trying to lose

Hi all! I just wanted to say that I've been struggling with 10 pounds for a long time now...i can't seem to get rid of it. I buy into all the commercial hype--pills, equipment, I even bought an abslide (even though I returned it!). I follow a strict vegan diet (but I do still eat sugar, no honey though) and I think that my problem to this day is POTATO CHIPS. i kicked the habit for a few weeks in the summer and almost automatically dropped 5-7 pounds! It was awesome! I was also doing taebo--guys, i swear by it. It tones you and gets you feeling excellent! I had to stop with school starting again, and I'm back to my chubby 127 pounds (I'm 5'4") and I can't stand it. But I thought I would share my addictions with all of you...those damn potato chips and nathan's french fries.

Feel Free To Respond!

[arkie6]

Angeline, you said it there in your last sentence "...those damn potato chips and nathan's french fries." Potatos, like sugar, are nothing more than empty calories that raise your insulin levels (the fat storing hormone). And the worst part may be that chips and fries are most likely fried in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils which are high in trans fatty acids and have been linked to cancer. If you really want to lose that extra fat, you will most likely have to cut out the junk food. And if you are eating a lot of high sugar fruit (dried fruits in particular are very high in sugar content), this will just compound your problem by further raising insulin levels which will transport the glucose into your fat cells unless you are working out vigorously and burning up the sugar as fast as you are taking it in.

Just curious, but why do you follow a vegetarian diet? For moral reasons or because you believe that it is healthy? Another question: what is your bloodtype? "A" by chance?

Well, I follow the vegan diet for mostly moral reasons, that's why I started. I was lacto-ovo vegetarian for a year before I cut out cheese and milk and everything like that. I just can't stand the thought of ever eating an animal or product again.

I'm not sure of my blood type, but I totally see what you're saying about cutting out the junk food. Because of IBS, I don't really drink soda or coffee (caffiene is bad!) and I try to stay away from wheat and other things. It's also another reason for me to be vegan. So are you suggesting (just to be clear) to cut out fatty things like chips and fries, steer clear of sugars, and basically do cardio work outs?

Please respond!!!

[arkie6]

Hi Angeline,

What I was saying about the junk food is avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Most high polyunsataturated fats (corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, etc.) should also be avoided in my opinion due to their unstable nature and tendency to oxidize. Saturated fat (butter, coconut oil, palm oil) are naturally stable and healthy. Monounsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil to a lesser extent are also good choices. If you want to know more about good fat vs. bad fat, do an internet search for articles written by Dr. Mary Enig. Basically, any fat that was available for human consumption 100 years ago is probably healthy.

It's not really the fat in your diet that makes you fat, but the sugars and starches that raise insulin levels and get converted to fat. How do they fatten a cow or hog for market? Feed them grain (high in carbohydrates). Which are the leanest animals in nature? Predators that eat little if any carbohydrates.

And for long term weight loss I recommend weight training over cardio because the increased muscle mass will burn more calories 24/7 than the cardio workouts and most people are able to stick with it long term. Plus it improves your appearance in my opinion. I don't mean to go overboard with it, but just build a little muscle mass by doing resistance exercises. It can be as simple as push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, arm curls with dumbbells, etc. But if you are not eating enough protein on a vegan diet, then you don't have the building blocks (amino acids) to build muscle mass. And soybean products are not a viable protein source in my opinion, so what are you to do? Alan S.

Hi again!
Well, in my opinion, soy is a fine source of protein, and I'm getting enough. I do value your advice, however, and will definitely try to incorportate more weight training in my workouts. Sometimes I do lift 5 pound weights or somthing like that, but never really felt that it was doing anything to get rid of my gut! (do you know what I mean?)

Anyway, thanks for all the advice!

(And I'm going to ignore your comment about "fattening up pigs for market" even though I could be offended! )

Thanks again!

Feel Free to Respond