I'm going to lose 130 lbs starting today, Sept 1st -- wish me luck.

[Mozart]

Today, Sept 1st, is my official start for me to really, finally and effing lose this weight that has long buggered me for the last bunch of too many years. Way too many years. This month is my b-day month (Sept 4th).


So many wonderful opportunities to live life to the fullest passed up because of my weight in the last 7 years. *sigh*


I do know why I gained it on deeper levels and I know exactly how to lose it as well, so I don't need any advice about how to lose it; however, if you feel moved to comment on something, feel free to do so, as others -- and I -- could learn something.


I do want to inspire others who'd be dealing with the same weighty issue that I'm dealing with to, perhaps, get started too. And I'm getting started at 52, going on 53 ... it's horribly more difficult to lose weight at this age, than compared to 42 or 32.


So if you are those younger years and have too much weight on ... don't you DARE think that it's going to be easier to take off that weight when you are older! Lose that sh!t now! Or asap. But not when you are past 45!


I'm just posting this so that I can say that I publicly declared somewhere that I'd be losing this weight. Failure is not an option for me.


My starting weight is 330 lbs. Target weight 200 lbs, which is my natural weight.

[EDIT: My actual weight was 333 lbs on the morning of the 1st of Sept, so my goal is to lose 133 lbs asap.]


I was once invited to audition for the Chippendale dancers back in the '80s ... now I'd dance for "Chubbydale" dancers ... not. I think that Chris Farley did the most-awesome fat-man dance EVER on Saturday Night Live when he danced next to Patrick Swayze. I was literally ROTFLMAO watching that ... but I was not fat then.


And it's hard to believe that BOTH those guys have passed on and are gone. Too young, man!


I have a ton of good clothes that I scored from digging through dumpsters in Tahoe -- all washed, of course -- so I look forward to wearing those clothes once I'm small enough, like 270 lbs, or less.


Diet-wise, it'll be mostly raw foods that I've harvested -- blackberries, plums, pears, etc -- from my local area; I'm still harvesting many fruits, including the blackberries that grow along the streams in my area (Sierra Mtns in California).


And other raw foods are eggs, meat and milk -- all raw. About 90% of my food will be raw, organic and free-range. I catch fish (trout in streams; bass in ponds, lakes) locally and I do cook those, as pan-fried trout gently cooked in butter is just too good to pass up!


No amylase whatsoever, so that cuts out wheat in any form; no processed foods; no sugar, etc. Honey would be unheated honey. I get another kind of honey that's been heated to some degree, but not significantly, for my teas and other hot drinks.


Lots of hiking about; biking; walking in the streams, fishing and exploring about in nature. Even at this eff'n weight now, I can go hike for 4 to 7 hours straight and cover 10 miles, no problem. But after a 10-mile hike, I really DO feel it!


I do have a membership at a gym, so for the first month, I'll just walk to the gym -- 3.5 miles one way -- then stretch on this huge stretching device (it's got a bunch of bunging cords all over it, like a spider web), then walk back. That's it. Then a month later, I'll step it up with resistance training. I used to be a fitness trainer back in the day, so now I'm my own fat ass client to train.


I'll just be in the moment with food and not do the same-old patterns that formerly supported my bad habits. Every 2 or three hours, I'll nibble on something if I'm going to go long periods of time not eating ... I don't want my body to think that it's starving, hence it would conserve calories.


It's not going to be easy, I know ... I've started and stopped many times, but this time, I'm not going to stop. It'll get easier as each day goes by further and further along my new, healthy path as I trod along to my goal.


Wish me luck,


~Mozart

[Finefeather]

I wish you lots of luck dear Mozart, this is going to be a changing moment in your life.
Just make sure you have good advice from someone around you, I do know that this can be quite a dangerous undertaking if you are not mindful.
There are many on this forum that I believe would be of great help to you, put the call out in your mind.
Let us know as you progress.
Love and strength
Ray

[Heartsong]

Bravo Mozart! It is hard to lose weight. One of the hardest parts for me is to keep my mind quiet and positive while at the same time disciplining my appetite. Find quiet positive times for yourself and take it one day at a time.
positive vibes coming your way.

[Lifebringer]

I find the Asian diet very helpful it keeps the weight off by speeding up the matabolism and removing toxins in the body with minimal exercise.

Buy a personal trampoline to burn the calories for 15 minutes of "twist bouncing" and then NO fried foods, if you like chicken rack bake it dropping the fat off to collect in a flat pan, not our cellulite thighs.
Also very important "Apple Cider Brown vinegar" One tablespoon 3 times a week, followed by tablespoon of honey for motabolistic boost and glucose tolerance. The brown vinegar melts the already stuck to our body fat, until it's a liquid. Yes, just like in a salad dressing bottle, the vinegar separates fats from tissue, so it can be urinated out. If you can't tolerate the one fell swoop spoonful of vinegar because of tartness, then put it among some baby carrots and oregano with garlic the "natural antibiotic for the immune system" and enjoy. NO creamy salad dressings until you have reached your ideal weight.
Every spring this matabolistic booster will kick start your energy and weight loss as it heats up for spring and summer, when you are active. The small 8-10 holiday weight will melt off next season, so don't pig out, eat what you earned as a reward, and love yourself enough to know when to stop by cutting your calorie intake to NO more than 1800 calories daily. Fruits and veggies will aid in the vitamin intake.
I remember when I was 85lbs overweight and how it took 6 months discipline, to remove the "fat accumulation of 6 babies, where after every birth, the weight just dropped off.

Drink 6-8 glasses of water to flush those toxic fat cells that cause disease/skin rashes, as they come through the pours.

Sit baths of "powdered ginger, or ginger slices in the hot tub to purge toxins from skin. Look at the color of the water as the Asian culture has a color code for the toxins that are coming off the body. i believe grey or black is carbon, brown chemical like pesticides of the liver/kidnes or pharma drugs toxidity. You can look up Tai Diet

If you have been a smoker and feel there may be some carcinogenic cells created due to this habit, start immediately on 1tspn of baking soda, and two tspns of any natural sugar(molasses, honey, maple syrup, pineapple sugar, NOT fructose, they have it in crystals, mixed in 8oz glass of water, to shrink tumors and destroy the cells safely leaving the healthy cells alone. cancer cells crave sugar, so if the baking soda sneaks into the cell, oxygen is created to destroy the cancer which hates air. If you have an outside tumor, neck or other place, use pure garlic oil and saturate the tumor until is either slides off or completely die, or one in the jaw by the teeth that doesn't hurt, but is there all the same, this will dissolve the masses where they are benign.

Do this for two to three months about 3 to 4 times weekly according to how many packs per day you smoke. Use lemon on you meats like fish, chicken, eat tuna, light weight cold cuts, (no mayo or very light mayo), leafy green spinach fresh tossed into soup the last few minutes of simmering make a fantastic meal with garlic/non-cholesterol butter spread. Olive oil, if you must fry and becareful of the breading unless white breading is replaced with whole wheat or multigrained breads. Experiment with the natural breads slightly heated up for 20 seconds in a microwave like in a restaurant.
Experiment with some of the light spreads with flavorings. Bagals with onion, soups, help you sleep, and maintain the proper fullness to deter the stomach from feeling hungry. if you balance the meals out like 800 for dinner, and 500 for breakfast and 500 for lunch, you will lose that weight in no time. I personally gave it 21 days and in that time lost 21 lbs without any energy loss.

Lamb is also a good replacement for beef when you have digestive problems that are caused by meat sitting too long in the intestines, blocking absorption of minerals and vitamins before leaving the body.

If you block up the pipes, you will get back up. If you get back up, then you get GERD, IBS, and colon problems.

Save yourself and eat smartly and cook all food until it comes off the bone or animal fats(which may contain the refuse antibiotics in the animal) must drain off the meat or be pour off in a boil before baking.

Good luck, you won't need luck if you do this, but luck and health, just the same.

[NancyV]

Sounds like you're basically doing the Paleo diet. It's a good one! Much good luck!
:clap2:

[Jeffrey]

Hey man, I'm not going to wish you luck because you don't need it! All it takes is persistence, a plan, and motivation. It sounds like you have those basic ingredients already! I have my BS degree in Exercise Science so if you have any questions or need someone to review an exercise regimine for you I'd be happy to do that. One of my favorite subjects was on Sport and Exercise Psychology which deals with topics like motivation, burn out, goal setting, program adherence, etc. Great stuff.

Congratulations on taking the first step. The first of many on a challenging, rewarding journey!

[EsmaEverheart]

You can do it! I know this because I lost 110 pounds a few years ago and have kept it off. If I can do it, you can too!

[Eram]

All the best to you Mozart.

A new chapter of your life is opening up to you.

[RunningDeer]

Good for you, Mozart! Sounds like you have all the ingredients for a successful program.

And happy birthday and rebirthday! http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/smileys/balloons-smiley.gif?1292867552

[cacklingmuse]

Congrats, Mozart on your re-birthday! Happy birthday, as well! I, too, am on the quest for a healthier me... My hubby and I are trying the High Carb Low Fat Raw Vegan approach (basically all fruit and veggie, as much as you can eat w/ NO calorie restrictions.) My hubby has been more vigiliant than I and has lost over 40lbs in less than a month! We started out walking a mile a day and are now running more than that. This fruity diet is amazing!!! Check out 30bananas a day on youtube. Changed our lives.... Hope this might interest you. Good luck and blessings on your life change~

[778 neighbour of some guy]

Wish me luck,


~Mozart

Luck Mozart

You might want to try Tonic Alchemy by Dragon Herbs for nutrition, very little calories and densely packed with the best foods in the world, i dont use it to lose weight but to provide my body with foods it would not normaly get, i made room in budget for that by stopping with buying fake food, some things i also use are chlorella, spirulina, wheatgrass and barley grass and maca ( everything is in powdered form by the way and its all very very green except the maca) I toss everything in a glass bowl and mix it all together, and use a minimum of at least two tablespoons with this mix a day and it cleans you right out and provides you with just about everything you need Mix it with juice or water or some yoghurt drink), for carbs you can eat whatever is best for you, i just eat a lot of brrown rice and whole grain pastas.

Be aware of the fact your fatcells are packet with the bad stuff too and this might take some hard detoxing ( can be done quite effordlesly btw by using zeolites and mms, the zeolites are the easy part, the mms intake you might want to build up) Doing livercleanses while you are at it cant hurt either ( maybe the Andreas Moritz book is available as free E book). If you are going for you might just want to get all the way and see how that works out for you.

Good luck, you will love yourself when you get it over with even more.

Not a very polite question perhaps but if i may ask, how much do you have to spend in you food budget per month, is ask this in public so others can see how you can get this done.

i will go first then to make it easier i spend about 350 a month on food, about 200 of those go into the above named products, the rest i burn on the carbs and fruit and such. Yes yes i do eat potato chips and greasy **** too a few times a month.

[Cartomancer]

I am sending positive thoughts your way. Keep us up to date on how you are doing. Over thirty years ago I lost 80lbs and have never gained it back. I found that if I didn't eat at all past 4pm that it came off easily. You can almost eat normally if you do not go to bed within four hours after having eaten. Drink lots of water. I'm from CA down in the Sacto Valley.

[Amysenthia]

Good Luck Mozart,

Making the conscious decision to do things differently is the start. Losing weight first and foremost involves changing old HABITS. There are no miracle weight loss formulas. It is simply take in less calories and burn more. Simple!! Eat plenty of wholesome, organic fruits, vegetables, and less meat. Drink plenty of pure water. Be careful with fad diets. You must do lifestyle changes not diets. This is why all protein diets, mediterranean diets, raw food diets, all eventually fall by the wayside. They are not sustainable for the long haul for most people.

Also, as a 51 year old I personally know the only way to lose weight at this age is exercise, exercise, and then some more. Weight lifting is great for toning and muscle strength, but it will not burn off fat like cardio exercises such as walking, swimming, bicycling, etc. If you are at the weight you say you are you must be very careful about starting a exercise program. DO NOT OVERDUE IT AT FIRST. Many have put themselves in coronaries by starting too hard at first, because in the beginning you are all "lets get this done". You must look at this a being in it for the rest of your life so whats the hurry.

Good luck to you. I do have an extensive background in nutrition/medicine and would be happy to help you in any way if you have questions as you proceed.

[Corncrake]

I am sure you have your own regimen worked out but as others here have shared advice with you please read this. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549 It is about a recent documentary by the excellent Horizon team regarding the power of intermittent fasting and it is really do-able and really works! If you are interested the same production team investigated exercise in another documentary with surprising results and in yet another they looked at 'diets' and how people respond differently to different diets. All well researched and very interesting. Horizon has been running for decades and their catalogue can be found on line. Good luck.

[Alie]

Mozart
That sounds so delightful with all the walking! Good luck!
Alie

[Flash]

I am getting in with you. How about coaxing each other.

I am a woman, so right there it is usually harder than for men, and at an age where hormones plays fool.

I do not want to give my actual weight publicly (woman pride) but would not mind posting how I am doing - you may find my weight at the end.

Is that alright with you Mozart? I have been caught with that excess for 10 years and missed good time as well due to too much work and could not lose the weight due to stress. Now is time to take care of myself. Could we be companions in fat burning (I have quite lot to lose too, but less than you, so being a woman and burning slowlier, we may arrive on target at the same time).

Flash

[shadowstalker]

In case i miss it HAPPY BIRTHDAY
And good luck I hope you start using MMS while your loosing weight..

[Anchor]

Vision = 200 lbs

I do have some advice, sorry. Take, fluids lots and lots. Water lots and lots.

The reason is that the body takes the opportunity to lock up excess toxins in adipose tissue.

When you start to loose weight you will free any that this happened for, so you need lots of fluids to provide an expedient exit route.

Please don't rush this too much, for the same reason.

I wont wish you luck.

I wish instead for you to have the ability to maintain the vision of success.

[TWINCANS]

We're all behind you, Mozart. Good luck. I know you can do it!:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

[The Truth Is In There]

lots of good ideas in your post, mozart. here are some more:

if you want to burn fat you have to eat fat (from grass fed animals + cold water fish, no omega 6 vegetable oils!), not sugar, so drop the fruits (except a few berries if you must have any). sugar is toxic and fructose is the most toxic of the lot. all carbs are turned into sugar in the body and all excess is stored as fat as long as you're a sugar-burner (except fructose which is metabolized directly into fat by the liver) so try to limit carbs to no more than 50g per day to become a fat-burner, the remaining food should be approx. 50:50 fat and protein in terms of weight. that gives you about 65% calories from fat, 30% from protein and 5% carbs. most things raw is great, be sure to include lots of fermented foods as well (incl. fish & meat).

to burn calories, forget all the low-level exercise like walking, jogging and the other cardio-crap. build muscles! they burn calories even when you sleep. no cardio exercise does that, the only thing it does is create lots of free radicals and waste muscles. exercise has to be short and intense, you must be dead on your feet after no more than 20-30 minutes. that forces the body to adapt and make beneficial changes. knowing how to influence anabolic and catabolic hormones is the secret to weight loss, health and anti-aging. do resistance training once a week, and sprint training once a week 3-4 days later. 2x 20min per week, no more exercise is necessary. the rest is recovery and muscle build-up (get no less than 8 hours sleep).

if you decide to go low carb (the only sensible thing to do, really) you're gonna drop a lot of weight during the first few weeks. most of that will be water, not fat, because on a regular (read: unhealthy) diet the body retains a lot of sodium in order to be able to also retain water (to dilute the toxic sugar in the body. that creates high blood pressure among other things, not high salt-intake as many people claim). once the blood sugar and insulin levels drop you'll start losing lots of water and sodium (blood pressure goes down) so be sure to get enough himalaya or sea salt or your energy level is going to drop as well because of adrenal insufficiency.

it will only take a few days to go from sugar to fat-burning but the whole metabolic and hormonal adaption incl. changing enzyme production etc. will take 1-2 months so be prepared to go through some heavy carb/sugar cravings and low energy periods during that time. don't give in! once you make it through that, low energy will be a thing of the past, even if you eat nothing all day. the body will burn your body fat and no longer cry for carb-loading every few hours.

good luck!

[Maia Gabrial]

Whatever you decide to do and eat, make sure it becomes a way of life for you. New habits that you'll stick to. This is so when when you reach your goal, you won't go back to old bad habits. You'd be living your lifestyle already. So, ask yourself this question: all these things that you said you'd be doing, will you be doing them for the rest of your life?

I totally agree with liquids being pure water because it makes fat water soluable. Drink lots of water.
Regarding meat, just remember they've been pumped full of hormones and that transfers to whomever eats it. That IS the reason most people are overweight to begin with....

I'm not going to wish you luck either. I'm congratulating you on your decision to do this; and cheering you on, Mozart. Way to go!

[RunningDeer]

“The older you are the LONGER you need to exercise.

BUT!
You need to exercise more gently.”


Covert Bailey’s book are a helpful source to explain aerobic and anaerobic: “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” & “Smart Exercise”.

The above quote was from “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” page 85. Covert Bailey continues on:

"Older people, however, need to heckle their muscles into growing new fat-burning enzymes. In a twenty-year-old, ten minutes of exercise is enough to stimulate new enzyme growth, but a seventy-year-old may have to exercise upward of thirty minutes before his muscles say, “All right already! if you insist on exercising for so long I suppose I can make you a couple of extra fat-burning enzymes.” But you have to be careful not to exercise too strenuously. If you exercise too hard, the muscles spend all their energy repairing damaged tissue instead of growing new tissue."

"And here’s another exception for older folks:


If you’re older, don’t do the same exercise every day.

This ties in with what I just said about older people taking longer to repair. By varying their exercises, they can work different muscles while the previously exercised muscles are being repaired."

Some chapters from “The Ultimate Fit or Fat”:

How to Measure Body Fat, Why People Get Fat, Never Say Diet, What is the Cure for All This Fat?, What Kind of Exercise is Best?, Exercise Using Common Sense, How to Determine Your Pace, Choosing Your Aerobic Exercise, How Long and How Often Should I Exercise?, The Fastest Way to Improve Fitness, Cross Training, Weightlifting, The Four Food Groups of Exercise

I do Tai Chi and walk. Tai Chi is both aerobic and anaerobic depending on how much added intensity. I change it up, but mostly use slow, fluid movements. (fat burning, muscle building) It’s also a moving meditation. I walk for the fresh air and sunshine, greet people, feed the birds, hold focus in my heart area, and visit with my Higher Self.

Why do I add this? When viewed from a greater perspective, I know exercise is transformative on many levels. And for the times, I'm feeling like a Type A personality, then it's multi-tasking the physical with the higher "stuff". And there are days when I really need to convince myself of "the why?".

This is my vid from a couple of months ago. It’s not perfect because I was trying to stay where the camera was. Since this vid, I’ve lost seven pounds because I’ve added detoxing liver and gallbladder. This thread can help your research: Liver detox (from av1) (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?6528-Liver-detox--from-av1-&p=547236#post547236) My biggest Grrrr is Ben & Jerry’s. :wave:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXilEnYGqfc&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXilEnYGqfc&feature=plcp

[conk]

So much good information already posted. All I can do is re-emphasize the most important.

No sugar. No grains. Eat quality fats. Drink lots of clean water. Weight bearing exercise. You can't fail. Best of luck!

[Sidney]

Hi Mozart. Congrats on your optimism. You are going to do great!!!!!!! Sending positive energy your way!! And happy birthday on the 4th.

[Elly]

Your post says that you are doing it! You go man! I totally encourage you. You have the right attitude from the start, just maintain the focus. You will reach your goal. :)

[Tony]

Low carbohydrates, high natural fats, you will need less to eat!

I wish tenaciousness!
Tony:thumb:

[M6*]

Dear Mozart,

My best wishes to you in this endeavor! If I can do it, you can too....and I am older than you are....so it's not about age; it's about the mindset.
I'm not telling you how much I have lost, but it was a "considerable amount" after keeping it on for waay too long....due to a stressful lifestyle.
Be good to yourself along the way, and think of me as your cheerleader waving a special flag with your name on it for every 5lbs down!

Yay Mozart !!!! M6*

[cacklingmuse]

Check out this downloadable PDF ebook, Dr Douglas Graham's 80 10 10 diet http://www.2shared.com/document/I2DhbtlW/Dr_Douglas_Graham_-_The_80-10-.html
also Dr Esselstein @ youtube http://youtu.be/AYTf0z_zVs0 "Make yourself Heart Attack Proof"
Dr Neal Barnard "Reversing Diabetes" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqCxVEAUjd0

[A Simple Human]

@ Mozart,

Congratulations, my friend, on "being the change you want to see in the world". You have taken the first step of your "weight loss" journey. Please continue. Considering many of the kind and informative responses, you will receive much support from your friends here at PA.

Just remember that upon reaching Chippendale dancer shape again, you will most likely be bombarded with questions from those around you, who also wish to lose weight. So be prepared to offer hints, tips, and advice to those who seek it because that is also part of "being the change you want to see in the world".

My one suggestion is: take at least one front and one side photo of yourself on the same numeric day each month for progress comparison. If you look in the mirror daily, then it will be difficult to notice your progress, and possibly discourage you from continuing your program. The photos will help illustrate your progress, along with keeping your motivation high.

Enjoy your birthday :party:,

A.S.H.

[Mozart]

WOW, everyone!


I'm honored and quite touched that so many of you in this wonderful forum responded with so many heart-felt messages of support and encouragement for my efforts to lose my eff'n weight!


THANK YOU, EVERYONE!


I will, when time permits, respond to certain posts that have information that is useful to others to discuss. Regarding the rest of the posts, I'll respond to them personally by leaving messages in their respective visitor messages sections in their profiles. It'll take some time to do that, but that's the way that I want to honor their input in this thread, rather than just a general "thank you" to everyone.


I've been intensively involved with the www.bike4chris.com fundraiser that we are doing and right now I have to work up written articles -- perfectly written and edited -- for publication in LA Times and other major metro papers, so I have to buckle down and focus on that.


As a writer and editor, I really want to write professional-level articles that are compelling and interesting to the readers, as well easy to publish for the paper with little or no editing.


I do want to say that I'm off to a successful start with my weight loss program -- in part because of the awesome, encouraging responses that are here in this thread. More details later.



I am getting in with you. How about coaxing each other.

I am a woman, so right there it is usually harder than for men, and at an age where hormones plays fool.

I do not want to give my actual weight publicly (woman pride) but would not mind posting how I am doing - you may find my weight at the end.

Is that alright with you Mozart?

Flash


Hey Flash! I'm honored that you want to jump in, so yes, please DO join me in our efforts to melt off that weight.


What I'd like to ask you is to give us your target weight loss in terms of how many pounds of weight that you'd like to lose -- that way we can see if you have succeeded, or not. No need for your actual weight -- just your target number of pounds to lose weight.


There are so many people in this thread alone who'd be able to give both of us some really good advice, so I was mistaken to say that I didn't need any advice ... I found some good stuff that I'll study further and possibly incorporate into my weight loss regimen.


So, please, to those who have experience and knowledge in the weight loss field, do share what you know -- it's not for my benefit ... it's for the benefit of others who may share the same kind of weighty struggle that I'm going through.


So, please, Flash, let's do it together!


~Mozart

[The Truth Is In There]

“The older you are the LONGER you need to exercise.

BUT!
You need to exercise more gently.”


Covert Bailey’s book are a helpful source to explain aerobic and anaerobic: “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” & “Smart Exercise”.

The above quote was from “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” page 85. Covert Bailey continues on:

"Older people, however, need to heckle their muscles into growing new fat-burning enzymes. In a twenty-year-old, ten minutes of exercise is enough to stimulate new enzyme growth, but a seventy-year-old may have to exercise upward of thirty minutes before his muscles say, “All right already! if you insist on exercising for so long I suppose I can make you a couple of extra fat-burning enzymes.” But you have to be careful not to exercise too strenuously. If you exercise too hard, the muscles spend all their energy repairing damaged tissue instead of growing new tissue."

sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.

the only thing that stimulates actual muscle growth is if muscles are taxed to their limit. this forces the body to increase muscular strength because the current strength was obviously not enough.

low level exercise of long duration that doesn't put much stress on the muscles will create a lot of oxidative stress and waste muscles, not build them. (just compare the bodies of sprinters and those of marathon runners). age has nothing whatsoever to do with that, the system as such is the same in a teenager and a centenarian.

what you need for muscle growth and rejuvenation are anabolic hormones - growth hormone and testosterone, and these are only stimulated by short and intense exercise, otherwise the adrenals will excrete lots of cortisol (catabolic) which counteracts any anabolic hormones. the result of excessive cortisol is of course muscle breakdown and eventually adrenal exhaustion (especially in older people!).

since growth hormone and testosterone levels continue to drop after age 25-30 it is vitally important to do the right kind of exercise to keep these levels up, and for old or sedentary people to increase these levels. it's all about controlling hormones.

as regards "fat burning enzymes", if someone eats low-carb the body is always in fat-burning mode. these enzymes will be available 24/7 and do their job. also, muscles have to get damaged in order to get stronger. the micro-damage to the muscle fibers is what forces the body to adapt and grow more muscle. no damage, no increase in strength and mass.

last but not least, growth hormone and testosterone are also bone building so they help to prevent osteoporosis (a major problem of older people, as we know, especially women)

[RunningDeer]

sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.


“The older you are the LONGER you need to exercise.

BUT!
You need to exercise more gently.”


Covert Bailey’s book are a helpful source to explain aerobic and anaerobic: “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” & “Smart Exercise”.

The above quote was from “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” page 85. Covert Bailey continues on:

"Older people, however, need to heckle their muscles into growing new fat-burning enzymes. In a twenty-year-old, ten minutes of exercise is enough to stimulate new enzyme growth, but a seventy-year-old may have to exercise upward of thirty minutes before his muscles say, “All right already! if you insist on exercising for so long I suppose I can make you a couple of extra fat-burning enzymes.” But you have to be careful not to exercise too strenuously. If you exercise too hard, the muscles spend all their energy repairing damaged tissue instead of growing new tissue."


sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.
Hello The Truth Is In There,

I’m aware of a quickened, ego response within, and questioned, “Why I am defensive?” “How important is it really is for me to be right in the scheme of this vast Universe of Beauty?”

I even questioned my doubting of what I shared. After all, I reminded myself, it came from a place of utmost integrity, and accuracy from my knowledge, research, certifications, degrees and life experiences.

The next layer of awareness unfolded. The ah-ha...every one has the ability to create an opposing point of view. There are some that have a passion for crossword puzzles, others nurture flowers, and others get juiced in debate.

This is my 3rd personal experience with you. It's always the same tone. And even when further evidence is demonstrated through experts, I discovered that it's really, really important for you to "pee on the bush last".

The 2nd time, I researched your responses with others. Kismet! It's the exact same pattern. So that's when I decided that if there was ever a "next time", I'd say to you, "Yes, you are absolutely, 100% correct in Your thinking and Your beliefs."

Based on history, my guess is there’ll be another go around. So just send it to the expert, Covert Bailey, of whom I carefully quoted. In the meantime, I will cheer you on if/when you choose to walk another road.

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer

[Flash]

When I was 33, I was in full belief for The truth is in there body care strategies. And it felt good.

Now that I am older, these strategies just feel awfully wrong when tried. It will put me washed out for a week. However, although I do have muscle pain with Tai Chi for example, I feel better with these gentle approaches.

Your discussion on hormones is somewhat convincing The truth, but I definitely think they are not complete, some major elements are missing, one amongst them being the way we convert nutrient at a later age and eliminate toxins. Plus other physiological problems that often have cumulated with time and bad exercises (you would not want to have, at this point in time, my left hip that was strenously trained at a younger age).

However, I could see you do have some credentials it seems, which are they?

[RunningDeer]

"I could see you do have some credentials it seems, which are they?"
I thought Flash was asking me this question. It's for "The Truth Is In There". So, I've deleted this post. :wave:


lots of good ideas in your post, mozart. here are some more:...

[Ammit]

My friend, you have passed your first hurdle by exposing the fact. The advice from souls here will only assist in jumping the next, you have your goals so, go and surpass them my friend, many wishes of luck.

[Flash]

WOW, everyone!


I'm honored and quite touched that so many of you in this wonderful forum responded with so many heart-felt messages of support and encouragement for my efforts to lose my eff'n weight!


THANK YOU, EVERYONE!


I will, when time permits, respond to certain posts that have information that is useful to others to discuss. Regarding the rest of the posts, I'll respond to them personally by leaving messages in their respective visitor messages sections in their profiles. It'll take some time to do that, but that's the way that I want to honor their input in this thread, rather than just a general "thank you" to everyone.


I've been intensively involved with the www.bike4chris.com fundraiser that we are doing and right now I have to work up written articles -- perfectly written and edited -- for publication in LA Times and other major metro papers, so I have to buckle down and focus on that.


As a writer and editor, I really want to write professional-level articles that are compelling and interesting to the readers, as well easy to publish for the paper with little or no editing.


I do want to say that I'm off to a successful start with my weight loss program -- in part because of the awesome, encouraging responses that are here in this thread. More details later.



I am getting in with you. How about coaxing each other.

I am a woman, so right there it is usually harder than for men, and at an age where hormones plays fool.

I do not want to give my actual weight publicly (woman pride) but would not mind posting how I am doing - you may find my weight at the end.

Is that alright with you Mozart?

Flash


Hey Flash! I'm honored that you want to jump in, so yes, please DO join me in our efforts to melt off that weight.


What I'd like to ask you is to give us your target weight loss in terms of how many pounds of weight that you'd like to lose -- that way we can see if you have succeeded, or not. No need for your actual weight -- just your target number of pounds to lose weight.


There are so many people in this thread alone who'd be able to give both of us some really good advice, so I was mistaken to say that I didn't need any advice ... I found some good stuff that I'll study further and possibly incorporate into my weight loss regimen.


So, please, to those who have experience and knowledge in the weight loss field, do share what you know -- it's not for my benefit ... it's for the benefit of others who may share the same kind of weighty struggle that I'm going through.


So, please, Flash, let's do it together!


~Mozart

Very glad to join you. Yes, all advice is welcome for me as well. I have my own plan right now, but I may need some on the cleansing side, while dieting, to make sure I get rid of toxins fast enough. The exercises parts is good as well.

I have a tendency to get quite down mentally when I diet, so if that could be avoided, I would greatly appreciate. I was thinking of exercise of course, but also of taking 5 HTP, what do our health experts here think of it.

Also, which supplement, added to D3, should I take to make sure I remain healthy. The other question I have is how much calories per day, if I count them (I intend to stop counting early enough though, and replace with healthy habits). Also, in how many days the body start using the fat but at the same time put itself on a low basic metabolism rate because it thinks it is starving - which I think has to be avoided (otherwise, diets leads only to more diets).

Those are the kind of info I need. Also, here, I would love to know which hormones are getting imbalanced with diets, how the cortisol works, etc. The Truth, you are most welcome here, you knowledge of hormones impacts seems awsome.

Ok, my first target is 30 pounds, stabilisation, then another 30 to 40 pounds. I am relatively (for French, not for Texans or Dutch lol ) tall so people do not think I have so much overweight. I am diabetic type 2 (one of the reasons to lose weight - the other being more feminine and healthy - the third being the impact of my mental and spiritual development) and I do have high levels of ketones when exercising strenuously, and believe me, it feels bad (even the brain becomes incoherent). Otherwise, my keytone levels are fine.

Also, in my house, we are gluten free - therefore our diet is already most probably better than most because we always check for ingredients.

The other component for me was an intense work weeks and homeworks weeks.

Although I had been dragged in a long term low pay contract last year and half and made believe that it would lead to a permanent better paid job, it did not work (I am still somewhat depressed and p ssed from it). So I did not keep building my clientele (self employed) as much as before and I am basically out of work presently - which means starting to work hard again to build up the clientele.

I have been working 60 hours + a week for the last 12-15 years and raised my daughter alone, having to help her quite substantially financially and with time (she was learning disabled due to neurological problems that had to be worked on fast and diligently so that she would get to be about normal by her teenager years. It was a 15 years plan I had designed with the best possible classic and alternative approaches I could afford in North America. This happened, now she is a teenager, and pretty normal, however, special food and supplements/nutrients plus tutoring still has to be paid for). I am very proud of both of us for the hard work we went through and the results we have.

So yes, I am/was basically very stressed - I can't work 60 hours weeks anymore, I just can't and do not know what will happen. I am trying very hard to believe that the universe will supply, but this is a complete change of thinking habits from the survival stance.

I am sure these stress levels have an impact on my weight, - cortisol was happy here all those years - and have to take this into account as well. I still have to keep working in this tough career until I find a way to turn it around.

So here it is, all help is most welcome

Flash

I am very happy to do this with someone else, Mozart, it gives it an entirely different dimension. Love to you.

[Flash]

"I could see you do have some credentials it seems, which are they?"

As per your request WhiteCrowBlackDeer, I have taken off your very impressive credentials. Thanks for sharing and love to you.

"When I was 33, I was in full belief for The truth is in there body care strategies. And it felt good.

Now that I am older, these strategies just feel awfully wrong when tried. It will put me washed out for a week. However, although I do have muscle pain with Tai Chi for example, I feel better with these gentle approaches.

...However, The Truth, I could see you do have some credentials it seems, which are they?"[/QUOTE]

I already knew some of your credential WhiteCrowBlackDeer, my question was for The Truth Is In There.

However, your credentials are still more impressive than I knew.

Edit: As per your request WhiteCrowBlackDeer, I have taken off your very impressive credentials. Thanks for sharing and love to you.

[RunningDeer]

I already knew some of your credential WhiteCrowBlackDeer, my question was for The Truth Is In There.
Oh, oops... Now that's just darn funny! http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bliss.gif
I'll use this opportunity to say, I have a lot of admiration for how you've put your daughter's health first, even when financially it's been a challenge to make ends meet. That tells me you have a good understanding of budgeting, which in turn makes you a unique solution for a community.

There are a lot of folks that don't have those skills. I bet they'd sign up for some advice on tweaking their budgets. Maybe you'd be interested in a local program that's called, "Adult Education Classes," in the US.

I'd add suggestions on who the best insurance carriers, cell phones, best grocery shopping days, etc. You could ofter to assist them with these calls as part of the program. Or have them pair up and help one another to make these changes. It's easier for a lot of people when there's a buddy system.

Add to your curriculum outline, any new thing that appeals to savings, a comfort zone for change, or things like brainstorming with them. Then tackle it like a community/support group. I'll stop rambling now...:wave:

Peace to you, Lady Flash,
Paula

[Flash]

I will check for this Adult Education Classes system in Canada. This is a good idea, don't know if it exist in Canada.

On my side, it was not as much as making ends meet on a budget string (although I did check on money all the time, it rings in my brain very fast when needed, no need for calculators), but how to create money from thin air. My thinking was not "how can I afford this or that treatment", but she needs this treatment, how can I make/create sufficient money for it, create the opportunities, while still having regular living expenses to meet, a house, etc. However, I created this money with my own talent, selling it. (most people would have restricted the treatments based on income, which I did not. I decided on income based on treatments needs). So I worked very hard, and yes, she was first - urgency was there, the brain modification window is sometimes quite small and the problems were multiple.

I should have found some renewable self selling items or something that does not always demand my own time investment and involvement, since I have limited hours in a week.

So I created opportunities - necessity being the mother of creativity - in the consulting/training field, but it did demand lots of hours, and when I can't work, I am not paid. But this was still on a survival thinking basis, and urgency basis, not on a Universe providing basis, which is very different. I still feel insecure though.

I can't push myself that hard anymore. I think it is one the reasons for which I could not lose the weight, this constant pushing.

But anyhow, this has nothing to do with dieting at this present time. I will be happy to have advice. I usually study them quite thouroughly and then decide on the path to take. Without advice, no basis for deciding.

Therefore, thanks a lot for your advice WhiteCrowBlackDeer, and also for others advice on this thread.

[cacklingmuse]

Okay, Mozart and Flash- I want in! My overall target weight-loss is 35lbs. I started a couple weeks ago and have lost 8lbs. It IS harder for women to lose weight. Some say that it is better to go by measurements than stepping on the scale... taking side and front pictures sound like a good idea! Happy losing!

