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2006-08-22 7:14 AM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy

My eating has been getting sloppy again and I'm looking to get a couple new nutrition books.  "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" is a definite.  I'm curious about your thoughts on "Nutrient Timing".  Seems to me that it's been around for quite a while - Worth buying or not?

Tam



2006-08-22 5:19 PM
in reply to: #199117

Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Okay - I'm onboard with your posts. Thank you for sharing you nutritional information. I am in good shape cardiovascularly and how I look. But, I do believe/admit that probably diet is what is keeping me from having harder workouts and a stronger, leaner body. Lifestyle wise, my family eats and exercises regularly. We don't "diet", either. We just live in a healthy way. My question is snacks. I don't do it to excess, but I do snack. I enjoy healthy snacks for the most part, but admittedly have a huge sweet tooth! I have found healthy "substitutes" for salty snacks, fatty foods, etc. But, I cannot seem to find a good substitute for my hardest to ignore goodies; cookies & chocolate. It's not that I couldn't have the self-control. But, I believe in not having to give up *everything* (like you) and would love to have a munchable around the house that won't give me the huge guilt trips (or pounds) but that can also actually satisfy a sweet tooth...not the binge day piece of chocolate cake at a party or anything, but the "daily" type of snack that you keep in the cupboards for those little hunger pangs. Any suggestions of personal faves?
2006-08-22 5:59 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy

mswrites - 2006-08-22 5:19 PM Okay - I'm onboard with your posts. Thank you for sharing you nutritional information. I am in good shape cardiovascularly and how I look. But, I do believe/admit that probably diet is what is keeping me from having harder workouts and a stronger, leaner body. Lifestyle wise, my family eats and exercises regularly. We don't "diet", either. We just live in a healthy way. My question is snacks. I don't do it to excess, but I do snack. I enjoy healthy snacks for the most part, but admittedly have a huge sweet tooth! I have found healthy "substitutes" for salty snacks, fatty foods, etc. But, I cannot seem to find a good substitute for my hardest to ignore goodies; cookies & chocolate. It's not that I couldn't have the self-control. But, I believe in not having to give up *everything* (like you) and would love to have a munchable around the house that won't give me the huge guilt trips (or pounds) but that can also actually satisfy a sweet tooth...not the binge day piece of chocolate cake at a party or anything, but the "daily" type of snack that you keep in the cupboards for those little hunger pangs. Any suggestions of personal faves?

Personally I like sweatened cereals as my "dessert" snack.  Fruit loops, captain crunch, that kind of stuff.  They have a tiny bit of nutritional value and, more importantly, they are pretty low in calories (most are 140ish per serving then add skim milk).  I'm also using skim milk with them so at least the milk is something I would be drinking anyway.

I'm also one of those wierd people who can eat just one of those little mini reeses peanut butter cups.  So sometimes I'll have one or two of those for a dessert.

2006-08-22 6:05 PM
in reply to: #199117

Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Ooh...I like the cereal idea. Especially, with 3 kids, I usually have them around anyway!
2006-08-22 6:24 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy

The Paleo Diet book is a good read.  I don't think it is reasonable for anyone but the most hardcore to follow strictly...I certainly don't...but the concepts and overall guidelines give you a good basis for your daily eating habits.  Nutrent Timing is also a good read but is more specifically about your nutrition durina and around your training sessions rather than your daily eating habits.  It gives you the information you need to maximize your nutrition for performance and recovery and I particularly like that it includes references to the studies that they used to develop their information. 

tnickerson - 2006-08-22 8:14 AM

My eating has been getting sloppy again and I'm looking to get a couple new nutrition books. "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" is a definite. I'm curious about your thoughts on "Nutrient Timing". Seems to me that it's been around for quite a while - Worth buying or not?

Tam

2006-08-22 6:32 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy

Most of my "snacks" are fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, light yogurt, and low fat cheese sticks.  For desert type things I like sugar free, fat free Jello pudding with lite Cool-Whip, and Edy's no sugar added double churned ice cream.  There is no substitute for chocolate...I prefer the dark stuff.  There is nothing wrong with keeping some treats around as long as you can control your urges...a few squares of chocolate or small cup of ice cream.  I also like Clif Bars, Balance Bars and Snickers Marathon Bars.  These tend to be 250+ calories so they might be a bit more than a snack but as long as you are aware of what they are you can work them into your daily eating habits without a problem.

mswrites - 2006-08-22 6:19 PM Okay -  My question is snacks. I don't do it to excess, but I do snack. (snip) But, I cannot seem to find a good substitute for my hardest to ignore goodies; cookies & chocolate. (snip) Any suggestions of personal faves?



2006-09-01 3:07 PM
in reply to: #199117

Texas
Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Your comment about high fructose corn syrup being the devil made me think of my sister who recently found out she's allergic to corn. She had to cut out all corn syrup, corn starch, etc.. Basically all pre-packaged processed foods. Now she eats lots of fresh veggies and fruits, lean meats and soy, and whole grain products (she has to inspect the label to make sure they don't bulk it up with corn starch or corn flour). Her diet seems to be pretty similar to what you've described, and over the past 6 months, she's dropped a ton of weight, lowered her body fat and significantly increased her energy. I'm even trying to talk her into doing a triathlon! She jokes about wanting to market the corn-free diet as the new weight loss program
2006-09-01 6:48 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
meggantavel - 2005-07-15 11:11 AM

But also keep in mind that a good poetion of your diet should come from fruits and veggies as well.  For me juces such as Naked, Odwalla and V8 are a godsend, since I oftrn have to aquire nutrition on the go.  All of the above are awesome choices.  They are pureed fruit or veggie juice.  They help you to get the vitamins, antioxidants and photochemicals your body requires. 

Be sure not to drink a whole container at once as the pureed friut is high in natural sugar (fructose).  You don't want your blood sugar to spike dramatically. 



No real science or nutrition comment, just a great recipe that fits with the quote above:

Everyday I have 1 or 2 of my "concoctions" (as my 13 year old calls it). 2 bananas, handfull of strawberries and blueberries and a individual size of yogurt (whatever flavor you want), throw in a blender with some chipped ice, and it will really fill you up, and be fairly low in calories. If you want a sweet treat, throw in a tablespoon of splenda.

I always use bananas, as they "thicken" the drink, but you can use any other fruit in with it. Peaches are great. When we go to the store, it is nothing for us to buy 15-20 pounds of bananas at a time and go through them in a week-ish...

If I drink 2 of these a day, it really cuts out the garbage I eat between meals (cookies here, a handfull of chips there, a quarter pounder with cheese....) Bananas are about 100 calories apiece, so it is a filling, low cal beverage.

I'm loosing weight, not real fast, but a pound or two a week. I started off at 188 on 8/1, and I'm at 183 this morning. I want to be at 165 by New Years, which is a feat for me, as I usually chunk up over the winter.
2006-09-25 7:07 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
bumping to the top.
2006-11-24 5:22 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
2006-12-10 11:06 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy

Happy Holidays Bump!

 



2006-12-12 9:02 AM
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2006-12-20 12:12 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy

Aloha all,

I read this thread with much interest but I am not really interested in how much of one thing I eat and what amount of the other thing. For those looking for some simple guidlines I am currently using this might be an interesting read. It is not well written so please make alowances. (First put in my log a few days ago)

First off let me say none of this is original to me. Just my take on it and presented in a way that makes sense to me at this time in my life. I have come to these conclusions after reading a lot and by observation of how people who are overweight seem to act to me and those who are an 'ideal' weight seem to act to me, and my grayhound Lucy! These are sweeping generalisations and not intended to offend. (Honest)

The first thing I had to do was to be honest with my self. No matter what anyone says there is ONLY one that you gain weight. It has nothing to do with metabolism (sorry folks, and this is what my wonderful wife believes) it has nothing to do with heavy bones or having a heavy build! Or any of the other excuses going about. (I really don't mean to be meen but you really have to understand this point I beleive. The ONLY way you gain weight is by taking in more energy than you use.

Simple huh? Took me a while to actually get this. Now I think of my body as an engine to power my muscles to enable me to do stuff. Some engines are very efficient at using the fuel and need little to do a lot so if you eat too much you store it. (Isn't it nice to know we overweight people have efficient engines?)

So as a consequence there is only one way to take weight off. Take in less energy than your engine can use.

