Tips for losing weight

[Armin]

Angel,Feb 3 2005, 10:50 PM]A question about diet. A year or so ago, I noticed that I was getting bigger, and cut back on my snacks. I switched sprite and cola with orange juice (100% pure of course), I stopped eating chips, chocolate, cookies and other snacks on a regular basis, and I started eating a bit healthier. Now I'm actually conscious about what I eat.

edit: Armin, the reason I take vitamin supplements is simply because I'm not that big a fan of fish. I enjoy eating a good meal. Similarly, I dislike having to eat something I don't like. (You're probably seeing where this is going). When I was a kid, I had to eat stuff I didn't like all the time, but when I became an adult I avoided all the meals I knew I wouldn't enjoy. So instead of eating the stuff I don't like, I take vitamins every day.
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a few extras to add:

The 100% pure Orange juice actually is still pretty high in calories, simply for the high amount of sugar (in this case, mostly fructose, but the net calories are pretty much the same as sucrose or glucose). I switched to mineral water with the occasional orange or multifruit drink in between (no more than 2 glasses a day) and I use a brand that's 50% fruit and 50% water with nutrasweet. Still tastes fine, but has half the calories of plain 100% juice.

Also, be careful when switching from sugar to artificial sweeteners (or, for instance coke light), as the human body can be a bitch. When you drink or eat something that is very sweet, but has no actual sugar in it, your taste buds still warn the digestive system "watch out, sugar coming". Your pancreas will secrete Insulin in anticipation, but no actual sugar is coming, thus your blood sugar drops and you become *extremely* hungry.
Many a diet has failed that way ;)

And on the vitamins: as mentioned, there is a more than sufficient amount of most vitamins in A LOT of different foodstuffs. Unless you live on a 100% pizza and burger diet, there is NO WAY you actually can get too little of one of them from a normal, healthy mix of foodstuffs that you like. There's nothing that's ONLY in fish, or only in fruit.
For example, there's a surprisingly high amount of vitamin C in *potatoes*, almost all meats contain B and E complexes and lots of minerals, milk and cheeses contain calcium and vitamin D, A is in MANY fruits and vegetables and so on. The folks propagating taking pills propagate SELLING them. Period.

Btw: same goes for the cholesterol lie. Generations have avoided eggs and butter because of a publicity stunt by plant fat marketing... :P
Cholesterol is a vital part of our cell membranes, without it we plain die, and most people CANNOT affect their blood levels by more than +/- 10 percent with dietary changes. Eat all the eggs and butter you like Occhi B)

And one final word on the occasional french fries (or other unhealthy snack): Personally I think they aren't only OK, they are absolutely NECESSARY for the long term feasability of ANY diet. If you miss something you crave for, you will give in at some point anyway. Treat youself to one bit of cholcolate per day, or one burger per week. Do it consciously and with thought and you'll feel better about it, and hold out indefinitely. Most diets fail because of TOO MUCH self-resctriction. All things in moderation is what always works best in the long run :rolleyes: