need diet advice

[saxman]

I eat way to much and cant seem to get in any habits of good eating . ive been to clinics and diet drs . but nothing seems to work. Any hints on ways to create a new outlook on how to start a NEW diet and a way to stick with it? excersise is not an option for me due to physical conditions .i have a note on my frig that says dont open. im willing to try anything .to get back on track . Thanks, the main problem as i know it is i Love to cook and i love food. any help would be greatly appriciated.

[david uk]

Mike I have never been on a diet, but many of my friends have and have suffered, as they have simply tried to deprive themselves.

My advice would be to take a look at all the things you love to eat, and tick all those that are healthy/low fat etc (your favourite vegetables, fruit and other healthy stuff) and make a point of buying more of those and less of the others when you are out shopping... that way you will hopefully be able to enjoy eating a lower calorie diet.

just my two cents

good luck :)

[Bat]

Vegetables, Mike, Vegetables! They fill you up and are not fattening...unless you add rich, fattening stuff to them. A bit of butter, salt and pepper, and any other spices you like won't ruin you, and they're sooooo good. Even just plain, or, like eggplant, dredged in flour and fried quickly in olive oil.

Raw celery, broccoli, cauliflower, etc...great munchies anytime.
Salads with light dressings, or a minimal amount of a rich one (just enough to taste!). Tomatoes, sliced on a burger(drained after frying!), or plain tomatoes, anytime. Easy on the carbohydrates, not too many potatoes or pasta or breadstuffs...

If you feel like stuffing yourself, go to the veggies. If you're not that hungry, have a minimum amount of carbs. Lean meat will satisfy a lot of cravings, and let you chew a lot. Meat and veggies.

Try to eat about a tablespoon less than you can; don't eat fast, but chew well and relax, enjoy what you eat, slowly and leisurely. Slow eating will satisfy more and you feel the need to eat less food, especially if you eat something chewy, like tough meat...just as good for you, tastes ok, and gives those jaws a workout, makes you eat slowly, because it's almost impossible to scarf down a tough chunk of beef!...it's gotta be chewed to death. You won't eat as much of it, I guarantee you! LOL

Limit your sugar....you can have some, but not tons. It's energy producing, and feeds your brain quickly, and also gets stored as fat if you don't need all that energy at that time. (all excess food intake does.)
So, in a nutshell: Veggies, lean meat, less carbs, less sugar, oils and marge with no transfats(read the label), EAT LESS of EVERYTHING!

And I just heard the other day that eating a handful of walnuts or about 20 peanuts a half hour before dinner will take away a huge appetite--your mom would say,"you'll spoil your supper!"...just exactly right!

Cutting down is easier if you just don't take that last mouthful that you could possibly cram in...leave the table just a spoonful hungry. In a week you will notice you didn't need it after all, and you might have lost a pound. If you lose a pound a week, you could lose around 50 pounds a year! If you did that for 3 years, there wouldn't be anything left of you!
But your bod won't let you do that...just use your head, eat anything you want to eat, but less of it, especially the stuff that is reallly fattening.
If you have a craving, indulge! Eat what you crave, and only that until you're satisfied. You probably won't want it again for a long time. Kids eat like that...mine would eat beets until they came out their ears, and didn't want anything else. Suddenly, they didn't even want to look at a beet, and started eating other things. They always managed to eat a balanced diet when added up over a week, so I think your bod tells you what it needs. Listen to it. Eat a little of everything so your bod knows what to ask for.

More than you ever wanted to know, right? Good luck!
And have I told you that you are sounding really good these days? ;)

[saxman]

Thanks David and Bat . i like the advice especially the eating a few nuts before a mean . that sounds healthy and smart to fill up a little before a meal I Love Veggies and will eat more fruit and vegies . Lots to take in all at once . but i will try
Thanks im at 290 lbs and i will donate to the Pearl Foundation $5.00 for every Lb i lose from today till the end of may. anyone want to join me on my diet? and pledge. Thanks

[lucille]

And drink lots of water. You need to drink at least 2 litres a day (I think that is about two quarts in old money:D ) which seems a lot, and it is, but it is good for you. Also, if you can't exercise what about swimming or gentle pool exercises. It's amazing how you can tone up in water.

I saw that nuts thing too on the view. I think it was 6 walnuts, 10 almonds or 20 peanuts half an hour before eating.

[Cardiffgal]

Mike I will join you and match your pledge, but do I have to post my starting weight?:cool:

I will post as I lose.

[saxman]

Thanks No one has to post there starting or ending weight . but i will post mine once a week and see how much i lose i started at 290 lbs Thanks if all goes well we might be able to put someone through school or buy books ,see ya

[Amy in Vermont]

Mike

I've been fighting with my weight since I was 5.

My doctor has told me to shape up..basically eat veggies, oats, no red meat, lots of extra virgin olive oil.. and get off my ass and start walking!

I'm 5'3 and weigh in at about 242.. truthfully about 100 lbs over what I should be.

My goal is to not gain. Losing is a bonus. Its hard. Very hard. I would be happy just to not have to buy the next size pants.

With all my aches and pains, walking will not be easy, but I have vowed, now that spring is here, to start with a short walk before lunch every day.

And as much as I hate store bought frozen meals, I am using them for portion control, and filling in the snacks and gaps with fruit.

The hard part is all the junk food that appears regularly at the office!

[Dee]

Walking is excellent exercise. My boyfriend's ex wife has lost going on a hundred pounds now just from walking and eating sensibly. Her dog Sammy is thrilled by it all because now he gets lots of walks too, tho I'm sure he wonders what in the world is going on. ;)

[saxman]

Thanks for the info im going to by a dog collar and have someone walk me every day. I wonder who i can get to walk me . Hmmm now ive got to think again , !

[Bat]

Thanks for the info im going to by a dog collar and have someone walk me every day. I wonder who i can get to walk me . Hmmm now ive got to think again , !

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That made me laugh out loud, Mike! (Nothing like thinking outside the box...but I guess that would make you a bad cat.) :D

[AceOn6]

Saxman... the only thing that works for me is to make a list of the healthy foods that I LIKE and stick to them for at least 3 weeks. It takes 21 consecutive days to form a new habit. Once you're eating healthy, you can gradually introduce some treats. Don't think of it as a diet, think of it as 21 days of high test fuel for your body.

[Dar]

Mike,
What helps me keep within a reasonable weight is to consider food as fuel. If you put in good food to fuel your body, trust me, your body will perform way better, and you may find yourself better able to do things that at the moment you think you can't.

I know folks who have met me say I'm a stick, but I'm really not. A few years ago I was about 50 pounds more than I am right now. I really have to watch myself because I gain very easily. Yes I love food and I do indulge, but I try to limit my indulgences. (shut up Ben and Karen ;) ) Don't think of this as a diet, think of it as the way you are going to eat forever. Don't deprive yourself of the stuff you love, just try to limit the candy, or chocolate or ice cream or whatever to one day a week, or else just a very little bit of it. Have ONE Hershey's kiss or ONE cookie and really savor it. One serving of ice cream is just a half a cup, not a whole pint (this is one I fight with a lot).

Everyone has offered outstanding suggestions. More vegetables, and try to limit starchy things like pasta, rice, potatoes. If you do have one of those, try to go for whole grains, whole wheat pasta, brown rice. They are better for you, plus your body has to work harder to digest them, so that's a few extra calories burned. Stock up on good for you snacks. Baby carrots are great. I love cheese sticks. I had a snack today of a couple of handfuls of grape tomatoes and one string cheese and it was yummy, very filling and good good good for me. and water water water. I keep a water bottle with me at all times and am constantly drinking.

Now granted, I am lucky that I have a healthy body and can do just about any exercise so that really helps me. Try just walking a little bit every day. Do you have access to a pool? Biking is great aerobic exercise, plus it's not weight bearing so foot and knee problems are less of an issue.

Weight Watchers is a great program, and on their website you can get lots of great recipes and ideas for free on their message boards. It's my other message board addiction when I have the time. Good luck Mike! We're all with you on this one. Onward to better health!!

[Ginny]

Saxman, here's a great article on one's attitude towards eating:

http://www.dognozzle.com/food_spirituality.html

I need to lose at least sixty pounds myself.

[Eva]

Saxman, if you promise to wear the dogcollar the way it should be worn I would walk you. I would then hold it the way it should be. I have a thing for doing things properly... what can I say... :D And I love to walk. Especially on a sunny day or at night between 2 and 5 am. Mixty probably lives closer to your home though. Maybe she would like to walk you on a more daily base.

Good luck with your diet, Mike. If clinics haven't worked, than what can we add...? I am not sure if my comments will help you. Therefor I am very careful with giving advice on this. Besides, if I knew THE answer, I would be about 20 kilo's lighter myself. I know I need some controle other than my own discipline (because I have non :( ) My experiences with Weight Watchers are very good. It was 20 years ago and I didn't go to their meetings. But the way they handled food felt very good for me. And it worked.

The others are saying a lot of things that sound right to me: water, portioncontrole, eating a lot of vegetables (I would like to add fruit for if you desire something sweet) eating the healthy things you like, etc. But there is more to this. I think being overweight for a long time means there is more going on. That you use food to feel better somehow. Then I think it is also wise to take a look at the source of this.

I know that food is important for me to keep fear away. To stop being very nervous, angry or sad. I see it as an addiction: eating made me feel better and at a certain point it got out of hand. Now my body hardly feels anymore when it is satisfied. So eating untill I am satisfied is a difficult one. I only feel it when I am full and can't eat another spoonfull because I'll burst. That is far beyond what can be called satisfied.

Also I am not certain that if m,y brain tells me I am 'hungry' that this signal indeed comes from my belly or another place in my body that warnes me if I need food. I think my brain sometimes interprets other things as being hungry. I feel hungry when I am lonely, when I am angry, when I am sad, when I am scared. Especially when I am scared. In the end I am just not sure if I can trust on my own feelings of being hungry.

All this means that even the thought of a diet strikes me with terrible fear. Food gives me consolation. It is my warm coat in a cold world. What will I do without it? I don't know if it's the same for you, but it's good to take a look at. And if you have a chance to solve things that would be great. Some things can't be solved. But maybe there are other ways to deal with your fears etc.

What Dar is saying is also making a lot of sense to me. Yes, sometimes she does say usefull things beside 'does anyone want a stroopwafel?' ;) It is also a way of looking at food. Food is fuel. So just take what you need. Hey, you're a car when it comes to this. You just give it enough gas to go on. Why give it more?

And also at yourself, I think. Don't think that you go from an undesirable situation to a more desireable situation and if you can't do it, you will fail. You never fail, I think. You try and are willing to make big changes in your life; that takes guts. I wish you a lot of succes. I think yopu are a champion because you take care of yourself, Saxman.

Eva

[RedjackRyan]

Not much I can add, everyone has given good advice. I'll just stress that my motto is "everything in moderation". Good luck with your goals Mike and Lori.

[saxman]

Thanks Eva im waiting to be walked. LOL Thanks everyone for the GREAT advice . if Janis Knew i was donating $5.00 to the Pearl Foundation for every Pound i lose till the end of May . i think she would send a team of people over to walk me untill i lose 200 pounds. LOL i started at 290 and im at 286 today YEA . Thanks everyone for the support. Cardiffgal is in this with me till the end Thanks Cardiffgal . im counting on you to help me thanks.