Help! I'm Horrible at Losing Weight is the latest installment of the "Help! I'm Horrible" series
FLUTTER KICK
SDK
SPEED
Many of us want to be thinner. One of the first tips in Swim Faster Faster is:
LUG LESS LARD, the positive way to say this is: Be a slimmer swimmer.
The fact is, when we swim, we have to drag our bodies through the water and if we have less mass and resistance, we're likely to swim faster.
Many of us want to lose weight or have lost weight, some of us kept it off while others lost then gain it all back. The problem with losing weight is I often find it after I lost it.
This thread is for us to discuss this issue and act in this arena
What works and doesn't?
Why do we self sabotage?
What's your story?
What else?
The 4 word DIET from the book "Four Word Self Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives" by Patti Digh is:
"EAT LESS MOVE MORE "
Losing weight takes
a goal / intention, a plan, and action.
it takes constant focus and effort. It takes discipline. It takes some being hungry and suffering. We lose weight by burning more than we consume.
There's a catch 22
If we starve ourselves and lose weight too quickly our bodies become more efficient at storing fat.
It's an emotional area, it's diffucult, it can seem overwhelming,
some resort to expensive and possibly dangerous surgery and or plastic surgery.
Food is a difficult area, we need it to survive, for energy and repair, but if we eat too much, we store up the excess in the form of fat.
If you're a bit too heavy you might benefit from being a slimmer swimmer.
You might be healthier and fitter.
Use this thread to
declare your intention, goal and gain some support.
There's many books, methods and programs out there.
I'm not offering anyone any sure fire solution here.
there's No "lose 20 pounds in 20 days for 20 bucks" scam
Many methods work.
The simple solutions are:
EAT LESS MOVE MORE,
Anything we do and measure improves.
Anything we focus on improves.
Appropriate action and smart choices work
Sometimes we perform better with support
Increase your resting metabolic rate.
Be sensible.
Become a fat burning biofurnace.
Stop procrastinating, start now
you can offer advice, share your story, share your current situation and goal.
you can participate or lurk
we can celebrate achievement and progress
console failure, set backs and disappointment
ARE YOU IN?
if so please share:
name
age
height
weight
situation
goal
plan and
post your progress and updates
What else?
consider weekly pictures or updates
chart your journey from before to after.
Forgive yourself for mistakes.
It took years to put it on, it's likely to take months or years to take it off.
Stop procrastinating, start now, don't wait for Monday or some made up starting point.
Most importantly: Always always work with your doctor and professionals
I hope we go from horrible to excellent, from where we are to optimal.
It's fun to be fit fast and healthy.
Good luck, Namaste
Ande
I was at the Boston Science museum recently and they have a new installment which shows people from around the world with the foods they typically eat during a day. It shows total calories, height, weight, age, location, when foods are consumed, etc. There are really some interesting things I picked up on.
There was nothing at all to show that calories have anything to do with weight. I have to say, this mirrors what I've seen with my friends and family. Tiny women who were just generally active throughout the day with indoor and outdoor chores could eat as much as 2000 calories more than Sumo wrestlers who worked out for hours. Typical daily calories ranged from 2400-5,000. So, what gives?
Here are my observations from the exhibit:
- People who had more movement throughout the day fared better than those with large chunks of sedentary time. Even those who worked out or trained regularly.
- People who split their meals evenly or ate more foods during the morning and daytime fared better than those who skipped meals or had one large meal with several small meals. It was noted that the secret Sumo wrestlers used to gain weight easily was to workout all morning on nothing but water and tea then feast and relax the rest of their day. Their calories were middle of the road and their nutrition choices were average.
- People in warmer climates fared better than those in cooler climates. I'd be interested to find out if this was due to more vitamin D, more outdoor activity or more fresh foods.
- People who ate more fresh or "traditionally prepared" foods were far better off than those who included foods distributed for mass consumption. By traditionally prepared I mean: pickled foods, cured meats, breads and cheeses that were made locally seemed to have no negative impact on weight. There was one woman who seemed to subsist on fresh bread, deli meats and cheese alone at a size that appeared healthy. But those who included mass produced breads, mass produced meats, packaged cookies, packaged cakes, cereals, chain restaurant foods, etc fared worse.
