[peachie]

whatever happened to good ol' portion control & common sense?

i'm looking to lose about 10 pounds and with all the different viewpoints and studies done on dieting..this day and age makes it hard to stick to a simple diet! i hear 20 different things every day that make me wonder "should i be doing that instead?" ughh. basically just a useless rant but does anyone else agree?

 

[meatless]

I just lost a little over 15 pounds using exercise and portion control. That's it. For most people without serious metabolical issues, that will work.

 

[peachie]

so no complete omitting of sugars or carbs, no obsessing over protein intake?

i always wonder if i can ACTUALLY lose with just portion control, so thanks for your post because it gives me hope! i hate obsessing and stressing out over losing weight.

 

[GhostUser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peachie

whatever happened to good ol' portion control & common sense?

i'm looking to lose about 10 pounds and with all the different viewpoints and studies done on dieting..this day and age makes it hard to stick to a simple diet! i hear 20 different things every day that make me wonder "should i be doing that instead?" ughh. basically just a useless rant but does anyone else agree?

I have written quite a few articles with a few having to do with the myths of weight loss...(kep in mind all of the marketing out there is just that..MARKETING! Not about you and your health....it is about getting you to believe what they say is true...when they accomplish that..they win)

give me sometime and I will submit it here...

 

[meatless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peachie

so no complete omitting of sugars or carbs, no obsessing over protein intake?

i always wonder if i can ACTUALLY lose with just portion control, so thanks for your post because it gives me hope! i hate obsessing and stressing out over losing weight.

No, and I still eat dessert every night (just less).

I did track my intake on fitday for the first two months or so to make sure I was getting good bang for my calorie buck.

But the exercise was very important. I was sedentary for eight years prior... my entire adult life. I now do 25 minutes a day on the elliptical, 5-6 days a week, and weights maybe twice a week. It's moderate, but regular.

Remember though, it all depends on your body type too. I was always the skinny kid that everyone made fun of for being "a stick." I put on more than 20 pounds between the age of 19 and 24. I'm now back at a more natural weight for me.

I also said right from the start that even if I didn't lose any weight at ALL, what was important to me was to improve my health... through exercise and better nutrition. I think it's infinitely better to focus on being HEALTHY. The rest will fall into place.

Attached is a before and after image. The first pic is me about a year and a half ago. The second pic is me a week ago.

 

[peachie]

barry- yess it would be great if you posted those!

meatless-you look great!

weight loss is also so hard since i'm still in high school. and i see girls (who i know are unhealthy) doing fasts and eating tiny amounts when they want to lose weight. i KNOW that these things are terrible, and i've never done them myself, but it's so tempting yknow? i always think, gosh they make it seem so much easier/faster to do it this way.

i know i'm healthier and smarter than them, it's just hard to be around such negative health and body images. meh.

 

[meatless]

Why do you want to lose weight Peachie? Do you have bad eating habits? Do you exercise?

I know it's hard when you're 15 to not be tempted to do what other people are doing, but think about what those things do to these girls' bodies. They aren't thinking about it, but they are harming themselves, not just now but possibly into the future. I know of girls who used to have eating disorders who have permanent damage to their bodies.

That's why I so strongly advocate focusing on your health, and eating well. Because when you do that you're taking care of yourself, and respecting yourself. The rest will fall into place.

 

[CaptainSwab]

I second regular exercise. In college I managed to get up to 150. In high school I was 100 pounds so it was a big jump for me. I started running and the weight melted off to 130 which I feel is a much more natural weight for me. When I slack off in my weekly training I gain weight. When I stick to it or up my mileage I lose weight.

I do this pretty much eating what I want (in moderation of course). I also eat desert every night. I know I can't go without eating something sweet everyday.

 

[peachie]

i want to lose weight because i gained 10 pounds when i went on birth control for my irregular periods.

i mean, i'm 5'3 and i have a tiny upper body and chest so i think the weight gain in my hips looks strange. i'm not comfortable with my body. and i don't eat very healthy as of now, so i think it'll be pretty easy to get back to the weight i had before i went on the pill.

 

[meatless]

Unfortunately, if it's related to the bc pill, you're probably not going to be able to lose that weight. I gained weight from the pill too, and when I went off the pill I lost five pounds instantly. I'm not advocating going off the pill without at LOT of research, and certainly not for weight control issues.

I am bottom heavy too (i.e. normal bottom, small chest

) so I know how you feel. Even having lost weight, I lost it in the chest too.

I'd say if you focus on health like you're saying you will, that's a good thing for you. But don't be too disappointed if that weight sticks. If it's there because of bad eating habits it'll go away if you correct them, but if it's strictly because of the pill you may not be able to control that.

 

[Seusomon]

Sometimes amidst all the hyped diets, you can lose track of the one basic truth: the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. It's that simple.

The problem is that most of us feel hungry when we do that, and so eventually get tempted to eat more.

All of the different "methods" are just different ways of trying to manage the physiology and psychology of apetite so that eating less becomes easier. That's why different methods work for different people - we all have different biochemistry and different psychology.

 

[Maliaka]

I feel your frustration! But I too lost a lot of weight in the past by using the traditional portion control and exercise method, nothing fancy or outrageous. I am a firm believe that this is all you need to lose as much weight as you need! Good luck to you!

 

[Gnome Chomsky]

>>whatever happened to good ol' portion control & common sense?>>

It is in the process of being replaced by a more nuanced and accurate view of the mechanics of the human body. The thing is, since nutritional science is in its infancy, there are numerous conflicting perspectives for the time being.

ebola

 

[Jessica Alana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meatless

No, and I still eat dessert every night (just less).

I did track my intake on fitday for the first two months or so to make sure I was getting good bang for my calorie buck. ...

That's only a 15 lb difference? Wow, I'm impressed. Good for you!

 

[Pandora]

Do not listen to diet-fads, they obviously work for a little time, because all in all the intake you have on all of them ... whether it is some weird milk and fruit diet or the "eat only purple things" (

) diet, but they are all based on silly wet-finger work ideas and possibly to make the diet industry (the products looking at you from the shelves int he super market) even more profitable, because you are prone to fall off of a boring and not nutritious diet, and end up caving in and protesting the lacking you've done yourself by overeating, and poof... you suddenly weigh more than what you started with. Nice cycle!

All I can say is what you said in your first post "what happened to common sense?"... use your common sense, fence off all the dieting information that is all around you through the media and magazines and other people.

Your body, when you really listen to it, never lies.

 

[meatless]

Thanks Jess.

My body does not carry excess weight well at all. I'm a little more muscular now too, which probably makes me look like I've lost more than I have.

 

[Kyo]

Quote:

why so complicated?

It's not as complicated as you think. Here's a simple approach: ignore all the noise you hear in the media and take a basic nutritional science course at your local community college.