Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > The Academy > Tilted Life


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 05-26-2006, 08:14 PM   #1 (permalink)
Filling the Void.
 
la petite moi's Avatar
 
Location: California
On a Diet...

So I've started a diet to lose more than a few pounds.

My diet is based on fruits and veggies only. I've been doing a little cardio here and there as well in the form of Dance Dance Revolution for now (usually about 45 minutes), and about 15 minutes of Pilates (situps, and the like).

My question is this: Will this regime help me lose weight or is this just silly? Will it help me lose fat or muscle? What do you think?
la petite moi is offline  
Old 05-26-2006, 08:44 PM   #2 (permalink)
Young Crumudgeon
 
Martian's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
Dieting is a lot simpler than people make it out to be. The controlling factor in weight gain or loss is calorie intake; if you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. The opposite is also true, of course.

I'm a bit wary of any diet that restricts you to certain food groups. The problem with a vegetarian diet is that it's a lot more difficult to get the required nutrients into your body (chiefly protein and fat, both of which are required in a healthy individual's diet). Note that it's not impossible, but you do need to be a bit more diligent in making sure you get everything you need in your diet than otherwise.

Will you lose weight like that? It's hard to say. The only proven effective method of losing weight is a controlled, healthy diet and plenty of exercise. Eat smaller portions, avoid junk food and be more active and you will lose weight. If restricting yourself to a vegetarian diet is your method of portion control and as long as you make sure you hit all your RDI's, I say more power to you. I would, however, recommend a multi-vitamin in conjunction with that, just to make sure you're at least getting the necessary vitamins and minerals.
__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
Martian is offline  
Old 05-26-2006, 08:55 PM   #3 (permalink)
Filling the Void.
 
la petite moi's Avatar
 
Location: California
I do take Women's Centrum and a calcium chew everyday. I have been a vegetarian for 4 years, so the vegetarian diet has been my life. However, I have cut out dairy and breads.

Do you think I'm burning off the fruit calories if I'm doing like 45 minutes of DDR?
la petite moi is offline  
Old 05-26-2006, 10:29 PM   #4 (permalink)
immoral minority
 
ASU2003's Avatar
 
Location: Back in Ohio
What types of drinks do you consume? You should be drinking a lot of water.

You burn something like 60 calories an hour when you are asleep, 100/hour when you are awake and doing nothing. So, you are probably eating less than what you need.

This may or may not be true, but it's a theory I have. The more you exercise, the more energy you're body needs quickly. It will not want to convert the food and store it as fat if you use it up right away. But, if you starve yourself, your body will use it's fat up faster, but it remembers that in the past there was a time when food was scarce. So, when you start eating again, it will store it as fat instead of thinking that it has enough stored already.
ASU2003 is offline  
Old 05-26-2006, 10:57 PM   #5 (permalink)
Devils Cabana Boy
 
Dilbert1234567's Avatar
 
Location: Central Coast CA
Like Martian said, eating less will do it, back when I left high school, I was nearly 300lb, and I decided to change. I started to cut back portion sizes but not the food types, it really helped, 2 years later and I’m below 200lb now. How ever in your case, from your pictures, you are a healthy beautiful woman, you don’t need to lose any weight. If you want to get rid of stubborn fat, exercise before you eat breakfast, this will force your body to burn the fat because you don’t have any food in your tummy to burn.

Eat a healthy, diverse diet, but just don’t eat to much, stop eating when your still hungry and wait a few minutes, if your still hungry, then have some more, when I started doing this, I found that I’m actually full before I know I’m full, after I let myself settle for a few minutes, I realize that I am full and don’t need to eat anymore. Lastly, more, smaller meals will also help with this. One of my biggest problems was overeating, and smaller meals helped me not eat so much because when I get really hungry, I eat more than I need.

But seriously, you are not fat, you look great, you’re just being silly.
__________________
Donate Blood!

"Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen
Dilbert1234567 is offline  
Old 05-27-2006, 04:53 AM   #6 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
LPM, with your history... you should really consult with a doctor before beginning any kind of diet... Exercise is good, but you want to make sure that you are getting enough calories, and the right kind of calories to support your lifestyle... and with school and work you're busy... you need proper nutrition.
__________________
Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
maleficent is offline  
Old 05-27-2006, 12:00 PM   #7 (permalink)
Une petite chou
 
noodle's Avatar
 
Location: With All Your Base
Dairy actually helps in losing weight. Not only did I read the studies, but when I added non-fat yogurt/yogurt smoothies and non-fat milk back into my diet, I lost weight significantly better as my muscles built. With dairy, it's more the cheese that's higher in fat that can sabotage you. And whole grains, including whole grain bread, keep you healthier. I did a lot of research, and I lost 95 lbs over three years and did it healthy. I actually ate more than I did before I started to lose because of the exercise. Lean Cuisines (hooray for portion control!), milk/yogurt, fruits, veggies, small amounts of meat, tons of nuts and legumes, and a gallon of water a day.

Schedule an appointment with a nutritionist or holistic doctor... that's my recommendation if you want to do it right. They're trained better than websites (or us ) to take a look at your lifestyle, caloric needs, caloric intake, and vitamins.
__________________
Here's how life works: you either get to ask for an apology or you get to shoot people. Not both. House

Quote:
Originally Posted by Plan9
Just realize that you're armed with smart but heavily outnumbered.
The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. Ayn Rand
noodle is offline  
Old 05-27-2006, 01:37 PM   #8 (permalink)
Young Crumudgeon
 
Martian's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
Quote:
Originally Posted by la petite moi
I do take Women's Centrum and a calcium chew everyday. I have been a vegetarian for 4 years, so the vegetarian diet has been my life. However, I have cut out dairy and breads.

Do you think I'm burning off the fruit calories if I'm doing like 45 minutes of DDR?
That's a bit like asking if I'm burning all my gas by driving for forty five minutes. You're burning calories, but whether you have a net calorie loss depends on how much is in the tank to begin with, so to speak.

Let it be said, since the subject has been broached, that I'm in the camp who doesn't think from looking at you that you need to lose weight. However, you are your own person and have every right to make your own decision. If you think you're too heavy, I will try to give you the best advice on how to slim down in a healthy fashion.

I can give you a rough framework to work in, if you'd like. I've never played DDR, but I'd estimate it as a light to moderate intensity exercise. Rough estimate, you're probably burning in the area of 250-280 calories in 45 minutes. Add that to your average daily amount; if you're feeling sedentary, this could be in around 1500 calories, which means we're looking at maybe 1800 calories being burned in a day. So that's the number we want to be under for the daily intake.

Note that these are all rough estimates on my part. All of the numbers have a fair amount of wiggle room, so the final number could be anywhere from 1400 to about 2000 for a typical female. As a man cursed with an incredibly fast metabolism, I have to average about 2800 calories per day on the days when I work out to maintain weight. That's about 800-900 more than average; hopefully that gives you an idea of just how imprecise the number crunching is. You may find that 1800 is too high or low; if that's the case, cut it back or bring it up as needed in order to maintain a weight loss of about a pound per week. That's generally what's considered a healthy level of weight loss. If you find that you just can't fill up on that you can try snacking on low calorie foods, like raw celery or carrots. Don't go hungry for the sake of looking good.

I can't tell you how much you're getting, since I have no idea what you eat in a day. How many meals you have and what size they are will be the key variables in this one, not what you eat. You need to have a rough idea as to how much you're eating and what the calorie intake of each item is. I can't vouch for the accuracy except anecdotally (everything I've looked up seems to be correct), but http://www.calorieking.com/ provides a searchable database of all manner of foods and lists nutrition information, including calorie counts for given servings.

So there you have it. There's a fair bit of math involved and it's not an easy fix; you have to think about your nutrition in terms of what you're getting and what you're using. Unfortunately, for most folks this is totally foreign. The good news is that it gets much easier with practice.

I'm sorry if this isn't a very satisfying answer. Weight loss isn't easy; I reckon if it were, obesity wouldn't be so much of an issue. There's no way to drop ten pounds overnight without effort. It takes time and perseverence, but with the right attitude you can do this.

On a final note, I'm pleased to hear that you are taking supplements, but watch that calcium. Your body is designed so that it is unable to process calcium without the aid of vitamin D. If you don't get enough vitamin D you can take twenty chews a day and still end up calcium deficient. Since you've got the multi-vitamin as well you should be okay, but you might want to check the labels, just to be certain.
__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
Martian is offline  
Old 05-27-2006, 04:39 PM   #9 (permalink)
immoral minority
 
ASU2003's Avatar
 
Location: Back in Ohio
I was going to ask that too. Where exactly is this 'fat' that you need to lose?

But, if you what to start living healthier, there is nothing wrong with that. Just don't cut back drastically on the food intake.
ASU2003 is offline  
Old 05-27-2006, 05:03 PM   #10 (permalink)
Kick Ass Kunoichi
 
snowy's Avatar
 
Location: Oregon
If you want something to help you do all the math and keep track of how much you're eating/exercising, DietPower is a program to check out. You can log all your food intake, all your exercise, and it tells you if you're exercising enough/eating enough and how healthy what you're eating is.

The fact is, you need to eat a minimum amount of calories every day, otherwise you won't lose weight. For cells to perform at their max, they need fuel. Without fuel, they kick themselves into starvation mode and instead hang on to everything they have. The best way to lose weight is to eat sensibly and be active. Eat LOTS of fiber because it makes you feel full. Aim to have at least 1 serving of whole grains at every meal (brown rice, quinoa, fiber cereal, whole wheat bread) and 2 servings of vegetables.

As for eliminating dairy, just switch to lighter versions of the dairy products you already like. I find that eating a little bit of cheese with an apple as a snack keeps me fuller longer because of the fat content of the cheese. I have lost more weight by keeping cheese and skim milk in my diet than by eliminating it completely. Besides, milk is packed with nutrients. Mm, milk.
__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
snowy is offline  
Old 05-27-2006, 07:15 PM   #11 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Agreed. I seem to recall seeing a pic.
Nimetic is offline  
Old 05-28-2006, 10:05 AM   #12 (permalink)
Filling the Void.
 
la petite moi's Avatar
 
Location: California
Thanks everyone for your answers. I guess, in a roundabout way, you told me that yes, eating fruit and doing DDR will help me lose weight. Wahoo.

I've actually been using fitday.com for their calorie counting, etc.
la petite moi is offline  
Old 06-01-2006, 05:22 AM   #13 (permalink)
On the lam
 
rsl12's Avatar
 
Location: northern va
DDR is such a good idea! Did you come up with that on your own?
__________________
oh baby oh baby, i like gravy.
rsl12 is offline  
Old 06-05-2006, 09:38 AM   #14 (permalink)
Filling the Void.
 
la petite moi's Avatar
 
Location: California
I started doing DDR as cardio once I saw they had put a "workout" option on the menu. It notes your calories and how long you've been dancing for. It's pretty cool. When I was 15, I lost some weight that way. Also, I had a friend who lost a dramatic amount of weight playing DDR for two hours a day at least. It was insane, and he got really good.
la petite moi is offline  
Old 06-05-2006, 10:10 AM   #15 (permalink)
Junkie
 
sapiens's Avatar
 
Location: Some place windy
I definitely agree with prior sentiments suggesting that you consult a physician before significantly altering your diet. I would be wary of any diet that limits your food consumption to a narrow range of nutrients (all fruit diet, all meat diet, grapefruit diet, etc.).

My understanding of most of those "only eat this" diets is that they manipulate a particular part of our psychology, namely sensory specific satiety. Sensory specific satiety occurs when you eat only one food source, and become sated (full) very quickly. It causes people to eat a range of types of food (increasing the likelihood that you're getting a proper nutritional mix of foods).

If you limit yourself to one food source (like fruit only), you will become full sooner and eat less. The opposite occurs at buffet restaurants - too much variety results in a lot of food consumed before being sated. I have a colleague that has suggested that he could help anyone lose weight on a "stick of butter" diet (eat as much as you want, but only butter). You'll get sick of it really fast and consume fewer calories. You will also sacrifice your health to lose a few pounds temporarily.

While it is true that consuming fewer calories may result in weight loss, your body is not a "bank" in which you deposit calories and take them out later. You can't lose weight effectively by simply cutting your calories significantly. As onesnowyowl suggested, your body holds on to fat and calories. It won't let them go easily. If you go on a crash diet, rather than losing fat and calories, your body will slow it's metabolism, slowing fat loss. Then, when you stop your crash diet, you'll have a slower metabolism, resulting in rapid weight gain (your body wants that fat back).

You are more likely to lose weight permanently with a healthy, well balanced diet and a reasonable exercise routine. You won't lose it fast, but you are more likely to keep it off. Anyway, consult a physician before making huge changes to your diet.
sapiens is offline  
Old 06-05-2006, 12:30 PM   #16 (permalink)
In Transition
 
CaliLivChick's Avatar
 
Location: Sanford, FL (between Daytona and Orlando)
Two things... first, what is DDR?

Second, my trainer has recommended that before I work out, eat a little carb. I have a bagel about a half hour before I go to the gym. Otherwise, I have a tendency to get light headed, which isn't healthy (passing out while walking home from the gym just wouldn't be good...). Just something to think about. =)
__________________
Don't trust anything that can bleed for a week and not die. Oh wait, that's me... nevermind... you can trust me.
CaliLivChick is offline  
Old 06-05-2006, 01:01 PM   #17 (permalink)
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
 
Willravel's Avatar
 
DDR = Dance Dance Revloption, an interactive videogame that requires dancing (if you can call it that).

I do not reccomend removing fats or protien from dairy or nuts, or whole grains. You need lots of different combinations of vitamins and minerals along with a balance of fats, protien, and carbohydrates in order to function. If you want to lose weight (burn off excess fat), then simply eat sensibly and increase your exercise. Ride a bike to work every day. Play basketball with friends. Go swimming a few hours a day. Avoid lengthy sedentary situations.
Willravel is offline  
Old 06-05-2006, 01:27 PM   #18 (permalink)
In Transition
 
CaliLivChick's Avatar
 
Location: Sanford, FL (between Daytona and Orlando)
Ah, thank you Will. =)
__________________
Don't trust anything that can bleed for a week and not die. Oh wait, that's me... nevermind... you can trust me.
CaliLivChick is offline  
Old 06-07-2006, 06:33 AM   #19 (permalink)
Psycho
 
Location: Under the Radar
I recently read an ebook called Ultrametabolism (Google it for the website), and although it discusses many aspects of health other that weight loss, there are some interesting tidbits about diet habits and certain foods that make people overweight & unhealthy. The main points I took away from the book are (top 10):

1. avoid any product with high fructose corn syrup
2. avoid any product with partially hydrogenated soybean oil
3. try to eat as few processed foods as possible (if it has a label with ingredients you can't pronounce, don't eat it)
4. eat foods with high fiber
5. avoid foods with high amounts of simple sugars
6. eat foods with omega-3 oils
7. don't eat dinner or snacks just before bed
8. try to intake most of your calories early in the day (large breakfast, small dinners)
9. consider supplements, especially a multivitamin, calcium, and omega oils
10. avoid artificial sweeteners

Personally, I have dropped a few pounds (190 to 185 in 6 weeks) from following some of these rules, although I have not followed them religiously. What is most remarkable is that I lowered my cholesterol by 15 points and my blood pressure is down from 140/90 to 121/77. My assumption is that you would like to lose weight, but maintain good health as well, so I recommend trying some of these ideas or giving the book a read.
Average_Joe is offline  
Old 06-07-2006, 05:28 PM   #20 (permalink)
immoral minority
 
ASU2003's Avatar
 
Location: Back in Ohio
It is not easy to eat healthy foods all of the time. I've basically made a list of foods that I can eat.

I would also try and cut back on the amount of sodium in your diet. That will help reduce blood pressure.
ASU2003 is offline  
 

Tags
diet

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:32 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360