BMI Normal

[Petal]

Great post Petal,

I have horrendous sweet and chocolate cravings, well not cravings so much but once I start it is hard to stop. I shudder to think what I will be like after menopause. Lately I have been eating raw cacao nibs and raw chocolate (no sugar/dairy added) which is quite bitter but a healthy way to get a chocolate fix and chocolate on its own is very very good for you and full of antioxidants.

I went for my first session with my new Personal Trainer today and he gave me my eating plan - 1300 calories per day allowed and it is so shocking to see how little that actually is. I think I will starve! I also have to do at least 1 hour cardio and at 1 hour weights for 6 days each week as well I can run 5 k's OK but not very fast so have to up both speed and distance. After running for the last 12 months and not losing weight I think I fell into the "I can eat whatever I want" trap. My goal now is to go from 27% body fat to 17% body fat and increase lean muscle mass. Hopefully without losing my boobs along the way

Kath D - I know a few guys at work who eat 500 cals every day except Sunday which is eat what they want day.

Nat Marie,

yes 1,300 is not a lot. But your trainer wants you to have a negative calories intake of a few hundred calories which together with the exercise will hep you lose weight faster. Your resting rate may be between 1,600 and 2,000 calories a day depending on your height age etc.

My best advice is to eat by these percentages.

65% fat
30% Protein
5% carbs

I must stress that these are the percentages on only the two week Induction Phase of Atkins. As you go through the steps you include more carbs an adjust the other two. When your reach your goal weight. by then you will know what percentage of the three food groups you can eat to maintain your goal weight for life.

It is the carbs that cause your insulin levels to spike and make you crave more food because if you eat too many carbs your body blocks Leptin signals. Leptin signals tell your brain when you are full. The excess of carbs especially sugar blocks this Leptin signal and gives your body permission to eat more.

Please don't be afraid of full fat things, they have less or no sugar

My favourite fat for my lunch and dinner is sour cream, just love it. Full fat cream is good as is Olive Oil and Coconut Oil.

My favourite protein is Roast Chicken with the skin on. I make up a salad with Chicken pieces cut of the whole roast chicken (80g), cherry tomatoes (8), cucumber (85g) and mild or tasty cheese (80g). I then eat it with a 1/4 cup of sour cream. For me it makes two meals. It has 555 calories for the whole lot but is very filling and very good for you.

It is fat and protein that fill you up. Don't buy low fat anything including milk as it has a higher sugar (carb) content. Another great fat is full cream butter. I buy a NZ one in a tub that spread straight from the fridge like margarine. you can cook in it or steam veggies and coat it with the butter. Remember Fats first, then Protein will FILL YOU UP!!!!!

One of the worst foods by far you will eat is low fat yoghurt, you might As well have a mars bar.l

Believe me if you can follow these rules you will be satiated and not be craving for foods as much. It's the excess in carbs that make us hungry.

 

[natmarie73]

Thanks Petal,

I have been an advocate of the full fat/low carb lifestyle for some time now but just can't say no to sweets. I substitute refined cane sugar for coconut sugar (soooo yummy) if I need to or if I'm baking. I completely follow the full fat regime and use butter, coconut oil and coconut cream quite a bit. His diet plan is quite high in carbs (130g per day) but only as brown rice but I will substitute quinoa which I love when I'm home. I won't be able to have rice while I'm away at work as they only serve white rice in camp which I refuse to eat as it's pretty much empty calories.

My resting rate is 1800 cals a day.

Made macarons today for a birthday gift and ended up ingesting quite a bit of the meringue, macaronage and ganache as I was making them - had to keep up the quality control after all Probably 500 calories right there.

I did the South Beach diet a few years ago and lost heaps of weight really easily with only moderate training at the gym.

 

[Petal]

Just curious Nat,

After dropping all the weight after the South Beach Diet, what happened next?? i.e. did you put it all back on again and then some more??

 

[Petal]

After many yeas of yo yo dieting I have redefined the word DIET.

To me now a diet is the food you eat and something that you do for the rest of your life.

If you go On a diet then the inference is that you will come OFF that diet, either when you give up or the weight is lost. Then you usually go back to your normal eating and the weight goes back on again.

I tell you, if diets works why is there a multi billion dollar industry around Wight loss Programs, diet books, DVD's and Gyms and these business are growing. We would all be svelte!!

As I mentioned with Atkins there are number of gradual steps until you reach the Maintenance step, where you eat the calories of your "resting weight" . Buy then you don't really need to count calories, you will be finely attuned to your body hunger signals and with the lower carbs your Leptin will be working fine and signalling that you are full. I eat about five small meals a day or three meals and two snacks, whatever suits. You don't go hungry and you don't stuff yourself. Just like I felt like for the 6 years after the lapband surgery

That is what appeals to me. NEVER NEVER NEVER will I go on a so called "diet" again. They don't work.

 

[kathryn d]

A year ago I went for my annual checkup. My doctor said, "I don't tell this to many patients, but I want you to gain at least 5 lbs"
This year I went back, and I weghed 115, and she was happy.
I had been eating lots of apple pie..telling myself, doing what the doctor said.

Physically, I felt fat. Pants/ shorts were too tight.Had to buy new ones.
That 115 lbs might be the best weight,on charts, but not to me. (I'm 5'1")

I eat very little, which many people comment on.If I ate "normal' portions, I'd hate to see my weight.

My normal consumption:
Breakfast- 2 toast with jam+coffee
Lunch- 1/2 cup of homemade chicken/sweet potato soup
Dinner-1/2 pc of chicken parmi and 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
snack-coffee

 

[redwing]

From Latin diaeta, way of living

 

[MTR]

Hi Petal

Great post, thank you for sharing.

There is a show I watch set in UK, very interesting on patient's who are morbidly obese, they have been on every possible diet and obese majority of their life. Their last hope is bariatric surgery. Health system in the UK covers bariatric surgery for those who fit the criteria, not the case here in Australia.

I have read somewhere a while back that the gastric sleeve operation has proven to be far more successful than gastric band? Gastric sleeve is where they actually use a staple device to cut the stomach where it is reduced to the size of a walnut, would you believe this is all keyhole surgery. I am sure many know this.

Six-twelve months after the gastric sleeve surgery some patients are losing as much as half their weight, its absolutely amazing how their life is turned around, prior to the surgery most were not mobile, never left their house.

I think in Australia we should follow the UK health model and cover bariatric surgery for those who fit the criteria.

In the UK they recognise that these people need help and that this is an addiction and there will only be further burden on the health system if it is not addressed. I think it will cost something like $30,000.

MTR

 

[kathryn d]

There was a news story on tv last night.
They are considering paying for this in Australia, as currently it costs $14K.

I'm in the different group. I don't have a problem, having it covered by medicare, but I don't want it classified as an addiction... in the sense, if you are obese, you get welfare.

I watch these morbidly obese shows too.
When they get to the point where they can't do things for themselves, I always think their family must really hate them.

Who continually feeds massive amounts of food to someone in this condition?

 

[Petal]

Interesting topic,

Yes the Gastric Sleeve is pretty much the new kid on the block.

If I didn't already have the band I would have the sleeve. These Drs are smart cookies!!

Kathryn my goal weight is 136lb and I am also 5'1' wow you are a petite little thing. You are just one of those people who eat wisely. Calorie wise you must be pretty low but that must be "right for you.

at my lowest I was 115lb and I looked awful, I looked older than I was, but that was just me. I would be happy at 136lb as I was before.

But boy I envy you, one of those people who can probably still fit into their wedding dress from 20 years ago

 

[MTR]

There was a news story on tv last night.
They are considering paying for this in Australia, as currently it costs $14K.

I'm in the different group. I don't have a problem, having it covered by medicare, but I don't want it classified as an addiction... in the sense, if you are obese, you get welfare.

I watch these morbidly obese shows too.
When they get to the point where they can't do things for themselves, I always think their family must really hate them.

Who continually feeds massive amounts of food to someone in this condition?

Hi Kathryn

There does seem to be a problem with society recognising that there are many people who can and are addicted to food.

We recognise many other addictions, ie alcohol, drugs etc.

I believe its stigmatised and public view people who are obese etc as being lazy, and they should be able to control their food intake.

However, after watching some of these obese patients, there is no way in this world that anyone would want to live as they live. If it was as simple as reducing calories they would do it, unfortunately it is not because it is an addiction. They live for food.

Here is a link
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...18/brain-imaging-confirms-food-addiction.aspx

 

[kathryn d]

As with most addictions, it rarely has anything to do with the "addiction"

Until the underlying issues are resolved, it keeps coming back.

Except maybe when they have a physical barrier, such as stomach reduction.

 

[kathryn d]

I don't make fun of overweight people.
Sometimes, they just don't know any better (minors), and other times food is comfort.Or they must eat the unhealthy choices that is served at home.
I know there are more serious reasons too.(abuse etc)

My stepson was 11 when he joined my family. He was 5'1 and really overweight. My 2 sons were stringbeans.
We had to change our meals, so there weren't any leftovers.
I certainly didn't want to put him on a diet.
He grew into his weight naturally. He is now 22 and 6'3 and slender, and works in a restaurant.

My son's friend was always overweight too. After he saw the difference in my S-Son, he told my son, he wished he grew up in our family.

After these bypass surgeries...then many will want excess skin removed...which is fine with me too.

 

[MTR]

Hi K
I really like your story on stepson. Good for you.

I have 2 daughters and they are very much into eating good healthy food and also into keeping fit so they can actually teach me something
I think one thing I know and petal mentioned, diets don't work, 80% put back the weight and some.

MTR

 

[natmarie73]

Just curious Nat,

After dropping all the weight after the South Beach Diet, what happened next?? i.e. did you put it all back on again and then some more??

Yes I put weight on again, basically went back to what I would consider my "normal" weight. Note, I've never been overweight and I'm probably the heaviest I've ever been now at 60kg. When I went on the South Beach diet I was below 50 and one of my friends actually asked if I had cancer I lost weight so quickly. But it was unsustainable in the long run and just going back to normal eating patterns put weight back on over the past 2 years and now I'm at the place where I want to get back to being leaner but not necessarily lose weight.

Re gastric sleeve surgery, a close friend of mine had this done just last week. I have just come back from visiting her. She isn't obese but has tried diets a number of times without success. And she is not one of those people who scarf a lot of junk food at all. She always eats healthy food, has been seeing a dietician for the past 12 months and excersises moderately but finds it really hard to lose weight.

One thing she told me was that she will have to monitor what she eats from now on as apparently the remainder of the stomach can stretch if you eat too much which has happened to a person she knows who has had it done. And if she loses weight too quickly her skin will be very baggy so she has to be monitored by her dietician until she has lost all the weight successfully. It is definately not as easy as just get your stomach stapled then continue to eat as before you - do need to change your whole lifestyle and eat healthy.

 

[luce.rocks]

I'm hoping to lose weight over Christmas. We're headed to Spain to spend 2.5 months with the in-laws. I would be embarrassed if they saw how much chocolate I eat, plus Arnotts and Cadbury don't exist in Spain. That's gotta make a difference to my waistline and help me shift some of my pregnancy weight!

 

[Of The Vultures]

I plugged MTR initial post here http://www.hackerfactor.com/GenderGuesser.php
It says the post is written by a male.

That's an interesting tool, I just tried one of my posts and the verdict was male for informal writing, and weak female for formal writing which, according to them can indicate European... and they're right! Although strictly speaking I'm not a male

Anyway, back to the topic at hand...

 

[Anh]

Reduce carbs at nights and exercise

Hi,

I have similar weight and size to Kathryn. 54.5 kgs in Jul and have been exercising regularly for the last 2 years. At one stage because i thought i exercise so i ate more ( put on weight, apart from the increase in muscle).

In Jul my colleague came back from maternity leave and she lost 19 kgs over 4 months, she looks perfect! so i asked her what was her secret, she told me she has been eating a lot less, and no carbs at nights ( way less that what she used to eat) and eating healthy food (salads, no chips, no chocolates etc..). She also has been running and doing weights, but the main reason for her losing weight was the change in what she ate.

I could see her result but i was in doubt, so i started the experiment on myself: for 3 weeks i ate my breakfast as my main meal and exercised before lunch times, then ate smaller portion for lunch, and dinner time no carbs, or very little ( 1/5 -1/8 of the amount of carbs i used to eat), replacing with more vegies and protein.

What i have found :

- i lost 1.5 kgs over 3 weeks (never lost that much before in such short time).
- the 1st 2 weeks was the hardest as my body was fighting the change. I was so hungry and hour or two after dinner, but i resisted and suceeded.
- after that it become easier, and interestingly by dinner time i am no longer feeling overly hungry as i was before ( probably because i eat more in the morning).
- i lost further 1kg in the next 5 months with regular exercise 5-6 times/week
- I then went to a conference where they fed you so much good morning teas/afternoon teas, fine dining dinners and although i tried to control myself, i did eat more sweets ( high calories food) during those few days which i then ate more and i put on almost 1 kg during 2 weeks of eating more and no exercise.

So now i am back to watching what i eat now and exercise and will try to maintain the weight.

It is hard to create a new habit, but for me once i put my mind to it, it become quite easy. I now ask myself if i am physically hungry or mentally hungry before i actually eat something.

The key take out is to eat less or just enough what the body needs and exercise will help maintain it and build strength.

Ta

 

[natmarie73]

Yep it all comes down to increasing excersise and reducing carbs/sugar and other empty calories. Once the habit is formed it is easy to maintain until you "accidentally" have a bit of chocolate/cake/pannacotta and then it all goes to *****. Whoever said that sugar is as addictive as heroin has a valid point.

I have to think of sugar in much the same way an alcoholic things of booze - can't even have a taste if I want to stay on the wagon.

Day 1 of my excersise and eating plan yesterday and boy was I starving! Feel very healthy though so worth it.

 

[kathryn d]

Hi,

I now ask myself if i am physically hungry or mentally hungry before i actually eat something.

I also read that when we think we are hungry, we may be actually thirsty.
It says to drink something, and if you are still hungry 20 minutes later, eat something.