Tips for losing weight

[[wcip]Angel]

Hi!

For Christmas last year I got a membership at the local gym from my parents, and I've started working out. The primary goal of exercising (for me) is to lose weight and to become thin again. A six-pack stomach, some visible pecs and a bit of strength in my arms wouldn't hurt either, but those goals are secondary to me fitting into my old pants again. :) It's been 3 years since I did any kind of regular work-out (gym-classes in High school :P) and I've noticed an increasing bulge around my waist. I decided it was time to take action into my own hands and do something about it. Magic didn't work, neither did yelling obsceneties at my stomach, so I had to think of something else.

I'm 22 years old, 1.70cm tall and I weigh 67kg. (5.7", 148lbs)

I've signed up for a year, but obviously, I'm interested in getting results as quick as possible, and I thought I'd ask you if you had any experience in losing weight and/or building muscles. I've done some reading, but in similar fashion to discussing history; many people have conflicting views about what is "correct".

Example: I've heard that caffeine allows your body to lose weight more easily (this is the lay-man explanation, in case you didn't notice :P), so a cup of strong coffee an hour before working out is recommended. Then I heard that caffeine has the opposite effect. (I read these things in Norwegian articles, so I can't really show you who said what, but both sides of the debate are well-respected and both seem to know what they're talking about.)

Another example is water. Some say drink much, some say drink very little, and some say the ideal is to drink water in moderate amounts.

How often should one exercise a week? My doctor told me 3 hours a week, which amounts to 2-3 work-outs, but my friends and I are planning to work out 4-5 times a week. Is that overkill? I've heard you should have a day of rest between each work-out. Is this also recommended, or just utter nonsense?

Obviously, now that I've started working out, I want to do it as efficiently as possible, without hurting myself or ruining my motivation. Do you have any experience on this topic? Do you have any helpful hints or tips for a someone who's just starting out? I take vitamins every day. Are there any other supplements I can/should take to lose weight faster? I'm not interested in anything illegal or dangerous (steroids or the like), but are protein shakes helpful at all? I'm not stupid, I won't be eating any "healthy chocolate bars" which promise immediate weight loss, but I've heard from several people it helps to be rich on protein when you work out, and that chicken and tuna should play a large role in my diet. Seeing as tuna tastes like crap, I'll have to stick with chicken.

I guess I could google myself silly looking for answers to all these questions, but I'm looking for experience from people I trust (i.e you); people who have been in the same or similar situation. I don't see myself taking advice from someone who looks like they might have modelled for the posters on my gym.

I appreciate any help you can give me.

Cheers!

- [wcip]Angel

[Armin]

Losing weight (aka fat) or GAINING weight (aka muscle) ? ;)

First thing to realise is, that these two aims cannot easily be reached with the same training regime. Burning fat requires another approach than rapidly building muscle.

I'll skip the building muscle part, as I have no exp whatsoever with that, but I can share some advice on how to lose about 100 pounds... :rolleyes:

First general advice, as a biologist, former medical researcher and general enemy of ripoff schemes: completely ditch all vitamin pills. NO citizen in any industrialised western nation with access to a normal supermarket has ANY need for artificial vitamin supplements. A healthy and diverse diet will suffice 100%. Some fruit and vegetables, a balanced diet that includes milk, meat in moderation, the occasional fish dish and high quality oil and you will consume ALL necessary vitamins and minerals in abundance.
More does not help at all, and there are some vitamins where an overdose is actually detrimental to your health (too much A for example causes osteoporosis).

The effect of coffee is a pretty complex one, and I think on average it neither helps nor hinders. Too much of it (more than 5 cups a day) is generally not recommended. SAme for the water: I think it's a generally wise approsach to, when in doubt, listen to the people first who recommend the middle approach ;)

The most primitive key to lose weight, is simply that you have to burn more calories than you consume. No other approch, no matter what ads promise, has ever worked in the long term to my knowledge. Frankly, no human body I found so far violates the two main laws of thermodynamics :P

The first thing your body will use up, though, are the glycogen deposits in your liver. Only after a loger period of time will the organism switch to actually burning fat. Thus, burning fat generally requires longer periods of workout, with a moderate strain. Sprints don't burn fat, and when you have sore muscles after the workout you overdid it. In that case the body took the muscle's own emergency supply, not fat cells.

Swimming, jogging and bicycling are generally better for weight loss than workout with weights. An hour, two or better 3 times a week will do. Half an hour every single day is even better.

In your diet, reduce calory input a bit, but not too drastic. At your age you'll probably need about 2500-2700 calories a day for normal upkeep. 3000 with some workout. Reducing this to 2000 will already have an effect in the long run, and make it easier to keep it after after you reach your goal. A well balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, enough fibers and unsaturated fatty acids will go a a long way. Don't fall for some "low carb" or other schemes. Fashion crazes with dangerous side effects :wacko:

Chicken is overrated IMO, ANY meat (in moderation) with a low fat content is OK. Tuna isn't ideal acually, as far as fish goes, it's a pretty fat one ;)

Balanced, 2000 or maybe 1800 calories a day (tables are easily available) and choosing things that you actually LIKE (with some help from a calory table) will work much better than supplements, tricks or advertised shortcuts.

YOu'll see, success comes pretty easy - and long term that way ;)

[Walkiry]

Just a few things that will probably look obvious:

1. The body is like a bank account, calories go in, and calories go out. It really is that simple, if more go in than out, you start gaining weight; if more go out than come in, well... :) So, it's not of much use to do, say, one hour of exercise and then eat a chocolate bar that will put right back most of the calories you'Ve burned. You're gonna have to check what you eat.

2. Simple stuff: Cut the snacks, replace chips and munchies for fruit and vegetables, Trim down your portions. Eat everything, just eat a little bit less of each and avoid the quick way out when hunger strikes.

3. Exercise for cardio and weight loss is great, but if you want a six-pack you're gonna have to do some weights mixed in with the aerobic. If you're interested in muscle building don't look as much at your weight, rather look at the size of your clothes. Muscle is dense and heavy, and you can lose quite a bit of size without losing much in the form of weight if you replace fat with muscle.

EDIT: And, thus, the two biologists agree. Rejoice! (Hi Armin!)

[Jeunemaitre]

I'm 22 years old, 1.70cm tall and I weigh 67kg. (5.7", 148lbs)

Hey wait a minute... I'm about 5'7", and I weigh about 150lbs.
[sneaks a peak at his own mid section] :unsure:
Hmm. Maybe I should get out a bit more.

I'm 26 and had a similar experience, but mine came after graduating from college. Then I did the math and realized that in going from student to working professional I'd lost about 3 miles of walking per day (between the trip back and forth to campus and between classes plus marching band rehearsals for 2hrs 3-5 nights a week). The good thing was that I was able to adjust my eating habits to account for the decrease in calories needed to get through the average day so I didn't gain more than one pant size.

As far as work-outs, I can't stand going to a gym. Not enough to keep my mind entertained while simply pushing or pulling on panels of a machine or weights. I do however have several friends that are very much into the gym-based work-out. Personally, I try to get on my bike and ride (when I can) in decent wether, but the winter is a difficult time for me (speaking of which, snow is currently falling outside my window, which means it will take me an extra hour to get home. Blasted southerners who don't know how to drive in snow :angry: ).

I agree with Armin, adjusting your diet and your general activity level seem to be the surest way to bring weight under control. The problems many people have in this type of life change is the inability to maintaint a commitment for a long enough period of time to see drastic results. However, judging by what I look like, I don't think drastic results are something your interested in. Good luck to you, and all the others who wage the War On Weight™ on a daily basis.

[jahcs]

As the others have said, balance calories with activity, eat healthy, cut the fatty snacks.

Do not worry too much about weight (pounds or kg). It will vary daily and being hydrated and fit may not fit some experts "ideal placement on the chart of perfect health." Weight is an easy way to measure progress but there is an easier method...

Pay attention to how you feel. After the "break in period" you should begin to feel more alert, have more energy, sleep better, and your body shape and composition will improve visibly. Your muscle to fat ratio should begin to change and over time the size of your waist and most anywhere else you store fat should begin to get smaller while muscle mass should begin to increase. (YMMV ;) )

My workout suggestion for your stated goal is to do activities similar to aerobic weight training. Resistance excercises like swimming and rowing are excellent. Also, many gyms may have a weight circut designed to keep your heart rate near an aerobic level while using various weight machines to work the entire body.

My last piece of advice is stick with a training plan for a period of time and then change the plan a bit. This will help prevent boredom and your body will not get used to a specific workout, which may slow down your progress.

[[wcip]Angel]

Thanks for all your responses. I definitely learned something new :)

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.

But is it a question of removing *every* piece of snack or unwholly dish from my diet, or can I have a portion of french fries every once in a while (say once a week.) Obviously, I'm looking for acceptance here: "Yes, Angel, once a week is ok!" due to the fact that I'm already indulging in a platter of french fries at my bar every wednesday after band rehearsals. One of the friends I work out with told me that you need 1 day pr week to indulge yourself a little bit, otherwise you'll lose motivation *fast*. This line of argument seems logically sound to me, but how far does that single plate of french fries reduce my weight-losing-outlook? Is it worth getting rid of that final piece of culinary enjoyment?

Also, while we're on the topic of alcohol, I know it's a big "no-no" and all, but if you had to choose a type of alcohol to consume, which would be best suited for someone trying to lose weight? I'm not a beer-drinker myself, but I do like a nice pear cider. Assuming cutting back is not an option, should I stick with it, or choose something more "wholesome", like clean vodka or something?

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.

[jahcs]

I am no expert so beware. :P

I would say a reasonable portion of fries, hard cider or almost anything else won't do much harm. By platter I hope you mean a small plate and not a turkey platter. :D

Even a small amount of arsenic won't kill. Of course, it depends on our individual definitions of small. Then there's the bioaccumulation to worry about...

[Occhidiangela]

Hi!

For Christmas last year I got a membership at the local gym from my parents, and I've started working out.

I'm 22 years old, 1.70cm tall and I weigh 67kg. (5.7", 148lbs)
-snip-
I appreciate any help you can give me.

Cheers!

- [wcip]Angel
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Drink water, a few cups of coffee each day won't kill you, but keep it to two 8 oz cups is my advice. (Which I am presently in violation of!)

What worked for me when I was 34. I had a very successful weight loss regimen that worked very well. It included my wife's preference for Weight Watchers diet schemes, and was based on lowering fat intake and increasing calorie burn rates. Waist went from 35 to 31.5. The pants started to hang on me, which at the time was fine. Wish I had stayed there, that's another story.

My workouts for the weight loss portion, I lost and kept off successfully for two years 17 pounds. Went from 175ish to 158, height 5' 8."

Based on the advice of some of my fitness friends, I tailored workouts to be fat burning, greater emphasis on aerobic versus anaerobic. Had popped a hamstring the year before in a flag football league, and decided that fast twitch days were behind me.

What they advised me, similar to Armin's comment, is that to burn fat you need to burn through the locally stored energy source and keep the burn going for a bit longer. For me that translated into workouts that lasted 10-15 minutes past the 20 minute "get to the fat" threshold. You will want no less than 4 workouts per week. Even if you do two or three per week aimed at strength, you will want either jogging, running, bike, eliptical trainer (aerobic sessions) that you sustain for a good 30 minutes. All above that is gravy. If you can vary them, that is a good way to prevent boredom and loss of motivation.

I would vary my running between 2 1/2/ and 4 1/2 miles during the week. To ensure any run burns fat of some sort, aim for a 3-4 mile jog run. A bike or rowing machine for 30 minutes can sometimes be made more pleasant with an Ipod (orsimilar device) and a set of headphones. Our gym had news on TV all the time, so my bike rides would be made bearable by watching HNN's 30 minute rotation.

For ab shaping, make sure that each workout includes three or four different ab exercises. If you work the abs, make sure you also work the lower back.

At the time I was not interested in gaining lots of muscle mass in any hurry. However, after the first four months, I started to put three strength workouts in per week, since by that time my jogging was consistently 3.5 to 5 miles, three times per week.

The end result was that I raised my resting calorie burn rate.

Diet?

Went the "lower fat" route. Skim milk. Non fat yogurt with my own fruit chopped into it. Small servings of pasta or rice with meet. (1/4 to 1/3 of a cup.) Plenty of veg. We even shopped for and used low fat bread for sandwiches. I like eggs, and they were fine. The missus got in a panic about cholesterol in egg yolks and some folks should keep an eye on that. I learned to make a good egg white ommlette (three eggs, yolks removed, veggies and mushrooms chopped into it, and a little sharp cheddar for flavor.) From my days as a short order cook, I kept my trick of adding a bit of water, skim milk, and 1/8 tsp of baking powder to keep the eggs fluffy in the omlette. :D I was at sea level, if you are at high altitude, you may need a 1/4 tsp.

Using the weight watchers "low, less, and no" fat menus, my wife had a bunch left over from a previous run through that program, there were three degrees of difficulty that any weekly menu plan allowed for, we varied from week to week, rarely the using the "no" fat regimen.

What did I miss most?

Besides bacon with my eggs, cheese. While we used occasional low fat cheese slices on some foods, Parmesan cheese on any number of fish and vegetable dishes, my habits of cheese and crackers went down the loo. I also cut waaaaaay back on a favorite food, peanut butter.

Chips/crisps were almost non-existent in our house, replaced by chopped carrots, cucumber, peppers, celery etc, usually dipped into one of a variety of mostly vinegar/olive oil salad dressing mixed with Good Seasons packages. Fresh fruit was the most common snack.

The discipline of the menu plan, which we shopped to, was a huge bonus in keeping on the diet and eating recipes we enjoyed. I like to cook, so it was little trouble.

Typical lunch would be a sandwich (no cheese, thin coat of low fat mayo on one slice) with a bunch of sliced apples or orange wedges, and a handful of veggie sticks for "munchies." I saved money the whole time by eliminating McD's and other fast foods completely from my life.

This approach allowed me to still drink beer in moderation, though I tended to keep lite beers in the fridge in order to keep the burn requirement down to a dull roar. Otherwise, more miles per week required. The occasional Guinness was a real treat, just not a regular occurrence. When thirsty, after the morning coffee, it was water. On cool nights, boil a teapot full of water, and either use tea, herbal tea, or squeeze in lemon or lime.

One of the nice things about building more upper body muscle mass, which you seem to want to do, is that it is lean body mass and helps keep your burn rate higher if you keep working out the upper body. Without killing yourself, you can maintain musclel tone and shape while allowing for the occasional milkshake or banana split.

The whole approach requires a positive in attitude, a habit of exercise that you have already set up to take on, and a small ration of self discipline. And, the will to, on any given morning, get up and either hit the bike or the road for that day's workout. As soon as you "take a day off" that you had scheduled for a workout, you are on the road to perdition.

I regret to report that I have since fallen off the wagon, as my running was interrupted a few years later by an ankle break that took some years to "heal right." If I want to lose a similar amount of weight, I expect it will take me much longer, since I am not yet ready for 3-5 mile runs any time soon, but that's my fault for not liking pain. (The bad ankle was run for a while, even though it hurt, which "gutting it out" helped injure an arch, a hip, and a knee, side effects that are with me today.) Also, I always walked when I golfed. Still do on almost every round of golf I play, unless there is very heavy drinking involved.

If you lose inches, but gain a bit of weight, that means is that you are replacing fat with lean body mass, which is OK. I had gotten to 154, and with roughly the same workout plan and diet was starting to gain weight and lost the last inch from my waist. My fitness nutcase buddy explained to me what went into that when I discussed my puzzlement to him over that development.

YMMV

Occhi

[Fragbait]

Hi!

Some say drink much, some say drink very little

Concerning coffee:
Coffee dehydrates the human body, so it is actually not very healthy (I know occhi won't receive this well...), and not recommended. Except of course you are an athlet body builder one day before your competition - then drain the cup to the dregs...

Concerning water:
Mineral water is one of the healthiest nourishments. Mixed with some flavour and vitamins (some call it apple juice spritzer), I'd recommend it straight away - 2 two 3 liters per day, best not less (helps your kidneys). Except of course - see coffee.

Concering workout:
Don't train the same muscle sections consecutively. Either mix it a bit (say Monday the tummy, tuesday the biceps, Wednesday the back...) or leave a day to relax in between. Also don't overdo it, 30-45 minutes is fully sufficient and easier to keep up. Take your time to warm-up properly for at least 10 minutes, and don't forget to stretch afterwards. If you don't stretch, it can take up to 20% longer until you see results/ you see up to 20% less results (whatever you're heading for). It largely depends on what you want, so I'm not going into detailed recommendations here, but rope skipping and some steady muscle build up is never a fault.

Concerning healthy nourishment:
I think our biologists already put it neatly.
And yes, of course you are allowed the occasional MacDo French fries. Just don't forget to skip 2 additional minutes with your rope the day after... ;)
Same goes for alcohol.

Greetings, Fragbait

[Ashock]

The only thing I'm going to add to the plethora (yep, I just looked that up in the morning) of different types of advice given to you, is to never go to bed with a full stomach, no matter what it's full of. Try to eat your last meal at least 4-5 hours before you go to sleep.



-A

[Yrrek]

Example: I've heard that caffeine allows your body to lose weight more easily (this is the lay-man explanation, in case you didn't notice :P), so a cup of strong coffee an hour before working out is recommended. Then I heard that caffeine has the opposite effect. (I read these things in Norwegian articles, so I can't really show you who said what, but both sides of the debate are well-respected and both seem to know what they're talking about.)

Personally, I do not like caffeinated drinks. From what I have read, and according to my doctor, caffeine isn't bad, but it isn't good, either. Fun fact: Apples are more efficient at waking your body up and giving you energy than caffeine! =)

Another example is water. Some say drink much, some say drink very little, and some say the ideal is to drink water in moderate amounts.

The more water you drink the better. Most people are dehydrated, and mistake thirst for hunger, which is why America, for example, has some stupidly high percentage of overweight people. It is almost impossible to drink too much water. You want to drink a lot of water because: 1) It cleans out your body 2) When you sweat you are dehydrating yourself, and if you are working out you will most likely be sweating 3) Water tastes good.

How often should one exercise a week? My doctor told me 3 hours a week, which amounts to 2-3 work-outs, but my friends and I are planning to work out 4-5 times a week. Is that overkill? I've heard you should have a day of rest between each work-out. Is this also recommended, or just utter nonsense?

Ideally I would like to exercise an hour each day. For building strength, do your core lifts one day (bench press, incline press, and squats), and your supplemental lifts the next day alternating each day. Supplemental lifts including, but not limited to: bicep curls, tricep extensions, leg curls/extensions, shoulder press etc. Each day 30+ minutes of cardio, such as jogging, stair climber (I love the stair climber!), aerobics, jump rope and many others.

To burn fat, do more cardio and use less weight while lifting, but do more repetitions.

Obviously, now that I've started working out, I want to do it as efficiently as possible, without hurting myself or ruining my motivation. Do you have any experience on this topic? Do you have any helpful hints or tips for a someone who's just starting out? I take vitamins every day. Are there any other supplements I can/should take to lose weight faster? I'm not interested in anything illegal or dangerous (steroids or the like), but are protein shakes helpful at all? I'm not stupid, I won't be eating any "healthy chocolate bars" which promise immediate weight loss, but I've heard from several people it helps to be rich on protein when you work out, and that chicken and tuna should play a large role in my diet. Seeing as tuna tastes like crap, I'll have to stick with chicken.

As to what you should eat, consult your doctor for the most accurate diet for your body and needs. It is true that protein factors into building muscle, but you do not really need to take extra protein pills or shakes unless you plan on becoming a professional body builder. Just eat regular food, with plenty of fruits and vegetables and a LOT of water. Ideally you should eat 5 times each day. Small portions each time, but concentrating on fruits and vegetables. Also it is better not to eat or exercise within two hours of going to sleep.

Hope this helps! =)

[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:

[Occhidiangela]

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)
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I do indeed, my eggs are a morning ritual at least twice a week and both days on weekends. I do like to vary how I cook them, and generally prefer olive oil to butter in most cases. I still eat dry toast, and have ever since that diet. For some reason, I just don't care for butter on my toast anymore, and rarely jelly. Weird how and when a habit changes.

I am one of the lucky ones whose genetic predisposition does not seem to be at the really high cholesterol end.

I also believe, though can't cite scientific support for "onions thin the blood and counteract fat." I have no clue as to the idea's merit. I love grilled onions, sliced onions on sandwiches, sautee'd onions, and so on. My excuse to call it healthy is that an onion is a vegetable, and one I enjoy.

Occhi

[Walkiry]

(I) prefer olive oil to butter in most cases.
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Hear, hear! ^_^

[wundergore]

Re: washboard abs. Diet will play a very inportant part in this. You have to get rid of the fat covering the muscles for them to be seen. A million crunches a day will give you really strong abs, but won't matter if you don't adjust your diet. Also pay attention to the obliques, these are the muscles that when defined give you that nice "v" look to your stomach.

As noted, cardio is good for burning fat, but also consider adding strength training sessions as that will increase your lean muscle mass thus allowing you to burn more calories "at rest." I would also consider in investing in a couple of sessions with a personal trainer to get started. They not only will get you on the right path in the gym, they can also provide nutritional/diet advice as well.

W<

[Kylearan]

Hi,

Concerning coffee:
Coffee dehydrates the human body, so it is actually not very healthy (I know occhi won't receive this well...), and not recommended.

I thought so myself until today, when I read an article in the newspaper that this is a myth. According to the article, a study had been done a long time ago which seemed to show this, and since it sounded so convincing, the idea became wide-spread. But now, several scientific mistakes have been found in the original study, and new studies have been made. According to them, drinking a normal amount of coffee (not more than 4-6 cups per day, depending on your physical disposition) won't dehydrate your body, and in fact will count towards your total amount of water your body needs per day.

The sources quoted in the article sounded credible, and the explanation what caffeine does to your body (and what not) sounded good to a non-biologist like me as well, but that may not mean much. :P I could provide more details if you want.

-Kylearan

[Occhidiangela]

Hi,
I thought so myself until today, when I read an article in the newspaper that this is a myth. According to the article, a study had been done a long time ago which seemed to show this, and since it sounded so convincing, the idea became wide-spread. But now, several scientific mistakes have been found in the original study, and new studies have been made. According to them, drinking a normal amount of coffee (not more than 4-6 cups per day, depending on your physical disposition) won't dehydrate your body, and in fact will count towards your total amount of water your body needs per day.

The sources quoted in the article sounded credible, and the explanation what caffeine does to your body (and what not) sounded good to a non-biologist like me as well, but that may not mean much. :P &nbsp; I could provide more details if you want.

-Kylearan
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There is the small problem that caffeine acts as a mild diuretic, in terms of speeding the flushing of the system functions in your body. Water meets your needs just as well, without speeding up any processes unduly.

We had a number of pilots that I flew with in the late 1980's suffer kidney stones, and be lost from our roster for some weeks, due at least in part to flying/operating in a very hot environment and drinking a lot of iced tea/coke rather than water. The flight surgeons were very explicit on their guidance and medical advice on why caffeine, and backed up their admonitions to us with well grounded medical factors. That said, each person's body will react somewhat differently to the same influence, and it must be said that each of those cases did not have the caffeine intake as the sole determinant: but it was a factor. (Based on their briefs to us.)

Occhi

[Hammerskjold]

>One of the friends I work out with told me that you need 1 day pr week to indulge yourself a little bit, otherwise you'll lose motivation *fast*. This line of argument seems logically sound to me, but how far does that single plate of french fries reduce my weight-losing-outlook? Is it worth getting rid of that final piece of culinary enjoyment?

I agree with your friend. I'm not a certified nutritionist or anything, so I can't give you a formula on when to indulge on the occasional fries. But basically from what I experienced and seen, almost everyone needs a form of reward to keep them motivated.

Good luck.

[Iolair]

To Armin: I very much agree with most you said. Very well written btw.
But I would like to comment on your cholesterol part. We agree that we die without cholesterol, our cell membranes does after all consist of it.
I also agree that the old 'stay away from eggs, it's bad' wasn't particularly true. I guess today we would call it a myth.
But I wonder about your numbers. You said normal people can only change about +/- 10% of our cholesterol level by diet change. This does not correspond to what I have seen in my own life, what I have observed from patients and what dietician and doctors have informated me about. So I was hoping you could elaborate on the estimate. I don't ask to argue, but more out of curiosity.

Fragbait: Coffee does not dehydrate the body. But it does provide the body with less water than a corresponding pure water resource would. The numbers I have heard is that coffee gives you around 60% of the effect pure water would have given you (if the same amount is used).
I would say as others have said, coffee in small amounts is perfectly fine and does not harm the body. Research is still going on about coffee, but no decisive conclusion has been made yet.

Edit: removed some silly looking smileys

[Occhidiangela]

To Armin: I very much agree with most you said. Very well written btw.
But I would like to comment on your cholesterol part. We agree that we die without cholesterol, our cell membranes does after all consist of it.
I also agree that the old 'stay away from eggs, it's bad' wasn't particularly true. I guess today we would call it a myth.
But I wonder about your numbers. You said normal people can only change about +/- 10% of our cholesterol level by diet change. This does not correspond to what I have seen in my own life,&nbsp; what I have observed from patients and what dietician and doctors have informated me about. So I was hoping you could elaborate on the estimate. I don't ask to argue, but more out of curiosity.

Fragbait: Coffee does not dehydrate the body. But it does provide the body with less water than a corresponding pure water resource would. The numbers I have heard is that coffee gives you around 60% of the effect pure water would have given you (if the same amount is used).
I would say as others have said, coffee in small amounts is perfectly fine and does not harm the body. Research is still going on about coffee, but no decisive conclusion has been made yet.

Edit: removed some silly looking smileys
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My own researches into coffee are that it is the one thing without which America could not function.

You want to bring America to its knees?

Coffee embargo!

Occhi