Getting in Shape & Eating Healthier

[Xaoz]

I'll admit, this wall of text is pretty impressive
But let's not turn this into a competition, (...)

That is ok. I accept your surrender.

[Maelstrom]

That is ok. I accept your surrender.

You are officially the best new person since me.

[mikey]

You are officially the best new person since me.

are you really that recent and are you really that low of a bar

That is ok. I accept your surrender.

+1

[Xaoz]

are you really that recent and are you really that low of a bar

So jaelous of my fanboys!

[braix]

I'm obviously the best thing that has ever happened to NSM in all its history.
Sorry Xaoz but you'll have to settle for 2nd place.

[Xaoz]

I'm obviously the best thing that has ever happened to NSM in all its history.
Sorry Xaoz but you'll have to settle for 2nd place.

[Maelstrom]

I'm obviously the best thing that has ever happened to NSM in all its history.

inb4 Maestro

are you really that recent and are you really that low of a bar

April 2014, so kinda I guess. And I am a very, very high bar.

[Xaoz]

I think we completely missed the topic of the thread.

[Maelstrom]

Don't worry, it happens 112.835% of the time.

[mikey]

I mean if we're talking about bars then we're obviously lifting

[DrP]

I have been dabbling in stuff like this since high school and I've learned many ways on what the issues are. There are so many components that go into weight, nutrition, etc... BOOKS have to be written.

Here's a list of things I've learned. I'm really good about diets and food, but I am a bit less knowledgeable about exercise, though it's easier. I'll be happy to discuss my food/dieting section further!

Food/Dieting

For dieting, the best foods aren't those with labels. Things that are natural, organic/ecological or unprocessed are the best. And the best place to find these foods are health food store (like Whole Foods). But if you don't have one nearby/the money to pay for it, you can use my suggestions below.

Sugars and things that convert to sugars: Natural sugars that are found in fruits and plants are good for you, but refined sugars and alcohol are the worst. Even cutting the consumption to 20g of refined sugar a day can really help. Instead of using refined sugars as sweeteners, use agave nectar, maple syrup or honey. These are natural sweeteners that are less problematic with metabolic rates and digestion. If you need to use normal sugar, use trubinado sugar/pure cane sugar. If you're like me at go to Starbucks and get sugary drinks a lot, ask them to put half the amount of sugar.

Carbohydrates also break down to sugar. As Xaoz said, fats and carbohydrates are less calories per gram than proteins.
Not all carbohydrates are horrible, whole grains are better for consumption. In the US, a lot of breads have sugar added to help the yeast work faster, but those end up being the worst. Eat breads that have 1g or 2g of sugar per slice. Baguettes and other artisan breads are good as well. Other grains you can eat that are fantastic are buckwheat, oats, quinoa and spelt, among others.

Proteins: For proteins, mix it up. Don't solely eat beef or pork. Fish is also a fantastic source of protein. Out of 7 days in a week, 6 should have meat. My suggestions are 2 red meat days, 2 white meat days and 2 fish days. Fats from meats are better than fats from oils or dairy products. Salmon is perfect for this and adding a little salt and some pepper and baking it with some lemon slices really make a difference. For meats, buy caught in the wild (for fish) or cage-free (for poultry) or pasture raised (for beef and pork).

Calories: Calories aren't everything. The daily recommended amount of 2000 calories is just a benchmark and shouldn't be relied upon. There are calculators online that can help determine this amount. For example, if I consumed 1500 calories a day, you'd think that would help me lose weight. NO. It won't. I'd actually be consuming a lot less than I should to lose weight. My body would think I'm in starvation mode and it will release cortisol, which will keep fat on. And in starvation mode, the body gets its energy from muscle first before fat. So if I want to lose weight, I should consume 2200 calories.

Rotation: Don't eat the same things everyday. Mix it up. If you tend to eat the same things every day, your body will "get stuck in a rut" and won't extract all the nutrients that you'd get if you consumed it for the first time in a while. 72 hours is a good period of time to let things settle before consuming things again. This really mostly applies to carbohydrate and fruit/vegetable based foods.

Soy: When you look at a bunch of ripped guys at the gym, many of them rely on "supplements" and they consume whey or soy proteins like water. These proteins are mostly fake. Soy is one of the most genetically modified foods in the world (behind corn). Aside from that, our bodies cannot process soy well. I try to avoid it as much as possible.

Dairy: Dairy products can be a huge bitch. Dairy is really not meant to be consumed by humans, but over time, many of us have evolved to tolerate it, but it can still mess things up a lot. Whenever possible, limit dairy consumption, especially processed dairy products like cheeses and ice cream. Everything is fine in moderation, but dairy should be the thing you look out most for moderation. I still have cheese and I only really have milk with my coffee (I go through a pint of milk every 2 weeks). For other alternatives, I suggest almond milk or rice milk. The exception to the dairy rule is yogurt. For the past 2 weeks, I've been eating a yogurt a night a few hours before bed. The bacteria cultures in yogurts are good for digestion and general well-being. I suggest plain yogurt and mix in fruit or honey.

[close]

Exercise

Exercise isn't about quantity. It's about the quality of it. Getting on a treadmill or exercise bike for 30 minutes a day won't help at all. Combining strength training (weights, etc) and cardio are the best ways to build muscle (if doing 5 days of exercise, only 2 should be cardio). For me, since I work a lot and sit for 8+ hours a day, my general rule of thumb is to get up and walk around for 10 minutes, 3 times a day. If you sit for more than 6 hours a day, it's bad for your circulation and lowers your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body consumes energy -- calories).

Exercise isn't everything though. It is necessary in our society today, but it is also necessary to understand our metabolism and know which foods don't interact with our bodies well. Exercise and diet go hand-in-hand.

[close]

About Me

I was super skinny until I was about 8. Then I took a drug for something and it messed everything up. I won't say details, but I was about 220 by the time I entered high school. I played water polo and I swam for 9th and 10th grade. In 11th grade, I stopped for a year and I went up to 260. In 12th grade, I started swimming again and started running and lifting weights the summer before college. I got down to 229. Then college hit and free food and other things happened. Then I would go up to 240 then drop to 235 and then go up to 245 and drop to 235 again. My last year of college, I was an RA. I started at 240 or so and then by the time I ended around 280. Then once I started work, I got up to 300, because I wasn't walking at all and getting lazier. At this point (2014), exercise wasn't helping and I was eating somewhat well.

So I go see my endocrinologist and she doesn't know what's happening because I am in fantastic health and not at risk for high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease. Even my metabolism is perfect. So after I get a higher dosage for my thyroid pills, I think it's finally starting to work. I started walking a little bit every day when I'm at work and I think it's fine. It's going to take a while for everything to get back down to the weight that I was at when I was in China (because I had a bunch of clothes made). I've reached the point to not thinking about what I eat mainly because what I am eating is really healthy.

[close]

[Xaoz]

I have been dabbling in stuff like this since high school and I've learned many ways on what the issues are. There are so many components that go into weight, nutrition, etc... BOOKS have to be written.

Here's a list of things I've learned. I'm really good about diets and food, but I am a bit less knowledgeable about exercise, though it's easier. I'll be happy to discuss my food/dieting section further!

Food/Dieting

For dieting, the best foods aren't those with labels. Things that are natural, organic/ecological or unprocessed are the best. And the best place to find these foods are health food store (like Whole Foods). But if you don't have one nearby/the money to pay for it, you can use my suggestions below.

Sugars and things that convert to sugars: Natural sugars that are found in fruits and plants are good for you, but refined sugars and alcohol are the worst. Even cutting the consumption to 20g of refined sugar a day can really help. Instead of using refined sugars as sweeteners, use agave nectar, maple syrup or honey. These are natural sweeteners that are less problematic with metabolic rates and digestion. If you need to use normal sugar, use trubinado sugar/pure cane sugar. If you're like me at go to Starbucks and get sugary drinks a lot, ask them to put half the amount of sugar.

Carbohydrates also break down to sugar. As Xaoz said, fats and carbohydrates are less calories per gram than proteins.
Not all carbohydrates are horrible, whole grains are better for consumption. In the US, a lot of breads have sugar added to help the yeast work faster, but those end up being the worst. Eat breads that have 1g or 2g of sugar per slice. Baguettes and other artisan breads are good as well. Other grains you can eat that are fantastic are buckwheat, oats, quinoa and spelt, among others.

Proteins: For proteins, mix it up. Don't solely eat beef or pork. Fish is also a fantastic source of protein. Out of 7 days in a week, 6 should have meat. My suggestions are 2 red meat days, 2 white meat days and 2 fish days. Fats from meats are better than fats from oils or dairy products. Salmon is perfect for this and adding a little salt and some pepper and baking it with some lemon slices really make a difference. For meats, buy caught in the wild (for fish) or cage-free (for poultry) or pasture raised (for beef and pork).

Calories: Calories aren't everything. The daily recommended amount of 2000 calories is just a benchmark and shouldn't be relied upon. There are calculators online that can help determine this amount. For example, if I consumed 1500 calories a day, you'd think that would help me lose weight. NO. It won't. I'd actually be consuming a lot less than I should to lose weight. My body would think I'm in starvation mode and it will release cortisol, which will keep fat on. And in starvation mode, the body gets its energy from muscle first before fat. So if I want to lose weight, I should consume 2200 calories.

Rotation: Don't eat the same things everyday. Mix it up. If you tend to eat the same things every day, your body will "get stuck in a rut" and won't extract all the nutrients that you'd get if you consumed it for the first time in a while. 72 hours is a good period of time to let things settle before consuming things again. This really mostly applies to carbohydrate and fruit/vegetable based foods.

Soy: When you look at a bunch of ripped guys at the gym, many of them rely on "supplements" and they consume whey or soy proteins like water. These proteins are mostly fake. Soy is one of the most genetically modified foods in the world (behind corn). Aside from that, our bodies cannot process soy well. I try to avoid it as much as possible.

Dairy: Dairy products can be a huge bitch. Dairy is really not meant to be consumed by humans, but over time, many of us have evolved to tolerate it, but it can still mess things up a lot. Whenever possible, limit dairy consumption, especially processed dairy products like cheeses and ice cream. Everything is fine in moderation, but dairy should be the thing you look out most for moderation. I still have cheese and I only really have milk with my coffee (I go through a pint of milk every 2 weeks). For other alternatives, I suggest almond milk or rice milk. The exception to the dairy rule is yogurt. For the past 2 weeks, I've been eating a yogurt a night a few hours before bed. The bacteria cultures in yogurts are good for digestion and general well-being. I suggest plain yogurt and mix in fruit or honey.

[close]

Exercise

Exercise isn't about quantity. It's about the quality of it. Getting on a treadmill or exercise bike for 30 minutes a day won't help at all. Combining strength training (weights, etc) and cardio are the best ways to build muscle (if doing 5 days of exercise, only 2 should be cardio). For me, since I work a lot and sit for 8+ hours a day, my general rule of thumb is to get up and walk around for 10 minutes, 3 times a day. If you sit for more than 6 hours a day, it's bad for your circulation and lowers your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body consumes energy -- calories).

Exercise isn't everything though. It is necessary in our society today, but it is also necessary to understand our metabolism and know which foods don't interact with our bodies well. Exercise and diet go hand-in-hand.

[close]

About Me

I was super skinny until I was about 8. Then I took a drug for something and it messed everything up. I won't say details, but I was about 220 by the time I entered high school. I played water polo and I swam for 9th and 10th grade. In 11th grade, I stopped for a year and I went up to 260. In 12th grade, I started swimming again and started running and lifting weights the summer before college. I got down to 229. Then college hit and free food and other things happened. Then I would go up to 240 then drop to 235 and then go up to 245 and drop to 235 again. My last year of college, I was an RA. I started at 240 or so and then by the time I ended around 280. Then once I started work, I got up to 300, because I wasn't walking at all and getting lazier. At this point (2014), exercise wasn't helping and I was eating somewhat well.

So I go see my endocrinologist and she doesn't know what's happening because I am in fantastic health and not at risk for high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease. Even my metabolism is perfect. So after I get a higher dosage for my thyroid pills, I think it's finally starting to work. I started walking a little bit every day when I'm at work and I think it's fine. It's going to take a while for everything to get back down to the weight that I was at when I was in China (because I had a bunch of clothes made). I've reached the point to not thinking about what I eat mainly because what I am eating is really healthy.

[close]

Okay, there is just so much wrong in this post, that I almost threw my PC out of the window. Good thing it was closed.
I will get on to this, when I get home... Probably... Like... Wtf is that post... Just no to almost everything.

As Xaoz said, fats and carbohydrates are less calories per gram than proteins.

NO! I NEVER SAID THAT! NO! NOT AT ALL!

[mikey]

So here's my question:
how should your regimen/diet change depending on whether you want to gain weight or lose weight?
Cause I want to gain some

[Xaoz]

So here's my question:
how should your regimen/diet change depending on whether you want to gain weight or lose weight?
Cause I want to gain some

Depends on what weight you want to gain and how much in what time? Fat? Muscles? Fat and muscles?! I cannot answer this question with the information you provided. I can say is... You probably will need to eat more when you want to gain weight... Surprise?

[mikey]

Muscles, duh
why would I want to be fatter
Like my sister's boyfriend wanted to gain weight and he started eating a ton of like eggs and protein shakes and working out every day.  Is that a good way to do it or is there a better way for me to go about gaining a bit of weight?  Not looking for anything too serious just like 10-20 pounds to put me in the same percentile as my height