How it's done, tips from me to you
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SHBoss1673
Posts: 7,161 Member
this will be loooong, bear with me. I encourage other sucess stories (Tam, FC, Kerri...et all) to give their stories or tips as well.
I wanted to write a post on some of the combined knowledge that we have learned by being on MFP. Becoming healthy isn't easy for most of us. And along the way we hear rumors, myths, and plain lies about how to lose weight. We so desparately want to lose that we listen to almost any crazy, extreme, and odd diet around, usually having limited or initial sucess followed by long term failure, and sometimes permenant medical conditions.
So with that said, here's my little diatribe on how to think about the notion of becoming healthy.
This is all my opinion, take it for what it's worth, but know that I have done extensive research on the subject of the carbohydrate metabolism, weight loss, cardio and weight training exercise, and nutrition. That doesn't mean I'm THE expert on any of it. It just means I have facts, clinical trials, and empirical evidence to back up my prepositions.
First thing you need to focus on when you are attempting to lose weight and become more healthy is your attitude. Asking yourself WHY you are overweight is far more important than people think. Many many people bury their emotions and use food as a crutch. Until you solve your emotional issues, you will NEVER EVER be able to consistantly stay at a healthy weight. Losing weight without finding out why is like treating the infection from an open wound, without ever closing up the wound itself. You don't need to solve all these underlying issues (although that would obviously help), but you do need to recognize them and see them for what they are. A key way to help do this is to carry a diary. Every time you eat, write down what you are thinking about. It doesn't matter if it's food related or not, you can figure that stuff out later.
Second thing to focus on is where you are with regards to weight. Are you morbidly obese, obese, overweight, a healthy weight, or underweight. Each of these areas has a different requirement for calories in vs calories out as well as types, amount, and levels of activity (I.E. cardio, weight training, intervals, isometrics, plyometrics...etc). Once you figure out where you are, you can find out (either by asking people on here, or seeing a CERTIFIED personal trainer) what you need to be doing in order to get where you want to be. So many people on here try to eat less then they should. There are some very good posts on here about exercise calories and the metabolism. You should make sure you have a thorough understanding of where your body's internal chemistry is before you start trying to do any caloric deficit stuff. Go to the main message page and look at the Sticky notes at the top of the General topic, read those posts, they will really help you have a better understanding of all this.
Third thing to focus on is your nutrition. Calories in vs Calories out is great, it's a start. But really, eating the right amount of calories is 1/2 the battle. if you eat the right amount of calories every day but it's in Twinkies, well... guess what, you aren't making it very easy on yourself, and you'll probably fail. The nutrition pyramid WORKS people. No need for nutrient restrictive diets, or some weird detox to get your body healthy, eating a good, balanced healthy diet, slightly taylored to a deficit, works just fine.
Fourth thing (and I find this vital). Don't expect miracles! You don't drop 50 lbs in 3 months normally. And no, pills won't do it either. Until they find a pill that allows you to store undigested calories, boost your metabolism, and stimulate muscle growth while blocking fat absorbtion with no side effects and can be taken for life, then a pill isn't the answer. Be sure to check your facts. If a pill claims something like this, look for clinical trials by 3rd party groups, look for empirical evidence by government sponsored trials, and look for FDA (in the US) approval, if they have none of it, toss the pill, it's a scam.
Fifth thing, do your research. There are a TON of great sites out there that have lots of good info. Before you decide on an approach, see what the facts are. Some great basic sites are the following.
WebMD : http://www.webmd.com
the presidents fitness pages : http://www.fitness.gov/
the Mayo Clinic : http://www.mayoclinic.com
and for those who can read medical documentation
new england Journal of Medicine (pay) : http://content.nejm.org/
American journal of clinical nutrition : http://www.ajcn.org/
I hope this helps some people. Best luck to you all.
-Banks
I wanted to write a post on some of the combined knowledge that we have learned by being on MFP. Becoming healthy isn't easy for most of us. And along the way we hear rumors, myths, and plain lies about how to lose weight. We so desparately want to lose that we listen to almost any crazy, extreme, and odd diet around, usually having limited or initial sucess followed by long term failure, and sometimes permenant medical conditions.
So with that said, here's my little diatribe on how to think about the notion of becoming healthy.
This is all my opinion, take it for what it's worth, but know that I have done extensive research on the subject of the carbohydrate metabolism, weight loss, cardio and weight training exercise, and nutrition. That doesn't mean I'm THE expert on any of it. It just means I have facts, clinical trials, and empirical evidence to back up my prepositions.
First thing you need to focus on when you are attempting to lose weight and become more healthy is your attitude. Asking yourself WHY you are overweight is far more important than people think. Many many people bury their emotions and use food as a crutch. Until you solve your emotional issues, you will NEVER EVER be able to consistantly stay at a healthy weight. Losing weight without finding out why is like treating the infection from an open wound, without ever closing up the wound itself. You don't need to solve all these underlying issues (although that would obviously help), but you do need to recognize them and see them for what they are. A key way to help do this is to carry a diary. Every time you eat, write down what you are thinking about. It doesn't matter if it's food related or not, you can figure that stuff out later.
Second thing to focus on is where you are with regards to weight. Are you morbidly obese, obese, overweight, a healthy weight, or underweight. Each of these areas has a different requirement for calories in vs calories out as well as types, amount, and levels of activity (I.E. cardio, weight training, intervals, isometrics, plyometrics...etc). Once you figure out where you are, you can find out (either by asking people on here, or seeing a CERTIFIED personal trainer) what you need to be doing in order to get where you want to be. So many people on here try to eat less then they should. There are some very good posts on here about exercise calories and the metabolism. You should make sure you have a thorough understanding of where your body's internal chemistry is before you start trying to do any caloric deficit stuff. Go to the main message page and look at the Sticky notes at the top of the General topic, read those posts, they will really help you have a better understanding of all this.
Third thing to focus on is your nutrition. Calories in vs Calories out is great, it's a start. But really, eating the right amount of calories is 1/2 the battle. if you eat the right amount of calories every day but it's in Twinkies, well... guess what, you aren't making it very easy on yourself, and you'll probably fail. The nutrition pyramid WORKS people. No need for nutrient restrictive diets, or some weird detox to get your body healthy, eating a good, balanced healthy diet, slightly taylored to a deficit, works just fine.
Fourth thing (and I find this vital). Don't expect miracles! You don't drop 50 lbs in 3 months normally. And no, pills won't do it either. Until they find a pill that allows you to store undigested calories, boost your metabolism, and stimulate muscle growth while blocking fat absorbtion with no side effects and can be taken for life, then a pill isn't the answer. Be sure to check your facts. If a pill claims something like this, look for clinical trials by 3rd party groups, look for empirical evidence by government sponsored trials, and look for FDA (in the US) approval, if they have none of it, toss the pill, it's a scam.
Fifth thing, do your research. There are a TON of great sites out there that have lots of good info. Before you decide on an approach, see what the facts are. Some great basic sites are the following.
WebMD : http://www.webmd.com
the presidents fitness pages : http://www.fitness.gov/
the Mayo Clinic : http://www.mayoclinic.com
and for those who can read medical documentation
new england Journal of Medicine (pay) : http://content.nejm.org/
American journal of clinical nutrition : http://www.ajcn.org/
I hope this helps some people. Best luck to you all.
-Banks
0
Replies
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this will be loooong, bear with me. I encourage other sucess stories (Tam, FC, Kerri...et all) to give their stories or tips as well.
I wanted to write a post on some of the combined knowledge that we have learned by being on MFP. Becoming healthy isn't easy for most of us. And along the way we hear rumors, myths, and plain lies about how to lose weight. We so desparately want to lose that we listen to almost any crazy, extreme, and odd diet around, usually having limited or initial sucess followed by long term failure, and sometimes permenant medical conditions.
So with that said, here's my little diatribe on how to think about the notion of becoming healthy.
This is all my opinion, take it for what it's worth, but know that I have done extensive research on the subject of the carbohydrate metabolism, weight loss, cardio and weight training exercise, and nutrition. That doesn't mean I'm THE expert on any of it. It just means I have facts, clinical trials, and empirical evidence to back up my prepositions.
First thing you need to focus on when you are attempting to lose weight and become more healthy is your attitude. Asking yourself WHY you are overweight is far more important than people think. Many many people bury their emotions and use food as a crutch. Until you solve your emotional issues, you will NEVER EVER be able to consistantly stay at a healthy weight. Losing weight without finding out why is like treating the infection from an open wound, without ever closing up the wound itself. You don't need to solve all these underlying issues (although that would obviously help), but you do need to recognize them and see them for what they are. A key way to help do this is to carry a diary. Every time you eat, write down what you are thinking about. It doesn't matter if it's food related or not, you can figure that stuff out later.
Second thing to focus on is where you are with regards to weight. Are you morbidly obese, obese, overweight, a healthy weight, or underweight. Each of these areas has a different requirement for calories in vs calories out as well as types, amount, and levels of activity (I.E. cardio, weight training, intervals, isometrics, plyometrics...etc). Once you figure out where you are, you can find out (either by asking people on here, or seeing a CERTIFIED personal trainer) what you need to be doing in order to get where you want to be. So many people on here try to eat less then they should. There are some very good posts on here about exercise calories and the metabolism. You should make sure you have a thorough understanding of where your body's internal chemistry is before you start trying to do any caloric deficit stuff. Go to the main message page and look at the Sticky notes at the top of the General topic, read those posts, they will really help you have a better understanding of all this.
