potatoes/potaaatoes..& rice!!

Ok Ive read all the posts and decided to add my two cents.

Ive been watching what I eat for 2 years. Obviously by my ticker Ive lost weight. Im a vegetarian that eats fish so technically Im a pescatarian. So a lot of what I eat is wheat and I laugh at the whole wheat belly thing. Im sorry but thats just another one of the cry wolf things going around right now. Also I eat the heck out of potatoes. I love them. Ive been eating at least one a day for my whole diet. Now Im on a sweet potato kick so I am eating one of those a day with omg butter! No I havent gained and I still weigh the same. What Im trying to say is if it makes you happy eat it. Why should you make yourself miserable because someone told you it was bad? We all eat bad stuff I love ice cream and eat that. Also I have a whole cabinet of candy that I eat also. Enjoy yourself life is too short to be miserable!

I think we're now not supposed to be enjoying our food. Everything that brings you joy is off-limits on many of the blogs and sites that I've run across lately... bread, milk, cheese, most fruits, some vegetables, all sweeteners, white foods. :grumble: I wish I could remember the exact wording or the site, but basically the most recent said you should have no feelings about your food and you should eat things that you don't like anyway because it's fuel, not a source of pleasure. (I would have a STRONG feeling about my food then, and not in a good way! LOL)

I guess we're all getting different things out of this thread and what we're reading.

I don't think we're not supposed to enjoy food. I've never read that here. I find really paying attention to food and eating food I love makes me eat less because it satisfies that deep desire for positive sensation which is part of why I eat. I am more satisfied with a little fantastic food and unhappy when I ate lousy or mediocre food.

Despite how people (mis)read what I said earlier. I don't think we should stop eating any type of food. I certainly haven't. I said (and believe) that your body reacts to different foods differently and you should be aware of that so that you can balance your choices. And I don't think the word 'refined' means 'bad'. I definitely don't say that as someone who bakes bread, cakes, cookies, and scones several days a week. I simply said - and believe - that those foods should be eaten with moderation. If you eat them with fiber (potato skins as well as flesh, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables) your body will react to them better. I don't think that's controversial.

If it were that hard to eat, we wouldn't have survived as a species. If there was something wrong with eating bread, potatoes, pasta, or rice there wouldn't be national cuisines based on those staples. I think that one of the reason wealthier nations have a problem with obesity is that these foods are really available and we eat relatively more of those types of foods and relatively less of other types of foods. And we don't have to exercise as much as a normal part of our daily lives so many of us don't. I didn't think that was a controversial statement either.

Some food gets a bad reputation.

Potatoes? I imagine when many people eat them, they load on sour cream, butter, bacon, cheese and turn a potato into more calories than one needs in a single meal let alone a side.

Rice? Love it, though I'm not sure there is much nutritional value in it.

Bread? Same as rice.

All in moderation.

As I said - "Your body is chemistry - think of it as a giant chemistry experiment - you have to find the best chemistry for you. What works for one doesn't work for another."

This is from my own personal experience. It's a matter of reading and educating yourself. And trust me - I've read a lot more than the books posted - low carb - ketogenic - Alzheimer's - organic - GMO education - there's a lot of information out there. Those books were listed because they are easy to understand starting points. Not listening to a doctor (who has little to no nutritional training) - not listening to a trainer (unless they have nutritional training) - not listening to your family (unless perhaps they are a chiropractor - who have a lot of nutritional training - which I am lucky enough to have). But educating yourself. Determining what works for you and your body.

Low carb is working for me. I'm just starting - but it's working - and working quickly. Counting calories and working out didn't. The Formula or The Zone (40/30/30 plans) and working out didn't work. Low carb and working out - working - 5 pounds in week one. Yes - some of that is water weight. Time will tell. But beyond my experience - there is experience around me to make me see that low carb could be a very feasible solution.

Low carb has kept my husband off insulin (even when all 3 siblings, his Mom and two cousins are insulin dependent diabetics). He was diagnosed as pre-diabetic a number of years ago - and has totally reversed that with low carb eating. His historical bloodwork proves that low carb is working for him. Our doctor doesn't like his methods - but loves the results. Blood chemistry doesn't lie - does it?

My niece (the chiropractor) wrote a low carb - lean protein - good fat diet for use by my husband's siblings, Mom and cousins. His sister took it to her doctor for approval before she started using it. His response - if you can stick to it - this is great - you'll be off insulin in 6 months. OFF INSULIN. And she lost 5 pounds in the first two weeks.

Low carb worked for a co-worker - who lost 50 pounds in the past year - even though she's over 60 years old.

Low carb worked for a co-worker of my husband - whose doctor was very impressed with his blood work - until he found out he was eating low carb - the blood chemistry proved it was working - but the doctor still is of the low fat high carb mindset - and fat makes you fat.

My Mom ate low fat high carb for years - even though it never lowered her cholesterol - and is now in a memory care unit - her dementia to a point she no longer knows who I am. I believe her lack of fat contributed to that since no one else in her family has or has had Alzheimer's.

My anecdotal stories may not be scientific - but they're enough for me to try something outside the norms - rather than listening to a doctor who loves my husband's blood chemistry results - and weight loss - but isn't too fond of the methods. We are getting him to research a bit more though. We'll see what he concludes over time.

Everyone needs to educate themselves and see what works for them.

And please - don't judge others because what works for them doesn't work for you. Be happy for them that they're making progress to a healthier weight.

Bloodwork doesn't lie - and IN MY OPINION - that's the key.