Dieting and Weight Loss (Tips and General Information)

Life Health & Fitness
1

I don’t know the science behind it, but I’ve never had trouble staying fit. I’ve heard everything from good genes and a side effect of my “illness” (bi-polar.) I’ve now been put to the task of helping my wife shed some pounds, so I’m going to begin the process of researching the “best” exercises and dieting plans around.

There is one Forumosan in particular that I hope will chime in on this one since I’ve seen his results from start to finish. I can’t remember the name of the system he used to achieve his results (if I he doesn’t post, I’ll be forced to call him :slight_smile:.)

My “secret” to staying fit, is… exercising. Though I do a lot more than your average bear. I was once 101kg (here in Taiwan, now down to 86ish), what I did to shed the weight was monitor my diet and run everyday (or bike, or kick the soccer ball around, or something active.) I’ve never had to do more than that. I’m now back to my usual routine of 1 or 2 cheese burgers a day :smiley:

I thought the Health and Fitness forum would have already had a stickied thread about weight loss and dieting, but I didn’t see one, nor did I see one on the first page (I don’t do search.)

I haven’t seen a better summary of “secrets” than this page (that took me all of 2 minutes to find .)

nutritiondata.com/dieting-weight-loss.html

Personal tips, book recommendations, etc. are more than welcome.

2

He did the G.I. diet, after following this book.
I recently picked up a copy of it, and it really is one of the most balanced nutrition programs I have seen. Sure, low carb diets (eg. Atkins and South Beach Diet) definitely work, but the G.I. is worth reading if you are sceptical about Atkins etc.

good link, MTK.

Eat less, move more.

3

As soon as I started jujitsu (props to MTK)I would say about a month and half or so the weight started falling off. Once I started working out on a regular basis, I started wanting to eat and sleep right and I guess my metabolism started to correct itself.

Also, I was too focused on the weight at first so it made it hard, but once I shifted my mind to just how much I loved doing BJJ, I did literally wake up one day and realize that ‘oh, my belly is really gone’. *

*Ask Sandman
:smiley:

4

He did the G.I. diet, after following this book.
I recently picked up a copy of it, and it really is one of the most balanced nutrition programs I have seen.[/quote]
Thanks Truant. I ended up giving him a call because I was at PageOne and bought a copy of “part 2” (they didn’t have the original.) The second book has a summary of the first book and 100 recipies. I think that should be enough. I’ll probably be able to steal his copy for a bit if I want to see part 1.

5

See also “Help Blob” (a short but classic thread, IMHO).

I wish I had done a bit more work on it recently - then I might have won Saturday’s “good body” competition instead of coming in second. It would have been nice to win NT$50,000 instead of a Smirnoff t-shirt.

p.s. Any ideas how to get my girlfriend to shed weight? She is pretty blobbed out. I can’t even persuade her to walk to church and back once a week.

6

That is a great question! I sometimes feel as if I cannot urge my girlfriend to exercise because it would be hypocritical of me! (I don’t workout enough these days)…Now I suggest that we both take a short run or eat raw veggies instead of noodles, etc.

BTW - she is petite so I am concerned about muscle development for her…whereas for myself it is a body fat issue. I need to watch diet :hungry: (and beer consumption) as well as increase exercise, while she doesn’t really need to watch diet.

7

i have only one belt that i wear. i have had this belt for at least 16 years.

i measure my girth by which notch on the belt feels comfortable.

i was at number 3 for years (#1 being the closest to the tip of the belt).

i had my drivers license renewed recently, but i kept my weight at “178 pounds”; i am 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and 41 years old.

since i worked at a place with a scale that we use i saw that i was up to 196 pounds. mostly around the gut. but it also showed up in my face, etc.

i decided to cut out starch.

that is, white rice, white bread, pasta, potatoes, noodles, etc. i also cut back on the sugars. i love candy, but sugar converts to fat if not burned.

i hate working out too, but my jobs have always been very active ones. but i usually have always biked or walked to work. if this is not possible, then at least get out and take recreational walks or bike rides. don’t spend too much time in “sitting” activities.

after about 2 months i went to about 183 pounds. i went to belt notch #4.

my goal was to to get to my drivers license weight, so i just kept off the heavy starch, and sugar.

about another two months, i weighed myself and the scale said “178”. and that was fully dressed, with my wallet, car keys, pocket knife and boots on.

this while on belt notch #5.

i felt i was there. all due to cutting starches and sugars.

i still drink beer. not that i was ever considered, “fat”, i did have a gut and a start of a chin, and chubby cheeks (now that i look back at photos from these few months ago).

people have told me i look thin. i found this both strange and good. strange because i never thought i was fat, and good because i knew i had more baggage than i needed.

so my advice to you and yours: cut back on starchy foods and sugary foods. and spend some time getting out by foot. walk to dinner or the movies, or whatever, instead of always driving of riding.

any small steps can help: take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far from the door instead of looking for the closest space, do leg lifts while watching tv, whatever it takes… just burn calories. if you’re gonna take 'em in, then burn ‘em off at the same rate. the alternative is to pack them in, sit around, and let them pile up. oooh, and pile up they will. it’s not the calories’ fault. they are there to help you move. if you don’t move, they store themselves up for when you might move.

ps-low carbs is a bunch of bullshit-
we need the foods that are high in carbs-fruits, vegetables, grains.
we just don’t need all the heavy starch and sugars.

signing out from belt notch #5 and going for #6,

jm

8

Logging your eating and exercise is a great motivation tool.

nutridiary.com/ is a site that has a massive library of foods that can be used to log meals etc, including custom food set up…and exercise. Great reporting tools.

It’s free. I’ve just started using it.

9

[quote=“Truant”]Logging your eating and exercise is a great motivation tool.

nutridiary.com/ is a site that has a massive library of foods that can be used to log meals etc, including custom food set up…and exercise. Great reporting tools.

It’s free. I’ve just started using it.[/quote]

Ok, so I had a go and it seems quite simple to use. I know this works as I lost a bunch of weight before by logging what I was eating. It just makes you think before you chuck that piece of pie down your throat.

Quick question. How much water is a glass? I drink about 5L a day straight from the bottle. How many glasses is that?

10

[quote=“JOHN MOSS”]ps-low carbs is a bunch of bullshit-
we need the foods that are high in carbs-fruits, vegetables, grains.
we just don’t need all the heavy starch and sugars.[/quote]

Just for clarification, carbs are starches and sugars.

11

There are three keys to weight loss: diet, exercise, and motivation to lose weight.

Cut back on calorie intake, while having a good balance of carbs and proteins. But don’t cut back too much or your body will think it’s being starved and lower its metabolism in response. It’s OK to indulge once in a while - it kind of keeps your body on its toes. Avoid fast food with the exception of Subway, and only then get their low-calorie subs. Cook your own food - outside food is far too greasy here in Taiwan. If you cook your own, you can control what goes into it.

Get active. Go out for walks, bike rides, hikes, swims. Do low-impact exercise if high-impact is more than your body can take, but burn the calories. If you want to, join a gym - it’ll prevent you from using the “bad weather” excuse (which in Taiwan is certainly a legitimate excuse for not doing outdoor activities). Many gyms have TV screens so you can be entertained while doing repetitive activities like cycling or treadmill.

Weigh yourself and keep a record of your progress. If you want, you can make a graph. As you lose weight, you will see the numbers fall tangibly. This is a great motivator. Set milestones: losing 10% of your weight, passing a round number, etc. Think of the health problems you can solve or minimize by losing weight. This is also a good motivator. One reason programs like WeightWatchers are so effective is the accountability - you’re weighed each week and it’s recorded on your card. You pass milestones and you see your progress. If your weight ticks up, you become more determined to get it doen by the following week.

The following factors can harm your efforts: unsupportive SO’s, in-laws (particularly things like dinners out with them at shabu-shabu), the holiday season (especially the extended one in Taiwan, with wei-ya’s and holiday feasts), stress, disruptions and instability in your life (moving, job hunting, breakups, etc.). The more control you have over your own life, the more control you have over your weight loss efforts.

12

yeah chris, i know sugars and starches are carbs.

but in the “low carb” diet craze that went on for a long time promoting heavy protein and low carbs- the low carbs included cutting fruit and vegetables which are good carbs.

a low starch/sugar diet helped me shed 18 pounds.

jm

13

[quote=“Juba”]See also “Help Blob” (a short but classic thread, IMHO).

p.s. Any ideas how to get my girlfriend to shed weight? She is pretty blobbed out. I can’t even persuade her to walk to church and back once a week.[/quote]

First of all, if your girlfriend is happy with her body, then leave it alone. :fume:

Second, Serious fun has a better attitude. But not quite sure about the concern with muscle development. :loco:

Third, Chris, you have some sensible advice. It’s all a matter of amount of calories consumed and burned mixed with those other “factors” that you mentioned. So true.

14

The trick was, I got back into running. I used long runs once a week, and used a system of easy weeks as well as easy days. I basically built up my long run the way it’s suggested in Jeff Galloway’s book on running. Then, I did two runs of a quarter that length every day I didn’t do a long run during my “hard” weeks. Every other week, I’d do an “easy” week and cut my long run in half. Every other easy week (i.e. once a month), I took two rest days, and cut my normal runs down to about 2/3 of the usual distance as well as cutting my long run in half.

Using that method, I was able to build up my long run to 23 miles and my total mileage to over 90/week within 3 months with no injuries. I swear, I ate whatever the heck I wanted and the fat just kept coming off. I’m sure even a modest running program would still have plenty of benefits.

15

I’ve been battling the blob most of my adult life, sometimes winning, more often losing (the battle, not pounds, unfortunately). I know how to lose weight, but I tend to be lazy and, well, I love to eat. When I was in the US, the two methods that worked best for me were The Zone Diet and Weight Watchers, coupled with regular exercise. I probably felt better than I had in my whole life while I was doing the Zone Diet faithfully. This one promotes lean protein and sensible carbs from fruits and veggies, while using high-glycemic carbs in extreme moderation. On this diet one eats three meals and three snacks a day, never consuming more than 500 calories in one sitting. How much one eats is based on what one’s lean body mass is. If this diet wasn’t such a pain in the butt to plan out, I would have kept doing it. Again, that lazy factor stepping in to ruin something good.

I also liked the Weight Watchers method of counting points (again, how much you get to eat per day is based on your body weight) and exercise. With Weight Watchers, one can eat whatever one desires, as long as one does not exceed the allowed amount of points. However, I have no clue how to count the points in some of the food I eat here, so this isn’t much of an option. When they can give me a list of points in e ah mi suan, that will be helpful :wink:

I’m hoping I’ll soon find the motivation for the regular exercise. Although I do walk quite a bit more than any native Taiwanese, who seem shocked if I tell them I walked from Minquan W. Rd. station to Taipei, that’s not helping. I’m sure the beer I’m consuming is also not helping. Like I said, I know how to do it, it’s just making myself actually do it that’s the problem!

Wish me luck!

16

I still tend to agree with this line of thinking. Any time I needed to lose weight I did change my eating habits, but I also ran HARD every other day or so. I’d also swim and do other exercises.

That’s basically what I have my wife doing now. We went out running 4 times last week and she was surprised at how easy things got within just a week’s time. The first time we went out she asked how much time was left at the 5 minute mark (we’re running for 10 minutes straight, but walk around the turns of a track for now.) The third time we went out she say “Times up already?” when the watch beeped.

I plan on working her up to 20 minutes like that, then going back down to 10 but keeping the running non-stop, then working back up to 20 minutes again. We do 5-10 minutes of walking as a warm up and then walk for 10+ minutes after the run as a “cool down” of sorts. She says she just wants to walk for an hour a day, but I think that’s too sissy.

I also plan on teaching her how to play basket ball and soccer, just because she thinks running is boring and wants to do something else for the exercise (I like boring.) There will also be some “hard-core” swimming in there once a week or so to mix things up.

I need to remember to take a before picture to have a comparison three months from now.

17

I need a bit of help with this… gained quite a few kilos recently due to increased work stress. I’m one of those guys who when stressed and working a lot needs to keep eating just to keep up the energy level.

I agree with Chris’ post on the losing weight part. I think the biggest problem for me right now is the mental part. Any suggestions to help here?

18

[quote=“Yellow Cartman”]I need a bit of help with this… gained quite a few kilos recently due to increased work stress. I’m one of those guys who when stressed and working a lot needs to keep eating just to keep up the energy level.

I agree with Chris’ post on the losing weight part. I think the biggest problem for me right now is the mental part. Any suggestions to help here?[/quote]
I just lost 7-8kg recently just by keeping a diary of everything I eat/drink.

I used www.nutridiary.com

It’s free, and surprisingly effective without following any sort of ‘diet’. I just kept my daily intake below 2000cal and it fell off, but the best thing I found was by tracking it all, I found out where some of the surprise calories are, and how brilliant just a balanced diet works.
You might want to take a look at that.

19

I went from 110 KG to 80 KG by also using the GI based diets (the zone and South Beach).
I started on the zone and switched to the SB after a couple months. The main difference between the two is the SB is a bit more liberal on the carbs.
Neither is a low carb diet in the sense of Atkins, their concept is good carb versus bad carb, and also good fat versus bad fat, with some lean protien thrown in. The GI is also great but is more work on your part, the guys that did both of these diets incorparated the GI into their plans.

It has been over a year and I haven’t gained any back, in fact I am still losing slowly. I didn’t give up beer either. I have a couple beers or some wine every day.

The main thing is to RUN, don’t walk, Run away from any white carbs, white bread, white noodles, and expesially white rice. The GI on white rice is almost the same as table sugar!!

I am also a Type II Diabetic and I was having problems with infections in my legs due to the diabetis. 2 months after I went on the diet, my blood sugars returned to normal and the doctor lowered my medicine to the min. dose.

My wife and the in-laws gave me such a hard time about not eating rice I took her in to see my diabetis doctor and he told her in Chinese that if I keept eating the white rice I could expect to loose my feet and eyesite. No more problems after that.

I like the food I eat now, and I never feel hungry. I miss a few things, but I can live without them. And I mean that literally, because I can’t live with them!

Have a filet instead of a t-bone, make most of your carbs fruits and veggies, and lay off the rice and noodles and you will drop the weight, and feel much better too.

20

I think the only really sure way to lose weight is to change your lifestyle and habits. Otherwise unless you have an iron will (unlikely if you’re out of shape in the first place) its easy to slip from your diet and go back to your previous situation.

I think MK has been so successful because it was easy for him to change his lifestyle. How? Its not the sport he does, its that he has found the sport he loves. He doesn’t have to psyche himself up to go because he really wants to.

If you can find a sport that u really love then exercising and losing weight becomes easy.