simcoeluv, I think I just sounded a little defensive, sorry, it wasn’t what I meant! It’s just that I never bought into the ‘fat is bad’ or even the ‘saturated fat is bad’ thing, it never made sense to me.
This topic contains 16,527 replies, has 252 voices, and was last updated by Bob23 1 year, 5 months ago.
jojo, I have to admit that I feel very fortunate that I did not have to restrict as many foods as you have to in order to lose weight, and continue to be impressed by your very positive attitude!
I hope your dog’s paw is healing well. I love pets. My son is allergic to both dogs and cats, and has asthma, so we really can’t keep them. We’re pet-restricted, lol. So he has two guinea pigs and I have a dwarf hamster, and it is surprising how much these little creatures can keep you company and keep you entertained. I never knew that until we had them. The guinea pigs just want to love you and please you. They are rodents for dog lovers. The tiny hamsters are fierce, independent little things. They are rodents for cat lovers. Mine treats my hand like her own personal fortress from which to view the world. When I stroke the side of her face, she makes a tiny clicking sound just like purring. She comes to her door demanding dinner every evening at dinner time. (The guineas shriek for theirs while I’m peeling vegetables, lol, they know what I’m up to from the next room.)
deelite, hope things are going well for you. When I fast now, I usually drink water only until dinnertime, have my 500 calories then. Some mornings I’m feeling poorly, then I have a 200-calorie breakfast that emphasizes protein (usually lowfat — not nonfat, some fat is needed — Greek yogurt with either fruit or cocoa, coffee powder and a little agave) and then a 300-calorie dinner. Some people drink water only, skipping dinner altogether. You can try this if you think it would work better for you.
One obstacle you’re facing is that muscle repair, which necessarily happens because of the work you do, causes water retention, and the scale doesn’t differentiate between water and fat. Also, the lighter I got, the more my weight loss slowed down. It just takes longer when you’re smaller. Another thing I noticed is that my weight loss would slow down or stall every 10 pounds or so, then after a few weeks of just keeping on keeping on, there would be a sudden drop of a couple of pounds. So I do recommend having patience with the process. Weight loss does not seem to be as logical as it seems like it should be.
ply, sorry to hear about your father-in-law, it must be extremely hard on your mother-in-law as well as the whole family. Living with a depressed person is really tough, not to mention dealing with the health issues. I am going to try 6:1 this week, if I stay well within my maintenance range will continue it. It feels really, really, weird to not be planning another fast until next week, I can tell you that, after more than 40 weeks doing 5:2! Glad your weekend didn’t have any negative results on the scale 🙂
Thank you, Franfit. I hope my father-in-law can bounce back to the point where he can get around and care for himself a bit. It’s a lesson in taking care of one’s health, though not the one any of us wants.
Jojo, hope your dog heals quickly and well. I love my little pooch, even though “walks” with him do not qualify as exercise! He is rather pokey and too small to go very far! He is quite good company, though!
Franfit, I never would have thought about guinea pigs and hamsters as playful, cuddly pets! Glad you and your son have found a way to have some animal companionship!
All good advice for 7 am or anytime, Jojo! If I feel the need to give something up, I will do so. It is nice to feel that level of control! I have been focusing on looking and feeling good as opposed to the sticky scale, and I am happy to do so. Some clothes that I just tried on a couple of weeks ago and was happy with are now too big! It feels so good to be moving into summer and more revealing clothes and not feel self-conscious!
Looking forward to breaking my fast in an hour or so! Almost 9,000 steps in the bank already! Last night I walked around the living room furniture while watching Game of Thrones to get the last 1,000 steps of my 15,000 in!
Happy day, everyone!!
I bought a lot of paleo but but ate junk instead . Just sleeping g and working Even my cat thinks of me as pillow!
Gained a pound .
Getting in on the fat conversation. Fat isnt bad , except when it’s infected and you eat it.
Logically speaking I believe low fat helps lose weight, and high fat diet increases weight especially when it’s not a calorie restriction diet. I don’t believe the only way to gain fat is to eat carbs.
However it’s a macro nutrient, its needed and it debatable that every human needs the same ratio. I also believe our macro nutrient needs change from conception to old age.
My understanding is that fat has highest concentrations of chemistry that enable cancers. That wad very poorly said, however compared to carbs and protein. Fat is hands down THE food to eat in moderation..
Personally I found limiting high fat meats easier than I thought it would be. 20 meals a month for me. It’s simple 5 days a week meat for dinner. Cereals fro breakfast, salads for lunch.
It was very easy to apply 5:2 to the non meat days.
Hi SAMM:
“Logically speaking I believe low fat helps lose weight, and high fat diet increases weight especially when it’s not a calorie restriction diet. I don’t believe the only way to gain fat is to eat carbs.”
The body does not work logically. It is actually designed to handle fat and not designed to handle sugar and processed carbs. When you eat fats and protein, you get full. When you eat sugar and processed wheat, you don’t, or can be hungry again an hour after you have eaten. That is because the body processes them differently. High blood sugar and weight gain (and diabetes) come from high insulin levels, caused by the way the body processes sugar/processed carbs.
You seem to be afraid of fat because you think it is infected (and any infection is not removed by cooking). Perhaps you should switch to coconut or olive oils and nuts. And there is no clinical evidence I have ever seen that confirms saturated animal fat causes cancer. Indeed, the human race survived on animal fat for thousands of years with little cancer – until recent times.
I refer you again to those links I posted. But here is a condensed version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oZ4UqtbB_g
Good Luck!
Well I used to be a butcher. Fat doesn’t scare me. I’m referring to animal fat. Fear isn’t it. Ihad it explained to me the effects of on immune system or at least a professionals opinion . Not mine of course. More of a tax on the immune system. Great source of fuel, however fuel isn’t all it is. The immune system has to react to what isn’t fuel. Just like a packet of sugar , 1 packet. Doest hurt , is actually healthy , but at what point is too much 100 a day? Easy to do! To much over a day? Week, month. So to be clear. My unprofessional opinion is that aminal fat is unhealthy to eat at every single meal. Sausage muffin, chicken sandwich, rib eye. 1 day no problem? not for weight gain because it taxes the immune system too much to function fully. At least To do everything else it’s supposed to do.
Perhaps probiotics now allow for eating animal fat with every meal. I’m not convinced that the population at large for thousands of years lived into their 90 eating mc muffins!
A coffee replacement. Hmmmm
Green tea has just enough caffeine keep in the diet but only just.
There’s chocolate 🙂
I like dandelion tea! . The kind from Poland.
Just babbling on. Lol
Ok here something else. For skin !
Humidity –
How many many use a humidifier in their home.
I’m looking into this for reading this week. I believe I know the answer the answer , bu but want to get an opinion from what I learned years ago.
Ever seen smokers wrinkles?
It’s the humidity in the smokers environment! Since it’s so dried out- the air I mean. There’s More oxygen exposer to skin. Or it’s the skin that gets dried out leaving more exposer to oxygen.
So I’m thinking. What is the best humidity to have in a bedroom or living space. Hold on while I look it up
First answer?
The humidity level in your home directly affects how comfortable it feels. Too dry and your skin or nasal passages may feel dry; too moist and it may feel clammy indoors. Besides comfort levels, the humidity level is a concern because extremely damp conditions may cause mold or mildew, which can lead to or exacerbate health concerns. Ideal summer and winter indoor humidity vary; in the winter, ideal humidity is in the 25 to 40 percent range; in the summer, less than 60 percent humidity is ideal.
Other People Are Reading
Normal Temperatures & Humidity Levels for a House Good Relative Humidity for a House
Winter Considerations
In the winter, air in the home may feel dry, especially if the humidity outdoors is low. If your skin feels itchy and you often are thirsty, the air may be too dry. A digital hygrometer measures indoor humidity. If the humidity is lower than 40 percent, a humidifier adds a bit of moisture to the room.
Summer Concerns
On a hot, humid day, the air indoors also becomes humid, meaning you may feel uncomfortable or sweaty even indoors. If condensation appears on the inside of windows, this also is an indication of high humidity. An air conditioner or dehumidifier removes excess moisture from the air, making it more dry and comfortable.
jojo, that must have been some fun at choir practice!
SAMM, you are correct that the body converts excess calories from all classes of macronutrients — protein, fat, carbs, and alcohol — to fat for storage. Simcoeluv is also correct that high insulin levels from high carbohydrate diets are driving the fat storage crisis that is called ‘the obesity epidemic’. There appears not to be a whole lot of research into how to design a healthy diet that is moderate in both fat and carbs. While the body handles saturated fat beautifully when in ketosis, it’s less clear how well it handles it if your diet is more like 100 grams to 33% of calories from unrefined carbs, say. Or maybe the research is there, but I haven’t stumbled on it yet. That is actually quite possible. Also possible that the research was done with refined-carb diets rather than unrefined, however. Funny how hard it can be just to figure out what’s good to eat! I mostly go with how my food makes me feel.
