titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted April 3, 2016 I have recently lost a sh!t ton of weight. I was at 310 at my heaviest several years ago. Was down to about 270 when I came to China. Now down to about 195. I lost the first bit an America the hard way. Counting calories. Workout daily. Etc. Here, it was immediately obvious that a massive change in diet was going to happen. I CAN get pizza and burgers and crap here, but it is much more trouble. The biggest differences between here and home is this. 1. At home, I ate mcdonalds a lot. Like daily. Mainly because it was the quickest, easiest, cheapest thing to eat. On a day to day basis, I don't care enough about what I eat, I view it as an errand mostly. Here, McDonald's is much more expensive in relation to real food, so I never eat it, since it sucks anyway. 2. Portion size. You always hear that portions are insanely big in America, and it's true. I was used to eating until I was full. Now, I just eat until there isn't any left. Thus, I eat much less. 3. The food is real food. You can see the raw ingredients siting there. The meat is a side of meat, or a chicken that was walking around several hours earlier. Everything isn't HFCS up, and hormone and roided up. Now that I have finally, after all these years, learned to eat a little more properly, I can't gorge like I used to. On the occasions when I have pizza or something, I just can't eat as much. No room. Oh, and the other thing... I used to drink soda constantly. Like at least two liters a day. Cut it out completely. That sh!t is poison for weight loss purposes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penultimatestraw 473 Posted April 3, 2016 Too much protein can lead to pancreatitis. And wholly chit, that hurts. Also, gout. Never had it, but others on here have and apparently, it hurts like hell. Thats why i drink beer instead. If you're worried about gout, beer is about the worst thing you can drink. In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that as few as two to four beers a week increased the risk of gout by 25%. But men who drank at least two beers a day were more than 200% as likely to develop gout as non-beer drinkers. And the more beer they drank, the more likely they were to suffer an attack of gout. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,681 Posted April 3, 2016 If you're worried about gout, beer is about the worst thing you can drink. Stop that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frozenbeernuts 1,653 Posted April 3, 2016 He isn't talking about veggie pasta (side note -- we are a big fan of zoodles, or zucchini noodles. But that isn't what you are talking about). And I'm not a huge fan of grains; I think too much processing is needed to make them edible in general. To your question... I think most people should reduce their carb intake, so if counting carbs helps you to attain that goal, that is fine I guess. It isn't my thing though. If I haven't mentioned it here, I don't completely avoid carbs. Most mornings I have a Dannon Lite and Fit yogurt (non fat, high protein, lowest carbs we have found) and mix in fresh berries if we have them, or crushed nuts if we don't. The wife and I are going to start experimenting with the zucchini pasta. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,681 Posted April 3, 2016 The wife and I are going to start experimenting with the zucchini pasta. Have you tried spaghetti squash? Freaking delicious With a little bit of garlic Olive oil and parmesan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frozenbeernuts 1,653 Posted April 3, 2016 Have you tried spaghetti squash? Freaking delicious With a little bit of garlic Olive oil and parmesan. Is it squash turned into pasta, or regular pasta with squash in it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,681 Posted April 3, 2016 Is it squash turned into pasta, or regular pasta with squash in it? No, it is an actual squash. You can bake it, broil it, boil it, I microwave it. And, once cooked, You just take standard Fork And scrape the damn thing And out pops Noodle shaped Squash slices. You should Google it. I actually like it better than Actual pasta. But it has the same Size and shape and consistency Of your basic pasta noodle.Add marinara, pesto, Or like I said Oil and parmesan. It's just as satisfying And a crapload less Carbohydrates And all the other bad stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frozenbeernuts 1,653 Posted April 3, 2016 No, it is an actual squash. You can bake it, broil it, boil it, I microwave it. And, once cooked, You just take standard Fork And scrape the damn thing And out pops Noodle shaped Squash slices. You should Google it. I actually like it better than Actual pasta. But it has the same Size and shape and consistency Of your basic pasta noodle.Add marinara, pesto, Or like I said Oil and parmesan. It's just as satisfying And a crapload less Carbohydrates And all the other bad stuff. Hmmm i will have to try it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,681 Posted April 3, 2016 Hmmm i will have to try it. I truly hope you do. Because of the high water and fiber content, A medium sized squash can feed easily a family of four. But, un like pasta You don't walk away from the table feeling like you just swallowed a sandbag. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frozenbeernuts 1,653 Posted April 3, 2016 I truly hope you do. Because of the high water and fiber content, A medium sized squash can feed easily a family of four. But, un like pasta You don't walk away from the table feeling like you just swallowed a sandbag. Just watched the vid. It looks easy as hell. Is squash always in season? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,681 Posted April 3, 2016 Just watched the vid. It looks easy as hell. Is squash always in season? The sport or the vegetable? Jk, not sure but seems like everything is thesedays. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frozenbeernuts 1,653 Posted April 3, 2016 The sport or the vegetable? Jk, not sure but seems like everything is thesedays. True. Of course i am all excited and tell the wife, and shes like I hate squash. You hate everything so no surprise there babe. She gets her subway sandwiches with just cheese and tomato. Nothing else. Thanks for the info Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hdaddy 17 Posted April 3, 2016 I have to second doing spaghetti squash noodling. I was surprised at how good it is. My wife just bought one of those noodle things. It takes whatever veggie you have and can make a spaghetti noodle out of it. I think it was on Amazon for $7. I don't think she tried it yet. If so, I wasn't paying that much attention. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KSB2424 3,087 Posted April 3, 2016 Great thread. For all sorts of reasons. A. I learned sumptin B. We had a meltdown Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FeelingMN 273 Posted April 3, 2016 I made a quinoa salad a few months ago.....quinoa, roasted butternut squash, red onion, pepitas, dried cranberries, chopped spinach, balsamic dressing. Tasty as fvck. A good summertime salad is orzo pasta, dried cherries, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, salt/pepper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,681 Posted April 3, 2016 jj True. Of course i am all excited and tell the wife, and shes like I hate squash. You hate everything so no surprise there babe. She gets her subway sandwiches with just cheese and tomato. Nothing else. Thanks for the info Seriously, by the time you drenched in oil or butter and parmesan cheese t Even she would love it.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,941 Posted April 3, 2016 This thread is making me hungry. I could really go for a patty meltdown. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frank M 181 Posted April 3, 2016 Always funny when an admitted liar gets bent out of shape when people have the audacity to question their statements. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penultimatestraw 473 Posted April 4, 2016 This article is interesting: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/04/11/398325030/eating-to-break-100-longevity-diet-tips-from-the-blue-zones It looks at the diets of people in "Blue Zones," areas of unusual longevity. While there are differences from place to place, and factors like activity level to consider, certain themes emerge: lots of fruits/veggies, some grains and little meat +/- dairy. Certainly not protein rich, nor carbohydrate avoidant. “At the end of the day,” Buettner said in a phone call, "I’m not trying to take a scientific stance on whether fat or protein or carbs are better. I will tell you though, that the longest-lived people ate a high complex-carb diet with medium levels of fat and medium-to-low levels of protein. My stance is simply: 'Here’s what the longest-lived people ate over the last century on average, and if you’re interested in health outcomes similar to theirs, you might pay attention to this.'” Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frozenbeernuts 1,653 Posted April 4, 2016 Just made the spaghetti squash. It was a good dinner. Though a 4 pound squash only yielded a small amount of left over. I added chicken to it. I was expecting it to come out more spaghetti like, but it didnt really matter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DankNuggs 305 Posted April 4, 2016 Can DJGs foam board display for nutrition week be linked and/or cited with proper footnotes? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penultimatestraw 473 Posted April 4, 2016 Can DJGs foam board display for nutrition week be linked and/or cited with proper footnotes? Groundbreaking research Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,681 Posted April 4, 2016 Just made the spaghetti squash. It was a good dinner. Though a 4 pound squash only yielded a small amount of left over. I added chicken to it. I was expecting it to come out more spaghetti like, but it didnt really matter. Excellent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hardcore troubadour 12,958 Posted April 4, 2016 Groundbreaking research Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites