Today is definitely a good day. I weighed myself to find that I'm currently 179 pounds. Since July, I've lost 18 pounds. Many people have asked what I'm doing to lose the weight and to be perfectly honest, I'm just being mindful of what I eat. I don't work out, though I know I should. I've been to a nutritionist and she was very helpful in explaining my needs so I know how many calories, how much protein, fat, fiber and other things I need to consume to keep my body sustained and yet still lose weight.
I am still using the basics from Joel Furhman's Eat To Live, Mario Lopez's Extra Lean and for my bad cravings I am using swap-outs from Lisa Lillien's Hungry Girl series.
Throughout the time that I've been trying to lose weight, people, I guess with good intentions, have offered dieting advice. While I appreciate the offer, I really don't want unsolicited diet advice, especially from people that really don't know much about nutrition contrary to what they believe.
Here are some of the things that I've been told over the past few months. I never replied to the things people have said but the statement after each, in red is the reason the statement is bad advice.
1. Eat a lot of rice.
Rice, holds no nutritional value. Brown rice, is slightly healthier because it does have fiber content but not enough to be "healthy" Rice can be best described as empty calories.
2. You should drink Sprite instead of any other sodas because it is clear.
Just because something is clear, it doesn't mean it's like drinking water. Sprite contains just as many calories as an other soda.
3. You should eat nothing but Lucky Charms.
Most cereals are sugar laden calorie bombs with little nutritional value. Lucky Charms, while they are wonderfully delicious, contains only a trace amount of protein.
4. Drink 2% or Skim Milk instead of whole milk.
Honestly, milk is a calorie bomb. I don't like the flavor of milk and aside from a tablespoon in my coffee or a 1/2 cup in my Raisin Bran, I don't touch it.
5. One cookie won't kill you.
Maybe it won't but it will kill my willpower and set me back on my calories for the day, meaning I'll have to eat less for dinner.
6. You should eat more Chinese food, have you ever seen a fat Chinese person?
Chinese people probably don't eat the bad stuff on the menu. I don't care for the healthier options on the Chinese menus. Also, Chinese food is loaded with salt and is actually a HUGE calorie bomb.
7. Cut out all sodas except for 1 a week.
So you're assuming that's all I drink? Honestly, I don't drink my calories. If it's got calories listed on a beverage, I don't touch it.
8. Drinking Slim Fast with every meal will help you lose weight fast.
Slim Fast is not a beverage to go with a meal, it IS a meal...hence meal REPLACEMENT. If you drink slim fast with your meal, it's like drinking a 200 calorie milkshake.
9. You should eat tuna salad sandwiches instead of ham.
Tuna salad's main ingredient, besides tuna, is Mayonnaise. Mayo is a HUGE calorie bomb. Ham, turkey and chicken are better alternatives.
10. Tea is ok to drink if you chase it with water.
Sweet tea is just like a soda. Unsweetened tea contains good antioxidants as well as NO calories. If I do want sweetened tea, I add a packet of Splenda and a packet of Equal and I still have a 0 calorie sweet tea.
11. Why bother? Diets always fail.
Because I'm doing this for myself asshole.
12. Avoid fast food is bad...Have you seen the new Philly Cheese-steak Sandwich at Subway? Subway's food is healthy.
Subway IS fast food. Much like every fast food place in the country, they do have some healthy options but for the most part, their food is processed calorie and fat bombs like all the rest.
13. If you want a hamburger, go to Ruby Tuesday's instead of McDonald's.
Just because it's a sit down restaurant you think it's healthier? Not so, some of the burgers in Ruby Tuesday exceed 1500 calories without fries. Might as well enjoy that Big Mac and save a few bucks.
14. Coffee is really bad for you.
Coffee helps boost your metabolism, it's pretty much 0 calories AND honestly aside from the caffeine, there's not anything unhealthy in coffee. The problem is most people equate coffee to lattes and sugary drinks. My coffee is usually black or I throw a packet of Sweet n Low, Splenda and a tablespoon of 2% milk in it. Even then, it's less than 10 calories.
15. If you eat nothing but fruit for a week, you'll lose a lot of weight.
I'm sure you would, from diarrhea. Fruit as a whole is a calorie bomb. While some fruits, like apples and bananas, are considered low sugar fruits, things like grapes, cherries and oranges are high in sugar.
16. Burger King has healthier burgers than McDonald's.
Beef is beef. Beef, contains the same calories and fat content no matter if it is grilled or cooked on a flat top. Don't kid yourself.
