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I tried everything over the years nothing has worked...until now. I'm in the best shape of my life and am not on a diet. It's a lifestyle change and I thought I would share with all of you. The weight has dropped off and I now have the heart rate of an athelete. Here are my top 10 suggestions.
1. Most important (portion size). Only eat the recommended portion size of everything you eat. Americans supersize everything without realizing it!
2. Eat 6 small meals thougout the day. I never eat 3 large meals anymore. Space it out during the day to keep your metabolism up.
3. Start excercising. I do p90X...but anything will work. Anything that involves some kind of muscle building is best because you will increase your metabolism this way (especially for women). Remember...nothing will happen overnight. I didn't see any changes until about 2 months after excercising...results from excercising is not like going through the drivethrough. It took years to get that way...it may take a year of consistent excercise to even see results.
4. Replace all beverages with water. I drink water only with meals except for breakfast when I drink a glass of milk and coffee.
5. Eat nothing with high fructose corn syrup in it (a big one)!
6. Try to avoid processed foods...rule of thumb if it has ingredients you don't recognize...try not to eat it. Try to make what you eat..the crock pot has been key for me. Just throw in your healthy ingedients and your dinner is ready with out fuss later on.
7. To help portion size eat on a small plate and don't go for seconds. You won't be hungery because you just ate a substantial snack like an apple paired with almonds for a snack 2 to 3 hours prior.
8. Have a protien shake after a hard workout...this will keep you from feeling wiped out the rest of the day. I like Jay Robbs because it's the healthiest one I can find in my grocery store.
9. If you are confused about what you can eat...think about how your grandparents may have eaten back in the day when processed foods didn't exist...eat that way
10. Eat enough calories...if you try to starve your body you will hang on to every last calorie and your metabolism will drop! Drink a liter of water before lunch as well. I'm 5 feet 1 inch and eat 1500 cal on days I don't work out and about 1700 cal on the days I do work out.
My fav foods and snacks:
boiled eggs, skim milk, black bean soup, moz cheese stick, apple paired with almonds, banana paired with peanut butter, peanut butter and banana sandwich, arnold high protein bread, organic 100 cal popcorn, greek yogurt, marinated chick salad with almonds and cheese on spinach, chick potatoe and carrot soup, whole wheat chicken tort wraps, made from home chicken salad on bread, hummus and carrots, black bean burgers, salsa lime chicken with veggies as sides, brunswick stew, lemon chick soup with veggies, kashi cereal, south beach crustless spinach quiche, made from home egg rolls. Those are just examples.
Great job! If I may add to your #3--include some weight-bearing exercise in your routine. Swimming is great for flexibility and cardiovascular fitness, but your body bears no weight in the water. You want at least SOME impact on your body (especially women!) because this tells your bones to absorb calcium and reinforce themselves.
Jogging and jumping rope are great, but walking, tai chi and yoga are also helpful.
CONCLUSIONS: Weight-bearing exercise led to significant increases above baseline in bone mineral content which were maintained with continued training in older, postmenopausal women. With reduced weight-bearing exercise, bone mass reverted to baseline levels. Further studies are needed to determine the threshold exercise prescription that will produce significant increases in bone mass.
Osteoporosis runs in my family, so this is a hot topic for me!
Also, I disagree with the recommendation to eat how one's grandparents ate. My family were Midwestern farmers of modest means and large families. Meat and potatoes and corn and few to no vegetables = obesity and heart disease.
before now...the food companies advertise that their 100 cal food packs or their special K cereal will help you loose weight...etc. I believed that all those years that products that were processed and advertised that they were healthy was true. I think the general public thinks that too. We are heavily swayed by these companies. Again...had no clue about these foods. So actually, I didn't know what to do. People that I know that are trying to loose weight have no idea how....they eat a huge bowl of special K for breakfast, a granola bar for snack, a 100 cal pack of something for another snack, a huge what seems to be healthy turkey sandwich deli style for lunch...etc.
This really doesn't sound that unhealthy, depending on what "huge" means.
That's what the public teaches us that is healthy. In order to eat healthy, you have to ignore about 75% of what a regular grocery store offers. People in general have no clue what healthy foods are.
WRONG.
I thought I used to know, but I was way wrong.
Two years ago I got serious, hired a physical trainer,
waste of money
and ate low calorie diet with all the processed junk that was advertised healthy and lost no weight at all. I was eating a lean quisine for lunch everday. I did this for 6 months and thought I was eating healthy and excercising right...boy was I wrong.
I would also add, don't necessarily eat low fat, but eat enough healthy fats.
Avocado, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, flax, salmon, etc.
Studies have found that those that eat the healthy fats often actually are the thinnest, and your body needs them.
I would also agree with making sure you add in strength training into your exercise regime, muscle increases metabolism, meaning you burn more calories as well. If you don't know what you are doing, hiring a personal trainer to learn correct form, etc is a great idea.
I tried everything over the years nothing has worked...until now. I'm in the best shape of my life and am not on a diet. It's a lifestyle change and I thought I would share with all of you. The weight has dropped off and I now have the heart rate of an athelete. Here are my top 10 suggestions.
1. Most important (portion size). Only eat the recommended portion size of everything you eat. Americans supersize everything without realizing it!
2. Eat 6 small meals thougout the day. I never eat 3 large meals anymore. Space it out during the day to keep your metabolism up.
3. Start excercising. I do p90X...but anything will work. Anything that involves some kind of muscle building is best because you will increase your metabolism this way (especially for women). Remember...nothing will happen overnight. I didn't see any changes until about 2 months after excercising...results from excercising is not like going through the drivethrough. It took years to get that way...it may take a year of consistent excercise to even see results.
4. Replace all beverages with water. I drink water only with meals except for breakfast when I drink a glass of milk and coffee.
5. Eat nothing with high fructose corn syrup in it (a big one)!
6. Try to avoid processed foods...rule of thumb if it has ingredients you don't recognize...try not to eat it. Try to make what you eat..the crock pot has been key for me. Just throw in your healthy ingedients and your dinner is ready with out fuss later on.
7. To help portion size eat on a small plate and don't go for seconds. You won't be hungery because you just ate a substantial snack like an apple paired with almonds for a snack 2 to 3 hours prior.
8. Have a protien shake after a hard workout...this will keep you from feeling wiped out the rest of the day. I like Jay Robbs because it's the healthiest one I can find in my grocery store.
9. If you are confused about what you can eat...think about how your grandparents may have eaten back in the day when processed foods didn't exist...eat that way
10. Eat enough calories...if you try to starve your body you will hang on to every last calorie and your metabolism will drop! Drink a liter of water before lunch as well. I'm 5 feet 1 inch and eat 1500 cal on days I don't work out and about 1700 cal on the days I do work out.
My fav foods and snacks:
boiled eggs, skim milk, black bean soup, moz cheese stick, apple paired with almonds, banana paired with peanut butter, peanut butter and banana sandwich, arnold high protein bread, organic 100 cal popcorn, greek yogurt, marinated chick salad with almonds and cheese on spinach, chick potatoe and carrot soup, whole wheat chicken tort wraps, made from home chicken salad on bread, hummus and carrots, black bean burgers, salsa lime chicken with veggies as sides, brunswick stew, lemon chick soup with veggies, kashi cereal, south beach crustless spinach quiche, made from home egg rolls. Those are just examples.
Yes! All great suggestions. I do all except the #8.
I tried everything over the years nothing has worked...until now. I'm in the best shape of my life and am not on a diet. It's a lifestyle change and I thought I would share with all of you. The weight has dropped off and I now have the heart rate of an athelete. Here are my top 10 suggestions.
1. Most important (portion size). Only eat the recommended portion size of everything you eat. Americans supersize everything without realizing it!
2. Eat 6 small meals thougout the day. I never eat 3 large meals anymore. Space it out during the day to keep your metabolism up.
3. Start excercising. I do p90X...but anything will work. Anything that involves some kind of muscle building is best because you will increase your metabolism this way (especially for women). Remember...nothing will happen overnight. I didn't see any changes until about 2 months after excercising...results from excercising is not like going through the drivethrough. It took years to get that way...it may take a year of consistent excercise to even see results.
4. Replace all beverages with water. I drink water only with meals except for breakfast when I drink a glass of milk and coffee.
5. Eat nothing with high fructose corn syrup in it (a big one)!
6. Try to avoid processed foods...rule of thumb if it has ingredients you don't recognize...try not to eat it. Try to make what you eat..the crock pot has been key for me. Just throw in your healthy ingedients and your dinner is ready with out fuss later on.
7. To help portion size eat on a small plate and don't go for seconds. You won't be hungery because you just ate a substantial snack like an apple paired with almonds for a snack 2 to 3 hours prior.
8. Have a protien shake after a hard workout...this will keep you from feeling wiped out the rest of the day. I like Jay Robbs because it's the healthiest one I can find in my grocery store.
9. If you are confused about what you can eat...think about how your grandparents may have eaten back in the day when processed foods didn't exist...eat that way
10. Eat enough calories...if you try to starve your body you will hang on to every last calorie and your metabolism will drop! Drink a liter of water before lunch as well. I'm 5 feet 1 inch and eat 1500 cal on days I don't work out and about 1700 cal on the days I do work out.
My fav foods and snacks:
boiled eggs, skim milk, black bean soup, moz cheese stick, apple paired with almonds, banana paired with peanut butter, peanut butter and banana sandwich, arnold high protein bread, organic 100 cal popcorn, greek yogurt, marinated chick salad with almonds and cheese on spinach, chick potatoe and carrot soup, whole wheat chicken tort wraps, made from home chicken salad on bread, hummus and carrots, black bean burgers, salsa lime chicken with veggies as sides, brunswick stew, lemon chick soup with veggies, kashi cereal, south beach crustless spinach quiche, made from home egg rolls. Those are just examples.
Who does not know this stuff! I appreciate the advice, but this is obvious knowledge. I did this and lost 60lb went from a size 16 to an 8. But sometimes this lifestyle can get kind of boring. I am 5'11 btw. However, I am back to a size 12 want to get to a 10. What piece of advice most leave out emotional eating. Which has nothing to do with hunger or fullness. This is why most people gain weight. I know exactly what to do to lose, but sometime I think it is fun just to pig out. Even when i eat my 5-6 six small meals I feel and look better, but I become frustrated when I do not get to pig out. A lot of people might feel this way or have other emotional issues with eating, but this is never addressed in weight loss forums
Who does not know this stuff! I appreciate the advice, but this is obvious knowledge. I did this and lost 60lb went from a size 16 to an 8. But sometimes this lifestyle can get kind of boring. I am 5'11 btw. However, I am back to a size 12 want to get to a 10. What piece of advice most leave out emotional eating. Which has nothing to do with hunger or fullness. This is why most people gain weight. I know exactly what to do to lose, but sometime I think it is fun just to pig out. Even when i eat my 5-6 six small meals I feel and look better, but I become frustrated when I do not get to pig out. A lot of people might feel this way or have other emotional issues with eating, but this is never addressed in weight loss forums
Also, I did this and lost a ton of weight, but if you or the other people never get to root problem of your weight gain. The same problems with start creeping again because you will get tired of all the almonds, grilled chicken, pita wraps or whatever
It would be nice if the MODS would put this as a sticky at the top of the Diet Weight Loss Forum for others to read. This is truly the secret to losing weight.
Who does not know this stuff! I appreciate the advice, but this is obvious knowledge. I did this and lost 60lb went from a size 16 to an 8. But sometimes this lifestyle can get kind of boring. I am 5'11 btw. However, I am back to a size 12 want to get to a 10. What piece of advice most leave out emotional eating. Which has nothing to do with hunger or fullness. This is why most people gain weight. I know exactly what to do to lose, but sometime I think it is fun just to pig out. Even when i eat my 5-6 six small meals I feel and look better, but I become frustrated when I do not get to pig out. A lot of people might feel this way or have other emotional issues with eating, but this is never addressed in weight loss forums
I think this is a really good point you're bringing up, stephei. The tips generously shared by the OP are undoubtedly great; but they don't address the reason why many people get fat and stay fat in the modern world.
I am a walking Nutrition encyclopedia, with tons of knowledge about healthy eating, exercising, etc. I have all the knowledge and awareness needed to look like a model and be healthy as can be.
But of course I don't look like a model because for me, just like for many people, lack of knowledge is not the problem. The problem is what you said: emotional issues.
There are very, very, very few emotionally balanced, content, stress-free, addiction-free people in the modern world. If it's not drugs, it's alcohol. If it's not alcohol, it's smoking. Or gambling; or electronics-addiction (TV, video games, Net surfing --- these are obviously very common); if it's not electronics it's shopping; if it's not shopping it's...well...food. That is, the chance to "pig out" on the worst-possible-for-you comfort foods sometimes.
Hey, some people get addicted to working out, which might be better than pig outs, but it's still an addiction and good - it is not.
I never had any addiction except the tendency to "pig out" on comfort foods when something goes wrong, feels wrong, etc. For many people today life is unpredictable and insecure, a sense of isolation and malaise reigns supreme, stress levels are to the max, the competitive spirit is cutthroat and has become a completely normal and accepted part of life, there is no support system in place, community and family ties are so weak that they have become largely symbolic, etc.
So it is clear that opportunities to feel "shi**y" are plentiful for everyone nowadays. Those are perfect moments for everyone's little addiction to rear its ugly head.
Five years after my first child was born, I'd gained 38 lbs. It wasn't because of "left over" pregnancy pounds that I never shed; because I did lose almost all the pregnancy weight soon after I gave birth.
But in the months and years that followed, stress levels went up to insane levels; I had to juggle career and children with very little to no help (most of the times with no help at all), financial insecurity, etc.
This is not the way people used to live.
Most people's lives used to be much more stable, balanced, and less stressful - with plenty of support nearby. In addition to enjoying non-processed foods, they also enjoyed a life at relatively slow pace, instead of battling madly through it.
That being said, I found that one way to deal with the frustration caused by "not getting to pig out" is to simply give up the idea that you have to be so "goody-goody" and "nutritionally in-line" all the time.
I don't think people should EVER have to "pig out" because by the time you really pig out you're in bad shape, emotionally; but I do think that once in a while you should be able to take that list of "nutritionally correct" tips, consciously throw it out the window and simply decide, in full faculties, that you WILL have a piece of cake, some good sushi (yes, with white, nutritionally useless carbs in them!! - my absolutely most favorite food in the World) or you name it; and savor the "violation" slowly, every piece of it.
Otherwise, if you always try to stick to the nutritionally correct way of eating, that frustration you were talking about will pile up and will eventually explode in delirious "pig-outs".
I'll disagree with a couple things on the list. A whole egg is really not a good idea because it includes the yolk. You can get the protein from just the whites and you're not going to miss all the fat and cholesterol. Some of the flavored Egg Beaters and its clones are pretty tasty. Peanut butter tastes great, but it is seriously high in concentrated calories and mostly from fat. Obviously better than a couple Oreos, but I completely avoid it. Powdered peanut butter gives you all the protein and 85% fewer calories and it tastes just like peanut butter. I use it to enhance the flavor of chocolate protein drinks and the serving is only 35 calories. Some of the fruits are not the best choice for diabetics, especially apples and many people trying to lose a lot of weight are also dealing with diabetes, so that becomes a very real concern. Otherwise it is a great list, especially the part about portion control. I can't believe the sizes of meals I used to eat and am surprised that I only made it up to a little less than 350 pounds.. 190 feels MUCH better
edit- forgot one thing.. eating 6 small meals a day is probably a good idea, but eating smaller parts of meals throughout the day is probably even better. I literally do not and cannot eat what normal people would call a meal. I'll eat a part of something and then go back and eat more and it may take a few attempts to finish it, but this keeps everything more balanced. It also does a great job of keeping my blood sugars in a better range and avoids the spikes most diabetics get from eating. Completely agree with the water part too. That is all I drink and I even gave up coffee (yes, it is possible..). It fills you up and keeps you hydrated with no bad side effects.
I think this is a really good point you're bringing up, stephei. The tips generously shared by the OP are undoubtedly great; but they don't address the reason why many people get fat and stay fat in the modern world.
I am a walking Nutrition encyclopedia, with tons of knowledge about healthy eating, exercising, etc. I have all the knowledge and awareness needed to look like a model and be healthy as can be.
But of course I don't look like a model because for me, just like for many people, lack of knowledge is not the problem. The problem is what you said: emotional issues.
There are very, very, very few emotionally balanced, content, stress-free, addiction-free people in the modern world. If it's not drugs, it's alcohol. If it's not alcohol, it's smoking. Or gambling; or electronics-addiction (TV, video games, Net surfing --- these are obviously very common); if it's not electronics it's shopping; if it's not shopping it's...well...food. That is, the chance to "pig out" on the worst-possible-for-you comfort foods sometimes.
Hey, some people get addicted to working out, which might be better than pig outs, but it's still an addiction and good - it is not.
I never had any addiction except the tendency to "pig out" on comfort foods when something goes wrong, feels wrong, etc. For many people today life is unpredictable and insecure, a sense of isolation and malaise reigns supreme, stress levels are to the max, the competitive spirit is cutthroat and has become a completely normal and accepted part of life, there is no support system in place, community and family ties are so weak that they have become largely symbolic, etc.
So it is clear that opportunities to feel "shi**y" are plentiful for everyone nowadays. Those are perfect moments for everyone's little addiction to rear its ugly head.
Five years after my first child was born, I'd gained 38 lbs. It wasn't because of "left over" pregnancy pounds that I never shed; because I did lose almost all the pregnancy weight soon after I gave birth.
But in the months and years that followed, stress levels went up to insane levels; I had to juggle career and children with very little to no help (most of the times with no help at all), financial insecurity, etc.
This is not the way people used to live.
Most people's lives used to be much more stable, balanced, and less stressful - with plenty of support nearby. In addition to enjoying non-processed foods, they also enjoyed a life at relatively slow pace, instead of battling madly through it.
That being said, I found that one way to deal with the frustration caused by "not getting to pig out" is to simply give up the idea that you have to be so "goody-goody" and "nutritionally in-line" all the time.
I don't think people should EVER have to "pig out" because by the time you really pig out you're in bad shape, emotionally; but I do think that once in a while you should be able to take that list of "nutritionally correct" tips, consciously throw it out the window and simply decide, in full faculties, that you WILL have a piece of cake, some good sushi (yes, with white, nutritionally useless carbs in them!! - my absolutely most favorite food in the World) or you name it; and savor the "violation" slowly, every piece of it.
Otherwise, if you always try to stick to the nutritionally correct way of eating, that frustration you were talking about will pile up and will eventually explode in delirious "pig-outs".
I have to agree with the isolation part and cut throat real world environment. It has gotten worse since I have moved and graduated college. Actually, the day I graduated college I started gaining the weight. Because I felt like I was in a competition to make money and see how much I can save or for retirement compete with everyone. Granted I was only 22! I feel like the day I left school I started chasing money with this dream to be well off and independent and have freedom. Well now I feel like this chase is killing me emotionally and it got worse as I got into modeling and moving to Chicago thinking it would make me happy. Well now I am more isolated from my family and the problem is worse. I almost got back to normal weight or size 8/10 right before I moved because I was excited to be on my own and progress in my career, and when I am excited happy I lose weight almost instantly. Being on your own, I found out is not that great and I have thought about moving back home a few times. Also, when I go home I lose weight instantly. I only eat when hungry. lol
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