eating healthy

I didn't mean use supps as meal replacement. To me beverages are extra cal and can make cutting cal harder meaning eating less cause you drank too many cal. Water is 0 cal. Supps have caffeine to replace that need for coffee which most people put sugar in it. Also sugary drinks like energy drinks. You can drink plain coffe e no sugar but that's just nasty to me.

 

But you did say that you take supp's for energy. Why?? Like I said, you should not need any supp's of any kind if your eating right. BUt if that's what works for you and your seeing results GREAT!!

 

Weight watchers does work. I have never really followed it religiously but when my wife was on it I lost weight because if the lack of junk food. They also have a book, probably on line now, that gives you the points value for fast food.

Exercise us another factor.

 

Thanks! Some people can't quit coffee, energy drinks cold turkey. I'm one of those people I use the supps with a healthy diet to help boost my metabolism .When I get to my desired weight I'll be off the supp. My suggestion was more to start out small by cutting sugary beverages. Once you cut one thing then you can work on the other healthy eating. Start at baby steps. Yes eating the right things will give you the energy you need but you need to take small steps cause you got people that been doin this cycle for years. I was one of these people.

 

It is important to understand the dangers of a high carb, low quality diet. For weight loss, I believe in low carb 100%. Excess carb converts to sugar and sugar is a killer. Protein is absolutely more sustaining. Most carbs in the american diet are poor quality, high calorie and have very little nutritional value in terms of micro nutrients. There are good carbs and not so good carbs. Carbs to avoid are those with a high glycemic index. Take the majority of bread, sugar, pasta and anything "white" out of the diet. Don't allow these things to be the bulk of your diet. Good carbs are those from fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains. (meaning oatmeal, not cheap wheat bread). Carrots, apples, fresh cherries etc. These foods have the benefits of being high in micro nutrients and antioxidants. As a rule, american's eat wayyyy too many carbs. This is why so many are over weight. A moderate to high carbohydrate diet slows the metabolic rate to a turtle pace, generally speaking. It reduces the number of LDL (bad cholesterol) receptors in the blood, which in turn causes insulin to spike. In contrast, a lower carb, higher protein diet lowers insulin levels and raises glucogen levels in the blood. Higher glucogen levels raise LDL receptors which extract bad cholesterol from the blood. The metabolic rate is increased with a lower carb, higher protein diet that is rich in good fats and micro nutrients. And what truck driver couldn't use a boost in metabolism with a sedentary lifestyle? In terms of macro nutrients, a lower carb, higher protein diet is the best way to maintain a healthy weight, prevent high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
My advice if anyone cares (lol)
~Nothing out of a wrapper! No pre-packaged convenience foods
~Try to stay with a whole foods diet.
~when stuck with truck stop fast food, choose the salads with chicken (love mcdonalds southwest chicken salad in a pinch!
~No MILK. High in fat and calories. So processed that the nutritional value is nil.
~When you are thirsty, drink water.
~NO soda or other sugary beverages.
~Absolutely be sure to get a protein in your body as early in the morning as you can. A couple of hard boiled eggs will do the trick. Or some yogurt (plain) with agave nectar or fresh berries.
~Don't go hungry! Waiting for the body to get hungry will cause you to crave low quailty, fast energy sources. IE: BAD CARBS. Eating a higher protein lower carb well balanced diet will make things like cake, ice cream, milkshakes, candy bars etc., seem unappealing!
~Graze throughout the day. Don't eat large meals that make you feel stuffed. The idea is to sustain and maintain a system balance.
~Don't concern yourself too much with fats if you are eating healthy. Sometimes deprivation of things you like will cause failure for the long term. Eat the steak if you feel like it.
~Take a nice walk when time permits. It's important to keep things in good circulation.

Everyone has different foods that they like and dislike. Probably why it seems like many people fail at eating healthy. Too many books will tell you "eat this or that." And maybe those are the foods that you don't care for. The key is to make a list of the things that you like and don't like and make it your business to get an idea of which of those foods are healthy so that you can eat more of those foods while omitting the unhealthy choices.

If you like oatmeal, a good carb to be eaten in moderation, preferably after you have had a protein, Flying J has a new breakfast/soup bar in many locations. The oatmeal is awesome. It's steel cut, lightly sweetened. It doesn't need anything added to it.

Hope I don't sound too much like a know-it-all here. Not my intention. But my "other life" is health field related which is why I took interest in this topic. Now.. if I can only take my own advice, I might drop a few of my own extra pounds!

~BridgettAnn

 

There are many comments saying that weight loss is as simple as reducing calories. Calorie reduction alone does not work for most people. Sure it could work, but it involves feeling hungry all the time, even right after a meal. People quit those diets in droves. The only diet I know of that changes ones metabolism so that they need fewer calories, and feel satisfied after every meal is the low carb diet.

Some guy a couple pages back was saying white bread has sugar so switch to wheat bread. Well, all bread is wheat bread. Also it isn't sugar added to bread that makes it fattening. It is the fact that it is a starch that quickly converts to blood sugar in the body. What some people mean by "wheat bread" is 100% whole grain wheat bread. Big deal. That's just bread with the fiber left in it. It is still mostly starch. Diets that include bread and other heavy starches typically do not work because their premise is merely calorie reduction. Dieters get tired of the willpower battle, and feeling hungry all the time, so they quit.