So i'm a pretty heavy set guy. probably about 100 pounds overweight. i have been talking to my girlfriend about starting to go to the gym for a while now. we are actually getting up and starting to do something about it. i was wondering if there is anything you guys recommend eating that's low in fat, low in calories, stuff like that. along with what you think some good workout ideas are. I have no idea when i'm going to be starting T. I still have to make an appointment with the mental health center at my doctors office, so probably not anytime soon. I just want to get into the routine of working out, and eating right before i start my transition. thanks guys :)
I never really believe in diets that cut back on fats and such because most people manage to keep that up for a few weeks, then start eating normally again and just gain the weight right after.
Something I can recommend is more of a lifestyle change. It's a big one, but the plus side is that you'll never have to be hungry. It's a so called slow carb thing, focusing on all those slow carbs and several small meals a day instead of just a few big ones that overload your system. It's focused on legumes, and it basically means no more bread, milk, pasta, rice....They are all fast carbs. Pretty strict, but at least you can eat as much meat and vegetables plus beans and the like as you wish.
It's explained here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow-Carb_Diet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow-Carb_Diet)
For me, it seems to work really well and the recommended day of eating anything you want (and as much of it as you like!) is great. It really keeps your body into a fast burning mode, while dieting does the opposite, which is why people tend to gain weight when they start eating normally again.
i vote for keto :)
www.->-bleeped-<-.com/r/keto (//http:///r/keto)
- its pretty awesome.
or you could just use something like 'my fitness pal' (free!) i lost 50kg from just watching what i ate with that.
Quote from: Geek on March 01, 2013, 08:54:27 AM
i vote for keto :)
www.->-bleeped-<-.com/r/keto (//http:///r/keto)
- its pretty awesome.
or you could just use something like 'my fitness pal' (free!) i lost 50kg from just watching what i ate with that.
I've been using my fitness pal for about a week and i've been putting off eating healthy for about that long ahaha. I've just started today where i'm telling myself i will have self discipline or you're losing a finger. i'm not messing around anymore. that app really makes you realize how much you can't eat. it's depressing, but i've heard it works wonders.
hey there. First of all, good for you for wanting to make a change. Here is some advice:
The most important aspect of being healthy or losing weight or building muscle is nutrition. Start researching what "healthy food" is. There are lots and lots of misconceptions. In the end if you are simply trying to lose weight, there really isnt any healthy or unhealthy food. If you eat something that is high in calories than you must eat less of that food. For example a 200 gram portion of ribeye beef is going to contain more calories than a 200 gram portion of chicken breasts.
If I were you, I would start with cardio for 30 minutes 3x a week and then bump up to 45 minute 5 time a week eventually. This means running, joggng, walking, swimming, jump rope, boxing etc. Anything that gets your heart rate up. The harder you push yourself the more results you will see, so in the end your accomplishments are up to you.
As far as nutrition here are some foods off the top of my head that are pretty 'healthy'
chicken breast
egg whites
tuna fish
salmon
extra lean beef(like 97 percent lean)
turkey breast
pretty much any vegetable
oatmeal
brown rice
weetabix
sweet potato
beans
Start reading and UNDERSTANDING nutrition labels. Another very important thing is to write down everything you eat or drink. Most people have no idea how many calories they actualy consume.
good luck
I'm with Mr. X in that I really, really don't like low fat diets. Our bodies evolved to use fat for a good portion of our fuel. Our bodies like fat. What we didn't evolve to eat are the vast amounts of sugar, refined carbohydrates, and chemically processed crap that make up the average person's diet (and sometime when you're in the grocery store compare the ingredients in the full fat vs. low fat versions of some foods-- how many chemicals it takes to alter the natural state of that food into something else....). My strategy for weight loss (which has worked and is still working for me-- down 80lbs the past year without ever feeling deprived or hungry) was to eat whole, natural foods as much as possible-- mostly nutritionally dense vegetables and meat (and not lean meat either-- good fatty meat that keeps you full) with some full fat diary and fruits thrown in in moderation. I limit everything that spikes my blood sugar-- mostly grains and desserts, but when I'm looking to really cut I also try to avoid the more sugary fruits. I'm not even that strict with it-- I allow myself a scheduled cheat meal every Friday night (chinese food tonight-- nice) as well as allowing myself to indulge when I'm with friends or at parties or whatever as long I'm eating right about 80% of the time. To me giving myself that flexibility was the key in keeping up with it for over a year now. Being completely 100% strict just wasn't sustainable for me-- when I tried it I'd get frustrated and overwhelmed and give up. But by knowing I can have that cake and not feel guilty as long as it's a rare treat and not an every day thing, I was much more likely to stick to it. Not saying that's right for everyone, but it's what worked for me.
