[OregonYeti]

I can get pretty silly. Here's a cartoon I drew myself (*not OF myself :^)

[oldschool1982]

Prednisone. For all the good it didn't do........and the 40 it added....never again. 2 years on an off the stuff but that was 7 years ago. Since then I took off 70 and put back on 40 (mostly because of the hydrocodone) but I'm down 25 since April so......the WW thing must be doing some good.

In all honesty, we like the freedom it does give us. Like I mentioned before, we can eat anything we want but just have to count the points. We are not limited to any one food group nor do we have to eliminate entire groups. We don't have to eat 10lbs of banannas a day for a week and then drink a concoction to flush our system while standing on our heads whle wrapped in PVC wrap inside a sauna......... It's all food we can buy anywhere and not spend a fortune doing it (that is other than the fleecing we take just visiting the grocery store )

I think koukou mentioned about sugars and food..... nice thing about the WW plan is it counts the sugars in the form of calories or points. We once lived off of milk. 3-4 glasses a day and even thoughwe stepped down from whole to skim.....there's no way we could get back into the 1%, 2% or even whole. It's like drinking cream to us. None the less , as we found out, even though we usd it as a meal supliment, it really did matter how much. Now, we need just the calcium for some of my spinal stuff and the DW is concerned with ostioperosis so we limit to 12 oz a day. Basically that's 5 points on the plan. Considering I can have 5 bags of Orville Redenbachers smater pop, 5 cups of fruit, a quart of pasta e fragioli (20 oz of tomatoes and juice, crushed red pepper, a cup of cannelini beans and 1/2 cup of pasta) or so many other things.......it seems a waste to use more than 5 points on milk. If a particular part of a meal has more than 12 grams of fat, that counts as a point.... for every 12 grams of fat. For example, even if we have something like a piece of cheese and it's 2 points per serving, if it has 12 grams of fat perserving, I have to add a point for the fat.

It's not a bad plan. I'll stand by it since it gave me the means to lose the first 70lbs, 5 years ago, all while not being able to be even remotely as active as I once was.

[RPMcMurphy]

Originally Posted by Mezzaluna

With respect, RPMcMurphy, it's "simple" for most people. But there are some of us with genetic considerations. For instance, if I eat 1,200 calories a day, and most of it is grains and other healty carbs, I won't lose weight. If I switch to a higher proportion of lean protein to make up that 1,200 calories, I do lose. A shorthand version of that way of eating is the South Beach Diet (skipping the first phase that's very low carb). My doctor's been on it for a couple of years.

Sorry I didn't mean its simple for people, but I meant it's simple math. figure out how many calories a day you burn, and take in less. Genetics and all.

There are many variables that will determine how many you burn, for you it's medication. For some its weight, and muscle and how active they are. The more you weigh the more you burn, the more muscle, the more you burn, which is why males have higher BMR's than woman. And which is also why it's hard to loose that "last few lbs" because once you start loosing, usually your BMR drops. Obviously a somewhat balanced diet is important, 40/40/20, etc...

2 years ago, I lost 60lbs, without exercising (went from 205 to 145, leveled out at 155, where I'm at now), just simply tracking my calories and creating a deficit.

just to add to the exercise discussion, sure it does help, but it IS hard work, diet, is the easy part. let me break it down:

Last month I ran a total of 70 miles....which is about half as usual, due to an injury.
That running burned 7268 calories (data taken from my heart rate monitor, that takes into account HR, height, weigh) that's only ~2lbs burning....

SO, if i ate 1800 calories a day which is exactly how many I burn a day, and ran 70 miles, I'd have lost 2lbs last month. But....it's not that easy, the more you run, the more fuel you need, etc. etc.

I'm marathon training (NYC) now, and it does turn into a pain tracking every bite of food I eat, but...we'll yall see how I eat When it get's hard is fueling during running on long (15-25 mile) runs. things like GU's, gels, etc....make your head spin.
My good buddy has a company that just specializes in race fueling. pretty neat stuff.

If you want to see some interesting food consumption, google around Dean Karnazes....you think Phelps has an interesting diet, Dean has to eat WHOLE pizzas WHILE running...(rolled up burrito style!)

in any case and to get back on topic....
the first step to any diet (i hate the word diet) is to figure out your BMR.

[OregonYeti]

I have to watch my weight too. I could probably gain weight in no time if I weren't keeping track, and I'm about 15 pounds over what I would consider ideal. Beer doesn't have any calories, does it?

[RPMcMurphy]

Originally Posted by OregonYeti

I have to watch my weight too. I could probably gain weight in no time if I weren't keeping track, and I'm about 15 pounds over what I would consider ideal. Beer doesn't have any calories, does it?

hehe.

well, I was just happy to read that red wine helps with my long run recovery!

[elchivito]

I'm 6 feet and 180 lbs, would like to be closer to 170. Carbs are my downfall, and so I am very careful with pasta, bread, starchy vegetables and sadly, beer. I can drop 20lbs in a couple of months just by cutting out beer. Lean meats, lots of leafy vegetables, high fiber fruits in moderation and limiting beer is the key for me. Exercise isn't a factor because I'm outside wrestling with the livestock all day. I know low carb diets are controversial and don't work for everybody, but they sure work for me. As for butter, I still cook with it, but when you're not eating lots of bread and potatoes, your butter consumption naturally goes down.

