Dieting: Die with a T
Jul 04 '00
That’s right ladies and gentlemen, birds and bees, flowers and trees: last night I promised that my next review would be on dieting. Oh the irony. Of course, to catch the irony, you’ll need to read my latest review (on Picky Eaters) <evil grin>.
So what diet are we gonna talk about Dave? I mean David—sorry to tease you that way since only two people in the world can call me Dave. So that name is ever sealed off. At any rate, David, what kinda diets do you have in mind? Here are a few:
No Carbohydrates (Dr. Atkins’)
High Protein
Low Fat
Calorie Counting
Eating Till You’re Full
Poaching then eating monkeys and pandas
Okay, so we won’t really discuss that last diet, but be aware that there are those among you who are poachers. And cannibals <clears throat and chants: marvien, that-guy; marvien, that-guy; marvien, that-guy>. Moving right along, however, away from the jokes you’ll only get if you read my Picky Eaters review <another evil grin and hint>.
No carbs: my dad did this one. My mom hates it to this day. No bread, no sugar, no rice, nothing white, etc. Absolutely no carbs for two weeks, then (I think) under fifty grams a day afterwards. Or maybe a week. Not sure. This diet works: you do lose weight. But at a great expense. Your body is designed to run on carbohydrates. Fuel. If there are none, it will break open fat cells and release the energy in them and use it to run your body. But relying on fat for, basically, all your energy is a very unhealthy thing. Your body can’t run efficiently. Since you are likely to eat meat far, far more than normal, your body has to break down the proteins too. Protein does not provide your body with energy, rather it is what’s used for making most stuff in your body and for sending instructions. It requires a good deal of energy to break down, which is why a protein diet, especially combined with low/no carbs is very, very effective. But again, at what cost? How much of a price is too great to pay? Since many meats are high-fat, the balance in your diet is not the only thing suffering—so are your arteries.
Low fat. I’ve heard it said that fat comes from fat, not calories. This is untrue. The amount of fat you consume in your diet is not necessarily even related to your weight. Your body burns calories (more accurately, Calories). These calories come from your food. If you eat 3500 more calories than you burn, you gain a pound. If you burn 3500 more than you eat, you lose a pound. Some of us have messed up metabolisms that behave differently, but this is in general how the body works. Low fat is more healthy for you and may have fewer calories, this is true. Also true is the fact that carbs and proteins require more calories to burn the same amount of them as they do fat. Otherwise I see no correlation between a low-fat diet and weight loss. At least not a direct correlation.
Now for my diet (I have to hurry this up so I can go get fireworks: Happy Fourth, everyone). I count calories. First, when I decide I have to lose weight, I just stop eating when I am full. At first it is tough, but then your stomach shrinks and you get used to controlling your diet, which helps you keep the weight off. Right now I am at 180, which is where I need to stay (I’m six foot three inches tall), so I am not trying to lose anymore, just control my eating. I burn about 3000 calories a day for my activity and size. I try to eat between 1000 and 1500 calories a day. That’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but it works. Now now, calm down, I don’t go around with a calculator reading labels. But I do use common sense estimation: this probably has 200 calories in it. Or don’t eat too much of this. It has worked for me. Hopefully, if you want to try it, it will work for you. I know it’s no longer fashionable to count calories, but oh well. I’m just out of vogue.
Now the Big “E”--no, not you Marvien
Exercise. No! The hated word. Come on, you know it’s important. What good is it to lose a lot of weight and still be flabby like I am? None at all. Tone up—no one said you have to become Mr/Miss Universe here. Just ditch a little flab and add a little tone. I do about 30 sit-ups a day to work down my stomach. I’m about to start doing push-ups (I hate them). I also try to jog, run, or bike at least a few minutes every day. When I can anyway. Anything to push my metabolism a little higher. When I can feel one set of muscles tighten and become a little sore, I know that I’ve done my duty (muscles become sore when you tear the fibers—you have to otherwise they can’t grow back stronger).
And the review I’ve been referencing this whole time is “Discriminating Tastes” a review of Picky Eaters, written on 3 July 2000. The URL is:
http://author.epinions.com/kifm-review-23CC-94E2F39-39614B70-prod4
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lovdbyGod7
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Member: David Dinkins
Location: Rolla, Missouri
Reviews written: 139
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