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Administrator
Administrator
14912 Posts
Gratitude: 593
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 Posted - 06/27/2007 : 11:35:41
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Dear Members,
I have been greatly inspired by SheerLin's success in weight loss; so I have taken the plunge. Last week, I placed myself on a "sensible" diet, and thus far I have lost 10 lbs.
* STARTING WEIGHT: 245 lbs (height = 6 feet)
* CURRENT WEIGHT: 235 lbs
* CHEAT: I started with the flu which really suppressed my appetite for the first 3 days.
* "4 S DIET":
- no sugar (no ice-cream!)
- no starch (e.g., potato, rice, bread, pastries)
- no seconds
- no snacks (except fruit in moderation)
- half the meat that I used to eat
- three normal meals a day (e.g., cereal for breakfast, fruit and cottage cheese for lunch, lots of vegetables and little meat for dinner with fruit for desert, no after dinner snacks)
- normal vegetables (every dinner)
- normal fruit (every meal)
- normal cereals (every morning)
- one tablet/day multi-vitamin
It is amazing how you quickly lose your hunger once you take sugar out of your diet.
My daughter worked one summer in Ghana doing tree planting and AIDS education. She ate the local diet which was essentially just yams (a potato) with a very small amount of chicken or fish on top. There was absolutely no sugar in this diet nor was there fruit, yet she never felt hunger (despite the fact that, by our standards, the local diet would cause malnutrition). Even though her fellow African workers were technically at the starvation level, she reported that they all were happy and healthy (doing vigorous physical labor).
I am starting to wonder if our diet (especially over-eating) contributes to some our our mood disorders. Compare the mood of the average carnivore (e.g., lion, tiger) to that of a herbivore (e.g., cow, sheep).
Following SheerLin's example, I will report back to you on my progress in losing weight.
I hope that, by making my weight public, I can motivate (shame) myself into getting rid of this extra weight. At my age (62 years), this extra weight is medically a real "no-no".
Recommended Food Portions
Since my problem is over-eating, all I have to do to lose weight is to eat "normal" sized portions. The following are the "normal" food portions suggested by most national food guides.
Meat or alternatives (1 serving/day)
2/3 cup cooked beans or lentils, 1 egg (4 per week), 3 ounces of cooked lean beef, poultry, or fish.
A serving of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand, or a deck of cards.
Dairy (2-3 servings/day)
1 cup (250 ml.) milk, 2 slices cheese, or 1 small tub yogurt.
An ounce of hard cheese is about the size of a standard matchbox.
Fruit (2-3 servings/day)
1 medium apple, orange, banana, 2 small apricots, plums, etc., 1/2 cup fruit juice.
A half cup of cut fruit is about the size of a small fist.
Vegetables (4-5 servings/day)
1 medium potato, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, 1 cup salad vegetables.
A half cup of cooked vegetables is about the size of a tennis ball.
Breads and cereals (4-7 servings/day)
1 slice bread, 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or rice, 1 bowl breakfast cereal.
A serving of rice, pasta, or noodles is about the size of a baseball.
(On my diet, I am only going to have 1 serving of cereal/day and no bread, rice, pasta or noodles.)
I have ordered the "Diet Plate" (food portion control device) featured in the news (research) story at:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070625/portion_dishes_070625/20070627?hub=Health
I will report back on my progress using this diet (and diet plate).
SheerLin, thank you so much for inspiring all of us.
(Fat) Phil Long M.D.
Administrator 
P.S. Inside every fat man is a thin man struggling to be free.
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| juniperbelle
New Member
62 Posts
Gratitude: 39
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Posted - 07/26/2008 : 14:11:59
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I, too, am 20 lbs over my ideal weight, and it depresses me greatly. I, too, am 62, but with a family history of the women getting "thick" through the body from front to back.
I take Prozac, Depakote, Trazodone, Ambien (traded it for alcohol), Atenolol for blood pressure, a thyroid pill, and a statin. I walk briskly for 45-60 minutes a day and try to adhere to a good diet. I do crave carbohydrates (potatoes, noodles, bread, crackers) and chocolate. But that is about all the sweets.
We eat lots of fruits and vegies and the palm-sized portion of protein a day, plus only multi grain breads and cereals. I never binge on food (6 chips) and try to eat nuts for snacks.
So, other than not doing the frenetic exercises I did 20 years ago, not much has changed, except that I'm older.
I'm inspired (and amazed) when other people can lose weight. BTW, I'm hyperglycemic, which means I get super tired and grouchy when my blood levels aren't correct. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
My husband lives to exercise and weighs less than he did in college, which makes me look worse by comparison with his marathon-running buddies.
Do you guys think age necessarily means gaining weight? Does taking antipsychotic drugs?
Thanks so much, Dr. Long, for the list of ideal food servings. I'll try to adhere to it and report any progress. |
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SheerLin Inspired Me To Lose Weight