Third thing to focus on is your nutrition. Calories in vs Calories out is great, it's a start. But really, eating the right amount of calories is 1/2 the battle. if you eat the right amount of calories every day but it's in Twinkies, well... guess what, you aren't making it very easy on yourself, and you'll probably fail. The nutrition pyramid WORKS people. No need for nutrient restrictive diets, or some weird detox to get your body healthy, eating a good, balanced healthy diet, slightly taylored to a deficit, works just fine.
Fourth thing (and I find this vital). Don't expect miracles! You don't drop 50 lbs in 3 months normally. And no, pills won't do it either. Until they find a pill that allows you to store undigested calories, boost your metabolism, and stimulate muscle growth while blocking fat absorbtion with no side effects and can be taken for life, then a pill isn't the answer. Be sure to check your facts. If a pill claims something like this, look for clinical trials by 3rd party groups, look for empirical evidence by government sponsored trials, and look for FDA (in the US) approval, if they have none of it, toss the pill, it's a scam.
Fifth thing, do your research. There are a TON of great sites out there that have lots of good info. Before you decide on an approach, see what the facts are. Some great basic sites are the following.
WebMD : http://www.webmd.com
the presidents fitness pages : http://www.fitness.gov/
the Mayo Clinic : http://www.mayoclinic.com
and for those who can read medical documentation
new england Journal of Medicine (pay) : http://content.nejm.org/
American journal of clinical nutrition : http://www.ajcn.org/
I hope this helps some people. Best luck to you all.
-Banks0 -
Too much for me to read
But great thread Mista.0 -
Great post. Thanks for taking the time to type it out. I really liked the first part you talk about before the physical part of exercise and nutrition, deal with the why/psychological first. Tks for sharing your insights, and motivation. Hope lots on MFP will take the time to read this very important post and tks for the other related sites. Will check them out in the future. :happy: :happy: Wish you the best.0
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:flowerforyou: I don't post often here, but I do read posts every day, and I just wanted to say thank you. This was staright to the point, and a good read. Not to mention to take the time to just sit and write it means a lot! So that being said... Thanks!
**Cheree**0 -
Great post. and GO RED SOX!
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Thanks a lot... You really care for us... That means so much to me.. thanks.. I will take your advice.0
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You're welcome guys. My pleasure. I type fast (which accounts for the grammer issues, sorry for that) so it wasn't all that bad. My heart breaks a little tiny bit every time I read someone posting about eating too few calories, or taking a pill and hoping realllllly hard it will work, or other stuff. I'm just not the kind of person to just sit around and hope people "get it" eventually.0 -
I'm touched to have been included in you "et. al" Boss.
It was an excellent post, it will point users in the right direction. This really is all about changing the way you think. I do have some more specific tips to add. Idea and tricks that have helped me along the way. Here goes:
1. Having a "cheat day" doesn't work. If you plan your week to lose 1 pound, and grant yourself Saturday as a cheat day, you're going to blow your entire week, I promise you. Now, there is a difference between allowing yourself a "treat" and having a "cheat day". When I first started here, I allowed myself a 100 cal chocolate bar and a diet soda every saturday. I got my pop and chocolate fix for just 100 calories. Eventually I stopped craving the fix. The point is, a treat can fit neatly into your day, a cheat day may completely sabatoge your goals.
2. Water is important but it won't make you lose weight. I've read A LOT on these boards, where people ask "I can't drink 8 glasses of water a day, so I havn't lost any weight!" well no, that's not true. For starters just like anything else, your body will get used to drinking that much water if you want it to. But that's not really th point. For me, the point of drinking water (and I will note, that is ALL I drink) is that it effectively replaces high calorie drinks that used to be my choices. Thus, I'm saved from 500-1000 drink calories that I used to be consuming. Water is great for your body, don't get me wrong, but it won't MAKE you lose weight, nor are 8 glasses neccessary for everyone to ensure hydration.
3. Don't let yourself go hungry. If you're constantly starving, especially in the beginning, this is going to be REALLY hard to stick with. DO yourself a favour and let yourself EAT. A big leafy salad with light dressing has next to no calories and tons of nutrients, not to mention the bulk will really fill you up. My trick was always cucumber slices. For very few calories you can eat a WHOLE lot of cucumber, believe me.
4. If you're one of those people that find it hard to eat 1200 calories in a day (because you're too full) there's very clearly a problem. It is really likely that you're ignoring certain food groups (usually grains and/or dairy are the ones I notice). This entire journey is about HEALTH, not seeing who can eat the most vegetables (and nothing else). Nobody got overweight by eating that way, so I know you've all got it in you to eat at least 1200 cals in a day.
5. Moderation. This has been a key factor in my own ability to stick with this. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but if you ask me, chicken breasts and ground turkey, while great choices, get really. really. really. boring! I eat everything. I eat hamburger, steak, pork, chicken (all cuts), fish (all types), seafoods, turkey, bacon (that's pork bacon) and anything else I feel like. Thing is I stick to portion sizes. I don't go eating a 16-oz steak and I never eat more than 2 or 3 slices of bacon. Eat what you like, just eat it in moderation. Nothing is good for you if you eat it ALL the time right?
6. (and this is a biggie) GET OFF THE SCALE. It drives me nuts to read about you guys in tears, ripping your hair out because the scale says you gained 2 lbs between yesterday and today. Yes, weight fluctuates, so why are you weighing yourself everyday? There is truly NO point to this and it is actually very destructive to the entire process. "I've gained 2 lbs even though I've been trying so hard... I may as well just give up!" You see my point?
and lastly 7. None of the big losers on this website lost their weight in a few weeks, or even a few months. I've been here almost a year, I know that Tam has been here for almost a year and a half. It takes time guys. Even if you only have 10 or so to lose, be prepared for it to take a year or so. The smaller you are, the more slowly you can expect to lose weight. For many that will mean a lb or so a MONTH. Being impatient is your own worst enemy.
Good luck all :flowerforyou:0 -
I think having a "reward meal" is fine... an entire day is so hard for me to do.
You can still eat the things you love but in MODERATION.0 -
Is it possible to be in love with more then one person? I REALLY love my wife. But after Kerri's post, I think now I love her too
(LOL, just kidding Kerri, I'm not a stalker, don't worry. But that post was AWESOME!)0 -
Is it possible to be in love with more then one person? I REALLY love my wife. But after Kerri's post, I think now I love her too
(LOL, just kidding Kerri, I'm not a stalker, don't worry. But that post was AWESOME!)
:smooched: :laugh: haha thanks Boss, I learned from the best :blushing:0 -
Thank you to both of you. :flowerforyou: Good stuff for my brain today. I've been kind of feeling that February blah about my New Year's Resolution stuff. Your posts fired me back up.0
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thanks for all that work evn typing fast it is work...
do you follow the ratios here i.e. carbs/protein?
I find the carbs high for me and I am not an Atkins guy or anything but the protein seems low ( I do weights 4-5 times a week) you?0 -
thanks for all that work evn typing fast it is work...
do you follow the ratios here i.e. carbs/protein?
I find the carbs high for me and I am not an Atkins guy or anything but the protein seems low ( I do weights 4-5 times a week) you?
I find it low too. I follow the 45/30/25 rule. Actually im at 45 (carbs)/29 (protein)/26 (fats).
I don't become overly concerned with higher proteins unless you keep them in the 35% and up range for a long time. If you aren't using the extra protein, it can build up in the kidneys and you can develop stones, that's an ugly business, and dangerous. Also too much protein over an extended period can have a leeching effect on calcium in your bones. Make sure you have enough dairy and sun exposure if you're on a high protein diet. The body uses chemical processes to break down protein, and one of the chemicals it needs for this is calcium.0 -
I can't find the "sticky notes" you spoke of?????????????0
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Thank you both for the great posts. All good things to keep in mind, especially when I start to get impatient!0
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I can't find the "sticky notes" you spoke of?????????????
Go to the Message Boards link in the community tab, then click the "General Diet and Weight loss" topic
those first 4 links with the little mouse trap icons on the left are all sticky and stay there. 2 of them are for Forum technical and rules info, the other two are (somewhat redundant) for what I was talking about.0 -
Thanks for the info--it was a great follow up to some of yesterday's posts about saving calories, body chemistry etc.
You both make great, unique points. So, thanks for taking the time to share your success, your knowledge, and your support.
Enjoy your day all! 0 -
Banks and Kerri- Thank you both so much for the GREAT info!!!:flowerforyou: I especially like Kerri's points about being patient for our weight loss. None of us gained our weight in a few months. Also, I hate thinking of all of this as a DIET. This is a lifestyle. You can't think of this as a short-term restriction, then going back to your bad habits once you've reached your goal. Good choices, portion control, and fitness must become our lives. This is what I've learned from reading posts from MFP's successes.
So, thank you all for giving me the tools and motivation to really face my habits and issues! 0 -
Totally agree with both posts!! Thanks guys!0
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