Miracle Whip or Mayo?

[fstroupe]

Having a weight problem most of my life, I have done several diets...but the only "fad" diet was Atkins. Actually, Atkins really isn't a fad diet, if you follow his guide, it is a lifestyle change, which all "diets" should be. It worked for me once, I lost about 50lbs and kept it off a couple of years, but it is just too damn hard in today's society to eat that way.

It works, I can attest to that, but it is probably the hardest of them all, for several reasons.

First, yeah, I eat meat at most meals, but the starches (high carb content foods) are the biggie...most meals are a smaller amount of meat, and lots of potatoes, pasta, rice, etc. Atkins is mostly meat, and a smaller amount of veggies, and no starches whatsoever. Which means no baked potatoes with your steak, no buns or fries with your hamburger. There are low carb condiments, but you still have to be very careful with them because they still have a couple per tablespoon or two, and they add up in the course of the day. Some things there are just no substitutes for, such as bread and potatoes.

Atkins is expensive. Yeah, it sounds great...eat all of the steak, chops, ribs, whatever, you can stuff in your gut...but it gets damn expensive. I just can't afford to eat like that three meals a day, and you can eat just so many hamburger patties before you want to fing puke.

And that's the third one. You may think you like meat. Try eating nearly nothing but meat for months on end. I still cringe at the thought.

My biggest problem was adding carbs to my diet. The magic of the Atkins diet is that if you keep your carbs under the correct level, and you stay away from caffiene, you aren't hungry. It gets to the point that you really don't care whether you eat or not. But, if you get slightly above that point, you are starving. And meat just doesn't do it.

My first attempt at Atkins, I was eating something that kept me over that point. I'm not really sure what, I think dill pickles. Plus, I just couldn't handle decaf coffee. Anyway, for dinner one evening I ate an entire baked chicken. Afterward, I was as hungry as I was when I started. I think I ate some bacon or such, and was still hungry. I mean HUNGRY. I said screw it, told the wife "I'm going to Pizza Hut, come with or stay here!" That was the end of the diet.

We have no choice now, we have to make a lifestyle change. We're trying to eat the Mediterranean diet...not a "diet", but eat the way that people on the Med coast eat. Lots of fish, veggies, fresh fruit, etc. Limit red meat to very little. Try to limit fat as much as possible, and use olive oil for cooking. (which we both like) Gonna be tough, but her life depends on it. I cook, and am pretty creative, so that helps.

[screwballl]

Thanks for sharing fst
diets all depends on the person and their body style and metabolism. I myself have had a fast metabolism most of my life. Chalk it up to genetics, cigarettes, whatever. As I just hit 30, I am trying to cut back on the worst of the worst. I used to drink 1-2 gallons of Mt Dew or pop/soda per day, I am now down to around 1Liter. I started drinking one mug of coffee in the morning which is helping reduce the soda cravings during the day.
Otherwise I still eat a whole medium pizza, a double quarter pounder or Monster burger plus large fries and drink... (not all together). I have been trying to drink more slushies, malts, floats and sweet tea to get away from the sodas.
otherwise I am normal weight for my height: 220lbs 6'5"

[fstroupe]

Cindy's cardiologist is this tiny hispanic guy, around 5'7"-5'8", probably weighs around 150, 53 y/o. Eats very healthy, walks 3 miles every morning, and other activities. Never has smoked. In 2006, he started having some weird feelings in his left arm. He sleeps on that arm, and just assumed it was getting stiff because he's getting older. One day at work, he felt a pain (he described it by ripping a piece of paper in half) in his chest. He suddenly realized that at that time and the previous month or so he was feeling what his patients describe to him every day. The next day his partner installed three stents in him.

He keeps his appointment in the office computer just to show patients that anyone can have cardiovascular problems.

So you are thinking correctly that you should start paying attention to what you put in your body. A cholesterol test wouldn't hurt, just to give you an idea what the inside of your body looks like. Mine has traditionally been low, but has been about a decade since I had it checked. Waiting for the local "health fair" this year to get it done for free, along with a $15 PSA test.

[screwballl]

bah the last time I was in the hospital for me was our car accident of Oct 2004... before that was probably late 1990s. I am almost a carbon copy of my dad. Only go to the Dr when needed, can eat pretty much anything (within reason) and keep a healthy cholesterol level and no health related problems except the smoking part.

[fstroupe]

Yeah, personally, I have been in a hospital once, for a septoplasty about 20 years ago. Though, I do have high blood pressure, and even when I was in the best shape of my life (while in the 82nd Abn Div, at 170 lbs) it was on the high side of normal. I manage it with meds.