For exercise, again, I didn't do any hardcore training. I found some things I enjoy and do them. I love martial arts, so I do karate twice a week for two hours and Judo twice a week for two hours. I found very cheap programs through the local rec center and boys and girls club so it's not costing me an arm and a leg (just a black eye every once and awhile). On the weekends I usually spend at least an hour or so practicing my karate. I would like to do some more designated strength training, but I don't worry too much about target heart rate cardio stuff. It's proven ineffective in studies. I basically stick to the primal rules of exercise-- move a lot at a slow pace, pick up heavy things and put them down (I use people-- yeah Judo), and move very quickly for a short amount of time every once and awhile (explosive karate sequences do it for me, but sprints are also good).
I've used sparkpeople. It's a site that has a bunch of trackers, recipes, and other support groups. So, pretty much no matter what aspect of dieting you have trouble with, you have some tool to help you. Basically, tracking what you're eating, how much, and when will help you figure out where/what in your diet is a bit off and how to go about fixing it. I was one of those types where I would eat when I was bored instead of when I was hungry. I went back through my head and rethought my decisions "am I hungry enough that I would eat an apple? No? Then don't eat."
The tracker on sparkpeople for food is pretty good. It lets you type in a food you ate, how many servings, and will tell you how many calories, where they came from, etc. It gives you a goal of number of calories, and what type. There's also a water tracker to make sure you're getting enough fluids. There's a weight tracker so you can see weight loss but they also have a spot to put in body measurements (chest, thigh, hip, arm, neck) which would give you a better idea of where you are than weight but should only be done once a month or so. They also provide a list of training ideas, and recommendations. You could also plug in what exercises you've done through the day or what your daily activities are.
here is what I aim for and which has done well for me with losing weight:
per day:
- 1100 - 1400 calories (mix it up - don't let yourself feel starved - keep a thing of baby carrots in the fridge to much on)
- under 75 carbs (vegetables (most carbs found here) , fruit (random treat), carbs from dairy stuff (each dairy serving has maybe 5 carbs in it, though yogurt with fruit etc has more)
- at least 50 grams of protein - chicken, hard boiled eggs, and dairy are my main protein sources. randomly red meat - but not in a burger.
just track everything that goes into your mouth. Don't eat anything out of a box. I can't cook at all, so I just buy frozen chicken breasts, microwaveable steamed vegetables, and bags of salad. I add tomatoes, olives, and hard boiled eggs to the salad. I eat yogurt or cottage cheese for breakfast.
It works if you stay on top of it. Even if you don't exercise, as long as you eat cleanly (that should read as : no processed carbs) the pounds will drop right off.
Don't even worry about going to a gym until you overhaul your diet. You'll likely end up doing endless amount of cardio, get nowhere quickly, and then feel discouraged. Eat right, then start home body weight workouts unless you just really want to chunk down money on a gym membership for some reason.
this is just my advice. I used to think I was ready, get a gym membership, and never do anything at all. I would count calories but not change my diet, so it really didn't do anything. Doing the above has shown me results quickly, and I don't feel starved like I did counting calories. Cutting carbs sucks hard at first, but after a week or so you'll look at pasta and white bread with disdain and lose your taste for it.
I'd start an account with myfitnesspal.com and track what you currently eat to get an idea of the levels of calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc. that you currently eat.
