I recently went for my year end/ new year physical. I was not surprised that I came in 20lbs over what I want to be and the Doc tended to agree as she went back over my charts for the previous few years and each time I came in my weight was a little higher. She is a large woman and used to be fairly heavy and now she is just a large woman, tall and big framed. To make a long story short we talked about food intake and choices(that she had used to lose weight) that I should try to drop some weight. Some of the things i already knew but I guess going in for the physical and getting the "wake up" call is what I needed.

A few years ago I did the increased protein/lower carb routine and lost a significant amount of weight. It was not easy nor pleasant but I got the desired results. The weight stayed off as I was riding alot and working 2 jobs that required alot of time on my feet walking long distances. Not interested in going that route this time. Fast forward to recently.....I rarely drink anything that has carbs in it so I can rule out that I'm drinking the weight on. What the Doc has suggested I do is greatly curtail eating any food with white flour or sugar in it, mainly that would be bread and snack food. Eat 5 times a day, smaller amounts instead of 3 larger meals. The snack meals are something like cheese and an apple, the substitute for bread is whole wheat. Avoid any food that is greater than 3 grams of fat. I'm still trying to figure out breakfast, it is normally oatmeal or cereal of the whole grain variety and a banana, glass of water.

I think I have dropped about 3lb in a week which I expected to happen, weight for me comes off quickly at first then plateaus and then i struggle to get down to goal weight. Am i on the right track? I know the obvious answer for the whole weight loss scheme is less in than using, but I am not interested in gram counting everything I eat. Any additional suggestions? I'm once again trying to pull the whole fitness/nutrition thing together.

I recently went for my year end/ new year physical. I was not surprised that I came in 20lbs over what I want to be and the Doc tended to agree as she went back over my charts for the previous few years and each time I came in my weight was a little higher. She is a large woman and used to be fairly heavy and now she is just a large woman, tall and big framed. To make a long story short we talked about food intake and choices(that she had used to lose weight) that I should try to drop some weight. Some of the things i already knew but I guess going in for the physical and getting the "wake up" call is what I needed.

A few years ago I did the increased protein/lower carb routine and lost a significant amount of weight. It was not easy nor pleasant but I got the desired results. The weight stayed off as I was riding alot and working 2 jobs that required alot of time on my feet walking long distances. Not interested in going that route this time. Fast forward to recently.....I rarely drink anything that has carbs in it so I can rule out that I'm drinking the weight on. What the Doc has suggested I do is greatly curtail eating any food with white flour or sugar in it, mainly that would be bread and snack food. Eat 5 times a day, smaller amounts instead of 3 larger meals. The snack meals are something like cheese and an apple, the substitute for bread is whole wheat. Avoid any food that is greater than 3 grams of fat. I'm still trying to figure out breakfast, it is normally oatmeal or cereal of the whole grain variety and a banana, glass of water.

I think I have dropped about 3lb in a week which I expected to happen, weight for me comes off quickly at first then plateaus and then i struggle to get down to goal weight. Am i on the right track? I know the obvious answer for the whole weight loss scheme is less in than using, but I am not interested in gram counting everything I eat. Any additional suggestions? I'm once again trying to pull the whole fitness/nutrition thing together.
As I'm sure youv'e read a 100 times, weight is about calories eaten and calories burned. Find ways to help you eat less calories and burn more.

No white flour or processed sugar will make it difficult to find things to eat in our society - difficult is good and this 'trick' has worked for a lot of people. It also means that the calories you do eat will have other benifitial nutrients (not the so-called 'empty calories').

My main pre-workout (daily) breakfast is Old Fashioned oat meal, apple sauce, non-fat yogurt and sliced banana. Lots of low GI carbs and a little protein.

I have found that a huge toss salad for one meal really helps me cut back. Include some protein (ham, fish, nuts) and fat free salad dressing. You can eat a lot of Romaine and spinach for very few calories.

Stay away from restaurants. It is very hard to control what you eat or even to know what you are eating.

I would be more specific on the "less than 3 grams of fat" and know what kind of fat it is. I think it has been shown that some fat sources are benificial.

I know what you mean by the first few pounds being easy, then the next being hell. I can easily go up or down 3 - 5 pounds in a day just from the mass of what I have eaten - completely ignoring the calories.

I've dropped 16 since early Nov. The holidays were tough. I'm still doing it by will power and not by change of life style. I just hope it builds into a change.

TF

There is no reason it has to be that difficult. Any doctor offering that advise without seriously looking at your food consumption is just talking out of their butt. An RD would have you write down what and how much you eat for a number of days. That way they can provide sound advice. You don't get that during a yearly physical with your Primary Care physician.

There is no devilish ingredient that needs to be avoided. Good luck trying to avoid refined carbs and sugars in this society. Simply avoid the obviously poor choices. Try to reduce the portions of questionable choices. Load up on the fruits and veggies.

Look at your current eating habits and choose sensible alternatives. Eat less while increasing your exercise. Then go to bed hungry. You'll be shocked at how easy weight lose can be. Too many people are trying to make it seem like rocket science because they want to make excuses for their failure. Authors want to make an industry out of diet and provide you with even more excuses to fail. It doesn't need to be rocket science. You don't need to read books and study food labels. What you were taught in elementary school health class is what works.

It doesn't need to be rocket science. You don't need to read books and study food labels. What you were taught in elementary school health class is what works.

This sounds kinda encouraging in a mean, straightforward way...

What the Doc has suggested I do is greatly curtail eating any food with white flour or sugar in it, mainly that would be bread and snack food. Eat 5 times a day, smaller amounts instead of 3 larger meals. The snack meals are something like cheese and an apple, the substitute for bread is whole wheat. Avoid any food that is greater than 3 grams of fat. I'm still trying to figure out breakfast, it is normally oatmeal or cereal of the whole grain variety and a banana, glass of water.


This is sound advice, although a hard rule of <3g of fat is a bit odd. A lean chicken breast would probaly have more than that. A handful of almonds would certainly have more than that, and almonds and other raw nuts are very good for you.

If you get the Abs Diet book, it outlines essentially what you have described above. There are lists of what you should eat, and lists of what to get when you go to various restaurants - basically lean meats, fruits and vegetables with little or no processed foods. No calorie counting, no food logs, and very little label reading. You are supposed to eat six times a day, three meals and three snacks to keep your metabolism going. This eating plan has done wonders for some friends of mine, so I'm giving it a shot.

For breakfast I eat 3/4 cup of quick oats with powdered milk, raisins/cranberries/blueberries, etc, 1tbls brown sugar, and an oz or two of nuts. Nuke this for 1 minute and you are good to go. Add a glass of lowfat milk for some extra calcium and protein. Your breakfast is right along these lines, so I think you are fine.

And as others have said, any diet makes it difficult to track what you are eating is asking for trouble. So the easier you can make it on yourself, the more likely you are to stick to it. Good luck and keep us posted on the progress.

This sounds kinda encouraging in a mean, straightforward way...
I've been through significant weight loss. It was not fun. I wasted significant time and effort looking for that magic pill but it simply doesn't exist. Anything that is refered to as a diet will not work. A diet implies that you are making a temporary change and are expecting to return to previoushabits afterwards. You have to change your lifestyle and eating habits. You have to change them forever.

Eat according to the food pyramid. Eat real portions, not American portions. Add physical exercise and self-control. The pounds will simply melt away. Afterwards you will feel like an idiot for taking so long to figure it out. I did!!!

This is sound advice, although a hard rule of <3g of fat is a bit odd. A lean chicken breast would probaly have more than that. A handful of almonds would certainly have more than that, and almonds and other raw nuts are very good for you.

If you get the Abs Diet book, it outlines essentially what you have described above. There are lists of what you should eat, and lists of what to get when you go to various restaurants - basically lean meats, fruits and vegetables with little or no processed foods. No calorie counting, no food logs, and very little label reading. You are supposed to eat six times a day, three meals and three snacks to keep your metabolism going. This eating plan has done wonders for some friends of mine, so I'm giving it a shot.

For breakfast I eat 3/4 cup of quick oats with powdered milk, raisins/cranberries/blueberries, etc, 1tbls brown sugar, and an oz or two of nuts. Nuke this for 1 minute and you are good to go. Add a glass of lowfat milk for some extra calcium and protein. Your breakfast is right along these lines, so I think you are fine.

And as others have said, any diet makes it difficult to track what you are eating is asking for trouble. So the easier you can make it on yourself, the more likely you are to stick to it. Good luck and keep us posted on the progress.
I know I'm quibbling here, but I couldn't help but noticing your breakfast seems contrary to a lot of the ideas you are putting forth. Why Quick Oats vs Old Fashioned - less "processed" and lower GI. Why the powdered milk? Brown sugar is little more than colored sugar, wouldn't more raisins be better if you want it sweeter? Lowfat, not skimmed milk? Again quibbling, but??? - TF

I know I'm quibbling here, but I couldn't help but noticing your breakfast seems contrary to a lot of the ideas you are putting forth. Why Quick Oats vs Old Fashioned - less "processed" and lower GI. Why the powdered milk? Brown sugar is little more than colored sugar, wouldn't more raisins be better if you want it sweeter? Lowfat, not skimmed milk? Again quibbling, but??? - TF

I use quick oats and powdered milk for convenience. I prepackage my breakfast for an entire week to eat when I get to work. When I get to work, I just add some hot water from the coffee machines and eat. No running to the kitchen to use the microwave or run down a quart of milk. In my case, the convenience factor outweighs the few extra calories.

Your points about brown sugar and lowfat vs. skim milk are well taken and I agree with them. But the quantities I'm eating of each at breakfast are small, so the penalty is minor.

No problem on the quibble. Isn't that what we do in these forums :D

No problem on the quibble. Isn't that what we do in these forums :D
You got that right! :-) TF

I've been through significant weight loss. It was not fun. I wasted significant time and effort looking for that magic pill but it simply doesn't exist. Anything that is refered to as a diet will not work. A diet implies that you are making a temporary change and are expecting to return to previoushabits afterwards. You have to change your lifestyle and eating habits. You have to change them forever.

Eat according to the food pyramid. Eat real portions, not American portions. Add physical exercise and self-control. The pounds will simply melt away. Afterwards you will feel like an idiot for taking so long to figure it out. I did!!!

This is not intended to be a scheme or temporary eating trend to get to a weight level and then return to an old trend. The reason i posted in the first place is to get a feel for what the good Doc told me as a suggestion. Thats all. My eating and exercise habits are fairly solid. I have only tried to lose weight once in my lifetime and that was about 4/5 years ago. I did it with a lowered carb/increased protein change of diet. I have no proof of this but I think i may have developed a kidney stone as a result of that change. Therefore, as i stated, not interested in going that route. I don't overeat, rarely eat fast or fried food. I was just curious about the refined flour/sugar vs whole grain as it might/will apply to cycling. I was thinking back to the thread about Atkins vs Whatever and the whole debate that took place. In the grand scheme of my choice of foods, I have replaced enriched flour with whole grains and greatly limited sugar intake, added some calcium, the rest of my choices of food are pretty good.

As for what I get as advise or service from my Doc, whatever health issue i want to talk about when I'm in for a visit is what we talk about. She knows my physical condition and has made suggestions to answer my concerns. No drastic changes needed, just need to make some adjustments.

Let me join the cast of experts here with my two cents.

My bet is that you could reduce portion size overall. I also wonder why breakfast can't include a bit of protein and fat. A bit of peanut butter, or margarine and milk, or even some yogurt is simple.

Too many people are trying to make it seem like rocket science because they want to make excuses for their failure. Authors want to make an industry out of diet and provide you with even more excuses to fail. It doesn't need to be rocket science. You don't need to read books and study food labels. What you were taught in elementary school health class is what works.

Have truer words every been spoken? Please forward this message to the rest of the world!

refined sugars and grains in and of themselves are not "bad" for you... However, they are not as beneficial as they could be. Whole wheat brings other good things along for the ride that will not only make you more satiated, but are just part of a balanced diet. Less processed foods have more nutrients like dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and gasp, even some fatty acids and other things that are good for you!

The other catch to refined sugars is they pack a calorie wallop... Lots of calories in a small package that is not very satiating... For example, just look at a twinky, high in calories, low on flavor and very low on the "fill you up" factor. A piece of whole wheat bread however is just the opposite...

Another thing to consider that I have observed in myself... Avoid junk food. Sounds dumb right? Well, say there is a dish with candy out at work, how often do you stop by for a bite? I fully admit being very weak in that department and I am trying to avoid eating little bits of junk here and there, as they add up faster than you think. If you have a meeting at work, and there is coffee and doughnuts, do you have one? How much sugar are you putting in your coffee? Little things here and there like the doughnut, or fancy coffee drinks are like little white lies of weight loss, you think they don't matter, but when you add them to an already sufficient diet, you are at a calorie excess, and you will gain a few oz here and there...

Don't get me wrong, having snacks throughout the day is fine... but make them part of your regular diet. Your calorie count will stay the same overall, but you will feel less hungry if you spread it out throughout the day. And, as mentioned by others, make it a healthy snack, some low fat yogurt, or an apple or banana... Just avoid the "dietary white lies"...

good luck!
gears
pmiska