new thread
There were several Valentines day sweets in the office kitchen today, among them this eclair that looked like it could choke a horse. The eclairs that I'm used to seeing are no bigger than the bannanas. When I came back, somebody had sliced it in half; but I wonder how many people actually eat this and say "just one eclair".
Probably quite a few. Restaurant portions are getting bigger and the owners think they're doing us all a favor by 'giving our money's worth.' All they're doing is contributing to the obesity of Americans. BTW, I know what restaurant that eclair came from and yes, they're known for their big portions...
Let's you and me and Steve go there!
Bill
[making pig noises and anticipating eclair cream in his beard]
Sounds like you're doing the Oink Oink Boogie! :) I can just visual an eclair in your beard! Going to the restaurant might be a possibility... :)
--Rick
...and with modern mass food production and marketing, most of us have forgotten how to eat to nourish our bodies. Now we eat huge amounts of junk and mostly consume for pleasure.
Eeyup, genetically-engineer'd food, largely grains and animal sources. These aren't even labelled as such. Write your Congressmen. An artist fr. Australia, Patricia Piccinnini, does some creepily realistic horror-movie-quality sculptures showing the dangers of genetic engineering.
Your Hair Religion site's GRRR8 there, BTW. Is that braid yours? I cannot WAIT 'til I can do THAT again! Thank you for reminding me.
Yours in worshipful longhair'd camaraderie,
Quenyan
NY
In addition to that we sit on our duffs and don't get out and move
around. There are exceptions of course there is a tiny minority of people who walk, run or hike, Bill being one of them.
Kevin
That is one of the big problems with weight in this country. The key to loosing weight is simple math.....want to loose weight? Then burn off more calories than you consume.
Walling is a fantastic form of excercize, you can do it anywhere
at anytime. (To a certain extent).
Very true. I just finished a good book called "Living Cuisine" about the raw foods lifestyle. I have no intention of living a lifestyle completely based on raw foods, but the book does a fantastic job of making you aware of what you're putting in your body.
>Re: Our food supply is ''contaminated'' with crap...
Ain't that the truth.
Look at all the cases of Salmonella in recent months.
Also look at how many contaminants can be legally
in your food.
by cutting out anything that has high fructose corn syrup in it. That pretty much eliminates sodas (including diet soda), ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, a lot of fruit juices... probably 70-80% of most American food products, actually. Of course, I also exercised regularly, mostly on the treadmill and some light weights 3-5 times per week. It helps to have some organic foods available here on my university campus, too, but corn syrup is really the main thing that was keeping me fat.
Really, calories mean nothing, as long as they're healthy calories. The key is to look at the ingredients label, and if there's anything listed that you really can't pronounce, chances are it's only going to make you fat or otherwise unhealthy.
Try cutting out high fructose corn syrup for two weeks (you'll find it in stuff you wouldn't at first think it'd be in) and have a little light exercise a few times a week, and you'll see the pounds drop off... guaranteed. =)
-James
I agree with you about the high fructose corn syrup [HFCS}. After becoming more aware of it I started reading labels more carefully and realized that HFCS is just about everywhere. An interesting project... make an effort to go one day without consuming HFCS. I did that a couple of months ago. It can be done but you really have to be aware of what you're eating...
--Rick
I also lost about 60 pounds to get down to my ideal weight.
The key for me was not HFCS, rather it was making
a list of what I eat, cutting the calories down and
also getting a excercize every day.
But take a look at the calories in what you eat. You'd be
amazed at how much calories those foods have.
Another key to weight control, instead of eating sweets
eat fruits and vegetables.
Think of it as a food budget, you've got a certain amount
of calaries available today.
Wow, I'm truly impressed. I can't begin to imagine what a task it must be to eliminate HFCS from your diet. I'm in awe!
Congratulations on the weight loss James! I whole-heartedly agree HFCS is the reason why we're over eating. If Americans stopped bottle feeding it in its various forms, to their children, we would see a reduction in childhood obesity.
Bruce
I've long held the opinion that the food industry is slow poisoning people by adding ingredients to "food" that have nothing to do with nutrition- and high fructose corn syrup is a BIGGIE. There are other unnatural sugars, salts, preservatives, and colorings that are present to make the commodity more salable; make it LOOK fresher, increase its shelf life, and to enhance its flavor, increasing chances of a repeat buy. From a business standpoint, supermarkets exists solely to make money, just like any other business- and government regulations (FDA) spell out exactly how close "food" manufacturers can come to poisoning customers without breaking the law.
It requires little more than common sense to look at an ingredients list and ask yourself if a specific item listed would have a place in a natural food chain. In general I prefer shorter lists that do not include chemical flavor and color enhancers, including high fructose corn syrup. Keeping to as simple and balanced a diet as possible will pay dividends in physical health as well as the health of the hair on your head.
Good for you! I haven't cut it out 100% from my diet, but I read lables and do my best. I don't have a weight issue, but extra sugar in everything just isn't healthy. Basically I won't buy any groceries containing the stuff and I shy away from the processed junk food that sometimes shows up at work. I'm sure I still encounter it when eating out, but I mostly eat at home or take my own meals someplace so that's not a significant problem. I follow the same action plan with hydroginated oils. I don't even bother reading the nutritional information first since that's misleading ("0 Trans Fat" is often code for "contains less that 0.5 grams/serving"). Same goes for artificial sweetners.
Mouse
Hi James, a standard formula for calculating correct weight for
men is: 5' tall 106 lbs. add 6 lbs per inch of height. At a
height of 6'9" you are 21 inches taller than base value.
(21*6)+106 = 232 lbs. If light boned, subtract 10% (209 lbs).
If big boned add 10% (255 lbs).
You look light boned to me, from your photos, so 209 lbs would
probably be about right. I just watched you video. You have
slender wrists which means you are light boned.
The formula works for maybe 75% of the population. Some people
have unusually long legs or unusually long torsos for their
height. (There is a guy here who is 6'3" tall and 150 lbs. and
his weight is alright. He has very long legs and a short torso.)
Anyway, keep growing your hair. It is getting better each and
every day.
Scott
I weigh 178 lbs (I'm skinny, I know)...
Still, quite handy to figure out a good weight.
Wow, you are quite thin. I was guessing you weighed 200 lbs. Again, if your legs are relatively long and your torso is relatively short, you can easily get by being lighter in weight. For most people, the majority body weight is in the torso.
Scott
Yep, my legs are quite long. If you know a good place where I can regularly find 36x38 jeans, let me know! =D
Hi James,
First of all congratulations on the weight loss as that is phenomenal.Now not only have you lost a lot of weight but you have outstanding hair to go along with that accomplishment.As for a place to buy extra long jeans did you try ebay?Actually I've had great success as I need 28x36 jeans and boy is that hard to find!However I've picked up brand new Levi's that way in that hard to find size.Another route I went was designer jeans which are expensive but they have the size and fit that I like and need.The brand I get is Dior Homme by Christian Dior.Like I said though great jeans but not cheap.One other alternative would be wrangler jeans as they seem to sell that long length over 34.Anyway hope this helps.Take care my friend.Mark
Heheheh, I know this story all too well. I'm pretty small...a leaf to be honest. Most 28's are baggy on me, so out of desperation one day, mom jokingly said I should try on some of hers...they fit perfectly, and don't look at all feminine. LONG LIVE VICTORIA'S SECRET! I'm a size...2p I think.
LOL! I think finding a pair of pants that fits can be a challenge for anyone at least sometimes. For me if they fit in the waist they're too tight in the hips and if they fit in the hips they're baggy around the waist. Now I just wear a belt all the time for anything that doesn't have a drawstring or elastic.
I actually bought and wore boy shorts for ages as a teenager. All of the shorts for girls were WAY TOO SHORT for my comfort.
Mouse
Probably the best place to find them is either on line,
at a levis store if you have one near you, or at a
big and tall store if you have one near you.
First off, 50 pounds in a year is amazing! Good job! As someone else said, e-bay is totally the answer! It's just about the only place I can get pants too! (29x34... um yeah, that forumla doesn't work for me either. It puts me at about 150 pounds... and I've never been over 120.
Again, amazing job!
-Austin
try express for men. they tend to specialize in smaller sizes with different lengths. i got my boyfriend to shop there one day, and now he won't go anywhere else for pants. (he's 6'3" and 150lbs). jeans run about $60-90 a pair, but they last forever. (and they have sales wuite often)
I'm not to sure about this in all cases. I'm 5' 10"; that makes my ideal weight 166, add the big boned ten percent for 172.6. I weigh 205, but am not overweight at all. If I were to lose 30 lbs, I'd look like a skeleton. My ribs stick out now. I guess the charts and formulas are basic guidlines though.
I am 5'8" with a torso length that would be about right for someone 6' tall. I have short legs and a long torso, relative to my height. Does that mean I could weigh 178 rather than 154? (In fact I weigh over 200lb). Just trying to figure it out.
I actually used to weigh precisely 178 before I moved to the USA. What does that tell you? IMHO there is very little unprocessed food here and there are virtually no sidewalks (pavements in the Queeen's English), which is how I explain my weight gain.
Hi Alun, 178 lbs would be a good weight for someone with a stocky build and 5'8" tall. Most of your weight is in your torso. If your body fat percentage is not overly high, you could weigh even more and be OK.
Not all processed food is bad. Whole grain bread has to be processed. It is ground and baked and it is good for you. Try to minimize eating junk food. (An occasional doughnut won't hurt you, but try to limit such treats to maybe once a week.)
Be sure to get enough exercise. Walking, cycling, running. In the winter, maybe do cross country skiing.
Scott
Of course in winter you can resort to the old stand by for
excercize....shoveling snow. We had record snow fall in
December so it was a source for a lot of excercize that month.
I'm undertall! ~grin~
At my weight, I should be something over 8 feet tall. *sigh*
One thing to remember, calories are calories. It is amazingly possible to binge on carrots, grapes, brown rice, cabbage... even with no dressings or toppings.
I'm so happy to see someone who realizes the harm in using high fructose corn syrup! I've always been skinny so I can't speak from prsonal experience, but I have done quite a bit of reading on the topic and have recommended the "diet" to anyone who asks. Every one of my friends who tried it lost a considerable amount of weight.
Another danger of soda in particular is that you get consume massive amounts of calories and not feel one bit full.
Anyways...just thought I'd throw my two cents in =P
*steps off soap box*
Wow! I've seen your pics on your homepage and it's amazing how you changed. Both, loosing weight and growing your hair made you much more attractive, I think.
Congratulations!
Thank you! Much obliged... and welcome to the site! =)
I saw your homepage in your last update, the change is really apparent, in the best way of course. Long hair really suits you too.
Well it's also becoming the case over here in the UK here people are being diagnosed as clinically overweight. It's true of alot of people that they don't take regular exercise and don't eat the right foods.
For myself I do at least an hours brisk walking a day and that is very good cardio-vascular exercise and you don't have to go on a tread machine in a gym. To be honest I'm not interested in gyms and walk and some swimming is good exercise and also giving up smoking 2 years ago has helped and yes I'm asthmatic and should have known better.
The other thing is that I always have 5 portions of fruits/veg a day and that certainly helps. I also tend to cook for myself and refrain the take aways or ready made foods. There is nothing wrong with home cooked food and ask anyone that has visited by place for dinner and they will tell you.
I may lot be loosing tonnes in weight but I've got good regular blood pressure and healthy and we all can't be like a bean pole. Mind you the odd treat of a cadbury choc bar is fine!
Cheers,
John.B
Yum yum...
No, but look what your diet has done to your spelling!
Yeah, you need to hit those cadbury bars.... [wink]
Bill
Well I may not be able to spell but I know the difference between metric and imperial measurements!
That triangular choc bars are not the same as the lovely white star delights we see sometimes.
Cheers,
John.B
We sure don't, except for the common units. How many megagrams are in a "tonne"? How do you pronounce that word "tonnes"? Is it tunnis, tones, or tonays? Or is it the same as tons? (That would be dumb since the two would be the same when spoken, so probably not.) My first guess would be tonays since the metric system came from France. And speaking of France....
You have no idea how much work I went to to get that chocolate bar. I had an urge for one. Here in San Francisco you can buy any one of a variety of them at any corner store, but we were in Paris. For half an hour we had wandered before finding a street vendor who had chocolate, and that was the only kind he had. Most people who are hungry in France don't pine to be in England, but when it comes to chocolate, England would have been much better!
Bill
To answer your question, a tonne IS a megagram or 1,000 kilograms and is slightly larger than a short ton (1,000 lbs) but a little more than half of a long ton or "regular ton" (2,000 lbs.)
I'm not sure how to pronounce it though.
Ah, so it's slang for a megagram like "buck" is for a dollar. The metric system is not supposed to have such slang words, of course, since it is so pure. [grin]
Thanks!
Bill
I have lost 75 ibs just by switching my diet from refined foods to whole grains. Over time, I have gradually gone to more natural, and less processed food. While I haven't consumed a lot of HFCS in products, I do eat some in condiments I use. No hydrogenated oils or trans-fat in my diet, fruits veggies, whole grain bread, cereal, pasta, etc. Get rid of all the junk food, and eat unrefined grains, and you lose weight without even trying. I cannot really exercise, due to severe disability, so it took me years to lose that weight. I continue to lose, which is fine with me. I have actually lost my taste for the refined and processed junk I used to eat. One of the best benefits of whole grain, you can't eat as much, because the fiber expands in your stomache, so your portions become smaller naturally. White bread and it's processed cousins are the worst thing you could eat.
Carol
Congrats to you as well Carol!
Bruce
High!
On the other side of the Big Pond, overweight is an issue as well... according to the latest official nutrition report, a cool 75 % of all adult German men are overweight (i. e. BMI > 25... which is somewhat inaccurate as trained, muscular men very often also have BMIs above 25 though nobody would call them obese!)... and, sadly, I'm no exception (currently 269 lbs at 5'11 which gives a BMI of about 37).
According to my own experience, leaving out ALL sweets COMPLETELY works (15 lbs in three months)... and owning no car/motorbike of course helps too!
See you in Khyberspace!
Yadgar
I just use the cropping tool on all of my pictures and that solves the problem. Yep, I just crop the ole belly. See how easy that was. Now, I can eat all I want. mmmmmmmm.......
jeff.
Resizing photos with the "proportional" box unchecked, so you can make them narrower than they used to be, also works!
Bill
The overweight issue boils down to two factors: consuming more than 2000 Calories per day and living a sedentary lifestyle. How much fat a person consumes, be it trans-fats or saturated fats, has no effect on weight. The only influence is going to be that those fats are going to integrated into your cells and decrease the membrane fluidity as well as being used in the synthesis of cholesterols. While we're on the issue of trans and saturated fats, when a product says there are no trans-fats, one should consider that trans-fats(unsaturated) function chemically and biologically equivalent to saturated fats.
Theres plenty out there that eat that and say "well it's just one" or something along those lines...but then again how many Heroin addicts took their first shot saying "it's just one"? I used to weigh almost 350 lbs until I cut out most sweets, all soda, pizza, chips, and fast food except for Subway and El Pollo Loco. Now I weigh 200 and get plenty of exercise when I'm doin a gig with my band...
I was looking for a befor pic, but I cant find a readily accesible one, but here's me about a year ago....
I've been out of town the past week and had to give up my usual diet of raw fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fat free dairy, green tea, and homemade salad dressing. If this sounds like the beginning of satire, it's not. That's what I really eat most of the time. I allow myself some candy, a little red meat in soups, and a bit of cheese in the evenings. But I was in a part of the country last week that isn't really into this kind of food, and I had to eat out all the time because we were extremely busy so I had to cave in to fast food. All I can say is it sure is great to be home and back on the usual food.
Americans are as fat as they are because the food they eat is all they know about and they are conditioned to like it. Ditto for the portion size. Small portions don't make them feel full, because they never eat small portions long enough to let their digestion adjust to smaller amounts of food. It takes a few days of feeling hungry to get used to smaller portion sizes.
When they try to eat healthily, they give it up because they don't like the way the food tastes because they don't have the right attitude. Sure it tastes different, but different doesn't mean bad. But instead of thinking this is different and I'll get used to it, they don't give it a chance, and go back to processed grease, salt, starch, refined sugar and corn syrup, and saturated fat. Again, it takes a few weeks to get used to a diet change. Humans evolved to eat natural foods; not processed food, a development of the past century, but food scientists have learned how to come up with "mirage foods" that trick the palate and brain into a positive response to chemicals.
If overweight people would give a healthy diet a chance, they'd eventually realize that they feel fantastic, don't get sleepy in mid-afternoon, look great, and that they would have an excuse to go shopping for smaller clothes. But none of this happens overnight. You have to give it a month at least. I was the poster boy for red meat, microwaveable entrees, full fat dairy, and all of that. I felt like crap, and the widest part of my body was at my navel. then I found I had a lot of arterial plaque and a cardiologist put me on the diet above. So I got religion because I had to. I wish others would beforehand. BTW, a regular program of strength building and aerobic exercise is just as important as diet to feeling good.