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| Motivation | I'm losing it!!! | Aug 06 2008 15:32 (UTC) |
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I guess life is all about ups and downs, even only as far as our organic "biorhytm" is concerned, you could be in the bad mood for just about any reason - the weather, the hormones, the noise outside, boredom, ... anything. So take a deep breath and remember that a whole lot about moods and emotions is deep down inside us and irational or environmental or chemical or who knows what. On the other hand, maybe it's the good results that, ironically, are demotivating you, you feel less "obligated" to do something. You have accomplished so much already, so give yourself some appreciation and don't feel bad about feeling bad sometimes. "Dieting" is boring, sooner or later it feels like you are just punishing yourself so it's not fun. As cliche as it may sound, I have to keep reminding myself that I am not "dieting" but learning to improve and "fine tune" my relationship with my body/mind/emotions and my life and the world (through the choice of groceries etc). I try to be creative about it - make it as much of an exploration as possible - learn new stuff (recepies, spices, scientific theories and facts, etc.) and keep myself entertained. It's not easy, try doing something creative to take your mind off the numbers (numbers like calories, weight, hours exercise, etc. can really freak one out, I often fall into that trap). Do something unusual even if it's just moving the furniture around a bit, buying some flower plants (maybe basil which is also useful and great in salads etc?), do decoupage (never done it myself but sounds like fun), write a letter (e-mail or a real paper letter, maybe to someone you haven't heared in a long time), ... You can also try changing your routine, or finding some entertaining new sport/workout that is good for your body but also fun (dancing, yogadancing, water dancing, tai chi, gardening, etc...). It's just a phase, I think, and I wish you a lot of courage and patience and creativity :) Think of it as a part of the learning/"fine tuning" process, give yourself time to figure out not only the calories, foods, workouts, muscles, etc. but also your mood swings, how your mind and "loops" and emotions work and stuff. And remember, you are improving your life choices and habits as a favour to yourself, because you are so great, it's totally NOT a punishment. :) You look really great on the photos, so the big part of the "work" is done now, relax and try to find fun and not-stressful ways to keep living a healthy and fullfiling lifestyle. From now on it's not about the lbs, please please don't exaggerate with the weight loss and please don't risk hurting yourself, ok? Just learn to be the happiest yourself possible. Hope I don't sound too preachy. I'm repeating all of this as much for you as for myself, we all go through similar temptations and struggles so stay strong! Be careful, please, treat yourself well, and have fun. Hope the gym went nicelly. All the best. |
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| Motivation | This website seems fantastic. | Aug 01 2008 13:25 (UTC) |
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:) Hello. Just divide the task into smaller parts, improve a bit every day and that should work. Anything is better then stagnation and/or worsening, even if it's slow. And the human body has been surviving for thousands of years as a very complex mechanism in the strangest of conditions so it is objectively difficult to figure out how to "handle" and "fine tune" it. Immagine how hard can it be to learn to use a computer or drive a vehicle, so go figure how difficult it can be to learn about your body, so give yourself time. I find that this site helped me, so far, not to exaggarate with food reduction and/or exercise and then later just get tired and give it up all together. I manage more or less to stay balanced, and the lot of info I learn every day keeps me from being bored, so it's all becoming much a much more enjoyable experience - more like a reaserch project - exploration - (edit: instead of it being some silly self-punishment thing where I'd just be) depriving myself of food or something. The calory thing is just about having a decent (not too big) calory deficit every day (look it up by searching the forums), that's done by adding some exercise and eating healthy food in reasonable ammounts, but don't starve yourself, especially since it's counterproductive - your body gets "worried" and goes into starvation mode, learning to live on less so you basically don't lose at all, or gain. Remember that a body does need quite a few calories for the basic functions alone (breathing, body temperature, the heart etc.) and those are pretty important, and it can't take more then so much energy from fat every day, it takes time to lose fat without losing much muscle or damaging yourself. But if all that math scares you, don't worry, you'll get used to the concepts after a while. The site is full of success stories and people managing to figure it all out bit by bit so that in itself gives some reason for optimism. If you have any specific problems or doubts, ask on the forums (or maybe the site nutritionist, don't know) or search the forums, since there's a lot of accumulated info already. Have a nice day and hope all this stress is just a phase:) It's understandable to be frustrated, who isn't, sometimes, especially when facing a new and different problem? It's totally natural. But it won't last forever. (edit: I moved a part of the comment to your journal, it's more appropriate.) |
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| Fitness | The most important workout you will ever do... | Jul 29 2008 16:17 (UTC) |
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I wasn't feeling like working out today but this post may help me do it anyway:) Thanks. I must remember that phrase. |
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| Foods | What's so bad about McDonald's french fries? | Jul 29 2008 15:37 (UTC) |
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Sorry, had posted twice due to network problems. PS: Some 'Super Size Me" bits can be found on video.google or youtube (EDIT: not many, maybe the trailer, I thought there were more but then I discovered a lot are crappy parodies or weird stuff or whatever. sorry). There's this one that shows fries in a jar that last for 10 weeks without transforming at all - how chemical are they if that's true? (This particular video is here http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-66 10382312797641462&q=morgan+spurlock+exper iment&total=8&start=0&num=10& so=0&type=search&plindex=7 but it's kinda disgusting maybe so be warned, it shows different burgers and such in decomposition). |
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| Foods | What's so bad about McDonald's french fries? | Jul 29 2008 15:36 (UTC) |
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Plus the McD fries are not even made of potatoes, oil and salt alone. I looked it up and found this yahoo answers post ( http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutri tion.categories.ingredients.index.html#1 ) that clarifies the fries in question are made of: "Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients)." Uh... I copied it directly from the McDonalds site they link ( http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutri tion.categories.ingredients.index.html#1 _ |
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| Foods | What's so bad about McDonald's french fries? | Jul 29 2008 15:15 (UTC) |
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I just wanted to add a few details - adding a teaspoon of olive oil to an already cooked meal is a totally different thing. For one you control the quantity and the quality (olive oil is definitely worth "investing" in for quality since you use it for quite a while), second it doesn't get messed up in heating. Overheating makes oil totally bad for you in more then one way I here (I'm not going to make a list because I'm not an expert). And they don't even use olive oil. At BEST they use some corn oil, but how can you know for sure? (Besides olive oil I also use hazelnuts, flaxseed and such to get my good fats in) Another thing I wonder is how often do they change that oil? Reused oil is also totally awful for you. There are also websites that write pretty scary things about McD's cooking practices as well as other aspects. That been said, eat what you like, but McD are probably not the best chips/fries around. You can't define food just by a few numbers. I'm totally avoiding frying btw might try the chips-in-the-oven idea sometime (I don't eat potatos much though either:) ), thanks littleshellys. |
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| Weight Loss | Not hungry, skip breakfast? | Jul 29 2008 11:40 (UTC) |
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In my experience breakfast is an acquired taste - initially I wasn't hungry in the morning at all, so I just ate a bit of cereal with skimmed milk and some coffee. I could't eat much fruit because it felt sort of like too much, all that chewing. Then I started eating some (home made from fresh fruit) smoothies (adding a few 3 or 5 counted hazelnuts and a teaspoon of flaxseed and some cinnamon) and that felt good. It's not that hard, you just wash and slice like 1 apple (good for making it smoothier, as an alternative to a banana) and some smaller fruit for taste (apricots, plums, etc) and add skimmed milk if you want or maybe some fruit juice (fresh or at least sugar-free) and nuts and seeds (fats but good fats and also very healthy) and cinnamon or whatever works for you and put it in a blender. The first day was strange but now I actually crave it, even in the morning. And I find that a good balanced breakfast really does give me energy for the day and sets the right tone for the rest of my eating. |
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| Foods | Eat Right 4 Your Type | Jul 29 2008 07:52 (UTC) |
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By all means , do count all your calories, big or small. But all the same I can't help but note some vegetables are ridiculously low-calorie, the more "watery" ones, say cucumbers, fennels, celery, green salad, etc. If you have some crude vegetables at the beginning of a meal you can really be more full. Also eat beans - WITH vegetables - they are not as low caloric, but in reasonable quantities they are a great source of both proteine and good carbs. A smoothie in the morning works for me as part of my breakfast. I'm a bit concerned with your hurry to lose weight. Don't exaggerate - think long term, please. Else you will fool yourself, get sick of it, enter in starvation mode where your body basically tries to make sure it survives and holds on to all its weight, and risk your staying on track. It's better to add a half an hour of some kind of an activity a day (get off the bus a bit earlier and walk etc) which activates your metabolism and makes you burn more during the whole day, and then eat resonably. Calculate well your daily calory needs (I read that for an avarage adult woman it takes at least 1200 calories just to exist doing nothing - breath, keep up the body temperature, etc.) and then subtract a reasonable deficit (you can search the forums to decide which would that be). Sorry if I sound preachy or off topic, but it's important. The human body has been evolving for millions of years and it's a complex "system" to figure out and fine tune, it's in it's nature to try to keep the weight stable, it has so many taskst to do for you in any given second, do treat it well:)))))
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| Weight Loss | 1600 deficit? is that bad | Jul 27 2008 00:44 (UTC) |
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Hmmm... That deficit (1600 calories) sounds way too big. You may lose some weight for a few weeks but then go into 'starvation mode' when your body tries to survive. I also read that an avarage adult person (female) uses up the 1200 calories just to exist (breath, keep the body temperature right, for the heart, etc.) so I guess eating that little sounds risky for your health. I've heared that a body can only burn so much fat in a day, if it still needs energy it goes for the muscles :( I mean... what's with the hurry? Your body will be with you for the rest of your life, treat it well. I don't mean to sound preachy , and I can CERTAINLY understand the enthusiasm, which is great and inspiring, but you may want to try to use all that energy in a more complex way, like working on your protein/carb/fat/ proportions, concentrating on the vitamines, fibres, exploring and learning new stuff etc. (as I'm sure you already are, as I took a quick look at a few of your other posts, about becoming a vegan and all). What I'm trying to say is - you are already putting in so much effort - , congratulations! That's exactly why you can try to be a bit nicer with yourself for it:) The human body is a complex "machine" that has worked for so many thousands of years in the weirdest conditions so consider that not only the weight loss but the getting to know it and "fine tune" it, is a long and delicate process. Much more difficult then learning to use a computer or a vehicle or whatever. Not at all linear. So don't concentrate just on the lowering of the calories but on the big picture. II guess you love beans! I just adore legumes! They contain both protein and carbs, and are neither too caloric nor too little, and can be eaten in so many ways... You can reinvent the oriental and mediterranean cuisines in a lean fashion etc. Say the curries... And the creams/ the soups etc. Some days ago I had this chickpea-with-apples-and-curry cream, I found it on some blog - great. I don't feel enough of an expert to suggest a good healthy calorie deficit, especially since I don't know enough about you and there are so many factors (even age counts). Read as much as possible and maybe consult some real experts in real life (if you don't trust an opinion of just one real life person maybe ask more then one and then decide, so it's still your call, but do get better informed from seriously reliable sources!). I wish you good luck, a lots of courage but also patience and wisdom. You sound like a reasonable and intelligent person so I'm sure you'll figure it all out. :) Have a nice day. |
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| Weight Loss | Is 11days too soon to expect any results? | Jul 27 2008 00:02 (UTC) |
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Spending quality time with your family is definitely important. A family who eats together is a wonderful thing. :) Now that you mention it, by the way, if you want to keep the portions smaller you may try eating a salad or raw vegetables in general (the watery ones - salads, cucumbers, celery, fennel, etc.) before dinner - it fills you up so you can enjoy slowly and with gusto the rest of the food, and it also prepares your body for the rest of the meal. One fennel can be washed and sliced pretty quickly, and it can be pretty filling, just for example. [edit:] A single carrot is not so bad either - pretty simple to prepare. [] Another interesting idea I read somewhere is the suggestion to put the fork down between bites - so you're not grabbing the next mouthful while still chewing on the last one. And chew enough, that's eat slowly :D Hope this helps. Have a nice day.:) |
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| Foods | carbs/protien/fat | Jul 26 2008 11:24 (UTC) |
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I'm no expert but that sounds like too much fat and too little protein to me. There are different threads about foods rich with protein, and some news may be surprising. Look into beans, definitely, fish, nuts (small quantities but super healthy) but also maybe spinach - which is not super full of protein but it adds up. Don't abbandon the fats alltogether, the organism needs them. I'm no expert so maybe search the forum (with the search option) for any other interpretations. I think also you may be eating too little overall. If you ate less fatty foods you could eat more of it and still feel full and great and satisfied the same. And then consider that if you eat too little you may lose weight at the beginning but then you risk the "starvation mode" where the body defends itself from what it considers "famine" and doesn't burn accumulated fat any more. Plus the body can only burn so much fat in a single day, if it still needs energy it may go for your proteins (muscles). Count how much do you need/burn in a day. An avarage adult (female) needs, from what I read, at least about 1200 calories a day just for existing (breathing, body temperature, heart, and such) and then add your activities (from washing the dishes to excercise) and then chose a reasonable calorie deficit that works in the long run (read about it I don't feel I know enough to suggest a number). I usually build my lunch/dinner around the following formula - I chose my lean protein for the meal and then add the vegetables to go with it. I usually boil vegetables so I add any extra fat chosing it myself - say a few nuts or a teaspoon of olive oil (good type, but it last for long so worth the investment). Legumes are great because they can be prepared in so many ways, there are great indian dishes that can be interpreted in low-fat fashion, and they are also a source of good complex carbs (not all carbs are the same). Try some apple-and-legume (chickpeas, or maybe lentil) curry cream/puree, or other legume purees and experiment with spices which are fun enough to keep you entertained on not feel like you're missing out on anything. Be careful not to exaggerate with the spices maybe, for the stomach, just occured to me, I mean, shouldn't be a risk but I feel it's my responsability to mention it so read a bit about it. Do you eat a salad and or raw vegetables as appetisers, before a meal, to fill you up a bit and prepare the organism for the rest of the meal? That's a good trick also. Sorry if I appear too preachy or have written too much, just trying to share some info I gathered, we're all in the same boat, learning, good luck, courage and patience! |
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| Motivation | There are donuts in the lunch room.... AGAIN! | Jul 25 2008 18:22 (UTC) |
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Eyes are very easily fooled! I read that there have been studies that we are more likely to eat something if it's in our sight constantly. Resist it! On the other hand, if this sort of thing happens often you can keep a bowl of fruit or even some sliced up fruits and vegetables (in a plastic/glass box) near your desk so you see that too, or something like that. This can include small ammounts of costly but super nice fruits like berries. You can have some herb/fruit tea at the office to distract your senses from the office lunch room "monsters":) .Or even photos of healthy/motivational stuff (maybe just one but special) if that's not too weird. Or as desktop:) Maybe it's just silly but I had to suggest something at least:) Congratulations on your efforts. :))))) |
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| Weight Loss | I NEED SUPPORT! please! | Jul 25 2008 10:47 (UTC) |
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| Weight Loss | I NEED SUPPORT! please! | Jul 25 2008 10:45 (UTC) |
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It's difficult to say without more info. Have courage however, and patience. The human body is an extremely complicated mechanism/system that has worked for thousands of years in all kinds of conditions and has it's own logic and "rules". So go figure, it's difficult enough to learn to use like a computer or drive a vehicle, or speak a language, figures how hard it is to "handle" your own body. So think of this as just the beginning of a long journey to know and "fine tune" this wonderful "organism" and "machine" and so on that your organism is. It's a whole universe to discover, between your body and foods and spices and vegetables and fruit and cuisines etc. Any step on that voyage is better then stagnation and worsening, even if you make mistakes (to learn from). So some basics I picked up around here... Eat like a certain deficit below the calories you burn just by existing (calculate them, maybe they are more then you think) plus activities. The deficit shouldn't be too big else your body goes in starvation mode (a mechanism created in those thousands of years of dangers) and doesn't burn fats because it think it's famine. Besides the body can only transform so much fat in a day, if it still needs energy it goes for the muscles. That said, eat many vegetables, they fill you up just fine, like have a salad or raw vegetables in general before a meal. You can also snack on vegetables (prepare some vegetable bits for the day) as well as fruits to keep the metabolism up (not tons and tons and tons of fruit necessarily though, analyse it for sugars maybe, but still you can eat enough to fill you up I guess). More small meals is better then few big ones. Study a good breakfast. Maybe a smoothie with fruit and (3-5 counted) hazelnuts and a teaspoon flaxseed can be a part of it? Don't obsess with numbers and listen to your body. Try to move as much as possible, even simple things count like getting off the public transport a few stops early and walking, some stretching, etc. Drink enough liquids (maybe herb teas or mint or something, no sugar). Give yourself time. Find sources of lean protein. I usually try to build my lunch and dinner around this formula : lots of vegetables - some whole cereals maybe - some lean protein - a tiny bit of fat maybe (half of teaspoon of good quality olive oil maybe or 3 hazelnuts), maybe some fruit (although I mostly eat fruit separately). A good protein source is legumes, chickpeas, beans, lentile. There are surprisingly various recipies for those - try creams and fat free versions of Apple+Chickpea curry or something (avoid frying and do the soffritto with water) and try to interpret world cuisins in low-fat healthy versions. Avoid complex stuff like strange sauces, foods for which you don't know what they contain, "hidden" calories like sugar (it's present in absurd places!) and fats (also), read the labels on foods carefully, keep it simple.
I repeat, give yourself. You'll manage. Go for it. Have a nice day. |
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| Weight Loss | Is 11days too soon to expect any results? | Jul 25 2008 10:10 (UTC) |
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When did you try the low carb diet? If it's a recent thing maybe it could've modified your metabolism and that's why now your body is hesitant to burn fat [EDITED] as in yet? It's apparently true, however, that, ironically, if you eat TOO LITTLE you don't lose weight. It's because our body is a complicated mechanism that has survived like for thousands of years in all kinds of conditions, so when it notices what it defines "famine" it tries to use less energy so it doesn't lose weight. So keep your calorie deficit constant but not too big. Consider also the calories you burn with excercise when you count the deficit. I say calculate how much you burn just by existing and add your activities and subtract a reasonable deficit [read about it to decide] and go for that. Also I've read that the body can only burn so much fat in a day, if it still needs energy it goes for the muscles. I know it's maybe too bold a statement, could be saying nonsense, but I just thought I'd mention... Anyway keep going... More numerous meals do help activate the metabolism I think, so maybe eat some fruit and veggies and low fat yogurt if you eat dairy as snack (there are whole threads on healthy snacking), you can put some bits of fruit and vegetables in a plastic container and take them along, or bring a whole apple or something which is rather practical. Some say small breakfast and big dinner is not a good idea but not everyone agrees. I too am still working on a good breakfast formula. Today I did a smoothie with different fruits and 5 hazelnuts (counted, nuts are wonderful but caloric) and a teaspoon of flaxseed (super healthy I hear) etc. Nice. Maybe should've added some apple also and cinnamon, will try that. You can experiment. I wish you luck, patience and courage! I reckon it's the last 5 kg that are the most difficult to lose, what matters is that you are improving your habits and the relationship with your body and doing a great thing in a long run that's going to reflect on your weight as well inevitably. Remember - the human body is a very complicated .. system. It's difficult enough to learn to use a computer or a car, go figure to "handle" your own body. There are so many variables involved - all sorts of chemicals in all sorts of processes - so just listen to your body and learn to fine tune it day by day, and you'll figure out what works for you. I don't mean to sound all-knowing, far from it, I too have similar doubts and difficulties, this was just a summary of advice and information I've been gathering these days and thought to share. Hope it's not totally useless :D Cheers, have a nice day and enjoy your healthy lifestyle! [EDIT: ps: maybe some of it is that you are putting on muscles while losing fat :D] |
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| Foods | Why does CC rank yogurt so low? | Jul 24 2008 16:21 (UTC) |
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I guess you can still try adding stuff to the plain yogurt... don't know about cinnamon but fruit is great,... maybe fruit with cinnamon (say apples and cinnamon) and maybe other spices... You can put it all in a blender, say fruit... hmm |
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| Weight Loss | What do you do about hunger? | Jul 24 2008 00:12 (UTC) |
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PS: I'm not an expert but 1200 calories cca sounds a bit risky because, ironically, if you eat too little your body goes into this so called starvation/conservation mode to protect itself from the "scarcity" and so it accumulates fats instead of burning them and you don't lose weight, your body manages to live on less. At least so I read. I also read that a woman's body uses 1200 calories a day just for existing, that is without doing anything. Correct me anyone if I got any of this wrong. |
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| Weight Loss | What do you do about hunger? | Jul 24 2008 00:07 (UTC) |
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Hmm... But vegetables ARE carbs... :) And fruits even more. Ok, they are low calorie but still carbs. How much of them do you eat? I've found out that I can eat a LOT of vegetables, especially the "watery" types like zucchini or red peppers (capsicum) or cucumbers or celery or endive or salad etc. It's great to have raw vegetables (salad) at the beginning of a meal, very filling so you can enjoy the rest of the meal with more calm and not eat it in hurry. You can also snack on friuts and vegetables during the day, like clean them and chop them to bits and take them with you to work and chew on them. Or eat some fruit with a low fat yogurt as a snack. Eating often helps keep the metabolism high, I hear. I find that 1500 can be TONS of filling vegetables if you chose well. I used to eat a lot of pasta too, but found out that a lot of vegetables prepared in a creative fashion can be a good substitute. Explore spices! They sure can liven up a low calorie meal and also give you something to think about. To stay entertained and not think about pasta you can also study some oriental or mediterranean cuisines and cook the low fat versions of those. Like there are some lovely beans and vegetable dishes in indian cooking and such, chickpeas, lentil, cauliflower, eggplant etc. with curry... That's carbs also but alongside with carbs contains proteins as well. You can substitute your old comfort food (pasta) with new discoveries which are just as soothing and conforting, say a lovely Chickpea with apples with leeks curry cream, or something like that (I found it on a blog). I discovered chickpea/bean/lentil based creams can be very satisfying in terms of carbs/cravings/taste, especially with spices. For water you can prepare herb teas that are more fun maybe (without adding sugar, of course). Make it a quest to discover new healthy confort food that can take the place of pasta :D Hope this helps. |
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Will I lose weight if I eat the same food over and over?
You can lose weight despite eating the same food day-after-day as long as you eat fewer calories than you burn. In fact, eating the... Read more