. It's POOR NUTRITION that bring about the majority of our obesity issues and most of the problem is connected more to how we eat than what we eat. Nutrition and energy are what regulate the metabolism between anabolic and catabolic modes. You need plenty of calories to lose weight quickly and healthily, you need to break them into smaller more frequent portions though.

Whut? I should probably revisit my graduate and medical school biochem and nutrition texts as this does not seem to make a lot of sense.

 

[nddons]

What I'll tell the amazing people who have so successfully re-made themselves, is the hardest part that takes the most disciple is maintenance.

Now THAT's the truth. I worked hard and went from 270 to 236 for my prostate surgery last August. I've put about 22 of that back on over the winter. Now I've got to take it off again, but at least I know that I'm capable of doing that. 1,800 calories max/day, and try to work out every day did it. (Last year, I was in a rush before my surgery, and did 100% cardio because I wouldn't get any credit for building muscle mass for my recommended weight loss. I friggin hate cardio. I would much rather lift weights. However, I'm back to cardio only until I get back down to a target weight, which for me is 240. For now.)

 

[weilke]

I wouldn't get any credit for building muscle mass for my recommended weight loss. I friggin hate cardio. I would much rather lift weights. However, I'm back to cardio only until I get back down to a target weight, which for me is 240. For now.)

Increased muscle mass will improve your capability to burn energy which will make it easier for you to sustain weight loss. A combined program of cardio and strength training is frequently recommended to achieve stable long-term results. While for orthopedic problems (e.g. knee or ankle arthritis), your total body weight is the major factor, for issues like pre-diabetes, percentage body fat (and particularly 'trunk fat') plays a greater role. Building some muscles may make your weight loss look less impressive initially, for the ultimate goal of a healthier body, it is a small price to pay. So if you like to lift weights, by all means do.

 

[Henning]

Whut? I should probably revisit my graduate and medical school biochem and nutrition texts as this does not seem to make a lot of sense.

Most of what we eat today is some form of carbohydrate, from my understanding as a layman, those convert to sugar.

 

[weilke]

Most of what we eat today is some form of carbohydrate, from my understanding as a layman, those convert to sugar.

We actually eat ungodly amounts of fats as well. Those rarely get converted to sugar, for the most part they are transported as fatty acids.

In the end, we share the metabolism with the domestic pig. You restrain their range of movement and give them free access to food, they will gouge themselves until they keel over. You give them more protein and hormones, they will make more meat, give them more carbs, they make more bacon.

 

[Henning]

We actually eat ungodly amounts of fats as well. Those rarely get converted to sugar, for the most part they are transported as fatty acids.

In the end, we share habits with the domestic pig. We restrain our range of movement and have free access to food. Undisciplined will gorge themselves until they keel over.

FTFY. Agree on the fats, that's what I eliminated excess of (still need some for the old brain to keep lubricated so I keep a supply of Nutella on hand.). My sugar intake (I have lived off sugar my whole life, I start the day with 2 tablespoons in my coffee still) has remained high and constant through my life. It was eliminating the burgers and crap and eating lean solid cuts of muscle meat and adding lots of fruit and vegies as snacks to keep me from being hungry. My average meal now typically totals less than 6 ounces (mostly a chunk of meat and some bread, I will die before giving up bread, sorry, quality of life counts more to me than quantity and I love good bread) with another 1/2 pound of fruit & veggies through the day as well as a candy bar or MetRx bar and a couple-3 Ensure in a day.

The most difficult part is only the first few days of portion control as your body acclimates to the new feeding schedule.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Wow, way to go Missa!!! I had lost 35 pounds before Oshkosh last year, and have, sadly, put most of that back on. Need to get back at it...

 

[Gary F]

Most of what we eat today is some form of carbohydrate, from my understanding as a layman, those convert to sugar.

True, carbs are composed of simple sugar but I have been successful restricting carbs in my diet. I consume more lean protein than before and modestly increased fat, mostly in the form of nuts.

 

[Henning]

Wow, way to go Missa!!! I had lost 35 pounds before Oshkosh last year, and have, sadly, put most of that back on. Need to get back at it...

Back at what? That's the problem, if you have to change your habits to lose weight to something that you don't like, you will constantly fail in your weight loss/gain cycling. You need to modify your habits into new daily habits that you enjoy and can live with for the rest of your life, not what you suffer through to reach a weight goal.

 

[kimberlyanne546]

Back at what? That's the problem, if you have to change your habits to lose weight to something that you don't like, you will constantly fail in your weight loss/gain cycling. You need to modify your habits into new daily habits that you enjoy and can live with for the rest of your life, not what you suffer through to reach a weight goal.

That's why I'm trying the whole walk at work thing. If I can make it part of my everyday life, it is way better.

 

[Henning]

That's why I'm trying the whole walk at work thing. If I can make it part of my everyday life, it is way better.

Giving up beer will do a lot more as well, beer is the worst diet food unless that's your entire diet, then it's not bad, but kinda tough on the liver and check book clearing all the DUIs.

 

[bbchien]

Testosterone decreases with age therefore so does muscle mass. Most endocrinologists will only give replacement if you are below normal for your age and not to the normal level for a younger man. If you know of one who does in my area please let me know. That stuff is highly regulated due to the potential for abuse.

...and the latter is grounding. When you start getting the soft tissue edema of "more than the norm" it's obvious to the docs, to the AMEs, don't go there.

 

[Henning]

...and the latter is grounding. When you start getting the soft tissue edema of "more than the norm" it's obvious to the docs, to the AMEs, don't go there.

Right, don't abuse things, just use them as they should be used, same as food and alcohol. Steroids and Oxycontin while closely watched are still legal for a reason, they have a real non abusive job to do.

 

[Gary F]

Right, don't abuse things, just use them as they should be used, same as food and alcohol. Steroids and Oxycontin while closely watched are still legal for a reason, they have a real non abusive job to do.

Unfortunately my issues are age related and not the result of a disease. Still, I prefer being scrawny to being fat.

 

[AuntPeggy]

There is a reason I specified Grapefruit juice rather than orange or other.

I have heard of the mystical weight loss property of grapefruit but have never experienced it myself. I am too afraid of sugar to try.

I have forgotten which medication it is, but something I take has put grapefruit off the diet plan. I think that grapefruit enhances the effect of the medication in an unpredictable way, potentially causing an overdose. Although this is not the drug I use, I've heard that grapefruit juice has a similar effect on Viagra.

 

[Gary F]

I have forgotten which medication it is, but something I take has put grapefruit off the diet plan. I think that grapefruit enhances the effect of the medication in an unpredictable way, potentially causing an overdose. Although this is not the drug I use, I've heard that grapefruit juice has a similar effect on Viagra.

Grapefruit juice can potentially interfere with the metabolism of many drugs but you would probably need to drink a fair amount of it on a regular basis to cause a problem with most of these. People taking certain heart medications should be careful. A pharmacist can help sort this out if you really want to consume grapefruit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit_drug_interactions

 

[Henning]

I have forgotten which medication it is, but something I take has put grapefruit off the diet plan. I think that grapefruit enhances the effect of the medication in an unpredictable way, potentially causing an overdose. Although this is not the drug I use, I've heard that grapefruit juice has a similar effect on Viagra.

There are a couple of cholesterol meds I've heard contra indicate but are replaceable. Personally I drink the stuff anyway because I like it.

 

[Gary F]

There are a couple of cholesterol meds I've heard contra indicate but are replaceable. Personally I drink the stuff anyway because I like it.

Atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin and lovastatin. A bigger problem is with some medications like amiodarone that are used to treat heart rhythm problems.

 

[Henning]

Atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin and lovastatin. A bigger problem is with some medications like amiodarone that are used to treat heart rhythm problems.

That would suck, luckily I'm pretty heathy. Injury has always affected me to a greater extent than illness.

 

[Missa]

My basic plan is to balance (ok slight imbalance to loose) intake and burn. I've been tracking intake and burn on Myfitnesspal.com to help me make that ballance and on days I don't do something if I still want to loose I have to keep my intake to 1200 calories (doable but only out of my own kitchen). If I want to eat more, or drink... I work out to earn it. (most days, a few cheat days are good for body and soul... as long as they are truely a few and spread out)

I've been sucessful with reducing complex carbs and adding lots of veggies. I eat pasta, bread or rice once or twice a week at most and only on heavy workout days, if I didn't work out I didn't earn it. I don't miss the pasta or rice much and could probally cut them out totally but I love a good crusty sourdough or artisan bread. So just like chocolate, I've not cut it out compleatly but I have to earn it by buring more on the day I endulge. This also makes choices easier, Toast with my breakfast??? Do you have sourdough or just white, wheat, rye... sorry regular bread is worth my calories.

edit: oh and that 1200 cals is exact! that is a min to keep from starvation mode in the body so it has to be at least 1200 cals, if i don't hit it I have to go eat an apple or something at the end of the day.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Back at what? That's the problem, if you have to change your habits to lose weight to something that you don't like, you will constantly fail in your weight loss/gain cycling. You need to modify your habits into new daily habits that you enjoy and can live with for the rest of your life, not what you suffer through to reach a weight goal.

Wasn't suffering; was just eating better (low fat/low carb) and smaller portions more often during the day, and exercising more. I've let my exercising drop off and went back to my old eating habits.

My "daily habits" are harder to make work when that's not what the rest of the family is doing... I was really hoping my good example might encourage others to do what I was doing, it didn't quite work out that way. When you have to cook differently for yourself than what others are eating, it's more of a challenge to stick with it, and affects the food budget, too. But, excuses done--I'm going back. I prefer the way I felt before to how I feel now.

Oh, and my eldest daughter joined a gym on her own yesterday, and my diabetic sister-in-law said she was changing her diet (met with a dietician yesterday) because she was inspired by what I did last year... so maybe the momentum can build.

Missa, thanks for the inspirational thread!

 

[Henning]

Wasn't suffering; was just eating better (low fat/low carb) and smaller portions more often during the day, and exercising more. I've let my exercising drop off and went back to my old eating habits.

My "daily habits" are harder to make work when that's not what the rest of the family is doing... I was really hoping my good example might encourage others to do what I was doing, it didn't quite work out that way. When you have to cook differently for yourself than what others are eating, it's more of a challenge to stick with it, and affects the food budget, too. But, excuses done--I'm going back. I prefer the way I felt before to how I feel now.

Oh, and my eldest daughter joined a gym on her own yesterday, and my diabetic sister-in-law said she was changing her diet (met with a dietician yesterday) because she was inspired by what I did last year... so maybe the momentum can build.

Missa, thanks for the inspirational thread!

Oyyy, I understand, but my mom did do it too. Good luck and yeah, do what you gotta do.

 

[rkdF250]

So beer, steak and lettuce sounds like the way to go..... All this time I have been going about it all wrong. All this chicken, fish,water and vegetables was a waste of time LOL. This is a great thread I look forward to reading more.

 

[Henning]

So beer, steak and lettuce sounds like the way to go..... All this time I have been going about it all wrong. All this chicken, fish,water and vegetables was a waste of time LOL. This is a great thread I look forward to reading more.

Nope, it's all good in the proper proportions and proper time of day/duty cycle.

 

[Henning]

Way back a buddy growing up had always been big and he decided to go on a Jack Daniels and salad diet. He even used JD as his salad dressing. He lost 150lbs in 5 months.

 

[steingar]

Most of what we eat today is some form of carbohydrate, from my understanding as a layman, those convert to sugar.

Henning is hinting at a small core of biochemistry. Whatever carbohydrate is taken into the body, before it is fermented is changed into glucose.

