Getting Fit: Shedding Pounds and Achieving Goals Together

[nazarbaz]

Have you hit your target weight yet or do you need to lose more?

It seems like whatever I do, I can't lose weight any further. 85 kg for 180 cm. It's a bit frustrating but I must live with it, since I'm against plastic surgery for philosophical reasons.
I like the way I am right now.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Surgery? I'm confused. What is your waist size?

 

[nazarbaz]

I don't know. It's a stressing factor and I chose since the beginning not to check my weight or my waist more than one time every three or four months.
When I started the whole operation my pants size was 62 and now it's 42 (european standards), though. Surgery could remove what's left of body fat but I don't want them to reshape my body according to their standards of "beauty". I did it to be healthy, not to look nice.

 

[Lisa!]

Hi Lisa! Why are you worried and unhappy, the political situation?

Hi Ivan! How are things with you and TSu
Not really! I'm not hopefull to get my favorite job and I feel useless.

 

[Psyguy22]

Easy way to lose ten pounds in a day..(I don't recommend it)
Go to j Robinson intisive camp in July when its 98 degrees, and sweat the ten pounds away.

 

[FreeMitya]

What works for me? Strength training Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (with an emphasis on leg/core exercises) and doing interval training on Tuesdays and Thursdays combined with, of course, good eating habits. Probably not ideal for most, but I figured I would throw it out there. For what it's worth, I went from having a jiggle to having a "six-pack" over a period of ~2.5 years, but there could be undiscovered variables involved.

P.S. I hope this doesn't come off as excessively vain on my part.

 

[zapz]

Easy way to lose ten pounds in a day..(I don't recommend it)
Go to j Robinson intisive camp in July when its 98 degrees, and sweat the ten pounds away.

Try being a counselor at the camp!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It seems like whatever I do, I can't lose weight any further. 85 kg for 180 cm. It's a bit frustrating but I must live with it, since I'm against plastic surgery for philosophical reasons.
I like the way I am right now.

Given how far you've come it is hard to imagine that you would need surgery to continue the loss. And it is normal to get stuck for a time. The one thing that came to mind was not to expect too much of yourself. You don't have to run 10K a day to be healthy. Like you said, take it easy on yourself. For a time I tended to beat myself up if I wasn't perfect each and every day. But eventually the lifestyle part of this sank in and I knew I had to follow a program I could live with indefinitely. And that meant accepting that I can't expect too much of myself - the one-day-at-time philosophy. Allow myself to have good days and bad days. Just be sure things are always heading in the right direction.

Just out of curiousity, have you ever checked your blood sugar, or have you ever experienced the symptoms of low blood sugar after a meal - to include any of extreme fatigue, dizziness, naseau, blurred vision, or like me, even unconciousness?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Hi Ivan! How are things with you and TSu
Not really! I'm not hopefull to get my favorite job and I feel useless.

We're both doing great but I'm sorry to hear your are stressed about the job situation. I hope you get it. And if not then the next thing, right? Just try to relax and have faith. I'm sure you'll do great. It may just take a little time and patience.

 

[nazarbaz]

Given how far you've come it is hard to imagine that you would need surgery to continue the loss. And it is normal to get stuck for a time. The one thing that came to mind was not to expect too much of yourself. You don't have to run 10K a day to be healthy. Like you said, take it easy on yourself. For a time I tended to beat myself up if I wasn't perfect each and every day. But eventually the lifestyle part of this sank in and I knew I had to follow a program I could live with indefinitely. And that meant accepting that I can't expect too much of myself - the one-day-at-time philosophy. Allow myself to have good days and bad days. Just be sure things are always heading in the right direction.

Just out of curiousity, have you ever checked your blood sugar, or have you ever experienced the symptoms of low blood sugar after a meal - to include any of extreme fatigue, dizziness, naseau, blurred vision, or like me, even unconciousness?

