The Foods You Eat. And Your Diet.

So this all began with a BigMac and the way I fealt at work at 8pm after eating it.

Theres a McDonalds right next to my job. And I am forced to eat there everyday I work since I get a discount and that well... lets face it... sometimes its good.

But I fealt groggy, I had a hard time breathing at one point, I was sweating, and My eyes fealt really heavy and I was feeling really fatigued. I wasnt feeling this way before I ate since I was starving and geuss what... isnt food supposed to make you feel somewhat refreshed?

So after I weened myself off the junk food and discovered the organic market across the street, I am drinking Vitamin Water, And eating fruits, vegetables and a caesar salad. And geuss what.

I feel great everytime I do!

So I wonder fellow Sg'honians what did you eat before? And how do you feel now?


Before:
Junk Food, Loads of Doritos, Pepsi, And way way too much rice.

Feeling weighed down, tired all the time, and gaining that little extra weight

Now:
Only foods without Hydroginated Oils, Organic foods from the Organic Market, Fish, meats, bowl of cheerios in the morning with skim milk, Soy Milk. And I now cook my meals at home. If I am hungry... A bag of soy chips or a bag of 60% less fat Chex Mix.

Feelign: Energetic during the day. Sleeping only at night, Lost 1 pound last week. So yeah... I think its working.

Maybe we can improve each others eating habbits and/or life styles by this thread.

So lets hear em

Even if your not eating as healthy as you should.

[Edited on Aug 04, 2005 by V2PointOh]

Eat before you feel full, even if that means not cleaning your plate. You can really cut down on your intake, and not miss it very much.

I go through periods of extensive stress, and reach for foods that get me in trouble, like ice cream, processed foods, junk food, and greasy foods. Makes me feel terrible every time, so I try to avoid the foods at all costs.

One must drink plenty of water, especially if they drink alcohol periodically or drink a lot of soda (like I do). I drink diet soda as I can drink my body weight of it, and I think I am literally composed of 10% Splenda. Haven't had problems yet, but it isn't good to subsist on lots of soda.

I exercise a lot, and cut back on red meat and chicken, and substitute fish whenever possible. One can't eat enough vegetables and fruits, so I try to get those in whenever I can. I cut back on cheese, even though it's a personal weakness, but it makes you appreciate it that much more, in smaller quantities.

Get the book Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible, it will school you about vitamins and supplements, which I think are mandatory NOT optional. No one I know has a perfect diet, but every little bit helps.

after i became vegan, my diet became much more diverse (more vegetables, soy, etc) and i avoid a lot of junk food by proxy. i feel eating a more balanced and diverse diet is part of growing up i.e. teenager to adult. im obviously not the concensus. i also feel that i eat more efficently in that along with enjoying the food i eat im more mindful about how food fuels my body.

I'd suggest that you were actually suffering from some kind of food intollerance or mild allergy, or possibly other contributing factors to why you felt ill, I don't believe for a second that it was because of food you ate. (unless it was allergy related)
I've been living on a McDiet of two Big Mac's a day since late march, and although the innitial dramatic weight loss has subsided, I still have yet to feel tired, ill, snack between meals or any of the things that people on other diets seem to do, and my cholesterol is only 3.54 (way below the average of 4) so all I can say is everyone is different. A diet that works for one person might not work for someone else. If McDonalds food was really so unhealthy, that after Super Size Me, rather than simply withdrawing the supersize option that was allowing so many gluttonous and lazy people to become obese through their own actions, they would have been forced to close, yet they are still open. There's nothing wrong with McFood (other than moral objections to the type of food) The problem is with lazy people that keep gorging themselves on it and do nothing to burn off the calories.

I agree that eating crappy foods makes me feel worse than eating really healthy foods. The other thing I've found is that not over eating is really a good thing. Like i never feel compelled to "clean my plate" if I'm not hungry anymore, I stop eating.

Yeah, I used to get sick much more often and generally not feel all that great after eating "junk foods" back when I did. Then I switched to a vegan diet, ate much more diverse foods which generally by default tend to be healthier, and I simply feel hundreds of times better now than I did then. No way I'd ever go back. And davefuture, you have any suggestions for restaurants? Noticed you live very close to me, and finding a new good place to eat when I'm too lazy to cook would be nice.

i try to eat right sometimes but it always fails. i eat out pretty much every single day, i hate cooking and buying groceries. eating out is pretty much a waste of money on top of it but i hate cooking. i know eventually i'm gonna get my ass eating right and get on the right track i just need to focus on it.

