Intermittent fasting and other dieting trends

[misskarne]

Oh god not this again. I don't need a therapist I need to stop being fat.

Um, your current weight puts you smack bang in the middle of healthy weight range for your height. You're nowhere near fat and frankly, this comment just reinforces my point.

 

[PRlady]

Honey, I’m small boned too and only two inches taller than you. A year ago I was at 123 due to illness and I looked awful. I’m back to my normal 140 and am fine, not model-thin but healthy. If you think you’re fat at 127, you’ve got some disordered thinking going on.

 

[canbelto]

Honey, I’m small boned too and only two inches taller than you. A year ago I was at 123 due to illness and I looked awful. I’m back to my normal 140 and am fine, not model-thin but healthy. If you think you’re fat at 127, you’ve got some disordered thinking going on.

im Asian lol. Asians can never be too thin.

 

[mag]

I am not sure it is healthy to be comparing height and weight. People are built differently. Large versus small busted could make a 15 lbs difference in weight for the same height.

I think the key is to remember that any diet that completely restricts a complete food group is probably not good for your health in the long term. Bread products (which is what we really mean by carbs cause vegetables are carbs too) are not the devil. In fact, when humans started cultivating wheat our brain size increased. I am waiting for the neo diet. You know, paleo brought up a few thousand years, where you get to eat lots of bread! On the subject of paleo, I really do not understand why you would want to eat like people whose average life span was probably 20 years! Anyway, a combination of a reasonable diet including all food groups and regular exercise is needed to maintain a healthful weight.

 

[Polaris]

im Asian lol. Asians can never be too thin.

Yikkkkkkkkes. I know exactly what kind of mindset this is.

You're fighting a losing battle.

 

[misskarne]

im Asian lol. Asians can never be too thin.

Yes, yes they can.

 

[Prancer]

Bread products (which is what we really mean by carbs cause vegetables are carbs too).

I don't know what it means for other people, but for me it mostly means I can't have any good desserts.

 

[Japanfan]

I'm 5'3 and am okay up to 125 pounds. When I was younger I always wanted to be under 120 - got under 115 a few times but couldn't sustain it. Am way more than 125 now.

 

[Lilia A]

I want to eventually be like him and get up to 36 hours.

I don't recommend going for that long. I once had to fast for 36 for a blood test and I felt pretty bad after the 24 hour mark. Keep in mind I can naturally go without eating for a long time, but 20 hours is my limit. I don't do IF, I just sometimes don't eat because I'm too busy doing other things but eventually you'll need fuel.
I'm not a dietician, but my friend who is one tells me that IF is not for everyone. It's not just the feeling tired I'm talking about.

 

[Japanfan]

Has anyone had success on weight watchers? I’m thinking of doing something slow and steady to lose the baby weight...

So many people have done well on WW, the reason being that you have options, especially with the points system and lots of 0 points foods. A friend told me that a chicken breast has no points, which seems odd. But I doubt that anyone is going to go overboard eatings chicken breasts, especially as lean one as would likely be for a person on WW.

My sister did it for many years to keep her weight in check, and it worked, but doesn't seem to have the stamina for it at 72.

I have a friend who has been doing it for six months. She thinks she'll need a year to reach her goal (and is halfway towards that goal).

Also, concerns about weight aren't restricted to Asian women (I do recognize that men have weight issues also. EDs among men is an understudied subjects). Many/most young women in Western societies (and other societies) are very concerned about weight and have EDs/disordered eating. I was very/overly concerned about weight up to about age 30.

In my 20s I followed a crazy diet called 'The Beverly Hills Diet' which was based on food combining principles. Fruit didn't go with any other food but did go with ?. Not an ounce of protein in the day subsequent to eating carbs. Pineapple was considered the miracle food for weight loss. It was nuts. I did the first week or so - fruit only - quite often for about a year. I remember feeling in gastronomic heaven after a week of that when I ate a can of ravioli. And in double heaven when I had two rum balls.

The fact that I remember these things, including the exact number of rum balls, so many years later is because what I was basically doing was starving.

I lost some weight, then gained it back.

To this day I find it hard to look at a pineapple.

And I figure that my bikini days are done. And I'm happy about that.

 

[antmanb]

I don't know what it means for other people, but for me it mostly means I can't have any good desserts.

So much this!! I had great success with low carb diets in the past but the lack of decent desserts made me very sad indeed. In the summer when berries are quite sweet I could get somewhere close to ok but in the winter I would sometimes have actual dreams at night where I was eating biscuits

 

[canbelto]

Well I woke up this morning and I wasn't as hungry/dizzy as I have been, so maybe my body is getting used to this fasting. By the way it was actually my therapist who suggested I start fasting because she says it "cleans up her body and mind."

 

[meggonzo]

Oh god not this again. I don't need a therapist I need to stop being fat.

By the way it was actually my therapist who suggested I start fasting because she says it "cleans up her body and mind."

You don't need a therapist, yet you had one suggest fasting? Sure.

 

[taf2002]

Well I woke up this morning and I wasn't as hungry/dizzy as I have been, so maybe my body is getting used to this fasting. By the way it was actually my therapist who suggested I start fasting because she says it "cleans up her body and mind."

You seem to want to see how much we will swallow.

 

[hanca]

You seem to want to see how much we will swallow.

I can swallow a whole tub of Haagen Dasz ice cream. Does that count?

 

[taf2002]

I can swallow a whole tub of Haagen Dasz ice cream. Does that count?

Of course!

 

[mag]

Well I woke up this morning and I wasn't as hungry/dizzy as I have been, so maybe my body is getting used to this fasting. By the way it was actually my therapist who suggested I start fasting because she says it "cleans up her body and mind."

Fasting does not “clean up the body.” Your body has built in systems for that. Any therapist who says that seriously needs to go back to school and take some basic science classes. Fasting, cleanses, detoxes, are all just BS marketing tools.

 

[canadianskater]

A coworker and I did IF for a little bit before Christmas and I really liked it. I work in an office environment so I feel like I'm constantly sitting and eating. It did worked well and I did loose weight while fasting although I only ate between the hours of 11 - 7. It forced me to drink more water but I was becoming obsessed with the clock. Looking at it constantly to see how long before I could eat. Right now I'm just counting calories on my fitness pal and exercising on a regular basis but I may go back to IF in the coming weeks.

 

[aliceanne]

I wonder if being a morning or night person has something to do with how you are feeling in relation to your co-workers.

As a night person I never wanted breakfast, even when I had to be to work early. I would feel hungry if I skipped lunch. Dinner, if I was especially busy or ate a huge lunch, I could just have a snack and be fine.

As an old person I’m not particularly a day or night person. I find no snacks, second servings, or dessert every day the best way to fight calorie creep. Skipping meals leaves me too drained.

I expect that hormone levels play a big part in metabolism and sleep patterns. That is probably why “one size fits all” doesn’t work as a prescription for healthy eating.

 

[meggonzo]

Fasting does not “clean up the body.” Your body has built in systems for that. Any therapist who says that seriously needs to go back to school and take some basic science classes. Fasting, cleanses, detoxes, are all just BS marketing tools.

Also, I don't know that most mental health therapists are trained in nutrition, so they probably shouldn't be giving out dietary advice. Or at least make sure they are giving a caveat if they are advising patients on diets.

 

[Rob]

I know BMI is not the end all and be all, but it has become the basic guideline and it actually cuts a fairly wide berth. For 5'4", anything from 108 to 145 is in the normal range according to US National Institutes of Health. It is going to depend on your age, body type, bone structure, muscle tone etc. People feel better on different ends of the range. Some feel weak on the low end, some feel sluggish or bulky on the high end.

mag- ITA with everything you have said. Elimination of whole food groups, feeling weak or nauseated, fasting, these are all things that cannot be sustained and will not get anyone on a regular long term healthy path. Weight loss equals calorie intake and there is no fasting diet that will allow anyone to go back to "regular" eating without gaining some weight back if regular means that you intake more than you burn. And I don't know how you can get exercise if you have no energy before 10 am or after 6 pm.

Any kind of refresh or cleanse should be limited in duration. I sometimes do a refresh that involves vegan high protein shakes, plenty of veggies, fruits, water, green tea or herb tea. Not starving! 3 days takes off 5-9 lbs (I am tall and large boned, still on the high end of the overweight BMI -- but down from Obese 2!). I get rid a lot of retained fluid and bloat from no dairy or heavy carbs. On day 4, I gain back 3 when I start eating salt, dairy, carbs. But its ok, it is just designed for post vacation bloat, get me off alcohol and sugar, get me started on the balanced path after holidays or vacation overeating.

I also subscribe to the notion that some foods just don't work for some people. I know the recommendation is that if you are going to eat carbs, eat whole grains, brown rice, wheat pasta etc. I have never been diagnosed as celiac, but whole grains, quinoa, things like tempeh, wheat will make me feel bloated, mild stomach ache, skin rash, and mild asthma. Not like I am sick to my stomach, but just not my friend! If I eat bread, it is going to be sourdough, and I feel just fine. Most non fructose sugar=headache and drop in energy. If you pair down your food, then add back, you can learn a lot about what makes you individually feel good or bad.

 

[AJ Skatefan]

I lost 20 pounds on Weight Watchers and am on the maintenance plan now. I’m convinced that it’s a much healthier way to lose weight. It’s very sustainable and worth the money.

 

[Simone411]

I had a high metabolism the majority of my life. I usually weighed between 129 and 135, and I'm 5'7 3/4". I might as well say that I'm 5.8"

At the last job I had before I got NF and had to be hospitalized, I weighed around 130. I was in an induced coma for nearly 3 weeks, and they were tube feeding me. When I came out of that coma, I discovered that I had lost all my muscle and probably weighed around 122. It could have been less, but they wouldn't tell me for sure how much weight I had lost.

I tried to eat the food they brought me, and after a couple of bites, I felt full. I couldn't eat anymore. The food tasted bland and that was because of all the meds they had me on. When I went to Nurse Care, I still hadn't gained much weight and my appetite stayed the same.

I was wearing small size everything ... in shirts, sweat pants, PJ's, etc.. My doctor put me on 2 Cal. It was similar to Ensure and it was for the purpose of making me gain weight. Since I still had no appetite because everything tasted nasty, I drank 2 Cal. like crazy. Finally by Christmas of 2011, I was back to my normal weight. I weighed 132 lbs. and got my appetite back.

Now that I'm older, my metabolism has changed some and I weigh around 138 pounds. My doctor is totally happy with it, and he even told me about three months ago that he was glad I no longer weighed 129 because I looked like Olive Oyl with toothpick legs.

I still have those toothpick legs but those 9 extra pounds I have now gives me a little more shape than looking like a string bean. And if I should gain anymore weight, that will be fine, too!

I hope to God that nothing ever happens again where I have to be in an induced coma. Believe me, losing all your muscle and looking like Olive Oyl was a horrible experience for me.

 

[taf2002]

I hope to God that nothing ever happens again where I have to be in an induced coma. Believe me, losing all your muscle and looking like Olive Oyl was a horrible experience for me.

Absolutely! Losing muscle tone feels awful. I was in the hospital for 11 days once. I was awake but didn't eat for 10 of those days, just had an IV. The muscle tone I lost probably wasn't anywhere near as drastic as Simone's but it was a thing. I walked like an old woman when I finally got out of bed.

 

[PRlady]

The doctors actually gave me an appetite stimulant after my last surgery since the bland diet I was on (for the fourth time) was sickening at that point. I laughed to myself remembering all those years of obsessing over the same 7 pounds I gained and lost ten times. I was finally thinner than I had been since age 29 and my husband said I looked like a plucked chicken.

 

[Prancer]

Also, I don't know that most mental health therapists are trained in nutrition, so they probably shouldn't be giving out dietary advice. Or at least make sure they are giving a caveat if they are advising patients on diets.

I think most people who want to go on a diet of any kind would do well to consult with a dietitician. I wish I had done that when my doctor told me to try low carb. He gave me no direction or guidelines at all. His MA nattered on at me about diabetes, but I don't have diabetes and was not told to do low carb for weight loss or blood sugar control, so she was no help. I am pretty good at researching and identifying credible information, but that took a lot of time. I see a lot of people advise others based on junk science and some really sources and really don't get what people see in that kind of thing, but it sure is widespread.

 

[Simone411]

@taf2002, you're so right about that muscle loss. I not only told the PT what she could do, but gave her 'go to h_ll" looks the first time she made me get out of bed. My knees tried to buckle and the walker didn't help at all because I had lost all my muscle strength. They gave me something called Juven to rebuild my muscle. The nurse told me they had to keep the Juven locked up because a lot of the male nurses were stealing it. They used it while they were working out with weights.

 

[Simone411]

I thought I would add a link to Juven. I just read where it not only helps rebuild muscle but it helps with healing wounds. They were giving me the Juven the whole time I was on the wound vac.

Juven Orange Therapeutic Nutrition Powder. It's made by Ensure, and it also helps build and maintain lean body mass.

I would highly recommend it for anyone that has lost muscle and it also helped heal my wound.

 

[canbelto]

I've lost a lot of muscle since my injury. I used to run about 7k a day and now my legs are like sticks.

 

[meggonzo]

I've lost a lot of muscle since my injury. I used to run about 7k a day and now my legs are like sticks.

Maybe you should try yoga or barre or some other exercise where you can modify being on your feet, but still keep muscle tone.