Which is how I feel about humidity, too. Whatever makes me feel better, lol!
jojo, your day at the beach tomorrow sounds like fun. Rain predicted here, think I’ll try to get my laundry done in the morning before going to work in the afternoon.
Have a great day, Jojo! Sounds like you are off to a good start.
Scales are in stuck mode for me again. I really don’t understand it, but I will carry on as always. I have ended the vegetarian experiment, it just seemed much harder to think about what to cook, and it didn’t trigger any weight loss anyway. Looking back at my food logs, at least 2 days a week end up being no meat days anyway. I am following the diet to a T in terms of calories and exercise. I have also been trying to get a bit more sleep. The scales are fickle!!
Fasting today, and having dinner out with work friends. I already checked out the menu, so planning to order salad with grilled shrimp. School is winding down, so I am less busy at work! which means more time to think about food! I am going to find myself a new project to work on today!
Happy fasting, everyone!
A little mad at myself this morning. I was doing so well yesterday…until we had a BBQ :/ ate too much and I felt like 500lbs this morning. So I am fasting today and so far so good keeping away from the lunch room and doing a little working out instead. Later I will go to the gym after work and THEN I will eat.
Ply, it Sounds like you are doing all the right things. Keep it up!
Good morning, fast trackers 🙂
ply, the scales are like that, it is really frustrating. One thing I noticed is that my weight would seem to go down pretty steadily for about 10 pounds, then it would stall for two to four weeks, then usually a sudden drop, just from keeping on keeping on with 5:2 + walking. I would make extra-sure I was doing everything right, like you have, and carry on, because my doctor told me that that just happens with weight loss, and it seemed like he was right. Weight loss is somehow just not always logical, at least not week to week — it’s in the long term that it works.
Even though I’m a long-time vegetarian, I find it difficult to combine with fasting, I am most likely to have my fish or egg dinner for the week on a fasting day, it’s just really hard to fix vegetarian meals that are both high-protein and low-calorie; you either get a lot of carbs from combining grains and beans for complete protein, or you get a lot of fat calories from cheese, or you end up eating tofu or a weird meat substitute. One vegetarian fast-day meal we do like is a giant bowl of miso soup made with dashi stock, with extra tofu in it. We have a kale salad with sesame/soy dressing on the side, and I get sushi from the food co-op for my son.
deelite, isn’t that one of the wonderful things about 5:2, when we make a mistake we can focus on learning from it and doing better the next day, instead of feeling like it’s a massive fail? With the level of physical activity you have to maintain, and having food around at work so much, I think it must be really challenging.
jojo, congratulations on another pound lost 🙂 What age children do you teach in Montessori?
I want to get a fitbit someday, too — they sound really good!
yay. today was a much better day! I ate 1/4 of a mango to get me through work and finished off the day with a hearty salad and im so pleased with myself. Thanks for all the words of encouragement jojo and fran.
I have a fit bit too, but im a little forgetful with it sometimes, today i clocked 15,500 steps and 2000 cals. but i didnt wear it in the shows today.
I have ordered my dad one for fathers day too! 🙂
and jojo- there are some models that look like a watch and they are on a wrist band, and some cheaper ones can clip onto your belt or zip and things. and hey think how many steps you you get being a dog walker! haha
quiet end to the day, learning some german and drinking green tea
ahhhh
Lots of recipes in the India culture. From my reading on their foods they don’t just sprinkle spices.
The biggest change in my diet is fish. From never to 2 days a week. Displacing more of the junk food items. I typically used to eat junk food for dinner , because of poor shopping and planning habits.
I very mindful now about eating carbs in the morning so I burn them off by the time I go for sleep.
So my dinners are more fat and protein followed by exercise. I still keep to eating salad for lunch, but no longer limit it to typical leafy salad, Vegetable salad can mean much much more. Also still not consuming calorie drinks, either lemon water, or tea with stevia. Trying to stay away from diet sodas that may possibly. Change my probiotic health.
On another front. I like getting thinner, but really my focus is on health at the cellular level. BUT it has to be doable like habits. If I don’t like the foods, wont stick to eating them. I like fish and nuts! I like eating oat meal for breakfast, and whole raw vegetables or beans for lunch. Coincidentally it makes for easy counting of calories when eating this way is routine.
The other change is exercise. Still the walking mispicker so I’m still walking 20+ miles a day.
I was hoping to see more weight loss , but im still the weight for. 3 weeks. So I keep at the jump rope. And use the kettle ball more often mine is 40lbs so I try to do both cadio and lifting . Everyday !
I also keep hiding things in plain sight. Jump Topeka in the car, kettle ball in the living room , stability ball in the family room. I know I know it’s silly to exercise when watching tv. But feel so much stronger for doing it.
I look forward to my Saturday lunch experiment to steam broccoli and cauliflower, sparingly with cheese , with a Serrano pepper and okra. I’m going to see what 250 calories does , If it satisfies and how long it lasts. Then eat the rest for dinner.
Jojo – I’m sure you can get through the fast! Just keep busy! 🙂 I speak a little Spanish too, German is very difficult for me, but I have only been here 3 months and few of my colleagues are actually German! So it’s hard to practice sometimes haha. As for which model is the best, I guess it depends on your lifestyle. I would prefer the wristband so I wouldn’t forget but I have the fitbit one so I can hide it better in my costume if I wear for the show :p
SAMM – you are very up on all this research, maybe it’s you that should write a book on all this research you’ve collaborated!
Looking forward to breakfast after yesterday’s fast. I made overnight oatmeal last night ready for today because I was thinking about food! Zumba tonight!!
Have a good day everyone,!
Good morning, all!
@samm, all good info. Cauliflower dish sounds good. I don’t think it is silly to exercise while watching TV at all! Get it in when you can, and always better to move than sit.
@jojo, have a fun beach day! Have you been doing 1200 calories on nonfast days for awhile? How does this compare to your BMR/TDEE? When I wasn’t losing I started eating a little more to get over 1300 because that was my BMR for a sedentary lifestyle, which of course we don’t have. Quorn stirfry sounds good! I had never heard of it until I read the book, and I have had it a few times. I do like it, especially in lettuce wraps with spicy sauce.
@deelite, sounds like you are doing all the right things! Learning a new language keeps your mind fit as well!
I have my fitbit on, and already logged over 7,000 steps at the gym this morning. I have the wristband, which I prefer because I see it all the time, and it is harder to forget since I wear it 24 hrs.
Fasting today!
jojo, some days are harder than others! I still get the occasional super-hungry fast day. Ugh! They are no fun!
That said, do you think adding jacket potatoes to your diet could have upped your insulin levels a bit? I know you’re super carb-sensitive, and they are pretty glycemic. It’s just a thought. I love white potatoes, 1/4 Irish ancestry, hehe, but rarely eat them any more, because of how glycemic they are.
Good morning, fast trackers, more in a bit 🙂
Hey everyone,
Does anyone else fell more tired after a fast day? Today I feel like I’m pulling a weight around and I slept really good too. It could be because it’s really hot here too but I am also hungry. Looking forward to my salmon later!
Anyway I have taken to another tactic. I have written on my scale 53kg 😉 so it will always say what I want it too haha
So much to do, so little time! Going to first physical therapy visit today — wish me luck, I really hope I ‘click’ with this person, it makes such a difference.
SAMM, exercising while watching TV is perfect! That’s when my son does his Marine boot camp push-ups routine. Here is a link to the summary of that study, but it’s so technical I’m having some trouble deciphering it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24388174. Sorry your Paleo week didn’t work out, are you planning to try again?
deelite, good to hear you sounding like your usual upbeat self!
ply, sounds like you are going strong!
My weigh-in was 115.0 this AM, still maintaining well. It feels so weird to eat more, and to not be fasting until next week!
jojo, I love little kids the age you teach, and toddlers, too, it’s amazing how fast they’re learning at that age and so much fun to watch them figure the world out and put things together in their minds. Do you own your school? That’s really cool! Planning for retirement. Well, I’m in disability-ment instead, but I do like working part-time as a freelancer/independent contractor, the main difficulty is sometimes having to go for a while between clients, I would rather wait for a situation I’m pretty sure I’ll be comfortable with than take on something I have doubts about and then have to back out of it. I want a reputation for reliability for the long haul. If you can get several clients lined up before you retire, word-of-mouth should keep you going. You also have the advantage of being able to do several different things; if house-sitting, pet-sitting and dog-walking don’t generate enough business you also have the skills for child care and care of ambulatory elders, if the bills are screaming for attention. I’ve never had a problem with people dragging their feet about paying me for my services, but that is one thing that can be an issue, be sure to set up clear expectations about how that is supposed to work at the outset. Of course if you own a school you’re already familiar with this sort of issue. Another issue is that I don’t always get a schedule that would suit me perfectly, I need to work with the schedules of other carers involved in the situation. That might be less of an issue with what you’re proposing to do.
I never thought of getting a tortoise, yours sounds very cool, he is still with you? I really love the dwarf hamsters, am happy I’ve found a little pet to keep me company that I could take care of all by myself, when my son eventually leaves home. The guinea pig cages are a bit large for me to clean without risk to my shoulder. These little guys are so tiny, their homes are tiny, too. I picture myself in the old-age home with a tiny hamster living on my bedside table, lol. They take some work to tame and train, but then they are really attached to you, it’s very cute. Natasha’s predecessor, Tolstoy (because he was a Russian hamster) was a working therapy hamster, he used to keep a very anxious client of mine occupied all day long. Their only drawback is their short life span. I’ve been wondering if I should have them do IF so that they can live longer.
Good evening, ladies and gents! Enjoying a big bowl of chili…was vegetarian yesterday, but I added some ground turkey breast tonight. Still comes in at just 260 calories, so having some multigrain and flax tortilla chips which include brown rice flour, sesame and sunflower seeds, and quinoa. I bought the package with 6 individual portion bags, even though it is much more expensive. Salty, crunchy snacks are my weakness, so better to pay extra for built-in portion control. I am worth it!!
I wanted to recommend a book and recipes: Mark Bittman, a writer for the New York. times (I’m sure you know of him, @franfit), adopted a lifestyle a few years ago after a bad report from his doctor—similar to our hero, MM. Anyway, being a food writer, he couldn’t exactly go on a super strict deprivation plan, so he worked out what he calls Vegan Before 6, or VB6. Easy to figure out…eat vegan (NO animal products, so in addition to meat, no dairy either), but after 6, so for dinner, eat whatever your want. (Of course, processed and junk food are discouraged) One naturally eats less meat, and more plants, legumes, and whole grains on this plan. He managed to drop 30 pounds and improve all his health numbers with the plan. Like 5:2, it is flexible and easy to fit into a normal lifestyle. I was thinking of you, @jojo, and your social life. Franfit, I know you don’t eat meat at all, but there are some good veg recipes in the book.
Anyway, I think it could be a good plan for maintenance combined with 6:1, 16:8, or what have you!
Xoxoxo , ply
Hi Ply24mp
I bought the VB6 book for my Kindle as my son is a vegan. I find I often do the VB6 thing naturally (not this morning though.) It is an easy way to cut out excessive fats, but the increase in carbs to compensate has to be watched.
BTW my previously chubby son is an extremely thin young man after a few years as a vegan. Works for him.
PVE
Screw the active lifestyle coach…you know what you are doing and what is working for you, Jojo!
Vet care is so expensive…I think they know how much we love our pets and take advantage. Hope your guy recovers quickly and fully.
Great job on steps!! What a great milestone to look forward to after 20 years! You are an inspiration!!
I agree with ply, jojo, you do not need an active lifestyle coach, in fact it sounds like this one could learn a thing or two from you. At the risk of sounding cynical, it sounds almost like the diet industry, they can’t afford for you to succeed, it would put them out of business.
Very sorry to hear about awful vet troubles. Your poor dog!
It sounds like it’s good that you’re about ready to retire, with the way things are going in education. Time to do something different, for a change.
17,000+ steps is an incredible amount! The most I’ve gotten to is 16,000+, and I was *really* tired after that!
I have heard great things about rats as pets, especially how intelligent they are. As my son says, the only problem is… it’s a rat. I have an aversion to the naked tail that mice and rats have. Perhaps I could overcome that, but for some reason I really bond with the dwarf hamsters. Not the regular ones, just the really tiny ones.
ply, I downloaded samples of several of Mark Bittman’s cookbooks to my Kindle, will have a look. I’m thinking it’s about time for me to get a new cookbook or two. One I’m thinking of is Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi, another is The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook.
I had a good first physical therapy visit, did the prescribed exercises this evening, am sore but not in agony in various places, which is probably a good sign. The PT says I’m actually quite strong, considering, but my balance is poor and my range of motion is terrible, especially in my spine. So I have a back stretch, several leg lifts, one balance exercise, one posture exercise (which I’m sure I’m not doing correctly, going to have to get him to go over that one), and standing-up push-ups, until next Tuesday, when I see him again and get more. After PT I had fun at an outlet store buying some new clothes for my cute new bod, hehe.
Going to be busy the next few days — working tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, knitting class Monday night, PT Tuesday, working Wednesday, Thursday, Friday next week. Not going to do the regular Zumba any more, only the Zumba Gold on the Saturdays I’m not working, actually the Zumba instructor and the PT both agree with my decision. I really just can’t keep up with the regular class. But it was worth trying 🙂
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We pay tribute to our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Michael Mosley. Michael was an integral part of our lives, […]
Michael is touring Australia this September! Here's a link to dates and tickets. Hope to see you there.
Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
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