My Success story, and advice for weight loss

mswoodsy

I feel really healthy, but a healthy calorie is still a calorie.

I think the important message here is that those of us who are trying to lose weight are eating less calories. Because of that, we need to make sure those calories go toward healthier ends. Empty calories are a waste of calories. For those that want to be healthy (which I think we can all agree is more than just being thin) this needs to be taken into account.

That being said I love hot wings. I will be blowing 800 of my 1200 calories on hot wings at some point this weekend.

It will be glorious.

hahaha i love this lol

Need2Exerc1se

So in before this goes bad.....lol!!

I heart Junk food ( I learned moderation so haven't eliminated anything from my diet ;-)

I haven't stopped eating anything either. So I guess the 31lbs I've lost aren't real. Boohoo.

Ok, hopefully i can respond to this without it turning into a big thing.
Obviously you lost 31lbs, how much of that is pure body fat, who knows....

let me break it down for you this way;

unfortunately most of us on here are or have been overweight. and we all know that different things work for different people. yes, you can eat junk food and lose weight. you can also starve yourself or take pills to lose weight. that doesn't make you HEALTHY.

lets say we have a bunch of people, all the same age/height/ideal weight who are all equally active. we split those people into two groups. One group eats only raw and natural foods. the other eats processed foods and swaps out some of their veggies for chips, water for pop, or yogurt for ice cream on a daily basis.

after a year we check on these people...
you seriously dont think you'd see a difference in those two groups? in muscle tone, body fat %? in their skin, hair, nails, teeth? in their arteries, bones, hearts, eyes, kidneys? in their blood pressure, blood sugar, digestive system? you dont think either group would be at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc...? even just a small difference?

ok now go 2 years, you dont think everything would continue to get worse? and worse every year after that....?

and if you don't care about any of these things then youre on this site to be skinny, NOT HEALTHY. there is a huge difference.


seriously feel free to debate, i wont get offended! these are honest questions, i am in no way a professional...

With no other information than what you provided, I think it could go either way. Raw and natural doesn't guarantee balance. And, other lifestyle choices would be important. Exercise and stress management also very important to health.

socialone74

Wow!! You are awesome and congrats on the weight loss!! Even more impressive is the time you have kept it off.

What is not impressive are the negative responses you have received… Thank you for posting I appreciate it!

For the negative posters…. You are free to start your own threads about your own weight loss experiences and beliefs

squatsanddeadlift

Wow!! You are awesome and congrats on the weight loss!! Even more impressive is the time you have kept it off.

What is not impressive are the negative responses you have received… Thank you for posting I appreciate it!

For the negative posters…. You are free to start your own threads about your own weight loss experiences and beliefs

When does different beliefs and opinions = negative posters

The OP is a big girl. If she wants to post on a public forum more power to her, respect that others will have varying opinions in response

jc_0324

I pretty much agree with the OP. But, I will say that eating organic healthy foods can make you fat. Fat can make you fat. I live on a farm. 90% (at least) of the fruit an vegetables I eat are organic home-grown. Most of the meat I eat is wild game or home raised chickens.

I still got fat. These homegrown foods are delicious and healthy, but they still have calories.

Or maybe it was the beer and wine.

Or perhapse grains?

OP, you don't eat any grains?

SLHysell

You can't out exercise a bad diet, and until you get your eating under control you will never be successful!!

THIS!!

Exercise is important for so many reasons, but if you eat badly you'll cancel out all the good you did from your exercising!

Thank you for sharing all your advice and congrats on your weight loss!

Amen! It took me a year of long distance jogging on a 200lb frame...and two knee injuries, to finally come to terms with that.

jeffpettis

I pretty much agree with the OP. But, I will say that eating organic healthy foods can make you fat. Fat can make you fat. I live on a farm. 90% (at least) of the fruit an vegetables I eat are organic home-grown. Most of the meat I eat is wild game or home raised chickens.

I still got fat. These homegrown foods are delicious and healthy, but they still have calories.

Or maybe it was the beer and wine.

Or perhapse grains?

