Posted on 08/02/2006 3:37:05 PM PDT by nckerr
That is interesting. I rarely drink anything except water. It's just a habit I got into with my last pregnancy.
Personally, I don't think that's conservatism.
PORTION CONTROL...think back and remember the size of muffins 20 years ago, the size of the McDonald hamburger, the size of dinner plates, (when we all ate potatoes and gracy almost every night)..etc etc. When coffee was black or with a little cream/sugar. But all this hype just needs to go back to PORTION control; then you can eat everything, but in smaller amounts.
Anyhow, I don't disagree with the article and am not surprised that obese people tend to think they eat healthy and exercise vigorously. It's classic victim mentality.
More conservative than policing them on a biological level.
Looks like these researchers agree with you :
I hate, hate, HATE the BMI, and it needs to be reformed or destroyed. I'll preface my commentary by saying that I'm 6'1", 300 lbs. and really do exercise 5 days a week. I run a 12:30 mile, BP is consistently 110/65 and have a resting HR of 72 bpm. I'm not a model of health, but I do my best.
My problem with eating is "cheating" on certain days. I can see a HUGE change in my body when I start piling in sugary cereals, white breads, rice, etc. I feel amazing when I eat a high protein, moderate carb diet. Egg with cheese and veggies for breakfast, almonds for a snack, yogurt and salad with chicken or tuna for lunch and I usually don't eat big "meals" after 6 PM. I'll have a protein shake post-workout, but I still hover around 300.
So many diets and theories and whatnot on the market, it's too much for the regular, avg. American to deal with, and it's a TON easier to hop in and out of the local Wendy's and get $5 worth of food off the value menu and head home than it is to go home, fire up the grill, prepare a 1/4 lb. salmon fillet along with veggies and a small side of rice or whole grain pasta.
The BMI? Crock! At 6'1", 300 lbs, sure I'm overweight. However, I put up almost 300 lbs. on the bench, can squat twice my weight and have a better resting HR than some doctors I know. My body mass is mostly muscle from college weight lifting competition and a refined exercise regimen since I graduated, but the BMI says I'm over 50% fat. I've SEEN people who're 50% fat. I'm NOT one of those people.
To the article, sure, I believe that people claim to eat healthy. I don't have to impress anyone on FR. I know what I eat, and yes, some of my size is my downfall. However, to maintain the size I have, my body has to retain fat. I've done the "supplements" thing already, and I choose to lose my weight the old fashioned way: eat less, exercise more.
Don't believe the fiber lie. If we were pre-disposed to have a significant fiber intake, we would be able to digest it. I agree that some veggies have some significant nutrients, but only when raw. That is, except for tomatoes. It seems that when they are cooked the beneficial licopene levels increase. (I know it's a fruit.)
A good rule of thumb on beans is that the darker the bean, the better it is for you. I prefer to stick to meat (as raw as I can stand it) and dairy products. If only I could get some real milk (the kind you gotta shake to drink), my family might be able to experience real benefits without taking so many supplements.
I figured out how to solve the cheating problem. My wife and I eat great all week long (meat, cheese, eggs, etc). A general rule of thumb is we eat nothing white (sugar, rice, potatoes, bread). But on Sunday, it's a free for all. We eat whatever we want. However, on Monday we almost always feel like crap. After a while of "Free Sundays" you get used to it, and have all these plans throughout the week about what you're going to eat. Those plans rarely come fully to fruition, except we always find room for some bread, and a fountain Coke never tasted so good. But even on Sundays I still won't eat anything hydrogenated at all. It's just plain poison.
That said, the BMI is nearly as stupid as the food pyramid. Screw the BMI. If you want to know how "fat" you are, get a body fat measurement by water immersion.
A little off topic here, but I just discovered Agave nectar. It's the perfect sweetener for drinks that's not at all artificial. It even dissolves easily in cold drinks. Being a Southerner, I like my sweet tea and was happy to find something so good. The only problem is I have to go to the hippie store to get it.
I posted on a similar topic several days ago. Many of the studies I see our tax money spent on are silly and easy to ignore. The ones about our growing number of overweight kids, however, ring all too true. Go to a mall and look around. I can't believe how many overweight kids I see. And judging by their dress, they have no problem with it, no shame at all. Muffin tops abound. Fifty-pound-overweight girls wearing skin-tight low-rise jeans and halter tops as if they're proud of their paunches. I don't get it.
MM
Thanks for the idea, pal! I like the idea of eating nothing white. It's sort of like food racism (hehe). My "cheat day" is usually Fridays, but that has a tendency to bleed into the weekends. However, I must say, it's been almost 3 weeks since I've had a beer or any alcoholic drink, and I feel like a million bucks. It's amazing what exercise and the love of a woman can do for your daily regimen.
BMI=Evil... enough said. I've been denied life insurance in the past, because they said I was "too obese," despite never asking my resting HR or BP. Screw em! I'm the best insuree they'll never have.
An NFL football player that is 6 feet tall, weighs 210 pounds and is built like an ironman triathlete is considered overweight by the standard methods. No allowance is made for slight, medium or heavy builds or amount of muscle mass.
According to the tables I've seen, I'm 20 lbs. overweight (6'2"/215lbs.) and have a BMI of 27.5 (under 25 is "normal"). I do have a little extra around the middle, but it's invisible under my clothes since I carry most of my upper body mass in my chest and shoulders. I wear a 33-34" waist size depending on the brand of pants, and I get approving glances and smiles from the fairer sex daily. I avoid fast food and loosely count calories, but overall, I'm not too worried about it.
Unbelievable....LOL
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