Unutterably Silly Who is on a diet. Come on I know you all are!

[SneakySnake]

OK, I know just about everyone is on a diet.

I have just started counting kilojoules/calories because I realised my undies were getting tighter. I have to lose 5 kilograms which I think is about 11 pounds.

If I get brave I will post a graph later to show progress!

I would welcome participation by anyone else interested in debargearsification, the more the merrier!

So if anyone wants to post their top debargearsification tips here I would be eternally grateful.

[happy_terd]

[lost 45 pounds...the safe way]

dont start your diet yet. Keep eating EXACTLY like you normally do.

Keep a food journal for three days writing down exactly what you eat and its calorie amount. Do this for three day and take an average.

The average calories are pretty close to the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. 3500-4000 calories is equal to 1 pound of body fat. You can probably cut back at least 500 calories a day (keep in mind drinks, condiments, gum even add to it) and lose an easy pound without exercise.

Exercise and vitamins and fluids are equally as important to lose the body fat in a safe way and have it stay off.

Remember that losing weight is as simple as calories in vs calories burned.

[SneakySnake]

What is eating normally? My problem is my eating is so erratic I have to normalise it. I have done this process before so this time I skipped the pigging out counting part. It is a good tip though.

I now know how many calories I need to eat to maintain or lose weight. I just have to count them so I know if I have gone over or not!

Naughty red wine is one of the culprits. it makes me eat more. E.g.

You have a glass of red wine and a plate of Doritos(with sour cream). The chips run out, but you haven't finished your wine. I get more chips to go with the rest of my wine. Then the wine runs out and I haven't finished my chips..... and on and on ad infinitum! I need to break the cornchips/wine cycle! :sigh:

I started last Monday and so tommorrow is check in day and I think I have already lost about half a kilo..

[happy_terd]

Not only does alcohol have a high calorie content it also slows the metabolism way down.

[SneakySnake]

hmmmmm alcohol Ah well alcohol restrictions for me for a while.

[happy_terd]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

hmmmmm alcohol Ah well alcohol restrictions for me for a while.

I feel your pain.

[Ervserver]

diet ! you nuts? that leads to exercise which would interrupt my reading

[SneakySnake]

I said nothing about exercise! You can still eat less whilst you read.....Can't you? Some members won't have a touch screen because it gets greased up from the fried chicken?

[recluse]

Technically, I'm not, nor have I ever been on a diet.
Diabetes runs in my family, so I have adopted the lifestyle.
I haven't had a drink in 5 years.
Only whole grain pasta, no more than once a week.
Brown rice, never white.
Limit sugar intake.
You can pick up a diabetic diet book anywhere.
Minor changes, big results: 35 lbs. lost. No weight gained back.

[ficbot]

Be careful not to under-eat too. I always had trouble sticking to a diet because the points pr calories or whatever would freak me out, so I would under-eat during the day in order to 'save' calories in case I needed them later. The result was that I became starving at about 4 pm and did not stop being starving for the rest of the night. I could stick with the diet for a few days, but then I would go out or something and that would be that.

I read a great book that suggested having 3-4 meals a day of 400 calories---no less. They presented some scientific mumbo-jumbo about how 400 calories was the optimal amount to eat at one sitting. I have given it a try, and it's working. It was a struggle to get in 400 calories at breakfast (I am not a huge breakfast eater) but I have been planning carefully and getting in 3 proper meals (400 calorie) and 2 200-calorie snacks. Some of the meals/snacks have not been the healthiest food, but as long as I stick to the calorie goal, I am on plan---so going out for coffee with Dad and having a cookie is allowed, without breaking the diet, which is great! So far, 1 pound down but I haven't been exercising. So that should speed things up a little when I do.

[SneakySnake]

Originally Posted by recluse

Technically, I'm not, nor have I ever been on a diet.
Diabetes runs in my family, so I have adopted the lifestyle.
I haven't had a drink in 5 years.
Only whole grain pasta, no more than once a week.
Brown rice, never white.
Limit sugar intake.
You can pick up a diabetic diet book anywhere.
Minor changes, big results: 35 lbs. lost. No weight gained back.

There's a lot to be said for the lifestyle thing, rather than a diet. We try to get at least 30 minutes a day on the treadlies and have done for the past 10 years, that may be why I am not really fat. This calorie counting thing is just a small adjustment that is required to bring my expanding body back under control.

Originally Posted by ficbot

Be careful not to under-eat too. I always had trouble sticking to a diet because the points pr calories or whatever would freak me out, so I would under-eat during the day in order to 'save' calories in case I needed them later. The result was that I became starving at about 4 pm and did not stop being starving for the rest of the night. I could stick with the diet for a few days, but then I would go out or something and that would be that.

I read a great book that suggested having 3-4 meals a day of 400 calories---no less. They presented some scientific mumbo-jumbo about how 400 calories was the optimal amount to eat at one sitting. I have given it a try, and it's working. It was a struggle to get in 400 calories at breakfast (I am not a huge breakfast eater) but I have been planning carefully and getting in 3 proper meals (400 calorie) and 2 200-calorie snacks. Some of the meals/snacks have not been the healthiest food, but as long as I stick to the calorie goal, I am on plan---so going out for coffee with Dad and having a cookie is allowed, without breaking the diet, which is great! So far, 1 pound down but I haven't been exercising. So that should speed things up a little when I do.

Yeah! undereating can be a problem, particularly if you get over hungry later. I used to forget to eat if I was really busy. Didn't make me over eat later, but I got too skinny and wasn't well. I was living on cigarettes and chocolate bars. Now I have meat/fish/chicken and veges mostly and maybe pasta every couple of weeks.

[cassidym]

Here's a diet I learned about in Hawaii that was very effective for local islanders:

- Nothing but fruit and fruit juice from breakfast to lunch
- For lunch through dinner, eat reasonably and never mix starch and protein

Seems the body can digest both starch and protein but, eaten together, it slows the metabolism way down. It also makes you tired. Example: the classic living room scene after Thanksgiving Dinner where the guests look like the victims of a drive by shooting, all snoozing away. That's because they've eaten a lot of starch (bread, dressing, rice etc) and protein (turkey) at the same time.

They tried this diet on a dozen overweight islanders and it worked dramatically even, in several cases, causing diabetes to go into remission.

[astra]

Remember to eat often enough and not undereat.
Many people make this mistake. They think if they only eat less they loose weight. However, our body is a very sophisticated gadget. If you don't feed it enough, then next time you eat, it starts to save some of the food in fat for "just in case, it is probably a winter time, no easy access to food, so we need some reserve"
It is much better to eat well but smart and exercises. No hurry. Better to settle into healthy routine that you can follow all your life. You will get there eventually.
Good luck!

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Ervserver

diet ! you nuts? that leads to exercise which would interrupt my reading

I put my CyBook in a (see-thru) bag, and attach it to the control panel on my excercise bike. I can't pedal like the clappers while I'm reading, but at least it's something.

I've heard that it's not good to eat within a few hours of going to bed, the body is more likely to lay down fat while you're sleeping - not sure if that's an urban myth or not.

[Delta Tango]

Any good tips on gaining some (10 or so) kgs?
Oh, and that "Just eat anything you see." theory doesn't work.