Training & Nutrition - Why won't people learn?

Ok you guys, I know you've seen em, I know you've all heard about em, now I wanna know what you think. This may be a repost, but I gotta hear what others are saying. Everyone is alwaays on these fad diets, and it irritates the hell otta me, especially when they don't lose the weight in a week. I'm currently trying to maintain a regular diet and excercise regimen, which is not easy. I'm used to taking in about twice as what is recommended for my activity level. (my doctor has put me on a 3500 cal. diet) so cutting back in the right areas has proven to be a challenge. I guess I'm just asking for a little feedback on what other people are doing, ie intake and portion sizes. BTW I've lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks just diet and excercise alone (about 60 miles a week)

congratulations on the weight loss.

i eat around 2500 cal a day except on days of heavy exertion and I ride about 120 to 140 miles a week. This seems to be keeping me at the same weight.

I've been finding that it really does depend on what you eat. I wish hiring a nutritionist wasn't so expensive.

Fad diets bug me too. I hate expecially when people look for a pill to pop, like Hydroxycut or something, to loose weight. A sensible diet with all things in moderation and some daily activity should be enough. BTW, congratulations on your weight loss. Your method is the most effective, long-term (and cheapest) way to loose weight, in my opinion.

Of course there are some people who may need stomach stapling surgeries to save their lives. But I'm under the impression that most use it as a weight loss tool because they don't want to exercise. I could be wrong though.

Originally posted by jcivic00
I'm used to taking in about twice as what is recommended for my activity level. (my doctor has put me on a 3500 cal. diet)

You were taking in 7,000 calories/day?!?

Anywho, you are absolutely correct. People are simply too lazy to do what has been proven to work 100% of the time in terms of weight loss. If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight - there is no other possible outcome.

I feel that I must make a comment here. I am a type II diabetic and one thing that I have discovered is that there are real variations between individuals in how they metabolise various nutrients. My sister is a fairly large lady. And she has worked very hard to find a diet and exercise program that works for her. She has currently lost almost 45 lbs. in a really serious effort that started with a modified Atkins approach and continued with another program.

In my own case, I have a serious carbohydrate addiction. I'm not a sugar freak, but I crave huge amounts of simple carbs in the form of pasta, rice, and all sorts of breads. This causes huge swings in my blood sugar and increases the carb cravings.

I also wish that there were access to more scientific nutritionists for the general public, including some blood testing that really evaluated our metabolism and tested for electrolyte balances and key trace minerals. I really suspect that many of our problems are related to our diets. We really are what we eat. But I feel that our individual "best" diet is more sophisticated that a simple pyramid of carbs, fruits, vegs, protien sources and fats.

Its so hard for some people. Telling them to reducce the amount of food they intake is like asking a drug addict to cold turkey over night. it just cannot happen. It might take a near death experience before they learn and start helping themseleves.

I'm also part of the on again off again diet see-saw. My weakness is Mountain Dews. I drink them way too much. I can't drink them in moderation. My wife always knows when I've started drinking them again, because I blow up like a balloon.

I've done the Adkins thing, and lost a lot of weight, but then I start drinking Dew and it all comes back.

Recently, I've forced myself to lay off drinking the Dews and have instead been drinking water and orange juice. I must get sugar cravings that the Dew satisfies, so OJ seems to satiate me.

Instead of going crazy, I've gone more sensibly. Actually eating breakfast is a hard thing for me to do. I then eat a good sized lunch, and very little at dinner. Of course I excercise, but have recently bought a kayak to add paddling to my regimine.

In the last 3 weeks I've dropped about 10-11 lbs.

L8R

Originally posted by MisterJ
I also wish that there were access to more scientific nutritionists for the general public, including some blood testing that really evaluated our metabolism and tested for electrolyte balances and key trace minerals. I really suspect that many of our problems are related to our diets. We really are what we eat. But I feel that our individual "best" diet is more sophisticated that a simple pyramid of carbs, fruits, vegs, protien sources and fats.

Thank you...My dream is for people to stop caring so much about what they consider fad diets and realize one diet as defined by some health organization is not the BEST diet. All diets don't work for all people. Simple reduction of food isn't always the key (especially if you are trying to maintain muscle mass). Personally the best diet for ME to maintain my energy is the 30/30/30 diet. Its perfect for ME. This diet DOESN't work for my gf who needs more carbs then I do and feels massive energy loss without those carbs.

Let me tell you this if I had simply reduced my calories and stuck to a regular diet as defined by our health orgs and not taken supplement I would still be over 300 pnds and I would never have the energy to do anything but sit there. Experimenting with a combination of supplements, diets, anaerobic workouts and aerobic workouts worked for me due to some incredible patience. I just wish more nutritionists and doctors would open there minds to the differences in physiology and stop trying to define one perfect way.

I'm not even going near the supplement thing, arg.:rolleyes:

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
I'm also part of the on again off again diet see-saw. My weakness is Mountain Dews.

Have you tried diet Dew?? It's not real sugar, but there are no calories @ all. I used to drink a bunch of regular soda, but I've done the transition to diet soda, and now the regular stuff tastes too sweet to me.

I agree Bac... I grew up drinking diet soda... that's almost all my parents ever bought... when i met my wife.. all she had was regular soda... I had a hard time drinking it... but I got her to switch too... most diet sodas aren't too bad... Diet Dr. Pepper, and Mt. Dew are actaully pretty good... some are funky though.. jsut have to try a few and find out what ya like

Jeff

I have to totally agree with MisterJ and Maelstrom here .I am of a metabolic type that does well with higher carb levels(complex not sugar)and still I generally eat a diet similar to what Maelstrom mentioned (though probably slightly higher carbs)unless I do alot of extended endurance cycling where I up the carbs significantly at those times.Most people would be well advised to get in touch with their own body/metabolism/activity level and structure their diet accordingly and not worry so much what anyone else is eating.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jcivic00
[I'm currently trying to maintain a regular diet and excercise regimen, which is not easy.

Hey, someone who knows how to use the right word -- regimen! Confused too often with regime.

In the context of jcivic00's original post (*fad* diets) I think ChrisL recently posted the answer in another thread: Moderation.

The trend these days seems to be for quick fixes, and *fad* diets pander to that outlook. Seem to make some people a lot of money, too.

The tendency with *fad* diets seems to be to achieve a targeted level of weight loss, and return to the old habits (almost as a reward). Or worse, the weight loss is not achieved quickly enough, and the person gives up.

I enjoy my food and eat like a pig. One of the reasons why I ride, but I still carry around four or five kgs more than I should (not a good hill-climber).

R

This thread is awesome, You guys have offered some really pertinent info here, and I'm learning even more than I already knew. Thanks guys! Also, You guys are right, about not every diet works for everyone. However, I think that sometimes people miss the point of the food pyramid, now I know I might get flamed for even going this direction but, I think if people were to be more educated as to the basic ins and outs of the food pyramid, ie. portion size, then it might make more sense. This has always been a big issue with me, people freak out when you tell em 6-11 servings of carb. only when they realize that a serving is like one slice of bread, or a half a cup of cereal do they really understand. My wife has fallen victim to the fad diet on many occasions. I understand how hard it is. Up until recently did she start to understand what a proper diet and excercise meant. It's funny though, she wouldn't listen when I wopuld tell her how to do it, she had to see me actually doing it and making decent progress. Now if only I could make her understand that her results are going to be different...

I agree Jcivi that most people jump into diets without truly understanding them. I think everyone should take a serious look at how their bodies react to foods and learn what lifestyle will work for them. I ended up creating a very long term plan to gain muscle and loose fat which I have cheated on at times but has worked throughout the last 10 years. Right now my biggest concern is getting enough protein to maintain my muscle while keeping up a strenuous biking schedule. But that is my goal. I don't mind carrying a little fat but will NEVER sacrifice my muscle mass for the sake of being 'in shape' (aka skinny).

6-11 servings or carbs would be way to much for me. Carbs tend to leave me tired and/or drained. (ok 6 servings is nothing but 11 is tooo much for me). I just think the gov't needs to rethink their recommended diets and nutritional habits. It is almost like they have made their explanations too easy leaving people uneducated about how foods really react in their bodies.

Another thing I think would help is to stop coming up with umbiguous goals. Defined set, realistic goals and set in a timeline should would help people not look at fad diets but rather lifestyle eating. That is my biggest issue with fad diets is the promise of loosing too much weight too quickly (more than 2 pounds a week is a killer on your muscle mass) and not informing people that this is a long term change and not a 6 week program.

Cheers

How about people who are always on diets? My sister has been on a diet or trying to lose weight for, what?, maybe 40 years now.

Maybe it's time to ***** or get off the pot.


Set realistic goals. If it doesn't work, try something else. None of 'em are easy. Surgical solutions are just weak, and not for anybody with a primary interest in fitness.

Congrats on your progress, '00!

all good points. I know of no specific diet that is advocated by the medical establishment other than the new food pyramid advocated by the world health organization. Even that stipulates 30mins. to an hour of excecise 5 days a week to work. That certainly is not a quota most Americans meet. Maelstorm is right about finding the right diet for each individual and combining it with the right excercise. It's interesting that MisterJ as a type II diabetic craves carbs alot. Most type IIs do, vs. type I due to the fact that type II as a whole have a higher level of serum insulin value at alll times compared to a non diabetic. (unless you start nearing pancreatic failure). Remember the deficit in type II is not lack of insulin secretion but insulin resistance. The higher levels of insulin prompts craving for the very thing that high insulin needs to get rid of its own excess, carbs. Of course exercise and weight loss helps with that insulin resistance /Good luck, you sound like you are on the right path.

Roadbuzz is "right on"........>>>How about people who are always on diets? My sister has been on a diet or trying to lose weight for, what?, maybe 40 years now. <<<<<

>>>>Maybe it's time to ***** or get off the pot.<<<<<<

Playing Ricahrd Cranium on the internet is hard work. Having to "put up" with all these people's personal problems really gets tedious.

But Hey! It's not something that can't be fixed. The weasels that run the forums simply won't put weaselly "diet" forum sections on the boards.

So all these lame "diet" comments get mixed in with training or racing or whatever....

These "diet" posters can't see the relationship of a Big Mac to that "fat around their waist", so I doubt that they'll understand how "FED UP" normal people are with their repeated stupidity. HEY- get it? FED UP ......

So why isn't there a "diet section" under the Nutrition Board area....??