How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

[Siloh]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

Water doesn't really thin out your stomach acid... Sure, it adds some volume (but even 8 oz of water is less in volume that the amount of food most people eat), but mostly it just raises the pH of your stomach acid (as does all the food you eat), which isn't a big deal because your stomach just produces more acid--its part of digesting food, period. And digestion happens from the time you start chewing--when sugars are converted to starch, and then in the stomach--where enzymes and acid break protiens apart...but nutrient absorption actually takes place in your small intestine, where different types of bacteria specialize in digesting different types of food. How well you absorb nutrients (or not) and which ones you absorb actually starts with your personal bacterial makeup of your gut. Water really doesn't affect this, since its all one big soup going though your gut anyhow (and if anything, most people with typically western diets don't have enough water because of all caffine and sodium they imbible anyhow).

This is why I highly recommend drinking almost equal parts water with coffee. My diet tends to be too acidic (I love coffee, tomatoes, spicy stuff), so that may contribute to why I emphasized water as I did. Yogurt is a great way to promote healthy bacteria and balance acidity.

[volcaniclastic]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

This is why I highly recommend drinking almost equal parts water with coffee. My diet tends to be too acidic (I love coffee, tomatoes, spicy stuff), so that may contribute to why I emphasized water as I did. Yogurt is a great way to promote healthy bacteria and balance acidity.

Unless you're lactose intolerant, then you're screwed *cough*. :P

[Jembru]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

Unless you're lactose intolerant, then you're screwed *cough*. :P

Try natto then! Seriously, I really dunno what Westerners have against this. I've recently read that even those with soy allergies, are often not bothered by natto. It is probiotic and, well.. it's just bloody delicious. Japanese people are usually amazed when I tell them natto is my favourite Japanese food, because it's somewhat of a stereotype amongst the Japanese, that westerners can't stand the smell or texture, but it's really not so bad.

It's always so sad and lonely at the bottom of the freezer in the Oriental supermarket. It just wants a loving home.. go on.. give it a loving home. ^^

Seriously, just google 'health benefits of natto' and see for yourself.

[volcaniclastic]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

Try natto then! Seriously, I really dunno what Westerners have against this. I've recently read that even those with soy allergies, are often not bothered by natto. It is probiotic and, well.. it's just bloody delicious. Japanese people are usually amazed when I tell them natto is my favourite Japanese food, because it's somewhat of a stereotype amongst the Japanese, that westerners can't stand the smell or texture, but it's really not so bad.

It's always so sad and lonely at the bottom of the freezer in the Oriental supermarket. It just wants a loving home.. go on.. give it a loving home. ^^

Seriously, just google 'health benefits of natto' and see for yourself.

I've never heard of natto. I just googled it, and I live in a small town, and I don't think we sell it here. I usually raid the very tiny asian section of my supermarket like nobody's business, and I've never seen it.

For what it's worth though, I'll look next time I'm there.

[Jembru]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

Hmm, yeah. It's not sold in supermarkets in the UK, so I'm not sure if it would be elsewhere either. In fact, it's not even packaged for the western market so can be hard to spot. You'd have to visit an Asian market that imports from Japan. I didn't think of that to be honest. It is sold in little white square cartons, usually in stacks of three or four. There are all kinds of varieties and I have no idea what the difference is between them (all tastes the same to me). I find most places translate the lable as 'fermented soy beans'.

If you have somewhere that specialises in sushi in your area, you MIGHT be able to get natto sushi. For me, it's not the same as eating it from the container.. but then, I've been told I'm a little mad for eating it on its own like that.

[Siloh]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

Unless you're lactose intolerant, then you're screwed *cough*. :P

I just did some quick research, puzzled and intrigued by this dilemma, and found that nuts and beans (like soybeans, almonds, lentils) are alkaline foods.

[Shahaku]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

Water doesn't really thin out your stomach acid... Sure, it adds some volume (but even 8 oz of water is less in volume that the amount of food most people eat), but mostly it just raises the pH of your stomach acid (as does all the food you eat), which isn't a big deal because your stomach just produces more acid--its part of digesting food, period. And digestion happens from the time you start chewing--when sugars are converted to starch, and then in the stomach--where enzymes and acid break protiens apart...but nutrient absorption actually takes place in your small intestine, where different types of bacteria specialize in digesting different types of food. How well you absorb nutrients (or not) and which ones you absorb actually starts with your personal bacterial makeup of your gut. Water really doesn't affect this, since its all one big soup going though your gut anyhow (and if anything, most people with typically western diets don't have enough water because of all caffine and sodium they imbible anyhow).

Thanks for this. I was never sure of the thinning out thing, but it sounded reasonable when I read it so I went with it. I have a hard time sticking to any kind of diet, or even just cutting back on something like sweets. I'd say health is my biggest area with a lack of self-discipline. So, while I read a lot and try to implement these things it rarely works out so I haven't personally tested these things. Except I do drink a ton of water.

[thalassa]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

So I should just continue drinking water with meals?

I would...no calories, yeah?

There was actually a cool experiment carried out on a TV I saw recently called 'Ten things you should know about losing weight'. They took a group of soldiers and fed half of them soup and the other half, the same ingredients as in the soup (meat and veg) in solid form, but with a drink of water instead of the water being added.

I wonder how much of this is psychological... Think about a nice hearty bowl of soup/stew versus the equivalent meal in solid form, Granny's Chicken Noodle or Momma's Beef Stew really sticks to the ribs. Fullness--the feeling of being sated, food wise, is actually not all that connected to what you eat...its actually pretty easy to fool your body into thinking its full when its not, or that its not full yet when it is.

[Siloh]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

I wonder how much of this is psychological... Think about a nice hearty bowl of soup/stew versus the equivalent meal in solid form, Granny's Chicken Noodle or Momma's Beef Stew really sticks to the ribs. Fullness--the feeling of being sated, food wise, is actually not all that connected to what you eat...its actually pretty easy to fool your body into thinking its full when its not, or that its not full yet when it is.

This point is probably more valid and important than most information on diet and weight. Your brain is actually so good at actualizing your thoughts that if you truly believe you are losing or gaining weight, even if none of your habits have changed, your body will work to make your belief manifest. That's right: you can actually lose weight just by really truly believing you are. Now, don't get off the computer and go eat a whole pizza while chanting "I'm losing weight, really I am!" But keep in mind that if you can change a single undesirable habit about your diet and focus positively on it, believe that you will see a difference, and think everytime you avoid that habit, "I am losing weight by not doing this"--even meditate on feeling very light and airy for a few minutes--I think you'll see results, definitely compared to thinking "I'm gaining weight" or "I'm so heavy" while attempting to lose.

Drinking water properly and following the general principles of Macrobiotics really helped me lose weight, but my psychological turn-around was probably one of the most if not the most important factors in my dramatic and lasting weight loss. I used to fixate on the image of myself as a bird constantly, especially when sitting down to eat. I focused on the hollow bones, the lightness, the tiny pecking movements, the delicate feet. It sounds kinda dumb but it sure helped a lot. I also used to buy jeans that were just barely too tight with the promise that they would be slightly too large for me in X time, not counting them getting worn in, and it worked. Just mind games.

---------- Post added at 02:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:24 PM ----------

Also, I totally think the OP was hoping for something witchy, like, "Slaughter a toad on the next full moon and tap your heels three times."

Too bad! This is a hoppin' thread.

[Dez]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

The soup thing just reminded me of something similar: using smaller plates and bowls. American dishware tends to be huge! Now that we're back in CA, I'm buying dishes at Daiso. The Japanese imports are much better for portion control. Your brain naturally wants to eat all or most of what is on your plate. So eating all of a small plate leaves someone feeling fuller then eating the same amount looking smaller in a big plate.

[Siloh]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

The soup thing just reminded me of something similar: using smaller plates and bowls. American dishware tends to be huge! Now that we're back in CA, I'm buying dishes at Daiso. The Japanese imports are much better for portion control. Your brain naturally wants to eat all or most of what is on your plate. So eating all of a small plate leaves someone feeling fuller then eating the same amount looking smaller in a big plate.

Another excellent point. For portion control, I generally use
-My small plates instead for the reasons above
-Chopsticks, for everything, or a miso spoon for soup. It slows your eating.
-Chewing each bite 30 times. This slows eating, makes you mindful of every bite, and improves digestion. Your food will often slip down your throat, totally liquidated, at about 25 bites, but the sentiment is what matters. 30 is the goal.

[Jembru]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

I do agree there could be an aspect of 'mind over matter' or whatever, but if so, it was very impressive, because in this experiment, you could actually see the food still in the stomachs of the soup test group, while the control group had empty stomachs. They showed you how the water, when not actually mixed with the food, just drained straight through, leaving the food to take up less space. I don't think the mind could control that, but that's not to say it doesn't have a part to play.

[thalassa]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

I do agree there could be an aspect of 'mind over matter' or whatever, but if so, it was very impressive, because in this experiment, you could actually see the food still in the stomachs of the soup test group, while the control group had empty stomachs. They showed you how the water, when not actually mixed with the food, just drained straight through, leaving the food to take up less space. I don't think the mind could control that, but that's not to say it doesn't have a part to play.

Now that is interesting, I'd like to see it. And how big the groups were, and what they ate the day before...and... Yeah, I'm a geek. Did they scope everyone?

[Jembru]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

I'm on my mobile right now, but when I'm next on my netbook, I'll see if I can find any clips from the show. This, and the example below, was probably one of the only test that used larger test groups. Although the others were just examples of things researchers had apparently already discovered, the demonstrations tended to be of just one person.

Oh but it included Dez's advice!! For this one, they took a cinima audience and told them they could have as much free popcorn as they wanted. They gave half a giant box each and half just a regular size box. Even though they could top up as often as they wanted, those with a large box ate considerably more!

I also second the little dishes! I'm somewhat of a collector and love to make my food look really pretty in these ornamental dishes! This is why I have a freakish habit of taking photos of my food before I eat it.

---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------

Another test that used a large sample was the variety test. They put two bowls of sugar coated sweets on a bar. The only difference was that one bowl contained only purple sweets (the colour made no difference to the taste), and the other contained a mixture of colours. The result was amazing. The multicoloured bowl was emptied a lot faster than the purple. In fact, the poor purple sweets were almost ignored. They suggested that having a lot of variety, for example, at these 'all you can eat' buffets, people will consume a lot more, as they favour variety and want to try a bit of everything. They also suggested that stocking up on too much food at once, could cause the same affect (I know I have been known to fill the cupboards, only to have to sample a bit of everything when I get home!). You can totally see why this behaviour evolved though. We just unfortunately evolved on a much less calorie dense diet!

---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:35 PM ----------

Aha! That led to a breakthrough. I'm NOT addicted to fruit! I just love to see a bright and colourful fruit bowl, filled to overflow point. THAT is why I can't stop eating it. I thought I craved something in it! Lol

[Dez]

Re: How can I lose 14 pounds in a month?

Interesting!

I suppose the overstocking the cupboards thing would depend dramatically on *what* one stocked...big difference between constantly having chips and treats around, and lots of soups, fresh fruits and veggies, and reasonable crunchy things lke rice crackers. Keeping my larder stocked is an important psychological well-being thing for me...so I keep lots of veggies, whole grains, healthy meat, and pickles on hand, along with small amounts of really good dark chocolate, and a few Japanese treats that are smaller and lower in carbs and sugar(not to mention individually packaged, forcing me to open each one).

No reason to feel bad about eating a lot of fruit, IMO