Lizzy2 Smile....it makes people wonder what you've been up to!

Posts by lizzy2

Forum	Topic	Date	Replies

Weight Loss	After 6...7...8...9? What is it exactly?	Oct 31 2007 17:36 (UTC)	8
Hi there Research indicates that your body doesn't process food any differently at 6,7 or 11 p.m. The reason that rules like not eating after 6 work is because of the type and quantity of foods people tend to crave late at night, and usually after they've had supper. But if you're still within your calorie intake there's no reason why you shouldn't have dinner at 11p.m if thats when you can have it. Especially if you are going to be working till 2a.m...you need energy to sustain your activities. Oprah actually mentioned that's it more "dont eat 3 hours before you go to bed", which for her is 7p.m. So if you're awake later, then its absolutely fine to eat late at night. The thing to be cautious about though is that you dont eat too much or unhealthily...as long as its still a supper-like meal, you should be fine. Hope that makes sense. lizzy2
Weight Loss	What happens if I eat less than my expenditure tells me I should?	Jul 05 2007 22:08 (UTC)	2
You will definitely lose weight quite rapidly at the beginning but it will taper off as your body catches on and slows down your metabolism (this is assuming you mean expenditure as in the recommended amount to lose weight which actually now that I thinkg about it is not what you meant!!). Its fine for a day or two but not for an extended period of time. For a long term solution rather stick to the recommended amounts as noted by megegen and lose weight steadily. Its very tempting to think 'oh, then I'll just lose weight rapidly then return to what I'm supposed to eat' but that just back fires because once your body has slowed down your metabolism significantly you need to eat even less to keep on losing weight and it becomes a vicious cycle. But then...if by expenditure you mean, less than maintenance then as long as its not too low (between 500-1000, 1000 may be too large in some cases) you will lose weight without messing with your metabolism significantly.
Weight Loss	Eating Before Bed.	Jul 05 2007 21:50 (UTC)
Your body doesn't process calories significantly differently at night than at any other time (your body doesn't think "hey its night time- let me store this cereal as fat but in the morning I wont store it because I will need it for the day"...not likely). Especially if you've just been exercising in which case your metabolism is slightly raised from the exertion anyway. Eating is absolutely healthy and essential since your muscles need to recover etc. The reason that eating at night has been touted as bad is usually becuase of the type of foods people to reach for at night. If its after dinner and you waddle into the kitchen, you probably want easy food and so people tend to reach for fatty, sugary snacks. This is obviously not cool becuase these would be stored no matter what time of day one ate them in. But if you're eating your dinner and you are sticking to your predetermined calorie deficit then there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating at night. You know, some body builders (which obvioulsy you are not but it may be of some comfort to know this) will have a late night snack (crazy ones will even get up at night to have a protein shake!) to prevent muscle loss that may occur due to the "slight starvation response" which one enters during the night!!
Weight Loss	Calorie Zig Zagging	Jul 05 2007 21:34 (UTC)	1
Hmmm...dont know If thats how I'd put it. But what I do know is this: - Losing weight requires one to reduce calories - When you reduce calories for an extended period,your body thinks...hmm I'm starving I better slow down the furnace and metabolism drops - So the thinking behind zig zagging is that you reassure your body that its not starving so that it doesn't slow down your metabolism (which obviously you want to avoid since higher metabolism means burning more calories) - For example; many experts says it takes about 3 days of low calories for your body to think "Gaaah, famine!" and so every fourth day, you eat at a higher calorie level. Thats is- low cal for three days and maintenance or small deficit on the fourth day. This way your body is reassured that things are all right and keeps on going as before. Obviously its not that cut and dry. It may take two or four days for the body's starvation response to kick in. But it certainly only does so after an extended period of calorie reduction (say three days) which is why I dont really understand how zig zagging everyday would help. One day of extremely low calories may do nothing permanent to your metabolism but a week would definitely signal for decreased metabolism. See...the body prefers to keep things as they are...it holds on for a while without dropping metabolism and just when it thought that It might have to change operation by decreasing metabolism, you eat more and it body thinks "phew, false alarm" and carries on as before:) Hope that makes sense:)
Weight Loss	calorie deficit formula... I need your opinions	Jul 05 2007 21:21 (UTC)	2
I haven't read any1 else's replies so this may have been pointed out already I'm sure. BMR does not include activity extraneous to lying in bed all day which and needs to be multiplied by an activity factor to get tdee (total daily energy expenditure). If you are adding your exercise calories to find your maintenance level than use the sedentary activity factor of 1.2 which gives you ~1560 maintenance cals at minimum. Now you can add your exercise to that and then subtract your deficit. So that would be [1560(tdee)+500(exercise)-700(deficit)=1360]. Now thats still pretty low but its better tham 1200! Also, your activity level is probably closer to 1.375 since you probably dont sit around all day, in fact I read somewhere that students(reading/writing/walking to lectures etc) can have an activity factor of 1.55 (this excludes exercise)! You would definitely lose on 1400 cals a day...the 1.2 factor is probably quite below your actual one and thus even if it seems you have created a 500 calorie deficit it may be more like 6-700. Goodluck and hope that helps.
Fitness	Can pilates replace weight-training?	May 18 2007 21:35 (UTC)
Thanks for all the responses. I'll see how I go. I'll stop doing weights I think and stick to pilates for a while and see how I go. Quite excited the prospect of slim thighs..Gosh, at present I could out-sprint even Maurice Green!
Fitness	Can pilates replace weight-training?	May 17 2007 17:46 (UTC)	4
Thanks for the reply nightc1. Sorry, I should've been clearer. I do various forms of cardio at least every second day. I was doing weights (bodyweight strength training) every other day.I just wanted to know if I could replace that component of my fitness routine with pilates...I'll still carry on with the cardio. But, thanks...I'll try running. I actually usually stay away from the treadmill in favour or elliptical and stationary bike in particular.
Weight Loss	are you my twin? 5'1" small frame 108 pounds	May 16 2007 20:36 (UTC)	7
Oh, never mind...just saw your other post so got your stats!
Weight Loss	burning half of what I eat?	May 16 2007 19:58 (UTC)	1
Hmmm...one of the definitions of exercise bulimia is burning half or more of what you're eating.I'm not saying that you have this but it may point to the fact that its enitirely healthy to burn that much. If you're really burning that much then I think you should stick to the basic 1200+exercice calories. That means if you burn 750, you should eat about 1950 (1200+750) on that day. Otherwise you're giving your body only 750 (1500-750) calories to perform all the basic functions which actually need about 1200 calories. If you really cant eat that much then start off with 1000+exercise calories (some experts recommend that 1000 is the minimum calorie intake and most say 1200, including C-C), in which case you'd have to eat about 1750 calories on an exercise day. Just two tablespoons of peanut butter would get your calorie intake up by 198 calories! So maybe have some after you exercise or something. Also, if you close to you goal weight (which I think you are, at 5'5" and 140 you might even be at the healthy range I think, I haven't check but it certainly seems you might not have that much to lose) your calorie deficit needs to be lot less than 1000. Maybe input all your exercise for the day and try and eat so that your expenditure - intake is not definitely less than 1000, but I'd say aim for 500 even. Hope that helps, I'm no expert thats just what I've learnt from being on C-C and It has worked at times when I've been diligent!! And, yes I agree, you dont have to stress about it everyday because 1600cals is still a "good amount" but a net intake of 750 everyday is definitely not healthy and not conducive to weightloss.
Weight Loss	are you my twin? 5'1" small frame 108 pounds	May 16 2007 18:32 (UTC)	8
If the same scale that said 114 pds a few weeks ago is now saying 109 then you def have lost that weight. Its very possible...you can lose anywhere between safely lose up to 2 pds a week so its possible that in 4 weeks you could have lost 8 pds. So if you've lost 5-6 pounds then you're certainly on track! Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be back at 105 in no time. What's your current deficit? Like how many cals do you eat and how much exercise are you doing? This is just for my own interest now, I've been at this long. I've lost then gained...right now I'm at about 138.
Weight Loss	are you my twin? 5'1" small frame 108 pounds	May 16 2007 17:10 (UTC)	10
Ha, I'm 5'2'', small frame but very far from 108 pds....in short - I wish I was your twin!!!
Weight Loss	Changing diet	May 13 2007 07:16 (UTC)
Your carb intake is fine-FDA recommends up to 55%. Remember, its aminly about calories (and enough protein of course) But I dont think you you should not "worry about eating whole wheat bread (the ones lowest in calories anyway) or brown rice, whole wheat pasta etc"...those are still the healthier options and have more fibre. But if you perhaps didnt like them then by all means dont eat them, but if you're going to be eating rice, bread and pasta I think is better to go with the wholewheat versions for better fibre intake etc. Just a note: I'm not saying thats what I do, just making a suggestion...I dont eat starchy carbs really but when I do, I have the wholewheat versions.
Foods	unproccessed bran	May 13 2007 07:02 (UTC)
Oat bran probably tastes better and you can add it straight to whatever cereal you're already eating, add it to yogurt or smoothies and its yum. Also, oat bran has a large amount of soluble fibre as well which is good for lowering cholesterol. Yeah, wheat bran is a bit ieeuw. I dont eat many veggies or good fibrous carbs which makes getting fibre a mission. If you add a little bit of wheat bran to curries,stews, cereal and perhaps try it with yogurt, you'll hardly notice it while upping the fibre a bit. Wheat bran is much cheaper than oat bran also.
Weight Loss	how important are grams of fat in relation to calorie counting	May 12 2007 20:26 (UTC)	2
Yes, you definitely want to stay away from trans and saturated fats. I've stopped stressing about my fat percentage...I did for a while but it really is a calorie is a calorie. Obviously you want to remain healthy but I mean, even though the 30% is a good rule of thumb dont stress if you dont get it right. Sometimes I get up to 60-70% fat in my diet.Its not deliberate low-carb, I just dont like that many carbs (bread, pasta, rice etc...I've just never been a fan really) and I'm vegetarian. So I eat a lot of nuts and seeds and olive oil and that shoots up my fat. I dont stress about it, I just try to stay within my calorie limit. I thought this might be a problem but after not losing for a while, I have started doing so again so I was probably just on a normal dieting plateau. I tried to lower my fat intake but it meant lowering my protein which I get a lot from nuts. So....my point is, try to be healthy and stay within your cal limit. The cool thing about eating less fat like like the recommended 30% is that you can actually eat more food for the same cal intake since fat has more calories per gram than carbs and protein. But if you do end up eating more than 30% fat just make sure its mostly monounsaturated and then polyunsaturated. I usually get less than 20g saturated fat, I aim for less than 10g though.
Weight Loss	questionnnnnnn	May 10 2007 05:40 (UTC)	1
Not as such but your body will get used to doing it and not work as hard. Try changing the resistance and length of time you do it for so that you keep your body guessing. It would be a good idea to find another form of cardio that you enjoy to switch it up a bit. So its not so much about your metabolism becoming sluggish because the exercise, even if its the same thing everyday, is what boosts your metabolism but in terms of burning calories...you may burn less and less as your body adapts to the same elliptical routine.
Weight Loss	atkins...	May 09 2007 11:29 (UTC)	13
Corralled4ever...wow, thats quite hectic. Would you mind going into more detail? Like, did the dr tell you exactly what caused the problem. As I understand it excessive protein consumption can lead to kidney problems. This is the reason why some LC diets stress that LC is synonymous with high-fat and moderate protein. How much protein were you taking in, or is the problem linked with ketosis and not extra protein? Sorry, I'd really appreciate your input!!
Weight Loss	I need quick quick quick answers	May 09 2007 11:04 (UTC)	5
When was the last time you really went off your diet?...If its more than a week ago, this may be a good kick to your metabolism. Then eat what you want, but be reasonable with portion sizes and of course...the salt. Also, try go a bit lighter on your calories for the day, so that you dont go too over your limit. Or even, try stay at least within your maintenance intake, that should be at least 2000. So if you eat 1000 during the day, you can spend 1000 at dinner!!...Having steamed rice instead of fried is also a good idea. Enjoy dinner. I'm also 5'2"...about 140, I'm adding you if you dont mind:)
Weight Loss	atkins...	May 09 2007 10:54 (UTC)	15
Since the general response seems to be negative yet there's one inarguable point that intial weightloss is quite significant on Atkins. Perhaps try a less rigorous LC diet like protein power which suggests between 30-50 grams of net carbs. Then after two weeks, if you slowly reintroduce carbs, maybe 10 grams a week, then you wont gain it back! I've also heard that LC is a good way to kickstart a diet so give it a try! I do however think that LC is not a reasonable way of life. Safety in doing it for longer amounts of time hasn't been established so I would def go with reintoducing carbs until they're at a more moderate level.
Foods	how many carbs are too many, if you're one a low carb diet?	May 09 2007 10:35 (UTC)
Protein power is a low carb diet and they advise between 30 - 50 grams of net carbs. I've seen somewhere (Low Carb Pavillion) that a low carb diet is generally synonymous with a 10% carb intake and 60-70% fat. That way you can tailor the carbs to suit your own calorie intake. Just a note of caution, you probably doing this already, but ensure that you fats are coming from healthy sources. I eat generally low carb. Not specifically because I'm on low-carb I just dont really enjoy a lot of carbs so I end having a lot of fat in my diet. But its all good...less than 15g saturated is a good aim to go for.
Foods	What Do YOU Eat For Breakfast ?	Apr 15 2007 16:00 (UTC)	51
"dont eat much crabs through the day" Of course I dont eat much crabs during the day! Who does?...Anyone?...I meant carbs!
Foods	What Do YOU Eat For Breakfast ?	Apr 15 2007 15:59 (UTC)	52
I dont eat much crabs through the day so I have most of them and about 75% of my fibre for the day at breakfast! I have: 1/2 cup All Bran Original; 3 tbsp Oat bran, raw; 4 tbsp plain rolled oats, raw; 1 tbsp Soy lecithin granules; 0.7 cup Soy milk. Sometimes I add chopped peanuts or almonds to the mixture. Certainly my biggest meal!
Weight Loss	What is your daily fat intake?	Apr 15 2007 15:49 (UTC)
Hey Ayeguy here's my food intake for the day. My fats come from olive oil, nuts and the soy lecithin I take everyday. Milk, Nonfat, Fluid - Without Added Vitamin A (Fat Free Or Skim) 123 43 Milk, Nonfat, Fluid - Without Added Vitamin A (Fat Free Or Skim) 123 43 Breakfast Soy milk 170 59 KELLOGG'S, ALL-BRAN Original 47 122 Lecithin Granules - Health Range 5 33 Oats, Regular And Quick And Instant, Unenriched, Dry 20 77 Oat Bran - Raw 19 47 Lunch Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables 99 33 Pitted Olives 15 25 Peanuts, All Types, Oil-roasted - With Salt 6 36 Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans, Bengal Gram), Mature Seeds, Canned 61 73 Quinoa 32 119 Dinner Tofu, Extra Firm - Prepared With Nigari 116 111 Olive Oil 9 80 Peanuts, All Types, Oil-roasted - With Salt 9 54 Snacks Lecithin Granules - Health Range 5 33 Yogurt, Plain, Skim Milk, 13 Grams Protein Per 8 Ounce 125 70 Almonds 19 110 Molasses Oat Crunchie 160 Molasses Oat Crunchie 160 Total Calories Consumed 1,488
Weight Loss	Eating ALL the exercise back...or just a percentage?	Apr 15 2007 14:22 (UTC)	1
Oh I see...I've been netting like 900 cals a day, which isn't too bad surely? Thanks guys. If I up to 1550, then I'm netting about 1170..which is better and very close to 1200. So thats an increase of about 300 cals. I'll see how that goes. To zigzag and keep metabolism on its toes, I'll up to about 1750 every fourth day. Hmmmm...scary but nets 1280 so should be fine as not too over 1200. Great, thanks everyone for the advice.
Health & Support	Blood pressure too low?	Apr 10 2007 06:45 (UTC)	3
Mine's pathetic...like 80/55 mostly. Doctor says too low is fine until it impedes normal daily activities. Its cool with me, cos I can basically have as much salt as I like...which I love. Sometimes I feel a bit weak and urgh.I dont know what the actual number is but it can get low enough to mess with heart function...read arrhythmia and the like. As far as I know...there's no real limit...only a healthy range. Once lower than that range it becomes person specific when complications will kick in. I have the occassional lightheadedness - but no cardiac arrhythmia so far! Oh..found this: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/low-blood-pr essure/DS00590/DSECTION=3 Blood pressure: How low can you go? Current guidelines identify normal blood pressure as lower than 120/80 ? many experts think 115/75 is optimal. Higher readings indicate increasingly serious risks of cardiovascular disease. Even blood pressures formerly considered healthy ? 120 to 139 systolic and 80 to 89 diastolic ? are now believed to increase the risks. Low blood pressure, on the other hand, is much harder to quantify. Some experts define low blood pressure as readings lower than 90 systolic or 60 diastolic ? you need have only one number in the low range for your blood pressure to be considered lower than normal. In other words, if your systolic pressure is a perfect 115, but your diastolic pressure is 50, you're considered to have lower than normal pressure. Yet this can be misleading because what constitutes low blood pressure is highly relative, varying considerably from one person to another. For that reason, doctors often consider chronically low blood pressure too low only if it causes noticeable signs and symptoms. On the other hand, a sudden fall in blood pressure can be dangerous. A change of just 20 mm Hg ? a drop from 130 systolic to 110 systolic, for example ? can cause dizziness and fainting when the brain fails to receive an adequate supply of blood. And precipitous plunges, especially those caused by uncontrolled bleeding, severe infections or allergic reactions can, be life-threatening. Edited Apr 10 2007 16:40 by Sheila Reason: Activated Link
Weight Loss	1200 calories/vegetarian?	Apr 09 2007 23:19 (UTC)
Hi there. I've pasted today's eating plan in my journal if you want to look at it. At the moment 'm zigzagging between 1300 and 1550 cals. Sometimes I have tofu instead of all the beans. Also I dont eat much ready mades but the bolognese sauce substitutes for my own that I made with seemingly the same ingredients. I also have a soy protein shake and mostly have my oats with soy milk if I dont have it with yogurt. I can usually get my protein above 75 grams but am at the moment trying to up my protein in exchange for lower fat intake. At the moment I'm doing about 40-25-35. I would like 40-30-30 or even 40-40-20. Usually I have more veggies and only 1 slice of bread a day but today's a bit on the run so I need portable food. Also...I usually have at least one veg burger or hotdog a day. Goodluck.
Weight Loss	What is your daily fat intake?	Apr 09 2007 22:41 (UTC)	12
Ann61 I totally agree that naturally occuring fats in plant foods is better than added fats. But if one's having minimal fat then supplementing is a great idea. You do it too...do you count your supplement fat (flaxseed and fish oil) because then your percentage might perhaps go up. Anyway, dont mean to argue. i just wanted to point out that one needs to get those healthy fats (you cant just leave them out) and I pretty much think its hard to do it at under 15%...you're taking supplements so thats great. Perhaps susannahlauren and food_freak you want to try take supplements like Ann61 ...its a great idea..I take the same ones too, sometimes omega 3 and 6. Personal experience: I haven't had heart disease but I was diagnosed with high blood cholesterol almost two years ago. Following a diet (like the one I am now) of about 35% fat of which most was monounsaturated (and less than 7 grams saturated fat per day)I decreased my cholesterol from 7.6g/mmol to 5.1g/mmol. Doctor was pretty impressed...I also did some research and thats the way it pointed so I tried it and it worked...so I guess...different shoes for different folks!
Weight Loss	What is your daily fat intake?	Apr 09 2007 22:32 (UTC)	14
Ok..try sometimes use a teaspoon of oilve oil...instead of the spray...its 45 cals. Fats are said to add flavour and satiety to the meal...so its not like you're wasting those cals..since (theoretically) it will help you feel fuller and makes it tastier- they carry the flavour. Also..olive oil has heart healthy benefits. Secondly..another 45 cals...I add a tablespoon of chopped peanuts/almonds everytime I have fat-free yogurt and cereal in the morning. You see..its great that we have fat-free products since the nonfat-free counterparts have the bad fats (full fat yogurt has saturated fat and cholesterol)...but we must balance the fat-free with our own good fats - monounsaturated fats in nuts etc. Also...add seeds (50 cals a tablespoon) to general stuff...so you can set aside 150cals for three tablespoons of seeds/chopped nuts/olive oil a day. 1/2 a tablespoon of tahini (45 cals) may seem a lot for a sandwich...but i only need half a sandwhich at a time because the fat helps keep me full. And sparrownezt I think 25 is fine. I would only start to worry under 15%...as plaidpooka suggests.
Weight Loss	What is your daily fat intake?	Apr 09 2007 21:22 (UTC)	19
Oh...gosh people....It is very important that you eat fat. But it must be the good kinds. Monounsaturated fat (olive oil and most nut and nut oils) has been linked to reduced coronary heart disease. You need fat in your diet.The low-fat craze is seeing a decline...not that you should consume vast amounts like me..hee heee (i'm just a crazy vegetarian but they're all healthy fats so problem there cf: mediterranean diet). Yes, intuitively..and I'm starting to think its the reason for my weightloss plateau..you need to lower fat for fatloss..but there is a limit. I agree with plaidpooka 20% seems fine. If I wasn't trying to lose weight I'd stay with my 35% fat intake. i wouldn't recommend it for everyone though-most of it is monounsaturated with less than 7% being saturated. I'm not sure about the lower fat intake for fat loss thing but I would def say dont go below 15% (unless you're a bodybuilder training for a competition!!). Even the FDA advises more fat than it does protein for a healthy diet...something to think about?? They advise getting 30% or less. Check this out (from http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=87701 5) There is a lot of emphasis in American society today to "cut fat out of the diet". It is true that excessive fat is bad for the human body. However, fat does have its uses. What does fat do? It is a storage medium. An interesting fact about fat is that fat cells do not multiply - they simply enlarge as more materials are stored within them. Fat is present in every corner of the body, and for very good reasons. First, if you were to remove all the fat from your body, your organs would chafe against one another, since fat is used to isolate organs. Hemmorhaging would ensue. Fat is used as a sort of "shock absorber", so every time you moved, you'd be subjecting your organs to undue stress - especially your muscles. You'd also get pretty cold. Women tend to be more tolerant of swimming in frigid waters than men because they have a layer of fat surrounding their vital organs; they do all the fishing down at Tierra del Fuego, because if the men go in the water, they usually go into hypothermia. This doesn't mean women are more tolerant of cold in general, as what seems cold to some women may seem fine to some men. Second, there are certain vitamins which are water-soluble. The rest are fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins include B-complex vitamins and vitamin C. Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E, and K. If you had no fat, even if you managed to survive the hemmorhaging, you'd die anyway from all sorts of nasty conditions associated with malnutrition. Of course, fat also stores vitamin J and numerous other toxins, so there's a good reason to keep it in check. Strenuous exercise tends to tap the fat cells and move these toxins into the bloodstream, so be careful.
Weight Loss	Is my daily fat intake sabotaging my weight loss efforts?!	Apr 09 2007 18:41 (UTC)	1
Hmmm...I'll see of I can get it fat percentage under 30 or 25 if possible. This'll probably mean an increase in carbs...urgh...I really fear carbs because of stupid over-popularized low-carb fad diets. anyway, I'll try upping my protein. Cool...normajeanbaker...lets see what difference this lowering fat percentage business makes! Will keep you posted...My next weigh in is Sunday.
Weight Loss	What is your daily fat intake?	Apr 09 2007 18:12 (UTC)	23
Hi there. I aim for 40-30-30 but usually come in at 40-25-35. Thats about 55 grams of fat, of which less than 10 is saturated. I'm vegetarian so I get a lot of my protein from fat-containing nut and seed products. I get above 80grams of protein. I wasn't worried cos I know its all good fat...but now I'm thinking it may be jeoparding fat-loss. So good sources of good fats...olive oil, peanuts, tahini (love this), peanut butter, nuts and seeds in general. I have a lot of these a day!

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