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Jack Lalanne's Advice

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  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    filbo132 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    filbo132 wrote: »
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    filbo132 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    filbo132 wrote: »
    Now I am IIFYM kind of guy, so naturally I am not following Jack Lalanne's advice (I do eat unprocessed foods at times), but I feel it would be harsh criticizing him either. I mean he came from an era where mfp didn't exist. It was hard to track calories than it is today. So I get it why he said those things, with limited tools, he decided to play safe and advised people to stay away from them. I do understand also his point of kind of eating unprocessed foods and his diet meal plan was plain and simple. Honestly, I can't *kitten* on his advice, because it's still some good advice he gave for the time he was living in and I feel it's harsh criticizing him now with the knowledge we have nowadays. He made lifting cool at a time that it wasn't. So although I don't live the lifestyle he suggests, overall, I think he did more good than bad when it comes to health and fitness. Not saying he was always right, but you gotta give him credit, he lived healthy up to 96 years old and his wife is still alive if I am not mistaken, so maybe he was on to something.

    Keep reading man, keep reading.

    I don't need to read, it's not like I will change my ways based on what Lalanne did or didn't do. He believed in something, he did what he had to do, wether he was right or wrong, I couldn't care less, my lifestyle is not based around his teachings. So in the end, it doesn't matter. I just respect what he did while he was alive, not necessarily agreeing with everything he has said when it comes to fitness and nutrition. But between him and the fake natty's out there, I prefer giving Lalanne some props.

    I think she's encouraging you to get to the bit about aliens. And no, I'm not joking.

    I ignored the alien stuff...lol

    Well, you eat carbs as you said. We know why you ignored it now.

    :::adjusts tin foil hat:::

    I don't get your point, but okay, if it makes you happy, you won.

    I'm just having fun with you.

    It's because you skipped the alien stuff. Apparently, only aliens can handle carbs.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    filbo132 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    filbo132 wrote: »
    Now I am IIFYM kind of guy, so naturally I am not following Jack Lalanne's advice (I do eat unprocessed foods at times), but I feel it would be harsh criticizing him either. I mean he came from an era where mfp didn't exist. It was hard to track calories than it is today. So I get it why he said those things, with limited tools, he decided to play safe and advised people to stay away from them. I do understand also his point of kind of eating unprocessed foods and his diet meal plan was plain and simple. Honestly, I can't *kitten* on his advice, because it's still some good advice he gave for the time he was living in and I feel it's harsh criticizing him now with the knowledge we have nowadays. He made lifting cool at a time that it wasn't. So although I don't live the lifestyle he suggests, overall, I think he did more good than bad when it comes to health and fitness. Not saying he was always right, but you gotta give him credit, he lived healthy up to 96 years old and his wife is still alive if I am not mistaken, so maybe he was on to something.

    Keep reading man, keep reading.

    I don't need to read, it's not like I will change my ways based on what Lalanne did or didn't do. He believed in something, he did what he had to do, wether he was right or wrong, I couldn't care less, my lifestyle is not based around his teachings. So in the end, it doesn't matter. I just respect what he did while he was alive, not necessarily agreeing with everything he has said when it comes to fitness and nutrition. But between him and the fake natty's out there, I prefer giving Lalanne some props. He came from a different era that wasn't as fortunate as today's era where we have all this information out there.

    No one is slamming Lalanne.

    The advice was promoted; this isn't a discussion about whether Lalanne was a cool guy.

    Some people seem to think that criticizing the advice as necessary or helpful for all = being mean to Lalanne or something (and I'm sure he could take it and wouldn't actually be so thin-skinned).

    I don't think the "things were different then" explanation is really accurate. I think he, like some gym bros today, among others, perhaps just was into "clean eating" of the day, and that's cool. No more necessary than it is now, but then, as now, I'm sure it worked for some, and great for him, but that doesn't make it great advice for everyone (as you acknowledge in that you don't use it).

    More significantly, the aliens have their own agenda! ;-)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Oh, I just have to add that it's extra weird that this became a thread about how we only consume grains because aliens or whatever in that Lalanne's diet -- whatever else it was -- was not super low carb. Indeed, he wasn't wild about excess fat any more than added sugar, and seems to have recommended plenty of grains.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The OP suggested that Lalanne's advice had been proven correct today and should be adopted by people today. The thread is more about that claim than Lalanne himself.

    One of the problems with that claim, indeed, is that he seems to have had changing and somewhat contradictory nutrition ideas, as one of the things I found attributed to him the idea that humans should not consume dairy (since we are not sucking cows).
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Suckling cows. Gah, I can't seem to write that correctly.

    Luckily, it is rare that I need to! ;-)
  • spinnerdell
    spinnerdell Posts: 231 Member
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    I thought lemurcat was engaging in some uncharacteristic cow bashing.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,051 Member
    edited January 2018
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    filbo132 wrote: »

    <snip>

    Nonetheless he was a pioneer in a way that he popularized in someways fitness and nutrition in an era where not many really did any of those things.

    I'm a LaLanne fan, for a variety of reasons, some of which you cite. But, again, this:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10625791/mainstream-eating-guidance-1960

    Excerpts from a high school textbook of the same era.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    If you look at the list of foods he suggested eliminating or at least reducing; they are all high calorie foods. While he may or may not have known about simply being in a calorie deficit to lose weight, his suggestions would generally lead to a lower caloric intake for many people.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,051 Member
    edited May 2018
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    VUA21 wrote: »
    If you look at the list of foods he suggested eliminating or at least reducing; they are all high calorie foods. While he may or may not have known about simply being in a calorie deficit to lose weight, his suggestions would generally lead to a lower caloric intake for many people.

    Science has known about energy in food, measured in calories, since the 1800s. Regular humans were aware of it in the early part of the 1900s. https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/12/2957/4663943

    Humans have known that if you eat more you gain weight, and if you eat less you lose it, since at least the early stages of animal husbandry (thousands of years ago), and probably before, because famines.

    If Jack didn't know, in the 1950s, that eating fewer calories than you burn will result in weight loss, he would've had to be willfully ignorant in a topic area I'd expect he knew quite a bit about. It was common knowledge. Convenient tools for counting calories semi-accurately were not widely accessible, however.

    Once again, high school textbook, published in 1960:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10625791/mainstream-eating-guidance-1960

    Sigh. Why do we assume people were way ignorant until after we personally were born?

    Also, Jack's list of high-calorie foods were not nearly so commonly eaten, nor so large a part of mass numbers of people's way of eating, in the 1950s compared to today. How do I know? I was alive then.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
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    Many people who get fat do so by overeating those types of foods. Many people can't eat those foods in "moderation".

    Then there are people who gain weight by eating healthy foods, but just too many calories.
  • Dreamyriver
    Dreamyriver Posts: 91 Member
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    Sometimes you are glad that a thread that's a few months old gets bumped... cos Aliens vs Carbohydrates made it most definitely worth it.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Was listening to a Strength Matters podcast and their guest mentioned a picture he had seen of a black and white TV screen with Jack Lalanne's diet advice from probably 60 years ago. Had to look up the picture. Jack suggested eliminating or greatly reducing these items from one's diet:

    8agaowlis80v.png

    None of this nutrition stuff is new.

    I found it interesting that his stand on significantly reducing added sugars 60 years ago is the same as the experts at the WHO and USDA now. I couldn't find the actual video, but the person discussing Jack's views indicated he was recommending reducing these items not total elimination

    As far as gaining weight without eating these items sure, CICO. It is interesting though that the items he lists pretty much show up on the list of the top 10 sources of calorie for Americans.

    What Americans Eat: Top 10 sources of calories in the U.S. diet
    Grain-based desserts (cakes, cookies, donuts, pies, crisps, cobblers, and granola bars)
    Yeast breads
    Chicken and chicken-mixed dishes
    Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks
    Pizza
    Alcoholic beverages
    Pasta and pasta dishes
    Mexican mixed dishes
    Beef and beef-mixed dishes
    Dairy desserts

    Source
    https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/top-10-sources-of-calories-in-the-us-diet

    Since the items he lists have a high calorie to nutrient ratio, it's easy to see why they would be a prime place to start for many people when looking to reduce caloric intake.

    For some people it’s definitely the low hanging fruit to help them reduce their calorie intake and get them into a deficit - it certainly was for me!

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    This advice is too generalized. It may be helpful for some people whose dietary preferences and habits include many of these foods in large quantities, but not for me.

    I didn't eliminate any of these, and I didn't even reduce most of them. These foods were not a big part of my diet when I was morbidly obese and many of them I had in acceptable portions already, so the difference it would have made to modify their portions would have been trivial.

    I think the advice can best be summarized as: don't overeat.

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