Think about vitamins in your diet

[betpchem]

Check out this article I just found:

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2016/08/15/162200/the-return-of-scurvy-houston-neur...

It's about how diseases like scurvy are coming back, partly because people aren't eating properly, but also partly because of restrictive diets people are on.

[USAF-Larry]

Interesting, @betpchem, that she blames it on this:

“What I discovered was that a lot of people, in an effort to get healthy, taking on diets that were very restrictive, so gluten-free or paleo, something where they were eliminating an essential food from their diet.”

I wonder when society will get away from quick-loss, fad, designer, or celebrity diets and start focusing on healthy eating instead?

[iMike]

Interesting article.

I can see how, as humans, our bodies would react this way when we malnourish ourselves.  I'll admit, I don't get to eat as much fresh food as I used to because the kitchen in my new efficiency apartment is disappointingly tiny (think a tiny closet) and has zero prep space.  I can't even really use my oven so I just had the maintenance guy disconnect the gas and blow out the pilot light.  Therefore a lot of what I eat is microwaved.

I noticed after a couple months I just didn't feel good ... joint pain, tired all the time, blotchy skin, excessive sweating, even what one would describe as the feeling of "gut rot."  Too many Stouffer's meals, Lean Cuisines, etc.!!!!!

I still have to use the microwave to warm food, but I've changed what I buy ... bags of grilled chicken breast strips(that are already cooked, just have to be heated) and bags of frozen veggies (I know frozen isn't as good as fresh, but steamed broccoli from a bag is better than no broccoli at all).  My small fridge has enough space so I can stock things like bagged salads, baby carrots, and apples.  I also now always walk to the market down the street each morning and buy at least one piece of fresh produce, even if it's just a banana.

Once I started enforcing these changes I noticed changes within three to four weeks.  The joint pain was gone, the gut rot was gone, and my skin started to clear up.  I believe those symptoms were indeed my body telling me I was malnourishing it.

** I did also start taking a Men's One-A-Day multivitamin as well ... just for extra insurance.

[A_Lurker]

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@USAF-Larry wrote:

I wonder when society will get away from quick-loss, fad, designer, or celebrity diets and start focusing on healthy eating instead?

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I don't think we will, not for a long time.  I'm 50 and they just seem to be worse.  Everyone wants the quick fix.  Hey, I've been guilty of this myself.  And you know, for some, this works.  The diet industry, and lets remember they are an industry, don't make money if everyone loses weight and keeps it off.

[USAF-Larry]

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@A_Lurker wrote:

 don't make money if everyone loses weight and keeps it off.

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That is the key right there!  Even the billion dollar businesses like Nutri-Systems knows that as soon as the "customer" quits their "plan" they will put all the weight back on and be back for more of the quick-fix.  Weight Watchers was one that tried to change peoples lifestyle so that they learned healthier eating techniques, but even they have a very high recidivism rate.

[silverwalker]

Frozen fruits and vegetables can be more nutritious than fresh.  Many of the fresh ones are shipped long distances and are bred to withstand a long haul.  Frozen are quickly frozen soon after being picked.  So you are just fine with those nutritionally.

[bcalvanese]

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@USAF-Larry wrote:

Interesting, @betpchem, that she blames it on this:

“What I discovered was that a lot of people, in an effort to get healthy, taking on diets that were very restrictive, so gluten-free or paleo, something where they were eliminating an essential food from their diet.”

I wonder when society will get away from quick-loss, fad, designer, or celebrity diets and start focusing on healthy eating instead?

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This is a very good point because "a diet" isn't the answer, yet it's a "billions of dollars" a year industry.

I'm sure everyone knows that over half the population in the US are over weight/obese right?

I would be willing to bet that over half the population in the US are at a poor/very poor fitness level too.

And guess what?

I would also be willing to bet that it's the same people who are over weight/obese.

very poor fitness level = obese

poor fitness level = over weight

fair fitness level = slightly over weight

good fitness level = good weight

I was obese and at a very poor fitness level. Could barely walk a mile at a slow pace without having to lay down, and felt like I was going to die.

I kept doing it and by the time I got to a poor fitness level, I was not obese anymore, but I was still over weight.

Now, I'm at a fair fitness level, and I'm only slightly over weight.

Who wants to bet that when I get to a good fitness level that i will be at a good weight?

I had to watch what I ate at first, but as my fitness level improved, I had to watch what I ate less and less. I also noticed that I started craving things that my body needed and less junk food for some reason, and I actaully eat more now than I did when this all started.

The CDC recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week, and a well balanced nuitricious diet to maintain a healthy fitness level & body weight.

Well guess what?

If your over weight/obese, you have to "at least" double that in order to get to a healthy fitness level & body weight.

And guess what else?

You have to actually exercise. If your doing cardio while reading a book, talking on the phone, playing a game, having a conversation, or anyother activity... you are not doing cardio. Your just wasting time. You need to be huffing and puffing and sweating for at least 30 minutes non-stop, and your heart needs to be in the cardio zone the entire time. If you are doing muscular training you should be doing 3 sets of each exercise in order to break down both muscle fibers.

Once you get to a healthy fitness level, you will see that your body weight will pretty much get healthy all by itself. Then 150 minutes per week to maintain that fitness level & body weight will be so easy, you will wonder why you didn't do it this way in the first place.

So...

Do you want to be on a fad diet for the rest of your life?

Do you want to have to weight everything you put in your mouth "down to the gram" for the rest of your life?

Do you want to be hungry all the time for the rest of your life?

Do you want to be on a roller coaster of gaining more weight than you lost and having to start all over again for the rest of your life?

Do you want to still be unhealthy even for the many times you are at a good weight (before you gain it all back again) for the rest of your life?

If that's what you want, go on a diet. Try different diets. There are many to choose from.

Or...

Do you want to spend a couple years going through the "h*ll' of getting to a good fitness level?

Do you want to use that time to develope better eating habits?

Do you want to be able to have a treat and not have to pay for it?

Do you want to be totally healthy and not just weigh the correct number of lbs.?

The choice is yours.

I choose the latter.

[A_Lurker]

@bcalvanese - I agree with a lot of what you're saying in general.  However, there are lots of exceptions.  I've had more endurance/stamina at heavier weights.  7 years ago (when I had a summer with no work) I would walk 5-10km every day.  On top of that 3 days a week I would do pretty heavy weight lifting and end with HIIT.  I was still very much in the obese weight range.  At my top weight I spent the entire day on my feet.  Of course, by the time I got home I was toast.  I have a friend who does a lot of cardio, hiking, kayaking, lifting, etc. but she also loves to eat. She would probably fall into the slightly overweight category but her fitness level is excellent.  Over the years I've met a lot of thin people with very poor fitness levels.

I've said it in other posts, but I don't think I'll ever get to a point where I won't have to count what I eat in some respect.  I may get to a point where I have enough numbers in my head that I can add it up without software.  However, I've always had screwed up hunger cues, so I seriously doubt that will ever truly change.  I also think I'll be at a better than average fitness level before I'm done with the weightloss.

[betpchem]

@A_Lurker, I think you are talking to @bcalvanese, not me. I only posted the original article on vitamins and diet.

I agree with you that fitness level does not necessary equate with weight.

Also, @bcalvanese, I don't think you have to be breathless to be doing cardio properly. There's a rule of thumb about saying the alphabet, which I can't remember right now. I think you want to be able to say a few letters, just not a lot of them.

[A_Lurker]

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@betpchem wrote:

@A_Lurker, I think you are talking to @bcalvanese, not me. I only posted the original article on vitamins and diet.

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Oops, you're right... fixed it.

[bcalvanese]

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@betpchem wrote:

@A_Lurker, I think you are talking to @bcalvanese, not me. I only posted the original article on vitamins and diet.

I agree with you that fitness level does not necessary equate with weight.

Also, @bcalvanese, I don't think you have to be breathless to be doing cardio properly. There's a rule of thumb about saying the alphabet, which I can't remember right now. I think you want to be able to say a few letters, just not a lot of them.

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I didn't mean breathless, but I do mean huffing and puffing and only being able to speak 2 or 3 words at a time and sweating.

I walk at parks just about every day and see many people walking while on the phone, having full conversations with other people, and even reading a book. I do not even see them breathing heavy at all let alone sweating. And I always wonder to myself if they really think in their mind that they are actually doing cardio.

My main point to all of this is that the deit approuch failes 99% of the time.

Why not try the total health approach which means getting to and maintaining a good fitness level and learning to eat a well balanced healthy diet?

This is just my opinion and folks can do whatever they want.

[bcalvanese]

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@A_Lurker wrote:

@bcalvanese - I agree with a lot of what you're saying in general.  However, there are lots of exceptions.  I've had more endurance/stamina at heavier weights.  7 years ago (when I had a summer with no work) I would walk 5-10km every day.  On top of that 3 days a week I would do pretty heavy weight lifting and end with HIIT.  I was still very much in the obese weight range.  At my top weight I spent the entire day on my feet.  Of course, by the time I got home I was toast.  I have a friend who does a lot of cardio, hiking, kayaking, lifting, etc. but she also loves to eat. She would probably fall into the slightly overweight category but her fitness level is excellent.  Over the years I've met a lot of thin people with very poor fitness levels.

I've said it in other posts, but I don't think I'll ever get to a point where I won't have to count what I eat in some respect.  I may get to a point where I have enough numbers in my head that I can add it up without software.  However, I've always had screwed up hunger cues, so I seriously doubt that will ever truly change.  I also think I'll be at a better than average fitness level before I'm done with the weightloss.

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My sister struggles with her weight. I have been giving her advice on exercise to help her out. She has always done those HIIT type workouts as well.

I told her to focus on steady state cardio more than HIIT as it is not that good to improve cardio fitness level. To get a cardio training effect you "must" keep your heart in the cardio zone for a "minimum' of 20 minutes non-stop (30 minutes is more recommended). That is just to get a "minimum" effect. To get a good training effect you should do it for an hour non-stop. All these HIIT type workouts get you to the point right before you start getting  a training effect and then make you stop so your heart can recover. I sort of like racing to just before you get to the finish line and then stopping. These types of workouts are good for coordination and short burst energy type things, but not so good for improving cardio fitness level.

Anyway, she told me for at least 3 months that she had been doing steady state and her fitness level was improving. I spent a week at the shore with her and we went on some power walks. I was exited because I thought her fitness level had improved and she would be able to keep up with me, but I was kind of dissapointed because it had actaully declined since the last time we walked together.

I observed her while we were walking and she was holding full conversations the whole time. I had to walk so slow so she could keep up that my heart never even made it into the cardio zone.

I then observed her doing one of her HIIT tapes and noticed that she was doing the movements with no aggressiveness at all and not even breeathing heavy or sweating.

In her mind she thought she was actaully exercising and I could not lie to her so I told her my thoughts and dissapointment. I told her she was just taking it to a point where she was comfotable and not pushing it any further than that. Sure thats good to maintain, but if you want to increase you have to push it every singe time (unless your doing a recovery session).

She didn't talk to me for a few weeks after that. But she recently called me and told my that she knows I'm right and she needs to start pushing herself if she wants to break the plateau that she is in.

I guess my point is that all these things are arguable, and yes there are people who eat way too much (and thats a whole nother problem), and there are people who hardly eat at all and are very thin and unhealthy.

Bu my opinion still stands that if a person got to a good fitness level and learned to eat a healthy well balanced diet, a healthy body weight would pretty much just happen.

[shipo]

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@bcalvanese wrote:

I'm sure everyone knows that over half the population in the US are over weight/obese right?

I would be willing to bet that over half the population in the US are at a poor/very poor fitness level too.

And guess what?

I would also be willing to bet that it's the same people who are over weight/obese.

very poor fitness level = obese

poor fitness level = over weight

fair fitness level = slightly over weight

good fitness level = good weight

...

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 Funny thing, after I lost my weight back in 2013 I've hovered a few pounds either way of "obese" on the BMI charts (5'8" and 200 pounds), even though I consider myself at the "good fitness level".  🙂

Long story short, if there is one thing I'm even more critical of than the 220-Age formula, it is the BMI formula.

As an alternative to BMI, I have seen numerous fitness professionals and other medical entities recommend a much simpler metric; if height / waist circumference >= 2, then your weight is good (at least from the perspective of being over weight, I don't remember what the other end of the "healthy" range is).

[bcalvanese]

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@shipo wrote:

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@bcalvanese wrote:

I'm sure everyone knows that over half the population in the US are over weight/obese right?

I would be willing to bet that over half the population in the US are at a poor/very poor fitness level too.

And guess what?

I would also be willing to bet that it's the same people who are over weight/obese.

very poor fitness level = obese

poor fitness level = over weight

fair fitness level = slightly over weight

good fitness level = good weight

...

---

 Funny thing, after I lost my weight back in 2013 I've hovered a few pounds either way of "obese" on the BMI charts (5'8" and 200 pounds), even though I consider myself at the "good fitness level".  🙂

Long story short, if there is one thing I'm even more critical of than the 220-Age formula, it is the BMI formula.

As an alternative to BMI, I have seen numerous fitness professionals and other medical entities recommend a much simpler metric; if height / waist circumference >= 2, then your weight is good (at least from the perspective of being over weight, I don't remember what the other end of the "healthy" range is).

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Interesting.

I'm 5'8" and was close to 230 lbs. (38 waist (getting ready to go to 40)) Now I'm 175 lbs. (32 waist)

68 / 32 = 2.125

I do have a little bi of a gut still and I think 150 would be a good weight for me.

But I'm just happy i can see my weener now...:)

Oh and as a reference, the photo on the left is a very poor fitness level, and on the right is a fair fitness level.

[shipo]

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@bcalvanese wrote:

I'm 5'8" and was close to 230 lbs. (38 waist (getting ready to go to 40)) Now I'm 175 lbs. (32 waist)

68 / 32 = 2.125

I do have a little bi of a gut still and I think 150 would be a good weight for me.

But I'm just happy i can see my weener now...:)

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LOL!

I have often joked the next time I have a "Normal" BMI, or even get down to 175 for that matter, is when I'm rotting in my grave.