17. As long as you eat salad, you're doing well.
Not true. Caesar salads are calorie bombs in themselves just because of the dressing, cheese and croutons. Dressings are usually the unhealthy culprit on salads BUT also other components can trash it up also, bacon, cheese, eggs and even olives can sabotage your good intention with that salad.
18. If you eat healthier foods, you can eat as much as you want.
This is true with SOME things, I can eat broccoli all day long but it's not gonna satisfy me. It's not about how much you WANT to eat, it's about how much you NEED to eat.
19. As long as you work out an hour or so longer, you can eat whatever you want.
While the concept sounds good, this isn't so. You can't work out for an hour and work off a 1900 calorie hamburger. Also rewarding you hard workout with food is no different than saying, I had a bad day at work, I'm gonna eat a bag of chips.
20. Drink more juice.
Juice, much like fruit, is a calorie bomb. If you drink juice, you are drinking your calories. If you are counting your calories, you are taking away from your food intake if you are drinking a glass of juice. Juice is no different than drinking a Coke.
21. Diet Coke will help you lose weight.
It's a 0 calorie beverage. It doesn't help you lose anything, it just allows you to drink a soda and not set yourself back on calories.
22. If you want to lose weight, don't count calories, just work out.
Working out can help BUT losing weight IS all about the calories. If you eat more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight.
23. Have you tried Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice? Those are good options.
These foods are all about portion control. The problem is they are all skimpy portions of foods that contain the same amounts of calories, fat, sodium and pretty much everything else that you'd find in the full sized versions of the dishes. While they are well marketed. Have you ever eaten a Lean Cuisine meal and thought to yourself that you can eat 2? The truth is, if you do eat 2, that would be equal to what you'd get if you made it at home and served yourself a regular portion.
24. Powerade and Gatorade are awesome soda alternatives.
This is not true, they contain lots of sugar and sodium. Kool-Aid made with sugar would be just as healthy as Powerade and Gatorade. They are sports drinks designed to help athletes replenish their body's electrolytes. They aren't healthy for anyone to drink as an "I'm thirsty" beverage.
25. You should cook at home.
I actually do. The reason I got big is NOT because I feasted on fast food, it's because I do cook at home. I was frying pork chops, making mashed potatoes, cooking rice, gravy, cornbread, rolls and a lot of other high calorie sides. Don't assume that because I got big, I'm obsessed with fast food.
 |
| My current before and after. |
Here are some of the things that I've been told over the past few months. I never replied to the things people have said but the statement after each, in red is the reason the statement is bad advice.
1. Eat a lot of rice.
Rice, holds no nutritional value. Brown rice, is slightly healthier because it does have fiber content but not enough to be "healthy" Rice can be best described as empty calories.
2. You should drink Sprite instead of any other sodas because it is clear.
Just because something is clear, it doesn't mean it's like drinking water. Sprite contains just as many calories as an other soda.
3. You should eat nothing but Lucky Charms.
Most cereals are sugar laden calorie bombs with little nutritional value. Lucky Charms, while they are wonderfully delicious, contains only a trace amount of protein.
4. Drink 2% or Skim Milk instead of whole milk.
Honestly, milk is a calorie bomb. I don't like the flavor of milk and aside from a tablespoon in my coffee or a 1/2 cup in my Raisin Bran, I don't touch it.
5. One cookie won't kill you.
Maybe it won't but it will kill my willpower and set me back on my calories for the day, meaning I'll have to eat less for dinner.
6. You should eat more Chinese food, have you ever seen a fat Chinese person?
Chinese people probably don't eat the bad stuff on the menu. I don't care for the healthier options on the Chinese menus. Also, Chinese food is loaded with salt and is actually a HUGE calorie bomb.
7. Cut out all sodas except for 1 a week.
So you're assuming that's all I drink? Honestly, I don't drink my calories. If it's got calories listed on a beverage, I don't touch it.
8. Drinking Slim Fast with every meal will help you lose weight fast.
Slim Fast is not a beverage to go with a meal, it IS a meal...hence meal REPLACEMENT. If you drink slim fast with your meal, it's like drinking a 200 calorie milkshake.
9. You should eat tuna salad sandwiches instead of ham.
Tuna salad's main ingredient, besides tuna, is Mayonnaise. Mayo is a HUGE calorie bomb. Ham, turkey and chicken are better alternatives.