Grains? I don't really eat a lot of grains, mostly because I don't grow them. But why would grains make me fat more than other foods?

They won't...

Just like carbs and sugar don't "make" you fat, excess calories make you fat. ANYTHING will make you fat if you eat too much of it ,but no food in and of itself will make you fat, just a calorie surplus...

mswoodsy

So in before this goes bad.....lol!!

I heart Junk food ( I learned moderation so haven't eliminated anything from my diet ;-)

I haven't stopped eating anything either. So I guess the 31lbs I've lost aren't real. Boohoo.

Ok, hopefully i can respond to this without it turning into a big thing.
Obviously you lost 31lbs, how much of that is pure body fat, who knows....

let me break it down for you this way;

unfortunately most of us on here are or have been overweight. and we all know that different things work for different people. yes, you can eat junk food and lose weight. you can also starve yourself or take pills to lose weight. that doesn't make you HEALTHY.

lets say we have a bunch of people, all the same age/height/ideal weight who are all equally active. we split those people into two groups. One group eats only raw and natural foods. the other eats processed foods and swaps out some of their veggies for chips, water for pop, or yogurt for ice cream on a daily basis.

after a year we check on these people...
you seriously dont think you'd see a difference in those two groups? in muscle tone, body fat %? in their skin, hair, nails, teeth? in their arteries, bones, hearts, eyes, kidneys? in their blood pressure, blood sugar, digestive system? you dont think either group would be at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc...? even just a small difference?

ok now go 2 years, you dont think everything would continue to get worse? and worse every year after that....?

and if you don't care about any of these things then youre on this site to be skinny, NOT HEALTHY. there is a huge difference.


seriously feel free to debate, i wont get offended! these are honest questions, i am in no way a professional...

With no other information than what you provided, I think it could go either way. Raw and natural doesn't guarantee balance. And, other lifestyle choices would be important. Exercise and stress management also very important to health.

all excellent points. i tried to make it pretty simple on purpose so everyone could understand it easily lol i did say they're all equally active but i certainly agree with stress management playing a big roll. For the sake of THIS specific debate; lets say instead of two groups its just two individuals who are basically the exact same person (habits and all) with the exception of how they eat....

honestly there is probably no black and white answer. everyones different. i just personally think that the one who eats healthier would, in turn, be healthier.

Asherah29

I'm going to go home, eat my horrible, processed cinnamon roll (with caramel and pecans) and laugh and laugh and laugh

Sabine_Stroehm

I'm going to go home, eat my honorably processed cinnamon roll (with caramel and pecans) and laugh and laugh and laugh

Thanks for sharing?:indifferent:

Asherah29

I'm going to go home, eat my honorably processed cinnamon roll (with caramel and pecans) and laugh and laugh and laugh

Thanks for sharing?:indifferent:

Why you're welcome - though I'm not sure why horrible auto correct to honorable... must be a most excellent cinnamon roll

Sabine_Stroehm

I'm going to go home, eat my honorably processed cinnamon roll (with caramel and pecans) and laugh and laugh and laugh

Thanks for sharing?:indifferent:

Why you're welcome - though I'm not sure why horrible auto correct to honorable... must be a most excellent cinnamon roll

these are the mysteries.

Jesstruhan

Great job!! I need to STICK to these rules. I keep tripping on my cravings for chocolate. No good!.

Jesstruhan

Science says organic food has no additional nutritive benefits.

http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1355685

Conclusion: The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods. Consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

I think it's important not to misrepresent or summarize science. Unless you understand the findings, maybe don't suggest they are, or are not, one thing or another.

This also doesn't indicate the environmental impact and residual community healthy around conventional vs. organic farms, or the specific intake or digestibility of organic vs. Conventional.

BombshellPhoenix

Great job!! I need to STICK to these rules. I keep tripping on my cravings for chocolate. No good!.

You could spend your life continuing to call your desire for a particular food "tripping" or you could accept that these things are still okay in moderation and that health is in terms of an entire diet and not individual foods.

jazzie_red

I could never live a life where I couldn't have stuff I love.

THAT being said, over the big picture I am not eating junk like I used to.

I have had one ice cream bar this week. Better than the half gallon I was eating every night.... So for me, it is about moderation and not denial.

I agree with a lot of the posters, a one size fits all model just doesn't cut it.

kgeyser

So in before this goes bad.....lol!!

I heart Junk food ( I learned moderation so haven't eliminated anything from my diet ;-)

I haven't stopped eating anything either. So I guess the 31lbs I've lost aren't real. Boohoo.

Ok, hopefully i can respond to this without it turning into a big thing.
Obviously you lost 31lbs, how much of that is pure body fat, who knows....

let me break it down for you this way;

unfortunately most of us on here are or have been overweight. and we all know that different things work for different people. yes, you can eat junk food and lose weight. you can also starve yourself or take pills to lose weight. that doesn't make you HEALTHY.

lets say we have a bunch of people, all the same age/height/ideal weight who are all equally active. we split those people into two groups. One group eats only raw and natural foods. the other eats processed foods and swaps out some of their veggies for chips, water for pop, or yogurt for ice cream on a daily basis.

after a year we check on these people...
you seriously dont think you'd see a difference in those two groups? in muscle tone, body fat %? in their skin, hair, nails, teeth? in their arteries, bones, hearts, eyes, kidneys? in their blood pressure, blood sugar, digestive system? you dont think either group would be at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc...? even just a small difference?

ok now go 2 years, you dont think everything would continue to get worse? and worse every year after that....?

and if you don't care about any of these things then youre on this site to be skinny, NOT HEALTHY. there is a huge difference.


seriously feel free to debate, i wont get offended! these are honest questions, i am in no way a professional...

With no other information than what you provided, I think it could go either way. Raw and natural doesn't guarantee balance. And, other lifestyle choices would be important. Exercise and stress management also very important to health.

all excellent points. i tried to make it pretty simple on purpose so everyone could understand it easily lol i did say they're all equally active but i certainly agree with stress management playing a big roll. For the sake of THIS specific debate; lets say instead of two groups its just two individuals who are basically the exact same person (habits and all) with the exception of how they eat....

honestly there is probably no black and white answer. everyones different. i just personally think that the one who eats healthier would, in turn, be healthier.

In trying to make it simple, you created a false dichotomy. Eating all raw and natural doesn't guarantee that you'll hit your macros and micros properly. Eating processed foods and having treats every day does not mean you are unable to hit your macros and micros properly. And frankly, very few people fit completely into either one of those groups.

Eating a salad isn't going to make you healthier if the rest of your diet is unbalanced. Eating a serving of ice cream after a day full of meat, veggies, and fruit isn't going to make you unhealthy. Everyone finds their own method of moderation. You obviously choose frequency, and if that works for you, great. Other people may choose quantity, and if that works for them, great.

The other issue is that you talk about physical differences as a standard for health that are impacted by factors that go well beyond diet. Eating healthy foods doesn't guarantee muscle definition and low body fat - that is a result of calorie intake and exercise. Heart rate will be impacted by activity level. Blood pressure can be impacted by diet as well as genetics. Blood sugar/insulin can be impacted by family history, age, ethnic background, stress levels, and a host of other factors including diet. Those are just a few examples. As you said, there is no black and white answer, so declaring that there are certain rules that everyone absolutely has to follow in order to be healthy (no junk food, etc) is not seeing the forest for the trees.

NK1112

Science says organic food has no additional nutritive benefits.

http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1355685

True ... it has no additional nutritive benefits ... but that's not why we choose organic when we can.

Thanks for posting your insight because it gave me an opportunity to put me 2-cents in ...:smooched:

WildcatDeLalune

Bump.

Need2Exerc1se

Science says organic food has no additional nutritive benefits.

http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1355685

True ... it has no additional nutritive benefits ... but that's not why we choose organic when we can.

Thanks for posting your insight because it gave me an opportunity to put me 2-cents in ...:smooched:

Organic Foods May Be Healthier, Review Finds

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_147318.html