[Flash]

Great Cacklingmuse. You will probably reach your target much before me and I will be happy to be jealous.... It will be motivating. More we are, easier it is. All our energies and love put together.

[The Truth Is In There]

sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.


“The older you are the LONGER you need to exercise.

BUT!
You need to exercise more gently.”


Covert Bailey’s book are a helpful source to explain aerobic and anaerobic: “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” & “Smart Exercise”.

The above quote was from “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” page 85. Covert Bailey continues on:

"Older people, however, need to heckle their muscles into growing new fat-burning enzymes. In a twenty-year-old, ten minutes of exercise is enough to stimulate new enzyme growth, but a seventy-year-old may have to exercise upward of thirty minutes before his muscles say, “All right already! if you insist on exercising for so long I suppose I can make you a couple of extra fat-burning enzymes.” But you have to be careful not to exercise too strenuously. If you exercise too hard, the muscles spend all their energy repairing damaged tissue instead of growing new tissue."


sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.
Hello The Truth Is In There,

I’m aware of a quickened, ego response within, and questioned, “Why I am defensive?” “How important is it really is for me to be right in the scheme of this vast Universe of Beauty?”

I even questioned my doubting of what I shared. After all, I reminded myself, it came from a place of utmost integrity, and accuracy from my knowledge, research, certifications, degrees and life experiences.

The next layer of awareness unfolded. The ah-ha...every one has the ability to create an opposing point of view. There are some that have a passion for crossword puzzles, others nurture flowers, and others get juiced in debates.

This is my 3rd personal experience with you. It's always the same tone. And even when further evidence is demonstrated through experts, I discovered that it's really, really important for you to "pee on the bush last".

The 2nd time, I researched your responses with others. Kismet! It's the exact same pattern. So that's when I decided that if there was ever a "next time", I'd say to you, "Yes, you are absolutely, 100% correct in Your thinking and Your beliefs."

Based on history, my guess is there’ll be another go around. So just send it to the expert, Covert Bailey, of whom I carefully quoted. In the meantime, I will cheer you on if/when you choose to walk another road.

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer

it's what i do, pushing buttons. if 100 people say something you can bet that i'm the one trying to find a way to contradict them - without lying. most people don't like being wrong and then being told they are, so i don't mind if you disagree with me. you have a vast list of credentials, after all, so everything you say (or rather, quote) must be right. never mind!

for those who are curious, it's very simple to try both low intensity+long duration excercise for a while and then high intensity+short duration and see what works and what doesn't. since we talk about weight loss here there's simply no other way to go than high intensity. if you believe the guy you quoted is an expert than you're sadly mistaken. i can tell with absolute certainty that what you quoted from that book is complete rubbish. thanks for telling me that my beliefs are correct, you may consider me ego inflated. :cool:

just to be sure, i didn't say that tai chi, chi gung/nei gung or yoga are useless. that's something completely different from cardio-crap. it's definitely beneficial to do something like that too if time permits and if it's done properly because the way these things work are different from the physical approach of regular exercise. nevertheless i doubt the average practitioner will be able to lose weight with such ethereal energy exercises alone. unless you can consciously control your glands with your mind there's no hope to shed excess weight this way.

[Firinn]

Wishing you all the success in your weight-loss Mozart, and have a very happy Birthday today.... remember to go lite on the cake lol.

With love,
Firinn

[The Truth Is In There]

When I was 33, I was in full belief for The truth is in there body care strategies. And it felt good.

Now that I am older, these strategies just feel awfully wrong when tried. It will put me washed out for a week. However, although I do have muscle pain with Tai Chi for example, I feel better with these gentle approaches.

Your discussion on hormones is somewhat convincing The truth, but I definitely think they are not complete, some major elements are missing, one amongst them being the way we convert nutrient at a later age and eliminate toxins. Plus other physiological problems that often have cumulated with time and bad exercises (you would not want to have, at this point in time, my left hip that was strenously trained at a younger age).

However, I could see you do have some credentials it seems, which are they?

if done correctly (meaning slow, controlled movements) and in combination with proper nutrition there's no way high intensity exercise can be detrimental. the whole point of it is that the stress response of the body is reduced to a minimum and a lot of time is given for recovery.

basically what you do is a handful of compound exercises, slowly and controlled, each of them with so much weight that you just manage 4-5 slow repetitions until muscle failure. the burning deep inside the muscles means muscle fibers are being damaged and that's what forces the body to build them stronger during the recovery phase.

what happens with low intensity, long duration exerice like jogging is that the bones (knee, hip, spine etc.) get worn down, the muscles aren't built up but wasted for fuel (again, compare sprinters with marathon runners) and the long duration creates a lot more free radicals and thus oxidative damage than the short duration of hit exercise. and while hit exercise or high intensity interval training (hiit) like sprints increase output of growth hormone and testosterone, low intensity exercise does nothing of the sort and even forces the body to excrete cortisol all the way during and after the training in order to counteract the inflammation. the result is more stress on the adrenals and absolutely no beneficial adaption in terms of muscle or bone growth (that's what hgh and testosterone facilitate).

i suppose the damage of your hip was the result of overtraining, not done as described above and without enough rest and recovery. in such a condition it's even more important to stimulate anabolic hormones to rebuild bone.

the conversion of nutrients and excretion of toxins in an older body happens the same as in a younger one, just slower or not as good anymore. one of the main reasons is the reduced hormone excretion. again, this is why it's important to increase hgh and testosterone output. hit exercise also increases metabolic rate both during exercise and during periods of rest and thus the overall excretion of toxins.

as for credentials, i don't have anything to show off besides the fact that i'm obsessed with all kinds of nutrition and health information and have quite a large collection of books from many different authors expressing many different viewpoints. by comparing these with one another and scientific studies and trying things on myself i managed to get a clear view of what is corrent and what isn't. of course i don't know everything but i never stop to learn or question the things i'm not 100% sure about so just take everything i say with a grain of salt and simply try it. if it doesn't work for you, so be it.


I would love to know which hormones are getting imbalanced with diets, how the cortisol works, etc.

i have to keep this short due to lack of time, sorry. the biggest problem are insulin and leptin resistance. with the wrong diet you become resistant to both, with the result, on the one hand, of high blood sugar and high insulin levels and all the problems they create like obesity, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, cancer etc. and on the other hand leptin, the satiety hormone, can't do its job anymore and you simply overeat, you're never sated. this overeating results in more blood sugar and insulin and more fat cells (which produce more letpin). so it's a vicious circle.

also, because carbs drive the bood sugar up and down you get an energy low and food (sugar, really) cravings every few hours during blood sugar lows and need frequent meals, resulting in more overeating and more blood sugar ups and downs.

with fat as main fuel none of that happens. blood sugar and insulin are more or less at the same level all day and since your body doesn't receive enough carbs (which are preferred as fuel because sugar is toxic to the body and thus burned preferably) it will change your metabolism to fat burning. when no fat is forthcoming by way of food it will attack fat cells in your body for fuel. something that doesn't happen with a high carb diet because high insulin doesn't permit removal of fat from cells, only storage (it's anabolic, not catabolic) so the body doesn't attack fat cells, it tells you via your brain that you're hungry and need more carbs.

regarding cortisol i recommend to take a look at wikipedia. it does a lot of different things which i'd merely repeat here.

there's a lot more to say, for example why it's good to build muscle in order to improve insulin sensitivity and store glucose as glycogen in muscle and not as fat in fat cells but i need to get back to work so if you have any specific questions just lmk and i'll answer them tomorrow.

[westhill]

I'm wishing you a next happy birthday Mozart.
A year from now you'll be able to look back at your amazing journey!
Cheers.

[Mozart]

Okay, Mozart and Flash- I want in! My overall target weight-loss is 35lbs. I started a couple weeks ago and have lost 8lbs. It IS harder for women to lose weight. Some say that it is better to go by measurements than stepping on the scale... taking side and front pictures sound like a good idea! Happy losing!


Cacklingmuse ~~ Yes, absolutely, please DO join in with us!


I wish you the best to get rid of those 35 lbs.


Well, today is my B-day and I want to thank all of you for your kind B-day wishes.


I wish that I had time to respond far more fully to this thread (intensively involved with the www.bike4chris.com fundraiser) and the really great information that a bunch of you have shared, but I do want to share a few thoughts that I've gleaned from my experiences so far in the first three days.


Success in any weight loss program needs the following -- and not limited to the following -- concepts to succeed:


1) Commitment ~~

I was tempted to not do my first walk on my first day, as I was tired from working so hard during the day outside gardening and doing the fundraiser, but with all the awesome posts that were happening with this thread, I just could not let myself -- and you -- down, so I went.


Yesterday, when I was at my sister's place getting ready to walk (40 minutes one-way) home, I was already tired and really did not feel like walking. She offered to give me a ride, but I turned that down and went. The walk went well and I felt good that I went for it. I had walked to her place to give her 15 lbs of free food that were from gardens and the gleaning of food that I did.


So as a result of commitment, I have upheld my plan to walk and to take appropriate breaks inbetween to allow my body to recover, rebuild and to adjust to the sudden, new actions/habits that I'm foisting upon my body.


A key to commitment is to keep one just beyond the edge of comfort, to where you are not quite comfortable, yet far enough that you would be pushing the boundaries of your own comfort zone (in terms of action with your body), so if you consistently push yourself to be just outside of your comfort zone, you'll always be expanding the boundaries of what you can accomplish.


Our bodies are designed to adjust to the demands that are placed upon it, so if you demand a bit more than your body would normally do -- not not too much of an extra load -- your body will adjust and increase the capacity to do more action over time.




2) Flexibility/Adjustability ~~

I had planned on walking the first day, then taking a day off; then walking two days, then take a day off; then walk three days, etc.


But after yesterday's intensive action in the garden, hiking about in the creek picking blackberries, then finishing the day with 1.3 hours of walking -- eating just little bits of berries/pears through the day -- my legs were saying: Dude, let us rest and catch up!


So I decided that I'll walk one day, then take the next day off; then walk again, then take the next day off -- for about a week to allow my body to adjust to everything that I'm pushing it to do. Gotta respect my 49+year-old body (I can't count past 50, so I'm going to be 49 for the rest of this lifetime.)!


I also had plans of what to eat for dinner, as I was going to cook up a meal for my sister with the stuff that I brought over, but I got there too late and she had already been eating her dinner of the day, so that dinner would have to wait. So I had a pear there, then when I came home, I first hydrated myself, then I cut a whole tomato and cucumber; then after about 30 minutes -- getting close to bedtime -- I had 6 raw eggs, Rocky-style.


So even though I did not have the meal that I had planned, I still had a small meal that felt very good, was nourishing and did not add on weight, as the over-all calories that I took in that day was insanely small, like only 900 calories, at the very most -- yet it was nutrient-dense, so my body had what it needed in terms of nutrients.



3) Pace ~~

One can easily over-do the initial parts of a new exercise regimen -- regardless of what age you are -- so pacing oneself in the early stages is particularly important.


I had almost always over-done it in the past, so this time around, to avoid major down-times to recover from anything stupid, I'm really making myself pace myself and am listening to my body. I feel great and am doing great right now and I'd like to keep this going.



4) Hydration ~~

I agree with many of you about hydration, but I really do not like to drink just plain water, as plain water really does not go into cells easily, so I like to add a bit of fresh lemon juice and dashes of several electrolytes as my main water that I drink each day.


I also frequently add in a teaspoon of powered, organic algae that has an ass-ton of nutrients and things added to it, plus a tablespoon of diatomaceous earth (DE) -- both of which are the foundations of my health regimen, as I add them to not only drinks, but salads, yogurt meals, etc. So I wind up having several heaping tablespoons of both the powdered algae and DE everyday as a foundation of my intake of what I eat/drink.


And my intent of this thread is not to have any sort of attention on me at all -- my intent is to assist and inspire people to shed their unwanted pounds and to utilize this thread as a resource to which they can use to improve their health.


Oh, one more thing. I've edited the OP to reflect my actual weight that morning of Sept 1st -- 333 lbs, so my goal is to lose 333 lbs ASAP ... um, I mean 133 lbs! <grin> The starting number is a nice, harmonic number, eh?


~Mozart

[RunningDeer]

"And my intent of this thread is not to have any sort of attention on me at all -- my intent is to assist and inspire people to shed their unwanted pounds and to utilize this thread as a resource to which they can use to improve their health."

For me, you have accomplished it already, Mozart. I am inspired by your journey and everyone else that participates now and along the way. A big thanks to you, All!

So, I'm walking the journey with you. I'm making better food choices. I eat really, really healthy, but sabotage it by rewarding myself with lets just say...NOT..so..nutrient-dense choices.

And then comes the internal dialogue. http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/smileys/yapyapyap-smiley.gif (http://emoticoner.com)
Bong, bong, bong, "For someone who is soooo up on all this healthy stuff, how could you?" Bong, bong, bong.:moil:

[nottelling]

I put on a few kilos when I gave up smoking earlier this year. I have since missed an amazing opportunity which can be directly blamed on those errant kilos. Since I like to learn from my mistakes, for the first time, I've been dieting and OMG, it's a freakin' minefield out there. if you thought conspiracy theories were bad, imagine when there's big corporate dollars involved. The food companies and agricultural associations clearly have been spending a truckload of cash on "experts" to push the products.

Three great things I have discovered over the past week or so...

1. Paleo Diet is awesome, but don't make the mistake of having too-large portion sizes or you'll slow the process.

2. The documentary called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" is extremely inspiring and is even a bit of a tear-jerker in places, but I could never see myself on a raw food diet, much less one made of organic broccoli smoothies. I will save that concept as a last resort.

3. Wheat. I bought an audiobook called "Wheat Belly" and it's been one body blow after another. The author is a mainstream medical doctor who is obviously ethical enough to challenge the USDA and AMA. Coeliac's Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Diabetes, premature aging and whole slew of other medical and lifestyle issues are directly attributable to wheat consumption. Wheat we eat today is much different to the grains out great grandparents made their flour from. Over the years it has been hybridised and genetically modified to the extent that it is essentially a new species. None of these hybridised grains have ever been subject to an official health testing or approval process.

My late grandfather passed away a few years back from renal failure. This was the last domino resulting from his insulin-dependent diabetes, which was a result of diet, which consisted mainly of "healthy whole grains" in the proportions recommended in the "Food Pyramid". That means wheat flour and the products it was made from led to the death of my grandfather. Had I known then what I know now, he'd probably still be with us for a few more years.

It's really hammered home the fact that we really are on our own when it comes to nutrition. We cannot trust the TV ads, we cannot trust what's written on the box, we cannot trust some talking head. There are massive amounts of money involved here, so it's up to each of us to research it and to educate ourselves and each other.

I haven't done a wheat-free shopping trip yet, so when I went to the kitchen this afternoon to grab some lunch, lo and behold, even frickin' tomato soup has wheat in it.

I love mexican food so I'm planning to buy myself a whole head of cabbage and use the big leaves in lieu of tortillas. I'll report back on whether it's worth trying.


Well done on making the decision Mozart :) After I've gotten myself organised I may just join your merry band of Avalonian weight losers.

Amazing thread. Thanks to everyone who's contributed to it.

[Anchor]

So I'm reading these exchanges and wrangles and I am athinkin'

The reality is we are all perfect, and I know that for a fact. I also know we are all, each and everyone of us beautiful. We are beautiful on levels of existence that we are not, well not most of us, aware of.

We are made in the image of the one infinite creator and we seeing ourselves in creation - our self imposed temporal limits cause us to see things that we judge as imperfect, but only because we don't currently see that we are part of the whole infinite deal.

So we have created an experience imperfection, in so far as we think it thus. We are free to do that, and undo it as we see fit.

Anything is possible.

But at the end of it.. all is one, and we are perfect.

Nothing said here means that it is not a good idea to pursue health.

Most people agree that it is a good idea to stop distorting ourselves in unhealthy ways and make ourselves better configured to be able to deal with energetic changes on the way.

This thread is an inspiration. It has inspired me anyway.

[Dawn]

Mozart! Good for you! I started a new way of eating myself about 7-8 months ago and, while difficult at first, I got used to it. Lots of well wishers here and your own ideas are great about what you plan to do .... One of the things you might like to look at is adding fermented foods like kefir and living saurkraut to your diet. This is because the root cause of obesity has been found to be gut bacteria ... so you can change yours. If you'd like a free kefir starter let me know and I'll mail you some grains. I notice you live in California and these should make it in the mail to you with no problem. Here's a fun article about this for you to look at if you like: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/05/microbes-manipulate-your-mind.aspx

You might also enjoy looking at the thread I started about my personal process: The Gut of All Disease- Not What You Think

Best of Luck and Happy Birthday to you.

[Mozart]

Hey y'all!


Forgive me for not keeping up on this thread, as I've been too busy doing the intensive media outreach for the www.bike4chris.com fundraiser that we are doing. I'm not really enjoying this process, as it's put the rest of my life to a screeching halt, save for the walks that I'm doing every other day.


I'll catch up on this thread asap, but I just wanted to pop in and say, THANK YOU, to all of you who have posted such valuable information. Please do keep on posting such useful information, as others are already benefiting from it.


Yesterday was my b-day (not counting past 49! ... can't count past 49, anyway!) and I was offered my choice of what I wanted ... I wanted an organic carrot cake with coconut frosting ... OMG ... that's such a good cake; I was also offered chocolate cake or chocolate fudge squares as a little gift for me, plus Ben 'n Jerry's "Jerry Garcia" ice cream -- I passed 'em all up and went for an organic watermelon.


The reason that I passed on all those awesome treats was that I was so early in my phase of my new regimen, so it was dangerous for me to sidetrack myself by indulging in those awesome treats. Eating just one of those things can be -- and has been in the past -- a trigger for me to eat a ****-load of other cooked/junk foods.


So I just had to slam the door shut and go with an alternate meal that had a lot of delicious bites, yet was not any sort of processed food. Later on after I'm really solid on my health path and will have lost a ton of weight, then I'll indulge in those kinds of treats occasionally -- ya gotta live, right?


I've set up a solar bathtub outside that is a clawfoot tub set out in the sun and completely covered to the ground with .6mm clear plastic. The plastic traps the solar radiation of the sun inside it, heating up the water from the around 63 degrees in the morning to around 95-96 degrees right when the evening shade starts to hit the tub.


Needless to say, my ex-GF, whom I live with, has fallen in love with the tub and snags the use of it before I do! That's ok, as she's a clean honey. So when I use it, I get those rough gloves that are designed to scour one's skin and a half-cup of DE (Diatomaceous Earth) and I sprinkle a bit onto my gloves and scrub that blessed powder all over me. With the DE in the water, it also cleanses my skin/body amazingly well.


Then I drain the tub into a trough of newly-planted bamboo, so they'll popup really soon as happy campers.


So the main point here is that the DE is a major cornerstone of my health regimen -- I'm taking it internally and externally.


I'm VERY lucky to have a major farm supply place right nearby -- Peaceful Valley Farm Supply ... http://www.groworganic.com/ -- at which I can go there and pick up a 50-lb bag of DE for just 30 bucks. You can order it and have it shipped to you -- it's BY FAR the cheapest way to get high-quality, food-grade DE by mail. You can use this high-quality food-grade DE on yourself, your animals, your plants and insects (to keep 'em away) -- the results of which will astound you, I guarantee it. Just check it out on the Net all the anecdotal reports of the benefits of DE.


Any other DE outlet on the Internet will charge you an arm and a leg for DE. What's awesome about getting DE from Peaceful Valley is that you can easily take a pound or two of it, price it to be just a buck, or two, below the per-pound price of the average price of the DE on the Internet, then take the Zip-Loc bags to local farmer's markets, flea markets and other places and sell them directly to the people. Call it "donations" of X-amount-$ for X-amount of DE, if you need to do that.


If any goddamn gummint agents stop by, just say that you are offering the DE as "food-grade" DE for animals ... keep the eff'n, bastard gummint agent off your damn back! The profits from the sale of a portion of the 50-lb bag of DE can easily pay for the rest of the DE, so you'd then have free DE for yourself; plus, others in your area would have DE immediately and start to use 'em for themselves, their animals and their plants.


I find that I need to sell only about 5 to 7 lbs of DE (out of 50 lbs) in order to get my money back -- the rest of the money is pure profit for me. So I'm able to make money, plus keep a bunch of free DE for myself. And seeing/talking with local people is a huge bunch of fun, as we have thriving local markets that are booming with people locally and regionally flocking to our area for the high-quality foods that we produce.


I cannot overemphasize the importance of having high-quality, food-grade DE in your lives -- if you don't have it, you are eff'n missing out, big-time.


Ok, back to work with the media thing,


~Mozart

[RunningDeer]

Yesterday was my b-day (not counting past 49! ... can't count past 49, anyway!) and I was offered my choice of what I wanted ... I wanted an organic carrot cake with coconut frosting ... OMG ... that's such a good cake; I was also offered chocolate cake or chocolate fudge squares as a little gift for me, plus Ben 'n Jerry's "Jerry Garcia" ice cream -- I passed 'em all up and went for an organic watermelon.
~Mozart
You've just moved to Warrior status, my Friend! Kudos to You!

If I have one Ben & Jerry's, it triggers a three day binge. One each day. It was helpful to see the pattern. I created a graph complete with stats of number of calories ingested per month, how many pounds I could’ve lost, how many per month, etc. I’m not proud of this. It demonstrates the desperation. Who’s the tiger, who’s got the tail?

Another tool was to poured olive oil that was equivalent to the amount of fat listed. I had to take it up a notch because I couldn't really see through the container. So I used an 8 oz glass and kept it on the counter which helped for awhile.

This one binge time, I went in for Cherry Garcia at my favorite quick-shop place. They were out and the owner asked if I’d like her to order a sleeve (sp?) of Cherry Garcia for me. The word “enabler” popped in my head. You’d think I stopped. No. I just alternated between three places.

Another thing I discovered was that every time I visited my siblings, I rewarded myself with Ben & Jerry's to de-stress. The ah-ha was the awareness of even when the visit was really, really fun, I'd stop at my favorite quick-shop place. Which served to cancel out the visit with guilt of downing the pint.

What I came away with was several layers of beliefs. Like unworthy of joy, or feelings of inadequacy, or undeserving of happiness. All of these things were compounded because my siblings have the same beliefs. As a collective, they were reinforced by peer pressure to conform. It’s no one’s fault. It’s simply that we were not cognizant of it. I’ve broken from the pack. Today, I visit with awareness of the internal dialogue, and allow it to go poof! And express what needs expressing.

With the ability to kick a$$ in so many ways, it’s mind boggling how I allowed (past-tense) a little pint of ice cream run the show. Thank you Mozart for the courage to share your journey and allow me/us to walk with you. Thank you current and future posters and the readers, too. :wave:

[Dennis Leahy]

To your health, Mozart, to your health!

:~)

[EsmaEverheart]

I debated doing this....but here goes...

This is how I took off my weight (which was done under a doctor's care). First, I stopped eating bread, rice and pasta. All of those things swell in your stomach making it larger. I also sipped on water through out the day. My doctor recommended at least 64 ounces of water a day, but I drank a lot more water than that. I also stopped drinking any sodas, not only are they packed with sugars or artificial sweetners (which makes you crave more and more sweet things), but the fizz in sodas also enlarge your stomach and allows you to eat more. I never have more than 7 grams of sugar in any serving. So, what do I eat? 80% of my meals are lean protein the remaining 20% is non-starchy veggetables and fruit. Also I only eat 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup 3 times a day. Another thing I learned from my doctor. Do NOT do aerobic exercise to burn fat. Aerobics are great for the heart, but if you want to burn fat you need to slow it down. So if you are walking for instance, walk at a pace that you are not out of breathe. As you lose weight you can start doing the aerobics for your heart but right now you need to burn fat. Walking 20 to 30 minutes a day at a slow pace is what you need to burn fat.

That is all I can remember right now, if I think of something else I will update my post.


Update I also take several vitaminsa every day,

[The Truth Is In There]

after reading the post from EsmaEverheart i can't help it, i have to add something more about the "need to slow it down".

no matter if you do low level cardio exercise like jogging, or go walking or hiking....these things burn energy only while they're being done, not during the rest of your day. but what also happens is that they increase your hunger, by the simple fact that you expended more energy than usual, and so you eat more...or if you don't do it now, the hunger and cravings will eventually increase to the point where you must have that single piece of cake or...you name it.

the most important thing, and hands down the only things that works, if someone wants to lose weight and keep it off permanently (besides a low-carb diet) is to change body composition - that means increasing muscle mass to raise resting metabolic rate, increase insulin sensitivity and store more glucose as glycogen in muscles instead of fat. no low intensity exercise can do that.

lots of scientific studies have proven that low intensity exercise does not work for permanent weight loss because it does not build muscle but increases food intake by the same rate energy is expended. most people who tried it lost weight initially because they didn't give in to the cravings...until it was no longer possible to eat less than their bodies required. after starting to eat normally again they returned to their previous weight, and then some, in just a few weeks because by limiting food intake their bodies had, besides slowing down their entire metabolism, also reduced metabolically active muscle mass rather than fat (what the body does during starvation periods...to stay alive longer with little food)...so yes, they lost weight initially but that weight was also a good deal muscle...and the weight they gained later on when they ate normally again was pure fat. their bodies were storing for the next famine. this, of course, also changes body composition, but towards more fat and less muscle.

[The Truth Is In There]

So, what do I eat? 80% of my meals are lean protein the remaining 20% is non-starchy veggetables and fruit.

something else to keep in mind - protein is good, but too much of good things can be unhealthy, too. what happens when the body gets too much protein (more than it requires for muscle building and general maintenance) is that it increases mtor which essentially leads the body to produce new cells instead of making repairs. that may sound good but we know that cells can't replicate indefinitely, with every replication the telomeres shorten and eventually no more replication is possible.

in plain english that means if you eat more protein than your body requires you shorten your life span. that's one reason why a reduced food intake in lab animals leads to extended life spans, sometimes up to 50%. under limited protein intake cells are being repaired instead of replicated.

also, protein not used for build-up and maintenance is converted to glucose which is counterproductive when on a low carb diet. the main energy source must be fat. american indians called it "rabbit starvation" when they had only rabbits (which are very lean) as their main food source and got sick from it. it's protein poisoning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

[EsmaEverheart]

I knew if I posted how I lost 110 pounds that people would attack my plan. All I can say is that it is what worked for me. Non-starchy vegetables and fruit break down in your digestion as carbs. So I do get 20% carbs in every meal. Protiein stays in the stomach longer and therefore you feel full longer. As for the slowing down of exercise goes. I had Vo2 testing. Once before I started my weight lost plan (which I will state again, was UNDER A DOCTOR'S CARE) and two more times after the weight came off. The pupose of the Vo2 testing was to see how my body burned fat during rest and during exercise. That way I could see what my best heartrate was for burning fat. As of my last V02 test, it showed that I now burn 97% fat at rest.

As with any weight lose program, you should consult with a doctor before doing anying diet. And I never said that everyone should do my weight loss plan. People should do what is best for them. All I did was post what worked for me and allowed me to lose 110 pounds and keep it off for 5 years now.

[RunningDeer]

I knew if I posted how I lost 110 pounds that people would attack my plan. All I can say is that it is what worked for me. Non-starchy vegetables and fruit break down in your digestion as carbs. So I do get 20% carbs in every meal. Protiein stays in the stomach longer and therefore you feel full longer. As for the slowing down of exercise goes. I had Vo2 testing. Once before I started my weight lost plan (which I will state again, was UNDER A DOCTOR'S CARE) and two more times after the weight came off. The pupose of the Vo2 testing was to see how my body burned fat during rest and during exercise. That way I could see what my best heartrate was for burning fat. As of my last V02 test, it showed that I now burn 97% fat at rest.

As with any weight lose program, you should consult with a doctor before doing anying diet. And I never said that everyone should do my weight loss plan. People should do what is best for them. All I did was post what worked for me and allowed me to lose 110 pounds and keep it off for 5 years now.


" lose 110 pounds and keep it off for 5 years now."


I knew if I posted how I lost 110 pounds that people would attack my plan.

Hello EsmaEverheart,

Thank you for sharing your success. Loosing 110 lbs. and keeping it off for 5 years is all I need to know that you've found your magic bullet. Kudos to you for putting it out there. You are obviously a strong person to go beyond judgement of a few. The integrity from how and what you share reach many.

In the end, for me, action is the secret. There’s something to be said for inner knowing of what our body needs. Awareness of what may only be a whisper at times cheering us on to keep on keeping. Tweak where tweaking tweaks. (maybe I'll remove this, and maybe not, maybe I'll cut down on coffee)

I'm likin' that you added this in your other post: http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bliss.gif

"Do NOT do aerobic exercise to burn fat. Aerobics are great for the heart, but if you want to burn fat you need to slow it down. So if you are walking for instance, walk at a pace that you are not out of breathe. As you lose weight you can start doing the aerobics for your heart but right now you need to burn fat. Walking 20 to 30 minutes a day at a slow pace is what you need to burn fat."

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer :wave:

[EsmaEverheart]

Actually my Doctor gives me a blood test once a year to see if I am deficient in in any nutrients. For example if my blood shows that I am not getting enough vitamin D then my doctor adjusts my Vitamin intake to make up for what I was deficient in. I only was deficient one time at the begining of this program and every time since then my blood tests have came back as just fine.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that I do a series of stretches every day that stretches most muscles in my body. As you begin to lose weight you can add aerobics and weight training. But to begin losing fat you must keep your heart rate slower. The way my Doctor put it..."If you are out of breathe when you are walking, you are walking too fast to burn fat."

[The Truth Is In There]

EsmaEverheart, i didn't attack your weight loss plan, it's quite good, imo. i just pointed out that, based on animal studies, a very high protein diet, while certainly being good for weight loss if carbs are very low, may shorten one's lifespan. a common misconception of many paleo diet advocates is that our hunter/gatherer ancestors ate mostly lean meat/muscle meat, which is most likely not true. all hunter/gatherer societies that have been studied during the 19th and 20th certury valued organ meats and fats most highly and hunted/ate lean animals and lean body tissues only if they had to. carnivores like lions do the same, they eat the organs of their kills and leave the rest for scavengers. protein is good but a lot of protein is not necessarily better. weight loss is just as easy on a high fat diet if carbs are very low, and probably healthier in the long term, not least because the fat soluble vitamins we need are stored, obviously, in fat.

[RunningDeer]

Out of respect for your thread, Mozart, I’m trying to stay on topic. But I need to clarify what Tai Chi is and what it is not.


" it's what i do, pushing buttons. if 100 people say something you can bet that i'm the one trying to find a way to contradict them - without lying. most people don't like being wrong and then being told they are, so i don't mind if you disagree with me. you have a vast list of credentials, after all, so everything you say (or rather, quote) must be right. never mind!

Hello The-Truth-Is-In-There,

I’ve been doing Tai Chi for almost as long as you are old. Toss in personal practice, private lessons from great masters like Dr. Yang Jwing Ming, seminars such as Shaolin Chi Na which is joint breaking (Full disclosure: I do it poorly, can’t find volunteer to practice with.), fighting and sword form, and personal study and research. These and many not listed make my experiential experience at least equivalent to your age. Why did I list all this silly nonsense? Because you are not convinced that quotes from researched material is enough or accurate.

You make a flawed leap when you equate Tai Chi as an “ethereal energy exercises”. And that it’s not as beneficial as muscle training.

Your words:

- “it's what i do, pushing buttons.” - So your job is to push buttons? And for whom?
- “you can bet that i'm the one trying to find a way to contradict them - without lying” - To contradict - without lying? Why would you? Or do you mean something else?
-" most people don't like being wrong and then being told they are" - You correct most if not all posters. Are you saying “most” are wrong and you are the resident expert? So what are your credentials?



I already knew some of your credential WhiteCrowBlackDeer, my question was for The Truth Is In There.

Your words: post #42, “i can tell with absolute certainty that what you quoted from that book is complete rubbish.”

So what you are saying is that unless the expert is you, then all the experts are incorrect. Yet, you use other experts in your posts. Or do you? Which brings up a my question, you haven’t responded to Flash’s question. What are your credentials? And if you have credential, then study came from other sources.

We are unique individual with unique body types. So how can one solution, be the solution? Which you’ve stated, build muscle only. (your quote below, Post #20)

post #20
”...to burn calories, forget all the low-level exercise like walking, jogging and the other cardio-crap. build muscles! they burn calories even when you sleep. no cardio exercise does that, the only thing it does is create lots of free radicals and waste muscles. exercise has to be short and intense, you must be dead on your feet after no more than 20-30 minutes”


”.. just to be sure, i didn't say that tai chi, chi gung/nei gung or yoga are useless. that's something completely different from cardio-crap. it's definitely beneficial to do something like that too if time permits and if it's done properly because the way these things work are different from the physical approach of regular exercise. nevertheless i doubt the average practitioner will be able to lose weight with such ethereal energy exercises alone. unless you can consciously control your glands with your mind there's no hope to shed excess weight this way.”

Your words: “i doubt the average practitioner will be able to lose weight with such ethereal energy exercises alone” - How convenient. You put information together and claim what you say is final word, yet here you use “i doubt” and that makes your statement absolutely correct.

ethereal defined - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethereal?s=t
1. light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.
2. extremely delicate or refined: ethereal beauty.
3. heavenly or celestial: gone to his ethereal home.
of or pertaining to the upper regions of space.

Tai Chi movement is like a whip. It's mechanics is physics. The movement begins at the root, and the movement proceeds in one continuous flow. The entire body mechanic begins from the feet right into the tips of each finger. Each of the movement also creates heat and energy that works in conjunction with all the systems within the body. So refinement of energy and healing also occurs. (and, caloric burn)

Your words: “if time permits and if it's done properly”

Tai Chi is far, far from “ethereal” only. It takes only 15-20 minutes for mind, body and spiritual benefits to be felt for at the very least hours for the beginner. The internal power that one sees from great masters, where one only needs to intend without physical contact and the other is sent across the room, that takes devotional practice.

BTW: Tai Chi does build muscle. For the one that goes beyond the muscle, that’s where true power hums. It’s exquisite! Delicate, yet powerful.

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer




sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.


“The older you are the LONGER you need to exercise.

BUT!
You need to exercise more gently.”


Covert Bailey’s book are a helpful source to explain aerobic and anaerobic: “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” & “Smart Exercise”.

The above quote was from “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” page 85. Covert Bailey continues on:

"Older people, however, need to heckle their muscles into growing new fat-burning enzymes. In a twenty-year-old, ten minutes of exercise is enough to stimulate new enzyme growth, but a seventy-year-old may have to exercise upward of thirty minutes before his muscles say, “All right already! if you insist on exercising for so long I suppose I can make you a couple of extra fat-burning enzymes.” But you have to be careful not to exercise too strenuously. If you exercise too hard, the muscles spend all their energy repairing damaged tissue instead of growing new tissue."


sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.
Hello The Truth Is In There,

I’m aware of a quickened, ego response within, and questioned, “Why I am defensive?” “How important is it really is for me to be right in the scheme of this vast Universe of Beauty?”

I even questioned my doubting of what I shared. After all, I reminded myself, it came from a place of utmost integrity, and accuracy from my knowledge, research, certifications, degrees and life experiences.

The next layer of awareness unfolded. The ah-ha...every one has the ability to create an opposing point of view. There are some that have a passion for crossword puzzles, others nurture flowers, and others get juiced in debates.

This is my 3rd personal experience with you. It's always the same tone. And even when further evidence is demonstrated through experts, I discovered that it's really, really important for you to "pee on the bush last".

The 2nd time, I researched your responses with others. Kismet! It's the exact same pattern. So that's when I decided that if there was ever a "next time", I'd say to you, "Yes, you are absolutely, 100% correct in Your thinking and Your beliefs."

Based on history, my guess is there’ll be another go around. So just send it to the expert, Covert Bailey, of whom I carefully quoted. In the meantime, I will cheer you on if/when you choose to walk another road.

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer

[Laurel]

Mozart and Flash,

I've been working hard at losing weight, too. Down 23 pounds since June and quite a bit more to go.

I go to the gym about 4 days a week. Truth is right that weight training is the key. I mix it up with yoga and H2O classes to keep from getting bored and increase flexibility. If you can join a H2O class, give it a try. It's a great resistance workout - plus you feel like a kid splashing around in the pool to music. :dance:

[Flash]

Great Laurel, I am real happy for you. Can you tell me what is H2O class (a water class....???)? Thank you.

[Laurel]

Great Laurel, I am real happy for you. Can you tell me what is H2O class (a water class....???)? Thank you.

Thanks Flash! Yep, it's a water workout in the pool. Much more than "water aerobics". The class lasts an hour and consists of jogging/walking, core work, 1-2 minute intervals of high intensity mixed with short intervals of wall "push ups", work with weights, etc. it's really a fantastic workout because the water resistance makes you work harder, but the water takes all of the pressure off your joints.

[Tane Mahuta]

Hi Mozart...best of luck my friend!

"It's all in the mind...it's all in the mind...

TM

[Mozart]

Thank you, all of you, for posting in this thread all sorts of valuable information, including off-topic, but very useful information about Tai Chi.


I still don't have time to spare since the www.bike4chris.com event is still going on.


But I wanted to weigh in -- literally -- with the first of my planned every-10-day reports. I figured that weighing in every 10 days would give a sort of a 10-day moving average of the amount of weight loss in each of the 10-day segments.


So...


Starting weight ........ 333 lbs

Ending weight .......... 326 lbs

Total weight loss ......... 7 lbs


It's not as much weight that I wanted to lose, but it's better than nothing. Changing life-long habits -- especially eating habits -- is an effing hard task to take on. Effing hard.


~Mozart

[Flash]

Wow, congratulation, going faster is not necessary Mozart, slowlier often ensure that you do not gain it back. I should have followed my own advice years ago and would not be with you right now, going on a diet. lol

Love to you, I haven't started yet. Will this week with an American friend of mine. We will see.

flash

[The Truth Is In There]

Hello The-Truth-Is-In-There,

I’ve been doing Tai Chi for almost as long as you are old. Toss in personal practice, private lessons from great masters like Dr. Yang Jwing Ming, seminars such as Shaolin Chi Na which is joint breaking (Full disclosure: I do it poorly, can’t find volunteer to practice with.), fighting and sword form, and personal study and research. These and many not listed make my experiential experience at least equivalent to your age. Why did I list all this silly nonsense? Because you are not convinced that quotes from researched material is enough or accurate.

You make a flawed leap when you equate Tai Chi as an “ethereal energy exercises”. And that it’s not as beneficial as muscle training.

Your words:

- “it's what i do, pushing buttons.” - So your job is to push buttons? And for whom?
- “you can bet that i'm the one trying to find a way to contradict them - without lying” - To contradict - without lying? Why would you? Or do you mean something else?
-" most people don't like being wrong and then being told they are" - You correct most if not all posters. Are you saying “most” are wrong and you are the resident expert? So what are your credentials?



I already knew some of your credential WhiteCrowBlackDeer, my question was for The Truth Is In There.

Your words: post #42, “i can tell with absolute certainty that what you quoted from that book is complete rubbish.”

So what you are saying is that unless the expert is you, then all the experts are incorrect. Yet, you use other experts in your posts. Or do you? Which brings up a my question, you haven’t responded to Flash’s question. What are your credentials? And if you have credential, then study came from other sources.

We are unique individual with unique body types. So how can one solution, be the solution? Which you’ve stated, build muscle only. (your quote below, Post #20)

post #20
”...to burn calories, forget all the low-level exercise like walking, jogging and the other cardio-crap. build muscles! they burn calories even when you sleep. no cardio exercise does that, the only thing it does is create lots of free radicals and waste muscles. exercise has to be short and intense, you must be dead on your feet after no more than 20-30 minutes”


”.. just to be sure, i didn't say that tai chi, chi gung/nei gung or yoga are useless. that's something completely different from cardio-crap. it's definitely beneficial to do something like that too if time permits and if it's done properly because the way these things work are different from the physical approach of regular exercise. nevertheless i doubt the average practitioner will be able to lose weight with such ethereal energy exercises alone. unless you can consciously control your glands with your mind there's no hope to shed excess weight this way.”

Your words: “i doubt the average practitioner will be able to lose weight with such ethereal energy exercises alone” - How convenient. You put information together and claim what you say is final word, yet here you use “i doubt” and that makes your statement absolutely correct.

ethereal defined - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethereal?s=t
1. light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.
2. extremely delicate or refined: ethereal beauty.
3. heavenly or celestial: gone to his ethereal home.
of or pertaining to the upper regions of space.

Tai Chi movement is like a whip. It's mechanics is physics. The movement begins at the root, and the movement proceeds in one continuous flow. The entire body mechanic begins from the feet right into the tips of each finger. Each of the movement also creates heat and energy that works in conjunction with all the systems within the body. So refinement of energy and healing also occurs. (and, caloric burn)

Your words: “if time permits and if it's done properly”

Tai Chi is far, far from “ethereal” only. It takes only 15-20 minutes for mind, body and spiritual benefits to be felt for at the very least hours for the beginner. The internal power that one sees from great masters, where one only needs to intend without physical contact and the other is sent across the room, that takes devotional practice.

BTW: Tai Chi does build muscle. For the one that goes beyond the muscle, that’s where true power hums. It’s exquisite! Delicate, yet powerful.

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer


since you can't give it a rest i'll explain what i do.

"pushing buttons" - i like to aggravate "authorities" and experts with lots of credentials ;) i have no respect for people who think they know everything better because they're old and have said "credentials".

"contradicting people" - i do this for myself, because i enjoy to get people to think and i like pointing out flaws in their thinking or knowledge, provided that i'm in the possession of facts or knowledge i can offer to substantiate my contradicting view. in this way, i help people to expand their knowledge.

maybe you haven't noticed it but i don't post my opinion on every topic, nor do i contradict people on subjects i know little or nothing about. i usually post on topics that concern health or nutrition because these happen to be the subjects i'm most interested in, and by extension most knowledgeable of, because i have been studying these things for years in-depth, and from all possible angles. i don't just pick an opinion i agree with, and then defend it against opposing views.

as regards exercise, besides reading a good deal of books about different kinds of exercise and the mechanics and workings of the body during and after these exercises, i have tried various kinds of low intensity and high intensity exercise myself and use common sense when assessing the benefits and drawbacks of each of them, based on what i've read from experts/scientists and other people and what i've experienced myself.

unless you missed it, i did not give any recommendations for tai chi or any such energy exercises because it's not a topic i'm particularly interested in or knowledgeable of. i didn't contradict any of your statements except for saying that they can't make you slim if you're fat. there are a lot of fat martial artist experts, for instance. bruce kumar francis comes to mind. i like his books, just like those of (non-fat) mantak chia, lam kam chuen, yang jwing-ming and others, but it's not for me so i don't practice these things anymore, with few exceptions.

anyway, since this is a thread about weight loss, and the only viable way to lose weight besides a change of diet is a change of body composition, i don't see why people who want to lose weight should waste their time with stuff that doesn't help them to reach their goal. i don't say tai chi isn't healthy, it certainly is, but it doesn't make fat people slim.

yes, we are unique, with unique body types, but nevertheless all metabolisms and endocrine systems work in a similar way, which means they're influenced by the same things, only to different degrees. bottom line is that there's absolutely nothing (besides a change of diet) that helps one lose weight permanently besides changing body composition, and that means building muscle. it's as simple as that.

as for the credentials you're so keen on, i care absolutely nothing for such stuff because they tell me nothing about a person or their knowledge, just like a good health practitioner doesn't need a phd while thousands of doctors have no clue about healing and the prevention of disease. i could get credentials but why should i? so i can show them to people? i'd rather they judge the knowledge i provide by its accuracy and usefulness.

i get the impression that you like being an authority on certain subjects, which you "prove" by posting your credentials, and when somebody comes along, picks a piece of information you posted that's wrong and points out flaws, you attack that person.

but hey, i listen to what you say - just explain to me how low intensity exercise can induce weight loss and if you convince me with facts i won't say anything against it. i don't have to be right, i've been wrong before and my ego won't suffer if i'm wrong this time but so far you haven't provided any evidence or convincing explanation how low intensity exercise or tai chi are able to induce permanent weight loss. go ahead, i'm all ears....

[Flash]

The truth, please read this:

WhiteCrowBlackDeer has been on this forum for years and had never given her credentials prior to me asking a week ago, but asking the credential to YOU, the Truth. She concounded thinking I had been asking to her and graciously gave them, since I have been on this forum for few years as well.

When I wrote her that my demand was for you, she ask me to take them off my post since I had answered her with reply with quote. And she took her post on credentials off.

You see, Truth, I have been "advised", "given information only", judged, analysed, name it, all my life on different topics, to realise that often I knew more than those "giving the information" and most often I knew much more than the judges, so now, I ask for credentials, I do not believe on wrtings or sayings.

In health, with alternative medecine as well as traditional one and actual one, lots of scientific information actually exist. So yes, in those fields, I want to know credentials before playing with or scre wing up my system, or for that, the system of my child. For her, that you like it or not, I go no lower than PhD in biochemistry specialisation in developmental neurology coupled with naturopathy - and yes it cost an arm and a leg. And even there I will bring information that I read or other have given to me and ask it to be weighted by the specialist and ask follow up on it. For me, good naturopaths, very well read people such as you, or someone very well trained in all kind of martial arts will do. Why? Because I do have personnally enough knowledge in the health field to be able to complete the information, analyse, and decide on my own, thanks to the input of others.

Now, your way of "lack of respect" for those with credential or age are just showing to me some basic fondamental problems with your own ego. Credentials and age are good and can be respected when the person makes basic sense. I respect my 15 years old daughter comments on life, at her level, as much as my mothers who is 80, at her level. I respect the credential of my plumber, as well as those of my lawyer friends, at their respective work levels.

There is some fifteen years old who have no problems respecting opinions and listening (not necessarily obeying) to olders or some people having more experience in a given field. Those kid I am around like to learn and ask questions and have no problems from getting it from anywhere, even the internet. So, you can't imagine how often, on diverse topics, I told them that what they were getting was bull taken from ignorant people on the internet, but sometimes it was right. So they keep looking, analysing and pondering.

So yes I do ask for credentials when it has a direct impact on my body, my mind, my spirit, or on those I have a direct responsibility for, mostly when information is from the internet (I do ask elsewhere too).

After reading you a few times, I did realised you were well read, and started to ponder on your opinions and information. After reading WhiteCrowBlackDeer a few years, I always ponder on her informations and opinions.

Please, open up to all, your wisdom will only get better. No need to insult, this is one thing I learned, it leads usually nowhere - people make much greater strikes when we accompany them in their discoveries.

[RunningDeer]

Thank you, Flash. :wave:

Love,
Paula

[RunningDeer]

“since you can't give it a rest i'll explain”


you haven't provided any evidence or convincing explanation how low intensity exercise or tai chi are able to induce permanent weight loss. go ahead, i'm all ears...
I’m not here to convince you of anything. You’ve already demonstrated your cup is full. I’m here to share information with anyone that wants to broaden their mind, body, and spiritual choices. It is all intrinsically linked.

The information I provided was for the older population and this was your response: post #42, “i can tell with absolute certainty that what you quoted from that book is complete rubbish.”


Quote from “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” page 85, by Covert Bailey:

The older you are the LONGER you need to exercise.
BUT!
You need to exercise more gently.”

Covert Bailey’s books are a helpful source to explain aerobic and anaerobic: “The Ultimate Fit or Fat,” & “Smart Exercise”.

Covert Bailey continues on: "Older people, however, need to heckle their muscles into growing new fat-burning enzymes. In a twenty-year-old, ten minutes of exercise is enough to stimulate new enzyme growth, but a seventy-year-old may have to exercise upward of thirty minutes before his muscles say, “All right already! if you insist on exercising for so long I suppose I can make you a couple of extra fat-burning enzymes.” But you have to be careful not to exercise too strenuously. If you exercise too hard, the muscles spend all their energy repairing damaged tissue instead of growing new tissue."


there are a lot of fat martial artist experts, for instance. bruce kumar francis comes to mind.

You list several over weight martial artists and conclude Tai Chi can’t be a viable way to maintain weight and health. Gross over generalization, clearly, I can stop here.

Side note: I had the honor to experience first hand, Master Bruce Kumar Francis’ internal power at the Tai Chi Farm, Warwick, New York. Within nano-seconds, only light contact and stillness of all movement, I was sent about twenty feet away.


”unless you missed it, i did not give any recommendations for tai chi or any such energy exercises because it's not a topic i'm particularly interested in or knowledgeable of. i didn't contradict any of your statements except for saying that they can't make you slim if you're fat.” & “i doubt the average practitioner will be able to lose weight with such ethereal energy exercises alone”

You ‘did not give any recommendations for Tai Chi except for saying that they can’t make you slim if you’re fat’ is a false premise. ‘Doubting’ doesn’t make it so. To talk in black and white terms does an injustice to the whole. We are all unique. Tai Chi is another choice.

You also said that Tai Chi was ethereal. As I mentioned: Tai Chi movement is like a whip. It's mechanics is physics. The movement begins at the root, and the movement proceeds in one continuous flow. The entire body mechanic begins from the feet right into the tips of each finger. Each of the movement also creates heat and energy that works in conjunction with all the systems within the body. So refinement of energy and healing also occurs. (and, caloric burn)

As stated, Tai Chi is both anaerobic and aerobic. Increase the speed and one is still co-ordinating muscle groups, it fosters flexibility of joints and the mind. Too, it massages systems such as the endocrine system for hormone secretion. Again, Tai Chi does build muscle. For the one that goes beyond the muscle, that’s where true power hums. It’s exquisite! Delicate, yet powerful.


bottom line is that there's absolutely nothing (besides a change of diet) that helps one lose weight permanently besides changing body composition, and that means building muscle. it's as simple as that.

I never disagreed with this point. Just ‘how’. We are unique. What works for some doesn’t work for others. Options, choices, an open mind to discover possibilities is freeing in this duality of life.


[B]as for the credentials you're so keen on, i care absolutely nothing for such stuff because they tell me nothing about a person or their knowledge, just like a good health practitioner doesn't need a phd while thousands of doctors have no clue about healing and the prevention of disease. i could get credentials but why should i? so i can show them to people? i'd rather they judge the knowledge i provide by its accuracy and usefulness.

Here, we agree to some degree. Some one with a PhD or a doctor, doesn’t make them knowledgeable in all things. But, I have respect for their tenacity, desire to assist humanity and knowledge to share. Which, I then build upon because it’s my life and I am personally responsible to maintain through self-healing as well. Again, your statement is extreme black and white thinking about ALL doctors and PhD’s, which says more about your personal mirror.

Post #44
” have quite a large collection of books from many different authors expressing many different viewpoints. by comparing these with one another and scientific studies...”

“i have no respect for people who think they know everything better because they're old and have said "credentials".

Through your ‘large collection of books’ and ‘scientific studies’, those experts went on to higher learning so you can glean what you needed for personal knowledge. Some old, some young and why is age brought up here? Who's 'they'? If I understand you, anyone that is ‘old’, any one that ‘thinks they know everything because they have credentials’ don’t make your short list. But anyone that uses these same individuals' expertise(s) gets a pass.



i get the impression that you like being an authority on certain subjects, which you "prove" by posting your credentials, and when somebody comes along, picks a piece of information you posted that's wrong and points out flaws, you attack that person.

I am not an authority on any topic. Life is always evolving. I’m not attacking you, I’m simply sharing a little of what I know about Tai Chi. If you do a search, you’ll see I share of my experiences, knowledge and study; and not to make others wrong. I figured out a long time ago, it’s only points of view. Any one with half a brain can come up with a counter to another. It’s just a bunch of letters strung together which work differently for each unique individual.

My guess is you will need the last word. Know that I will not respond to your ‘all over the map’ arguments. I say to you, "Yes, you are absolutely, 100% correct in your thinking and your beliefs."

And lastly, I will cheer you on if/when you choose to walk another road on how to converse with mutual respect. For me, when you choose to write phrases like your quotes below, it automatically makes you suspect of your purpose to share and assist each on their path of inner discovery.

'The Truth Is In There' Quotes:

- “sorry to burst your bubble but that's completely wrong.”
- “what you quoted from that book is complete rubbish.”
- "pushing buttons" - i like to aggravate "authorities" and experts with lots of credentials ;)
- “i have no respect for people who think they know everything better because they're old and have said "credentials".
- “since you can't give it a rest i'll explain”

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer

[Tony]

This may help in understanding calories, or rather the misinformation about calories!
ahq9gSfDJFc


Tony

[Flash]

Since you posted this video here too Pin'eal, I will repost my post from your other thread, my aim being to have a balanced research, (no pun intended for French - re: balance which means scale in French) lol

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?49775-The-myth-of-calculating-calories.&p=553179#post553179


I am not trying to contradict the video, because at first glance it seems to make sense, but I am playing here devil's advocate. Here, with one click, what I found about Barry Groves and what some deem and unhealthy diet promotion. So that readers here can have both differents views. Here the article

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/diet-myths-the-misinformation-of-barry-groves-and-weston-price.html

And some parts of the article, which is worth reading in it entirely.


Poor Health of Indigenous Meat-Eaters
The dangerous habits of Americans or Europeans who eat only about 5 percent of their caloric intake from fresh produce and the majority of calories from processed foods, does not in anyway make a diet centered on meat health supporting. The whole purpose of this website is to offer information that can offer people control over their health destiny, without dependency on medications and without a premature death due to nutritional ignorance. With the knowledge we have available today and the access to high quality foods all year round we have a unique opportunity to live well and longer than ever before in human history.

When Barry Groves and the Weston Price Foundation people listed above rest their laurels on the health of high meat eating tribes, we have to counter that with real research, not phony claims. The research on the life expectancy of these people is clear. The Inuit Greenlanders have the worst longevity statistics in North America. A careful literature search reveals multiple studies documenting an earlier death in these people as a result of their low consumption of fresh produce and their high consumption of meat.


or


But remind this when you want to know where Barry Groves is coming from: he believes we're carnivorous animals that thrive on a meat only diet, to him we're more like tigers and lions than primates
This belief thought is not shared by low carb authors, paleo diet authors or traditional diet authors
Masai and Inuits are two extremes examples

My problem here is that Barry Groves is selling a diet, and as all diet salesman, his talks shoud be analysed and compared and studied and ... before taking any conclusive decision.

[Mozart]

But I wanted to weigh in -- literally -- with the first of my planned every-10-day reports. I figured that weighing in every 10 days would give a sort of a 10-day moving average of the amount of weight loss in each of the 10-day segments.

So...

Starting weight ........ 333 lbs

Ending weight .......... 326 lbs

Total weight loss ......... 7 lbs




Ok, everyone, I'm weighing in now -- albeit very late -- at the 40-day point.


My life has been full of up, down and sideways **** going on. Life, ya know? I totally blew it for one whole week, going to an all-you-can-stuff-it buffet for 5 days in a row -- totally shot down my habit-changing momentum. I clogged up my system badly, so I had to use senna for some emergency evacuations, if you will. Man, that senna **** is like a howitzer!


I have to develop better means of dealing with emotional situations, as I've for FAR TOO LONG used food as a <strike>panacea</strike> drug, really, to dull my emotional senses, but that has to change asap. I'm actually working on this right now.


Starting weight ........ 333 lbs

Ending weight .......... 319 lbs (as of Oct 10)

Total weight loss ......... 14 lbs


I had gained weight in the one week of binging, then I had to slowly shed that weight back off, then proceed along with the program in losing weight, so losing 14 lbs, net, in 40 days is pretty lame.


But I know that many of you support losing weight slowly. So be it. I do plan on accelerating my weight loss pace, though.


Now I need to read through the thread and see how the two others are doing...


~Mozart

[Kristin]

Good for you Mozart! The slow weight loss is the healthiest and best way to go. Also, you have much less chance of gaining the weight back if you take your time. Your metabolism needs to slowly readjust, or it will become damaged and confused. I've been on the other end... I've been trying to GAIN weight. Due to Celiacs Disease my intestines were very damaged, it takes a long time to heal. I was getting ill every time I ate, I was down to below 110 lbs. I'm finally back up to 130, which is healthy and I feel a lot better. I worked with a nutritionist, we had to slowly start me on liquid non GMO Gluten free diet and then slowly add in foods that I could eat. But taking the slow road to recovery worked, it's been over a year that it took me to gain 20 lbs, but I'm not in any danger of losing it. She told me that the opposite is true for weight loss... doing it slowly keep the metabolic function steady, that is important.

GOOOD LUCK BUDDY!!!! We're all routing for you!

[sdv]

Starting weight ........ 333 lbs

Ending weight .......... 319 lbs (as of Oct 10)

Total weight loss ......... 14 lbs


I had gained weight in the one week of binging, then I had to slowly shed that weight back off, then proceed along with the program in losing weight, so losing 14 lbs, net, in 40 days is pretty lame.

Nope Mozart, losing 14 lbs in 40 days is impressive. Well done! You must be doing something right.

I have found walking a good way to boost my metabolism if I use a step counter and challenge myself in terms of how far I walk and the time it takes me

I'm also trying to lose weight. The cravings that lead to the binge do fade. There was one day when I had to take my laundry to the laundromat and I was becoming obssessed with the idea of a junk food binge, so I decided the laundry could wait and I locked myself indoors!

[Finefeather]

I'm also trying to lose weight. The cravings that lead to the binge do fade. There was one day when I had to take my laundry to the laundromat and I was becoming obssessed with the idea of a junk food binge, so I decided the laundry could wait and I locked myself indoors!

Well done Mozart, keep it up...

sdv you are a real pleasure to yourself :) self imposed punishment, but did you throw the key out the window? :)

I remember when I was younger I used to lock myself up in the kitchen and eat all the ice-cream :)
I grew up in a family who were all sports crazy and I did rock climbing and back packing most of my life, when I slowed down because of injury I started to put on weight and realized I was just eating too much, so I adjusted my intake and have been ok since them. I am the same weight today at 66 (78Kg) as I was at school and I am convinced we just eat to much calories.
I never deprive myself of some junk food every now and then, I love chocolate and ice-cream but I always try to balance and control the mood and the devil on my shoulder.
Love you all
Ray

[GrnEggsNHam]

I'm also trying to lose weight. The cravings that lead to the binge do fade. There was one day when I had to take my laundry to the laundromat and I was becoming obssessed with the idea of a junk food binge, so I decided the laundry could wait and I locked myself indoors!

Well done Mozart, keep it up...

sdv you are a real pleasure to yourself :) self imposed punishment, but did you throw the key out the window? :)

I remember when I was younger I used to lock myself up in the kitchen and eat all the ice-cream :)
I grew up in a family who were all sports crazy and I did rock climbing and back packing most of my life, when I slowed down because of injury I started to put on weight and realized I was just eating too much, so I adjusted my intake and have been ok since them. I am the same weight today at 66 (78Kg) as I was at school and I am convinced we just eat to much calories.
I never deprive myself of some junk food every now and then, I love chocolate and ice-cream but I always try to balance and control the mood and the devil on my shoulder.
Love you all
Ray

Everything is consumable with the appropriate moderation :p

[sdv]

Dear Ray, I metaphysically threw the key out of the window and locked myself indoors! :cheer2:

Yes, if we feed our body with what it needs physically, it can cope with the occasional indulgence. It is when I am starving my body that binging on junk food is bad for me.

Ice cream is not my favourite junk fix, but anything with chocolate always persuades me. When I was on a business trip to London in 2008 (in the corporate world, which I have left behind me, for now), I found a card in a bookshop (Mozart, cacao nibs with nuts and seeds and yoghurt is a great healthy power breakfast) which pictured someone reaching the top of a peak:

After years of searching Sandie discovered that the meaning of life was actually chocolate.

Darn this American spell check! :confused: