Legit Reviews

Now that I'm going on 25 I've started to notice that my diet and exercise plans have to change. The years of fast food and lack of physical exercise since college are starting to add up not only in terms of weight but also my overall health. The other day I had some free time and ran across a Body Mass Indexand it turns out that I classify as overweight.

I’m 5’10.5” and weigh in at 173lbs with what I would consider a medium frame. I’ve never been told I’m fat by any means, but the chart tells me I’m just entering the overweight group for my height. I called my doctor and said well I wouldn’t worry you are an American, but ideally you should weigh 151-163lbs at the most.

Yesterday I ran 1.25 miles on the track and woke up this morning feeling the best I have in months. I have also made a change in my diet. I’m kicking fast food all together. If you have stock in Pepsi/Taco Bell sales are going to be low this quarter! I went to the store today and picked up more healthy foods to eat. Lots of fruit, white meat (Turkey/Chicken) and some vegetables. Below is a picture of what I bought today. Lots of greens and a big bag of chicken breasts... don't forget the wine!



I figure if i run a mile every other day, lift weights on my off running days, and change my diet I should see an improvement in my heath and weight. I'll keep everyone informed how it goes and hopefully I'll stay motivated over the coming months and keep it up.

Thanks Nate!

Good job Apop. I've lost over 80lbs in that last year, year and a half. You are certainly going about it the right way. I have a background in fitness and nutrition so I knew what to do. Here are some pointers that are proven and worked well for me...
> Stay away from "bad carbs" (not talking Atkins here). White potatoes, white rice, white bread and things with sugar and/or sugar like subs (i.e. corn syrup, dextrose, etc). These things make your blood insulin levels spike and put your body in a catabolic state which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to burn fat. (this will also help you to not become insulin resistant - i.e. type 2 diabetes). Have a cheat day once and a while if you need it. This prevents you from going nuts one day and eating 5 gallons of Ben & Jerry's
> Conversely, eat plenty of protein. I'm not referring specifically to meat. Nuts, fish, beans, soy...all of these contain plenty of protein. This will ensure your body doesn't use your muscles for energy. Protein shakes are good meal replacement drinks. Make sure they are sugar free.
> Drink plenty of water. Most people mistake thirst for hunger. Plus, drinking lots of water helps you feel more full.
> Exercise. No matter how little, try to do something every day. Some days, I don't feel like running 3 miles so I walk or do a slow cycle on the stationary bike. Every little bit helps and it keep your metabolism high. Join a sports league if you can.
> Eat! Try 6 or 7 times a day (small meals) rather than 3 big meals. Every time you eat, your metabolism jumps. However, eating too much at one sitting is bad. Your body can only use of so much of the energy (calories) you take in. The rest gets stored as fat - no matter if it's carbs, protein or fat you are eating. And for God's sake, eat your breakfast. This gets your metabolism going in the morning (when your body is low on fuel, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy).
> Do interval training (if you aren't sure what this is, look it up). This will absolutley kick your metabolism in high gear (for longer periods of time), burn a ton of calories and get your cardiovascular system in shape better than anything else. Do it when you run, cycle, row, whatever. If you don't do any of the other things I suggest, do this. In 1 week you will feel the difference, guaranteed.
> Vary your workouts, especially if you are in a rut. Your body quickly developes a tolerance to the exercises you are doing. Changing it up kicks your body back into high gear.
> Watch your calories. Forget about fat grams and carbs (except what is mentioned above - bad carbs). It's all about calories. If you burn more than you take in, you'll lose weight (hopefully fat - eat yer protein!). It's as simple as that folks. Have your metabolism tested prpfessionally (about $60) or do one of the free calculations that can be found on the net. 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories so if you burn 500 calories more than you take in a day, you'll lose 1 pound in 1 week.
> Be realistic, don't crash diet or try to lose 10 lbs a week. Not only is this not healthy but it could wreck your metabolism and make it even harder to lose weight. Studies conclusively show that people who lose weight over a long period of time tend to keep it off and those that lose a lot quickly almost always put it back on within a few years. Hey, it took years to put the weight on, why shouldn't people expect years to take it off? Expect to lose no more than 3 lbs a week.
> Lastly (I could go on and on here), make sure whatever you do, make it something that you can stick to as a life change, not just something you are going to do for a few months.

I hope this helps, good luck!

Vstrom, Thanks for the heads up and comments from your experiences. I'm trying to cut out most of, but not all the bad stuff in my diet. I had sticker shock today when shopping thought. I loaf of white sandwich bread was $0.68 and a loaf of wheat sandwich bread was $1.38. A head of iceberg lettuce is $1, but buying individual lettuce (Red, Romaine, and so on) was $1.99 per pound, which adds up more when all said and done. I was told that iceberg lettuce is pointless to eat and that Romaine and Red lettuce was better for you. My first healthy shopping bill was nearly double what I used to buy!

You suggested to eat fish & I love fish and have the freezor stocked with pounds of Flathead & Channel catfish that I caught and some walleye also. Lot's of fish and chicken are in my future, which is fine with me.

Apoptosis wrote:I was told that iceberg lettuce is pointless to eat and that Romaine and Red lettuce was better for you. My first healthy shopping bill was nearly double what I used to buy!

I wouldn't say pointless but it does lack most of the nutritients and vitamins found in other types of lettuce. I usually use romaine. Iceberg lettuce is still good to eat, it contains a lot of water and can be filling without adding a lot of calories. As a rule of thumb, the darker the leaf, the more nutrients it contains.

according to that BMI chart I'm obease. new I was big but dam. 6'1" 295... little big in the middle but the rest of me is pretty solid....

i just moved to a house near the corner of 141 and big bend. since i'm a logan student, i get free membership to the gold's gym down the street. this means i'm pretty much gonna start hitting the gym everyday. i noticed that since i've moved to st louis (one of the fattest/unhealthiest cities in the country), i've put on about 15 lbs. i'm determined to take those lbs off within a couple months and keep them off. it's been forever since i've lifted weights.

my new room has mirror tiles all on one wall and it really gives me motivation to get back into the gym and start lifting. i can really tell how much my muscles have atrophied. i used to be a stout mofo... now i'm all pudgy and sh*t....

bubba wrote:according to that BMI chart I'm obease. new I was big but dam. 6'1" 295... little big in the middle but the rest of me is pretty solid....

Those charts are crap. According to them Arnold is obese...

I'm also on the health trip, have to or the doctor said I'm going to die............. So you young folks better start now. ............ Between surgery last winter and several other problems I've gained a little around the middle, not fat by any means, 6'3" 175 lbs, but that doesn't mean that your healthy. But I'm walking and lifting every day now, soon to be back on my road bike I hope as soon as the doc lets me.
So get your butts movin and get the fat out of your diet, it'll takes it's toll in the long run if you don't, just ask me, I know.

i'm 5'7.5" and weigh 180. hitting the gym tonight.

Just thought i would put my 2 cents in. Nate, just so you know, if you dont' want to have to drive to a track, or wherever you go. You can always run around the subdivision. The main circle is a little more than 1/2 mile. So just 2 times around and you're at your mile. (haha, bet you could've figured that out on your own) Although is it quite hot out.. i was out there riding my bike yesterday... wheww.. have fun! Good luck with the diet.

i actually prefer the track... no chance of being hit by cars, can time yourself better, and it's perfectly level. I'm just glad i have a 1/4 mile track less than 10min walk from my house.

Day 3 of the new lifestyle is going okay... craving soda and thats it right now. Every time I get the urge to eat I grab a couple grapes! ;)

Tracks are definitely nice for the fact that they are flat. Just dodge the cars, there ya go. Where is the 1/4 miles track? The schools, i assume? That's cool. I've never checked that out before.
ALL power to you for going without soda, that's something i can't really do well. I do make sure i drink diet, but still i have to have the soda... CAFFEINE!!! hehehe
Grapes are a good thing to fix the cravings, because they have a little sweetness, plus they are healthy! 2 for 1!! Another good thing are baby carrots. Yumm, just have to get past not eating them with ranch. (i'm a ranch-a-holic)

Apoptosis wrote:i actually prefer the track... no chance of being hit by cars, can time yourself better, and it's perfectly level. I'm just glad i have a 1/4 mile track less than 10min walk from my house.

Day 3 of the new lifestyle is going okay... craving soda and thats it right now. Every time I get the urge to eat I grab a couple grapes! ;)

tracks and treadmills are annoying to me because you never really go anywhere different. you see the same thing over and over again.

one thing i do on the treadmill to kinda keep it from being monotonous is increase the speed every minute over 5 minutes... then i bring it back down to where it was and do it again. i do that for 20 minutes.

quick fyi, if you jump rope for a half hour, it's equivalent to running a mile.

Im 5'7" at 210 lbs. I have started off slowly by switching to diet soda. I'll let you all know if I lose some weight.

Apoptosis wrote:i actually prefer the track... no chance of being hit by cars, can time yourself better, and it's perfectly level. I'm just glad i have a 1/4 mile track less than 10min walk from my house.

Day 3 of the new lifestyle is going okay... craving soda and thats it right now. Every time I get the urge to eat I grab a couple grapes! ;)

Taking supplements of chromium picolinate will help curb sugar cravings.

found this on google a number of times...

"Some very preliminary research suggests that chromium picolinate can reduce blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. But that's a far cry from a reliable treatment for diabetes, which is not a chromium-deficiency disease. There is no good evidence backing chromium picolinate as a weight-loss aid, a muscle-builder, or a way to reduce blood cholesterol levels. This new evidence does suggest that it may have serious side effects. Nobody should take chromium picolinate, especially not young people."

It works for me, but I have been wondering what was causing that 6th toe to grow... I take 400mcg (that's MICRO grams) a day. Anything taken at high doses can have undesirable effects. I'm sure you could find just as many, if not more positive articles on the same subject around the net (it's like that for most all supplements). This was on WebMD:
Chromium May Cut Carb Craving in Depression

Could Also Cut Risk of Diabetes, Researchers Say

By Daniel DeNoon
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Thursday, June 03, 2004


June 3, 2004 -- A popular nutritional supplement may reduce serious carb cravings in people with depression.

The supplement is chromium picolinate. The new finding comes from a small clinical trial sponsored by Nutrition 21, which years ago purchased the patent rights to chromium picolinate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

John P. Docherty, MD, president of Comprehensive Neuroscience Inc., White Plains, N.Y., and adjunct professor of psychiatry at Cornell University, penned the report. Docherty presented the findings at the National Institute of Mental Health's annual New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit Conference, held this week in Phoenix.

"It is an exciting finding," Docherty tells WebMD. "The real benefit of this is the high rate of response in this subgroup of depressed patients. If this finding holds up, it is a very important finding for depression. And there was a very, very favorable side effect profile."

Chromium Picolinate's Effects on Metabolism

Chromium picolinate is a nutritional supplement. The "picolinate" part of the compound is thought to enhance the body's ability to absorb chromium. Chromium is a necessary mineral. The typical Western diet barely contains an adequate amount of chromium -- so chromium supplements are quite popular. It's the second most popular mineral supplement in the U.S.

All kinds of claims have been made about chromium picolinate. Few of them are proven. One known effect is the supplement's ability to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin, helping it work better to control blood sugars. It's not clear whether the supplement provides significant help to people with diabetes. A recent analysis of well-designed studies showed that it does not significantly affect blood sugar or insulin levels in people who do not have diabetes.

Depression, Diabetes, and Carb Craving

Docherty notes that there is a connection between diabetes and depression. People with depression, he says, are twice as likely to get diabetes. What's the link?

The most common form of depression, ironically, is called atypical depression. Instead of losing their appetite, people with atypical depression often overeat. Many of these people report an almost irresistible craving for carbs.

Docherty's study enrolled 113 people with atypical depression. Two-thirds took chromium picolinate supplements for eight weeks, and one-third got a placebo.

When the researchers looked at all the patients -- those with and without carb cravings -- they found no overall depression benefit from the chromium supplement compared to placebo. It did, however, cut carb craving.

But chromium did improve depression in certain patients. Researchers found that atypical depression patients who also had carb cravings improved with chromium compared to placebo.

"In that group with high carb craving -- a third of the patients -- we had a very significant benefit from chromium picolinate," Docherty says. "Compared with placebo, it had a 2-to-1 advantage in reducing depression overall."

Maybe, Docherty speculates, this small study has found the missing link between depression and diabetes.

"This could turn out to be a very big benefit if the relationship between depression and diabetes is mediated by carb craving," he says. "It might be that if you eat more carbs, you tax your insulin system more and are at greater risk for diabetes. This treatment chromium picolinate may lower high risk of diabetes in people with depression. That would be terrific."

Chromium Picolinate for Carb Craving?

It is not clear that chromium picolinate -- or anything else -- can help normal people eat fewer carbs, says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is also a nutritional consultant for several sports teams and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

"What is carb craving? It would be really difficult to define that," Bonci tells WebMD. "Yes, there are some people who are going to gear more toward the pasta and potatoes than steak and tofu, but that doesn't have a clinical definition. ... It would be a stretch to say that across the board, carb cravers should go with chromium. Bodies aren't that smart. Psychological and environmental factors do a lot more to determine the cravings we have."

On the other hand, Bonci says, the findings regarding insulin sensitivity and chromium picolinate are "exciting." Moreover, she explains, many people do get too little chromium in their diets.

Huge exposures to chromium can be dangerous. But Bonci notes that people who take chromium supplements don't get harmful side effects.

LOL....That's just like drinking green tea, some reports say that it's bad in any quanity and others say it's the best thing in the world. But I still drink 2 cups aday..............

And if any of you are looking for something to do to burn off a little fat, I have a few cords of firewood that needs to be cut, split and stacked...................So come on down, I'll even supply the chain saws................

green tea is an excellent antioxidant. everyone should drink it (including me). i dunno what dipnuts would think it to be a bad thing. that's like saying fresh fruits and vegetables are bad for you.