10. Tea is ok to drink if you chase it with water.
Sweet tea is just like a soda. Unsweetened tea contains good antioxidants as well as NO calories. If I do want sweetened tea, I add a packet of Splenda and a packet of Equal and I still have a 0 calorie sweet tea.
11. Why bother? Diets always fail.
Because I'm doing this for myself asshole.
12. Avoid fast food is bad...Have you seen the new Philly Cheese-steak Sandwich at Subway? Subway's food is healthy.
Subway IS fast food. Much like every fast food place in the country, they do have some healthy options but for the most part, their food is processed calorie and fat bombs like all the rest.
13. If you want a hamburger, go to Ruby Tuesday's instead of McDonald's.
Just because it's a sit down restaurant you think it's healthier? Not so, some of the burgers in Ruby Tuesday exceed 1500 calories without fries. Might as well enjoy that Big Mac and save a few bucks.
14. Coffee is really bad for you.
Coffee helps boost your metabolism, it's pretty much 0 calories AND honestly aside from the caffeine, there's not anything unhealthy in coffee. The problem is most people equate coffee to lattes and sugary drinks. My coffee is usually black or I throw a packet of Sweet n Low, Splenda and a tablespoon of 2% milk in it. Even then, it's less than 10 calories.
15. If you eat nothing but fruit for a week, you'll lose a lot of weight.
I'm sure you would, from diarrhea. Fruit as a whole is a calorie bomb. While some fruits, like apples and bananas, are considered low sugar fruits, things like grapes, cherries and oranges are high in sugar.
16. Burger King has healthier burgers than McDonald's.
Beef is beef. Beef, contains the same calories and fat content no matter if it is grilled or cooked on a flat top. Don't kid yourself.
17. As long as you eat salad, you're doing well.
Not true. Caesar salads are calorie bombs in themselves just because of the dressing, cheese and croutons. Dressings are usually the unhealthy culprit on salads BUT also other components can trash it up also, bacon, cheese, eggs and even olives can sabotage your good intention with that salad.
18. If you eat healthier foods, you can eat as much as you want.
This is true with SOME things, I can eat broccoli all day long but it's not gonna satisfy me. It's not about how much you WANT to eat, it's about how much you NEED to eat.
19. As long as you work out an hour or so longer, you can eat whatever you want.
While the concept sounds good, this isn't so. You can't work out for an hour and work off a 1900 calorie hamburger. Also rewarding you hard workout with food is no different than saying, I had a bad day at work, I'm gonna eat a bag of chips.
20. Drink more juice.
Juice, much like fruit, is a calorie bomb. If you drink juice, you are drinking your calories. If you are counting your calories, you are taking away from your food intake if you are drinking a glass of juice. Juice is no different than drinking a Coke.
21. Diet Coke will help you lose weight.
It's a 0 calorie beverage. It doesn't help you lose anything, it just allows you to drink a soda and not set yourself back on calories.
22. If you want to lose weight, don't count calories, just work out.
Working out can help BUT losing weight IS all about the calories. If you eat more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight.
23. Have you tried Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice? Those are good options.
These foods are all about portion control. The problem is they are all skimpy portions of foods that contain the same amounts of calories, fat, sodium and pretty much everything else that you'd find in the full sized versions of the dishes. While they are well marketed. Have you ever eaten a Lean Cuisine meal and thought to yourself that you can eat 2? The truth is, if you do eat 2, that would be equal to what you'd get if you made it at home and served yourself a regular portion.
24. Powerade and Gatorade are awesome soda alternatives.
This is not true, they contain lots of sugar and sodium. Kool-Aid made with sugar would be just as healthy as Powerade and Gatorade. They are sports drinks designed to help athletes replenish their body's electrolytes. They aren't healthy for anyone to drink as an "I'm thirsty" beverage.
25. You should cook at home.
I actually do. The reason I got big is NOT because I feasted on fast food, it's because I do cook at home. I was frying pork chops, making mashed potatoes, cooking rice, gravy, cornbread, rolls and a lot of other high calorie sides. Don't assume that because I got big, I'm obsessed with fast food.
I have spent two months lossing ten pands. I agree, losing weight is not easy, but it is not impossible.
ReplyDeleteI read every piece of your tips to find out what should I do to prevent the useless weight lose. I believe work out and healthy eating can help me look better. Thanks for your suggestions.
ReplyDeleteSteven for elisa kit development.