Unutterably Silly Who is on a diet. Come on I know you all are!

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by astra

It also depends on how often you eat.
Our body is used from primordial times to save fat for cold periods. If you eat 2-3 times a day with bug time gaps, your body is entering a life saving mode when it thinks that food is hard to obtain, so let's put away those calories in the form of fat just in case. If you break your meals into smaller portions and consume them more often, the same amount of calories will be used more wisely by your body.

My basic rules are:
No breakfast past 9AM, just go straight to snack between 10AM and 11AM*
Breakfast before 6:30AM = second breakfast before 9AM
Nutrious snack between 10AM and 11AM
Lunch between 12:30PM and 13:30PM
Nutrious snack between 15:30PM and 16:30PM
Dinner around 18:30PM, but never ever later than 9PM
No more snacking after 9PM (double calories !)

* This is what happens every day of the weekend and during holidays. But it doesn't really matter, because I usually get up around 10 and go straight to the snack after waking up.

So basically you eat something every 3 hours. Works like a charm. If you don't eat approximately every 3 hours, you're body will start to store fat, like Astra said.

And also: lots and lots of water. I used to drink very little a couple of years ago, basically 2 glasses of water a day. My dietitian said: you will never lose weight if you don't start drinking at least 1,5 liters of water a day. I didn't believe her, I didn't lose much weight. I started drinking a bottle of water a day, and started losing weight. Weird huh

[happy_terd]

To be healthy it is very important what you eat. Basic weight loss is always calories in vs calories burned regardless of what and when you eat. That said, being skinny does not always mean being healthy.

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by Iridal

My basic rules are:
No breakfast past 9AM, just go straight to snack between 10AM and 11AM*
Breakfast before 6:30AM = second breakfast before 9AM
Nutrious snack between 10AM and 11AM
Lunch between 12:30PM and 13:30PM
Nutrious snack between 15:30PM and 16:30PM
Dinner around 18:30PM, but never ever later than 9PM
No more snacking after 9PM (double calories !)

* This is what happens every day of the weekend and during holidays. But it doesn't really matter, because I usually get up around 10 and go straight to the snack after waking up.

So basically you eat something every 3 hours. Works like a charm. If you don't eat approximately every 3 hours, you're body will start to store fat, like Astra said.

And also: lots and lots of water. I used to drink very little a couple of years ago, basically 2 glasses of water a day. My dietitian said: you will never lose weight if you don't start drinking at least 1,5 liters of water a day. I didn't believe her, I didn't lose much weight. I started drinking a bottle of water a day, and started losing weight. Weird huh

OMG, and I just hate drinking. I drink 2 half cups of cold Arabica-coffee a day. In the weekends 1 wine with water as well.
Even on holidays in a dry country I don't drink much water. My half liter-water bottle lasts me a whole day.
I think I'm a desert-kind or person.
I would like to loose the few kilo's I gained after I stopped running each day. but drinking that much....................I don't know.

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by desertblues

OMG, and I just hate drinking. I drink 2 half cups of cold Arabica-coffee a day. In the weekends 1 wine with water as well.
Even on holidays in a dry country I don't drink much water. My half liter-water bottle lasts me a whole day.
I think I'm a desert-kind or person.
I would like to loose the few kilo's I gained after I stopped running each day. but drinking that much....................I don't know.

You get used to it. I struggled with it as well, I really had to force myself to drink a whole bottle each day. I filled a large glass with water every hour or so and then just drank it in one go. But now ... No problem at all I even get headaches when I don't drink enough water.

When I was little my mom always told me: you have to drink water now for the thirst that will come later. She was right: being thirsty means you're getting dehydrated.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Iridal

My basic rules are:
No breakfast past 9AM, just go straight to snack between 10AM and 11AM*
Breakfast before 6:30AM = second breakfast before 9AM
Nutrious snack between 10AM and 11AM
Lunch between 12:30PM and 13:30PM
Nutrious snack between 15:30PM and 16:30PM
Dinner around 18:30PM, but never ever later than 9PM
No more snacking after 9PM (double calories !)

* This is what happens every day of the weekend and during holidays. But it doesn't really matter, because I usually get up around 10 and go straight to the snack after waking up.

So basically you eat something every 3 hours. Works like a charm. If you don't eat approximately every 3 hours, you're body will start to store fat, like Astra said.

And also: lots and lots of water. I used to drink very little a couple of years ago, basically 2 glasses of water a day. My dietitian said: you will never lose weight if you don't start drinking at least 1,5 liters of water a day. I didn't believe her, I didn't lose much weight. I started drinking a bottle of water a day, and started losing weight. Weird huh

From what I know, it sound like a perfect setup.
Drinking lots of water is also very important. Only one thing one has to keep in mind. Never drink water in big quantities at once. I mean if they tell you you have to drink 1.5L of water in a day, it doesn't mean that it will benefit you if you drink even 6 glasses 300ml of water in 6 separate times. That was one of the very first things they taught us, green repatriates, in Israel. You drink in small swallows. Sort of constantly drinking. If you drink one glass now, another in 2 hours, etc, you just go to toilet very often and flash all of the water out, it doesn't retain in the body. If you drink it in small swallows the body absorbs it as much as it needs, the rest go down the toilet

Originally Posted by happy_terd

Basic weight loss is always calories in vs calories burned regardless of what and when you eat.

I beg to differ dear pro!
Cabbage, Celery are the two examples I remember. When you eat them, you spend more calories to digest them than they bring in.
For example if you eat Cabbage 200 kcal, you are going to spend 300 kcal to digest it.
If you eat cake 200 kcal, you are going so spend only 100 kcal to digest it, the rest...is fat

I always believed in

always calories in vs calories burned

because it is very logical and goes along with how my brain comprehend the process. Alas, it doesn't work like that.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by astra

Cabbage, Celery are the two examples I remember. When you eat them, you spend more calories to digest them than they bring in.
For example if you eat Cabbage 200 kcal, you are going to spend 300 kcal to digest it.
If you eat cake 200 kcal, you are going so spend only 100 kcal to digest it, the rest...is fat

Largely an urban myth.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/pa...896346,00.html

I do take one of the only negative calorie foods I know about. Well, actually, it's a drink.

Chilled Coke Zero. A 330ml can contains 1.5kJ. To warm the drink up to body temperature from fridge temperature (say to 37C from 7C) takes 9.9kJ. So it uses about six times as much energy to warm it to body temperature as you get from digesting it. This means that drinking a 330ml can makes you lose almost 9kJ. Wooo — a whole 3 calories.

Whereas, a stick of celery contains about 10 calories. I suppose if you ate a stick straight from the fridge, you might use up a few of those calories warming the celery to body temperature. And use maybe 10-20% more digesting it. But it's unlikely to end up negative.

Of course, one big advantage of celery and other high-cellulose, high-fibre foods is that they make you feel full, but have few calories. But negative calories? No.

At the other end of the scale, there are very high calorie foods. Salted roasted peanuts? About 6 calories per gram. That's just two peanuts!


I find it easier to not worry too much about it, but to just eat slightly less than I used to do of the same foods.

[astra]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Largely an urban myth.

Hmm. Interesting. Definitely needs more investigation on my part.
I, personally, don't give a fig about it. I was only sharing what I believed was truth. Maybe I was wrong.
I still claim that sheer number of kcal in/out doesn't work like that. In one of my previous posts I said it depends on the type of food you eat, what it consists of and how your body works with it. I wont argue about negative calories right now, but another thing is well known.
Some foods are very easily digested by you such bread etc. It is unhealthy for your stomach to get used to that type of food, fast food, food rich in fat, sugars, carbonates. Some food is more difficult to digest and it is good for your stomach (like exercising for muscles ) and you will get less fat after eating it, it usually consists of better ingredients.

[astra]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Largely an urban myth.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/pa...896346,00.html

I just sent email to my brother and his wife who are doctors. I am curious what they reply. Although, knowing my brother he might scorn at me and say that I should not bother with this silliness, forget about it and go to gym instead

[SneakySnake]

Things are certainly more complicated the more you find out. I recently watched a documentary about how cooked food imparts more calories than the same uncooked food. They had done experiments with animals and it appears that cooking the food allows us to gain more calories from it.

Anyway I am off to the gym anyway

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

Things are certainly more complicated the more you find out. I recently watched a documentary about how cooked food imparts more calories than the same uncooked food. They had done experiments with animals and it appears that cooking the food allows us to gain more calories from it.

Anyway I am off to the gym anyway

I have also heard that in many cases lightly cooking vegetables allows us to gain more nutrients from the food too, though. So maybe the tradeoff of more calories is worth it.

I watched this a few weeks ago -- a documentary on the science of weight loss. Fascinating!

http://documentaryheaven.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-losing-weight/

[beppe]

Originally Posted by astra

It also depends on how often you eat.
Our body is used from primordial times to save fat for cold periods.
Even how you exercise will affect your fat and weight.

from the experiences of a previous weight loss/shape updating campaign, that alas was successful for only few years, I learned that in order to trim away fat from a particular part of the body you need to activate and use the muscles just under that fat. I had been successful with my whole body with a pre-ski program of twice a week for a 2 hours of intense work out with an instructor). There was just one spot where the original fat did not want to disappear. That was right in the middle of the chest between the two pectorals. I could not find any exercise and kept the fat lump as a a good luck charm.

Originally Posted by Iridal

So basically you eat something every 3 hours. Works like a charm. If you don't eat approximately every 3 hours, you're body will start to store fat, like Astra said. And also: lots and lots of water.

I share the same thought that both you and Astra have. That is that if the body feels threatened he (i think of him as of a guy, what else in my case) will activate the save energy mode and start storing it away. My trick is to eat only 3 times a day, and to eat plenty, so that Body knows that we are in a fine logistic situation. In this way I give a chance to him and to myself to forget about food for a while. If I can, right after the meal, I start to exercise so Body activates the turbo energy burning program. It has to last for at least 5 minutes to be effective. This is also good for other reasons. I think they call the after meal stroll a constitutional. That's the idea. Just postpone the lounging for 10 minutes or so.

Originally Posted by astra

That was one of the very first things they taught us, green repatriates, in Israel. You drink in small swallows. Sort of constantly drinking. If you drink one glass now, another in 2 hours, etc, you just go to toilet very often and flash all of the water out, it doesn't retain in the body. If you drink it in small swallows the body absorbs it as much as it needs, the rest go down the toilet.

I see your point and it makes sense to me: it is important to reduce water losses in a dry environment, like in the Negev Desert where water is not so easy to get.

There are other points about water though. From what I understand, the amount of water is controlled by Na/K equilibrium, mostly. Also my skin when I am full of water is smoother and my calendar age less obvious in favor of the age i feel and that I rather show. Which for a guy that is vane as I am and that relays much on the equilibrium between inner beauty and outer handsomeness this is not to be neglected.

I keep the Na level in my food as low as practical, for general health reasons. My food is naturally high in K so that I tend to take an haggard look when I am dieting. Alcohol also tends to attract water ...

That is one of the reasons I do not like to weight myself when dieting. I just see how I look and compare my waist with the belts I use, and the watches' bands. Obsessions about daily weights is not pleasant, and it can take away much of the pleasure in setting one self right.

Originally Posted by astra

Some foods are very easily digested by you such bread etc. It is unhealthy for your stomach to get used to that type of food, fast food, food rich in fat, sugars, carbonates. Some food is more difficult to digest and it is good for your stomach (like exercising for muscles ) and you will get less fat after
eating it, it usually consists of better ingredients.

This is such a true and intelligent way to face the nutrition process. I believe in training Body to be happy with what I want to give him. In my case less salt, no sugar, little fat, little or no starch, meat as a side dish and just occasional for that. To find gratification in flavors, aromas, textures. To enjoy a well composed meal in which colors and shapes are important maybe as much as flavors. It takes few weeks to tone down the needs of Body. That is why sometimes an initial crash approach can be useful. But after that, one should establish a new alliance with Body and be happy with, both.

[astra]

Originally Posted by beppe

That is why sometimes an initial crash approach can be useful. But after that, one should establish a new alliance with Body and be happy with, both.

I like it

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by beppe

...

That is one of the reasons I do not like to weight myself when dieting. I just see how I look and compare my waist with the belts I use, and the watches' bands. Obsessions about daily weights is not pleasant, and it can take away much of the pleasure in setting one self right.

...

So you don't do measurements ? I find just looking at myself a really tricky way to judge whether I lost weight. One of the most interesting things I ever learned about dieting is that it can take up to a year for your brain to come to terms with the slimmer you. I always used to think I was fatter than I was. Thinking 'I will never fit into this' when I picked up a pair of pants was very common when I first lost weight. Now I'm pretty good at picking out clothes that fit.

So you just see yourself fatter than you are in reality. I try to combine the two (weighing and measuring), especially when I excercise a lot while dieting. Sadly I'm really horrible at keeping it (measuring) up, it just takes too much time

[DixieGal]

I saw a news item a while back about doctors using infrared heat to melt the fat in problem areas, similar to a no-cut lip. Then I saw the other day where other doctors were using some sort of freezer device to break up the fat. It sounds too good to be true. What do you think?

[astra]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I saw a news item a while back about doctors using infrared heat to melt the fat in problem areas, similar to a no-cut lip. Then I saw the other day where other doctors were using some sort of freezer device to break up the fat. It sounds too good to be true. What do you think?

I typed my point of view, then I though I might be wrong. If you are sensetive to fat people issue, please do not read it.

Spoiler:

I am very very bad at it.
I despise any external intrusions for fat reduction.
Only natural action. The rest is like an easy food for fat lazy people. I would cut a slack for very ill people who have no choice. Otherwise, it looks like fat lazy people look for an easy way out, so they can keep on eating tons of garbage without moving a limb.

My better 2/3s told me about hidden fat, fat that we do not see. It is the most difficult fat to get rid off. It could be that you look more or less OK but weight more than you expect and maybe the internal fat is to be blamed.
I think they talk about it in bjones6416's link.