September Thread - Bhuz Diet Team

[ssipes]

Well, for the past week and a half I have been working out, eating very clean, logging food onto fitday, staying below 1600 Cals (even managed to eat 1200 a few days, which is generally impossible for me!).

The secret: I've kept my carbs down to 35% of my calories. Once I get going on this, it seems to greatly reduce my appetite.

I have kept my workplace well-stocked with protein shakes, zone perfect bars, tomato and grapefruit juice, walnuts, canned tuna, hardboiled eggs, and precut veggies (carrots, snap peas, etc) and bananas. I eat this stuff every 2-3 hrs. Then I cook a sensible dinner or if we go out I eat half and box the rest up.

Knock on wood, I have even shed my 10 pm cravings for PB&J!

And I'm down 3 lbs in the past 2 weeks!

Sedonia

[danidance]

way to go and smart thinking!

I do so much better when I cut down on the carbs. there's no question they increase my hunger & snacking.

[angelique2]

That is awesome Sedonia!!!! I really think eating every 2-3 hrs helps a lot.

I just wish I could get rid of this pop withdraw headache. I have had 2 shots this week from the doctor so far.
Has anyone tired to stop drinking pop before cold turkey???

[danidance]

When I gave up coffee it hurt - but i was better after about 5 days. of course, I'm back to drinking it now!

Originally Posted by angelique2

That is awesome Sedonia!!!! I really think eating every 2-3 hrs helps a lot.

I just wish I could get rid of this pop withdraw headache. I have had 2 shots this week from the doctor so far.
Has anyone tired to stop drinking pop before cold turkey???

[Gwoofer]

Originally Posted by danidance

Angelique - these are great suggestions. I love ice cream ...my downfall next to bread and I cannot keep it in the freezer. no willpower at all.


"However I do have cravings for ice cream. I no longer buy ice cream for the house. I go out to eat it. That way I do not have easy access to it @ 1 or 2 am.When I do go out, I ask for the children's size ice cream."

Adishakti:

Here is my new haircut...I like having a change. It's been a hundred years since I had a fringe.

Oh!!!! Dat purdy, really nice.

[Gwoofer]

I'm *cough cough* wondering .....

Anyone have the problem with erm, constipation when dieting? I have both that and the opposite when I change my standard diet, one leads to icky bloat the other unpredictability, ya know .

Also, it's asked at least a hundred times but anyone notice changes for better, worse and just plain transitionally weird look of any cellulite that may be present.

Meanwhile, still working on keeping my energy level from going splotto and must admit I'm pretty darned tired (OK, and cranky right now).

ta ta and carry on ...

[zafirah]

Originally Posted by Gwoofer

Also, it's asked at least a hundred times but anyone notice changes for better, worse and just plain transitionally weird look of any cellulite that may be present.

It may be wishful thinking but I think my early stage cellulite (skin crinkly when squished but you can't feel it in the texture of the skin) is improved (no hope for the ingrained stuff that i have had since puberty but i came to terms with that years ago).

BUT i didn't just diet I did lots of excercise too, toning those areas that were not beyond hope (front of thighs, belly, the bits that costumes show!). I also resolved to drink a lot more water (easy in boring desk job, gives you something do break the tedium both when its going in and out!) and herbal tea and cut out most caffeine except my morning cup of tea (I may be imagining the link to caffeine and cellulite though, but cutting it out can't do any harm as I'm sure its healthier wihtout dependence on it).


Z

[ssipes]

Originally Posted by Gwoofer

I'm *cough cough* wondering .....

Anyone have the problem with erm, constipation when dieting?

No, because when I'm eating healthy I consume more fiber from veggies, fruits and legumes. Also, I take a daily psyllum fiber supplement (metamucil or store brand equivalent) not for constipation, but because it helps fill me up, lowers cholesterol, and lowers risks of several cancers. Orange metamucil mixed in milk tasted just like a dreamcicle Although I usually choke down the plain stuff with neither sugar nor sweetener in juice or water.

Also, it's asked at least a hundred times but anyone notice changes for better, worse and just plain transitionally weird look of any cellulite that may be present.

I'm lucky I guess not to have much of the cellulite-y fat. Most of my fat is internal (the omentum that was discussed earlier) and a relatively thin subcutaneous layer. Actually, this isn't really "lucky" as the ometum fat is the most dangerous for one's health. But if I can just get rid of it and keep it off, I'll be lucky not to be dealing with cellulite.

However, there is unfortunately no diet or exercise to get rid of it if you have it. Cellulite has to do with the connective tissues in your fat aging and losing elasticity. There is some evidence that mesotherapy can help the look of it with some people.

Sedonia

[danidance]

Gwoofer,

Yes indeedy on the er well, you know, poopie issues. Of course, the people at Jenny Craig said that because I'm eating so much less volume - less is available for exiting my body. that made sense and I hadn't quite thought of it before!
As far as healthy eating - I'm eating healthy - it ain't that. The volume thing makes more sense to me, that and my body adjusting to different types of food.

I did decide to help out that area a bit and bought some dieter's tea for when I feel particularly congested. It works a charm - the name is Trimm Maxx (cinammon flavor) and I bought it on Amazon before I decided to boycott them for their animal-gaming-magazine-selling ways.

Where the cellulite is concerned, I've indeed noticed a bit more but I am sure that has to do with my lack of dancing. I'm completely disinterested in belly dance these days but I'm trying to drag my arse to Flameco class this weekend.

The biggest thing with the dieting for me is wanting to sleep a lot. But that too could just be stress not diet!

PS - thanks about the new hair.

[CharlotteDesorgher]

Originally Posted by ssipes

However, there is unfortunately no diet or exercise to get rid of it if you have it. Cellulite has to do with the connective tissues in your fat aging and losing elasticity.
Sedonia

[danidance]

I hate cellulite too.

Oh - good news to share - woke up this morning and I'm back at my pre-vacation weight. I lost the 2 to almost 3 pounds I gained. Thank god. The old "let's change the set point" strategy appears to have worked.

Now's the time to push down lower, however, enough time has been spent at the new setpoint me thinks.

[angelique2]

Anyone have the problem with erm, constipation when dieting?

Gwoofer,
I had a problem with this before. It could be different things. For myself It was,
I did not drink enough water. I wasn't a big fan of water @ that time. Now I drink water like crazy I drink about 1 gallon and 1/2 daily.
I wonder can a person get water logged, by drinking to much water......

[Lauren_]

I'm lost. Every day I think 'today I'm back on the wagon' and I start out with a great breakfast & lunch. In the afternoons I cave to a carb craving, but only a little one, still manageable. I eat great suppers. But then the late-night snacking starts, doesn't have anything to do with hunger, it's emotional eating. Stress gives me this sense of entitlement (I 'deserve' it, I 'need' it, tomorrow will be a better day and I'll go back to dieting then...). I know better! These are the exact same thoughts my cigarette addiction used to send me. I swear, high-glycemic simple carbs ARE addicting!

And I've tried everything (having carrots & such on hand, going to bed earlier, just cold-turkey resisting, etc) but I'm still losing my willpower in the evenings

And I've gained back about 6-7 pounds.

[Lauren_]

constipation -- yes, I've definitely had that problem! Lots of water helps, and patience. And realize that you're eating more efficiently there's simply going to be less waste, so as long as you're not uncomfortable, it's OK to eliminate less often.

If you're uncomfortable, you might want to add a fiber pill, or make sure you're eating enough fiber.

[danidance]

Lauren,

You would be better off having another meal at night. When the cravings start, pull out a nice bigger sized Lean Cuisine or a Lean Cuisine Pizza and eat that instead.

Don't snack. eat a meal.

That and go to bed early - I'm in bed by 8:30 most night as I wake up at 4:30 or 5. i don't sleep - I read a book or watch tv but I stay in bed!

[CharlotteDesorgher]

Lauren, if you feel lost, how about going to see a professional? I learned so much from seeing a nutritionist. I did it when I was burned out and she put me on a regime that helped my stress so much as well as getting rid of cravings that I thought I'd never lose.

I reckon we read so many competing theories in the press and diet books and we don't really know which ones are right for us. Seeing a professional cut through all that for me. She also did tests to check for allergies and adrenal fatigue as well as for yeast infections and stuff (stool tests urgh!).

It cost money but it was money really well spent. I feel better than I've felt in years and I really don't have cravings at all any more.

I forgot to say, you have to do a food diary when you go to see a nutritionist and that is so interesting. It sheds light on why you have food problems/fatigue/weight gain or whatever.

[Souzan]

Lauren,

I have some of the same issues. When the day starts finally wearing down I'm getting hungry in that needy sort of way. Sometimes I feel like I need to reward myself with food and sometimes I just have no self-control at night. So I came up with some allowable latenight snacks. Healthy Choice frozen fudge bars are only 80 calories and low fat. One of those more than satisfies that craving for comfort food. Sometimes I make a cup of hot cocoa using Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate powder, splenda, and fat free milk. The dark chocolate is really satisfying and I can sip it slowly to make the most of it. Or apple slices with a couple of small slices cheddar cheese.

And the other thing I do is to split my daily food intake up into 6 small meal-ettes so I have less opportunity to actually be hungry to begin with. That helps me identify whether I am actually in need of food or just want it!

Souzan

[angelique2]

I think I really need to start walking more. I used to do 2 miles a day. I have really slacked off. I have a but i don't like to use it much.
Any ideas for other exercises ? That have worked for you?

[angelique2]

1. You can exercise away – ‘spot reduce’ - fat deposits.
Unfortunately, we can’t target our problem areas through exercise. Exercise can strengthen specific muscle groups like abs and thighs, but can’t make the fat on top of those muscles go away. Fat will disappear only when we create a calorie deficit by eating less and moving more. Fat tends to be lost from problem areas last of all!

2. Lifting weights will give women big, bulky muscles.
No, most women don’t have the hormones necessary to ‘bulk up’. Weightlifting makes most women smaller and tighter, not bigger and bulkier.

3. You burn more fat by exercising longer at a lower intensity – the myth of the ’fat-burning zone’.
No, we burn a higher percentage of fat as a fuel source when working at lower intensities, but we burn more total calories when exercising at higher intensities. At the end of the day, it’s calories in versus calories out that matters.

4. If the scale goes up a few pounds when you begin exercising, it’s due to adding muscle.
No, it’s generally due to water retention from sore muscles or changed eating habits. You won’t build muscle doing cardio exercise, so starting a biking, walking, or elliptical program won’t result in a muscle gain. Strength-training will add muscle, but it takes considerable time and hard work for a woman to add even a few pounds of muscle. And muscle doesn’t ‘weigh more than fat’ – a pound of muscle is smaller and denser than a pound of fat and takes up about 1/3 the space, but the two weigh the same amount.

5. If you exercise, fat will turn to muscle and if you stop exercising, muscle will turn to fat.
No, fat and muscle are two separate and distinct kinds of tissue and can’t ‘turn into’ the other. But if you stop exercising, you may gain fat because you’re burning fewer calories!

6. The best time to exercise is in the morning.
No, the best time to exercise is whenever you can do it. There isn’t any proof that exercise done first thing in the morning burns any more calories. Of course, if you exercise in the morning, then you get it done regardless of what unexpected events may happen later in the day. But the most important thing is that we just do it!

7. If you’re not sore after a workout, then you didn't work out hard enough.
No, exercise doesn’t have to hurt in order to be effective or good for you.

8. Wait to start your exercise program until you’ve lost some weight.
No, studies show that the most successful losers and long-term maintainers exercised consistently from the beginning of their weight loss. There are exercises that people of ANY size can do!

9. You can eat anything you want as long as you exercise.
No, the bottom line for weight loss is calories in versus calories out. You can wipe out any calorie deficit that you create through exercise by eating too much. Plus you want to be eating high-quality, nutritious foods to fuel your workouts. What and how much you eat matters a lot!