What's especially sad is the instances of people trying to feed their babies and toddlers low or no fat dies=ts, when they need tons of fat for their neural development, at least.
Unfortunately, when your gallbladder is blocked and only minimally functioning (as mine currently is), it's necessary to be on a very (very) low fat diet. Eat the wrong thing and pain, nausea and barfing follow. They're yanking it out in 4 weeks, so I have to put up with this diet until then. Blech.
My parents gave every one of us a piece of turkey skin every Thanksgiving and said to enjoy it, "it's good for your skin." That easy attitude toward fat has been with me my whole life. I'd rather have a little good fat than a lot of bad— cook with butter and damn the consequences. It takes less of the good stuff anyway.
And honestly, I think that avocados are one of the world's perfect foods. Tasty and filling, fatty and fruit all in one.
I remember that power outage in 2003. The whole of the Eastern Seaboard was down, or nearly so.
I was helping out a friend who owns a couple of restaurants that night. One of them, Garcia's Mexican Restaurant, never lost power. Not even a flicker. The rest of the town was black, and it was 4th of July weekend, and the tourists were out on the streets in the thousands. And there we were, neon lights glowing.
Within 10 minutes we had attracted every hungry tourist within a two mile radius. They lined up out the door and down the street.
Within 15 minutes we had attracted every bug on the east coast. Millers, moths, beetles, June bugs...there were bugs all over the tables, in the margaritas, dive-bombing the food, getting caught in the hairdos of the servers - they were everywhere.
They were still fishing dead beetles out of knick knacks 6 months later. That was a helluva night. Ran out of food, and no server left with less than $600 in tips.
You need to have your gallbladder removed ASAP. I had those very same problems for many years until I had it removed and after surgery, I felt brand new. It's been almost 2 years, and I haven't been sick once...not even an upset stomach or heartburn. Hell, I haven't even vomited since.
OK, I'll comment again because we're not talking about Islam.
I've done some tinkering with dieting, particularly after reading some of Dean's thoughts. I was never really clear on what Dean thought would work, as opposed to what doesn't. But I thought he had some good points.
It seems to me that there really are good calories and bad calories, and that there is some stuff that is absolutely horrible for you. I've lost about 35 pounds this year ... and haven't done that much except eliminate some things from my normal eating habits.
Some general, non-scientific observations:
1. There does seem to be something wrong with fast food. I hate to jump on that bandwagon, but recently I ate a Double Whopper with Cheese after about a year of staying away, and I was hungry as hell a couple of hours later. Which isn't how it normally is for me -- even if I eat a burger, say, at a restaurant, I'm not usually hungry.
2. Eat real food. You know what I mean. Your body seems to handle real food better than highly processed foods.
3. Your body seems to crave what it eats, so you need to think not about the meal you're eating, but what you're training your body to want tomorrow. And when you eat seems to matter as well. So if you eat that bowl of ice cream tonight before bed, your body will probably crave the same thing tomorrow night.
4. Don't diet. Substitute foods.
5. Come up with something you can live with. It's your life. Decide for yourself what you're willing to give up. Your soul doesn't gain weight, after all -- and that's what you'll take with you.
6. For me, I think sugars, rices, starches such as pasta, and highly refined breads that turn into sugar seem to be the culprit. I have done my best to eliminate sugar from my diet in all its forms, and find that I'm not that hungry and don't crave snacks. I simply eat two or three meals a day. And sometimes forget to eat.
7. I also substituted coffee in the morning for Diet Coke and dropped 10 pounds without even trying. I don't know why this is.
8. Protein is also key. It quells your appetite.
9. There also seems to be something to the weight set-point thing, so you need to find ways to reduce the set-point -- not diet off pounds. In fact, I've only concentrated on moving that set point, and that's one reason I've lost 35 pounds with no pain. You simply cannot fight the set point and win. (Your set point is the weight your body "wants" to be. If your body thinks you're too light, it tells you to eat. If it thinks you're too heavy, it decreases your appetite.) It's like lighting a fire in your living room, but the house thermostat keeps turning the A/C on.
