Dieting
October 6th, 2007Originally posted on Facebook:
So I clicked on this Facebook flier and it talks about how you can loose 9 pounds every 11 days or something like that.
It’s true that eating more than 3 meals a day and eating different types of foods and amounts of calories during the times of the day helps you lose weight quick. I got in a habit of that a long while back, and now that I’m going to OSU, I’m going back to that habit and have lost 7 pounds every week for the last two weeks (although pizza and going out with friends and alcohol at parties made me gain 3 pounds once in there).
However, I have found weight loss and how much you weigh doesn’t give me the results I need and have been trying to find ways to tone muscle for about 3 months now.
My rant is that this diet ad said it’s only in what you eat that makes you gain or lose weight and exercise doesn’t matter.
WHATEVER! Exersize is important for body shape, strength, digestion, metabolism, brain chemicals, breathing, etc. I know thin, healthy eating people who never exercise and whenever they have to run or lift something or whatever, they almost pass out! Some of them get sick or feel depressed often as well. And, any time they don’t eat healthy, they pack on pounds quickly!
I noticed when I started eating healthy AND working out, that my general health improved 10 fold! I only get sick 1-4 times per YEAR (compared to once a month or so) and when I eat unhealthily, I gain the weight and lose it within 48 hours, so I don’t worry about what I eat and enjoy life.
***Note: I am not an expert and have had no training, so below is just the things I’ve read and have seen results with.***
Here are the things I did and althoughteveryone is different, feel free to try some of them:
1) Eat breakfast. I don’t care what, but eating when you get up in the morning revs up your metabolism and gives you energy. The only problem is, that makes you hungry within hours of your breakfast. So bring a healthy snack. Also, switch up what kind of food (e.g. protein, carbs, veggies, fruits) and how much of it you eat.
2) Eat all the time. My thin friends used to always tell me they are always eating. I didn’t believe them until I started doing it and dropped the weight and had more energy. For females, eat something once every two hours and males, every three. This raises your metabolism, and thus gives you energy, fuels the brain, and burns calories (and eventually, excess fat).
3) Don’t starve yourself. I know so many people (even people who aren’t anywhere near “fat”) that go all day without eating and just eat something before bed, or eat only dinner when they are out with friends. That’s just scary and I have never done that. You can’t keep me away from food. Especially meat. I love ham and beef (which is not supposed to be the best for you, but oh, well, it’s f-ing delicious!).
But the reason is because although you are creating a calorie defecit, that defecit gets smaller by the day and people’s bodies, expecially females’ bodies, burn muscle which could lead to hormone and chemical imbalances. Your body burns what it’s used to getting every day, so if you eat nothing, your body burns the minimum fat and muscle it needs to survive and any extra food after starving gets stored as extra fat because your body thinks food is rare and needs to save any extra fuel.
However,
4) Eat a generally reduced calorie diet. In combination with a workout plan, there are healthy foods out there in all the food groups that are high in nutrition and low in calories. Although, I have found the fruit and veggies in this kind of diet is expensive and do not fill you, so I was hungry every 45 minutes. This way, you can get the nutrition and variety of foods your body needs, but it still creates a calorie defecit.
5) Get addicted to “negative colorie” foods. Supposedly, many popular fruits and veggies burn more colories being digested than what is in the food. So find the fruits and veggies you like and train your body to crave them. The more you eat of a food, the more your body craves it. Keep away from high sodium and high trans fat foods and you won’t desire it out of no where.
6) Detatch yourself emotionally from food. Best thing I ever did. In America, birthdays (happiness) = cake and ice cream. Kids are rewarded with pizza, McDonalds, icecream, and candy. No wonder “emotional eaters” go for ice cream to feel better. It also doesn’t help that the tritophan in the ice cream helps raise seratonin and thus mood, either. Some one gets dumped? They eat a pint of ice cream or eat 1/3 of a large pizza with friends. This turns into comerials showing food and people automatically wanting the food when they see it. They try to eat a salad, but see a McDonalds or a large, juicy, double quarter pounder photoshoped photo and they order that instead. Look at how fattening foods are described: MMM MMM GOOD. JUICY. GREAT TASTE. etc. however, salads and fruits: “Try any of our delicious dressings” and try to say it’s the “smart option”. Fattening foods aren’t shown as an option, they are just shown as delicious and pleasing on their own.
BREAK THIS PSYCHOLOGICAL CONNECTION NOW! Enjoy salads without it being covered in fattening dressing. Train yourself to not crave everything you see! Celebrate with fruit (in lowfat yogurt maybe) and find ways to add fruits and veggies to meals.
I knew I had done this successfully when I was in Tennessee and went out of my way to by a small banana for a frikken $1.25 (way too much!) and a lady next to me said, “You have all of this staring at you in the face and you choose to eat a banana?? You have so much will power!” I didn’t know what she was talking about! I just was hungry and so I craved a banana and was happy they still had some. Then, I looked at what she was talking about. On the 6 foot long display in front of me, was all filled with inexpencive and pretty looking ice cream, cake, cookies, donuts, and brownies. I was like, “hm..I’m glad I got my banana.” and I was happy to just eat. I didn’t want any of the other stuff at all!
7) Don’t have a full fridge. …Unless it’s filled with healthy foods. If you are like me, if it’s there, you’ll eat it. So keep unhealthy foods out of the option. I usually by fruits, veggies, and meat for 1-2 weeks and just eat what I have at home most of the time and pack meals. I don’t buy desserts or snack foods (except reduced-fat Cheeseits). So when I’m hungry, I just eat whatever I have to keep me from having that starving feeling.
8) Work out and add activity to your daily life. Walk, bike, jog instead of drive. If you normally do walk, take the long way this time. Take the stairs. If you can access a pool or hot tub, go swimming - it’s fun and can be relaxing if you have bad knees and feet and it also provides a great cardio workout without that icky sweaty feeling a lot of people hate.
9) Stop worrying about sweating and that burning muscle feeling. That means you are building muscle and burning calories. It’s a good thing! And within two hours after a work out, eat a small meal or drink that has a 4:1 carbs to protein ratio (PB&J is good for this).
10) Drink water. Dehydration kills. Water also helps with sore muscles and alertness!
11) Sleep. Getting adequete sleep helps mood, brain activity, bodily health, etc. Take naps if possible!
12) Quick smoking and don’t start. I have never been addicted to smoking, but there is a myth that smoking and tobacco helps you lose weight. The way it “helps” is that it reduces your appitite. That’s not healthy because you are hungry when your body needs fuel. It’s like ignoring your car when the oil light is on. Also, smoking can kill you and reverse the hard-earned effects of your cardio work out. Note: I have friends who smoke and I hang out at a hookah lounge, but it’s against my religion to force people to quit doing something I don’t approve of for my body, so other than off-hand comments like this, I won’t tell them to quit….unless they ask me for my opinion. Plus, they are informed adults and make their own decisions.
These things are some of the methods I used/use to get in shape. Over 19 months (9 month break in there), I lost 58 pounds and went from a size 18 to a 2. (28 pounds of that has been since May).