That said, different foods have different carbohydrate components. A candy bar has a huge carbohydrate component, as it has tons of sucrose, a disaccharide that already has a glucose molecule in it. Thus is will deliver a lot of sugar and little else despite being a tiny little thing. Contrast that with a potato or a piece of bread, that have complex carbohydrates. These are less energy dense, as they are long chains of sugars that have to be broken down and converted into glucose before they can be fermented. Thus the break delivers less energy and more nutrition, since it has vitamins and some protein. Contrast that with a whole-grain bread, and you get even more nutrition for your serving of carbohydrate. Whole grains are less palatable than refined grains, but far more nutritious. They are also quite a bit more filling.

Eliminating all carbohydrate from your diet is madness. However, changing carbohydrate sources from nutritionally neutral, like candy, to nutritionally packed, like whole grain pasta or bread, is both nutritionally sound and, if you'll forgive the paraphrase, good eats. My favorite meal remains beans and brown rice, balanced carbohydrate and protein.

 

[Henning]

Finding a good real rye is soo hard around here.

 

[steingar]

Finding a good real rye is soo hard around here.

Really, with all the retired North Easters? We can get them here even, though I make mine. I make the vast majority of our bread, and have been making it with whole grains for years.

 

[Gary F]

Eliminating all carbohydrate from your diet is madness. However, changing carbohydrate sources from nutritionally neutral, like candy, to nutritionally packed, like whole grain pasta or bread, is both nutritionally sound and, if you'll forgive the paraphrase, good eats. My favorite meal remains beans and brown rice, balanced carbohydrate and protein.

Or switching to certain vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, squash, celery, spinach, lettuce etc. I restrict anything derived from potatoes, corn, refined grains.

 

[Henning]

Really, with all the retired North Easters? We can get them here even, though I make mine. I make the vast majority of our bread, and have been making it with whole grains for years.

All the fancy stuff, I don't care, a good solid rye, preferably a sourdough and corned. Around here, hard to find, the NE ers are snow birds, there really isn't more than tourist infrastructure for them because they're fickle or will die next week.

 

[steingar]

Or switching to certain vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, squash, celery, spinach, lettuce etc. I restrict anything derived from potatoes, corn, refined grains.

Nothing at all wrong with any of that. I've been restricting our potato consumption since Mrs. Steingar spiked triglycerides. Started as compensation, continued as habit. I've got to start making whole-grain pastas, which are probably going to taste awful. Oh well, we'll just have to get used to it.

 

[Gary F]

The are true whole grain products made almost exclusively using whole grains and those which are not and simply marketed as whole grain. Many of these include refined flour and sugar. Read the labels.

 

[steingar]

The are true whole grain products made almost exclusively using whole grains and those which are not and simply marketed as whole grain. Many of these include refined flour and sugar. Read the labels.

I make my own. That said, there are some things I make that still get a fair share of refined flour. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with that, one is looking for balanced nutrition, and carbohydrate is part of that balance.

 

[Henning]

I make my own. That said, there are some things I make that still get a fair share of refined flour. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with that, one is looking for balanced nutrition, and carbohydrate is part of that balance.

I agree totally, there is no inherent evil in refining grains for texture and dissolution, the balance is the art of bread. Eat a slice and not a loaf, although fresh hot...I'm good with pumpernickel, how good is that on the healthy meter scale?

 

[Gary F]

I make my own. That said, there are some things I make that still get a fair share of refined flour. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with that, one is looking for balanced nutrition, and carbohydrate is part of that balance.

I was able to achieve my goal by limiting simple carbs including sugar and refined grains but others may not require or even benefit from this strategy. I believe my success with weight loss speaks for itself and that I am currently consuming a reasonably healthful diet.

 

[steingar]

I agree totally, there is no inherent evil in refining grains for texture and dissolution, the balance is the art of bread. Eat a slice and not a loaf, although fresh hot...I'm good with pumpernickel, how good is that on the healthy meter scale?

My pumpernickel is a balanced meal all on it's own. So long as you aren't eating half a load at a sitting, it should be wonderfully good for you.

That said, I don't know what commercial bakeries put in their pumpernickel. I know what I put in mine, and it's all good stuff. My focaccia are deadly though.