I'm under close medical suveillance since I have several chronic autoimmune diseases (that's partly why I got so obese). I Know extreme fatigue very well : that's how I felt almost continuously for years before they found the right mix of drugs for me. My doctor often says that I'm a medical curiosity.
Diabetes seems to be an imminent risk in my case even if my blood sugar looks OK right now: pancreatitis is one of my illnesses. I confess being caught by a kind of "warrior syndrom", which is ridiculous, since the drastic improvement of my health condition. I felt like I had to reconquer control over my body. May be it's time to move on.

 

[Lisa!]

We're both doing great but I'm sorry to hear your are stressed about the job situation. I hope you get it. And if not then the next thing, right? Just try to relax and have faith. I'm sure you'll do great. It may just take a little time and patience.

Glad that you're both fine and thank you for your nice words!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It has now been two years since I went Atkins; had a piece of bread, a french fry [well I have eaten three I think] or potatoes, pasta, processed sugar, or in general any carbohydrates beyond what I get from milk and vegetables, and those that can't be avoided in things like corn tortillas, up to an average of 50 grams a day or so. I normally don't eat fruit.

Still at my target weight and holding.

Cool, but there is another anniversary involved. It has been over two years since I got sick. I normally used to get sick [bad cold or flu] at least once, and often twice a year or more.

I keep threatening to try to sell Carl's Jr my story - I lost 55 pounds while eating a regular diet of Carl's, Six Dollar, Guacamole Bacon Burgers. With no bun, of course! I don't eat junk food!

 

[turbo]

My weight is holding. When I wake up in the morning, I often feel too ill to eat, so I try to eat a balanced evening meal. If you're coughing your guts out and dealing with plugged sinuses, nothing tastes good. Got to deal with it.

 

[lisab]

My weight has been steady, too. Still want to lose about 4-5 pounds though, so I started doing TRX. In case you haven't heard of it, it's a system that combines strength training with flexibility and balance exercises. Really great for someone my age!

All I can say so far is, WOW. I thought I was in OK shape before - turns out there was a lot of room for improvement!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

My weight has been steady, too. Still want to lose about 4-5 pounds though, so I started doing TRX. In case you haven't heard of it, it's a system that combines strength training with flexibility and balance exercises. Really great for someone my age!

All I can say so far is, WOW. I thought I was in OK shape before - turns out there was a lot of room for improvement!

Yeah, I pulled a shoulder muscle badly and that got me out of my routine, I've been slacking lately and need to get with the program again.

Oooh, I actually have another confession. My evil mother sent us chocolate covered potato chips for Christmas. I only ate a handful but I couldn't resist. But no egg nog for two years and that alone is a miracle. Egg nog had me most worried this year. I really wanted some nog. That has always been one of my favorite treats.

 

[Drakkith]

My weight has been steady, too. Still want to lose about 4-5 pounds though, so I started doing TRX. In case you haven't heard of it, it's a system that combines strength training with flexibility and balance exercises. Really great for someone my age!

All I can say so far is, WOW. I thought I was in OK shape before - turns out there was a lot of room for improvement!

Lisa, by the look of your avatar you can't be more than mid twenties to thirties! You've still got a lot of green in that face and plenty of years to go before we have to get out the hoe and wack you outta the garden.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I had been gaining muscle mass and then lost some ground on the diet over the holiday - just eating too many calories and off of my exercise program. So my weight bumped up a bit and then held. But I've been back on track and am about to hit the 180 Lb mark. That's a 60+ lb loss. I could probably wear a 34 waist now but it would be too tight some days. Still, just a little over one waist size from my fantasy goal of achieving a 32" waist, which was my size at age 18-22, when I was super fit.

I've been on the diet for 26 months now, with four distinct periods of focused weight reduction, including the current phase.

The other day I was trying to remember what bread tastes like. It is all but a distant memory now.

 

[Drakkith]

I'm 5'7" and 135 lbs thanks to my adderrall and an issue with my throat that makes it difficult to eat. Took me upwards of 45+ minutes to eat my Arby's meal. Sucks when I'm hungry, can afford to eat anything I want, should probably eat more, but can't actually eat the food in front of me sometimes.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'm 5'7" and 135 lbs thanks to my adderrall and an issue with my throat that makes it difficult to eat. Took me upwards of 45+ minutes to eat my Arby's meal. Sucks when I'm hungry, can afford to eat anything I want, should probably eat more, but can't actually eat the food in front of me sometimes.

If you don't have a reason not to, I strongly suggest considering this, along with whatever you do for breakfast each day. Body Fortress - a whey protein mix.

I use that particular brand because it's fairly well fomulated and easy to find.

http://www.overstockdrugstore.com/product_images/l/074312443206.jpg

P.S. Their new vanilla cream is quite tasty. I only use water but it is still creamy. Most people use milk and add things like peanut butter, fruits, etc.

 

[Drakkith]

Thanks Ivan. If it gets out of hand I'll be sure to grab some.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Thanks Ivan. If it gets out of hand I'll be sure to grab some.

Great stuff. Whey protein is now widely recommended for everyone from the elderly, to athletes, to people with restricted diets. The whey protein is easily assimilated and doesn't tax the body for energy as do most forms of protein, for digestion. That's one reason it is so popular with those who care for the elderly, who often have a hard time getting enough calories.

I need the extra protein to add muscle mass and to allow for the effects of ketosis, which can cause the loss of muscle mass if enough protein isn't consumed.

 

[Evo]

I'm 5'7" and 135 lbs thanks to my adderrall and an issue with my throat that makes it difficult to eat. Took me upwards of 45+ minutes to eat my Arby's meal. Sucks when I'm hungry, can afford to eat anything I want, should probably eat more, but can't actually eat the food in front of me sometimes.

Do you have esophageal dysphagia? I have that and eating some foods feels like it's clawing it's way down my esophagus, very painful. There is medication for it that helps.

 

[Drakkith]

Do you have esophageal dysphagia? I have that and eating some foods feels like it's clawing it's way down my esophagus, very painful. There is medication for it that helps.

Nah, more like my gag reflex wants to kick in unless I eat small bites. Thick or dry foods like bread or meat is really hard to eat.

 

[Evo]

Nah, more like my gag reflex wants to kick in unless I eat small bites. Thick or dry foods like bread or meat is really hard to eat.

So it's when you first try to swallow before the food enters the esophagus?

 

[berkeman]

Some folks swear by a remedy to suppress the gag reflex by putting your thumb on you palm and squeezing it with your fingers in a fist. I haven't tried it myself, though, so my comment is anecdotal.

 

[Drakkith]

So it's when you first try to swallow before the food enters the esophagus?

It's more like when I go to swallow, when the food gets to the back of my throat, but before the swallowing mechanism starts. When that happens I either can't start the swallowing process, or I feel like I'm going to choke. If that makes any sense.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Colbert talked about this tonight.

...Well, yes and no. One thing Gladwell didn’t mention is that the food industry already knew some things about making people happy — and it started with sugar. Many of the Prego sauces — whether cheesy, chunky or light — have one feature in common: The largest ingredient, after tomatoes, is sugar. A mere half-cup of Prego Traditional, for instance, has the equivalent of more than two teaspoons of sugar, as much as two-plus Oreo cookies. It also delivers one-third of the sodium recommended for a majority of American adults for an entire day. In making these sauces, Campbell supplied the ingredients, including the salt, sugar and, for some versions, fat, while Moskowitz supplied the optimization. “More is not necessarily better,” Moskowitz wrote in his own account of the Prego project. “As the sensory intensity (say, of sweetness) increases, consumers first say that they like the product more, but eventually, with a middle level of sweetness, consumers like the product the most (this is their optimum, or ‘bliss,’ point).”

...This contradiction is known as “sensory-specific satiety.” In lay terms, it is the tendency for big, distinct flavors to overwhelm the brain, which responds by depressing your desire to have more. Sensory-specific satiety also became a guiding principle for the processed-food industry. The biggest hits — be they Coca-Cola or Doritos — owe their success to complex formulas that pique the taste buds enough to be alluring but don’t have a distinct, overriding single flavor that tells the brain to stop eating.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/m...nk-food.html?ref=magazine&_r=0&pagewanted=all

 

[Evo]

Colbert talked about this tonight.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/m...nk-food.html?ref=magazine&_r=0&pagewanted=all

Prego just came out with a vodka sauce. I love vodka sauce, so I decided to try it. I could only eat a few bites, then had to throw it all into the trash. It tasted like candy, just sugary sweet, I wanted to vomit.

A couple of years ago, I had GERD surgery, and was told I'd have to be on soft foods for a few weeks, so I bought Gerber's junior chicken dinners in jars. I love the stuff, or loved it, for baby food, it was very tasty. When I took a spoonful of it, I had to spit it out, there was an awful sweetness to it that had never been there before. I checked the label, they had added pear juice to sweeten it! I looked it up on the internet, seems babies get hooked on added sugar, so Gerber decided to sweeten all of their baby foods by adding sugar in the form of condensed sugary juice. That is just so wrong. What they're doing, as a result of trying to increase their food sales, is training babies to crave sugary foods. I think people should be aware of this and boycot the company.

I read an article a couple of years ago, and it showed that a person, eating processed foods for three meals a day, was consumming, on average, upwards of 20 teaspoons of sugar a day due to companies adding sugar to everything. I have cut out most processed foods because they have become so sweet. There is just no reason for it, but many people have become hooked on everything tasting sweet. I had trouble finding a whole wheat bread where sugar wasn't the second ingredient, or third, if you count water (flour, water, sugar) Sara Lee 100% whole wheat was the sweetest, for me it was more like cake slices.

 

[lisab]

Prego just came out with a vodka sauce. I love vodka sauce, so I decided to try it. I could only eat a few bites, then had to throw it all into the trash. It tasted like candy, just sugary sweet, I wanted to vomit.

A couple of years ago, I had GERD surgery, and was told I'd have to be on soft foods for a few weeks, so I bought Gerber's junior chicken dinners in jars. I love the stuff, or loved it, for baby food, it was very tasty. When I took a spoonful of it, I had to spit it out, there was an awful sweetness to it that had never been there before. I checked the label, they had added grape juice to sweeten it! I looked it up on the internet, seems babies get hooked on added sugar, so Gerber decided to sweeten all of their baby foods by adding sugar in the form of condensed sugary juice. That is just so wrong. What they're doing, as a result of trying to increase their food sales, is training babies to crave sugary foods. I think people should be aware of this and boycot the company.

I read an article a couple of years ago, and it showed that a person, eating processed foods for three meals a day, was consumming, on average, upwards of 20 teaspoons of sugar a day due to companies adding sugar to everything. I have cut out most processed foods because they have become so sweet. There is just no reason for it, but many people have become hooked on everything tasting sweet. I had trouble finding a whole wheat bread where sugar wasn't the second ingredient, or third, if you count water (flour, water, sugar) Sara Lee 100% whole wheat was the sweetest, for me it was more like cake slices.

When my daughter was a baby I couldn't believe how many people told me to mix apple sauce into her cereal so that she would eat more (she was skinny, but *completely* healthy). But babies will eat what they need, and when they're hungry they'll eat pretty much what you give them. No need to get them hooked on sugar!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

One consequence of going low carb is that I had to give up [corn] chips and salsa - a lifelong favorite of mine. I can have a few chips but not many. Also, my meals tend to be pretty simple these days. Protein drink for breakfast, raw veggies for lunch, meat, cheese, veggies, milk, peanut butter or similar for dinner, but again, very simple.

