Sometimes you're the windshield.....

HighDesertWalker

HighDesertWalker

Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
1,357
.....sometimes you're the bug. :o

I failed to reach a level of conditioning that would allow me to return to the Grand Canyon this year. But I learned something important in the process. If you are carrying too much weight, lose it through dieting before cranking up the intensity of your workouts. I tried to shed the weight via intense workouts alone, and was plagued by one stress injury after another (plantars faciitis, sciatica, etc.).

In an earlier thread one of our WSS members recommended "The ABS Diet Book". I procured a copy from amazon.com and was very pleased to see that this diet looks totally doable. So I'm in the process of learning a new way to eat.

I believe that in the maintenance of health and conditioning it's important to have a goal. So, yes, I'm planning to return to the Grand Canyon in Nov. 2009. :thumbup:
 
Great thread title - it just sucked me into reading your post. That must make me the bug.

I agree with your sentiment though on the diet + physical conditioning. In fact, if you eat poorly during conditioning, you will not be doing yourself a favor. A good rule of thumb is to figure out what your daily calorie goal is in order to loose the weight you need to over a respectable time frame. If you are planning to do physical activity, then you should eat an extra amount of calories to support that physical activity. This way you aren't going into a major nutritional deficit.

Obviously calories should be balanced between protein, fats and carbs and ensure proper vitamin intake.
 
kgd said:
I agree with your sentiment though on the diet + physical conditioning. In fact, if you eat poorly during conditioning, you will not be doing yourself a favor. A good rule of thumb is to figure out what your daily calorie goal is in order to loose the weight you need to over a respectable time frame. If you are planning to do physical activity, then you should eat an extra amount of calories to support that physical activity. This way you aren't going into a major nutritional deficit.
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Yup, I was frequently going way into nutritional deficit during work outs and binging afterwards. A little yogurt for breakfast, an apple for lunch during a strenuous hike, and a huge dinner afterwards. That's an approach, I've learned, that sets up your body to store a lot of fat from the dinner. According to the ABS Diet Book, our bodies interpret a nutritional deficit as the onset of a drought or some other environmental catastrophe that limits available food. Because the body is genetically programmed to store fat during times of deprivation, starvation diets are self defeating, especially when associated with heavy workouts.

The ABS Diet stresses eating the right foods at the right time. It's not at all a deprivation diet. If anyone else has had any weight problems I'd recommend they have a look at this book.
 
Most people who gain weight are only a few hundred calories over what they should be eating just over a long period of time. The best way to lose weight is not to diet at all but to make permanent reasonable changes to your diet that you can live with.
 
Unsub said:
Most people who gain weight are only a few hundred calories over what they should be eating just over a long period of time. The best way to lose weight is not to diet at all but to make permanent reasonable changes to your diet that you can live with.
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Hmmm. I'm gonna take a WAG and say you may be younger than 64. I never had to worry about dieting until I was in the mid to upper 50s agewise. Consequently, though I have a good workout ethic, I suck at dieting. However, I've only been on the ABS diet a short while but am already seeing some encouraging results. At least I'm going in the right direction.

Most diet books put me off, but the ABS book comes across as credible and realistic. Have a look if you want to try something really different.
 
Carbohydrates for breakfast to fuel your activity, meat and fruits during the day, and vegetables at night so you don't go to bed bloated and storing up what you should have burned off earlier.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Carbohydrates for breakfast to fuel your activity, meat and fruits during the day, and vegetables at night so you don't go to bed bloated and storing up what you should have burned off earlier.
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That's an interesting progression Esav, and the reasoning is entirely credible. One of the problems I have is that I don't like very many vegetables. The ABS diet helps out here by advocating the consumption of beans, something most diets discourage. I dig frijoles.
 
Easy for me to say, I would eat fruits and vegetables by choice all day every day if I could. For example, late last night, I didn't need any more food but I wanted something to eat. I took out the last of a garden salad I'd made up: tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, mushroom, carrot. I like to toss in olives, chickpeas, or beans sometimes, too. Actually olives, chickpeas, and beans make a nice portable meal for the road by themselves.
 
To lose weight you need a calorie deficit, plain and simple, you need to bring in less than you burn to maintain your weight.
What kills people is three things.
1.) Nutrition deficit they eat less calories, but of the wrong things. Nutrition HAS to be balanced -- you HAVE to have fat, protein and carbohydrates, and you have to have them in the right amounts. Part of my 3 week course I took when I got diagnosed as a diabetic included a week with a licensed dietician. I would advise everyone to see one. Foot the bill if you have to, at least once. Everyone's body is different. We started out with filling out about 20 pages of questions to get an initial diet, and then fine-tuned from there. Well worth it.

2.) Too much of a calorie deficit. If you go too far below your metabolic requirements for the day, your body goes into "starvation mode", and packs on fat whenever it can. This is important, because as your physical activity increases, your calorie requirements go UP. So, what may make you lose weight when normally going about your day, may actually make you put on fat if you greatly increase your activity level. I see so many who when they start a more physically demanding schedule, they reduce how much they eat, when they really need to eat more. And you also need more protein, as that's what builds and maintains your body.

3.) Dehydration. Simply put, your body doesn't work without water. A lot of people start a diet and exercise regimen and see rapid weight loss, followed by hitting a wall. It's because they haven't actually lost any weight. They kept up their pre-exercise water intake and dehydrated their body. All they lost was water. When physical activity increases, water intake must increase. A good measure is -- if you are drinking straight water -- check your urine color. If it's light yellow or clear, you're good. If it's dark yellow or orange, you're low. The average person doesn't even feel thirsty until they are a liter low. If you feel thirsty, drinking an 8 ounce glass of water won't cut it. Proper hydration will make you feel better, and also aid in metabolizing food properly -- helping in weight loss -- and help digestion, etc.

ETA: Meals.
Your largest should be lunch, second largest, breakfast, and supper your smallest. You should also eat snacks in between, which means smaller meals than you're used to, but not so much hunger. The plan I got put on is just about perfect right now. Just about the time I start to feel hungry, it's time for a snack or meal. Oh, and drinking lots of water makes your stomach think it's fuller than it is.
 
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions folks. In particular, I tend to forget the importance of water consumption. I have to remind myself to drink a full glass of water several times a day.

Here are some of the main tenets of the ABS diet:

1. It's important to exercise while dieting to build muscle tissue which helps burn fat.

2. Eat six times a day to avoid triggering a "starvation response" in your body.

3. Encourage consumption of protein (muscle builder), polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (cholesterol cutters), fiber rich carbohydrates (appetite suppressant) and calcium (stimulates weight loss).

4. Discourage consumption of high fructose corn syrup (boosts hunger), trans fat (hardens arteries), saturated fats (stimulates weight gain, heart trouble and cancer) and refined carbohydrates (causes a boost in blood sugar followed by a letdown).


So, consumed in appropriate quantities, the most desirable foods according to the ABS diet are:

Almonds and other nuts
Beans and Legumes
Green vegetables (plus yellow, red and orange veggies)
Low fat dairy foods
Unsweeted oatmeal and cereals with high fiber content
Eggs
Turkey and other lean meats
Peanut or almond butter
Olive oil
Whole grain breads
Berries and other fruits

I find this diet easier to follow than others I have tried. I haven't converted 100% yet, but I'm working on it. I'd like to have my weight down significantly before I start training hard for the Grand Canyon again.
 
Last edited:
Crap.
I wanted you to go.

Ever consider a burro?

You'd look good on a burro.

Dashing, even.


:)


Kis
enjoy every er...sprout.
 
Kismet said:
Crap.
I wanted you to go.

Ever consider a burro?

You'd look good on a burro.

Dashing, even.


:)


Kis
enjoy every er...sprout.
Click to expand...

Problem is burros, like ATVs, can become habit forming, and before you know it you might not even be able to step off the sidewalk without one. I'd hate to have to take a burro everyplace I went. :p

(Do you really think I'd look dashing on a burro? I'm afraid it would make my butt look big. :rolleyes:)

I'd rather take a burrito everywhere I go. :D

Enjoy every burrito! :thumbup:
 
THAT butt...would always look good. Wooo HOOOO!!!!

Couldn't you just take it easier? Extend the trip a day? Stuff like that?
Maybe get the Swedish Women's Bikini Team as bearers?


c'mon, work with me, here. I want you to go.


Kis
enjoy everydammedsandwich
 
Going through the day, when you feel you are hungry drink a glass of water. If after ten minutes, you are still hungry then eat. Often the body mistakes dehydration and tells you to eat food.

This is especially true as we age, we loose the ability to note dehydration.

Also don't forget that if it took years to build up your belly, it will take a lot longer than a few weeks to get back into fightin' shape.
 
WILLIAM.M said:
This is the type of articles I have my patients read--scroll to the bottom and read what applies to you

http://www.bariatricscience.com/weight-loss-nutrition-news.html

Sincerely

Dr.Bill
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Hey guy's if you want to lose weight & keep it off & get your body in great shape you better listen to this man !!!! This is what he does for a living, he lives, eats, & breaths good health & weight loss !!!!! He is a very honest & trust worthy person :thumbup: Give him a chance & if you are dedicated & are willing to change your lifestyle then go for it !
 
Kismet said:
THAT butt...would always look good. Wooo HOOOO!!!!

Couldn't you just take it easier? Extend the trip a day? Stuff like that?
Maybe get the Swedish Women's Bikini Team as bearers?


c'mon, work with me, here. I want you to go.


Kis
enjoy everydammedsandwich
Click to expand...

lol....the Swedish Women's Bikini Team huh? Now you're making inner gorge transportation interesting. Even if it cost a few bucks it would probably be less than the $4000 rescue the park service provides. But whose got a few thou to spare these days. I'm trying to ride out the record stock market lows. :(
 
zenheretic said:
Going through the day, when you feel you are hungry drink a glass of water. If after ten minutes, you are still hungry then eat. Often the body mistakes dehydration and tells you to eat food.

This is especially true as we age, we loose the ability to note dehydration.

Also don't forget that if it took years to build up your belly, it will take a lot longer than a few weeks to get back into fightin' shape.
Click to expand...

Thanks ZH. I'm going to have a glass right now.
 
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