I am boring and eat basically the same thing all the time: plain fat free greek yogurt (I like The Greek Gods brand the best) with some reduced fat organic coconut in it, and some dried fruit or bananas. It's a very low fat yet filling breakfast for me. Lunch for me is usually brown rice with homemade curry (curry paste, low fat coconut milk, chicken breast and tons of veggies). Dinner I tend to have a serving of muesli with juice over it. I snack on fruits or nuts.
It's hard to get in time to cook often, so every Sunday I make my week's worth of curry and just put it in a big tupperware and serve myself a day's worth every morning to take to school or work with me. It saves me money so i don't eat out.
For exercise: I am really loving ChaLean Extreme and TurboFire which are available through Beachbody. I love the instructor, she's really cute and fun, and I've gotten much stronger and leaner because of them. There's always a person in the video who modifies things, so if you have trouble on your knees and want to avoid jumping, you can easily follow the modifier.
If you can afford it, a good nutritionist could really set you up with a plan you can follow. If you're starting from a baseline of eating a lot of processed or fast foods you may have to ease in to a new, more nutritious eating plan (helps you to stick to it if you ease into it).
The healthiest food is the food with the least amount of processing. So incorporating actually cooking meals in your day (or doing what LearnedHand does and cooking for the whole week in advance) is really a good habit to get into.
Chuck listed some good basic healthy foods (and had some other great advice). Chicken and a whole pile of vegetables is a good meal ... minimal processing ... minimal ingredients ... protein, fiber, vitamins. You have to kind of start to change the way you think about food.
As for exercising, my big tip is to do something that you enjoy doing. Sometimes just joining a gym and trying to go for it on your own can seem like the thing to do, but if you have to force yourself to do it every day it's that much more likely you'll exit out of your "gung ho" phase and just start slipping back to old habits or stop going all together. I've read a statistic that it takes around 10 weeks to actually form a lasting habit, so I use that as my baseline ... "would I enjoy this for at least 10 weeks?"
Aside from all the healthy options people have suggested already, I'm a huge proponent of portion control. When I moved to Asia got new dishes, they were all half the size of the ones back in the states. Eating smaller portions on smaller dishes helped me in that I felt full quicker. It's a little sneaky but eat slowly and from smaller dishes. It helps. I don't think cutting carbs works for everyone. I tried low carb diets several times and I always failed. The only change I made aside from having access to food that isn't full of preservatives and hormones (hard to get away from in a lot of places) was jut eating less. I've lost 52 pounds and dropped five pants sizes in seven months just from doing that. I've only just now started a regular work out routine.
Just my two cents.
Yes I agree with Inside of def finding something that you think is fun. Maybe try experimenting around first before you make a big committment. I also think writing down your (realistic) goals helps or scheduling an event in the future that looks like fun (I signed up for Rugged Maniac this September, it looks like sooo much fun, so I want to keep getting in shape so I don't die while doing the obstacles).
Ayden is right to, I always measure my portions and I am always amazed at how such a small amount of food can keep me full. I wouldn't cut too much carbs though, just find out how much you need in a day (myfitnesspal and other sites can do this for you) and try to stick with that. Carbs are very important for you especially if you start exercising, so just switch over to whole grains. I took a nutrition class a few years back, and they said those low-carb diets are really quite awful for you, I forget why exactly but I think it was basically like your brain needs the carbs so if you don't get the carbs it'll start taking stuff from your muscles and make you sick.
Quote from: Ayden on March 02, 2013, 05:50:43 AM
Aside from all the healthy options people have suggested already, I'm a huge proponent of portion control. When I moved to Asia got new dishes, they were all half the size of the ones back in the states. Eating smaller portions on smaller dishes helped me in that I felt full quicker. It's a little sneaky but eat slowly and from smaller dishes. It helps. I don't think cutting carbs works for everyone. I tried low carb diets several times and I always failed. The only change I made aside from having access to food that isn't full of preservatives and hormones (hard to get away from in a lot of places) was jut eating less. I've lost 52 pounds and dropped five pants sizes in seven months just from doing that. I've only just now started a regular work out routine.
Just my two cents.
If you adopted a more Asian eating style, I bet you cut the amount of sugar and refined grains in your diet 10 fold, as well.
Quote from: LearnedHand on March 02, 2013, 06:37:18 AMAyden is right to, I always measure my portions and I am always amazed at how such a small amount of food can keep me full. I wouldn't cut too much carbs though, just find out how much you need in a day (myfitnesspal and other sites can do this for you) and try to stick with that. Carbs are very important for you especially if you start exercising, so just switch over to whole grains. I took a nutrition class a few years back, and they said those low-carb diets are really quite awful for you, I forget why exactly but I think it was basically like your brain needs the carbs so if you don't get the carbs it'll start taking stuff from your muscles and make you sick.
That's not the least bit true. Think about how we evolved to eat. If human history was condensed to a year, we just started farming cereal grains last week and just started eating processed grains and chemically extracted seed oils yesterday. And a few minutes ago we just genetically modified our grains to the point they're completely unrecognizable and we have no idea how that genetic modification is affecting us. Caveman didn't eat bagels and sandwiches. He ate a diet composed almost entirely of hunted meats, vegetables and a little bit of foraged fruits, nuts and seeds. If our bodies needed 60% of our diet to come from carbs or we get sick, especially hearthealthywholegrains (you'd think it's all one word, the way the media uses it), we wouldn't have survived as a species. Mother nature knows what she's doing-- she wouldn't make a species that gets sick on its natural, in-the-wild diet and needs chemically processed frankenfood to be healthy.
Quote from: Devin87 on March 02, 2013, 08:14:26 AM
That's not the least bit true. Think about how we evolved to eat. If human history was condensed to a year, we just started farming cereal grains last week and just started eating processed grains and chemically extracted seed oils yesterday. And a few minutes ago we just genetically modified our grains to the point they're completely unrecognizable and we have no idea how that genetic modification is affecting us. Caveman didn't eat bagels and sandwiches. He ate a diet composed almost entirely of hunted meats, vegetables and a little bit of foraged fruits, nuts and seeds. If our bodies needed 60% of our diet to come from carbs or we get sick, especially hearthealthywholegrains (you'd think it's all one word, the way the media uses it), we wouldn't have survived as a species. Mother nature knows what she's doing-- she wouldn't make a species that gets sick on its natural, in-the-wild diet and needs chemically processed frankenfood to be healthy.
Yes that is true, I should've said whole grains and other healthy carbs from nuts and seeds, fruits and veggies. :D I just think I saw somewhere someone mention cutting carbs, but you needs the carbs for fuels. A lot of people get carbs from white wheat bagels and sandwiches, while the whole grain would be a better option as well as nuts and seeds, fruits with carbs etc. I also thought my "I forget exactly why" would've been a qualifier to show that I wasn't an expert and not to entirely follow any of my advice without doing further research.
It's okay though, I love my whole wheat bread and I am sticking with it. ;D Yummmm..... bagels....
I am not a nutritionist, but I eat carbs and love them
I eat plenty of carbs and sugar. I eat rice at least twice a day and I have plenty of salt and sugar. I have breads every day too (curry bread, sweet breads, ect.) I just changed how I eat. Different people respond to different things as far as weight loss goes. But, portion control is key anyway. We all have different metabolisms. I was just offering another thing to consider when trying to get healthier.
I should also add that the only thing that was cut from diet as far as food groups is dairy, actually. Dairy isn't that common in the Japanese diet and I can't stand whole milk. It's the only good group I have cut. I would have made an edit but I am still learning how to use tapatalk.
Ah! I just looked it up and remembered.... cutting too much carbs causes "ketosis".
Ayden: I don't have much dairy either, just my greek yogurt. Too much dairy makes me feel sick. :( Though things like almond milk have either just as much or more calcium then regular milk, and the one I drink only has 30 calories per cup, so that's also a good substitute for those triyng to loose weight.
