Is it REALLY 75% DIET and 25% exercise??

Hey Annette, you really are a chips (crisps) fan - care to join the 'Anna/Bernard Chip (Crisp) fan club' ?????????????? Never had M & M Crunchies, but I LOVE America's M & M Chocolate Almonds, we just DON'T get them here in the UK !! Why ? I have NOOOOOO idea ? And Almonds are good for you, aren't they ???? ;-)

Anna :)
 
Personally I'd say it's more like 85% diet and 15% exercise. I say this because I exercised for months without dieting and lost only a few pounds. I've lost 27 pounds since I began watching my diet. I suppose there's no one formula for everyone and that's what most of the posters here are advocating. But calories in calories out is science. This is the second time that I've lost weight through diet and exercise. The first time I counted fat grams. This time I count calories. I maintained the first weight lose for almost 8 years by striving to eat a low fat diet. Once I lost the weight I stopped officially counting fat grams but I was conscious of what I was eating. I gained weight when my work schedule got very hectic at the same time I was going through a personal crisis and started taking medication that causes weight gain. I stopped being conscious of what I was eating and began eating way too many calories. I fully expect to be conscious of what I eat for the rest of my life. I hope that I won't be obsessive about it but it's a reality that I have to face. And I don't think that I would have been as successful as I have been if I hadn't have kept a food diary and strove to stay eat under a certain number of calories.
 
Hi Ariel,

I know what you mean about letting numbers and percentages, scale markers go, when you are recovering from anorexia/bullimia. When I was recovering from 7 years of anorexia, I just stopped weighing myself, I think I weighed myself ONCE a year. I never minded gains in my weight because I knew I felt good and I knew by working out, it was doing my health a lot of good too.
Hang in there girl, you are doing great ! :)

Anna
 
For me it was age 37. I could eat all I want, work out and weigh in around 120-122. Now I am two weeks shy of 40 and I weigh 130. I can't continue like this. I am vowing to clean up my diet on my birthday. I want to be healthier in my 40's than I have ever been.
 
Hey Fitkansaschick, When is your Birthday? I'll be 40 on November 27th and as you I want my diet on track when that happens.

Kelley
 
Wow, Annette!! You really have some words of wisdom!! We certainly can all learn alot from you on this forum! Even though I do not wear a size zero skirt, I could not agree with you more!!
Janice
 
Hi Edith - I've been through clean eating prison myself. I've done a fair bit of work to break my eating disordered patterns though and I refuse to label foods as clean or unclean anymore. Food is food and although its pays to be educated about how the body uses the nutrients we feed it, obsessing about what you put into your mouth just isn't worth it. It can also lead to that deprivation factor getting pretty high. I make it a point to eat a wide variety of foods (including simple carbs) on a daily basis. To be completely honest I have become much slimmer, more energetic and a little less obsessed with food since then. I am definitely proof of the fact that clean eating is not the magical solution because I was bigger when I was either eating clean all the time or starving myself. Once I started including some of the foods that I had given up on a daily basis (bananas, white bread, corn, chocolate), I really noticed a difference in my energy levels, my workouts and my body shape. I am now at a size which I didn't even dream was possible for me. IMO moderation is the key - too much of anything is generally not a good idea - not even clean eating.
 
75% DIET and 25% exercise?? MUSCLE MASS!!

Thank you, A-jock, Maribeth and Ariel!

I think the strength (muscle building) part of the equation is often underrated.

I have been eating a sweet just about every day too- not just one M&M but something big enough to satisfy me! And I have weighed the same for many months. Getting leaner and more cut all the time. Still, doing 2-3 cardios at most and 2 strength days at least.

The more muscle I have, the more calories I burn in a fun step workout or even Power hour.

Strength training is underrated (did I already say that?)!
-Connie
 
I have something to add to this as well.Seems to be a hot topic.I was looking at the WW points system the other day.If you comsume 25 points, you only consume 1250 cals.For someone who is less then 130 pounds only gets to have 18-23 points.18 points is only 900 calories.And this comming from weight loss pros, they must know what they are doing.But then again you can eat all the veggies you want so that would add up to be more.
For me, I am starting realize that it DOES matter what I put in my mouth.When I first cut back and started working out with Cathe, I was slimmer then then what I am now.Now I eat my meals and my snacks and it probably all just adds up to be more.When I eat terrible,I feel terrible.
I have cut sweets out of my diet for a full week now.Even though I am eating the same with everything else I can see that my mid-section is getting tighter and flatter.Just for he record I don't even miss the sweets.I bought some puddings and some really good protein bars.
As far as I am concerned WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT.What works for you may not work for me and visa versa.
Lori
 
Lori: Thanks

How many points on WW would someone 200lbs eat a day and how many calories would that add up to? I'm just too curious had to ask!!! ;-)

Love
Edith
 
Hmmm. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what this post is all about, but I find myself still thinking/worrying about it today, worrying that some people will read it and think that a "clean" diet isn't as important as it is.

People's bodies and brains work differently, and what works for one might be disaster for another. My brain, for example, tells me that a "serving" is "all of it." And it doesn't matter how much "all of it" is. I eat "clean" now, and measure my portions, but if I didn't do that, or if I had a little snack every day, a little sweet or a few French fries, I would be right back up to 289, as I have been several times before, exercise or no exercise. And when my weight goes up, I don't WANT to exercise. That's important, too. For many of us, I believe, clean eating and exercise work to mutually reinforce one another.

Another problem is brain chemistry. Eating disorders. Some people can eat a standard serving and it's enough. They feel "full" or "satisfied." Those words aren't in my vocabulary at all. "Full," to me, is unable to waddle. But getting "full" on green beans is a lot different from getting "full" on a Big Mac and fries. And because I don't like green beans nearly as well as fries, I suppose I allow myself to feel "full" sooner (or simply get tired of chewing).

Anyway, my point is that telling someone like me that diet is overrated is like throwing gasoline on a fire. Even though I now exercise regularly, a thyroid condition tosses that "calories in/calories out" thing right out the window. When your body doesn't burn calories "normally," it seems to me that no amount of exercise will completely change a slow metabolism into a "normal" one, and it won't change brain chemistry or overcome an eating disorder. I've even read about bodybuilders with this condition who have to work twice as hard for the same results.

Anyway, I just wanted to add my two-cents in favor of "clean" eating AND regular exercise for many/most of us.
 
I do think that this diet thing is nonsense. It is not what you eat, but HOW MUCH you eat. Even if you eat healthy all the time, it's unlikely you will lose weight if you are eating too much: I know because I am still eating junk, but instead of eating lots of it, I just cut down on it. And sometimes exercise burns a lot of calories and you actually NEED these types of food because they are high in fuel.

Remember that 30-100 people NEVER had low fat foods because they didn't have the technology then to make it. Food was home cooked and natural and it was cakes, pastries, butter and cream, cheeses, oils and meat etc are traditional foods. (e.g. the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meal) and people did not have a weight problems then. That is because their lifestyle was different back then: no cars, no modern time saving appliances etc. so lifestyle was different: people walked and they did manual labour. For example, take the Egyptians who had to build the pyramids by carrying blocks of concrete on their backs - how many of us do that everyday? And you thought MIS was tough? And if you think IMAX is tough, imagine the stone hunter gatherers who would have to cover 25 miles in their quest for food every day.

In modern times, we have to make an effort to exercise, but you know what? We still don't get enough compare to what people had to do back then. Furthermore, our diets has changed dramatically and there is more convenience foods with additives, preservatives, unnatural ingredients and what have you.


Yen
 
Calorific intake does vary from person to person depending on their height and how active they are generally. A long distance runner will need to consume as much as 5000 calories a day just to maintain his weight. A taller person will eat need to eat more than a shorter person.

A person who exercises every day with Cathe will need to consume more calories than someone who does with Denise Austin or Cher or some other fitness tapes.

Someone who exercises regularly can still lose weight on 2300 calories and someone who does no exercise can lose weight on 1600 calories.

BTW. The minimum that is recommended for a person to lose weight successfully 1600 calories.

Yen
 
I would say exercise moderation. I would say that getting up in the morning and having a pint of ice cream for breakfast (as our friend Donna has done) is not the way to go. I have ice cream in my fridge and it's been there for months. A whole packet of biscuits for tea is a no no also.

Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are important because you need the fibre, vitamins and anti-oxidants in those foods so fill up on these as your main meal and have a sweet foods after a meal.

Yen
 
Well for years I followed the calories in, calories out concept and couldn't lose an ounce. In fact the lower my calories and the more cardio I did to burn off what I ate, the more weight I gained. And no, my calories, the few I was taking in, were 'clean' calories. So think of the years of frustration, eating around 1200-1400 calorie or less a day, 5-6 days of cardio and no changes other than exhaustion and feeling starved constantly. Pretty fun way to live huh?

Then I began BodyRx, I'm following the program faithfully. I cut out most of the cardio, I built strength in Cycle 1, I sculpted in Cycle 2, now I'm in the fat burning Cycle 3, I'm eating more calories than I ever have in my life and I'm losing approximately 1/2lb a day.

I'm nearly 48 years old, I'm in the beginning stages of menopause and by rights every metobolific problem we've heard of should be stopping my fat loss. But instead I'm beating the odds and losing fat, not muscle, building a body that's muscular and will be lean when I'm done. I'm not the only one doing this either, so I can't say I'm a 'special' case at all.

I've read all of Dr. Connelly's scientific explanation as to why not to count calories or waste time on endless areobics. I have to say that during the initial phases of the program I was skeptical and fearful of gaining even MORE weight. But now I feel as if I should be buying him a gift for he's given me the ability to reach my goals and I'm going to do it!

I hope the rest of you find your way too.
 
Wutherhi,

I agree with you that it is dangerous to give people the impression that diet doesn't matter. I don't think that is exactly what they meant, but coming from a similar background with a thyroid condition and ED history, I understand your concerns.

I've read the fitness mags touting diet as 75% (one even went so far as to say 90%!) of the equation, and for me it's irrelevant. My diet and exercise program is either working or it's not, the end. If it isn't something needs to be adjusted and if I can't find that faulty link on my own I have many good sources who can help me see what I may be missing, both in my "real" life and in cyberspace. I can't be worried about what someone else can eat and still wear a size zero. I live in my body, not hers, so I've got to figure out what works for me. That doesn't mean I don't have anything to learn from her, it just means that I need to respect my individual metabolism and not feel cheated because it doesn't let me eat twix bars by the dozen.

I'm wondering if your comment about the bodybuilders was in reference to the so-called fitness model who was on the cover of Oxygen a while ago gushing about her "healthy" way of dealing with a thyroid disorder! PLEASE do not look at her a someone to emulate! I nearly cancelled my subscription after reading that article! If that women was anything but a fitness model she'd be in a psychiatric facility getting treatment for an eating disorder, not on the cover of a magazine. To put forth her schedule as healthy and something to emulate was completely irresponsible IMO (the article goes on to talk about how this "fitness" star often does 2 or 3 hour long cardio sessions A DAY to combat a slow metabolism). If you are on thyroid medication and your TSH/T3/T4 levels are normal, your metabolism is functioning at or very close to normal for you. If the levels are at the low end of normal and you are still experiencing symptoms like fatigue, constipation, cold intolerance, etc... ask your doctor to tweak your dose a little bit. You may be one of those people who need to be at the high end of normal to feel your best- that's why normal values are reported as a range. Try this before you add that third hour of cardio :)!

Sounds like you have done a lot of work in this area. Continue to listen to and trust your body. It has a lot to tell you!

FitnessRN
 
Hi Kelley:Just read your post,my birthday is also the 27th.How do you like getting the bird for your birthday?I think its like every 6 years.~Linda~
 
Regardless of what anyone's emotional opinion of diet is, the bottom line is that the first law of thermodynamics cannot be negated. Yes, there are other factors--not becoming glycogen depleted, taking in adequate protein for muscle building, thermic effects of protein vs other nutrients, rebound blood sugar effects, satiety and the fat flushing effect of fiber--but there is no negating calories out vs net absorbable calories in, period.

Anything that tells you otherwise is an attempt to sell you a program. If you get your nutrients in the needed quantities and don't take in more calories than you need, and eat frequently enough to avoid glycogen depletion, AND are on a sound exercise program, you will not gain extra body fat. This isn't my opinion--it's science.

I know some people are passionate about "clean diets" but it all still comes back to calories out vs calories in. If you take more calories in the form of lean protein, fibrous veggies, cookies, cake or anything else, than you expend, you will gain body fat. Sure, it's harder to eat too much of the less calorie dense and higher fiber or protein foods, but it is possible.

Again, nobody's negating the benefits of healthy eating--to the contrary, what Annette and I have said time and time again is everything in moderation. For the record, both Annette and I are 41, so if anyone has the idea that we're young with rapid metabolisms, it isn't the case.

I've worked with people with eating disorders for years as well as recovered from one myself. The quickest path to boredom, sabatoge, and disordered eating is to forbid yourself any type of food on an ongoing basis. There's nothing that should be a total no-no, including junk food and treats--but you can't eat them, nor anything else in unlimited quantities, nor can you eat treat foods in quantities that mean you have to limit other foods to the point that your nutritional needs go wanting.

If some of you love the idea of having to stick to a "clean" diet for the rest of your lives, go for it. But realize that the science behind factual information regarding weight loss is strictly a matter of caloric intake vs caloric expenditure. I would be glad to demonstrate how what someone might think to be the magic of clean eating boils down to just that in terms of weight control.
Maribeth
 
Well that's probably another couple reasons I'm happy w/my program, I had nothing to buy except a book if I chose to do so, or read it at the library if I decided not to spend $18 dollars on it and there are few restrictions regarding eating.

The choice becomes mine.
 
And I think that's good Mindi. I agree if it works for you, go for it and stick with it. I'm on my second week of Ediets and we'll see what my weigh in will be like on Monday. I definitely do not consider Ediets to be a totally clean eating program, especially since I'm on the combination plan which includes frozen meals for lunch. People who eat really "clean" do not eat packaged meals. I did really well in my first week, but we'll have to wait and see how the rest goes. I signed up for 5 weeks. If it is not working at that time, I will cancel my membership.

As for being on Weight Watchers. I have tried Weight Watchers. I always felt like I was starving. I am one of those who can't go above 23 points. Well guess what, again it was what I was eating. Yes, I was staying within my point range, but not really watching what type of foods I ate and my calories were very low. I counted my points one day from the Ediets plan I have just out of curiosity and I had 24 points in a day without being hungry. So I do believe the Weight Watchers points can be more calories if you eat right.

Oh, and I have to add. I used to be a size 0 also and would never want to be that small again. I am only 5' and anything smaller than a 2-4 I look skinny and not athletic which is what I'm striving for.

Now, if anyone can tell me how to whittle my waist down, please tell me. My exercise and diet plan seem to be working very well on my legs and hips, but my waist is budging only slightly. Maybe that will be next. Let's just hope. :)
 
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