Ultimate Lose-Weight, Save Money Diet

[Rambler]

Interesting, I did something similar this past week...Lentils, green beans and a mixture of kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and pintos. I had about a cup of this mixture for lunch and dinner each day, plus a little chicken or beef, and some other veggie like broccoli. I wasn't doing it for the weight loss...I just have upped my intake of beans for the fiber over the past few months. But, I tell you the weight did drop. Not a kilo a day, but maybe 2.5-3 in a week. I was amazed, and will be doing it again later this week (travelling now and a bit at the mercy of the restaurants around here...no beans, lots of white rice).

R

[RonBoyd]

Originally Posted by VaCollector

...and FWIW, I started walking no less than 5 miles a day (5-6 days a week) 2 months ago to initiate weight loss and have actually gained 5 lbs...

Muscle weighs more than fat... "they" tell me. (Greater water component?)

[Oldbabe]

CHS kitchen-test note on Charros-Black Bean Chili: I bought the ingredients at one of the local "Mexican" markets which cater to the Hispanic population. The total cost was:
1 pound black beans: $1.19
2 medium onions: $ .36 ($.33/pound)
garlic: $ .15 (5 heads for $1.30)
jalapeno chiles: $ .20
1 can tomatoes: $1.00
oil, cilantro, etc.: about $ .30

Total: $3.20
For 6 servings, that's $.53/serving. Add $2 for 4 dozen tortillas, slice up six medium raw carrots (12 oz.) for crunch and vitamins, and that brings it up to $5.60 or $ .93/serving (even less if you get 8 servings).
If you wanted to add a pound of meat, and you buy on sale, then add another $3.40 or so for either beef (lean cut) or ground turkey. That boosts the cost to about $9.00 or $1.50 per serving for a hearty, protein- and fiber-rich meal.
Compare that to the cost of a supposedly "cheap" (and horribly unhealthy) fast-food "value" meal of burger, fries and a sugar-bomb soda for six: in California, over $30. And yet all we hear is how "poor people" (like me?) "can't afford healthy food." What rot! 93 cents beats the heck out of any fast-food garbage, it's easy to make and the ingredients are readily available virtually anywhere. FROM WALLET TO WAISTLINE: THE HIDDEN COSTS OF "SUPER SIZING" (Prevention Institute)

[Bestwifeever]

Oldbabe, I totally agree--it is amazing how you can whip up a very tasty economic meal at home. And Chipotle restaurant charges about $5 for their burritos with the same ingredients.

Interestingly, digesting protein uses more calories than digesting carbohydrates (way too much time on my hands here) :

Reported DIT [this is diet induced thermogenesis--the amount of calories the body uses to generate energy] values for separate nutrients are 0 to 3% for fat, 5 to 10% for carbohydrate, 20 to 30% for protein [16], and 10 to 30% for alcohol [6]. In healthy subjects with a mixed diet, DIT represents about 10% of the total amount of energy ingested over 24 h. When a subject is in energy balance, where intake equals expenditure, DIT is 10% of daily energy expenditure.

in http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...medid=15507147

[Marquette]

Amazon.com: The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts (My Body Science) (My Body Science): Shinta Cho, Amanda Mayer Stinchecum: Books



Amazon.com: Beano Food Enzyme Dietary Supplement Tablets, 100-Count Bottles, (Pack of 2): Grocery

[bosco]

Originally Posted by Bree

One thing that I should mention here is that I have read healthy weight loss is about 2 lbs per week.

This diet obviously kicks the heck out of that estimate, and while I thought perhaps it was unhealthy, I can't really see how eating this could be worse than a fast food/convenience diet that many of us live by.

-mitch

While it is undoubtedly healthier food than a fast food/convenience diet, the 2 lbs per week rule is a sound one (and some sources say 1 lb per week for long-term weight loss).

The reason is that your body stores toxins in fat. If you lose weight too rapidly, you flood your body with all these stored toxins.

There is also a fair amount of research that shows that weight lost quickly is less likely to stay lost.

[haha]

There is another thread about low carb dieting; this is a thread about high carb eating. It all seems to work at least for some people, and nothing much works for many others.

I was downtown today and saw a lot of tourists. Nobody quite as thin as the Japanese, and they eat their share of rice. Does anyone undestand weightloss?

