Requesting BASIC diet/weightloss advice and support

Sorry to revive thread but I found another (newer) video of Taubes presentation to Datmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center entitled -
Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis to Obesity (~ 1 hr long)

http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm

Perhaps it may turn on a few more light bulbs to shine on the error of conventional calories in vs calories out dietary advice.

DreamStalker wrote:...video of Taubes presentation to Datmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center entitled -
Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis to Obesity (~ 1 hr long)
http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm

Great video, worth watching, Taubes makes the material really interesting!

Muse-Inc wrote:

DreamStalker wrote:...video of Taubes presentation to Datmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center entitled -
Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis to Obesity (~ 1 hr long)
http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm

Great video, worth watching, Taubes makes the material really interesting!

Ditto.

Ok so for about 2 weeks I have been working on reducing my carbs - especially bread. Not always successful but that is ok.
So I stepped on scale last night and it shows 5 lbs less then the begin of January.
They must be broken.

I am actually liking this method of eating better. It has more flavour then the low fat/ high carb .
I had headaches all week however but that could be due to lots of work stress and the up coming dental appointment to followup on the apointment from hell just before xmas.

Lena

Good job, Black Spinner. Can you tell me if you felt hungry(dissatisfied) and what you replaced the bread with for your meals? Did you just eat more protein, salads, for instance? What about snacks? I'm really lacking on the subject of nutrition. I also appreciate your honesty about the bread department. I just love my bread! thanks, Dori

DoriC wrote:Good job, Black Spinner. Can you tell me if you felt hungry(dissatisfied) and what you replaced the bread with for your meals? Did you just eat more protein, salads, for instance? What about snacks? I'm really lacking on the subject of nutrition. I also appreciate your honesty about the bread department. I just love my bread! thanks, Dori

In the mornings I replaced it with oatmeal. The one minute stuff but not the prepackaged flavoured stuff. This made a big difference in that I was not hungry when I got to work and would buy cheese croissants at the caf. Before this it would be a piece of wholewheat toast and cheese for breakfast.

For lunch I mostly eat a salad from the salad bar. I try to focus on the green and not on the pasta salads, with either some cold cuts or an egg. Yesterday I had the special though - cheese pasta pockets with pesto sauce - but I only ate a half portion and skipped the role.

Dinner was the hardest the first week. I did omelets and a rice cracker most evenings. This week I bought a BBQ chicken and salad greens and found a wonderfull dressing by Renee called "Mighty Ceasar" - basically garlic with parmesan and dressing. I made chicken salads for dinner all week - no rice cakes on the side this week. I snacked much less in the evening and what I did snack on was cheese and rice cakes (organic brown rice with sesame/tamari) and some Japanese roasted snow peas.

The hardest has been thinking outside the sandwich box. Ok I have cold cuts but without bread how can one eat them?

In a way I am very lucky. I live in a city where quality fresh food is considered a norm, my local grocery store, a 10 minute walk from me, has fresh vegies, fish counter, butcher counter and imported cheeses. I am just a bus ride away from health food, Kosher shops and a farmers market. However we also have these awesomely good bakeries. There is one 2 doors down from my therapist, an organic Kosher bakery, around the corner, beside the bank is a classic French one with bistro . Whine....


I am lucky that I have no issues with hunger, never have had. I have been eating for emotional reasons, which is how I put on the extra 40 ls (35 now) - snacking in the evening on mostly carbs and cheese. That and last winter nibbling to stay awake.

Thought before I started that my stomache would be the one to object most as in the past the acid attacks seemed easiest to calm with bread, but that hasn't really been an issue. I did find that soup wasn't working without bread though. Too much liquid seemed to create more acid problems. I just eat more vegies I also have to make sure they are the right kind I can't handle ice berg lettuce at all or peppers of any colour.

Thanks for giving me some ideas. I like almost everything you're eating anyway. It's just the bread issue but having some of those rice crackers could help. I'm getting myself confused by reading Protein Power and Dr. Falcon. I'm thinking that with the latter, as long as bread is acceptable even though only whole grain, it might get me in trouble. I might do better not having any choice in the matter. Keep up the good work, this thread is an unexpected "treat" for me aside from OSA as this one is my issue.

