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The Health and/or Diet Thread

Started by Sandra Craft, January 21, 2012, 08:20:41 AM

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Sandra Craft

I seem to remember we were talking about starting a thread on this subject, but I don't think we did.  In any case, there's something about this that's bothering me so I figured I'd start off.

My plan this new year was to start following a largely vegetarian diet (with exceptions for fish), and somehow I managed to forget that every past attempt to cut back on something instantly creates a ravenging desire for that very food.  I don't mean simply missing it, I mean wanting that food and only that food to the point where I can hardly bear to eat anything else. 

Under normal circumstances I don't like red meat that much or eat it more than a few times a month (one of the reasons I deluded myself it would be easy to give up) but now that I'm officially not eating it I want hamburgers for every meal, with meatloaf sandwiches for a snack!  Is it just me?  Does anybody else shoot themselves in the foot like this when they try to cut back on something?
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Gawen

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on January 21, 2012, 08:20:41 AM
I seem to remember we were talking about starting a thread on this subject, but I don't think we did.  In any case, there's something about this that's bothering me so I figured I'd start off.

My plan this new year was to start following a largely vegetarian diet (with exceptions for fish), and somehow I managed to forget that every past attempt to cut back on something instantly creates a ravenging desire for that very food.  I don't mean simply missing it, I mean wanting that food and only that food to the point where I can hardly bear to eat anything else. 

Under normal circumstances I don't like red meat that much or eat it more than a few times a month (one of the reasons I deluded myself it would be easy to give up) but now that I'm officially not eating it I want hamburgers for every meal, with meatloaf sandwiches for a snack!  Is it just me?  Does anybody else shoot themselves in the foot like this when they try to cut back on something?
I love food too much. I'm 6'2" and somewhere around 215 lbs (97 kilos). But I'm getting a belly. So I just cut back on portions and limit...extremely limit...fried foods and pastries and in their place eat more raw veggies.
The essence of the mind is not in what it thinks, but how it thinks. Faith is the surrender of our mind; of reason and our skepticism to put all our trust or faith in someone or something that has no good evidence of itself. That is a sinister thing to me. Of all the supposed virtues, faith is not.
"When you fall, I will be there" - Floor

Whitney

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on January 21, 2012, 08:20:41 AM
I seem to remember we were talking about starting a thread on this subject, but I don't think we did.  In any case, there's something about this that's bothering me so I figured I'd start off.

My plan this new year was to start following a largely vegetarian diet (with exceptions for fish), and somehow I managed to forget that every past attempt to cut back on something instantly creates a ravenging desire for that very food.  I don't mean simply missing it, I mean wanting that food and only that food to the point where I can hardly bear to eat anything else. 

Under normal circumstances I don't like red meat that much or eat it more than a few times a month (one of the reasons I deluded myself it would be easy to give up) but now that I'm officially not eating it I want hamburgers for every meal, with meatloaf sandwiches for a snack!  Is it just me?  Does anybody else shoot themselves in the foot like this when they try to cut back on something?

I'm the same way, if I make a food off limits I want to eat a lot of it.  So instead I just lump a lot of foods in the "not worth the calories" group and then only have them on occasion when i really want them and can have some of whatever it is that was made very well.  I guess you just have to make your will to not eat X food align with your will to eat X food so that they worth together in a friendly manner.  This same approach may help with switching to vegetarian (or pescetarian (sp) as it may be in this case).

xSilverPhinx

The only one time when I really cut sugar from my diet cold turkey (basically following an extreme diabetic's diet) when when I had a health scare (glicose tested into the diabetic range). I didn't find it to be too difficult, but I'm guessing a huge part of this is because of the health scare, not just willpower alone. I didn't feel like I had a choice.

To do that sort of thing today would require willpower I don't have :P

I'm not a big fan of completely cutting things unless absolutely necessary, like in the above example. It just doesn't work that well for me. Much rather turn into a controllable system of working for rewards, i.e work out so many hours to each sweets or something like that.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


SunshineSTATEofMind

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on January 21, 2012, 08:20:41 AM
I seem to remember we were talking about starting a thread on this subject, but I don't think we did.  In any case, there's something about this that's bothering me so I figured I'd start off.

My plan this new year was to start following a largely vegetarian diet (with exceptions for fish), and somehow I managed to forget that every past attempt to cut back on something instantly creates a ravenging desire for that very food.  I don't mean simply missing it, I mean wanting that food and only that food to the point where I can hardly bear to eat anything else. 

Under normal circumstances I don't like red meat that much or eat it more than a few times a month (one of the reasons I deluded myself it would be easy to give up) but now that I'm officially not eating it I want hamburgers for every meal, with meatloaf sandwiches for a snack!  Is it just me?  Does anybody else shoot themselves in the foot like this when they try to cut back on something?

As a health teacher, I should really have a better diet. But if I could say one thing...

-drags over soap box- -climbs up-

It's just moderation and many people over think their diets way too much. Unless its for a medical reason, there is really no need to cut out a food completely, although cutting down intensely on some not so great choices are sure-fire ways to bolster your health.

-jumps off box and throws into corner-

I'd rather have a little of the real version than a lot of the crappy version. I LOVE food. Thank goodness I like exercise, too...  ;D

It could be 'stubborn syndrome', too. Which I have... Lol. Like the whole, you want it more if it's forbidden, tell me one thing and I'll do the other sort. Cause I'm SO that way. I try so hard not to be.

Anyway, have you tried the Morning Star veggie burgers? Some are actually quite good. What made you take the vegetarian route? Health, cruelty-free?
"The sea is unsparing. We're all drifting away- away from you. I pray for you now. But hoping to God on high is like clinging to straws while drowning- oh- Realize! Realize what you are...!"

"Afraid if we dance we might die...
Rock the world, live through you - why?
Don't you know, when you give life, then you become what you are!"

- Dave Matthews

Ali

Morning Star is good - way better than Boca in my opinion.

I've got this weird auto-immune thing going on.  They don't know exactly what it is, but I'm going to see a specialist at University Hospital in Feb.  Basically my immune system is attacking my thyroid, which on it's own is just normal old Hashimoto's, but it's also attacking my joints, which could be like a lupus or arthritis type thing, but my blood work is weird and I don't have all of the symptoms to diagnose Lupus, and have some other symptoms as well.  Anyway, whatever, it's a pain in the butt.  I am on Synthroid for my thyroid problems, but it seems to not make a huge difference - I can still gain weight just from being in the same room as fattening foods.  :)

So, my big thing is that I have to put in a real effort to exercise regularly, and to really try to limit "junk" foods and try to focus on whole foods.  My usual routine is that I walk for at least a half an hour a day on my breaks at work, and then 2 days a week I go to the gym and do an hour of cardio on the machines (I switch it up between the elliptical, the bike, and the rowing machine) and 2 days a week I take an hour and fifteen minute Zumbia class, but being careful about modifying some of the moves so they don't completely kill my joints.  I tried running for a while, and it was a great way to keep off the weight, but my stupid knees and hips just couldn't handle it, so I try to do things that are lower impact.  I want to get into some strength training because I know that strengthening my muscles will help stabilize my joints, but I'm not really sure where to start so I want to hire a trainer to get me started once I have some money (or find out if my insurance would pay for it) because I'm scared of using bad form and hurting my poor stressed out joints even more.

Of course, I haven't been to the gym in over a week now because I'm sick as a dog (still!) and don't feel up to it.  But soon.

I love the idea of this thread; let's all keep each other motivated!

SunshineSTATEofMind

Ali-

That is a very intresting situation. I do hope you figure out what's going on and get well soon! Your exercise routine sounds pretty good to me! As for strength training, there is an app for that. (I couldn't resist...) If you have access to iApps, although I'm not sure if they are on droids as well, there are plenty of free apps as well as cheap apps that go through the motions with you demonstrated by a personal trainer in video form. And shape, self and women's health magazine usually have videos to accompany their in magazine workouts. That's where I get a lot of my goods from. :)

I'm a runner, but your right, it is so hard on the hips and knees...!
"The sea is unsparing. We're all drifting away- away from you. I pray for you now. But hoping to God on high is like clinging to straws while drowning- oh- Realize! Realize what you are...!"

"Afraid if we dance we might die...
Rock the world, live through you - why?
Don't you know, when you give life, then you become what you are!"

- Dave Matthews

Tank

@ Ali

Do you have access to a swimming pool? Good cardio vascular workout and zero joint impact.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Anti-antidisestablishmentarianism

I usually never eat sugar and don't get any cravings for it.  The reason you crave meat when you cut it out of your diet is the lack of protein and amino acids.  Not to mention that the only thing we have been eating as humans longer than meat is fruits and vegetables.  Try some good whey protein with amino acids. That may help.
"All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets." -Voltaire
"By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out". Richard Dawkins

Whitney

There are protein and amino acids in fish...right?  So that probably isn't the cause of craving chicken, pork, or beef if someone is a Pescetarian (just taught firefox's spell check a new word). 

I tried vegan and vegetarian a while back and never actually craved meat; I just felt like crap because I wasn't getting enough protein since I don't really like beans.  I'm currently exploring ways to prepare beans that I will eat...so far lentils are pretty versatile.  I go through phases where certain foods just don't appeal to me even if I use to like them and meat keeps being one of those foods so it's made me naturally want to look for balanced meals I can make without meat (especially ones that my husband will eat...which is a challenge).  I also need to learn more ways to cook fish (that doesn't involved drowning in high calories stuff) since it tend to just season it and cook...which can get kinda boring if I want to have fish more nights a week.

I've developed fairly severe arthritis in my ankle from old sports injuries (both my ankles have been sprained mildly to severely more times than I can remember...my knees also have problems but are okay as long as I don't do squats and other similar movements) so I'm also looking into including more foods that may help reduce inflammation....which is part of why I want to include more fish too.  I was provided this list of things that might help http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=862 I would like a foods to avoid list too if anyone knows of a list based on research (frankly as long as it's not a list of unreasonable things to avoid I'd give it a try based on personal testimony).

Anti-antidisestablishmentarianism

Yes but different meats have different amino acids.  I'm not sure about fish.  It may very in different types.
"All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets." -Voltaire
"By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out". Richard Dawkins

Sandra Craft

Quote from: Whitney on January 21, 2012, 02:01:17 PM
I'm the same way, if I make a food off limits I want to eat a lot of it. 

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one, and I really like SunshineSTATEofMind's tag of "stubborn syndrome" for it.  Yeah, just try and make me give up bacon, me.  I was thinking maybe I could sneak a basically vegetarian diet into my life by not calling it that, just think of it as a fish-veg-fruit based diet and I can have a burger if I feel like it (and try to find substitutes for the burger when I can).

Quote from: SunshineSTATEofMindAnyway, have you tried the Morning Star veggie burgers? Some are actually quite good. What made you take the vegetarian route? Health, cruelty-free?

I tried Boca once and never made it past the first bite.  I'm going to trust you and Ali and give the Morning Star a try.  My doctor recommended a largely vegetarian diet as healthiest for me given my family's medical history (stroke, heart disease, adult-onset diabetes).  The cruelty thing concerns me too, but sadly it doesn't seem to strengthen my will at all.

Quote from: Ali on January 21, 2012, 04:30:36 PM
I've got this weird auto-immune thing going on.  They don't know exactly what it is, but I'm going to see a specialist at University Hospital in Feb.  Basically my immune system is attacking my thyroid, which on it's own is just normal old Hashimoto's, but it's also attacking my joints, which could be like a lupus or arthritis type thing, but my blood work is weird and I don't have all of the symptoms to diagnose Lupus, and have some other symptoms as well.  Anyway, whatever, it's a pain in the butt.

I'll bet -- I can't imagine how aggravating a long "hunt for the right diagnosis" must be.  At least you seem to have a handle on dealing with it, except for this:

Quote from: AliOf course, I haven't been to the gym in over a week now because I'm sick as a dog (still!) and don't feel up to it.  But soon.

I hate to tell you this, but look for it to last a while longer.  They way you describe it, it sounds like what I had in December and I'm still having relapses in January.  It's a persistent little bastard.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on January 21, 2012, 08:03:49 PM
The cruelty thing concerns me too, but sadly it doesn't seem to strengthen my will at all.

The 'Earthlings' documentary should be prescribed then.

Just a little note, it's heavy stuff, with graphic scenes of animal cruelty. 
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Ali

Tank, that's a good idea about swimming.  My gym does have a swimming pool, I should try to hit that up more often.

Sunshine - I will have to check out those apps and videos!  If I could get a pretty good idea of what I'm doing, hopefully I could cut down the time with a trainer to a bare minimum.

BooksCats - Oh yes, Boca is not my favorite, although they have a black bean burger that isn't bad.  Sadly, I suspect you may be right about my cold - it's hanging on and on....I went walking through the mall with my parents today and by the end of it I could barely put one foot in front of the other.  I'm truly amazed how much this illness has taken out of me.

Sweetdeath

Hey guys! Yay, diet and health thread!!

I feel like when you make small changes over time, it is easier to become a lifestyle than a diet.
As far as meat goes, I still eat it, but in very small portions, and only once to twice a week. It sounds crazy, but your craving for meat decreases! My friend offered me pepperoni pizza last night, and I only had a bite before plucking off all the meat.

I drink Almond milk instead of regular drink. It's an amazing substitute with very little fat and tons of nutrition.

I drink more water, sugar free iced teas instead of soda. Once in a while I'll crave a vanilla coke, but that is pretty rare.

I definitely cut out fried foods. This is probably the best change I made. I have sensitive skin , and ate onion rings all thr time. Not only do onion rings and fries have nooo nutritional value to me, it  broke my skin out like crazy. If I will have a fried treat, I will have a donut! That way, i'll have ONE and treat it as dessert instead of a meal.

Well, that's about it for me. My only real exercise is walking a lot. I live in NYC- so I can walk literally everywhere if the weather is nice! Last summer, I made a point to walk at least 4-5 miles a day to keep in shape.
Law 35- "You got to go with what works." - Robin Lefler

Wiggum:"You have that much faith in me, Homer?"
Homer:"No! Faith is what you have in things that don't exist. Your awesomeness is real."

"I was thinking that perhaps this thing called God does not exist. Because He cannot save any one of us. No matter how we pray, He doesn't mend our wounds.