10. In fairness, I have been smoking a bit -- so all of the above may be BS.
Dean, I haven't read all of the comments, but I have a couple of thoughts:
Hasn't science always been sort of like this? For instance, a number of modern historians have claimed that Galeleo's most virulent critics weren't in the church, but scientists of the old school protecting their life's work. Further, this seems to fit Thomas Kuhn's theory of paradigm shifts -- most scientists work "within" the paradigm, and are probably too short-sighted to see beyond it, though within it they do some profitable work, and it is only when the paradigm runs up against some catastrophic failure that more than a few radicals begin to question the status quo. If this picture of science is true, where do we go from here? One, the current science world isn't "broken", it's normal. Second, it is still always important that some question the wisdom of the current consensus. Keep it up. Oh and I saw this interesting article the other week that made a rather similar point about exercise.
Eating real food is one of the best things you can do. People vary in what they can handle optimally, which makes one allegedly ideal recommendation, whatever its shape. a bit sinister.
I have found I bloat up on the soda, kind of as you did, whether it's sodium and water retention or what. It may depend on the soda, but Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke are my primary poisons, with some Diet Dr Thunder and Diet Mt Dew thrown in.
I don't find I have a 2 hours later hunger problem with fast food in general, but it's definitely different. Not to be not eaten ever, maybe, but to be respected for what it is. I have an oddity in which I can eat McDonald's and lose weight. It's freaky.
One of your items, substituting, is vital. It's bad for you not to eat. Your body will go into starvation hoarding mode if you stop eating enough for long enough. Vary the quantities some, if you're truly overdoing it, but eat something different, not nothing.
I can do pretty well on pasta, luckily.
Protein is good. How good varies, but baseline good for anyone. If we could afford an even higher protein diet, and it wouldn't give me gout attcks, we'd probably do so.
Set points are annoying and very real.
My most successful dieting ever lost me 55 lbs in 8 months, and I consumed a "big block" size Hershey (usually) or Nestle (sometimes) bar with almonds almost daily. I also found Sudafed timed right would suppress the appetite. Not the way to do it (the latter; I have no concern about the former).
Thanks for your thoughts, Jay. I'm thinking fast-food may be something I need to completely steer clear of, but perhaps it's not for everyone.
I did hear that some chocolate is good for you, but I'm concerned about the impact the sugar has on me.
I'm still working on the set point thing -- because you need to watch your metabolism. That is, you don't want your body demanding very few calories to maintain a high set point.
I seem to be stuck at 210 pounds, by the way. I sure would like to lose another 20.
10.11.2007 9:14am
Commenting on Dean's World is a privilege, not a right. Dean is your host, you are his guest, and you should behave in that fashion. Dean is not your babysitter, nor is he your punching bag. Please remember this. In general, you are free to disagree with anyone on any subject you wish, but abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.
In the right degree, how true, how true.
And honestly, I think that avocados are one of the world's perfect foods. Tasty and filling, fatty and fruit all in one.
I was helping out a friend who owns a couple of restaurants that night. One of them, Garcia's Mexican Restaurant, never lost power. Not even a flicker. The rest of the town was black, and it was 4th of July weekend, and the tourists were out on the streets in the thousands. And there we were, neon lights glowing.
Within 10 minutes we had attracted every hungry tourist within a two mile radius. They lined up out the door and down the street.
Within 15 minutes we had attracted every bug on the east coast. Millers, moths, beetles, June bugs...there were bugs all over the tables, in the margaritas, dive-bombing the food, getting caught in the hairdos of the servers - they were everywhere.
They were still fishing dead beetles out of knick knacks 6 months later. That was a helluva night. Ran out of food, and no server left with less than $600 in tips.
You need to have your gallbladder removed ASAP. I had those very same problems for many years until I had it removed and after surgery, I felt brand new. It's been almost 2 years, and I haven't been sick once...not even an upset stomach or heartburn. Hell, I haven't even vomited since.
Linda,
Heh, good story. Tis an ill wind...
I've done some tinkering with dieting, particularly after reading some of Dean's thoughts. I was never really clear on what Dean thought would work, as opposed to what doesn't. But I thought he had some good points.
It seems to me that there really are good calories and bad calories, and that there is some stuff that is absolutely horrible for you. I've lost about 35 pounds this year ... and haven't done that much except eliminate some things from my normal eating habits.
Some general, non-scientific observations:
1. There does seem to be something wrong with fast food. I hate to jump on that bandwagon, but recently I ate a Double Whopper with Cheese after about a year of staying away, and I was hungry as hell a couple of hours later. Which isn't how it normally is for me -- even if I eat a burger, say, at a restaurant, I'm not usually hungry.
2. Eat real food. You know what I mean. Your body seems to handle real food better than highly processed foods.
3. Your body seems to crave what it eats, so you need to think not about the meal you're eating, but what you're training your body to want tomorrow. And when you eat seems to matter as well. So if you eat that bowl of ice cream tonight before bed, your body will probably crave the same thing tomorrow night.
4. Don't diet. Substitute foods.
5. Come up with something you can live with. It's your life. Decide for yourself what you're willing to give up. Your soul doesn't gain weight, after all -- and that's what you'll take with you.
6. For me, I think sugars, rices, starches such as pasta, and highly refined breads that turn into sugar seem to be the culprit. I have done my best to eliminate sugar from my diet in all its forms, and find that I'm not that hungry and don't crave snacks. I simply eat two or three meals a day. And sometimes forget to eat.
7. I also substituted coffee in the morning for Diet Coke and dropped 10 pounds without even trying. I don't know why this is.
8. Protein is also key. It quells your appetite.
9. There also seems to be something to the weight set-point thing, so you need to find ways to reduce the set-point -- not diet off pounds. In fact, I've only concentrated on moving that set point, and that's one reason I've lost 35 pounds with no pain. You simply cannot fight the set point and win. (Your set point is the weight your body "wants" to be. If your body thinks you're too light, it tells you to eat. If it thinks you're too heavy, it decreases your appetite.) It's like lighting a fire in your living room, but the house thermostat keeps turning the A/C on.
10. In fairness, I have been smoking a bit -- so all of the above may be BS.
Any of this make sense?
Hasn't science always been sort of like this? For instance, a number of modern historians have claimed that Galeleo's most virulent critics weren't in the church, but scientists of the old school protecting their life's work. Further, this seems to fit Thomas Kuhn's theory of paradigm shifts -- most scientists work "within" the paradigm, and are probably too short-sighted to see beyond it, though within it they do some profitable work, and it is only when the paradigm runs up against some catastrophic failure that more than a few radicals begin to question the status quo. If this picture of science is true, where do we go from here? One, the current science world isn't "broken", it's normal. Second, it is still always important that some question the wisdom of the current consensus. Keep it up. Oh and I saw this interesting article the other week that made a rather similar point about exercise.
Eating real food is one of the best things you can do. People vary in what they can handle optimally, which makes one allegedly ideal recommendation, whatever its shape. a bit sinister.
I have found I bloat up on the soda, kind of as you did, whether it's sodium and water retention or what. It may depend on the soda, but Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke are my primary poisons, with some Diet Dr Thunder and Diet Mt Dew thrown in.
I don't find I have a 2 hours later hunger problem with fast food in general, but it's definitely different. Not to be not eaten ever, maybe, but to be respected for what it is. I have an oddity in which I can eat McDonald's and lose weight. It's freaky.
One of your items, substituting, is vital. It's bad for you not to eat. Your body will go into starvation hoarding mode if you stop eating enough for long enough. Vary the quantities some, if you're truly overdoing it, but eat something different, not nothing.
I can do pretty well on pasta, luckily.
Protein is good. How good varies, but baseline good for anyone. If we could afford an even higher protein diet, and it wouldn't give me gout attcks, we'd probably do so.
Set points are annoying and very real.
My most successful dieting ever lost me 55 lbs in 8 months, and I consumed a "big block" size Hershey (usually) or Nestle (sometimes) bar with almonds almost daily. I also found Sudafed timed right would suppress the appetite. Not the way to do it (the latter; I have no concern about the former).
I did hear that some chocolate is good for you, but I'm concerned about the impact the sugar has on me.
I'm still working on the set point thing -- because you need to watch your metabolism. That is, you don't want your body demanding very few calories to maintain a high set point.
I seem to be stuck at 210 pounds, by the way. I sure would like to lose another 20.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.