I just watched the hour-long video and it was worth every minute of it. What I would like to know is which carbohydrates are allowed in following Mr. Taubes' findings ... the low-glycemic index ones (like in Sugar-Busters) ... or none at all (as in Atkins) ... or what? I am losing weight, but want to make sure I continue to keep it off .. and lose more. I always have been a real meat-lover (and cheese-lover), but what else is allowed in the programs many of you are following? I saw mention of rice crackers someone uses, but also see where Dreamstalker takes in virtually no carbs. I would like to know the typical diet many of you are using .. and losing weight on.

I have increased my exercise, and totally stopped eating refined sugars. I still eat whole-wheat stuff, whole grain chips, sweet fruits (trail mix) and use drink mixes with Aspartame in them (I make a gallon out of a tub meant to make a half gallon). I started the day after Christmas on this, weighing 325 (6' 2" and large frame) and have lost about 25 pounds. My main weakness was late-night snacking (gorging is more like it), sometimes eating 2-3 candy bars, a big bag of chips, a pint of ice cream ... you name it.

That video really was fascinating, even though I knew or had previously read a lot of that information. He wraps it all together so sensibly and you cannot argue the logic.

Thanks, and blessings on all of your future weight loss endeavors.

Tracy
"Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive." Proverbs 23:3

Hi Tracy
Congratulations!
You can't cut them totally out. I have removed most of the bread from my diet. I have reduced the rice and other grains . The only one I have kept is oat meal and vegetables (but not potatoes). I have done it in stages and I am still trying out things.
Luckily I have never had sweet cravings much, didn't drink pop except for Gingerale when having a migraine, and I don't like most candy bars - to sweet and tasteless for me and ice cream makes me sick to my stomach.

Every body is different and functions different. Like any form of alternative medicine you have to find what works for your body, not your symptoms. What each of us do and what works for them will be different. But by sharing our experiences we help each other.

DoriC wrote:Thanks for giving me some ideas. I like almost everything you're eating anyway. It's just the bread issue but having some of those rice crackers could help. I'm getting myself confused by reading Protein Power and Dr. Falcon. I'm thinking that with the latter, as long as bread is acceptable even though only whole grain, it might get me in trouble. I might do better not having any choice in the matter. Keep up the good work, this thread is an unexpected "treat" for me aside from OSA as this one is my issue.

Yes I know if the stuff is in the house it is going to get eaten so I haven't bought even whole wheat bread. I will find an excuse to use it "just this once" at every meal.

Remember as a post menopausal woman your body processes things differently then as a fertile young woman when you read all that stuff. After my hysterectomy, while being more active, I was doing at least 2 - 3 shiatsu session a day as opposed to sitting at a desk, I slowly gained about 10 pounds eating exactly the same way as before.

Never be sorry to revive a thread!

I think I need to start a new one: requesting *support* only. The moment I started talking about wanting/needing to lose weight, my eating habits became really bad. I have eaten worse this week than I have in months: chips, ice cream, cookies, and I just ate a piece of pie. It's as though I got so worried about the threat of losing those treats that I just couldn't face not having them.

I have a lot of emotional work to do.

MoneyGal wrote:Never be sorry to revive a thread!

I think I need to start a new one: requesting *support* only. The moment I started talking about wanting/needing to lose weight, my eating habits became really bad. I have eaten worse this week than I have in months: chips, ice cream, cookies, and I just ate a piece of pie. It's as though I got so worried about the threat of losing those treats that I just couldn't face not having them.

I have a lot of emotional work to do.

It is difficult isn't it? The last few weeks my mind keeps circling on why I should eat all those lovely breads, cakes, cookies and pastries. I found the only way was not to have them near me. I simply don't have the discipline to have a bag of chips sitting in the cupboard and not eat it.
I tried making healthy muffins and cakes before christmas and realized that they may be healthy but if I eat 6 muffins in the day then that isn't healthy. Those muffins should have kept me for a week in good quality snacks but the dozen lasted 3 days.

My therapist keeps asking "What are feeling / looking for when you eat that?" After 6 months of hearing her say that I am actually beginning to ask myself that when I snack. Mostly I want to be hugged by "mama" who will make it all better.

Well, I'd hug 'ya if I could.

As I mentioned before, the mental part is by far the most difficult part of giving up sugar and grain products.

For those who don't want to go back and read through all of the threads ...

When one is overweight/obese, then they exhibit symptoms of hormonal dysregulation (the cause of obesity, CVD, T2 diabetes, cancer, and a host of other modern diseases). If one's hormones are not functioning properly, then the expression of their genes at the molecular level result in a state of disease. If one desires to regain a normal weight and health, then hormones must be allowed to revert back to balanced levels of a normal state.

To put hormones back into a normal state, one must achieve a normal weight. The two are interconnected within a positive feedback loop in which hormonal dysregulation causes obesity, and obesity causes more hormonal dysregulation (the same is true for other disease states). So to break the positive feedback cycle one must first minimize and stabilize total insulin hormone production to an absolute minimum. To minimize and stabilize total insulin one must minimize total carbohydrate intake to an absolute minimum. Refined carbs or whole grain carbs are irrelevant to “total” insulin response ... both refined and whole grain carbs will influence insulin levels in such a way as to prevent weight loss. Grains are unhealthy for other reasons beyond the scope of weight loss and not discussed here.

Therefore, the surest way to minimize total insulin response is to just eat non-starchy vegetables and only vegetables as carbohydrate intake ... and eliminate all sugars (and sugar substitutes and by-products), grains (and grain by-products), legumes (except for maybe green beans), and starchy vegetables (basically potatoes). In other words, the only carb intake should be ONLY from non-starchy vegetables.

Another way to achieve minimum insulin levels is to obtain a blood glucose meter (many can be had for free and the measurement strips will cost ~ $0.5 for each measurment) to monitor your blood sugar as a proxy for insulin levels. Maintain blood sugar under 100 mg/dL at all times and you are most likely to maintain insulin levels to a low enough level to allow for fat to be removed from storage (ie. weight loss). With a glucose meter you can titrate your carb intake for weight loss just like titrating CPAP pressure for optimal oxygen intake. You can determine which carbohydrates and how much spike your blood glucose levels over 100 mg/dL and then avoid those or those amounts ... although fructose will not raise blood sugar, it will cause an insulin response (ie. one may be fooled into low insulin with fructose), therefore fruits (especially fruit jucies) should also be severely limited in order to lose weight.

Once normal weight is we achieved, fruits and starchy vegetables may be reintroduced with caution. However, it should be kept in mind that just as with scar tissue from an injury, the hormonal system may also be scarred. When we are overweight/obese for long periods of time, we develop insulin and leptin resistance (or insensitivity). Once back to normal weight, we may not regain full sensitivity of insulin and leptin and thus we may not be able to eat as many carbs as when we were in our youth. Therefore, reintroducing carbs back into diet once desired weight loss is achieved, should focus on the most nutritionally dense carbs like fruits. In other words, all sugars and grains should be forsaken for the rest of you life if you desire maximum health during the rest of your life.


"Do Not Eat the Food of the Technology
That Makes Edible the Inedible"
- Ray Audette

ycartf wrote:...I would like to know the typical diet many of you are using .. and losing weight on....

I keep a food diary, so here's a typical day:
B'fast: vanilla flavored whey protein shake (50 gms of protein), 1/8 cup heavy cream, 18 ozs hot decaff coffee, 5-6 ozs low-sodium V8
Lunch: 3-4 ozs grd beef, cumin, garlic-pepper, 1/8 cup onion, 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, 1 oz shredded cheese; IF I'm not hungry, I often forget to eat lunch (doesn't seem to affect wt loss up or down or neutral, tho I will eat a larger dinner)
Snack: 1 oz part-skim Mozzarella cheese stick, 2-3 blackberries or blueberries
Dinner: 5-7 ozs meat OR 6-8 ozs shrimp or fish (cooked in coconut oil or added to recipe), 2 cups dark lettuces+1-2 cups salad veggies (bell peppers, tomatoes, rinsed black olives, celery, radishes, red or green onions, little carrot shreds) often topped with pine nuts or almonds with olive oil, red wine vinegar, spices, fresh parsley+basil or thyme, 1 1/2-2 cups veggies+butter, 1/2-1 oz 72-75% dark chocolate bar OR a tangerine
Snack: 1 oz cheese, 1/2-1 cup pistachios in shell OR 1/3 cup pecans or macadamias OR 2 ozs pepitas OR in place of the cheese+nuts, a protein shake made with 25 gms vanilla whey protein powder+3 oz Thai Kitchens premium coconut milk+1/8 cup unsweetened coconut flakes+14-20 ozs water
Bedtime: 1 oz cheese, 4 grapes OR 5 blackberries OR 6 bluberries OR 4 cherries

Weekends:
B'fasts: 3 eggs, 1 cup veggies, 1.5 ozs shredded cheese, 1-2 ozs ham, 1/2 tablespoon Boursin cheese, 1/3-1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach. This is usually fixed as a frittata or scrambled eggs topped with the veggies. Occasionally I top with 1-2 tablespoons low-carb salsa. 6 oz low-sodium V8. I might have 1 slice of toasted seeded rye bread+butter. 16 ozs decaff+1/8 cup heavy cream+splash of Torino hazelnut sugar-free syrup.
Snack: 1 oz cheese OR 1 hard-boiled egg (usually deviled)
Dinner: some sort of casserole or baked dish that takes some prep time but a combo of the same things as the weeknight dinners.
Snack: 1 oz cheese, 1/2-1 cup pistachios in shell OR 1/3 cup pecans or macadamias OR 2 ozs pepitas
Bedtime: 1 oz cheese, 4 grapes OR 5 blackberries OR 6 bluberries OR 4 cherries

These proportions are based on what the doctors Eades suggest in their Protein Power plan. I also drink 80-100 ozs of water each day... other than the decaff in the mornings, I usually do not drink anything else...sometimes I make hot cocoa using 1/8 cup 100% Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa, splash of DaVinci french vanilla sugar-free syrup, 14-16 ozs hot water mixed well then add 1/8 cup heavy cream...if I'm feeling decadent, I add Land of Lakes Splenda-sweetened whipped cream & a dusting of cinnamon or cocoa powder.

If I want dessert, I sub the dk chocolate or tangerine for a slice of Splenda-sweetened cheesecake OR 1/2 cup Ricotta mixed with 2 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter, little vanilla, pkg of Splenda.

Veggies are usually celery, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, all colors of bell peppers, Italian green beans, green beans, yellow squash, zuccini, red & green & Vidalia onions, leeks, scallions, asparagus, tomatoes, radishes. I also eat a fair amt of avocado, garlic, ginger, parsley, basil, olive oil, lemons, limes, cilantro. I do eat small portions of beans (red, cannellis, garbanzos-chickpeas, black, pink), sugar snap peas, snow peas, artichokes, carrot shreds.

ycartf wrote:...main weakness was late-night snacking (gorging is more like it), sometimes eating 2-3 candy bars, a big bag of chips, a pint of ice cream ... you name it.

I first hadda figure out why I was eating after dinner...took me awhile. It wasn't for the usual reasons, I was actually hungry and just didn't recognize hunger which is a common problem for the obese. I increased the amt of protein I ate throughout the day (Eades were right, I really do have to eat that much protein to lose wt) and made sure I was eating all of the protein I was supposed to eat at dinner, that simple change allowed me to stop eating everything in sight starting about an hr after dinner. My mom used to eat like that after dinner; she now eats more protein at dinner and does less of that evening eating eating eating.

PS that oz of cheese I eat a bedtime really helps me sleep better; the nights I've forgotten it, I have more wakeups and feel less rested in the morning...I assume it's overnight blood sugar swings that are stabilized by that snack.

@ MoneyGal
You're not giving those foods forever; you're managing how often you eat them! If you make certain foods forbidden, then you're gonna crave 'em makin 'em irresistably tempting and triggering inner rebellion. You wouldn't eat a slice of cake at each meal, maybe 1 for dinner -- this is the same thing, don't make any food a forbidden item, just plan for it. I eat a small portion of dk chocolate every other day or so, it's not a forbidden food, it's planned as part of dinner. I even occasionally eat a very small baked Idaho with butter enjoying every single bite -- probably won't lose that day but sometimes the treat is worth it. Is it likely to set me off on an eat eat eat binge -- not if the the portion is small...just gotta work it into the eating plan.

I've been off the forum for a few weeks, what with Christmas, financial year end at work, and light illness. I've come back to find this thread. How illuminating!

Great thread, and so informative. Thanks for starting it, MoneyGal.

And Kathy, I have to say I always find you so awesome and inspiring. I tip my hat to you, you are one classy and strong lady.