America sooo fat it has become a national security risk

True- I have a thing about watching what's listed in the ingredients. Generally, if you're eating whole, organic foods, there shouldn't be anything else in your food- but, not everyone can eat 100% organic all the time (I know I can't- some stuff I just can't find!).

And the calorie thing is constantly an enigma to a lot of people- but then again, most experts can't agree on what constitutes starvation level and what constitutes weight loss. Some people advocate tracking calories burned and then eating back those calories at the end of the day to ensure you NET 1200- others see that as defeating the purpose.

I don't think there's a be all and end all to it, but a huge part of it is WHAT you're eating. I wish they'd do away with Lean Cuisines and stuff like that because it's just no good.

 

exactly. not only that, but know your how YOUR BODY reacts to food. i'm an ectomorph by nature. i bring this up because i lift weights. knowing how many calories i can eat before putting on fat goes a long way. at the same time i lose weight RAPIDLY if i don't eat enough lol...it can be frustrating.

gram of fat - 4 calories
gram of protein - 4 calories
gram of carbs - 9 calories

 

I would imagine that's frustrating! I have a good friend who lifts weights and he's a lot like you in that respect. I also hate him because sometimes he'll eat a large pizza on his own and think nothing of it, and he never gains a POUND. Jerk! lol But, he watches what he eats 95% of the time, and he knows how his body works.

I have the opposite problem- I'm actually overweight, but I can't lose weight without a doctor hovering over me constantly. I used to run half-marathons, and now the extent of my workouts are allowed to be 60 minutes or less of yoga 2-3 times per week- MAX.

I started learning a lot more about food because of it. I figured, since I can't workout, then I might as well pay more attention to what's going on in my body. Before I found out most of this, I was guilty of eating those Lean Cuisines- they totally gross me out now.

Have any of you been watching Food Revolution, or watched the documentary Food, Inc.? They're recent- and it seems like this is becoming a really big movement, which in my opinion is great.

 

thats very smart of you. knowledge helps...and yes, your friend sounds exactly like me lol...i used to be around 140lbs forever - skinny fat lol. After gaining a greater understanding of my diet and having the discipline to cut back on alcohol and actually follow one, i have put on around 30lbs over the last few yrs. mostly muscle. I'm running sprints (HIIT) to knock off my last lil' amount of bellyfat and bring out my abs. Cardio is a bitch lol..

 

That's how I do. Only a matter of timebefore that shit backfires on me, though. I' taking advantage of that shit, while I can.

 

lol...yeah it slowly starts to catch up as you get older. I have a fast metabolism even at 40yrs old. but even i notice how bad foods affect me quicker.

 

Yeah, see, men generally have an easier time of it! It's not fair! LOL And congrats on building muscle- that's not easy to do unless you're really working at it.

Haha, I used to love cardio! Nothing was better than going on a nice long run- I lived for those 13.1 milers...ahh, the good ol' days (and wouldja believe, I really wasn't skinny then either?). Just wasn't meant to be!

Anyway, I'm glad there are more people out there who feel the way I do...I'm really kind of horrified at the way a lot of this information has been kept secret (or denied) over the years. I don't think the USDA is really doing anyone any favors- well, other than the big food corps. lol

 

thanks for the kind words. it takes years to build the body you want. i'm workin on it still...For years i've believed that our government and the food industry have it in for us. Why else would bad foods be cheaper and more readily-available to us than good foods. Combined with lack of information. then the health industry sits by and makes a living off of all the health cases. Some years ago i opened my eyes to all of this and decided to take control of my body and my overall health. No excuses.

u ran 13.1 miles...damn i dont think i could ever do that..congrats

 

Its starting to catch up with me.

I never thought this day would come.

 

Some people call me crazy for having the same opinions- we can be crazy together! lol

Thanks. The shirt I wore when I first did it said 'This seemed like a good idea three months ago.' I still get a kick out of it..lol..SO TRUE. I mean, the day of my first half I was SO SORE..and I said 'I'm NEVER doing this again!' Yeah, that faded fast. Suddenly I was like 'I wanna do a half again!'

I think if you can do what you've done with yourself so far, a half marathon would be child's play for you.

 

HAHAHA!

Well then, I dislike you and your super fast metabolism, too!

 

if i'm reading your post right, you don't run the whole distance at once? if you run it in segments then i could manage it. Longest i've ever jogged was the mandatory 4+mile daily runs i did in Tech school while in the air force.

i laughed at the name of your t-shirt. it's like , ok, i'm committed to this - too late to back out now :smt042

 

*takes note, as I head out to Jack in the Box* :lol:

 

lol just earlier i was watching the spurs game at a sports bar. on the way out i almost went to jack in the box. real talk. i decided against it though.

 

No, you do run it all at once....that's the half-marathon...13.1 miles of (painful) glory. One of my friends is gearing up for a full...no matter how you slice it, 26.2 just seems CRAZY. lol And yes, that's exactly how I felt the first time I ran it! I remember crossing the finish line with my friend and going 'OK, now where's my effin medal?!'

See, if you could do 4 miles, you could do 13...it's just a matter of steady training. You seem pretty disciplined, I bet you could own it...especially since this chubby girl totally did! LOL

 

I feel i could eventually do it, if i wanted to. but i refuse to sacrifice the muscle i've gained to train to do it though. my cardio consists of sprints 3-4x per week and an occasional 20-30 minute jog around the block once a wk. You deserve a medal for the distance you DID run. How long did it take you?

 

oh yeah, you definitely can't run and expect to retain that muscle- I forget that! Runner's are usually crazy lean. Keep the muscle!

It took me about 3 hours and 15 minutes. Not an Olympic time by any means, but I was pretty proud of myself. The second one I did in a little less time.

 

you should be proud. that shows determination, which i bet, carries over to other aspects of your life. overweight, underweight, or whatever you seem to have a beautiful personality and you DEFINITELY have a pretty smile.

 

You know what's really amazing about BA is that not only does he have a hellacious metabolism, but he's got damn fine muscle definition and apparently doesn't live in the gym either. I honestly can't figure out how he does it, :smt017 but if he could bottle that he'd be rich.