Losing 100 lbs With Phit-N-Phat Podcast Discussion
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I started listening at the beginning of her podcast, all the way back in 2017, and I’m working my way through them. I’m at the beginning of 2018 now! I typically listen on the train ride home – 40-50 minutes – and when I get home and I’m settling in and making dinner. That means I can get through 2 or 3 a day. Sometimes I can listen while I’m at work.
1. I interpret Corinne’s statement about only making changes you are willing to stick with the rest of your life in more general terms. In the past, I’ve relied on a steady diet of Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice/Weight Watchers frozen meals, supplemented with fresh fruit, vegetables, and yogurt, as my diet plan. For me, that was not sustainable. I have always liked to cook for myself and would have eventually reverted to that “when I lost the weight.” I now know that if this had worked, I should not be surprised if I started gaining weight again. My plan really was a short-term fix is what I now realize. In terms of exercise, I also think of it in more general terms. I think she’s only speaking in terms of the commitment aspect. In later podcasts, she discusses how she prioritizes getting your eating on track first before committing to any exercise plan. And she also emphasizes that she wants her tribe to be exercising because they feel better about themselves and not for weight loss – in short advocating the “you can’t outrun your fork” philosophy regarding exercise.
2. I think in terms of meal planning versus spontaneity I found the compromise that works for me. I make a lot of big batch recipes that freeze well, I pre-portion and bag them, and throw them in the fridge when I plan for them. Some dishes, like the chili recipes, are complete meals and just need some toppings – cheese, sour cream, scallions/onions. Others just need some rice or other grain and some side vegetable and they’re good. If I keep the meal prep cycle going, in a short period of time I end up with a good variety of meals to choose from. I try to make dinner meals fresh with a day or two of leftovers. I’ll buy a salmon filet and bake it. And I 100% understood what Corinne was talking about by having a salad bar in the fridge, because I do the same thing myself, and have done so for a long time! And those times I go out and have dinner, I try to make sensible choices and/or consume sensible portions. I also try to remember it’s just one meal and it’s OK to enjoy myself from time to time, easier said than done I know!
4. Corinne’s views on calorie counting and weighing and measuring food are the one thing I disagree with. The calorie counting and food measuring is a cognitive process. I think it’s useful for some overeaters to measure their food in order to learn what a proper portion size looks like. For some people it’s not so easily learned or conditioned. I also think it’s useful for people who are having trouble recognizing their hunger cues. I do not have a work schedule that always supports waiting for that hunger cue to kick in. I have to eat lunch at a scheduled time many days because that’s the time the group I’m working with eats lunch. If I don’t eat at that time I won’t be able to eat until it’s about dinner time. So I pack lunches with weighed and measured portions because in that situation I can’t rely on hunger cues. Corinne’s approach is behavioral. It is certainly valid and works for many people. I think that her behavioral approach and calorie-counting are complementary, not at odds with one another. For many psychological issues cognitive-behavioral therapy is often used as a treatment modality, I don’t see why both methods can’t be used when getting your mind straight about food consumption.
For those who were talking about helping their kids, she does have a podcast called “Overweight Kids” that sounds on target. She doesn’t only discuss overweight children; she also talks about the feelings that overweight parents have about not wanting their child to have the same problems they have.
@aliciap0116, I don’t know if you mentioned it here but I also liked her Keep/Stop/Start idea. I realize that most of us who set goals probably already do this naturally, but thinking about them in the Keep/Start/Stop categories makes it easier somehow.
Finally, a podcast I listened to last night, called Why “It’s Not Good Enough” Kills Your Weightloss really got to me. I think like this nearly all the time, not just about diet and exercise. I’d really like to be a person who thinks “OK that’s good enough!” but the level of frustration I can take before I get there is really high.
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Thanks for the link I've been listening to them and feeling very inspired! Some of the bad habits she went into around social eating for politeness sake definitely resonated with me.
I'm really enjoying just looking at the mental/emotion side of it- she's like free therepy!
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@mmdeveau Haha, you are right to warn people about the language. But I actually find her swearing quite helpful to me! Sometimes you need a cuss word to really get a point across and highlight that some thoughts/actions are really quite ridiculous!! I find it really refreshing!!
@lemurcat2 Highly recommend giving them a listen. I have been logging and participating on MFP since September but starting this podcast has added a whole new dimension into my weight loss effort. I started at the beginning because I thought there might be some foundational stuff there first. I'd also like to take her online course but that requires me to sit in front of a computer rather than listening in the car. Maybe this weekend! I also wish I had figured out some way to take notes on the earlier episodes...I may go back and listen to a few of them at double speed so I can jot some things down. (If anyone did take notes and can share them, please let me know!!)
@lemurcat2 and @CupcakeCrusoe I love the data too. Sometimes I think I can get lost in my head and details but it makes this process a lot more fun and interesting.
@mmdevaux The further into the podcast I get, I think you (and others) are correct in your interpretation about #1 (things you do for the rest of your life). I'm SO glad that I'm not relying on shakes or bars right now to get the weight off and learning to cook healthy recipes. And agree on being able to do the calorie counting and listen to your body's cues at the same time. It's something that I need to be mindful about because I was not truly doing it before, but it can be done. The Keep/Start/Stop is definitely something I want to incorporate more formally. I'm putting Why “It’s Not Good Enough” Kills Your Weightloss on my list - thank you!
@mmccloy12 That's tough regarding your son. I am lucky; my son will only drink water. He won't touch soda, juice, lemonade, or a milkshake!! At first I felt like he was missing out but now I know I am lucky!! Maybe find some videos that talk about why soda is so bad for you, watch them together, then discuss it with him, and agree that it's a special treat item that you both don't want to keep in the house. Same thing for fast food (watch Supersize Me). I'm sure he will have access to both with school and his dad but at least you will be educating him and limiting it within the house.
We are about to try this with TV and videos (so it's really ironic that I am recommending a video to help teach your son, but I do think they can take in information from sources other than parents better sometimes) because those can be addicting too. I swear my son was having a physical reaction/meltdown because he was not able to watch a video last night after they were taken away (until tomorrow) for an inability to follow directions on not watching one particular show.2 -
So I did get a chance to listen some last night. I checked out a more recent episode (146--how to stay committed), and now am about half through one of the early ones (the one about losing without counting). I'll probably start from the beginning after this one.
I do understand the "don't do anything you can't imagine doing forever" thing now, and actually agree. Although I try things, I don't try things that I think would be awful or incredibly hard, but doable until the weight is off. I try things to see how they affect me and if I like them (or as a short-term experiment specifically for some reason other than weight loss). Her idea that we are trying to eat in a way that will work for life is pretty much my philosophy too. (When I was losing it was important to me that I wasn't eating like someone on a diet, but just normally, and how I would permanently, although cals would go up some at maintenance. No one could tell I was on a diet -- although I ate healthfully, as I do at maintenance too -- and that was somewhat important to me.)1 -
aliciap0116 wrote: »@lemurcat2 and @CupcakeCrusoe I love the data too. Sometimes I think I can get lost in my head and details but it makes this process a lot more fun and interesting.
I wonder if some of the anti calorie counting stuff is because of the mind-set that often goes along with it -- that it's necessarily burdensome and makes weight loss about restriction and not eating more than a certain number and always focusing on the lowest cal items or the like.
I was lucky enough to go into weight loss without a dieting history or baggage. I was a healthy weight (if not as slim as I would have liked) until my late 20s, when I started gaining due to more work-related stress and food, less activity. In my early 30s I saw a photo of myself from a friend's wedding and realized I had gotten heavier than I'd realized and decided to learn how to lose, after never having dieted before. What I did then is kind of like what Corinne recommends -- I wrote down what I had been eating, realized where I could easily cut cals, and then I did so, and wrote down what I ate (I actually had a spreadsheet), as well as just starting to cook more (I learned to cook for real then) and increasing my activity as I had always felt better when more active anyway.
I kept that weight off for a while and then regained in my late 30s, early 40s related to some life changes and struggles, and knew what I needed to do to lose but didn't have the will to do it until 44. Then I started, soon discovered MFP, and found that adding in logging and data was fun (I'd been using data for running for a while so it was something I associated with fun, with making nutrition a hobby, and not with past painful efforts or associated with extreme or burdensome diet attempts).
Now when I'm struggling with maintenance (which I have been off and on the past two years), turning back to logging is usually something that feels fun and helpful.
I'm enjoying her discussion of how she did it.2 -
@lemurcat2: I think it used to be way more burdensome and overt.
There's a trope of the woman holding everything up at the restaurant as she looks up points in her little book, gets a special order, etc. while everyone else is hungry and getting annoyed at the waiting, and the incessant "Ohhh. Blue cheese dressing. You know that's 200 calories." "You could have got that without fries and saved 400 calories," and such. No one likes people like that.
But it's easier now. When I went to a BBQ joint for lunch, the calorie count was written beside the meals. I figured out that three rib bones were about the same calories as one portion of brisket as one portion of pulled pork, and the rest of it depended on the side you got. They gave calorie counts for the sides on a separate page, and for the cornbread muffins. So I could just peruse the menu, do a little math in my head that is not unlike the math you do when going out to lunch with only so much in your wallet, and order like an ordinary person when the waiter came back. For that matter if I'd PLANNED to go to that restaurant (we did a phone search for nearest BBQ to us) I could have looked at the calorie counts on the menus and planned it before I even walked in the door.
To me, this isn't restrictive, because I have a partner who had weight loss surgery and I myself have a fructose intolerance and fiber-triggered IBS. I originally said BBQ because I know from experience he can get a heap of protein and low carbs there, and I can get high protein low sugar without making a fuss. I'm used to having to check out restaurants to make sure we can order there safely. Eating the wrong thing won't kill either of us, but we'll be very miserable for the next 12 hours, and there's better things to do with your time. (grin) And the calorie counts help; I know when I see an average size corn muffin that is 300 calories that that thing is pumped FULL of sugar and fat, and probably I should leave it alone, because diet or no diet, that amount of sugar will make me sick. (Apparently my liver doesn't make the right chemical to handle fructose.)5 -
Hi there guys! I wanted to tell you about something that happened to me the other day at work. I may put it over on our other thread too. It relates to one of the podcasts I listened to awhile back. She also answered a question about this kind of thing on her live one where she was at her 6 day conference in TN.
I was at work the other day and the weather was harsh, raining,lightening and windy. A co worker who sits net to me said she was going to order in from Hungry Howies because of the weather. Keep in mind this co worker and I have a love hate relationship. She asks everyone who wants to order. She came to me and asked, and I said no thank you (#1). She starts placing her order online at her desk and I guess she didn't have enough for delivery. So she asks me again (#2). I again say no thank you. "Oh come on, I don't want to have to order extra food, you sure you don't want a salad or something?" (3#). I told her no again and that I brought my lunch. A few minutes later, " you sure you don't want a sandwich, they are only 500 calories" (#4). I again said no thank you. She then said you are never going to be successful if you don't allow yourself to have a cheat day. I guess I could count that as #5. I then told her politely that I realize what she was saying and that I have been working on a sustainable plan that I can live the rest of my life. I have found out that when I eat things like hungry howies it triggers me to eat more of that type of food and I am choosing not to eat that right now. One day when I want to,I will order with you okay? And she finally backed off. The kicker is when her food came, she brought it over and showed me hers...and said " see what you're missing?" Boy, I wanted to say I see what is going to be on your *kitten* in a few hours like Corinne from pnp would say but I didn't.
The point of my long story is we are going to have our supporters and our haters in this journey. This supportive thread and our monthly check in one have been life savers!
I cant remember which podcast it was but she talks about asking ourselves "Do I want that _insert whatever food here - in my case Hungry Howie sandwich more than I want to lose weight?" If it is a yes, then eat it and it will be ok or no and that is it. And right now I want to lose weight more! On the live podcast a poor women was made to feel like she wasn't supporting her company by not taking a donut...I mean really people(haters), why would you do that but they are out there...She recommended the lady take the donut and go to rest room and throw it out or tell them to "you know what" lol
Anyway, I wish there weren't the haters out there...but this is about me and not them!
Have a great week ya'll!4 -
@mmccloy12 I’m so proud of you!! What an awesome response. Sounds like she is envious that you are exerting self control and was really hoping to break yours to make herself feel better. What a huge win for you but I fear she will be back!!2
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That episode made me think as well! It's so conditioned into me that not finishing a plate of food is rude, particularly with food that someone has brought or made particularly for an occasion, that I felt really bad the other day not having pudding at my mums when it was offered over and over.
I also have issues when I'm eating out, because when we've paid for it, I feel like I need to finish it even if I'm full. My husband cooked dinner yesterday, enough for 6 people and then gets offended that I won't eat seconds. It's embedded in my life and trying to set boundaries is really difficult.2 -
@mmccloy12: I'm really impressed by your ability to deal with that with grace and tranquility. I do that too: Is this something you want more than showing up to Christmas thin? So far the answer has never been yes. (wry grin) Some people get very very threatened by other people showing self-restraint around them. I've seen it with people who drink as well; they're not willing to let up until everyone's drunk, and it's the same sort of thing as what you went through.
@hlr1987: It's hard to unpick that conditioning, but it's so worth it to do so. One reason I had to leave my husband in '16 was because he would not let me lose weight. Because it made him aware that he ought to be losing weight. It will take both of you learning new ways to do things. I often make more than the three of us will eat and put it in the freezer for another day. Can you get him to think about things that way?2 -
@mmccloy12 - I'm sorry you had such a hard time with your co-workers. In addition to the pushiness, the unsolicited diet advice would have put me over the top - I would have told her that today wasn't my cheat day. You dealt with it very well!
I'm lucky that I work with supportive people who respect boundaries and don't push too hard. If anyone's been a food pusher lately, it's been me! I've brought all my leftover Christmas cookies in - enough to put a huge plastic container out two days in a row. Then I brought a large container of leftover cookies and brownies in from my cousin's funeral in and left it in the kitchen. Luckily, a lot of other people also work on my floor, too.
I can think of one time that I refused something that people questioned. We got pizza lunch as a reward for contributing to United Way. (Food as a reward? Don't get me started.) We had just had pizza at a meeting about two weeks before, too. When people asked if I was going to have any, I just said that I brought my lunch and I was looking forward to eating it. Really, all I would have eaten was one slice of pizza - not worth it. Just because it's free doesn't mean I need to eat it!
@hlr1987 - Hmm, I know for my mom's pudding I might have taken a serving and then savored a bite or two. And maybe hope no one noticed I didn't finish it! As for your husband, I've only got a similar idea as @theleadmare. Maybe tell him that you'll pack the leftovers for lunch in the next day or two so you can enjoy it again at that time? And then actually eat the leftovers. (I know some don't like leftovers, but I never mind them and I can't afford to not eat my leftovers.) I know the people closest to us often have the hardest time dealing with the changes we make in our lives, and often resist in ways we do not expect or anticipate.3 -
@theleadmare the main problem was that I'd already planned for the week where that food would go and my lunches are already prepared. My normal reaction would be to use it as a reason why I couldn't eat reasonably that day and go completely crazy for days after as well. He's normally supportive he just didn't think because he was being an idiot. He's always been in tune with his hunger cues, and wanted more so he just made ALL the food and was a bit surprised when I said no, actually this is enough for me.
I'm listening to the most recent episode on arguing to be fat and making notes.
So far my thoughts are- I argue to be fat when there's extra food around because I hate it going to waste. Or when I haven't been able to fit my day into this all or nothing mentality, and done a *kitten* load of exercise or met my macros. It's a lot more comfortable to tell myself that it's pointless to try today, than to say to myself that doing OK is the aim - rather than perfect - because there's not a clear picture of sucess or failure in terms of OK. In the long term, it means that if you take my meal prep away, or if I'm in a situation where every meal is a social event with drinking on holiday, or I can't run, then I've lost my coping mechanism and mentally telling myself I've already failed so go for it, eat and drink everything.2 -
One thing that helps me is that my stomach has shrunk. I CAN'T eat All The Food. Knowing I'll run into that very physical limitation is helpful. It doesn't matter if I pile my plate high, because I have a very limited volume. And I usually do okay with picking things that even if they aren't going to fit my macros, are going to be good food to get me through til the next meal.
Of course, it helps that I like to cook, I like to cook for others, and in my family I am now in the generation that does the work. (As opposed to the generation that hosts and sits back (mom) and the generation that assists and brings the side dishes (sons) ) I always try to make sure that at a potluck or whatever I bring enough food that even if everything else is stuff I can't eat, I'm safe with a serving of my own food. (But I have fructose intolerance, and IBS, and when everything sweet is bathed in commercial caramel sauce or cherry pie filling, and everything savory is based on beans or kale....(sigh))2 -
@mmccloy12 - I'm sorry you had such a hard time with your co-workers. In addition to the pushiness, the unsolicited diet advice would have put me over the top - I would have told her that today wasn't my cheat day. You dealt with it very well!
I'm lucky that I work with supportive people who respect boundaries and don't push too hard. If anyone's been a food pusher lately, it's been me! I've brought all my leftover Christmas cookies in - enough to put a huge plastic container out two days in a row. Then I brought a large container of leftover cookies and brownies in from my cousin's funeral in and left it in the kitchen. Luckily, a lot of other people also work on my floor, too.
I don't consider bringing in food and leaving it being a food pusher!
I also had to get over the "if it's free it's the universe telling me I should eat it" thing. In my first real serious job we had a running joke (all thin 20-somethings) that if the workplace paid it had no calories, and I think there definitely was a tendency to eat like that that I adopted for far too long even though it was never a serious comment, of course.
Thinking about this broader topic of workplace eating, I think having co-workers who noticed what I ate (or commented on it) would be bothersome, whether intended to be supportive or not. (Not saying that's what you were saying, but just where my thoughts went.) I've never been in a situation where co-workers or non family members thought it was okay to comment on my food choices or presume why, and that would make me very uncomfortable (although probably more likely to avoid eating around them, and definitely not likely to eat more.)
I do get "lemurcat, there are donuts (or cake or bagels or whatever) in the breakroom. Better hurry before it's gone!" and I'll say "oh, thanks, I will!" and then ignore it.
My office is mostly people who are reasonably health conscious--or who just do their own thing--and don't get food together unless it's an official workplace lunch (which isn't uncommon, every other Friday). On those workplace lunches there are sometimes easy good choices and sometimes not. I like them for social reasons (although skipping because you are busy is not going to be thought of as weird), but have occasionally brought my own food and if someone asks I'll just say I forgot about the lunch and so brought my food, but wanted to be social (or maybe that the place ordered from is not my favorite, which is certainly sometimes true, no one cares about that either).
One thing that helped me, although I'm sure it would not help everyone, was that I did not talk to anyone at work about trying to lose and most didn't notice until I'd lost a bunch--or at least didn't say anything until then.
I have had it come up where I am eating with someone who likes to justify ordering things by asking if I want to share (or would have some), and I feel bad saying no (and even if I do and she gets it, she keeps offering it). Because it is sometimes something I find tempting I don't like this, but it's my deal, and I've learned it's okay to say no (or that if I say yes -- like at an Indian place getting naan for the table when I had decided not to have it -- that it was a choice I had agency over, I could have chosen not to have it and no one would really have cared).
I stopped drinking years ago, and at first I was convinced people would notice or would be wanting me to drink and mostly that hasn't been the case, so I think that past experience was helpful. I also just do consider it weird and rude for others to comment on what someone (including me) is eating that if it did happen I'd be likely to laugh and not feel like I had to get into it. (Again, it's probably helpful that that is more my social surroundings.)
My family is a little different, but luckily for me not an issue in terms of being food pushers (well, my stepmom is a food pusher and an amazing cook, but cooks super healthfully and is health conscious herself and hasn't been difficult if I eat less of something than she assumes one would, as has happened -- that she's Korean and a little judgy about weight issues is probably one reason she's cool with selecting smaller portions, heh, as she does assume I'm watching my weight but doesn't think ill of it).2 -
Has anyone tried her coffee recipe?
I've heard about putting butter or oil in coffee for a while. Looking at my diet, I realize I don't get a lot of good fat in it. My nails have been really brittle, and my hair and my skin as been really dry. So I've added a teaspoon to my morning coffee for the past few days. I don't ever envision myself going whole hog with her recipe, though the frother would be nice if it helps emulsify the oil. Stirring works well enough for me!
Call me crazy, but my skin has felt less dry the last few days. I don't expect that nails and hair would show an immediate effect, but if it's helping my skin this much I'm optimistic.1 -
@mmdeveau I have not tried it but I looked at that the other day. I listened to one of the podcasts that she talked about it and how important it is to get the good fats. I am sure you have seen the recipe and her products that she likes...the cocoa butter wafers and the MCT. Not in my budget for the MCT oil right now, but I may order the cocoa butter.
Where did you get the oil and did you use the cocoa butter wafers?1 -
@mmdeveau I have not tried it but I looked at that the other day. I listened to one of the podcasts that she talked about it and how important it is to get the good fats. I am sure you have seen the recipe and her products that she likes...the cocoa butter wafers and the MCT. Not in my budget for the MCT oil right now, but I may order the cocoa butter.
Where did you get the oil and did you use the cocoa butter wafers?
I don't think the MCT oil is in the budget for me either! MCT is an acronym for Medium Chain Triglyceride. I studied a lot of chemistry and also nutrition as part of my nursing curriculum and could get pretty technical here, but just know that the easiest place to find food-grade MCTs anywhere is in coconut oil -it's just not as refined as the MCT product; off-the-shelf coconut oil also has long-chain triglycerides. So, I am just putting a teaspoon of coconut oil in my coffee at the moment. I use Trader Joe's Organic Triple Filtered Coconut Oil.
I looked for the cocoa butter wafers at Trader Joe's but didn't find any. I didn't get to check the organic section at my regular grocery store this past week, either. I have a sneaking suspicion Whole Foods will have some but I hate going there for just one thing. And the bag of it she links to on Amazon is just way too big to store if it turns out that I don't like it! I am curious about the taste, though...
Long story, short: I'm happy using one teaspoon of coconut oil in my coffee for now, while I figure out if it's making a difference for me. I like the amount because it doesn't add too many calories to my day. And if I decide not to continue, I would use the coconut oil for other food preparation. I like my coffee (Trader Joe's Barista Blend) well enough that I can drink it black, I'm not one to make a huge fuss over coffee with some kind of elaborate preparation.0 -
I checked into the coffee recipe as well. It is intriguing but it's not in my budget, calorie or otherwise, at the moment! It looked like 260 calories all in. That would also break my fasting period and I need my coffee/tea to get going. That said, I have tried to add in more healthy fats like avocado, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and full fat dressing, which make my salads more yummy and filling.
Coconut oil is amazing! I use it on my skin too and I feel like sometimes it is the only thing that will penetrate dry winter skin.
This week has been a rough one and yesterday I felt so motivated to eat in response to very emotional and stressful day. I relied on the concept she discusses about "revenge" or pity eating and thinking about how eating would not help fix the problem and would just make me feel worse the next day. I did help that I didn't have some fabulous ice cream in the freezer. LOL. But I didn't eat because I was having a bad day and I am glad for it!
I am listening to the podcast to and from work and while making dinner unless my family is around. I feel like I am reprogramming 48 years of bad habits and thoughts. Love it.2 -
@mmdeveau Good to know, thank you! I already have the coconut oil in the pantry! We have a place called Everman's I am going to see if they have the cocoa butter and possibly try it out.
I try to include avocados and grab them when I think about it...I usually have almonds everyday if I have them. But I know I can benefit from more healthy fats. I live in a humid climate so dry skin isn't as much of a problem but I know it will still be beneficial!
@aliciap0116 way to go working through the emotional and stressful day...it is rewarding to get through it and realize that we can break that habit of eating our feelings! I still have some work to do but I feel the same way about the podcasts...I mean some of it isn't rocket science but when she says it, it's like, yeah she is so right! It's like she is in my head
Do you guys remember her talking about sugar in one of her podcasts? She mentioned a book called The Obesity Code...I just downloaded it on Audible...had a free credit. Has anyone read it? The author talks about the intermittent fasting too from reading the intro to it. I sorta do IF in that I rarely eat breakfast, just my coffee...but I do put creamer in it, so technically I am not fasting. But I am curious to see what the book has to say about it and the sugar!0 -
I use coconut oil on my hair, but my own use of fats is just to use them sensibly in cooking; a tablespoon of grapeseed oil in the cast iron skillet to saute meat, or a half-teaspoon of bacon drippings melted over sprouts, or the ounce of heavy cream added to a reduction sauce to finish it.
I know that for myself, my ability to reduce sugar in my diet is underpinned by the use of fat in an intelligent manner. If I cook low fat, I can eat until I hurt and not be sated. With that little bit of cream in the sauce, let us say, I eat my portion, and I am done. Nothing more wanted. And that's what is helping me lose.1 -
I downloaded a sample of the Obesity Code but haven't read it yet. Sugar is evil, though!! I read Sugar Blues in college and was horrified about what it does to your body. But it wasn't mainstream in 1990; I was young, had a great metabolism, and could eat anything. If only I had started this journey 30 years ago!!
@mmccloy12 it's controversial but I have read that eating/drinking less than 50 calories will not cause your digestive/endocrine system to kick in, so you won't break your fast unless you are over that amount. In an ideal world I would start the day with green tea (I love Stash Pomegranate Raspberry) but I find things hard on my stomach without a touch of cream or honey. I tend to do plain chai tea with a few tbps of Califia Almondmilk creamer. I love the hazelnut for a touch of sweet.
@theleadmare smart on the fat. I have been looking to protein for that but your approach completely makes sense.0 -
Has anyone tried her coffee recipe?
I've heard about putting butter or oil in coffee for a while. Looking at my diet, I realize I don't get a lot of good fat in it. My nails have been really brittle, and my hair and my skin as been really dry. So I've added a teaspoon to my morning coffee for the past few days. I don't ever envision myself going whole hog with her recipe, though the frother would be nice if it helps emulsify the oil. Stirring works well enough for me!
Call me crazy, but my skin has felt less dry the last few days. I don't expect that nails and hair would show an immediate effect, but if it's helping my skin this much I'm optimistic.
Oh, is she a bulletproof coffee person?
I won't do that because it doesn't sound good to me and I like my coffee black (and almost calorie free).
I do think healthy fats are important, but I'm never low on them since I like them so much -- I eat half an avocado and a couple of servings of nuts and/or seeds daily, love olives, use olive oil in salad dressings (and a little in cooking, although I'm trying not to rely on it as much), and occasional fatty fish.2 -
theleadmare wrote: »I use coconut oil on my hair, but my own use of fats is just to use them sensibly in cooking; a tablespoon of grapeseed oil in the cast iron skillet to saute meat, or a half-teaspoon of bacon drippings melted over sprouts, or the ounce of heavy cream added to a reduction sauce to finish it.
I love coconut oil in cosmetic (skin and hair) products. I just love the smell and feel of it.
I use it in cooking some and again like the smell.1 -
Re time-restricted eating, I'm not a fan of Fung at all, but heard Dr. Satchin Panda on a podcast -- he wrote The Circadian Code which gives an argument for why TRE could be beneficial. I don't totally know if I buy it -- I do know that working with one's own schedule is important and I lost 90 lbs easily while eating at 6, noon, and 9 or 9:30, so it's certainly not necessary. However, I've been unsatisfied with that schedule for a while (late afternoon is tougher than it used to be), and mostly eating that late ends up causing me to go to bed too late and I made a resolution this year to really work on improving my sleep.
Anyway, related to this I read Panda's book and decided to give TRE a try. He focuses on only a 10-12 hour window for most people, not the shorter ones that are typically used for IF. He also gives reasons why earlier may be better (although again I think natural rhythms and schedules are important). For me, breakfast is important since I really prefer to eat after a workout and I run most mornings, so I decided to try eating between 7 and 5. The exception is when I go out to dinner, but even then I typically finish by 7, since we often go out before seeing a play or the symphony. So on those days I skip breakfast or eat between 9 and 7, depending. I thought not having dinner after I got home on weekdays would be hard, but it's not, and I feel like I have more time and also am finding it easier to get to bed at a reasonable hour and sleep better, so for now I'm going to keep this up.
Although I am doing it and liking it, I really wish that IF wasn't being pushed as something everyone needs to do (as it sometimes seems it is these days). I enjoy the usually common sense advice of the NoMeatAthlete guys, for example (I am not a vegan, but I am actively trying to eat meat less often), but they were also pushing it as something super easy that everyone could do and as if it were the only alternative to eating constantly throughout the day (no matter when my meals are I only eat 3). I think it is possible that for most it's a really easy and doable change, but for a while for me it seemed not possible in that I like breakfast after working out in the morning and could not possibly eat earlier than 9 (maybe 8:30 if everything went well) if I cooked dinner at home, even though I am a fast cook. While I decided to make changes that would work for me, for many thinking they had to give up something like a home cooked dinner would be a huge sacrifice, and my own experience shows it's not actually something that it important to do if the goal is simply health and weight loss.1 -
I think what it comes down to is that everyone's different. I know right off that there's things that I just can't do. Name a food considered healthy, and it probably is either a problem because too much free carbs, too much lactose, too much fructose, or too much fiber, all of which will make me very miserable and often chained to the toilet. Doesn't mean I don't see the point of doing things like eating more leafy greens. (Wish I could)
I think overall we have to try things and see what works. Even calorie counting; I am sure there are people who find budgeting their calories to be triggering, awful, and non-workable. For me, it's the same sort of game I played with my food budget when I was poor; how much good food can I get for the money?
I had fast food tonight. Girlfriend wanted a specific thing after her sleep study was over (she did it in the daytime), Boyfriend also finds that to be a food of indulgence and was using food for comfort, and, well, by the time we would have gotten back I would have been too hungry to eat sensibly. So I checked my calories, had an idea of my budget.... and had ten chicken nuggets and about half a small serving of fries, with water (I gave up soda long ago) and brought my day in under budget without any pain. I was pretty proud of that, in the way I used to be when I caught New York Strips on sale and had room in the freezer.
I'm not going to eat there any more if I don't HAVE to, though. They can go do that together and I'll stay home and make something. If I ate 650 calories of my own cooking I'd be lying on the couch in a happy food coma, too full for anything. This didn't fill me up and didn't satisfy me, and I've had to fend off snacking a couple times before I got home. That's not good food for me. And I'm proud that I can recognize that and say it. And glad that I have a family that will respect it. (And it's nice for the two of them to have a "thing" that's theirs.)1 -
My husband brought home 2 leftover dominos pizzas from school this evening, heated them up in the oven and suggested I just make side salads for dinner. I was happy to make the salads but there was no way I was going to eat left over Dominos. If I have pizza I am going to have amazing pizza and it is going to be hot and fresh! I made an egg omelet instead for myself. Credit to Corrine for not worry about wasting food, hurting feelings or going off track because of someone else’s actions. This is a classic situation where I previously would have rationalized that life intervened and just gone with the flow.
I should add that he said “so you can’t eat pizza now?” To which I responded that I just don’t care for Dominos and if I’m going to have pizza it better be good. He accepted that but I don’t think he was able to enjoy his pizza as much!4 -
@aliciap0116: My girlfriend and boyfriend actually say that they don't like going out for dinner much; they'd rather stay home and eat my cooking. So would I. GOOD pizza is pretty easy to make at home.
Oooo. I wonder if, when we get the new house, my family would go for me putting a wood-fired pizza and bread oven in the back yard? (subsides into foodie ponderings)2 -
Glad you were able to decide to have what you wanted, alicia. I think stuff like that gets easier over time. (I definitely understand how easy it can be to decide "it's just life" and going with the flow, and I also very much understand not wanting to waste cals on a "treat" that's not even a treat.)1
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I had a conversation a while ago about the fact that I wasn't giving up having pastries for breakfast, only recognising that as it wouldn't fill me up for the hours until lunch it wasn't worth eating a stale pastry right now. Good for you @aliciap0116
I have had a very rough plan to build a brick pizza oven in our garden for the last two years @theleadmare, because fresh sourdough pizza is the best thing on the planet (to me) only life keeps getting in the way as usual. Maybe I should make that a motivation this year, and dream about warm weekends again while it rains constantantly here.3 -
I'm just really amazed and proud of myself that in this really stressful time of my life that I'm managing to budget my eating in a way that's good for me. I know that it's only easy because of all the other work that I've done over the years, and all the support I have. Which, today, includes, no one gave me a big bag of candy...because I'm now in a family where we recognize that love is best shown by helping me keep to my diet.3
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