I am naturally skinny except I started to develop this "beer gut" thing and it looked very nasty to me. I now have it basically gone by just cutting out a few things. First and foremost I stopped drinking beer LOL. If I want some alcohol I will drink some wine. I also used to eat fast food constantly...I stopped doing that. I used to drink soda constantly too so I cut that out completely. So what do I eat then? I drink water constantly and eat soup, salads, veggies, fruits. Even though I do cut things out of my diet I will occasionally splurge and eat some pizza or even go to McDonald's. This isn't a bad thing if you only do it ONCE in a while. I would probably go insane if I couldn't eat chocolate or some fast food sometimes. I also don't eat a lot of food anyway so proportions are not a big deal for me. I don't really exercise at all but I plan on biking when it gets warmer outside.
Quote from: holly_ on March 02, 2013, 09:11:56 AM
I am naturally skinny except I started to develop this "beer gut" thing and it looked very nasty to me. I now have it basically gone by just cutting out a few things. First and foremost I stopped drinking beer LOL. If I want some alcohol I will drink some wine. I also used to eat fast food constantly...I stopped doing that. I used to drink soda constantly too so I cut that out completely. So what do I eat then? I drink water constantly and eat soup, salads, veggies, fruits. Even though I do cut things out of my diet I will occasionally splurge and eat some pizza or even go to McDonald's. This isn't a bad thing if you only do it ONCE in a while. I would probably go insane if I couldn't eat chocolate or some fast food sometimes. I also don't eat a lot of food anyway so proportions are not a big deal for me. I don't really exercise at all but I plan on biking when it gets warmer outside.
yeah! soda is terrible. You can gulp down 200 calorie in less then 5 minutes...woo. Also, your avatar is hot.
Holly: yes! Cutting soda (which I have done simply because it hurts my stomach) does help. If you eat out a lot, that food is basically just fat. I don't eat fast food much and never have but once a month or two wont hurt much.
LearnedHand: I tend to avoid anything with soy since soy boosts estrogen levels (I battle with it since there is a ton of soy stuff here) does almond milk have a lot of soy products? I have only found it in one store but I do miss milk sometimes.
An important thing to remember for guys on t, t does change fat redistribution, so if guys in your family carry weight on the gut (mine does like crazy) sometimes you have to sacrifice things to get the gut to go away.
I have found that changing habits slowly helps. Once you get into a routine it isn't so hard to watch what you eat or to start working out.
Once I lost weight I threw out my "fat" clothes and I find that helps too. I'm wearing my husbands old 33 inch waist pants and when they feel a bit tight I tend to be more aggressive. Just a thought for when you drop sizes. If you are short on money, or a crazy saver like me, you can always get pants a few sizes smaller from recycle or second hand shops to help. All of my clothes are second hand since I am trying to loose more but it does help in keeping weight off.
The most dangerous thing I have found is getting comfortable in knowing that you keep loosing weight. Whenever I think that I gain some back
Quote from: LearnedHand on March 02, 2013, 08:44:13 AM
Ah! I just looked it up and remembered.... cutting too much carbs causes "ketosis"
Ketosis is good. Ketosis means your body is burning fat for fuel, which is what people trying to lose fat are aiming for. If your body is burning carbs for fuel instead of fat (and your body will always use carbs first), you're not losing much fat.
Buy or borrow this book from the library, It's called "The China Study" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study_(book) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study_(book)) It's not a diet book, but how to eat healthy and why and how to avoid diseases. Which I would think is essential for FTM's taking testosterone and being at risk for certain diseases. Changed me an my families life.
Quote from: Ayden on March 02, 2013, 09:55:45 AM
LearnedHand: I tend to avoid anything with soy since soy boosts estrogen levels (I battle with it since there is a ton of soy stuff here) does almond milk have a lot of soy products? I have only found it in one store but I do miss milk sometimes.
There's no soy in almond milk. Rice milk is also good, and soy free. I'd avoid hemp milk though, it taste awful!
Quote from: LearnedHand on March 02, 2013, 11:56:50 AM
There's no soy in almond milk. Rice milk is also good, and soy free. I'd avoid hemp milk though, it taste awful!
Oat milk is fantastic. A bit sweet though.
I've heard that soy raising estrogen levels is a myth. These guys think so too. Interesting body building conversation though. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=690836&page=1 (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=690836&page=1)
I'd drink rice or almond milk, but both make me sick for some reason.
As yet another measure to try and fix my hip, I went on a diet that supposedly cured a couple of kids of arthritis, which is good because my rheumatoid factor (aka SED rate) is creeping up every time we test it. In addition, my mom wants me to lower my cholesterol and I'm lactose intolerant, so this is my dietary restriction list:
-No gluten
-No nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers)
-No milk products
-Red meat, once a month
-Fish at least once a week
-Fruits, but limited on citrus (acid reflux)
-As close to no processed sugar as possible
-Eggs, once a month
-Lots of vegetables (eat those dark, leafy greens!)
Now, I've had issues trying to lose weight right up until now. Maybe it's stress, maybe it's lack of sleep and lack of 90 million hours to jog or spend time in the gym or get some time outside, but I hated it because I was almost in the overweight range for my height, which doesn't seem terrible but just worsened my dysphoria. Two weeks in, I dropped 11 pounds, and probably more since then. I need belts now because my pants won't stay up XD
But in addition, I climb stairs constantly (woo, wearing down my hip) in school. Stay moving and put the right stuff in, it helps.
Quote from: Ayden on March 02, 2013, 09:55:45 AM
The most dangerous thing I have found is getting comfortable in knowing that you keep loosing weight. Whenever I think that I gain some back
This definitely happens. I went and bought new jeans, and I was go happy with dropping a few sizes that I lost a good week to eating terribly. You get happy with yourself, tell yourself you deserve a 'treat' and it spirals from there. I have a bad habit of thinking that if I cheat once, I might as well just cheat for the rest of the day. Doesn't work that way though, gotta keep at it no matter what, one mistake is just that - I am telling myself this as much as saying this to anyone reading.
One concrete goal helps. I have a weight I want to reach before top surgery. I'm still saving money, but I really don't want to hit the money goal before the weight goal and have to wait even longer, so keeping up with one versus the other is motivating.
Quote from: holly_ on March 02, 2013, 09:11:56 AM
I am naturally skinny except I started to develop this "beer gut" thing and it looked very nasty to me. I now have it basically gone by just cutting out a few things. First and foremost I stopped drinking beer LOL. If I want some alcohol I will drink some wine. I also used to eat fast food constantly...I stopped doing that. I used to drink soda constantly too so I cut that out completely. So what do I eat then? I drink water constantly and eat soup, salads, veggies, fruits. Even though I do cut things out of my diet I will occasionally splurge and eat some pizza or even go to McDonald's. This isn't a bad thing if you only do it ONCE in a while. I would probably go insane if I couldn't eat chocolate or some fast food sometimes. I also don't eat a lot of food anyway so proportions are not a big deal for me. I don't really exercise at all but I plan on biking when it gets warmer outside.
i'm driven by temptation with where i work. i currently work in fast food. i need to start packing my own lunch. something healthy. does anyone have any good ideas for a healthy lunch? i'm not a huge salad fan. i've been trying to make myself one. is there any way to make it not so unpleasant?
Quote from: lawliver on March 02, 2013, 07:00:10 PM
i'm driven by temptation with where i work. i currently work in fast food. i need to start packing my own lunch. something healthy. does anyone have any good ideas for a healthy lunch? i'm not a huge salad fan. i've been trying to make myself one. is there any way to make it not so unpleasant?
Leftover dinner is usually the easiest lunch. When you make dinner just make extra and bring it for lunch the next day. Or, if you get a good discount at work, find some healthy things on the menu you enjoy and get from there. Most fast food places have a few decent options that aren't necessarily salads.
Quote from: Devin87 on March 02, 2013, 07:14:19 PM
Leftover dinner is usually the easiest lunch. When you make dinner just make extra and bring it for lunch the next day. Or, if you get a good discount at work, find some healthy things on the menu you enjoy and get from there. Most fast food places have a few decent options that aren't necessarily salads.
I agree with Devin, but it's also good to just keep something that's healthy and won't go bad with you for those days where you don't have leftovers (or if you're like me you accidently forget it on the train). I keep a box of muesli (which I love love love muesli :-* ) and a bowl in my locker at school so the only thing I need to buy is some juice to go over it; at work we keep a bunch of healthy stuff in the refrigerator for everyone to pick at too.
I'm not on any kind of structured thing at all, but I think I should be since I am on T (at last!).
Anyway, I know some guy at work on the 17 day diet. It sounds like a faddish thing but it is not at all. It just has steps (or stages) and these steps are 17 days long. It is basically a good carb/good fat/ high protein (at least initially). The exercise starts out as 17 min., which makes it all 17ish, but that's the only thing gimmicky about it.
People actually lose fast and they lose bellyfat which is very hard to lose. I actually am not the slightest bit fat but have weight in the belly which is the worst place to have fat.
The guy I have talked to is on step 1. He has lunches with a huge salad, yogurt, some kind of fruit, and a lot of chicken. Which is a healthy lunch in my book.
Actually it's a life eating plan, where you would ideally stay at the last stage all the time which allows for eating out and also cheating now and again.
--Jay
My aunt has been on the 17 day diet for.... 2 years now. It works as long as you don't go back to what you ate before. The huge downside is that she hates eating now but is stuck with it since she is afraid to go off it. Those fad diets are terrible like that.
I'm a vegetarian so a low carb diet would be pretty difficult for me to actually maintain. I should get some exercise but I never do, the gym is both expensive and there's that lovely locker room problem. Most of my weight gain is from the hormone blockers I've been given. I lost weight last summer when I was traveling around Europe, walking a lot, eating little and carrying a heavy backpack. Yesterday I visited this really cool hippie food store, and they had all kinds of healthy and weird food, such as quinoa flakes, lots of different kinds of beans, loads of vegetarian meat-substitutes, things like that. It really inspired me to try and eat more healthy.
Quote from: PixieBoy on March 03, 2013, 06:50:58 AM
I'm a vegetarian so a low carb diet would be pretty difficult for me to actually maintain. I should get some exercise but I never do, the gym is both expensive and there's that lovely locker room problem. Most of my weight gain is from the hormone blockers I've been given. I lost weight last summer when I was traveling around Europe, walking a lot, eating little and carrying a heavy backpack. Yesterday I visited this really cool hippie food store, and they had all kinds of healthy and weird food, such as quinoa flakes, lots of different kinds of beans, loads of vegetarian meat-substitutes, things like that. It really inspired me to try and eat more healthy.
Due to religious beliefs, I was raised vegetarian and although I am not anymore I eat like a vegetarian often (except now I've been making myself eat chicken at least 4 days a week), and I don't even see how a low-carb diet could be possible while vegetarian, at least in a realistic sense. Maybe if you do just raw foods. We used to go to a food store run by some people in the same religion so it was always cool to go and get some furkey and all that other stuff. I've never see quinoa flakes though, I am going to have to check it out, I love quinoa. Do you know what you do with it?
I like making my own granola bars too, they're probably healthier than some of the ones you get at the store. If anyone has any good granola bar recipes they'd like to share, PM me, I lost my good one :(
I have no idea, didn't buy it due to having to be a bit careful with my spending this month. I guess you could use it in porridge similar to how oatmeal is made from oat flakes? Or maybe use it in baked goods? Or use it in your own granola/müsli?
Just as a bit of anecdotal advice, quinoa spaghetti, while fairly expensive and hard to find around here, is delicious and healthy.
It's possible to do something like South Beach or the 17 day diet on even a vegan diet (I know for the 17 day but not so sure on SB. It's harder on a vegan diet as the 17 day diet requires a pretty high intake of yogurt, but what they are looking for is probiotics so you can do kimchi and stuff like that. I don't know that much about it, but the "new" grains (quinoa, amaranth, bulgar, millet, teff, Indian rice grass, etc.) are really loaded with nutrients and in some cases protein. Some of the above are gluten free.
BTW, I did South Beach sort of modified. I basically ate a lot of good stuff and avoided the not good stuff and lost weight without trying too hard. No fried foods; more fish, chicken, turkey, and there are a few really low fat other meats; lots of veggies; stayed away from fruit like bananas; whole grains; lowered sugar intake a lot.
I'm not ready for it as I want to wait a bit with the T, but I wonder if we could do some kind of "club" to encourage each other on exercise and eating healthy. Eating healthy is so important on T. They could "sticky" it so we could add to it??
--Jay
Body for Life, esp if you are going to the gym. Workout smarter, not harder. Really works, very motivational book. You can probably get it from your library.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060193395/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1/178-0343460-0778129?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=0HVPJS3WJ2NMTSEBGAV2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=0061467693 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060193395/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1/178-0343460-0778129?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=0HVPJS3WJ2NMTSEBGAV2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=0061467693)
Quote from: Ayden on March 03, 2013, 05:04:46 AM
My aunt has been on the 17 day diet for.... 2 years now. It works as long as you don't go back to what you ate before. The huge downside is that she hates eating now but is stuck with it since she is afraid to go off it. Those fad diets are terrible like that.
I don't agree it's a fad diet, it's the way we are supposed to eat. Very much veggies, whole grains and fruit (in the later steps), and lean meat and fish. The thing is that that is NOT how most of us learn to eat and we see ads all day of things we should not eat. The reason it only works while you are on it is that that is how you are supposed to eat. If you go back to junk food, fried foods, simple carbs, some people's bodies figure that out immediately. I suppose others don't.
--Jay
Quote from: aleon515 on March 04, 2013, 09:20:12 AM
I don't agree it's a fad diet, it's the way we are supposed to eat. Very much veggies, whole grains and fruit (in the later steps), and lean meat and fish. The thing is that that is NOT how most of us learn to eat and we see ads all day of things we should not eat. The reason it only works while you are on it is that that is how you are supposed to eat. If you go back to junk food, fried foods, simple carbs, some people's bodies figure that out immediately. I suppose others don't.
--Jay
Different strokes for different folks. My aunt hates it because she finally lost weight and feels tied to it. My aunt is crazy careful but American food is full if crap. No ones biology is the same.
At any rate, I still say portion control and monitoring what you eat is better than any diet you can put yourself on. I've been through plenty of 'diets' and portion control has been the only thing that had actually worked.
Quote from: Ayden on March 04, 2013, 09:52:49 AM
Different strokes for different folks. My aunt hates it because she finally lost weight and feels tied to it. My aunt is crazy careful but American food is full if crap. No ones biology is the same.
At any rate, I still say portion control and monitoring what you eat is better than any diet you can put yourself on. I've been through plenty of 'diets' and portion control has been the only thing that had actually worked.
American food is no more "full of crap" than other developed nation. People make poor decisions all around the world. While America is obese, the Middle East (Kuwait) is statisticall the most obese country in the world.
Quote from: chuck on March 05, 2013, 07:31:15 AM
American food is no more "full of crap" than other developed nation. People make poor decisions all around the world. While America is obese, the Middle East (Kuwait) is statisticall the most obese country in the world.
I agree there. It's just I live in the US.
--Jay
Not to resurrect a thread but I would like to say this: Japan doesn't eat hot pockets or fried twinkies. My point was American food (and food from other developed nations) has more preservatives and fat in general. The food I get at a Japanese 'fast food' restaurant is handmade noodles and onion, with a little bit of beef.
Either way, watching how much you eat in general is a good idea. If you have a desk job, you don't need 2000 calories a day. That was my point.
Quote from: Ayden on March 11, 2013, 11:14:07 AM
Not to resurrect a thread but I would like to say this: Japan doesn't eat hot pockets or fried twinkies. My point was American food (and food from other developed nations) has more preservatives and fat in general. The food I get at a Japanese 'fast food' restaurant is handmade noodles and onion, with a little bit of beef.
Either way, watching how much you eat in general is a good idea. If you have a desk job, you don't need 2000 calories a day. That was my point.
what? Yes, people japan do eat twinkies and hot pockets, and i think the kids there are the worst, soo many of my clients seemed to have there kids on a sugar diet. Like i said, people get fat everywhere. Bad food is every where and healthy choices are everywhere.