[chalkdust]

just want to stress the importance of daily exercise

and daily stretching

plus moderation

brown rice and whole grains whenever possible

limit red meats


limit butter and fried foods

as many whole foods as possible

and i dontlimit good gourmet food of any style

i deep fry gulab jamuns, i make funnel cake, i deep fry and eat pork fat and cook pastry with suet and love brownies, baklava, and swiss gateauxs from betti bossi cookbooks

but i dont eat like that all the time

and i work out

every day

i stretch every day too and some of these stretches (yoga style) also burn calories because of the positioning and the movement involved

do something fun and i9nteresting

i recommend traditional martial arts taught in an authentic and good way (many schools are not good)

research kung fu, karate, capoeira, akido, kendo

its fascinating

the modern stuff, brazillian jiu jutsu and muai thai and real kickboxing is awesome too

yoga, tai chi

swimming, running, martial arts

u will be spartan!

push the limits

why not learn to do back flips?

if u are under 68 it is possible

above that, well there is hope!

[bughut]

I'm 5'8" and 42 lbs overweight. (apparently) i'm sure some of these weight charts are misleading. ( I have a slightly chubby pal who is dieting like mad cos the chart describes her as morbidly obese.)
Anyhoo, My weight goes down by at least 7lbs each and every time my husband goes back to his ship in Rio for 4 weeks.So does his. I just dropped him off at the airport this afternoon, and im determined to change my ways when he comes home. I guess i just love feeding him, and make more of an effort when he's here. Time to research some healthier recipes. ( orsimply stop buying the stuff thats making us fat) Diets are a big no-no forme. I'm tired of counting calories, points and feeling deprived, only to
put all the weight on. So we're just being careful instead

[chefelle]

RPMcMurphy--I SOOOO admire you and your fiance training to run the NYC marathon. I am/was training to run my first marathon in PEI in October. Unfortunately...I have found that running and my body do not get along! I end up retaining so much fluid it's not even funny....even with following a very healthy, balanced diet as recommended by my doctor and a nutritionist and running 40-45 miles per week! Any tips for me?

Has anyone tried Udo's oil? My brother is a nutritionist...he recommended I try it for the inflammation...apparently it's also great for endurance athletes...aids in their recovery time. Unfortunately the side effects were too great for me to continue taking it....they sort of impeded in me getting my work done....enough said about that!

I used to be a regional manager, leader, and receptionist for Weight Watchers. Worked for them for three years before the industry started calling my name again. And of course as a pastry chef I put on some weight. I'm back on program now and doing my best to eat healthy and exercise. Exercise is the hard part for me...but I do think it is key.

[DC Sunshine]

I went for my half yearly medical check and <shudder> weigh in last week. Shock and horror - I've lost 2 stone and blood pressure is back to healthy range.

Wierd thing is, I haven't consciously tried. BUT, what I think has made the difference, is my better half developed type 2 diabetes (under control now), so we've all been eating to suit his needs. I have a deadly fear of the bathroom scales (yeah yeah I should weigh once a week...) so didn't realise the progress. Still got a ways to go, but heck, that was a nice surprise at the doctor's, for a change

[Koukouvagia]

Originally Posted by RPMcMurphy

Last month I ran a total of 70 miles....which is about half as usual, due to an injury.
That running burned 7268 calories (data taken from my heart rate monitor, that takes into account HR, height, weigh) that's only ~2lbs burning....

.

Hmm, that equals about 103 calories burned per mile. Really??? That does not sound right to me, but I'm sure that my body would burn a lot more calories than yours putting forth that effort to run a mile.

[RPMcMurphy]

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia

Hmm, that equals about 103 calories burned per mile. Really??? That does not sound right to me, but I'm sure that my body would burn a lot more calories than yours putting forth that effort to run a mile.

yep. 100cals per mile is about average. Unless you're maxing out your HR. When I say running, I mean i'm moving my legs enough that i'm in my aerobic zone, which is the best HR zone to be in for most training/cardio/weight loss.

you get to a point, where if your heart rate is too high, you're being counter productive if your goal is to burn fat.....your body goes into a different mode and instead of burning fat, it does lots of other things in stead, like making lactic acid, etc. and your body can't sustain being in certain zones too long. this is why shows like Biggest Loser tick me off.

[neatza]

Cereals are the most important part in an adult’s diet due to a substance known as starch, a complex carbohydrate with slow absorption that offers the organism the energy needed for best functioning. Cereals also contain fibers, proteins, minerals (calcium, iron, zinc), vitamins (B and E) and antioxidants.
A healthy diet contains bread, rice, pasta and cereals but in a moderate amount, because only the EXCESS of starch can be transformed into lipids.

[Koukouvagia]

What a day for this thread to pop back up! Since I first posted this I've lost 35lbs! I've been counting calories, writing down everything I eat, and making MAJOR adjustments to portion size. Butter is not speaking to me right now due to severe neglect.

I've been exercising every day every day everyday. Walking, weight lifting, swimming, tennis, hiking, pilates, I do anything and everything. The only thing I haven't done is running.... until today !!! I just started a Couch to 5K program today and before I started I thought that running would kill me. But I'm fine, not in any pain, and my energy is fine. I could very well be in pain tomorrow though, you never know.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[Trifoilum]

so we -do- have this kind of topic here. I almost thought this kind of topic won't be made here even after the underworld becomes South Pole (Or north.)

But that's the price to ignorance and old-fashioned, wrong generalization! I'm delightfully surprised there's a lot of people with so much enthutiasm with good, delicious, healthy food and lifestyle

The curry recipe sounds good, maybe I'll try...but I'm the only one who like curry in my house D: