Hale_Bopp's never ending diet thread

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As most of you know, from the age of 18 I've been at constant war with my body fat percentage.

Here is a place to post any tips that have worked well for you.

I am going to start dieting on alternate days because I just can't do it all the time, and it's too long to wait if I do it several days in a row. Tomorrow will be my first "diet" day.

Protein shake meals, bran, steamed veggies and fruit on on days. Normal eating on off days.

Eek!

Funny you should mention it. I've just resumed my own never-ending diet.

I joined Sparkpeople (free). That was 3 days ago. So far, all I have to do (my choice) is log in daily. So far that has led to losing 1.5 pounds. It's user-friendly and inspiring, particularly about the tiny things that mount up.

Dieting is fine. But get some exercise too. Go for regular walks. (I have done exercise walks in NZ and it is great(*). NZ is a great country for walking - and tramping.)

Dieting and exercise together will make you healthier than just dieting, or just exercise, will do.

(*) One of my obsessions is the great Taupo eruption 1800 years ago. So it was great to stay right in Taupo and go for regular long walks along the lake's edge - obsessively trying to imagine the whole place engulfed in a catastrophic explosion!

I'm sure by now you probably have the calorie tables in your head without needing to break out the calculator.

You're probably already doing this but keep with relatively small meals (400-500 calories if you can manage) and 100-200 calorie snacks in between. Keep your body feeling like it can have food at any time but keep it on something of a just-in-time type delivery to avoid caloric inventory. Making a way of life of it just means making sure that your tastes and your caloric budget are meeting half-way whenever possible, ie. it's the ultimate endurance run and by it's very nature that can't be an extreme slash in what you have.

If you've already cut out sweets - great. Have something good once in a while but put it to yourself like this - if you're going to have something that's a calorie splurge (ie. ice-cream sundae or whatever) make sure it's of a high enough caliber in quality that it really is a proper treat and that it's giving you enough motivational return for the calories. Don't cut out all alcohol either - a couple drinks once a week is probably a good break. If all this sounds patronizing a lot of people don't think of it that way, go too extreme, and by not listening to their bodies the backlog chews holes in their will to stick it out. With 11 years under your belt at this point though I'm probably doing more to tell you what you're already doing right.

On the physical activity stick with something that you can both do daily and enjoy. Whether it's biking, yoga, tai chi/chi qong, anything you can do that gives you the sense that you're building toward something rather than just running on the hamster wheel to make calories go away.

Another side thing - try as much as you can in the way of positive psychology. Seems cortisol has an intense weight-retaining effect. Keep asking yourself where in your life the stress is voluntary or where you could take charge to ignore a situation rather than chemically reacting to it. That one's tough for me if someone's driving 25 mph in a 35, swerving like a drunk, and turning without a signal but I've learned that these are truly the voluntarily stressors that we poison our own blood with on a daily basis if we fall for it.

I've been waging a war with my body fat percentage for most of my life, too, up until about two months ago.

I started on the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol (AIP), which is a gut-healing diet that is supposed to help people with autoimmune health conditions better manage their symptoms or, sometimes, even get them into remission. I was focused solely on those goals and weight loss was honestly not on my mind, but I dropped weight fairly quickly since starting it.

In fact, last week, one of my doctors lectured me about not losing any more weight, since my BMI is now close to being in the unhealthy/too low range. (I was already in the healthy range before I started losing weight). So, now I'm being mindful of that, which is really a departure for me because I've always had a slow metabolism and thyroid issues, which meant I used to have to work twice as hard as most other people to keep weight off.

If you are lucky enough to be otherwise healthy and are just looking to lose weight, there is no reason for you to drive yourself crazy trying to do the AIP, which is an extra-strict version of paleo, and I wouldn't suggest that. But, I really think that a 'classic' paleo or primal lifestyle is excellent for weight loss and health maintenance, too, and you'd probably be happy with the results of adopting that. (And, it really is a lifestyle, not just a diet). Chris Kresser, Robb Wolf and Sarah Ballantyne all have great information on their websites, so you could Google them if you want to look into it more.

For whatever it's worth, I did standard paleo myself for a few weeks before transitioning into the AIP and I think standard paleo is very doable long-term, as long as you like to cook. Although, that's coming from someone who is used to very restrictive diets, so take it with a grain of salt, I guess.

Edit: Also, here is a good primer and it even comes with pictures of cute little cave people. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10 ... aleo-diet/

1. Don't let yourself feel hungry for too long.
Eat 5+ small portions instead of 2-3 huge portions a day. Being hungry and then eating make your body hold fat for "difficult times".

2. Use smaller dishes.
It will make you eat less. People often use too big dishes and fill them with more food than they need.

3. Eat slowly. Don't make yourself "eat till you are full".
Your body needs some time to realize it is not hungry anymore (even 20 mins late!). Eating fast = eating more before the signal gets there.

4. Drink a lot of water.
It is healthy and prevents the hunger.

5. Exercise.
Hula-hoop is a great way to get rid of fat. It also help your stomach take care of the food. Less stomach problems.

6. Sleep naked.
You body will burn fat by regulating the temperature. Not wearing any seams and elastics while sleeping will let your body get more natural shape - no fat rolls.

7. Get enough sleep.
You feel "need for energy" when not rested enough and your body wants to get energy from other source so you feel hungry. But it doesn't really work this way, food energy isn't a good replacement for sleeping.

Just do it however it works for you.

I looked at one of your videos and you look to already be very thin [and beautiful]

Thanks for all the tips.

I had a successful "diet day" yesterday, with today having a small burger meal for dinner after earlier meals of fruit and oats. Tomorrow is my next diet day!

I can't go that long without treating myself.. (More than a couple of days) I am just going to at least start with something realistic

Diet day.. bleh. I'd better go and have a shake now, and then get some chicken and salad for dinner.

Eat healthy small meals every 2-3 hours (200-350 calories)
Make sure you are not boring the hell out of yourself with your diet
Don't "Diet". "Diets" are temporary, they don't work forever, because they aren't something you really want to do, so how are you going to stick with it? Find something that makes you happy that also works then stick to that, or keep going through the motions, more unnecessary struggles.
Stop obsessing...s**t you are skinny, I've seen your pics and videos. You just don't seem to be happy enough with yourself even after you've lost all that weight, so I doubt you will ever be until you figure out a way to change the way you view yourself. In extreme cases some people need therapy for that sort of thing.

Someone mentioned exercise. Lift weights, then lift some more, as a woman you won't get bulky. You will fill out though. Some people can lose a lot of weight, but they still look pudgy or (Skinny fat), because with fat loss there is plenty of muscle loss as well, and if you didn't have much muscle to begin with well you're going to be stuck in a rut.

^^

Yeah, I think the ideal would be for her to find something she enjoys that helps her gain muscle tone and circulation.

Also, do you think stretching/flexibility might help her? I don't know a lot about it but it seems like it could enlarge vascular networks and nutrient supply to the larger muscles of the body.