Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
Reload this Page >

On the Topic of Healthy Eating

Notices
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) Looking to lose that spare tire? Ideal weight 200+? Frustrated being a large cyclist in a sport geared for the ultra-light? Learn about the bikes and parts that can take the abuse of a heavier cyclist, how to keep your body going while losing the weight, and get support from others who've been successful.

On the Topic of Healthy Eating

Old 12-23-12, 11:44 AM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
On the Topic of Healthy Eating

Good morning all.

I didn't want to hijack any of the threads on the topic of eating and this morning I made a realization I wanted to share.

My wife and I are currently in Colorado visiting her parents. I have been on kitchen duty most of the time which I do not mind at all though I would like to site see at some point but no worries.

My father in law took us (my wife, mother in-law and myself) out to breakfast this morning to a nice little cafe. The menu was well diverse but not big with the typical American cuisine with a twist.

I order the corned beef hash with came with corned beef on the right side of the plate, over easy eggs on the top of the pate and hash browns on the left side of the plate. Not a bad presentation but I have seen better (and worse). It came with toast but I opted out and went with fruit.

My father in-law ordered the same but with toast, no fruit. He and my mother in-law are very skinny and healthy. My wife and I are overweight but active and watching what we eat.

When our food comes out, my father in-law looks at me and says "wow, this is a real big plate of food". I looked at it and agreed (to just be nice) like it was on the small side for this sort of dish. So I slowly eat, looking around at how my in-laws eat and my father in-law left a big portion his plate and so did my mother in law. They were saying how full they were. So I left some on the plate too along with my wife.

We have talked in the past on this forum about eating and how the difference is between eating among larger people and skinnier people. Yes, I agree upfront, there is a lot of exceptions to the rule (like skinnier people eating a lot at each meal for example).

If it was just me, I would have finished my plate all up. I am pretty sure my wife would have too. This was a good learning experience I must say. Will it change my habits.... we will see.

But I do know my downfall.... its portions (working on it) and habits and sugar intake. They all do work together but can and need to be addressed individually.

When I cook at home, its easy to watch my portions. Not so much when eating out. Something I need to work on.

Habits: He11, I would have eaten everything on my plate and perhaps more. Need to address this.

Sugar intake: I think it needs to be cold turkey on this one. I just cannot seem to eat one of something sweet. This saddens me.

Anyway, that is what I was thinking about as my in-laws gabbed away with my wife.
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 11:49 AM
  #2  
SuperGimp
 
TrojanHorse's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Whittier, CA
Posts: 13,346

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 147 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1106 Post(s)
Liked 64 Times in 47 Posts
I think i have to agree with what you said... 100%. I went out to dinner Friday night with some friends & my wife, and we all ordered the exact same thing - the special was yellowfin with a bit of pumpkin risotto & a couple other things. In typical fine dining style, it was NOT a lot of food and I ate 100% of everything on my plate. It was delicious! Our friends at about half theirs and took the rest home.

Portion control is 100% of my issue, along with a general love for rice, pasta & bread.
TrojanHorse is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 12:31 PM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 16,771
Mentioned: 125 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1454 Post(s)
Liked 85 Times in 40 Posts
We are tending to order the Junior Whopper rather than the Double Cheeseburger these days.

Actually, kid-sized servings are a great way to get over this issue, if the restaurant provides them. They might not be the best tasting crap there, but at least you're eating less of the crap than with adult sizes.

Also resisting the temptation to upsize is important. "Just the small" isn't really that difficult to say.

And water on the table is helpful, although I noticed that not a lot of sitdown restaurants in the US (and certainly almost none in Australia) provide it as a matter of course.
Rowan is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 12:54 PM
  #4  
Bicycle Commuter
 
Bluish Green's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Springfield, IL
Posts: 726
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Chef, why don't you try "cold turkey" on the sweets. Give it two weeks and stick to it. See what happens, it's only two weeks.

Everyone is different, but I've found that the longer it has been since I've eaten sweets, the less I want them.
Bluish Green is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 01:24 PM
  #5  
Junior Member
 
Karen M.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
When I go out to eat, I am starting to put my fork down and contribute to the conversation. I didn't, do that before. When I place my order I get a to go box, and split up my food.

Karen
Karen M. is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 01:47 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
goldfinch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Minnesota/Arizona and between
Posts: 4,060

Bikes: Norco Search, Terry Classic, Serotta Classique, Trek Cali carbon hardtail, 1969 Schwinn Collegiate, Giant Cadex

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Last winter I posted about how eating is different for my friend and for me:

Originally Posted by goldfinch
People may differ in how they control what they eat. When I was fat I couldn't eat until satisfied and now I can't either because I just don't get good timely full signals and I am rarely if ever satisfied. I can eat so much that when I get up and walk around it is almost painful but still feel like I want more. For example, a few months ago I went out to eat with my best friend who never has been overweight. At the time we went out to eat we were the same weight. We ate the same meal. She talked about how bloated and full she felt after she ate it. I told her that I could have eaten the same meal twice and I did not feel the least bit full. I really put some thought into how I felt and that was how I felt.
I am still in the same place. I still am hungry much of the time and rarely if ever feel full. This is a struggle for me. In the past few months I've put on close to 10 pounds. I've been stable for a month but would like to bring it down again. Today, with a touch of the flu, it feels tiresome.

I too have to stay away from the sweets. It is a freight train to fat.
goldfinch is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 02:37 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Bluish Green
Chef, why don't you try "cold turkey" on the sweets. Give it two weeks and stick to it. See what happens, it's only two weeks.

Everyone is different, but I've found that the longer it has been since I've eaten sweets, the less I want them.
Cold turkey is very difficult when you work for a food company.
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 02:38 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Karen M.
When I go out to eat, I am starting to put my fork down and contribute to the conversation. I didn't, do that before. When I place my order I get a to go box, and split up my food.

Karen
Good idea. I tell ya, once I pick up the fork, I do not put it down until I am done.
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 02:41 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by goldfinch
Last winter I posted about how eating is different for my friend and for me:



I am still in the same place. I still am hungry much of the time and rarely if ever feel full. This is a struggle for me. In the past few months I've put on close to 10 pounds. I've been stable for a month but would like to bring it down again. Today, with a touch of the flu, it feels tiresome.

I too have to stay away from the sweets. It is a freight train to fat.
Sorta funny Gold..... I was thinking of you when I was eating. We talked about this in the past as I recall. Something I need to work on for sure.
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 02:43 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
magohn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Woodinville, WA
Posts: 1,460
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by chefisaac
Cold turkey is very difficult when you work for a food company.
It must be. I will try harder in the new year but at this time of year, for me, its OK to 'enjoy' the holidays and all that comes with it.
magohn is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 03:47 PM
  #11  
SuperGimp
 
TrojanHorse's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Whittier, CA
Posts: 13,346

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 147 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1106 Post(s)
Liked 64 Times in 47 Posts
Originally Posted by goldfinch
I still am hungry much of the time and rarely if ever feel full. This is a struggle for me.
I think that goes part and parcel with poor portion control.... I've tried serving myself smaller portions and then stopping for 15 min. before going for seconds, which sometimes helps. Drinking loads of water sometimes helps. But you aren't alone...
TrojanHorse is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 04:55 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
goldfinch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Minnesota/Arizona and between
Posts: 4,060

Bikes: Norco Search, Terry Classic, Serotta Classique, Trek Cali carbon hardtail, 1969 Schwinn Collegiate, Giant Cadex

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Chef, provided that I do not have other temptations in the house, I do ok with fake sweeteners. Truvia seem to taste the best to me and it is stevia and erythritol, both plant based. I mix it with unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate milk. It really helps satisfy my desire for sweet. And this tastes a lot better than premade chocolate milk.
goldfinch is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 07:28 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Tonights dinner was interesting. I made this:



Pan Seared Prawns Drizzled with an Herb Mango Sauce on a bed of Chipotle Orange and Roasted Vegetable Warm Cous Cous Salad

I watched everyone eat and they all cleaned their plate right up. I do wonder if it was because they did not want to leave any on their plate as sometimes it is seen as rude or if they were hungry.

Interesting.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
IMAG1004.jpg (94.2 KB, 30 views)
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 07:59 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Dad 2 3's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Cincy Ohio
Posts: 223

Bikes: Scott CR1 Elite

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
The following is a quote of mine from the "200 pound thread" that I posted in September

Originally Posted by Dad 2 3
New weight 210 lbs as of yesterday. Which is down from 242 lbs on May 27th of this year. I have ridden 1042 miles since then. More than anything I have watched my portion control, and my habit of snacking on unhealthy crap such as chips, dip, donuts, etc. This has helped me to get to this point. I have a long ways to go as my goal is 170. I'm getting there slowly but surely. What has also helped me is my wife has started running and eating healthy as well. When I was plateaued at 219-220 for 3 weeks back in early July she encouraged me to continue what I was doing and the benefits would eventually show themselves. My BP has dropped from 140's/80's to to 110's/60's and resting HR from high 70's down to high 50's and 60's

If I can do it so can you!
I can update and say I'm at 198 as of this evening. For the most part I eat the same food (minus snacky stuff like chips, donuts, candy bars, soda etc) I just eat a normal sized portion. I do not go back for seconds!! This is hard for me because my wife is an excellent cook. I used to clean up all the food that the kids didn't eat on the spot! We have found our food bill has dropped a little as well because there are left overs for next day's work lunches.
Dad 2 3 is offline  
Old 12-23-12, 10:05 PM
  #15  
Tractorlegs
 
Mark Stone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: El Paso, TX
Posts: 3,185

Bikes: Schwinn Meridian Single-Speed Tricycle

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 119 Post(s)
Liked 60 Times in 42 Posts
This thread is very appropriate for this time of year, especially with us being attacked from two directions: 1.) The availability of food and the overabundance of sweets, and 2.) Social pressures. Have you noticed that we always do our socializing with family around meals? I feel comparatively out of control right now. I haven't gained weight, but both my wife and I have not lost any weight since Thanksgiving. Both of us feel really bad that we stopped losing weight, but we talked about it earlier tonight and agreed to relax for now, and just enjoy the season and the family and then continue our weight loss starting January. After all, even though we struggled a bit during the holidays, we lost a combined 90 or so pounds during 2012 so there's no reason to condemn ourselves. But one tactic we want to start utilizing is to start having family events around activities other than meals, although that may be difficult because that is so ingrained.
__________________
********************************
Trikeman
Mark Stone is offline  
Old 12-24-12, 04:09 AM
  #16  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by tractorlegs
This thread is very appropriate for this time of year, especially with us being attacked from two directions: 1.) The availability of food and the overabundance of sweets, and 2.) Social pressures. Have you noticed that we always do our socializing with family around meals? I feel comparatively out of control right now. I haven't gained weight, but both my wife and I have not lost any weight since Thanksgiving. Both of us feel really bad that we stopped losing weight, but we talked about it earlier tonight and agreed to relax for now, and just enjoy the season and the family and then continue our weight loss starting January. After all, even though we struggled a bit during the holidays, we lost a combined 90 or so pounds during 2012 so there's no reason to condemn ourselves. But one tactic we want to start utilizing is to start having family events around activities other than meals, although that may be difficult because that is so ingrained.
Well said!

I tell you, if/when you add traveling into the mix, it is a real pain in the @ss. I am glad to be out in CO with family but I would rather be home so I can ride my bike some at least.
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-24-12, 08:05 AM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
goldfinch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Minnesota/Arizona and between
Posts: 4,060

Bikes: Norco Search, Terry Classic, Serotta Classique, Trek Cali carbon hardtail, 1969 Schwinn Collegiate, Giant Cadex

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by chefisaac
Tonights dinner was interesting. I made this:



Pan Seared Prawns Drizzled with an Herb Mango Sauce on a bed of Chipotle Orange and Roasted Vegetable Warm Cous Cous Salad

I watched everyone eat and they all cleaned their plate right up. I do wonder if it was because they did not want to leave any on their plate as sometimes it is seen as rude or if they were hungry.

Interesting.
They cleaned their plates right up because it was delicious! This looks very yummy.

That said, the plate you use is large so it may make the portions look small. I've gone to using smaller plates.

Last edited by goldfinch; 12-24-12 at 08:36 AM.
goldfinch is offline  
Old 12-24-12, 08:16 AM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
I avoid my mother-in-law at all costs. she's insulting even when she thinks she's paying me a compliment.
rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 12-24-12, 11:48 AM
  #19  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by goldfinch
They cleaned their plates right up because it was delicious! This looks very yummy.

That said, the plate you use is large so it may make the portions look small. I've gone to using smaller plates.
I used large plate because thats what my mother in law gave me and I said ok.
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-24-12, 11:48 AM
  #20  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
I avoid my mother-in-law at all costs. she's insulting even when she thinks she's paying me a compliment.

I know what you mean..........
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-24-12, 01:11 PM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 16,771
Mentioned: 125 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1454 Post(s)
Liked 85 Times in 40 Posts
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
I avoid my mother-in-law at all costs. she's insulting even when she thinks she's paying me a compliment.
Yet I will travel half way around the world to see my in-laws. They are wonderful people.
Rowan is offline  
Old 12-24-12, 02:48 PM
  #22  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Rowan
Yet I will travel half way around the world to see my in-laws. They are wonderful people.
If I travel by bike, I would assume it would be more palatable

To be frank, her dad and step mom in Colorado are awesome. Her mom and step dad in Portland are terrible.
chefisaac is offline  
Old 12-25-12, 08:22 AM
  #23  
Climbers Apprentice
 
vesteroid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,600
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Doing the vegan thing for the last month has helped somewhat with this for me. when you are seriously limited on what you can eat, its much more difficult to just find food. when I am on the road, I eat at 5-6 am and rarely find time to eat again until 1 or later, then I get some kind of dinner at 6 and call it a day. At first I was way hungry with that long between meals. I would still get a smaller portion and simply go hungry in between, What I found is that over two weeks, my need for quantity seemed to diminish and I got full off less.

According to my scale, over the month I have been doing this, I havent really gone up or down by more than a few pounds, but my fat percentage has dropped significantly. I am not sure thats possible, but the darn scale that I have been using a year, sure says so, and says it for weeks at a time...(usually fat percentage is all over the place in a week)
.
I "think" the only reason I didnt lose more weight is I ate a lot of rice, quinoa, beans, etc along with limited veggies. I think if I had done more veggies, and less starch, I would have done better. Anyway, all I mean is it doesnt take but so long to get use to smaller portions and the hunger goes away.
vesteroid is offline  
Old 12-25-12, 08:37 AM
  #24  
Senior Member
 
bwilliams's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: south carolina
Posts: 106

Bikes: trek D.S. 8.3,2013 Trek Marlin

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Hey Chef,

It seems we suffer from the same problem,portion size and sweets..

I wish i had a real solution that was easy,i can do good for a short time but them i just resort back to old habits,its so very frustrating..

I love reading your post..
bwilliams is offline  
Old 12-25-12, 11:53 AM
  #25  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: cherry hill, nj
Posts: 6,144
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by bwilliams
Hey Chef,

It seems we suffer from the same problem,portion size and sweets..

I wish i had a real solution that was easy,i can do good for a short time but them i just resort back to old habits,its so very frustrating..

I love reading your post..
Thanks B!

I now I need to deal with the emotional part and the psychological part of why I eat what I eat and why I want to grab certain things and such. Just not 100% sure how to go about that. I feel if I can crack that open, it may help out.

It is so instinctive to grab sweet things. My mother in law made money sweet bread.... you know the type that has the caramel and nuts on the bottom.... mmmmm. What the he11.... I ate a few pieces. Why did I do that? I did it without even thinking and went back for more. Why? GRRRRRRRRRRR
chefisaac is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.