Tom Vu's Sure-Fire Diet Plan for the New Year

[W8EJO]

Diet is simple - meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables (except potatoes & rice), nuts & seeds.  Another words what was available to eat during the 2 million year paleoithic era.

Very intersting, Terry. I have always thought that watching the caveman diet or even apes was a better idea than what we have evolved to.  But I do wonder if meat is our natural food or maybe the apes had it right with the fruits and veggies, I dunno.

BTW, why no potatoes or rice? Is it the carbohydrates or maybe the high calorie content?
http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?action=post;quote=124366;topic=17951.20;num_replies=24;sesc=4e5c75ed3e1b81edb5023f72902c124b
Tom

Tom,

The anthropological data support the hypothesis that paleo man was a meat eater. The idea that he subsisted on veggies is a myth - not enough calories. numerous studies support this.Paleo man ate the brain & organ meats first as they were the highest in fat content.  Google: Loren Cordain. Also read Gary Taubes.

One caveat - eat grass fed/finished meat. It has an Omega 3/Omega 6 fat profile (very important) similar to wild game.

The Eskimos ate fish, elk & blubber but were vitrually free of cardiovascular disease for thousands of years until the introduction of  refined carbohydrate into their diet.

Processed and other high glycemic load carbs (rice, potatoes, pasta) are the enemy. They turn to sugar in the bloodstream almost immediately which in turn leads to high triglycerides & metabolic syndrome. Google: syndrome X.

[K1JJ]

Terry,

Interesting on the rice, potatoes and pasta. I didn't know that. I eat a lot of rice and will have to cut that out. Same for the pasta.  I've always found rice to add weight. TNX.

Yes, I had no doubt that cavemen ate lots of meat....  I just wasn't sure if that was the best diet compared to the apes. But 2 million years is a long enuff time to adapt.  Then again, I guess they didn't live past 35, but that's a whole different subject... :-)

OK on the Eskimos. At least their fish was reasonably free of the common chemicals we deal with today in our waters.

T

[WA1GFZ]

The result of early man eating meat was his brain grew and some actually got smarter

[W8EJO]

Hola,



2) Better yet, divide your day's meals into eight to ten smaller portions and eat small meals throughout the day. By eating small portions throughout the day, the body will burn it up quickly once it knows food is available regularly. There is a delay of about 2 days for this process to kick in. In contrast, starving yourself fools the body into lowering its metabolism and storing fat for hard times - the opposite of what you want to lose weight.   Starving yourself is NG!
73,
Tom, K1JJ

Tom

I'd like to see the evidence that supports this. It seems contrary to logic & science. Frequent eating would tend to increase blood sugar levels which would play havoc with triglycerides. Also the cells would never experience autophagy or self cleaning which slows the aging process. Intermittent fasts are very good for you & mimic the paleo experience (i.e., no game).

[K1JJ]

Terry,

I'm no dietician, just a hack when it comes to nutrition - I just read a lot on the web and use what works for me. But if you do a Google search for the words, "small meals throughout the day,"  you will find hundreds of pages on the subject. I copied and pasted a few below that talk about the pros and cons of small meals. There are probably some scientific studies in there if you look hard enuff.

I find there are many, many different opinions on dieting and ongoing debates that would argue both ways. I personally like eating small meals throughout the day and find to starve myself is both psychologically difficult and also tough on my stomach.

Whatever works, I guess.

Tom


-----------
Writings on eating small meals throughout the day:


When patients come to my office for nutritional and diet advice, one of the first things I tell them is to eat at least five small balanced meals throughout their day.  Inevitability, this dietary suggestion is met with groans and complaints of not enough time in the day to fulfill this request.  My response is one of education and empowerment, one which I will share with you now.


The real question here is not “How can I find the time in my day to eat five small balanced meals?” but really, “How can I NOT make the time to fuel my body properly with five small balanced meals throughout the day?”  This real question becomes apparent when you look at the “why” behind eating five small balanced meals per day.
 

When you eat food (recipes), your blood sugar or blood glucose levels rise.  Insulin is secreted by your body in response to food in the digestive system.  As time passes, insulin drives glucose into the body’s cells and out of the blood stream. Both insulin and glucose levels decrease.  This simplified version of the process takes place each time food in consumed and is considered to be a normal and healthy function of the digestive system.


This process can become unhealthy when an individual consumes 2 or 3 larger meals a day and fasts for four or more hours in between meals.  Eating in this manner, allows blood sugar and insulin levels to spike very high after the meal is consumed and drop very low after several hours of fasting.  This can result in hypoglycemia or low blood glucose levels.  Symptoms of hypoglycemia can be irritability, confusion, hunger, sweating, and palpitations to name a few.    Ideally, it is advantageous for insulin and glucose levels to remain relatively steady throughout the day.  Eating five smaller meals throughout the day minimizes the high spikes and low drops in glucose and insulin levels.  In addition to avoiding symptoms of hypoglycemia, smaller meals help to decrease cravings or mood swings.  Smaller meals also help you to avoid overeating at mealtim


Have you ever felt hungry on a calorie restrictive diet? Has being hungry led you to binge eating and falling off your diet? Did you regain the weight you lost while you were following the restrictive diet? You are not alone.

We are repeatedly told by diet after diet that you have to cut calories to lose weight. It is said that losing weight is about calories in verses calories out. Some diets take this to the extreme, allowing as little as 800-1,000 calories per day along with exercise to melt the fat. The problem is that when you follow a calorie restrictive diet you will actually stop your weight loss progress by slowing your metabolism. To burn fat, it is important to build muscle and increase your metabolic rate.


*****   Another way to boost your metabolism is to eat small frequent meals throughout the day. Eat every 2-3 hours tells your body that you are giving it energy and it does not need to store calories as fat. Skipping meals, however, will not result in weight loss because your body will store the fat. Eating frequently will make you feel full and keep hunger at bay.


Additionally, restrictive diets leave you feeling hungry, which often leads to periods of binge eating and can result in the frustration of yoyo dieting. Feeling hungry will not only slow your metabolism, it will also drain your energy and make you feel cranky. Experiencing these negative effects will likely cause you to quit the restrictive diet and regain any weight you’ve already lost. Frustrated and hungry, it is easier to reach for unhealthy choices.

Some things are sadly predictable. Extra winter poundage, for instance. Or the 3 o'clock slump, which sags before you like a hammock every afternoon. Here's a happier prediction: Eat more often- six meals a day instead of three--and you'll avoid all of those problems. Spreading six smaller meals across your day operates on the simple principle of satisfaction. Frequent meals tame the slavering beast of hunger. The secret? Each mini meal should blend protein and fiber-rich complex carbohydrates. "Protein and fiber give you that feeling of satiety and keep you from feeling hungry," says Tara Geise, R.D., a nutritionist in private practice in Orlando and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Controlling hunger shrinks your gut. In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, one group of overweight men was given five small meals, then was free to choose a sixth meal. A second group ate a single meal containing the same number of calories as the total of the other group's first five meals, then later had a free-choice second meal. The six-meal men ate 27 percent less food at their last meal than the two-meal men did at their second. Consistent eating will also keep your protein levels high, helping you build muscle. "Your body can metabolize only so much protein at one time," says Katherine Tallmadge, R.D., author of Diet Simple. "Protein is metabolized better when it's divided evenly." The challenge is keeping the mini meals mini. "It's critical that at the end of the day, the calorie content of your mini meals does not exceed what you would eat in three larger meals," says Jeannie Moloo, Ph.D., R.D., an ADA spokeswoman in Roseville, California. Most guys trying to lose weight should eat between 2000 and 2500 calories per day (for a precise figure on your own calorie count, go to MensHealth.com/caloriecalc and plug in your weight and activity level). With a suggested calorie count in hand, you can mix and match from the list of meals shown here. Yes, you can take two items from one meal list--if they're small.


http://www.realage.com/NutritionCenter/articles.aspx?aid=10483

[W3RSW]

Back to paleo-man, lot's of thought to weight and strength as a function of diet but how about life span as a function of diet?

Of course when you had to hunt you ran the risk of being hunted... both good calorie burners 

Given that childhood mortality, disease prevention, hygene, modern medicine, etc. prolong modern mans' life, it's still fairly established that paleo-man, even in good health might have lived to 35 years of age. 

So it may be posited that overall health depends on a lot more than diet and excercise alone.   But I like the concept.  Evolution measured in human generations doesn't yield too much 'change time' since the paleolithic.

So maybe we ought to mimic how girls were captured while we're at it.  um,hm.

[W8EJO]

Given that childhood mortality, disease prevention, hygene, modern medicine, etc. prolong modern mans' life, it's still fairly established that paleo-man, even in good health might have lived to 35 years of age. 

So maybe we ought to mimic how girls were captured while we're at it.  um,hm.

It is true that paleo man did not have the average lifespan of modern man but  most paleo deaths were related to the "accidents and trauma of a life spent living outdoors without modern medical care", not to the chronic degenerative diseases that afflict modern man. Studies of modern day stone age cultures such as the pre- westernized Inuit and the Kitavans show the elders to be free of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke & diabetes (i.e. the diseases of civiliation) despite a diet extremely high in saturated fat.

I am also working hard on adopting the paleo girl capturing techniques. So far - I can report little success in this area but I continue to try.

[WA1GFZ]

OH, you bop them on the head and drag them home by the hair?

[W1RKW]

I'll add my 2 cents to this discussion.  About 12 years or so ago I weighed in at a maximum of 240.  I'm 6ft tall.  To say the least my body mass index was high and considered very overweight.  I developed health problems from the high pace lifestyle I was leading.  Diet was as bad as one could make it and I drank coca-cola by the gallon and drank a lot of beer too boot.  When the early indicators of poor health started I got my wake up call by my doctor. He told me to quit what I was doing point blank. So I had to make some changes.  Fast food was eliminated 100%.  No more soda pop.  No caffeine. No more alcohol except for special occasions and nowadays it's usually a good red wine. Everything eaten is now homemade.  No junk whatsoever.  At that time I got into stonewall building.  In 4 months with a drastic diet change and heavy laborious work I went from 240 to 180.  Went from a size 38 waist to 32.  Like JJ I was able to wear clothes I had not worn in years.

Today at 49, I hover between 175 and 185 and still maintain a 32 waist. 175 was my weight when I was 18.  My BMI is 24. Diet has not changed.  I eat what I want as long as it is in balance with other things and not crappy food and of course remain physically active, I don't exercise per sè but still do muscle work around the house on a fairly regular basis.  BP is normal as is cholesterol.

Don't know about anyone else but one thing I know, when I feel like I 'm putting on weight especially around the middle, my ability to sleep on my stomach becomes more difficult.

If one wants to lose weight, quit drinking soda. Not only will you lose the pounds you won't rot your teeth out or end up with diabetes.

Now if I could only find a way to exercise my eyes.

[WBear2GCR]

Brown rice and I loose weight.

A bunch depends on what else you eat, I suppose...

I suspect that the exercise is key to all this...

My problem is that I am now 56, gonnna be 57 in just a few months.
Was a very active (pretty good, I might add) tennis player... took some time off due to family issues... two winters ago I shoveled some snow. Used my legs, nothing heavy, nothing too long, all the right way. Damn if my lower back didn't go to hell. MRI said that I have two bulging discs. DRAT!

Completely screwed up my usual exercise - tennis - no can do.
Things are ok now, no surgery, no shots yet - but when it was acting up, IT HURT and it SUCKED. For a while I couldn't go between sitting and standing without extreme discomfort.

I gotta get back while I still can - my conditioning is turning into wet noodles - my weight is unchanged at ~195/6ft tall... tennis playing weight is like 183... not sure what to try to do. I hate stationary bikes, hate static weights, hate that stuff, too dull and boooorrring for my mind to get motivated about. Now beating the crap out of a yellow sphere? Yeah! Maybe I will go for swimming... flippers seemed to have solved my tendency to sputter and bog down the last time I tried them, all I need now is to find the time and the $$ to pay out for the privilege of doing so...

My friend Al, downstate retired from the PO. His health had gone to mud... on all sorts of blood meds, etc. Started to get back into riding his bike. Got up to 25mi/day... feeling good again! Some fool was in the wrong place on the bike path and he had to dump his bike. Not very hurt. Next day, can't use his right hand!

Be careful at our age(s) about getting into a vigorous exercise or work program, we not be so young and things screw up without notice. Wear body armor for outdoor activities, things that you used to get up and walk away from, you and I can not anymore...

                 _-_-bear

[N3DRB The Derb]

here I am close to 400 pounds. 

both me and my wifey way too fat. I have some mitigating issues which you all know about, but she is ok - but we reinforce each others bad habits instead of the good ones.

[W8EJO]

My problem is that I am now 56, gonnna be 57 in just a few months.
 Damn if my lower back didn't go to hell.

                 _-_-bear

Bear

Try this for bad back - I'm 61 - many years with bad back & they have helped me tremendously:
1) Hindu push ups - 3 sets x 10 x 4 days/week
2) Hindu squats: 2 x 20 x 4 days week
3) Back Extension: 2 x 10 x 4 days a week
4) L sit/hold: 3 x 10 seconds x 4 days week



Hindu push up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcW61Bb8uOo&feature=related

Hindu squat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPSVpo4mzNI

Back Extension: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubV2ISz_hCM

L sit/hold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JQemOvlb4Q&feature=related

[W8EJO]

here I am close to 400 pounds. 

both me and my wifey way too fat. I have some mitigating issues which you all know about, but she is ok - but we reinforce each others bad habits instead of the good ones.

Derb

You may want to read this:
http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2007/09/ketogenic-diet-and-cancerold-news.html

[W8EJO]

Further on the Paleo Diet

Evolutionary Fitness: the diet that really works
Bryan Appleyard thinks he has found a diet that really works:
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/diet_and_fitness/article4523487.ece

Bryan Appleyard Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-r0qys89io

Art Devany 71 year example of the diet/lifestyle:
http://www.arthurdevany.com/webstuff/images/RevisedEssay.pdf


 

[WA1GFZ]

Bear,
Doc who repaired my disk said you can pull them back in if you have a year to take at easy. Lay on your back and pull one knee at a time to your chin.
I still do that one.  sit on a chair and bend over and touch your toes. Suck your gut in when you walk.

[K6JEK]

A Crave Inverter that's what we need.   I asked my daughter, the cell biologist, to get cracking on it.  I mean how hard can it be?  Find those little cellular craving signals, proteins, whatever, and turn them upside down.

Chocolate?  Don't really care for it.   Brussel sprouts?  More, I want more, honey, more.   Pass the cauliflower.  Cheeseburger? No thanks.   

Hand over the tofu and nobody gets hurt.

[K6JEK]

I don't know if anyone is still reading this thread but there is also the Don't Think Diet.

Researchers at Stanford ran a little experiment.   Subjects were given individual numbers to memorize, 2 to 7 digits long.   Their sole task was to walk out of the room down the hall to another room and write the number down. But on the way they were met by a pleasant research assistant. "Thanks for participating in the study. Would you like a snack?  I have fruit and chocolate cake."   By a wide margin the people assigned the long numbers took the cake while the short number people didn't. 

Researchers concluded the little analytical part of your brain, the part that tells you, "cake tastes good but it's full of sugar and fat, you really shouldn't eat that" is easily overloaded leaving the sensory part at the controls. 

They didn't go on to propose a diet based on their conclusions.   That's my contribution to Nutritional Science. To lose weight, don't think.