8 Mindless Habits to Break if You Want to Lose Weight

[Lunar]

Amen brother

Everything in moderation.

[ghostofjack]

The book Sugar, Salt, Fat by M. Moss explains the whole shape of the food, additive testing to determine what will trigger people to consume in excess, etc. It is a scary read! Almost like there is a big-business "conspiracy" to make and keep us fat.

[Lunar]

Wow, great topic. Thanks for all the info everyone.

A suggestion for the 9th mindless habit: The Calorie Myth

It's only mindless because ever since the 80's food pyramid(in the US) mentality towards health has been literally brainwashed and programmed into us the Calorie Myth has become just another mindless misnomer. Like "everyone knows the government it here to help you." Hahaha

In brief just indiscriminately eating less calories/fats/carbs to loose weight is not only a flawed concept it can be dangerous. Whole food weight trainers have known this for years, and the science has been available to back it up even longer, but recently a book has been published called "The Calorie Myth," and it explains this concept very well.

A calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie. If you start discriminating and eating the right calories, i.e. from hole natural foods, you can literally eat as much as you want and still loose weight.(Especially if you have the history of eating the wrong calories.)

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Rereading this thread I realized my "Calorie Myth" post was kind of unclear. So below I copied the synopsis of "The Calorie Myth" from Amazon. I lost 75lbs following the simple phylosophy of when it comes to food it's quality over quantity and incorporating in quick, high intensity exercises. Though I didn't stumble onto the book for more than a year later. But it confirmed the lifestyle that I had already put into practice due in part from advice provided by a long time friend who was a weight trainer but mostly from an epiphany of sorts. I had believed for the longest time that all food and drink fell somewhere between "bad for you," and "less bad for you." One day, I realized that was total bull, there are loads of foods that are totally good for you.

(honestly I may have been stoned at the time of my epiphany, and it's sad but it's precisely because of these sorts of hyper self criticizing epiphanies that I stay away from being stoned. Which sounds really stupid now that I say it out loud. I mean if every time I ingest hypnotic/psychedelic plants I discover avenues and areas for self improvement you'd think I'd do it all the time.)

Begin Amazon quote:

"In this revolutionary weight-loss program informed by more than 1,200 scientific studies, fitness and diet expert Jonathan Bailor offers concrete evidence that the calorie-counting model of weight loss doesn't work. In fact, cutting-edge science supports a radically different approach to weight loss and health, proving that by focusing on food and exercise [i]quality[/i]rather than calorie [i]quantity[/i]you can burn fat and boost health more easily and enjoyably that you ever thought possible.
The human body does not recognize all calories as equal. Some foods are used to repair tissue, boost brain power, and fuel our metabolismwhile others are stored as fat. In [i]The Calorie Myth[/i], Bailor shows us how eating [i]more[/i] of the right kinds of foods and exercising [i]less[/i], but at a higher intensity, is the true formula for burning fat.
Why? Because eating high-quality foodslike whole plants and nutritious proteinsbalances the hormones that regulate our metabolism. When we eat these foods, our bodies naturally maintain a healthy weight. But when we eat sugar, starches, processed fats, and other poor quality foods, the body's regulatory system becomes "clogged" and prevents us from burning extra calories. Translation: Those extra 10 pounds aren't the result of eating too much . . . they're the result from eating the wrong foods.
In [i]The Calorie Myth[/i], Bailor offers clear, comprehensive guidance on what to eat and why, providing an eating plan, recipes, and a simple yet effective exercise regimen based on the principles of high intensity interval training. Losing weight doesn't have to mean going hungry or spending hours at the gym. [i]The Calorie Myth[/i] offers a radical new model for weight loss and long-term health."

http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-E...0062267337

[Oxford]

It is said what commonsense Doesn't take care of
Father Time will I've always loved candy sweet and sour and bread
And soda but over last few years no soda as for candy it's a struggle but walk right by in market
All that I have read in this have been informative
Thank you all

[TruckKing1268]

One of the biggest factors in my weight loss (actually just staying relatively in shape) is having preplanned meals throughout the day along with a multitude of healthy-ish snacks constantly available to me.

Sometimes I just can't help myself and have to snack...

[alsmom360]

After YEARS AND YEARS of drinking diet soda, I recently found out
by a dietitian my daughter is seeing, that soda of any type can 
stretch your stomach b/c of the carbonation.  Geez, that makes so
much sense.  So about 6 weeks ago, i've been REAL faithful to drink 
just water, sometime flavored thruout the day.  It has really made a 
difference in my stomach area i must confess.  It's not a 6 inch difference
but it's one I can tell.  I treat myself once every few days to a soda instead
of 6-8 cans a day like I used to.  I have NEVER been able to drink water
I just don't have patience to give anything a chance (SOMETHING I must 
learn......patience!) but I must admit, it tastes pretty good now, surprisingly!

Also this dietitian said not to drink anything 1/2 hr before you eat until 1/2 hour after
you eat. This also will stretch your stomach, make you eat less of good things that
may keep you fuller longer!

[coffeedude22]

The vitamin 5-htp is good for lowering one's cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. My biggest hurdle is just binging on carbs late at night around the holiday season. I'm usually pretty healthy but can go on an ice-cream or cake bender for two days straight after Christmas. In the same way, Halloween I only purchased a little candy for as there's really only half as many trick or treater's in the past years. Used to have Milky Ways for days through all of November the past few years

[masterthief]

Alsmom, having kids makes it very hard to lose weight.  Find food with complex carbs and proteins, stay away from simple sugars and additives, and STAY AWAY from soda!  Hard to do with children, especially when they both work at the same tasty restaurant!

[Rafterman]

coffeedude22,  I definitely think there is a connection between serotonin and sugar/carb cravings.  Don't know the science of it but believe its there.

RF, I had much luck losing 25 lbs pretty easily quitting gluten, including gluten-free substitutes.  Read wheat-belly and was a big believer.  After 3 (?) years, gained the weight back but still am way less puffy, look, and feel better.

Something for your wife to consider.  I lost 10lbs (water?alot of water then) in the first week.  I was over 50 at the time.

Hey Fire,
I don't know how I missed this until now because I checked the thread many times. My sister has had a lot of success being gluten- free. So much so that I thought that she may have unknowingly had celiac disease. But, no, she was ultimately tested for that and did not have it. So all her benefits from going gluten-free would theoretically also be realized by any other person who does it. She dropped a lot of weight, had better exercise tolerance and even had a couple of low grade neurological symptoms clear up. There is such a connection between the gut and brain that is finally being talked about. They said that 10 years from now the primary way they will probably treat depression is with meds that address issues in the gut. In any event, I can't get my wife to go gluten-free. I have tried for many years. Ironically, she advises others to do so, but won't try it herself. I very much appreciate the advice, though. I shared it with her. I'll keep trying. Take care for now.  RF

[austin001]

Good post, ice. Lots of good tips there.

For losing weight I recommend giving up the sugar and flour. No one wants to hear that but it works like magic. Quit all sugary foods plus bread, pasta, etc and you will lose weight fast. You can eat all you want of veggies and lots of fruit. Fill up and still lose weight. I said fruit not fruit juice, there is a big difference.

The cereal, candy, and soft drinks you mention all contain added sugar. The more sugar you eat the hungrier you get. Flour turns into sugar shortly after you eat it so those who give up desserts turn to bread, rolls, pizza etc and don't lose much weight. Try it, it works.

i also face the same issue but i am slim buy 20 kgs yu know my boyfriend was cheating on me because of my weight but now he is back in my life i am happy

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My personal beast is sweets.I love candies,cakes,and pies.This will be hard for me to put down but will be a must if I am gonna make some life style changes.

 i am happy because of the product recomendation by friend huh  it is a relaxed feeling and now i am back in shape

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Alsmom360,

Yes I agree, as I have gotten healthier in my mid twenties and running and lifting eeights, I stopped drinking pop, and I realized how sweet it is, and with research you see how much sugar is in juse one pop.

So I rarely drink coke/Pepsi anymore. I like smoothies but to ech there own, but I find its extremely important to recognize the difference of when your thirsty vs when your hungry. Because you may keep eating when the true response from your brain is saying I need h20.

With that being said, carbonation can certainly add bloating stretching the stomach l, therefore adding space to the stomach needing more to feel *full*.

i am aslo feeling light after using products like garcinia cambogia and other fruits which are less ewxpensive and herbal it changed my life yu want to know how