# Diet discussions



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

It really is that simple. The vast majority of people flat out won't do it though. It means that people need to learn portion sizes, weigh and measure and use moderation. Eat the ice cream if you want it, just realize the serving size is often 1/2 cup and not 3 big scoops. Calorie counting is only as accurate as the logging which is only as accurate as your effort. Figure out your calorie need for the day and stay below that.
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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I recommend these books:

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It: Gary Taubes: 9780307272706: Amazon.com: Books

The Big Fat Surprise

There was a time conventional wisdom was that fat, protein and carbs were all good in moderation, with carbs being the least beneficial. I have been trying to restrict my carbs and use a little more fat to help me control my portions and cravings. It seems to be working, although I think it will be more of a lifestyle for me than a "diet". I've gone from 34 to 33 inch jeans, and it looks like I'll be able to drop to 32 inch jeans soon. That was what I wore when I retired from the military in 2008.

My wife has also discovered that a lot of "low-fat" products are actually "high sugar". Just eliminating those and walking 30 minutes a day is helping her.

I think Taubes's argument that our hormones have more to do with our waistline than just "calories in/calories out" makes sense. It certainly agrees with my own experiences. I've given up ice cream, any pastries, muffins, and most bread. I've added a little bit of fat, and find my portions are controlling themselves pretty well without strong cravings. My calories are down because I'm not getting the headaches I did on low fat diets.

Don't know if that will help anyone else, but the books are good reading and food for thought. Good luck to anyone with the struggle. I lost 50 lbs in the 9th grade (1972), but that fight seems to be a lifetime one!

BTW - after 3 weeks, my blood pressure without medication is lower than it was on my medication. If I can kick the blood pressure meds by diet, that will be a victory in itself!


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## budley95 (Aug 15, 2014)

I struggle losing weight and exercise a fair bit and eat fairly healthily, quite funny when my job is a customer advisor for a nutrition company, I find dropping food groups doesnt work if you want to keep the weight off when you start eating it again. Crash dieting sucks, 1ib a week is what ive been doing since March but have stayed the same for the last 4 weeks :-( to lose a 1ib you have to burn 3000 more calories than you consume. sounds so easy doesnt it? a friend did the absolutely no carbs diet. She lost 11ib in a week. Then put it all back on when she started eating carbs again :-(
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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

DancingArabian said:


> It really is that simple.


Again, yes and no, while it is so simple to say and write down, the complexity comes in actually making it work. 

Some of the issues come down to the person and the way they are built, we quite happily accept that we have air ferns, and hard keepers in the horse world, but then we tend to lump all people together and say what will work for me will work for you.

YES, the base line is the same, burn more than you consume, but to do so really effectively you need to know how much YOUR particular body consumes, some of us have lean burn engines, some don't. Then there is the ongoing debate as to whether all calories are created equally, do calories in fat react differently to calories in carbs just as a for instance.

Then there is the debate about all the chemicals that are in our foods and our environment, and the way that they affect our bodies. 

Then we add addictions to this and life gets very difficult, again, if it were simple and easy no one would be fat. 

One more thought, personality type, having been put through all sorts of testing at various times by my last employers, the one consistent thing that came out of it, no matter what the test, is that I am so NOT a detail person. There is simply no way in the lifetime that you can get me to weigh and measure all of my foods and count every calorie, because after one day I'm ready to tear my hair out.

To make it work you need to find a system that works for you, has foods that you actually like, are freely available and affordable for you, and allow you to eat enough that you don't feel starved.

Again, simple, and not so simple, which is why there is still so much research going on in the world to work out solutions.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

budley95 said:


> ...if you want to keep the weight off when you start eating it again....a friend did the absolutely no carbs diet. She lost 11ib in a week. Then put it all back on when she started eating carbs again :-(


I think diets are somewhat counterproductive. I need to find a way of eating that I am willing to live with until I die. I find eliminating most breads pretty easy. I miss ice cream, but I could go the rest of my life only eating ice cream on special occasions. If putting a pat of butter on mixed veggies makes me more likely to eat mixed veggies, then I think it is worth it.

What I am noticing now that I'm looking is how much sugar has been added to many foods. The low fat yogurt in our fridge is darn near like a candy bar! In the 60s, I remember gas stations selling Coke in either 6 or 8 oz bottles - and anyone expecting to by 32 or 48 oz of Coke for themselves would have been thought insane.

Just checked my facts:"_A funny thing happened to Coke in the times leading up to the 1950's. A new cola named Pepsi was gaining popularity...One way Coke responded to the new drink was to create more than one bottle size._ _This was a scary idea because Coca-Cola had always had *just the 6.5 ounce bottle*. In fact, a Coke executive said that, "Bringing out another bottle was like being unfaithful to your wife."_

_ But Coke pushed on with the new bottles.._."​The History of Coca-Cola: 1950's

6.5 oz of Coca-Cola is about 75 calories. It was considered a reasonable portion to drink at one time.

Here is what I don't know how to escape: Since the 70s, the government has been telling us how to eat, and obesity and diabetes has exploded. Could it be my Mom was right and the US Government wrong? Should I eat well-balanced meals, including some fat, and limit my portions? Should I consider high-carb food fattening, like she did? Because if a diet means I get terrible headaches, I won't follow the diet and sure won't live like that for life.

After all, my Mom at 45 wasn't doing too bad without the government's advice (vacationing in Hong Kong in 1966) - and she didn't jog a step in her life:








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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

My husband was told a few years ago that he was in the overweight category - and he knew it already. He'd gone from a more physically active job to a desk job but was still eating the same if not more because 'he could'.
In December 2013 he decided he wanted to start show jumping again and to be fair to his horse he had to shed some of his weight so he opted for calorie counting to limit what he could eat every day and lose weight but also be healthy
So -
No buying empty calories - like all the ice cream, chocolate, cookies, cakes any more
No more drinks with sugar in
He initially opted to have porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast and lunch with no sugar but he allowed himself some fresh fruit 
Once he'd lost a good amount of weight he allowed himself a sandwich with lean meat and salad for lunch
Evening meal was normal we always have lots of veggies anyway so just had smaller portions
If he did feel desperate to snack he would have a few low calorie crackers
By July he was weighing in at 160lb and can now eat a sensible amount of cake or cookies, even the occasional chocolate bar without gaining anything because he's so much more energetic 
He originally complained about headaches and feeling sick and light headed id he ate less but that soon passed. He no longer suffers from back pain and has been able to stop taking blood pressure medication
On a negative side he has a closet full of clothes that now hang off him like a little kid wearing his fathers outfits!!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I'm a pretty firm believer that everything is fine in moderation. The important thing is not so much what you eat, as what your lifestyle is like. People with office jobs wonder why they gain weight--because they're on their butts for eight hours a day xD

Do you have a membership to a gym?


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Zexious said:


> Do you have a membership to a gym?


Nope, and wont have, all too far away from here. I will go back to Zumba class during the winter, and will have to start on the exercise bike again, trying to get DH to buy me a bike so I can cycle with the dogs, but that might be hard going as it is all gravel roads around here.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Golden Horse - why don't you zumba now for free? You can find tracks on YouTube and build your own playlist.

-------
Believe me, I understand how hard it can be for people to lose weight. I have some as of yet I diagnosed issue where I have an extremely difficult time losing weight. However, I have a hard time getting anyone to believe me. My BMI is obese, I'm close to 200 pounds but I wear a size 8-10. I'm only 5'4". I know what it's like to work out 2 hours a day, eat sensibly and still gain weight. I know what it's like to have a problem.

Most people though, don't have problems like that. They really just need to stop kidding themselves about what a portion is.
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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

You also need to look at the persons mental health and their good habits. 

Growing up we didn't have much food. Everything was rationed out to the tee. No seconds no matter how hungry you were. Living like this for several years as a child has left me deeply imprinted to eat all I can when I can because there may not be anything next. As an adult this translastes to me not being satisfied until I'm 100% full, I clean the plate no matter what I put on it and I almost always go back for seconds. The "good feel" afterwards is the reward, though I feel very disgusting after. 

... Oh, and as child I watched a lot of nature shows where animals pack on the pounds during summer to prepare for scarse food.... Doesn't work on humans apparently. :wink:
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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

DancingArabian said:


> Golden Horse - why don't you zumba now for free? You can find tracks on YouTube and build your own playlist.
> 
> -------


I do some at home, but never reach the same intensity as I do in class, class is fun, at home is more like work, doesn't help that DH laughs at me



SlideStop said:


> You also need to look at the persons mental health and their good habits.
> 
> Growing up we didn't have much food. Everything was rationed out to the tee. No seconds no matter how hungry you were. Living like this for several years as a child has left me deeply imprinted to eat all I can when I can because there may not be anything next.


This is a real issue, my parents both lived through the 30's and the UK war years, food was always scarce, so we were bought up to eat everything that we were given, and be thankful for it. It is crazy that I still really really struggle to throw food away, I know I don't need to eat it, I am in fact choosing to use myself as a dustbin, but your earliest ingrained habits are the hardest to break.


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## dressagesweethart (May 19, 2011)

I believe in everything in moderation and the 80/20 rule. Eat like you know you should (Clean foods) 80% of the time and then the other 20% eat what you want. Nothing is sustainable if you start completely counting out foods you love.

I also use Advocare products and I was able to lose 50 pounds and drop from a size 10 to a 4 in less than 3 months without significantly reducing calories but just making better choices with the products. Today I'm down from 190 to 136 and the weight stays off. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life now 
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## Oreos Girl (May 24, 2011)

I started something at the beginning of the year that has helped me. I eat half of what I was eating before. I lost 25 lbs just following that. I have now added an elliptical to the mix because I plateaued out. If I want it, I eat it but in much smaller sizes.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I need something structured for the next 3 months, something that can cope with the stress of harvest, portable, can be eaten on the go, quick prep for suppers.
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## dressagesweethart (May 19, 2011)

You should check out Advocare Golden Horse, very portable and very easy to follow and I believe you'll have great results. You can add me on Facebook or send me a message if you'd like to see if it could be the right fit for you :wink: www.facebook.com/MOTeriTwyman


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