I guess there are worse problems in the world

[Ripper]

Hypothyroidism causes weight gain. Hyperthyroidism- weight loss

[Swordfish]

Minkey, what is the tool you are using to track weight?
is that skinnyr.com?

[Minkey Chief]

Just back to BZ after a break..

Ripper, that's great to hear! It'll be really nice to get details on how you managed to make the change, because it's a big one... and also pretty hard to do when you're out. I'll pass on your thanks... I think it was uhk who put me onto the Paleo diet book. Uhk? Was it you? First VFFs, then Paleo?

bblost, in my limited experience, dairy is the worst thing to consume just before and during a ride. Keeping in mind that there are many possible variables, it seems to make the legs really heavy and makes you feel really tired. Dairy isn't Paleo, but I haven't taken it out of my diet--one to two cups of tea a day, one cup of coffee and also I love cheese. Based on my reading, I think you're fine cutting it out if you don't love it.

Swordfish, that's just the 'health' section of Garmin Connect.

[harism]

Super post, Minkey. Thanks!

A minor related diversion re:

Because its easy to ignore the fatty foods (i rarely eat pizza, burger, fries, sweets, chocolates, etc), but its very difficult to not eat starchy carbs. Relying on proteins for dinner also helps.

I've often wondered if the problem is something cultural with us in India. I've always been told I'm eating poorly based on the quantity of bread/rotis/rice/idlies etc I've eaten. Not the other stuff I ate with it. I noticed this acutely when we had a professional chef friend stay over in Bangalore with us last year. The man turned out three cordon bleu meals and lots of little tasty things daily for three months and still we all lost weight marginally (we all exercised regularly and never felt underfed, either).
Two lessons that seemed to produce weight loss and better health with no cost in terms of energy depletion, even with physically active lifestyles:
(i) Overall serving sizes were about 2/3rds to 3/4ths of what we'd normally expect in most homes and 1/2 to 2/3rds of what a restaurant would put on your plate -- so what we actually need to eat at a given time is less than what one might think*;
(ii) Starchy carbs like breads, pasta and rice made up 1/4th to 1/3rd of what we in India seem to be conditioned to think of as "the right amount" (i.e., 3-4 or more roti/eqivalent) -- so we still enjoyed them (I absolutely love great bread) but ruthlessly slashed the quantity;
and two personal opinions:
(i) You don't need to lose out on happy-making things like meat, butter/dairy, olive oil, whatever plants make you beam, etc., and even those wicked starchy carbs; the trick clearly lies in finding the right balance for you (am delighted this thread and paleogobbling conversations with uhk back this up), and;
(ii) Mediterranean-style home cooking (my chef pal called it Greek and Italian village food) has to be one of the tastiest ways of staying in shape, with (south) east Asian not too far behind <NOT gobimenjurien> **

* This restaurant serving size issue is hellish for us Indians who brought up to believe that wasting food is a sin. But what to do?
** What's the best Indian equivalent you can think of?

[bikeyvenky]

I think it was uhk who put me onto the Paleo diet book. Uhk? Was it you? First VFFs, then Paleo?

Oh yeah! I think he is the guy. You and him for me. I'm thankful to both. Haven't implemented yet since I didn't want to change anything so close to TFN. Now that I'm done with it, I will try this. Of course, like you and him, in moderation.

[Anool]

Hypothyroidism causes weight gain. Hyperthyroidism- weight loss

^ glad about that - seems I may have neither.

[vkalia]

So in an effort to snap out of my "must have bread with every meal or I don't feel satisfied" rut, I've just gotten some protein powders and plan to use them as meal replacement.

Gonna cut down on the breakfast toast from 4 to 2 (unbuttered) to go with the 2-egg omelet.
Add a late-morning fruit and muesli bowl
Lunch - come down to 2 rotis.
Early dinner - cut down from 3 rotis to 1, and maybe even zero (kebabs + dal)
Protein shake a couple of hours before going to sleep

What do you guys think?

[krishna81me]

I am a foodie but everyday i will drink 3 to 4 liters of water.
Weekdays cycling: 20 km
Weekends cycling: 60 km

and i am happy with my plan

[bikeyvenky]

So in an effort to snap out of my "must have bread with every meal or I don't feel satisfied" rut, I've just gotten some protein powders and plan to use them as meal replacement.

Gonna cut down on the breakfast toast from 4 to 2 (unbuttered) to go with the 2-egg omelet.
Add a late-morning fruit and muesli bowl
Lunch - come down to 2 rotis.
Early dinner - cut down from 3 rotis to 1, and maybe even zero (kebabs + dal)
Protein shake a couple of hours before going to sleep

What do you guys think?

Vandit, why protein powers/shakes? Why not meat or similar protein sources along with veggies and fruit?

[bblost]

Moral of the story is, its not enough to cut down on the coconut chutney, you need to eat lesser idlies as well.

[kk27]

I'm also back after a BZ break

VK what ever you do don't cut on your Breakfast, instead cut on your Dinner.

Like many I've also tried a number of things to get my weight down. the most successful of all were the following...

1. Honey Lime juice: Hot water with a large spoon of Honey & juice from Half Lemon, first thing in the morning, atleast 15mins before Coffee.

2. A really heavy breakfast: Cornflakes, Bread Peanut Butter, Roti Dahi, Idli, Poha etc really heavy; full stomach. (eg. 8am)

3. One more little serving of food before lunch: Sandwich, Fruit Plate Or even Marie Biscuit, Bread Sticks & switched to Black Coffee. (11/11.30am)

4. Regular Lunch: Dal rice or roti etc (usually you don't feel too hungry due to the mid morning snack). (1-2pm)

5. Eve Snack: Again some Sandwich, or stuff like a fruit plate or juice or Biscuits. (6 - 7pm)

6. Dinner: 1/2 Rotis Dal, OR fruits. Sometimes you don't even feel hungry enough for dinner. getting up in the morning was such a great feeling absolutely no drowziness & many a times I'd get up even before the alarm from hunger. Once this is established you tend to really hog on the Breakfast which sets the body up for the whole day. I'd also drink lots of water during the course of the day.

[vkalia]

Vandit, why protein powers/shakes? Why not meat or similar protein sources along with veggies and fruit?

Well, whenever I dig into meat, I feel the urge to have bread with it. Plus, we are very limited in the choice of veggies and fruits in the Andamans. My plan is to split dinner into 2 portions - a light meal of kebabs and some veggies, and then a protein shake.

Kaushik - don't plan to cut down on breakfast. Just reducing the toast, and adding some muesli and fruit as a second breakfast.

[RNair]

Bad idea Vandit. I really cannot understand why nutrition needs to be so complicated. Protein shakes/ supplements to replace real food?

The most important thing we all need to do is eat more natural food and less of processed package food.

[vkalia]

^^ Raj, limitations of where I am and the options available to me. There aren't that many healthy food options on the menu.

[vkalia]

^^ And also, my regular approach isn't working, so I need to try to change it up a little.

[manmeet.sahni]

Nice plan vandit. Have you done a calorie count of the entire day's meal? Put it all together and subtract the calorie burnt during the day - a deficit should result in weight loss (about 7400 calories make 1kg - so progress depends on calories dropped).

I have a similar program but have boiled egg instead, along with poha. Daily breakfast, light but can get boring. No oil in the morning leaves me feeling full but not heavy.

Also, I try to have 3 ltrs of water, esp before meals - makes one feel full.

They also say that the brain takes 20 min to process the feeling of being 'full' after a meal, so I eat real slow. Dropped some 5 kgs in 2 months, but now slowing down (hate you Christmas and holidays). I have 5 more kgs to go, so targeting till march for that.

[RNair]

Vandit, Both of us know very well where the real problem lies. I know for a fact that from the level of cycling fitness we possess today, to get any better from here requires a lot of sacrifices. You have to weigh and see if a few statistics are worth those sacrifices.

I know for a fact that if I start eating healthy I could see a 25% improvement both in my life and cycling as well inside a year.

[vkalia]

I am not really sure how to do a calorie estimate for the food I get served, to be honest. I can do it for toast, omelette, etc. but how do I figure out kebabs, restaurant preparations of chicken, tandoori rotis, etc.?

[rpok]

Vandit - try this: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/
You even get apps for your phones to track all calories.

[manmeet.sahni]

I use the one on lifemojo.com (very Indian- has everything from Idli to papri). Most effective for my sort of meals.

For european/ pre-packed stuff, I use the one on dailyburn.com

[deepakvrao]

After a great dinner of Raan, I wonder if it's all worth watching.

[manmeet.sahni]

After a great dinner of Raan, I wonder if it's all worth watching.

ha ha - at 700 calories per serving, I'd say forget about it.

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/10883/Raa ... miri-Style

[bblost]

Deepak, you might like this recipe.




Get the full thigh.
Ask your butcher to break the bone but not to cut the meat in pieces.

Make as many holes as you can and push in garlic pods. You can also use sliced garlic.
Coat it with some freshly crushed black pepper.
Add some salt.

Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Use very little water for this process.

If meat has gone tender, transfer the entire contents to a grill tawa.
Add a few drops of oil.
Cook till the outside is crispy.

[Minkey Chief]

I found calorie counting a very depressing thing. I'm definitely not going back there.

Hari, you made a good point. One of the changes I've made (or rather, one of the changes that just insinuated itself) was much smaller portion sizes. Plus, less of that driving need to stuff myself until past full at every single meal. Also, the 'don't waste food' bit. My paediatrician cousin, who is American, made a good point about the Indian force-feeding system for babies and children. Many parents continue to feed even after the baby turns away, insisting on the plate being cleared no matter what.

The result, she says, is that children regularly override their body's satiety signals and learn to overeat at every meal.

[vkalia]

Vandit, Both of us know very well where the real problem lies. I know for a fact that from the level of cycling fitness we possess today, to get any better from here requires a lot of sacrifices. You have to weigh and see if a few statistics are worth those sacrifices.

Actually, the reason I want to work on my diet is not to become a better climber (even though I've been joking about it a lot), but b/c I want to go back to having reasonably flat abs and lose the belly-flab. I actually expect to gain a kilo or so in upper body muscle, which I have neglected for the past year (I have gone from a 42" chest to 40.5"). But I do want to lose the gut.

I've already cleaned up my diet significantly when I am in the Andamans, when it comes to fatty stuff (cake only once a week, very limited fatty stuff - the dessert splurges I have are once every month or two, when I am in the mainland).

The next step is to cut the starchy carbs. However, I don't have a lot of choices for meal substitutes here - hence the protein shakes.