Fitness and being Healthy

[mew]

Snacking between meals is bad

I've always heard the opposite. Eating a healthy snack between meals helps your metabolism so your body doesn't want to store as much excess from the meals, it also helps keep you from being quite as hungry at mealtimes so you dont over eat when the time comes around.


Granted, I'm not exactly in the best of shape myself, so I may be wrong.

Those two things can get mixed up rather easily. It's one thing to organize yourself to eat 4 or 5 times a day. You spread the whole process better. Eating inbetween programmed meals is what kills. Especially since it's more than likely to be trash food.

I was going to quote the original "Snacking between meals is bad" and reply "Wrong.". I think it's as simple as "eat healthy snacks between meals", but you do want to eat smaller, healthy things, throughout the day even if you aren't on a schedule (still watch your caloric intake).

Swimming is amazing. Probably the best form of exercise you can get. It is an intense full body workout, it isn't straining on your joints, and it's fun.

I'm also trying to tone up a bit (maybe get back down to 210lbs or so). I've been lifting weights a lot more so my apetite has skyrocketed, but I find that when my stomach complains I can fix the issue with a big cup of coffee and a pep talk of "Shut the fuck up, stomach, you do what I say."

Have you tried drinking a lot of water when you feel hungry? I think that might be my problem, when I get hungry during work before or after lunch I throw a granola bar at it instead of drinking water. I know no one wants to look supermodel-thin but I hear that is what they do; they drink a lot of water before meals so they end up feeling full.

[theckhd]

Have you tried drinking a lot of water when you feel hungry? I think that might be my problem, when I get hungry during work before or after lunch I throw a granola bar at it instead of drinking water. I know no one wants to look supermodel-thin but I hear that is what they do; they drink a lot of water before meals so they end up feeling full.

I read somewhere (though I can't remember where, exactly) that this is actually good practice, because you can sometimes feel hungry when your body really just needs some fluids. But since I have no idea of the source, take that with a giant grain of salt. And maybe a glass of water.

[Grehn|Skipjack]

Cake and ice cream is a healthy breakfast right guys? Right?? Omnomnomnom

[mew]

Have you tried drinking a lot of water when you feel hungry? I think that might be my problem, when I get hungry during work before or after lunch I throw a granola bar at it instead of drinking water. I know no one wants to look supermodel-thin but I hear that is what they do; they drink a lot of water before meals so they end up feeling full.

I read somewhere (though I can't remember where, exactly) that this is actually good practice, because you can sometimes feel hungry when your body really just needs some fluids. But since I have no idea of the source, take that with a giant grain of salt. And maybe a glass of water.

I have also heard that. That sometimes your body is just thirsty and not hungry.

[mew]

Cake and ice cream is a healthy breakfast right guys? Right?? Omnomnomnom

I almost went to my favorite frozen custard place earlier this week, but then I looked up their nutrition facts online and it scared me away. One scoop of vanilla is 300 calories. So given that the concretes are at least 2 scoops plus candy topping, that's about half a day's worth of calories.

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com
I discovered this website yesterday and it is my new favorite website I can't stop looking and it makes me so hungry. Fortunately most of their sweets just look disgustingly sugary (I prefer softer sweets), but some of their meat-related stuff looks so tasty.
But yeah, I guess that's another health tip, don't eat anything that resembles anything on that website

Does anyone know of a good/reliable natural metabolism calculator? Like, something where you can input your gender, height, weight, activity level, and it will tell you the approximate calorie usage of your body?
I saw one in a pamphlet once that said, according to my age and activity level, my body should be burning about 2400 calories a day. But that seems a bit high.

[theckhd]

On the topic of healthy living: I'm terrible about exercise. I used to play badminton twice weekly with some of my co-workers, but that slowly dwindled to nothing once I got back into WoW. Now I don't get much exercise at all, which I don't like, but also can't really find time for. I don't particularly like exercise for the sake of exercise, I usually need a goal or game mechanic to keep me invested in it.

Either way, I've managed to slim back down a bit just from dietary and behavioral adjustments. I had high cholesterol and was up to around 155 lbs 3 or so years ago, which is what prompted the badminton habit. For reference, my college weight was around 135-140, and I'm now back down to around 140-145.

The biggest change I made was the amount I ate. I tend to eat quickly, and that causes me to eat more than I need to. It takes your body a few minutes to figure out it feels full, and I would still be eating during that period, which meant that I'd always feel stuffed (i.e. over-full) at the end of meals. The solution to that was behavioral - force yourself to eat more slowly and pick smaller portions, then make sure you wait a few minutes before going back for seconds. I didn't take data (the horror!), but I'd estimate my consumption went down by 30-50% at dinnertime just from that alone (i.e. a whole chicken breast to half a breast, and half as much of side dishes). Lunch and breakfast were mostly unaffected since I ration those more strictly.

The dietary changes were pretty simple. I still eat mostly what I want, but I try and cut red meat down to once or twice a week, and have chicken more often. We only go out to eat or get takeout once or twice a week, so I don't restrict myself on those nights. Luckily I like chicken and pasta, so it's not hard to fill out the week's menu with various baked chicken and pasta recipes.

Breakfast and Lunch have always been pretty static - I have a granola bar for breakfast in the morning, and a turkey sandwich with some baby carrots and veggie dip for lunch. I used to have a small candy bar instead of the carrots, but that's the only change I made there.

It seems to be working. My fiancee always gives me crap about being so skinny, but I think that might have more to do with her feeling uncomfortable with her body. She's not actually much heavier than she was in college (maybe 5 or 10 lbs at the absolute max), but her weight is redistributing as she gets older and she doesn't like it.

[firstamendme]

Have you tried drinking a lot of water when you feel hungry? I think that might be my problem, when I get hungry during work before or after lunch I throw a granola bar at it instead of drinking water. I know no one wants to look supermodel-thin but I hear that is what they do; they drink a lot of water before meals so they end up feeling full.

I read somewhere (though I can't remember where, exactly) that this is actually good practice, because you can sometimes feel hungry when your body really just needs some fluids. But since I have no idea of the source, take that with a giant grain of salt. And maybe a glass of water.

I have also heard that. That sometimes your body is just thirsty and not hungry.

I have a 32oz water bottle that I bring to work with me and throughout the work day I drink 2-3 full of water, then another 1-2 between gym and home. If im not getting hydrated from that then something is very wrong.

[mew]

I have a 32oz water bottle that I bring to work with me and throughout the work day I drink 2-3 full of water, then another 1-2 between gym and home. If im not getting hydrated from that then something is very wrong.

Well of course you'll be hydrated But I mean trying to focus the drinking before meals or when hungry as an appetite suppressant. I have a 1.5L bottle I keep at my work desk, I am going to try to make sure to go through half of it a day (and then I have giant cups at home that I keep full of water at my desk while I play WoW.



If you have trouble getting exercise time but play WoW, you might want to look in to one of these:
http://www.fitnessgiant.com/stinstcyxl.html
I got one and like it a lot for weekends. It is a bit hard to get set up right at the computer, so don't buy one unless you can get a satisfaction guarantee (or trial period) because you might not be able to set it up right. It would be much easier to use in front of the TV. I ended up having to raise my keyboard and mouse higher and turn my chair sideways. The resistance doesn't go too high but if you want more of a workout you can focus on smoothly pedaling faster. I use it on Saturdays while I spend all afternoon grinding heroics. Pedaling every 10 minutes and breaking for 30 adds up when you are playing WoW for 4+ hours.

High cholesterol sucks balls Mine was a little high last time I had it done and I want to get it tested again closer to August after I've been healthier for a bit. Is your cholesterol back down now too?
Turkey sandwiches are great.

[firstamendme]

If you have trouble getting exercise time but play WoW, you might want to look in to one of these:
http://www.fitnessgiant.com/stinstcyxl.html

Stuff like that is awesome. When I was raiding a lot I actually replaced my desk chair with an exercise ball. I would sit on it indian-style and balance myself sitting up straight moving back and forth while I was tanking/healing for at least some core exercise.

Well, until my wife adopted the habit of kicking the ball because she thought it was funny when I panicked to recover mid-fight.

[mew]

If you have trouble getting exercise time but play WoW, you might want to look in to one of these:
http://www.fitnessgiant.com/stinstcyxl.html

Stuff like that is awesome. When I was raiding a lot I actually replaced my desk chair with an exercise ball. I would sit on it indian-style and balance myself sitting up straight moving back and forth while I was tanking/healing for at least some core exercise.

Well, until my wife adopted the habit of kicking the ball because she thought it was funny when I panicked to recover mid-fight.

Ooooo, that sounds like both a fun and a good idea. I hear there are tons of exercises you can do on those, and I think one of them is just keeping your back and core straight and just bouncing up and down. I seriously might break down and get one now, I think my desk is low enough. What size would you recommend? Are the larger ones better/harder?

[firstamendme]

I got the biggest one they have because I'm pretty tall. It is the one branded by Gold's gym with the sand in the bottom to prevent it from rolling around when you aren't on it.

Edit: I got it at Walmart, actually, for 20-25 bucks. Im 225lbs and it as shown no signs of structural weakness after a little over a year of use.

That said, my wife (who is BARELY 5'0) got some use out of it too, but had some trouble with some exercises since her feet didn't hit the ground. They have 4-5 sized and they are scaled by height/weight of the user so you should be able to find a good one that way.

Mew: You said in another thread that you have family that lifts weights and that if you are hungry like a teenage boy then you are doing it right. What do you do to avoid gaining a million lbs when you hit that stage? I'm eating what, by the numbers, is a sufficent intake in both total energy and composition for my workout and I don't want to gain more weight because of what I call the 'Oral Vacuum' effect.

After typing that I realized it could be interpreted another way, but I'm going to leave it as I think I'd approve of other applications.

[Santcuff]

Cake and ice cream is a healthy breakfast right guys? Right?? Omnomnomnom

[Thalia]

Ya,

I had a problem before with running and getting bored, I have a treadmill in my garage, and I'd get so bored staring in at a blank wall, I'd literally have to drag my ass down there to run. I figured it's because I was bored that I hated it. I don't' like to run in my neighborhood, cuz frankly I don't feel that safe here. I plan to have a darn TV/Ipod Dock in the next house we have, that is in the workout area we plan. I think having that will really help me run without it feeling like a drag.

For breakfast I always eat 2 egg whites (1 yolk) and a piece of wheat toast, if I feel extra hungry I add another egg white, virtually no calories/cholesterol. I've never been a breakfast person, so eating that pretty much forever doesn't bother me, I hate bacon (don't shoot me). Dinner is was my issue, I used to eat two dinners, like one at 7 pm then another plate of leftovers at like 11, that I think is what hurt me over the months. I had to really suffer the first two weeks of the weight watchers at night, the feeling of hunger, I would go to bed early or drink tea/water to make it go away. But after two weeks my stomach literally shrunk, I literally cannot eat as much as I used to so those feelings of hunger are not as bad as they used to be, though sometimes I still get them, so I eat some cucumbers with lemon, chili, and salt (Mexican snack).

In July I am trying to prepare a plan because we will be in California/Main/Boston for 2-3 weeks on family vacation and I know that vacationing can really throw you off track. At least in California I plan my exercise to be swimming every day, my parents have a big pool and it will be fun. For food, I plan to hit Costco/market the first day I get there and my my dinner/lunch/breakfast planned for the week so I can cook like usual. As far as the East Coat, it might be harder because we will be in hotels. I'm hoping to pick ones that have a gym I can access, and I think I'll be really careful about what I order out (except for in Boston I really want some chowder). Anyone got any travel tips for maintaining good eats?

[Thalia]

Wow First,

That is an amazing idea, I'm going to get myself a medicine ball this weekend. I do try to be more active then I used to be, like I mentioned I exercise 4-5 times a week. But I work a lot on the computer, I still write a lot for my achievement site, and I take care of a lot of other stuff on the comp, so having that ball would probably be a lot better than the crappy chair I have! Thanks!!!

[Joanadark]

Lots of good advice in this thread. =D

Much support to you guys working hard on good eating habits and losing weight! Keep up the motivation and good work!