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Here's to Your Health:  are diets healthy?  |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 18 2009 : 2:33:26 PM
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i've been noticing many gals on here chatting about diets. but are they actually healthy? are they safe?
i did a research paper in college about the thin ideal of beauty in today's society. i discovered that many diets are not as healthy as markets would have us believe. diets make your body believe you are starving due to decreased caloric intake. then, when you go back to eating normally, your body believes it needs to save up the extra calories you are taking in in case you start "starving" yourself again (these are not my words, they come from the source where I found the information). the yo-yo weight changes are very unhealthy for your body. diets are basically doomed from the start to fail because your body will gain back more than you lost due to needing those extra calories you lost.
i know that some sort of restriction might be needed for those who NEED weight loss to reach an actual healthy weight. but aren't there healthier alternatives than a full on diet? i also don't think rapid weight loss is healthy at all. the body will naturally lose weight slowly in order to compensate and adjust itself. it will also maintain a lower weight if the weight is lost slowly because it is more used to it at the time.
i'd like to hear your stories about diets, what you think of them... i know some of you are experiencing them right now... how do you feel? would you recommend diets to another woman?
i know when i tried actual diets, namely the atkins diet, i never felt more sick in my life. i took it as a sign that my body NEEDED more carbs than i was allowing it. since then, i've never been on another diet. i believe in smaller portions... it has worked for me, along with excercise. i don't even restrict myself when my body craves "bad" foods... i just eat less of it!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2009 : 4:12:57 PM
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I don't think so. I think a lot of people would be really sprised at how much weight they could lose by practicing portion control. I have been trying to minimize my sugar intake(no more soda) and watch my portions and not take seconds and I lost 4 pounds this week! I'd like to lose about 70 pounds...wellmake that 66!
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2009 : 7:10:22 PM
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I don't think diets are healthy at all, at least no the kind that rely on cutting calories. This may work as a temporary tool for someone who desperately needs to lose weight, but for most people, it creates an insatiable hunger for the things they "can't" have. Food is meant to nurture, not to worry over. Since food is so readily available, people "nurture" themselves with food when maybe what they really need is a walk in the woods, a good conversation with someone, or just a shoulder to lean on. Women in particular are good at taking care of everyone's needs but their own. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the most important body part affected by a diet is the mind. You''re "good" if you follow the diet, and "bad" if you don't. That's poppycock! No one is bad for eating a banana split--but if you eat them everyday, I would say you need to find another way to nurture your soul. And it starts with compassion, not critical self-judgment.
The only kind of diet I care about is a healthy one--and if I find myself eating more than I need, I step back and ask myself what's missing in my life that's triggering these eating binges? Being skinny is no guarantee of happiness--I've been skinny and miserable at the same time. I've also been overweight and happy. I'm not always happy, but then, no one ever is. A healthy diet starts with a focus on caring for your soul--and we live in a society that does a lot to squash it. OK, that's my two cents worth.
Cindy
"Dog is my co-pilot"
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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CherryMeDarlin
True Blue Farmgirl
602 Posts
Cherry
Odenville
AL
USA
602 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 12:11:23 PM
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Ahh, Elizabeth, you've hit on one of my biggest pet peeves! Let me climb right on up on my soapbox! My mama created this pet peeve in me. As I was growing-up, she was always on one diet or another. Drove us crazy! But she always "cheated". She's the type to crave sweets, cakes and cookies and such and she eats FAST. Before you're finished with your first helping, she's finishing her 2nd helping. So she'd put us all through the torture of her dieting (yucky meals and her frustration and general b*tchiness from starving herself), then cheat by eating a box of cookies, then sink into a depression because she didn't lose any weight after all that "hard work" and couldn't seem to understand why. Today, she's 59 years old, 5' tall and is a size 20-22. She has cholesterol problems, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia and takes a dozen pills a day. She complains about not feeling good all the time and seems to be constantly going to the doc for this, that or the other. She keeps her house stocked with Lil' Debbie cakes, cookies, chips, and candy, which she says is for my daddy (who, incidentally is 6'5" and weighs a whopping 170 lbs. soaking wet!) Her "go-to" drink is diet Coke and she can go through a 2-liter in a day. Mama works at a high school lunchroom and is home every day by 3pm and off during the summer, yet she says she doesn't have time to exercise.
My grandmother (my dad's mama), though, is 77 years old and takes one pill a day for her osteoporosis. She eats small portions of mostly fruits and vegetables, soups, nuts, unbuttered popcorn, chicken and fish. She drinks mostly water and herbal hot teas. She views sweets as treats. She walks 1-3 miles a day (depending on her mood) and does a senior's weight-lifting class three times a week. She's 5'3" and is a size 10-12. When she visits her doctor for her annual, the doc often tells her she can't find one thing wrong with her!
I DETEST the word 'diet' for all the nasty stress it brings with it. I don't believe in dieting. I believe in eating things as close to nature as possible, as God intended. Doesn't mean I don't also eat things I shouldn't, but for the most part I do. I play a little mental game with myself. If I can't picture each ingredient listed on something and wouldn't eat that ingredient on it's own in that form, then I try to steer clear of that food. Think about it. Try it the next time you pick up a processed food. It'll turn your stomach and turn you off of that food that's probably unhealthy to begin with. Worked for me with Jello after I learned that left-over animal parts are used to make it. Also worked for me with Vienna sausage and potted meat. Bleh!
I think people need to focus more on "eating healthy" and less on "dieting". We need to view food as fuel. You wouldn't pour diet Coke in your car and expect it to run properly. So why does society think that our bodies will run properly on what we pour into them? Blows my mind. We can't turn on the tv without hearing about healthcare reform. Here's a radical idea for reform; eat the foods our bodies were created for instead of these "laboratory" foods and there will be less need for prescriptions and doctor visits. Is it any coincidence that the more processed foods there are on our grocery store shelves, the more cases there are of diabetes, autism, fibromyalgia, ADD, ADHD, high cholesterol and such?
Whew! I'll climb down now. And I think I'll eat me a peach!
~~Cherry~~
http://cherrymedarlin.blogspot.com
www.cherrymedarlin.etsy.com
"A thing is as simple or as complicated as you make it." --TT Murphy |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Aug 22 2009 : 10:54:12 AM
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cherry, i think you hit the nail on the head! bravo! exactly how i would have put this whole diet situation...
i know this documentary has been mentioned in other threads, but after i watched "king corn" my whole viewpoint on processed and "unnatural" foods changed... i always laugh when people tell me about these "great" breads they buy... i'm thinking "why would i buy bread, even if it supposedly healthy and wonderful, when the list of ingredients is like a page long when i can make my own out of what, 5, ingredients? with NO preservatives whatsoever? i'll stick with those ingredients that i know come from nature and that i can actually pronounce (that's a tip i heard somewhere.... if you can't pronounce the ingredient, don't eat it!)
another thing i've heard is those unnatural ingredients, such as high fructose corn syrup, allow you to eat/drink more of the product. it possesses some chemical that turns off the "i'm full" receptor in your body, allowing you to eat/drink more of this junk because you don't feel full! i really put this theory to the test. my hubby and i made a meal out of our rooster for the first time a few weeks ago. my whole meal was totally from scratch, including absolutely homemade stuffing with homemade bread and home-grown green beans. i swear i could hardly eat any of it because i became full so fast! hmmmm, maybe that's my body telling me i'm actually satisfied with eating less of the good stuff. now that's a "diet" i would gladly do! eating less of the good foods from nature....
after not drinking soda for the longest time, i actually feel sick if i do drink it. a few sips is good enough for me.... i think that's my body telling me something again.
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Aug 28 2009 : 03:47:18 AM
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Lots of portion control and exercise!!!
Some wight issues are thyroid related. But I'm sorry, when you watch someone mindlessly wolf down 10 pasteries and eat a high cab diet laden with white pasta and potato type meals what do you think?
In all things moderation
So many of the diets these day are way too extreme. Same with the diet supplements
Has anyone read the latest on the Alli diet pills? Can't remember the risk now, but I knew it was too good to be true |
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CherryMeDarlin
True Blue Farmgirl
602 Posts
Cherry
Odenville
AL
USA
602 Posts |
Posted - Aug 28 2009 : 08:55:42 AM
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Oh, Elizabeth, I've heard that, too, about the HFCS! And I've also read that some things have a "secret" ingredient that triggers an addiction receptor in your brain so that you'll crave that particular "food". McDonald's was accused of this with their french fries. And it must be true because my little grandmother who is oh, so healthy cracks me up when she talks about treating herself to a small order McDonald's french fries about three times a year! Ha!
Do you remember Susan Powter of the '90's? She did the "Stop the Insanity" bit? She said that if you can't pronounce the name of the ingredient to not eat it. She also said that the more a thing is processed, the less healthy it is and the shorter the ingredient list, the better. Wonder where she is now?
But it's all about the money and this big corp scratching the back of that big corp. They're upsetting the balance of so many different things. And society in general doesn't help either. The hubs and I went out to eat the other night for our anniversary. On the menu was a pasta dish that sounded soooo good, but the waitress couldn't even tell me how large the portion size was, let alone what all was in it and how many calories it was. So I settled on a garden salad and an appetizer size of sashimi tuna. I couldn't guarantee that the tuna was wild-caught or that the veggies in the salad weren't grown from GM seeds, but it was the best choices I could make in that situation. And if the waitress asked me once, she asked me 10 times if I was sure that's all I wanted. I know she asked me 3 times if I was sure I didn't want dessert. Even the manager came over to ask if that was all I was going to eat. GEEZ!!! Give me a break, people! Quit trying to force food I don't want down my throat!
I haven't heard the latest on Alli, Anna. The thought I had when it first came out was "phen-phen". And you're right about people eating what they do and being left to think the thoughts you think. I'm always thinking those thoughts when my mama starts in on her medical problems. I want to ask her what she expects. But I'm not so old to have forgotten my place!  But as long as there's money to be made, the diet industry's here to stay because common sense can't be bought.
~~Cherry~~
http://cherrymedarlin.blogspot.com
www.cherrymedarlin.etsy.com
"A thing is as simple or as complicated as you make it." --TT Murphy |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2009 : 5:15:13 PM
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i havn't heard the latest on alli either... but i remember my aunt telling me about it like it was such a good thing... "it helps you lose weight like crazy, if you don't mind having diarrhea constantly for the first few weeks of taking it!" and i don't know why she was taking it, she wasn't overweight.
my grandparents have been staying with us for the past week. and i'm surprised at their attitude. they preached the whole time about the "bad" foods we were eating (such as using lard, eating our homegrown eggs, and eating bread, which i homemake). yet they wanted to eat out the whole time. after eating out that much in a week, my body HATED me! even when we packed food along, my grandparents refused to let me bake a fresh batch of bread and went to the store to buy bread because it was more convenient. i felt they were very contradictory... i just can't win! it feels like no matter what i do, i'm still in the wrong - bread is bad for you, lard compared to veggie oils is bad for you, eggs are bad for you... i try to do the best i can by homemaking many things, not eating out hardly at all, not drinking soda, but i just hope i'm doing what i can to keep myself healthy. i guess i'll see in the end....
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 10:00:47 AM
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ewww, i just discovered no fat yogurt is gross... i was all excited because my grandparents left behind a yogurt in the fridge (i rarely buy yogurt because it's one of those things that is spendy and we don't need). i didn't realize it was fat free... it was SO un-tasty! left behind that diet flavor in my mouth, very unappetizing. not to mention, high fructose corn syrup was the second ingredient.... yuck.
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13625 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13625 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2009 : 10:24:19 AM
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I agree with portion control, exercise and BALANCE!!!
Sure gets frustrating at times!!
...from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado...sister chick #665 |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2009 : 11:16:46 AM
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I agree with Dolores, portion control, exercise and Balance. Ole Ron and I use 7" plates and have for years. When we have company, we use our 7" and the guest use 9". Every thing is overly portioned. Rachel Ray has some wonderful fresh recipes but she is way over on the size of portion. Some recipes call for 2# of meat to serve 4 people. She will also cook a pound of pasta for 4. The pasta bag says 2 oz per serving. I do agree with her that the more healthy the ingredients, the more you can eat. I also think that if you go out and get dinner out of the garden or hen house you are a lot better off. We kinda have a rule, nothing out of a box, very little out of a can or mix. Our biggest problem is too much home made bread, pie, cake, cookies and you name it. Well, I have to use up the zucc somewhere.
Belle |
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Here's to Your Health: are diets healthy? |
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are diets healthy?
