Healthy and Fit

I just want to say that I wasn't suggesting that anyone skip breakfast or eat breakfast; I was just pointing out that what is popular advice now might not be the most accurately based on how our bodies actually work.  I am pretty sure that if anyone here actually followed what Sweetpeach's spouse did and told their doctor/sane nutritionist, the medical professional wouldn't freak out.  Yet, sometimes when people bring up what they do here, people get a bit, I dunno, PC about things.  It's like a few years ago and water.  Remember that?  Everyone thought you had to drink gallons of water to lose weight.  Yeah, replacing soda or Frappicunos with water might help you lose weight, but the idea that you had to drink so much water (and water in tea, food, diet soda didn't count) has largely been discounted.

And yes, science changes, sort of.  Eggs were never shown to be bad for anyone who didn't have an allergy.  They were discouraged in the US because of dietary cholesterol hypothesis which was disproven.  Dietary cholesterol was never seen as a bad thing in most countries in the world, and the only other thing that would bring them into question was saturated fat hypothesis.  Their demonization only spread to the UK in the form of the last government banning the reintroduction of the "go to work on an egg a day" ad campaign a few years ago.  They then had to back pedal when explaining why when it was pointed out that most doctors didn't discourage their consumption.

Anyway, I personally do not feel that I can share most of my dietary struggles because I'd have fingers wagged at me.  I cannot eat carbs and breakfast and expect to maintain my weight, let alone lose it.  I can eat small breakfasts on low carb, but even then, it stimulates my hunger response and I eat more than when I wait until mid afternoon to eat.  And, yes, my doctor knows about this.  I don't suggest anyone following my example, but I also don't suggest anyone follow anyone else's example (including those being "healthy") without consulting their physicians.  But I know my body for living a number of years in it, losing hundreds of pounds (and gaining hundreds), and maintaining a status of "reduced obese" for several years.  I don't want anyone to follow my example, but I definitely still struggle.  I don't need this forum for diet support, but I would love the atmosphere to change a bit to feel that I can talk about my struggles without someone suggesting I eat a veggie burger and eat 8 meals a day.  To me, eating that many meals just means I have to exercise restraint that many more times a day.  If I wait to "break the seal", not only do I have to worry about portions less, I don't have the cravings that I do otherwise.  People who can do it the grazing way, more power to you.  It doesn't work for me.

I do think people should be supportive of people losing weight their own way and not get all judgemental about what they do.   We're adults here, and unless someone is really obviously harming themselves, we should probably keep our admonishments to a minimum unless asked.  At least that's how I feel about it.  Chances are that our own definitions of what we think is a healthy will change over the years.  Mine sure have!

You're right those people are truly starving. However, if you're someone who struggles with food and losing weight it can feel like you're starving if you have to wait hours to eat again. Eating three meals a day with healthy snacks in between can keep your body (and mind) from feeling so overwhelmingly hungry that you 'pig out' at your next meal. Personally, I tend to obsess more about food if I'm completely denying myself of something. That's why diets where you have to completely cut something out just don't work for me. It feels more like a 'diet' and less like a 'lifestyle change'. If it works for your husband, then that's great.   

I could have written that myself verbatim. Since starting the LO GI diet which Dh & I don't call it a diet but more of lifestyle change.      I have 3 meals a day & few healthy snacks in between an I don't feel hungry or obsess about food thankfully.      I know what works for some wont work for others its just trial & error.    

I do think people should be supportive of people losing weight their own way and not get all judgemental about what they do.   We're adults here, and unless someone is really obviously harming themselves, we should probably keep our admonishments to a minimum unless asked.  At least that's how I feel about it.  Chances are that our own definitions of what we think is a healthy will change over the years.  Mine sure have!

I agree with a whole heart Legs.  We all know this forum is about support, and sometimes disagreement is just part of that.  We're all here to support each other, and sometimes although differing opinions have come into things- we're all still here for the same reasons.  But, ughhh- weight loss.  What a pain in the ass, literally.

I've been taking ballet classes and not eating much (another break up, of course) so I'm certain I've lost weight as all my jeans are big on me. 

Next week my goal is (until Friday Newcastle meetup!) to eat at least 1600 calories a day and dance Monday and Wednesday.  Tuesday and Thursday I plan on going for a big walk.  Any Leeds ladies are welcome to come and gossip on said walks.   

  Tuesday and Thursday I plan on going for a big walk.  Any Leeds ladies are welcome to come and gossip on said walks.   

If I'm ever off work on a Tues or Thurs, I'll let you know! 

I agree with Legs also that different things work for different people and that our own ideas of what is  healthy often change over time.

I do exactly the opposite of many on here do!  Loads of fruit and only fruit for breakfast and a high carb diet overall (when you're vegetarian it's got to be higher carb)!  I don't count calories (had a bad compulsive and controlling experience with it when I was in high school--maybe even borderline anorexic).  I used to worry about fat grams, not so much now.  I tried to cook with little to no oil, don't worry about that at all now.  I used to avoid most to all dairy, but not anymore.

I try to eat three meals a day, but like Jewlz, if it's a lazy weekend day and I'm getting up later than usual it will probably be two meals with a little snack if I get hungry between.  I don't deny myself treats, but definitely eat less of them than I did back in the US. 

My usual day (when I'm working) is my giant fruit salad for breakfast, hummus and a bagel or pita or some leftovers for lunch (I'll often not have the time to eat it all in one go, so it could end up being grazed over a few hours, and dinner which is always something healthy and lots of it!  (legumes, beans, veggies in curries, veggie chili, soup, etc.) unless it's pizza night, then I add loads of steamed veggies to it and end up eating less pizza because of it.

There are always a few cups of instant coffee or tea at work, real coffee in the morning at home, and two liters of water a day--for me that is a must!  I get seriously dehydrated when I don't drink my two litres and my rosacea will flare up as a result as well.

My diet is to maintain, not lose, but when my already active job gets really hectic as it has done lately, I end up losing.  Up and down the stairs a bazillion times a day with boxes, bags and more bags, and I almost never sit down.  A perk of the job, I guess. 

We also need to be supportive of anyone trying to make a lifestyle change. Because its bloody hard, no matter what way we do it.  

Well said!   Honestly, DH used to only eat one meal a day when I first met him, because he didn't have a very big appetite and was too lazy to make his own food.   Everyone is different. Some people can't stand the thought of eating breakfast in the morning. I really have to eat something in the morning or I have a serious blood sugar crash between breakfast and lunch and get super cranky and shaky. For some people, cutting back to smaller portions is really challenging, so missing a meal would feel like torture. Others may only eat once or twice a day and that's fine for them.

Most diets just focus on the same things in different ways - eat healthier, in smaller portions, and move around a bit more.   South Beach is good because it cuts out all the sweets and junk food and forces you to focus more on vegetables and lean protein. WW, Jenny Craig, etc., are good because they teach you to control your portions. A lot of people lose weight with Atkins (a good friend lost over 100 pounds with that diet when it first became popular. I used to tell him all the time it was unhealthy, but it worked for him, so I should have been more supportive) and a lot of people lose weight by going vegetarian. Often, just changing up the things you normally eat will help you lose weight.

Andee, have you ever read the Fit For Life diet? That's a bit like what your diet sounds like to me. Only fruit in the morning, and then mostly vegetables through the day - but you don't mix protein with carbs in that diet (it's a food combining thing) so you can have a green salad or vegetable soup with a roll, veggie sandwich, jacket potato with vegetables, etc. or you can have meat with lots of vegetables and no starches. I tried it once, and I did lose weight, but I think all the acid of the fruit on an empty stomach in the morning kind of upset my stomach, so I stopped doing it.  My former boss was really sold on it, she had been doing that diet since the 80's and always said that was how she maintained her slim figure, even through menopause, etc.  

ETA: You don't have to have meat (in fact, the authors of the diet were vegetarian) so you could have nuts or tofu or other protein with vegetables and no starch. I was just thinking like a carnivore again!  

Well said!   Honestly, DH used to only eat one meal a day when I first met him, because he didn't have a very big appetite and was too lazy to make his own food.   Everyone is different. Some people can't stand the thought of eating breakfast in the morning.

I agree with this. If you're skipping meals because you're genuinely not hungry, that's fine. I think we're all a bit socially programmed to eat at set times whether we're hungry or not, and that's rather silly.

However, if you're skipping meals simply because you overdid it the night before and are feeling guilty about it ... that's completely different. It's basically punishing yourself by withholding nourishment which can't be healthy either physically or psychologically.

Honestly, I am usually not hungry until evening.  I force myself to eat before I am hungry not because of hunger, but I can get heartburn if I don't eat by mid-afternoon.  If I regularly eat breakfast, I get hungry before then, but the only time it happens is if I am following a diet which requires breakfast or I am staying with people who insist on breakfast.

I don't think you can diet and not expect to feel hungry sometimes.  Maybe someone finds a plan that genuinely makes them never feel hungry, but I don't think people should go into a diet hoping that they wouldn't feel hungry.  There are, of course, different types of hunger, and I think part of losing weight is understanding "brain hunger", "gut hunger", and cravings.

I think people shouldn't be disordered in their dieting, but I don't think that trying to balance your calorie intake by reducing it a bit the next day is punishing yourself.  It would be punishing yourself if you had negative self-thoughts along with thinking you should eat lighter meals the next day.  I don't think you should torture yourself over a slip up, though, and if you are truly suffering, eat something within your diet's plan. And skipping breakfast because you slept nearly to lunch doesn't seem that out of order either.  Sort of makes sense to me for most people.  Of course, if it is going to cause you to spin out of control at lunch and eat an entire buffet table full of food, don't do it.

And I totally agree with whomever who said that what works for Sweetpeach's hubby might not work for women, some of whom are around menopause (which is a huge factor in weight loss), or who have other hormonal issues (smoking cessation, medications, sleep issues, thyroid issues, etc).  But I don't think that it is something that wouldn't work for anyone here or automatically turn us into anorexics or cause us to get obese from starvation mode.

There are, of course, different types of hunger, and I think part of losing weight is understanding "brain hunger", "gut hunger", and cravings.

Absolutely. When I talk about hunger, I mean hunger as opposed to appetite or craving.

If you feel hungry, if your tummy is rumbling, etc. it usually means you need food. Regardless of what you've eaten the night before, if you're hungry you should eat. I don't mean you should wolf down a plate of choux buns, obviously, but pick up something and eat it.

I disagree about being hungry when dieting. Truly hungry, I mean. Sure you might fancy a bag of crisps or a piece of cake and your brain might tell you you want those things, but that's not being hungry. If your body wants food, feed it.

The other problem with skipping meals is that it might mean you're not getting the nutrients your body needs. Of course, some people pay attention to that and make sure they get in all the good things they need even with only one or two meals a day, but my guess is that those people are in the minority.

I am not sure how what I am saying is being interpreted as that it is okay for people to suffer in hunger on a diet because of some sort of dysfunctional diet plan make to punish themselves for overindulgence or that nutritional needs should be overlooked.

When I say that people shouldn't expect not to feel hunger, I don't mean people shouldn't expect to live long periods in hunger.  Hunger is a natural signal for us to eat.  I don't think I've said that we should ignore it. 

Hunger is a natural signal for us to eat.  I don't think I've said that we should ignore it. 

I understand now. And I agree. 

W
Andee, have you ever read the Fit For Life diet? That's a bit like what your diet sounds like to me. Only fruit in the morning, and then mostly vegetables through the day - but you don't mix protein with carbs in that diet (it's a food combining thing)

Yes, that's partly where I got the idea of just fruit in the morning.  My appetite in the morning isn't huge, but it is there, so that combined with how eating fruit makes me feel (energized, but no crash and hydrated) is why it works for me.  I don't bother with avoiding the combining of carbs and protein because I don't feel any ill effects when I combine them, and nothing like bread and hummus to fill me up and keep me going all afternoon! 

Wow...I dunno what happened to this thread!   

As a mum of 2 little ones and a woman who tries to stay pretty busy most of the time...I have to make eating a priority because there are a lot of times that I 'forget' to eat.  It might be 5pm and I'll try to rememer when was the last time I ate and realize it was last night's dinner.

So for me I can't just eat when I'm hungry or it could be days.  Sometimes I don't have time to be hungry.       I have to keep a check on the clock and eat every few hours or it won't get done.

Wow, I can't even imagine what that's like! Even when I'm crazy busy and don't have time to stop and eat, I still get hungry. I might not be able to eat when I want/need to, but the hunger still comes. 

I do not have problems with weight but one thing I've noticed though is over doing my MA I gained weight even though the food I ate wasn't that different.  When I sat and thought about it, I realised the food was the same but when I ate varied quite a bit.  I've noticed that for me, the food (including takeaways, drinking coca cola and lots of other truly bad for me stuff) could stay consistent but regimenting my eating times made a big difference.  I've noticed that now I eat two meals a day during the week, one at about 11am and one at about 7:30 or 8pm.  With a snack of some crackers or something on my 2:50 break at work.  My body now knows when to expect food and possibly I don't snack as much but I don't think I eat any more or less than I did when I was doing my MA.  The regulation has helped and while I'm not losing near as much as I gained, I've noticed a bit more slimming.  It surprised me because I've always been a grazer through life, so I didn't think it would matter when I ate.  I guess it's one of those joys of having your body change on you as you change ages.  

Wow, I can't even imagine what that's like! Even when I'm crazy busy and don't have time to stop and eat, I still get hungry. I might not be able to eat when I want/need to, but the hunger still comes. 

Oh yeah. Me, too. And I have 2 kids, too. Just goes to show how different people are. And I don't just get a rumbling tummy. I'd get faint if I don't eat in some sort of timely manner. So usually have to stop what I'm doing to eat something, even if it's just a handful of raisins or something.