restart, day 1

[theminordetail]

after i picked up my sister from the airport
(i have impeccable timing, can i just say?
took me exactly 45 minutes to get from our gate to NAIA 3 bay 5),
we went to the supermarket, and bid our farewell:

Comments

[jalapeno]

hey just wondering why you're spacing your meals 5 hrs apart? is it because to "keep your metabolism" humming? it's actually a dieting myth. :)

[theminordetail]

i'm following an eating plan prescribed by Dr. Cohen, which you can read more about here. :) the plan was made specifically for me, based on my body chemistry/blood test results.

It's not essentially "meals" that need to be spaced apart, but the protein :) and this is only for the first phase of the program. The 2nd phase allows mixing proteins already. :)

i'm sure it sounds dubious but i've seen it work for my sister and at least three of my friends :)

THEN AGAIN, maybe IT IS a myth, and the 5-hour space between meals isn't necessarily what makes the program work. :)

[jalapeno]

ahh i see. it works because you're basically eating a high-protein diet and keeping carbs really low (which means lesser calorie intake). kaso ingat lang because when you start eating carbs again you'll gain water weight/bloat and sometimes you end up heavier than you started. :)

eat everything in moderation but focus more on whole foods... that's what i do nowadays. weight loss is slower but easier to keep it off.

[theminordetail]

ideally, on phase 3 - maintenance - you've already rebalanced your body in terms of the necessary hormones - human growth hormone, insulin, and serotonin - so that you don't eat off anxiety, become better at managing cravings, and your body becomes more efficient in metabolizing food. :) it's not high protein at all, some meals actually require more veggies than protein, which are still carbs. :)

[jalapeno]

i see. because to me it sounds like one of those fad diets. because weight loss is still calories in vs out.

[theminordetail]

nope it's not :) like i said, my sister and at least 3 friends have done it and kept the weight off. :)

[jalapeno]

But do they need to be on it forever?

[theminordetail]

no, that's why it's done in phases. :)

no man-made carbs save for a limited number of crackers on phase 1, until you reach your goal weight. not encouraged to weigh yourself everyday, but every month. and you take your measurements every week. drastic inch loss means it's really fat that you're losing :)

on phase 2 you start reintroducing rice/pasta/bread - which is when you'll know the optimum amount you can take in for each without gaining weight. this phase is 16 days, and you weigh yourself everyday, noting the difference on weight, if any, so you know which food and at what quantity will make you gain.

so when you're on phase 3 (maintenance), you can eat any type of food but have better knowledge of the right portions and can control the weight gain. :)

[theminordetail]

"weight loss is slow" - applies to me too, despite exercise. :)

i did read somewhere that weight loss is largely about diet and not exercise, and i believe that--i do at least 4 classes of bikram yoga every week, and i'm always at least a couple of pounds lighter after each session however i'm pretty sure that's just water weight because i sweat like a man. :)

you can burn fat if you eat the right mix of protein and carbs, that's what Dr. Cohen has been specializing on for years :)

[jalapeno]

hehe because each bite you take means calories. yes, weight loss is 90% diet, 10% exercise. that's why abs are made in the kitchen.

there's actually no right mix of protein and carbs, as far as i know... protein and fats are more important than carbs because they're essential, whereas carbs are there for sanity. hehe. i don't know if you're into weight lifting but it's been proven to help more with fat loss since you build more muscle which means more calories burned.

[theminordetail]

i would like to think there's a right mix of protein and carbs that would be optimal for each person :) certain enzymes in meat or in veggies or fat when eaten in prescribed amounts will aid digestion and fat break-down, at the same time help nutrients from food become absorbed more efficiently--at least, I think that is the general philosohpy

[jalapeno]

I think you may not be eating enough to fuel your activity which makes it harder for you to lose. Check out http://www.emma-leigh.com/basics_calorie_needs.html she's my nutritionist. Sorry to sound irritating, i just want people to know there's a better and easier way to lose weight. :)

[theminordetail]

okay - let me know how it goes for you :)