- Those in northern climates who ate more fish were trimmer than non-fish eating northerners.
- Diets with less processed sugar fared better than those who ate more. Copious amounts of fresh fruits and breads seems to have no impact on weight.
- Diets without alcohol fared better than those who included it even small amounts. Those who managed to stay lean with the inclusion of alcohol tended to eat much less than the average person.
- The amount or ratio of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products or meats had so discernible impact on weight. It seemed no number of vegetables could undo the effects of mass produced foods.
- The number of calories people eat and have a healthy weight for their height seems to be much higher than diet research would suggest.
The takeaway points I got from this:
- Never skip meals.
- Don't end load your day with most of your food.
- Drink less if you want to eat more.
- Don't stress about calories - make sure you're eating the best quality food you can and skip sweetened foods (a LITTLE honey or maple syrup seemed fine).
- Try to keep yourself moving. You can't undo sitting damage even with the best workouts.
- Eat fish (because I'm in the northern part of the states).
- Get outside.
None of this of course helps loose weight but I think if you view your weight loss as practicing for maintenance, it's still helpful in guiding. Add more habits of successful people and the long term outcome will hopefully be one that has less rebound.
I was at the Boston Science museum recently and they have a new installment which shows people from around the world with the foods they typically eat during a day. It shows total calories, height, weight, age, location, when foods are consumed, etc. There are really some interesting things I picked up on.
There was nothing at all to show that calories have anything to do with weight. I have to say, this mirrors what I've seen with my friends and family. Tiny women who were just generally active throughout the day with indoor and outdoor chores could eat as much as 2000 calories more than Sumo wrestlers who worked out for hours. Typical daily calories ranged from 2400-5,000. So, what gives?
Here are my observations from the exhibit:
- People who had more movement throughout the day fared better than those with large chunks of sedentary time. Even those who worked out or trained regularly.
- People who split their meals evenly or ate more foods during the morning and daytime fared better than those who skipped meals or had one large meal with several small meals. It was noted that the secret Sumo wrestlers used to gain weight easily was to workout all morning on nothing but water and tea then feast and relax the rest of their day. Their calories were middle of the road and their nutrition choices were average.
- People in warmer climates fared better than those in cooler climates. I'd be interested to find out if this was due to more vitamin D, more outdoor activity or more fresh foods.
- People who ate more fresh or "traditionally prepared" foods were far better off than those who included foods distributed for mass consumption. By traditionally prepared I mean: pickled foods, cured meats, breads and cheeses that were made locally seemed to have no negative impact on weight. There was one woman who seemed to subsist on fresh bread, deli meats and cheese alone at a size that appeared healthy. But those who included mass produced breads, mass produced meats, packaged cookies, packaged cakes, cereals, chain restaurant foods, etc fared worse.
- Those in northern climates who ate more fish were trimmer than non-fish eating northerners.
- Diets with less processed sugar fared better than those who ate more. Copious amounts of fresh fruits and breads seems to have no impact on weight.
- Diets without alcohol fared better than those who included it even small amounts. Those who managed to stay lean with the inclusion of alcohol tended to eat much less than the average person.
- The amount or ratio of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products or meats had so discernible impact on weight. It seemed no number of vegetables could undo the effects of mass produced foods.
- The number of calories people eat and have a healthy weight for their height seems to be much higher than diet research would suggest.
The takeaway points I got from this:
- Never skip meals.
- Don't end load your day with most of your food.
- Drink less if you want to eat more.
- Don't stress about calories - make sure you're eating the best quality food you can and skip sweetened foods (a LITTLE honey or maple syrup seemed fine).
- Try to keep yourself moving. You can't undo sitting damage even with the best workouts.
- Eat fish (because I'm in the northern part of the states).
- Get outside.
None of this of course helps loose weight but I think if you view your weight loss as practicing for maintenance, it's still helpful in guiding. Add more habits of successful people and the long term outcome will hopefully be one that has less rebound.