There are a few other things which impact on the way you fuel your engine however. First off I'm not sure about others but I don't want to weigh stuff, count calories, use formulas, spend hours checking labels and all the nitty gritty stuff with scales and the like. I want anything I do to be easy, enjoyable, not put out family and friends and to last me for the rest of my life. No fuss, no mess, no hassle.

Brings me to the next point. Diets! Having dieted I can say thay only work for the period that you diet. Once you stop and return to your previous eating style back goes the weight sometimes faster and more than before and this carries on and on and on. Well NO MORE. I want something that will last for the rest of my life without the hassle.

Watching people (and myself I would add) it seems that many overweight people rush their eating. Slim folk like my wife take their time. You watch sometime. Slim folk stop after eating less food! (Not rocket science I know) so why do weighty folk carry on? My theory is that because we rush our eating we ignore the messages that we are full and carry on untill we find it hard to eat anymore. I'm sure everyone has felt this at some time. We heavy folk seem to do it far more often.

My dog who is (even for a greyhound) very very skinny eats throughout the day. Eating when she is hungry. When she feels full she stops and waits till she is hungry again.

Some people seem to have cravings especially on a diet when thay can't eat something. Someone far cleaverer than I once said something like 'The only way to resist temptation is to give in to it'. Wow, isn't that so true. When something is not off limit it doesn't seem so wonderful. Ask any child!

Another thing I hear of is folk on diets 'breaking their rules' and then quit the regime because they can't stick to it. Now I have rules BUT.... I call them aspirations. Okay, I know I'm just messing with words but for me it makes a difference. If you don't acheive your aspirations today you can aspire to reach them tomorrow and the next and so on. It's like when you learned to walk as a toddler. The first time you fell down they didn't give up on you ever walking, did they? No. They encouraged you (even though you didn't understand the words). Comforted  you if you cried and helped you to keep on trying till one day you just did it. Then when you toddled and fell they told you how well you had done, how everyone falls once in a while and helped you some more untill one day you did it well enough it just became a habit and you did it (God willing) eversince. You don't even think about it really any more! Curious huh? Wonder what would happen if you treated your new eating for life regime the same way?

So, where did this lead me? To six aspirations that I aspire to achieve every day for the rest of my life till I don't even think of them.

(Dead simple so I can understand them.)

This is NOT a diet, it is a way to eat for life. 

One: Eat when I am hungry!!!!!!! This doesn't mean you just fancy a nibble but moderately hungry. Not so hungry you could eat anything and so fast it doesn't touch the sides. You do not want to get unpleasently hungry so you start eating fast.

Sounds daft but so many folk starve themselves and then wonder why they can't stick at it. Probably get so hungry at times they binge then beat themselves up mentally. I know I have in the past. I'm not going to do that. I am going to eat when my body tells me to, after all it should know. 

Two: Eat what you really want to after having a cup of water first! (Even ice cream etc.) Don't deny stuff you'll only want it more. I find now that I choose better foods now because I want to and no longer crave the cheese I once loved and denied myself. Now I can have it when I am hungry if I want I have just found after four months or so I'm not to bothered about it any more.

Three: Stop when you first notice you are pleasently full! (Very important) Took awhile to get this and still learning. You have to start to listen to your body telling you you are full. By doing Four it does become easier and I am now finding it much easier and knowing as soon as I feel moderately hungry again I can fefuel helps to.

Four: Eat consciously. (take at least 20 chews for each mouthful {difficult with ice cream but it is possible} and but spoon, fork or knife doown between mouthfulls. Actually taste your food) MOST IMPORTANT. I have found and almost immediately that my food tasted much much better and know I find myself choosing 'healthier' fresh food where possible because I now prefer the taste and ditch the bland stuff.

Five: Weigh yourself weekly at earliest, not daily. Once every two weeks is better. Don't beat yourself up if there is no or little weight loss. It doesn't matter now you are eating for life. It will eventually come. Trust your body knows best if you keep aspiring it will come right in the end. Too many folk (me included) get hung up on the daily weighing and beating up if they gain. Over a stretch of time you are more likely to loose. The longer the betterif you ask me. I only weigh weekly now because I am in a challenge group. Otherwise I'd probably do it monthly and then not bother in the future I'd guess as I expect to start listening to my body more instead of the scales.

Six: Go back to One.

Not sure if any of this makes sense. I do hope so. I would really be interested in any comments as I am still learning and I am sure have much to learn, digest and consider or reject.

2006-12-21 6:25 PM
in reply to: #199117

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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
A lot of it boils down to motivation. How badly do you really want to lose weight and then keep it off?

Once I committed myself to losing weight, it was easy. The hard part was actually facing the fact that this has to be who I am -- eating healthy and working out. This isn't a 6 week gig or 6 month gig or 6 year gig. It isn't that I can work out and then eat bad. Or not work out and eat healthy.

I realized that there was no pill or informercial gadget that was going to make me look like the person on TV.

So, my philosophy, and it is different for everyone.

- Exercise
- Drink loads of water
- Eat multiple small meals
- Avoid processed sugars
- Make your diet as vegetable/fruit oriented as possible
- Weigh yourself daily. I weigh myself every morning. There is no way I am going to be surprised by a gain in weight and find myself 10 pounds heavier.
- Give it time. The weight didn't come overnight and it won't disappear overnight. This was the hardest part at first. I was working my a$$ off at first and was actually gaining weight. My body needed to adjust. I knew that there was no way I couldn't lose weight if I stuck to my plan. Sure enough, the pounds melted away.

Cheers
2006-12-21 9:32 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
GolfMark - 2006-12-21 7:25 PM

A lot of it boils down to motivation. How badly do you really want to lose weight and then keep it off?

Once I committed myself to losing weight, it was easy. The hard part was actually facing the fact that this has to be who I am -- eating healthy and working out. This isn't a 6 week gig or 6 month gig or 6 year gig. It isn't that I can work out and then eat bad. Or not work out and eat healthy.

I realized that there was no pill or informercial gadget that was going to make me look like the person on TV.

So, my philosophy, and it is different for everyone.

- Exercise
- Drink loads of water
- Eat multiple small meals
- Avoid processed sugars
- Make your diet as vegetable/fruit oriented as possible
- Weigh yourself daily. I weigh myself every morning. There is no way I am going to be surprised by a gain in weight and find myself 10 pounds heavier.
- Give it time. The weight didn't come overnight and it won't disappear overnight. This was the hardest part at first. I was working my a$$ off at first and was actually gaining weight. My body needed to adjust. I knew that there was no way I couldn't lose weight if I stuck to my plan. Sure enough, the pounds melted away.

Cheers



Thanks again for the reminder. You know it is simple and its not that I don't understand it but sometimes you need a good kick in the A## and a reality check like GolfMark simple breakdown of what it takes.

In the book Going Long there is a great quote at the start of I believe the nutrition chapter. "I once mentioned to my wife I wished I could play the saxaphone like she does. She turned to me laughing and said " Apparently not bad enough to learn how. She was absolutely correct."

I love that quote because it is so me. Yeah I want so bad to be in peak shape but do I really want to sacrafice like that everyday? Always keeps you honest!!
2006-12-21 9:44 PM
in reply to: #199117

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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Hmmm. My body seems to react very differently. When I went to a higher protein, slightly higher fat diet several months ago (and I wasn't eating unhealthily, I was watching what I ate) my calories went too high, I got low blood sugar frequently, I put on a few pounds; it was a nightmare after just a few weeks. I stepped back and revamped my whole diet.

I go with about a 60-20-20 combo (carbs, protein, fat). And I feel way better. I eat almost all whole grains, fruits, and veggies for my carbs. I also eat about every two hours during the day. I went vegetarian about two months ago so my protein comes from a soy, legumes, etc, with just a little dairy. Prior to that it came mostly from lean meats, dairy, and a little soy. I log my foods here on BT and stick to 1700-1800 calories a day for a rest day and adjust up accordingly for whatever training I do that day.

I've never had my body fat measured and I don't necessarily want to get it measured. I've never really been overweight and I get pretty lean toward the end of the season. Lean enough people comment on it sometimes. If I had to guess I'd say my bf is around 20-23% during the winter and a little less during the season (based on the inaccurate and very generic BMI charts). I'm pretty satisfied with that.

