JustErin said:

I will help you. Maybe I should start a weight loss thread.

I'm giving myself till June. Summer n all.

You have to be near celebs. Yeah, you totally need to do something. To feel good about yourself, I mean.

SureThing said:

In so many ways I am dreading it.

JustErin said:

Hey! I like your new av.

Well, I'm sure most of the 'workers' don't look like you. I wouldn't be so worried.

SureThing said:

I can't tell if you two are being serious.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

Serious about what?

SureThing said:

Self-esteem depending on the ratio of fat-vs-celebrity in the room.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

Oh. Well, I don't know how it is for normal people, um, or Erin, but I always feel really really insecure around people who are thinner or prettier than me.

SureThing said:

Sorry to hear it.

In my case, that would mean feeling insecure around almost everybody, and I just don't want to live my life that way.

I'm sure being pretty is hard in some weird ways.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

PLEASE!

I remember your glasses picture!

Very cute. I'd feel insecure wearing glasses around you.

Some tips I was sent this morning. All common sense, but good reminders.

10 Diet Myths That Won't Go Away
We expose the truth about popular diet myths.
By JENNIFER FIELDS


From downing your weight in water to loading up on grapefruit, there's a long list of tricks and tips that promise to help you drop those extra pounds. But how do you separate diet fact from fiction? Our experts take a look at the most pervasive diet myths and put them to rest -- once and for all.

1. Myth: Calories eaten after 8PM turn to fat.
Fact: This is an urban legend that is no more true than the notion that alligators are roaming the sewers of New York City, says Liz Neporent, trainer and author of 'The Fat-Free Truth.' The fact of the matter is if you eat more calories than your body burns in a day, the excess calories will be stored as fat. Whether you consume them during 'Good Morning America' or 'Letterman' doesn't matter; there is no intrinsic connection between calories and the clock.

2. Myth: To jump-start your diet, you should fast.
Fact: Not so fast! Skipping meals for extended periods of time is actually the best way to sabotage a diet. Though fasting may temporarily help you lose weight, it's predominantly water weight, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, of the Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute. Fasting is not recommended because not eating for extended periods can cause fatigue and dizziness. Ultimately, fasting usually accomplishes two things, says Blatner. "It makes you hungry and leaves you feeling deprived." Once you become over-hungry, all common sense is lost, and you're bound to make high-calorie, high-fat choices in that state of mind. Furthermore, feeling deprived tends to lead to binging when you do eat again. So, in fact, the more you don't eat, the more likely you are to overeat in the end.

3. Myth: Low-carb (high protein) diets are the most effective route to weight loss.
Fact: Before you ban bread altogether, consider this: Although preliminary research suggests that obese people can lose more weight on a low-carb diet than on a conventional low-fat diet, the benefits appear to be small and may be short-lived, says Neporent. One yearlong study comparing low-carb dieters to low-fat dieters found that low-carbers began regaining the weight they lost after six months. By the end of the year, they were no better off than the low-fat group. What's more, the dropout rate among both groups was extremely high. It really is about the calories and striking a balance between what you consume and what you burn. To do that for the long haul, you have to choose a diet that is sustainable. And permanently cutting out entire food groups (especially ones that include tasty, crusty bread) doesn't qualify.

4. Myth: Eating white foods is bad for you.
Fact: Don't judge a food by its color. Some of the best foods for you are actually white, says Cynthia Sass, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. The color of a food has nothing to do with its nutritional value and it's not always an indication of how processed the food is either, she says. Think bananas, pears and garlic, all of which pack a nutritional punch and are also naturally white. Instead of focusing on the color of the food, you need to consider what else it delivers in deciding whether to eat it. Find out what nutrients and vitamins it has. And look at the list of ingredients to determine how highly processed it is. Even a processed food, such as cake mix, doesn't have to be a diet wrecker as long as you eat it in moderation.

5. Myth: Drinking lots of water will help you lose weight.
Fact: If your daily drinking habits consist of sweetened teas, juice drinks and sodas, then replacing them with water can result in consuming fewer calories, which can lead to weight loss. But simply upping your water intake will not, unfortunately, help you shed pounds, says Sass. Though drinking water may make your belly temporarily feel fuller, you have to remember that hunger is not simply a function of your stomach -- your body is crying out for nutrients in food, so filling up on water won't satisfy you for long. Of course staying hydrated is important for maintaining your overall energy and body functioning, but contrary to popular belief, drinking it in excess won't boost your metabolism or flush away fat.

6. Myth: When you're on a diet, drinking juice is a no-no.
Fact: Juice gets such a bad rap these days, but the truth is, juice isn't inherently bad for you, provided you're actually drinking juice -- not a juice drink. Juice drinks are loaded with added sugar and preservatives. So check the label to be sure you're only reaching for 100 percent juice. The caveat? Because juice is much more concentrated than fruit, you need much less of it. Limit yourself to 4-ounce servings of juice, Sass says. Of course, whenever possible, you should choose whole fruit over juice, because fruit contains fiber, which fills you up, and is left behind when you extract the juice.

7. Myth: All sugar is bad for you.
Fact: When it comes to the sweet stuff, not all sugar is created equal. Food labels don't distinguish between added sugar and sugar that was naturally in the food to begin with, says Sass. For example, most dieters wouldn't consider eating canned fruit because of the grams of sugar listed on the label. However, if it's packaged in its own juice, then you're just eating the sugar that was already in the fruit. Lots of good-for-you foods naturally have sugar in them, such as low-fat milk, says Sass. Instead of looking at the grams of sugar on the nutrition label, read the ingredient list. Foods containing items like high fructose corn syrup should be kept to a minimum.

8. Myth: Exercising on an empty stomach burns more fat.
Fact: If only it were that easy. The real deal? When you do aerobic exercise, your body is burning fat as well as carbohydrate stores from food you've recently eaten, says Sass. So if you skip your pre-workout meal or snack, you won't have carb stores to burn. But that doesn't mean you'll burn all fat (a physiological impossibility). Instead, your body starts to burn its own muscle for fuel. And less muscle means lower metabolism -- not the goal of any dieter. Not to mention that exercising on empty means you'll probably be too tired to go all out, which translates into burning fewer calories during your workout than if you had properly fueled up beforehand. Ideally, you should have a meal three or four hours before a workout, or a snack one to two hours before exercising.

9. Myth: Drinking liquid meal replacements will help shrink your stomach.
Fact: No way ... Liquid diets are strictly for babies! Any shrinking that happens from a liquid diet is likely to be in your imagination -- not in your stomach, says Blatner. Why? "Your stomach is a muscular organ that will stretch temporarily when you eat, and then return back to its normal size." There is nothing you can do to shrink your stomach, she says. As you diet, over time you may get used to eating less, but that's not because your stomach has actually shrunk.

10. Myth: Eating grapefruit will help you burn fat.
Fact: That eating grapefruits will help you lose weight is one of the most persistent among diet myths -- and just when you think it's gone, it resurfaces and becomes all the rage again every few years. "It's ridiculous," says Neporent. "There is no food that has intrinsic "fat-burning enzymes" that magically melt fat from your body. There was one study that demonstrated the effectiveness of this diet, notes Neporent. However, it was small, isolated, and there is some question as to whether the citrus industry sponsored the research. If you want to eat grapefruit as part of a well-rounded diet, go for it. They're rich in lycopene -- an antioxidant that protects against heart disease and breast cancer, says Keecha Harris, DrPH, RD, and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Incorporate it and other lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes and watermelon into your diet each day, she says.

SureThing said:

Thanks! Though I'd prefer not to make people feel insecure.

Stymie said:

Ya the sodium content is way high. They also aren't very filling either, I usually have a side of cucumbers and chic peas! It's so hard to eat healthy but there are also great recipes out there. If you talk about it to enough people you can get some great ideas.

SureThing said:

There are a couple of super cute girls in the office, but that's beside the point.

I wanna do this for me.



Ya, I'll just keep telling myself that and maybe one day I will believe it.

Interesting, thanks Carrie. Me n my husband always argue about the eating late at nite one. He swears that its bad for you, and I always tell him that bullshit.


I DON'T agree with this one below though. Banana's are fattning.

CarrieMpls said:

SureThing said:

They are more calorie-dense than some fruits, but they are also good for you. Health! Health first, weight second. . .

SureThing said:

omg, bananas are NOT fattening unless you're eating them in mass quantities, just like everything else.

I dunno. I wouldn't be caught DEAD with a banana in my mouth.

But it's really hard for me to loose weight.

I mean REALLY hard. I have to watch EVERY SINGLE THING that goes in my mouth.

My bodies fucked up like that.

SureThing said:

ummm... yeah, so does everyone.



I don't know a single person who just decides, oh, I'd like to lose weight and has an easy time of it.

CarrieMpls said:

Okay, well then your saying, it's okay to eat banana's (if your trying to lose weight) and it's not.

SureThing said:

It IS okay to eat bananas if you're trying to lose weight. Just don't eat 4 of them in one sitting.
The only way to lose weight and maintain your weight loss is to change your eating habits for life and stick with them. Forever. There's nothing wrong or fattening about bananas. There's nothing wrong with eating chocolate cake. You just have to sacrifice somewhere else, or exercise more.

CarrieMpls said:

Well, that just takes me back to what I originally said.

That I have to watch EVERY single teenie tiny thing that goes in my mouth.

If I eat a banana I GAURANTEE that it's gonna show up on my stomach.

SureThing said:

Then you may as well not eat anything, ever.

CarrieMpls said:

I'm not saying that. Its hard to explain.
Yanno your hair? Everyone has a certain thing they do with their hair, or it'll frizz, or whatever. You know what you need to do, and no one else really does.

Well, thats how my body is. I have it down to a science. What I can and can't eat, and when, and how much.

And no banana's or any white food is good for me.

I'm not saying I NEVER eat that stuff. But I know damned well that after I do, I'm gonna be sorry.


sp
[Edited 2/15/07 9:34am]

SureThing said:

I see what you're saying. You have decided that you can't eat bananas or you will gain weight. You don't care enough about bananas to work them into your current diet, so when you do eat them you do not compensate in other areas for those specific sugars and carbs, so you gain wieght. ah well.
The article is simply saying you do not have to cut out white foods cause they are all bad for you. Bananas are not bad for you.

CarrieMpls said:

eat me dani!

CarrieMpls said:

I'm SERIOUS!

Bananas are the devil!

Last night was my first time back @ the gym in MONTHS I have to start slow so I don't fuck my knee up (which is always fucking up) so I only did 25 minutes on the treadclimber, but when I get back up to my standard 60 minutes LOOK OUT BITCHES





please don't let me fall off this time





.
[Edited 2/17/07 17:03pm]

I grocery shopped today and only bought brown stuff...nothing white.

I am baking the last batch of chocolate chip cookies tonight to use up all my ingredients. I'll give them away to family tomorrow.

But of course I will eat a couple tonight.

But after this NO MORE!

JustErin said:

Something posessed me to buy a box of BROWNIES the other night I haven't baked them yet - somebody tell me to throw the box out. Please

Did I mention they have peanut butter cups in the mix?