I had a thing going where I wouldn't carry any cash. That limited my choices in snacking and fast food. If I was hungry and didn't pack a lunch, I'd go to a grocery store where there were healthier choices. I've noticed McD's are putting in debit card machines, but they appear to be broken most the time.

I for one have a very high metabolism... so Im constantly snacking.

My vice has always been chips and salsa... but for a few months i have just looked over it and was eating pretty much anything and everything in the pantry.

Now that I have tostitos and salsa again... i pretty much snack once a day.

My girl says "she cant stop eating" shes short and thin... but you can see a pound or two... ive told her I think she has an eating disorder. She has since gotten off the instant meals and back on to making tuna sandwiches.

Double Post

[Edited on Aug 04, 2005 by Spike]

I have (by most standards) an extremely high metabolism: My resting heartbeat is 1.5 beats per second, my core temperature has never been lower than 100. I also have a higher than average count of liver enzymes, which means I metabolize drugs faster than most. In anyone else, these readings would be unhealthy, but for me, they are completely normal. The only theory my Doctor has is that these are a result of heart surgery I had at 18 months old. But. I don't snack constantly (or ever feel the need to) I've never eaten much, and 2 small meals is quite sufficient for me. (I suspect it is my accelerated metabolism that allows me to thrive on a diet that in many others, could be considered unhealthy.
[Edit for spelling]


[Edited on Aug 04, 2005 by Spike]

Growing up in a house with 4 siblings, I learned early on that I had to eat fast if I wanted to get my fill of the good stuff. Now that I'm the last one still at home, it's not that way anymore, yet I still eat pretty quickly, which doesn't always give my stomach enough time to register that it's full. Which can be bad, especially when I'm eating pasta. A bellyful of pasta slowly melting away makes me feel like I just sucked down a bottle of Elmer's.

when i was bartending, i lived nights and had very little energy to cook for myself. i'd wake up at 7 or so in the evening, order some take-out crap or make something like macaroni and cheese, go to work at 9 pm for 12 hours, drink a lot, and get McDonalds breakfast after i closed up in the morning.

now that i'm up during the day, i usually start off with cereal of an eggbeater omelet in the morning, eat a lot of fresh vegatables in salads and wraps for lunch, and cook yummy stir-fries and low-fat pasta dishes for dinner. i also generally avoid the crap i used to eat, like fried foods, processed sugars and starches, pizza, etc. . i also cut way back on the alcohol intake, since i'm not in the bar 40 hours a week. i've lost 15 pounds, feel great, and my food tastes better.

I know that you were kidding...but really...you're only "forced" to eat there because of poor planning on your part. I know, I'm being a nag....bit still.


I'm guilty of it too. I work in a fire house..where there is no shortage of good-tasting food with questionable nutritional content. There's also a hefty amount of peer-pressure. I take a pretty good amount of ribbing when I bring in my own organic food...but to level it off...I eat some of the crap that everyone else eats too.

[Edited on Aug 04, 2005 by Cash]

eating organic and whole foods is the only way to go in my opinion, can't stop drinking the fucking coffee though. . .

I am not an expert, but you are right about blood sugar. Healthy foods with complex carbohydrates release energy slowly and that stops insulin levels rising to much.

The body over reacts when it is feed too much sugar and the insulin levels go too high for too long. That causes the blood sugar level to fall too fast and that makes you hungry.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Alright...

I grew up eating all natural farm grown foods, including meat when we could get it, I grew up drinking all natural spring fuckin' water like it was milked from the goodness of god cause it came directly off our mountain. I never had much of anything fun to eat at all.

I was miserable, tired, and my childhood blew fuckin' ass.

Now...

I eat fast food constantly, like a fuckin' religion, I love meat, any fuckin' meat I can get my hands on and hunting rawks my socks off (if done properly and you use the WHOLE animal). I'm not much on sweets, but give me all the damned empty starches I can get my greedy hands on. I love alcohol and I'm probably a borderline drunk but who cares its my life and I don't drive drunk, I smoke when ever I can fit it in, and I've been known to push small children downstairs when no one is looking and I don't think I'll get caught.

Seriously I'm totally tired of people blaming problems on the little consumer goods that have utterly defined this pathetic society ever since our grand parents time. Get over it, if someone is fat and lazy, blaming it on food products and not on our pathetic 40 hour, work your self to death, welcome to the slave wage race, 2 weeks vacation is the height of your monotony life style in this country. THAT'S what kills. I see one more fat fuck take McDonalds to court over being a fat fuck and I'm gonna have to start re-mailing anthrax.... (Wow 2002 was an awesome year).

Just my rant, no I don't need any replies telling me how "wrong" that all is, it's just wasting good calories on needless typing.

-C-
In the next war, we shall bury the dead in cellophane


[Edited on Aug 04, 2005 by MrSorrow]

[Edited on Aug 04, 2005 by MrSorrow]

Another thing... if I ate out less... and ait in more...

this month...

I would have saved 700 dollars.

That also persuaded me into changing a lot of things

I gave up eating at fast food places a few years ago and haven't ever really felt like I'm missing anything. Due to some relationship troubles this year I really started getting in shape and eating right (when you're angry and depressed, hard exercise clears your head right up).

I started cooking all my own food, and not eating out anymore. I dropped 40 pounds in two months with a combination of watching what I eat and running everynight and I feel about 1000x better. Lately I just gave up eating potatos, which I do miss, but are horrible for you because they cause an insulin spike.

My recommendation, start picking up some cooking magazines at the news stand or book store. I've got 4 that I buy religiously (bi-monthlies), and I always have something good to eat, plus they don't take up much space and aren't very expensive. If you want to get started eating healthy, I would definitely recommend "Eating Well" (one of my four), and secondary to that picking up "Cooking Light" (only an occasional buy). Both come packed with a variety of recipes, usually around stuff that is in season. Start hitting your farmers market too, as it's a great resource.

Last but not least, cooking is not that difficult. Start with the easy stuff and work your way up.

But the thing is, you might feel better eating natural, nutritious foods, but that doesn't mean that everyone does. As MrSorrow pointed out, it's people's lifestyles that are the problem, not the foods they eat, unless (as I suggested above) someone is actually allergic or intollerant of a certain food. Super Size Me was an interesting and shocking documentary, but it was not realistic, because it was about someone gorging themselves on as much food as possible that their body was not used to processing, taking no exercize at all, and then combining that with the stresses of traveling around a country to make a documentary film. I've been living on a reasonable McDiet for just over four months. If McFood affected everyone in the same way it affected Morgan Spurlock, I would probably be either dead or being fitted for a new liver right about now, and neither of those scenarios apply. I admit, that I believe the reason I can tollerate the McDiet better than most is because my metabolism is not like that of the Average Joe, but even so, as I said before, if McFood was really that dangerous and unhealthy, McDonalds would have been closed down as a health hazard. It's only unhealthy if eaten to excess with no exercise. Eaten in moderation, and with an active lifestyle, it's absolutely fine.

My metabolism is inhuman, and will chew up anything I put in my body, wring all possible good from it, and spit it out with no apologies to anyone.

That said, I'm a vegetarian who eats a lot of soy, cheese, peanut products, tons of random fruits and vegetables, and pretty much whatever else. The only packaged foods I eat regularly are CLIF bars, Pearson's nut rolls, and soup in a can.

I always have a water bottle with me

it is an extremely rare occasion that I drink something besides water

And how exactly is what one eats not part of one's lifestyle? Bad food is bad for you; There's nothing to argue here. Recognizing that the individual bears responsibility for what he eats does not change the effects of the food when it is eaten. There's a growing number of diabetics in this country that got that way because of what they eat, not because they have to work in an office.

But Spurlock neither died nor required a liver transplant.

I'd be curious to know exactly how you've come to this determination though. Have you been undergone regular blood testing of your liver function? Ultrasounds? People can be alchoholic for decades before their livers finally succumb. People can smoke for decades before they die of lung cancer. One of the problems with convincing people of the importance of good nutrition is that the negative effects of a poor diet manifest themselves slowly over time, just as the positive effects of a healthy diet manifest themselves slowly over time. You won't eat one Big Mac and die, just as sure as you won't eat a salmon fillet + spinach salad and wake up 30 pounds lighter with an immunity to cancer. In our ADDified, instant gratification world, people are very reluctant to believe in any effect that takes more than two or three seconds to manifest itself.

Based on your postings in the bodybuilding, weight loss and nutrition groups, I had the impression that you've been starving yourself and making the common mistake of equating a diet that results in weight loss with a healthy diet. People in concentration camps lose weight.

Nick

Edited because I saw your earlier post where you do in fact discuss your liver function being monitored. Although that just weirds me out further. You more than most other people should be careful about what you eat.

[Edited on Aug 04, 2005 by The_Incubator]

Thanks Spike, that's pretty much what I was going for, I just don't have a great way words when I tend to see alarming trends yanking up around me like pit traps.

-C-