Reading and Dieting

[dragondame]

It's really quiet here at work. Bossman has been appointed interim Director of our facility until a new one is permanently appointed. Since then, he has scarcely been around here. With him not here, no one is coming around to bug him, which means no one is coming around my office, either. At times it's nice because I'm getting some more reading

Comments

[lightframes]

Upon Denver's suggestion, I started today by not eating any breakfast.




"The Warrior Diet" that dictates that in hunter-gatherer times

There's your problem right there. Last I checked hunter-gatherer times were over and we no longer live on that schedule unless someone forgot to tell me on the way home from class this morning.

[dragondame]

That may be true, but our bodies have not chances much since then. And it has become apparent that our way of living is harmful to our bodies, the evidence in how overweight most people are. Our bodies were not meant for a mostly sedentary lifestyle filled with processed foods. Our minds evolved quickly but our bodies did not follow suit.

This is my only second day trying this out and I'm feeling pretty good right now. Last night I had the energy to do yard work for two hours and feel as though I could keep going. But it is still too soon to tell how well this will work for me.

[lightframes]

Not eating processed foods/not exercising are different issues. Nobody would argue processed foods and sitting around all day are good for you. But you've talked to doctors about nutrition, haven't you? Has any of them ever said skipping breakfast is a good idea? Skipping meals and overeating at night is what I thought you were not supposed to do.

Obviously you can eventually train yourself to not be hungry in the morning and eat more at night, but... what's the point? If you skip breakfast and eat more at lunch and dinner, you're still consuming the same amount of calories. If you want to eat fewer calories overall, wouldn't it make more sense to cut several calories out of each meal instead of cutting a meal altogether?

I'm just confused as to why about a year ago you were all for permanent changes and set against crash/fad diets, but that seems to be what this is. Are you really making a permanent lifestyle change to never eat breakfast again?

Obviously I'm coming from a really privileged place because I don't know what it's like to diet, but warning bells go off for me when people start talking about skipping meals.

[dragondame]

I have a habit of leaving certain details out. This "diet" said you could have a small amount of fruit or something with protein if you absolutely had to eat something in the morning. Once I get around to shopping, I plan on having just a banana in the morning. I don't think the point of this is to overeat at night but to make dinner the biggest meal of the day. And all the other health and food rules apply to what you are consuming.

I have made permanent diet changes and if this one works out for me, it will become permanent as well. I think a major point to this way of thinking is to stay away from eating grains in the morning, especially if you are not active enough. It also said that if you exercise in the morning, you should definitely eat when you are done to recover.

I am a bit skeptical myself but I'm going to try it to see if ir will work or not. I imagine ir isn't for everyone. People always talk about how quitting soda makes you lose so much weight. It didn't do shit for me.

[dragondame]

Apparently my finger thinks "r" is the new "t"

[halfeatenloaf]

I read into the science of this diet and I'm not completely sure how healthy it is. Apparently, the reason why you're supposed to have a huge boost of energy is because underfeeding yourself is supposed to initiate your Sympathetic Nervous System...or, as you should know, the system that reacts to stress in the body.

The Warrior Diet is based on a daily feeding cycle of "undereating" during the day and "overeating" at night. The "Undereating Phase" during the day maximizes the Sympathetic Nervous System's (SNS) fight or flight reaction to stress, thereby promoting alertness, generation of energy, fat burning and the capacity to endure stress

According to the graph on this page http://www.warriordiet.com/content/view/24/35/, you should be submitting yourself to bodily stress for 20 hours a day and give yourself 4 hours to recover. However, you and I both know from psychology that chronic stress on your body is harmful. Take this link, for example, from the Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001 (Don't forget that non-eating is as much of a stressor as a hostile work environment or a fight with a friend.) Four hours can't possibly be enough time to recover from the stress you put on your body during the day with underfeeding.

I'd say that you should consult a professional. Is there any way you can talk to your doctor about this diet? Or a professional dietician? Or a professional nutritionist?

I feel like you've hit the glass ceiling of weight loss. Usually the answer isn't a fad diet or more of the same exercise, it's to increase the intensity of the exercise. If you're walking all the time, try jogging or sprinting or a stairmaster and other exercise equipment. Try Zumba or Pilates. You just need to up the ante on your exercise a little.

[dragondame]

You make a valid point about the SNS. In all honesty, I didn't really think I would adhere to all the rules, I just liked some of the ideas. My main focus is eating less and trying not to weigh myself down with too many carbs.

I have discovered that listening to Tribal House music while walking encourages me to dance, and even though I look like a damned fool at work doing it, it is a lot of fun and seems to make my workout twice as productive. Also, doing yardwork is a great productive exercise that works out all your muscles, so I'm thinking of doing that more.

I appreciate the information you provided for me :-)