Some of my eating philosophy agrees with your suggestions (the fresh fruits and veggies anyway), and some of it is different (the proportion of c, p, f each day and a good dose of whole grains each day). I wouldn't go so far as to say contradictory, but certainly a different approach. I'm reading several books on my own because I'm trying to learn more and take more control of my diet and nutrition. It seems there are good arguments for either approach. I wondered what your (or anyone else's) thoughts are.

BTW, don't know if it makes a difference but my RHR is 59 and my estimated MHR is 208 based on an LT test and a VO2 max of around 47. My zone 1 running HR is 144-163. I think you commented on someone else's metabolism/diet based on their numbers. Don't know if that will make a difference or not in how you respond . . .

Anyway, happy holidays everyone!


2006-12-21 11:31 PM
in reply to: #631171

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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Lol.

People would ask me how I got to be good at golf. Practice, practice and then some more practice. And after that...more practice!

Going Long is a great book!

Cheers,
Mark
2006-12-23 6:10 AM
in reply to: #621853

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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy

Rynamite - 2006-12-12 10:02 AM So I just started eating smaller portions of pretty much what I wanted. Fried chicken? I eat 1 piece instead of 2. Cheeseburger? I eat 1 instead of 2 and drink water instead of iced tea loaded with sugar. Chocolate milkshake? make it in a smaller cup and don't fill it up the whole way. (these are the extremes by the way, I don't enjoy fried chicken much, but when I eat it that way, I eat less of it. Grilled chicken and lean steak are my favs.) I've found that by eating smaller portions I can still get below my maint. cals and eat what I want*. *Now, what you have to remember is that I DO know how to eat well... I know what's good and what isn't... and I know about how many carbs etc. I should be getting and can kinda keep track in my head really roughly. What I mean by that is I can think "Ok, I had some home made chicken noodle soup, so I'm not going to eat a piece of garlic bread and raviolli for dinner"

This is exactly the philosophy that I took when I decided to lose weight!  I was never extremely heavy.  I weighed aroung 125 all through college.  When I got married, I went to 145 in a few years and maintained that for 10+ years.  Found myself creeping up to 150 and decided enough was enough.  Came up with a plan that sounds alot like Rynamite's plan.  I counted calories the first 2-3 weeks, but after that I pretty knew what kind of calories I was eating.  I ate everything I normally would.  DH and I eat a lot of veggies because we live on a vegatable farm and we eat a lot of chicken because we raise and butcher our own chickens.  So I would say overall we eat pretty healthy.  But if I wanted pizza, or a cheeseburger, or french fries, or whatever then that's what I would eat.  I just ate a LOT smaller portion.  I had something sweet for dessert almost every day.  I did drink water with most meals and cut out 90% of the pop I was drinking and only had a glass of wine every couple weeks instead of 2-3 nights/week.  All I can say is that it worked because I lost 20 lbs in 18 weeks.  Got to my goal weight of 130 in May of 2005.  Dipped down to 126 at the height of my tri training last summer, but for the most part I very consistantly stay around 128-130. 

The thing is that we are all individuals and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.  What worked for me though was incredibly simple and I never felt like I was depriving myself of anything.

Good post Rynamite.

2007-01-04 2:48 PM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Bump.  ;-)
2007-03-12 8:52 AM
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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
2007-03-13 10:17 PM
in reply to: #199117

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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Joel

I am glad that this got bumped to the top. Its a great summary of nutrition. I agree with most everything that has been said but.... I find for myself its hard to follow through on when training. I am now running 40-45 miles a week and eat constantly. The result is a growing belly....

Rich


2007-03-13 10:49 PM
in reply to: #199117

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Subject: RE: My "diet" philosophy
Chances are that you can continue to eat about the same total calories but adjust what and when to provide better recovery and stop the weight gain.  Have you tried keeping a food log for a few days to see what and when you are eating?  That's the first step in figuring out how you can adjust your diet.  Since I started this thread back a year or so ago my eating habits have evolved as I learned and read more.  Now I limit my intake of grains, rice, and pasta in favor of more fresh fruits and veggies...probably 10+ servings/day on average.  I still enjoy some brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or my favorite cereals (high protein, complex carb) but I rarely eat more than 1 serving of that type of stuff per day and I don't rely on things like Cliff bars as much either.  I've adjusted my approach primarily based on info from the Paleo Diet for Athletes and Nutrient Timing (both books are linked from my web site under "Resources".  Good reads IMO.
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