Ha

[Oldbabe]

About cooking beans. I boil them for two hours then rinse well before adding ingredients. This eliminates most of the problem. The info below from Washington U. says boil, then let set for as much as four hours. Here's more info.
COOKING DRIED BEANS
TIPS FOR PREVENTING GAS

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION:
Dry beans also are easy to prepare. They have, however, gained a reputation for being hard to digest and are known to cause a little flatulence or "gas." To help eliminate this problem, try cooking dried beans like this:

Soak dried beans overnight or at least for five hours. (This isn't necessary for dried peas and lentils.) Discard the water, add fresh water, cook for half hour and discard the water. Rinse beans thoroughly until water runs clear. Cover with fresh water and cook until tender. This method will help prevent "gas," which is caused by complex carbohydrates (raffinose sugars) that are not broken down in digestion. When they ferment in the large intestine, they produce carbon dioxide, hydrogen and a little hydrogen sulfide, that can cause gas.

If you want to include more beans in your diet, but increase your "comfort zone" with them, you should:
Start slowly by eating beans only a couple of times a week at first. This helps your body adjust to digesting them.
Drink lots of fluids to help the digestive system handle the increased dietary fiber.

Soak and cook thoroughly to eliminate the raffinose sugars that make beans hard to digest.

Other helpful hints for cooking beans are to add one tablespoon of oil to beans to keep the foam down while cooking. If your recipe calls for tomatoes, lemon juice, vinegar or other acidic foods, add these items after beans are tender. The presence of acid keeps beans from softening.

Also, contrary to advice you may have heard, DO NOT use baking soda when cooking beans. It robs them of their nutritional value.

USA WEEKEND MAGAZINE:
Soak and rinse beans several times to remove gas-producing sugars, USDA researchers advise. Always change the water before cooking.

Adding garlic and ginger, dried or fresh, to a cooking pot of beans can reduce the beans' gas-producing properties, according to research in India.

Supermarket anti-gas products, in pill or powder such as Beano and BeSure, can help.

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY:
Beans are full of starch including some that do not digest easily. Digesting this starch can produce gas, giving rise to the rhyme Beans, beans, the musical fruit.... There are several ways to quiet this music so you can enjoy the health benefits of beans.

Gradually increase the amount of beans you eat, so your digestive system can adjust.

Soak beans overnight then discard the soaking water. Some, but not all, of the hard-to-digest carbohydrates dissolve into the water and are then poured off.

This quick method also helps reduce gas: Cover beans with water. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Let set at least one hour, but preferably four hours. The longer beans soak, the more gas-causing substances are removed.

Try Beano, a product found in the pharmacy section or on the bean aisle of the grocery store. Its natural enzymes help digest gas-producing carbohydrates.
Recipelink.com - Message Boards

[Bree]

RE toxin release.... I hadn't heard this before, but it totally makes sense based on previous experience.

Go on a detox and all of a sudden your skin is breaking out and some people even say they stink when they are on a detox. Very interesting - thanks all for the shared knowledge!

[Oldbabe]

I've been on this plan for about a week and have GAINED weight. The problem seems to be that the high carbs make me hungrier and I get cravings for more carbs. Nix this plan

[Moemg]

Originally Posted by Oldbabe

I've been on this plan for about a week and have GAINED weight. The problem seems to be that the high carbs make me hungrier and I get cravings for more carbs. Nix this plan

It is so discouraging when that happens .

[ziggy29]

Maybe I'll make a batch of this sort of thing for myself some day. I need something I can make large batches up that can stay good for a while, since my wife doesn't like beans. I'd eat the stuff a lot more if it were more convenient in the household.

[Bestwifeever]

Originally Posted by Oldbabe

I've been on this plan for about a week and have GAINED weight. The problem seems to be that the high carbs make me hungrier and I get cravings for more carbs. Nix this plan

That's exactly what happens to me with most high-carb foods--portion control goes out the window.

[Oldbabe]

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever

That's exactly what happens to me with most high-carb foods--portion control goes out the window.

Ok, at least I'm not alone with this problem. I'm going back to small portions, balanced protein and complex carbs, lots of veges. I'll report back in a week! (Joke )

[harley]

I've heard this theory about "negative calorie eating" before. It never made sense to me. I found the following on SearchWarp.com - http://searchwarp.com/swa13484.htm

"The Negative Calorie Food Myth

It sounds good in theory, but the idea of "negative calorie foods" based on bad science. The idea is that it takes a certain amount of energy to digest foods, and that some foods have fewer calories than it takes to digest them. An apple is supposed to be a negative calorie food. An average apple is 100 grams and contains 44 calories. The theory is that is takes up to 100 calories to digest an apple, so digesting an apple is a weight-loss activity. The more apples you eat, the more weight you should lose. Those selling the Negative Calorie Diet don't phrase it like that, because when you state it in simple terms, it sounds insane. The fact is that the energy you use digesting is part of your BMR. If you stuff yourself, your body doesn't expend more energy digesting... it just continues at its normal rate and you get that "beached whale feeling". The only way to raise your BMR is to exercise more and to eat more frequently. So, this "special diet" is actually just counting calories, making sure that your calorie intake is less than your BMR + Exercise. There's no magic to their list of foods, they're just low-calorie foods, and they encourage you to eat them frequently. Don't waste your money on this scam."

BMR is Base Metabolic Rate, the energy used just to stay alive and exist day to day.

I tried eating a bunch of apples once, and I did lose weight. But I don't recommend screaming diarrhea as a diet plan

[outtarentals]

Originally Posted by Oldbabe

Soak dried beans overnight or at least for five hours. (This isn't necessary for dried peas and lentils.) Discard the water, add fresh water, cook for half hour and discard the water. Rinse beans thoroughly until water runs clear. Cover with fresh water and cook until tender. This method will help prevent "gas," which is caused by complex carbohydrates (raffinose sugars) that are not broken down in digestion. When they ferment in the large intestine, they produce carbon dioxide, hydrogen and a little hydrogen sulfide, that can cause gas.

Once in a while, I'll cook up a big pot of pinto beans using the same method as OldBabe and it seems to work. To the pot, I add chopped onion, salsa, seasonings and a ham hock and simmer hours and hours till the beans are tender. I also cook another pot of crunchy 3 grain rice - brown, long grain white and wild rice for a complete protein.

Then put them together topped with chunky salsa and a drizzle of cheese and served with a side salad for supper. Yum! The weight doesn't fall off but it seems a healthy way to eat.

What has worked best for me to lose weight is high protein and locarb, but it's hard to live in the real world following that kind of plan. Many years ago I got hold of Dr Atkin's very first diet plan book. it was revolutionary for those days and I have never seen that book since - only later and less rigid versions of this first plan.

I was in my twenties and wanted to lose 10 lbs or so for some big date. It was torture. You ate nothing but protein and a lettuce leaf or two for each meal, drink lots of water - and - this is the worst part- before each meal you had to drink a couple of tablespoons of some kind of oil - I think it was straight Safflower oil.

I remember I gritted my teeth and stuck with it for about 8 days -the results were amazing but I never did it again - once was enough!! I know I lost over 10 lbs but it looked like more - and it seemed like it was all fat that dropped away.

Since then I've occasionally tried several versions of locarb, high protein diets and they seem to work the best for my body type. I was surprised to see an item on the news a few nights ago saying that a study was done comparing diet plans and cholesterol levels dropped more in people on high protein, locarb diets compared to some other more commonly used plans. It's hard to say how accurate these studies are though.
Think I'll cook up a pot of beans tomorrow.

[laurinsane]

Hey Bree,

Nice diet plan there, but harley's post on negative calories is correct. The fiber in the beans is what's helping people lose weight. Most people don't get enough fiber, and once you start eating the same amount of food with more fiber you automatically lose weight. Fiber isn't easily digested and you get less calories from it compared to regular carbs.

I would recommend that if people try this that they are taking a multi-vitamin and incorporating some form of animal protein to make sure you are not missing any of the essential amino acids needed for protein sythesis. This will also help some people with the high carb hunger craving.

Some can try having a whey protein shake in morning. I love beans and rice, so I'm going to try this but I love milk and will likely keep doing that with a small breakfast and dinner.

Make sure you are getting enough calcium as well. You need 1000mg a day and unfortunately veggies do not have a lot of calcium.

If i like it, I could definitely eat it every day no problem. I can eat the same thing all the time.

Don't throw portion control out the window either. If you eat more calories, you will gain more weight.

[dex]

http://books.google.com/books?id=MJILNjy6cIQC&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=the+rota tion+diet+menu&source=web&ots=K2H5EwYoro&sig=rRl5O i9vxwh7in4Pt5PquJfHeY4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&r esnum=4&ct=result#PPA60,M1

This is the program's simple schedule. You go on a 600 Cal. a day regime for three days, 900 Cal. a day for the next four days, then to 1,200 calories for a week. After that you repeat the cycle (600+900+1200) once again and enjoy your well deserved vacation from dieting. The vacation is exactly what prevents your metabolism from slowing down. Depending on your desired degree of weight loss and your current success, the vacation can last for a week or a month. It is completely up to you as long as you are not gaining weight. If you need it, there is the maintenance part of the plan. Then you go on the diet again and so on and on, until you reach your ideal weight.

======
This is a diet that worked for me.
check out page 60 for some menus.
When I first did it; it taught me how to eat balanced and low fat meals.
The above calorie intake is for women; men's is higher.


http://www.amazon.com/Rotation-Diet-.../dp/0553276670

[FinanceDude]

Sounds like a lot of flatulence to me........