Without realizing it I had eliminated most major sources of salt in my diet. Suddenly, foods that were favorites became overwhelmingly salty. For example, I was making pepperoni pizzas using a cauliflower crust - an Atkins friendly option. But before long the salt in the sauce and pepperoni were more than I could take. Only then did I realize how much less salt I was consuming, and how my tastes were changing.

Obviously this was a fantastic unexpected consequence of my diet. It is well known that salt plays a major role in high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.

 

[Evo]

One consequence of going low carb is that I had to give up [corn] chips and salsa - a lifelong favorite of mine. I can have a few chips but not many. Also, my meals tend to be pretty simple these days. Protein drink for breakfast, raw veggies for lunch, meat, cheese, veggies, milk, peanut butter or similar for dinner, but again, very simple.

Without realizing it I had eliminated most major sources of salt in my diet. Suddenly, foods that were favorites became overwhelmingly salty. For example, I was making pepperoni pizzas using a cauliflower crust - an Atkins friendly option. But before long the salt in the sauce and pepperoni were more than I could take. Only then did I realize how much less salt I was consuming, and how my tastes were changing.

Obviously this was a fantastic unexpected consequence of my diet. It is well known that salt plays a major role in high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.

New studies point to

Salt Linked to Autoimmune Diseases

The incidence of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes, has spiked in developed countries in recent decades. In three studies published today in Nature, researchers describe the molecular pathways that can lead to autoimmune disease and identify one possible culprit that has been right under our noses — and on our tables — the entire time: salt.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=salt-linked-to-autoimmune-diseases

I also have reduced my salt intake over the years, and I also found an unexpected result. My food tasted more like food, there were all of these subtle nuances in the flavors that I had never noticed before because all that my food tasted like before was salty. I've noticed that there is a recent alarming trend as more people's palates become jaded due to overuse of salt at restuarants, they require more and more salt in order to think the food has flavor. I watch the cooking shows and chefs are throwing handfuls of salt into recipes now. They don't get the fact that the food isn't becoming more bland, their tastebuds are overloaded and can no longer "taste".

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oh and I've been meaning to mention this. Talk about irony!

Some members here may still remember a long-standing joke about me being nuts about broccoli. This all started when I said I hand out frozen broccoli at holloween, instead of candy. That joke stemmed from the fact that I HATED broccoli!

Well, the joke's on me. I eat raw broccoli almost every day now and I love the stuff!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

More is not necessarily better,” Moskowitz wrote in his own account of the Prego project. “As the sensory intensity (say, of sweetness) increases, consumers first say that they like the product more, but eventually, with a middle level of sweetness, consumers like the product the most (this is their optimum, or ‘bliss,’ point).

It would be interesting to see if there is historical information available on the bliss point for various products, or perhaps just for sugar content, salt, and fat, and see if those values are trending upwards, which is probably the case.

I bought a pair of 34's [regular fit, no cheating] last night and they fit. They're a bit tight but I could wear them.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

haha, I just noticed these the other day.

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/598972_10151269898336652_1888940401_n.jpg

 

[Ivan Seeking]

In “Salt Sugar Fat,” investigative reporter Michael Moss shows how executives and food scientists at Coca-Cola, Kraft, Frito-Lay and Nestle are well aware that sugary, fatty and salty foods light up the same pleasure centers in our brains that cocaine does. Though they avoid using the word “addictive,” they knowingly concoct “crave-able” foods that have a high “bliss point” of sugar and hefty “mouthfeels” of fat. At the same time, they employ insidious tactics to keep their “heavy users” using and to hook new consumers, especially children. If you had any doubt as to the food industry’s complicity in our obesity epidemic, it will evaporate when you read this book...

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-22/opinions/37933765_1_salt-sugar-fat-junk-food-big-food

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3fiYKnYECQ

 

[jimmyly]

As a personal trainer, and natural bodybuilding enthusiast, I have read a lot of research papers and talked to a lot of nutritional scientist and biochemists. The main problem is not WHAT you eat, it is how much you it. When I diet to get my abs I eat whatever I want whenever I want. I lose around 1lb/wk depending how much body fat I have. A misconception is that carbs are BAD. No they are not, it's how much you eat. You don't need to avoid sugar if you eat the right amount. I don't even have to work out, I can eat McDonald's and eat out whenever I want. Most of the people on the news and internet who call themselves ''experts'' or ''gurus'' really know nothing.

Since this is a science forum I will now tell you that fatloss is pure science! It is very VERY simple. No need to do the awful Atkins diet or waste money on ''whole grain''. The reason why these ''experts'' advocate these silly diets and ''clean'' foods is because they don't know the science behind it.

So what do you need to do?

It is this easy. You take in less energy then you give out.
Example.

I am 180lbs starting my diet soon for the summer. I need around 2700 calories to MAINTANE my weight. Anymore I will gain, any less I will lose fat. It is THAT SIMPLE. It bugs me when people avoid carbs. Carbs isn't the problem. The problem is people don't know how much they actually eat so it I easy to overeat.
In the natural bodybuilding world this is called iifym meaning if it fits your macronutrients/micronutrients.

I have around 180-190g of protein a day, that's around 720 calories, 60g of fat, that's 540 cals. and carbs? I fill in with the remaining calories. Also fibre 30g. Fibre is a must. I'm not trying to sell anything or persuade you, it is just science. Take in less energy then you burn.

And please don't bring up glycemic index please please please. That study was done on fasted individuals, any intake of food while fasted get the same results.

There's no need to suffer to get results when the same results can be achieved without suffering.

If you want any information msg me. If you question my knowledge please look up Alan Aragón(Msc.) or Layne Norton(PHD) edit:http://youtu.be/G6H2edyPLU8 here Layne talks about ''clean food'' vs iifym.
They were the reason I decided to go into science and Mathematics

Lastly, anything in the news about dieting or food is most likely flawed if not false.
Like egg yolk causes cholesterol, whole grain is better than white etc.
When you hear these things you should think like a scientist. Most of the results in the news comes from experiments which are flawed to GET the results to SELL.

Jimmy

 

[jimmyly]

Easy way to lose ten pounds in a day..(I don't recommend it)
Go to j Robinson intisive camp in July when its 98 degrees, and sweat the ten pounds away.

A lot of misinformation in the world, I don't blame you. You cannot sweat off fat. One thing people have To realize is that fat is not the same as weight. What happens is you sweat and you lose water, not fat. Sure U burn fat, but it is not from sweating. Sweating does not cause fat loss. Less energy taken in then given out does.

Edit: now from that you can see how exercise comes into play. More exercise, more energy out. That saying if you exercise more, you can eat more and still lose weight.

 

[jimmyly]

I would also like to add, stop worry about your weight! I can put money on saying most people do not weigh themselves at the same time everyday after using the bathroom. Your weight can fluctuate tremendously throughout the day. It is not a good way to see if you are losing FAT. (EDIT) it's a good way to get a rough idea, but you must measure yourself at around the same time each day. I like to go in the morning after I use the washroom before drinking or eating

Some tips on checking if in fact you are losing fat is
Your clothing - very good way
Mirror - although it's easy to trick yourself
Best way is to take before and after pictures

 

[jimmyly]

Weight check day and I'm down another two pounds in just the last two days.

So that's six pounds in three weeks. But I wasn't fully ketogenic the first two weeks [too many screwups], so I hope to drop a good bit over the next week. Then I will have to start adding a few carbs back into the diet.

If you kick out of ketosis, it can take as much as three days to get back into it again. For perspective, with a limit of 20-25 grams of carbs total [including sugar alcohols] the total intake of carbs for the day is the same as what you get in two cups of whole milk.

The dreaded Keto diet...

Tried it hated it, not to mention it's terrible for your body and brain. You cannot just cut a group of macronutrients out! It is not good for your body at all. Your body needs carbs, your brain needs carbs. Not to mention you will lose muscle mass, and a lot. Carbs are a lot more muscle sparing then protein is! Your body will use your muscle as a source of energy before touching the protein you ate

Again the diet works yes,but not because of the diet. It's what I explained above. Energy in vs energy out. You can get the same results without the suffer.

 

[jimmyly]

The best way to lose weight is a well rounded diet, 300-500 calories below your maintenance caloric intake. Of course it's subjective so you have to play around with how much calories to cut.

 

[jimmyly]

Also I advise people to read the research behind claims in the news and internet and find out who funded the experiments, how it was conducted, what age group was it on, what type of people were they(active,inactive, moderately active etc.).

You will be very surprised with the kinds of stuff you will find about all the claims made :)

If I come off as arrogant or rude it is because I have seen the ugly face of this industry and I do not like seeing great people suffering, wasting their money, believing false claims, and tricked. The food and fitness industry is a terrible, fierce, money hungry, power hungry place. They take advantage of peoples insecurities to make money, and will lie over and over again to your face!
I am glad that ivanseeking brought up bodyfortress. No need for the expensive protein, it's like comparing protein between two chicken breasts. I just want to expose the truth, the very simple scientific truth, behind fatloss. The science is there.

Jimmy

 

[DiracPool]

I just recently inherited the "NutriBullet," and boy, it's great. It's good that I inherited it, cause I never would have bought it. I've had juicers I never used, and a couple years ago I inherited the "Ninja kitchen system," which is basically a glorified blender, that I never used. But I've found myself using the bullet everyday to get my daily "blast," as I call it. I think the reason is the simplicity of it. It's adversized as you just throw in all the healthy stuff you would never ordinarily eat, fill it with water, screw on the top, and then turn it upside down, stick it on this base. Zoom Zoom for about 20 seconds and there you have have it. A superfood drink for nickles on the dollar.

The absolute best part is the cleanup, just rinse the cup and cap under hot water, that's it. No scrubbing, nothing. It's wierd. I think all that scrubbing you do on regular dishes is from the bad stuff, artery clogging fats, preservatives, etc. The natural stuff just rinses off with water.

Today I just cut up some kale, spinach, collard greens, pecans, sunflower seeds, blueberries and half a banana, and topped it with about 3 tablespoons of ground flax seeds. 20 seconds and voila, delicious. I get all organic, too, if its available, since you don't want to make a toxic smoothie.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The dreaded Keto diet...

Tried it hated it, not to mention it's terrible for your body and brain. You cannot just cut a group of macronutrients out! It is not good for your body at all. Your body needs carbs, your brain needs carbs. Not to mention you will lose muscle mass, and a lot. Carbs are a lot more muscle sparing then protein is! Your body will use your muscle as a source of energy before touching the protein you ate

Again the diet works yes,but not because of the diet. It's what I explained above. Energy in vs energy out. You can get the same results without the suffer.

I've lost 60 pounds and started at 240 lbs+ with a 44"+ waist. I'm down to about a 34 waist, 179 pounds as of yesterday, and I'm still losing weight [on Atkins] and healthier than I've been since I can remember. If I eat more than about 1500 calories per day, I will gain weight. If I eat 1200 calories a day that consists mainly of carbs, including complex carbs, I will gain weight while I'm passing out from low blood sugar due to insulin overproduction. I know because that's how I got fat in the first place. And I was producing so much insulin that I had gone toxic. Atkins allowed me to get this under control for the first time in my life! I've had this problem since I was a child.

I took a chance and did this on my own but the medical community is starting to recognize the value of controlling blood sugar problems with Atkins. I don't know that I would recommend it to the average person but it definitely works. And it isn't as simple as a calorie count. If it was I never would have gotten fat in the first place.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I've also added what must be at least 15 pounds of muscle mass. It's hard to say for sure but I might have added a fair bit more than that. I am looking very fit and tone and verging on the fringes of buff!

It is hard to fathom that I've probably lost at least 75 pounds of fat.

 

[jimmyly]

yes i never said it would not work i actually agree with it working. but it did because you are in a caloric deficit. nowi can't say much else because i do not know about insulin reproduction. and I am happy(and very amazed) that you are able to adapt it to your life style. but most people without insulin prblems will "diet hop" then binge for a meal and it becomes a cycle and its very unhealthy. i want to show an alternative and managable, diet if u want to call it. and the type of foods don't matter as much as the quantity at which u eat. you can get fat eating bananas if your overall caloric intake is more than how much you burn. carbs are a very easy target simply because how easy it is to not know how much u have consumed. it is easy for people to consume over 1000 calories from for example chips but chips are not bad. itss because you consumed over 1000 calories without knowing. then it eventually catches up to you and problema arise. A balanced diet with a slight caloric deficit is best for the regular folk trying to lose some fat.

 

[jimmyly]

EDIT:(if you meant you did both at the same time)
and you cannot lose fat and gain muscle atvthe same time. what you are seeing is fat loss and your muscles are showing more because less fat is covering it. and the evidence is that muscle weighs a lot more than fat so you simply can't lose weight and gain muscle. Plus in order to gain muscle you must be in a caloric surplus

 

[collinsmark]

EDIT:(if you meant you did both at the same time)
and you cannot lose fat and gain muscle atvthe same time.

Where do you get this [STRIKE]stuff[/STRIKE] information?

Yes, we all know that fatty tissue does not turn into muscle tissue, nor vice versa. But where do you get the impression that the human body cannot build muscle mass while independently, albeit simultaneously, lose mass from fat?

I'm going to have to ask for a source on this one (preferably something from a peer reviewed [scientific or medical] journal).

[Edit: reworded slightly for grammar/word choice reasons.]

 

[jimmyly]

Where do you get this [STRIKE]stuff[/STRIKE] information?

Yes, we all know that fatty tissue does not turn into muscle tissue, nor vice versa. But where do you get the impression that the human body cannot build muscle mass while independently, albeit simultaneously, lose mass from fat?

I'm going to have to ask for a source on this one (preferably something from a peer reviewed [scientific or medical] journal).

[Edit: reworded slightly for grammar/word choice reasons.]

It is a fact that you must be in a caloric surplus to gain muscle and a caloric deficit to lose fat. So you can see how they cannot both happen. It's one or the other. It's simple physiology. If you burn more calories then you take in, your body doesn't have enough energy to create muscle tissue. Dr Philips group at McMaster, one of the leading researchers on protein metabolism, has a lot of great publications, ergo-log.com, again Dr. Layne Norton who I talk to a lot has great information and he actually answers emails from anyone about anything. I don't have the sources but they aren't very hard to find. Hundreds of studies have been done directly or indirectly demonstrating you need a caloric surplus to gain muscle and less to lose fat. And if you think about it physiologically it makes sense. If your calorie restricted i.e. losing fat, your body will need to use carbs and muscle protein for energy. Meaning you would be more prone to losing muscle then gaining muscle. Also if you look up ianmcarthy on YouTube(don't freak out yet) he actually makes videos discussing these ideas and provides sources as well. Again ergo-log.com has a lot of good information. I'm sorry I don't have the sources and I don't feel like looking for them again, I had 3 hours of sleep and honestly don't have the time right now. But you will be able to find some sources on the site and the YouTube channel(I have nothing to do with the channel, he provides very good information with studies in his description boxes that is why I'm bringing him up). Anyway, its just my advice from what I learned from reading papers and talking to researchers over the past few years. I don't want to steal the thread

 

[Evo]

Unfortunately we need to shut this down due to claims being made. Extremely low carb <50g per day over a long term is not healthy overall and although such a diet is used to treat certain ailments should never be done unless under a doctor's care.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets