Panda Thoughts on Eating to be Lean, Discussion Comments Welcome

[windwalker]

We often forget when trying to lose weight that food is fuel. We can't do without fuel, just as our car needs gas to run our body needs fuel to keep our energy levels up. We can't have a good active day without adequate fuel. We can't expect our car to take us where we want to go without gas and neither can we expect our body to.

But we don't want to over flow our cars tank, same with our body we don't want to overload with food. We also want to make sure our car has the proper fuel, we would just clog up our cars engine and make it sick if we tried to run it on something like oil instead of the clean burning gas it needs. Just like if we try to run our bodies on a diet of high fat food we will soon clog it up.

Our body needs good high quality complex carbs, that's stuff like vegetables and whole grains, for fuel. We need good high quality protein from lean meat and fish to rebuild our muscles and keep them growing stronger. We can get our proteins from veggie sources but we have to combine them to get complete proteins. For Example: Rice and beans together will give you a complete protein for body maintenance.

We need to increase our muscle mass to decrease our fat stores. Since fat cells don't burn calories and muscles cells do we need to make sure we have more of them. You can lose weight on a diet of just enough food to slowly starve to death but why would you want to? It's very uncomfortable and our body is constantly rebelling and making us crave calories, that's why people fail at that type of diet.

It's much better good to eat a reasonable amount of food and stay energetic and active all day with enough fuel to exercise regularly.

Thanks for reading.

Lean Panda

 

[Steffwalks]

Good point, Panda! Food is fuel, not friends! Ever notice that the first three letters in diet spell die? A diet is defined as "what you eat". If you eat sugar, you have a sugar diet. If you eat veggetables, you have a vegetable diet, if you have a disease then you have to eat a heart diet, or a diabetic diet, etc. IF you eat balanced meals......no diet!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I like the idea of fueling our bodies and choosing good food for fuel. I don't like the "D" word.

 

[Cruella de mom]

The world around is constantly trying to feed us too much of the wrong foods. We have to fight back! Ever notice that they don't super size the salads?

I find that when I am very good and get rid of all the simple carbs that I feel better ALL day long. It isn't easy in this fast food world, but if you eat right then you feel right. The problem is that sugar is addictive, we are naturally drawn to it, so it takes a lot of will power to break the cycle.

Of course, when you are sick and stuck at home full time and feeling sad as well then there is nothing that soothes the soul quite like a choclate eclair.......
(Sorry, I will be the strong athlete type again next week - today I need choclate.)

 

[bunnyfoo]

Fantastic advice Dave! I think if more of us thought that way, we wouldn't overeat as much. My PT always tells me that I can never out train my eating - I just don't do enough exercise so that I can eat whatever I want. I think the first time he told me how many calories I was burning off in a training session, I was surprised because it felt like a lot of work.

It's much better good to eat a reasonable amount of food and stay energetic and active all day with enough fuel to exercise regularly.

I totally agree! I have a really big sweet tooth and can so easily go overboard which always seems like a good idea at the time but I never feel good afterward.

 

[windwalker]

Thanks for reading guys.

Connie I really like that about the first part of diet is die and it is. An eating plan based on the "take in less calories than you use" that a lot of people try to live by is called starvation and isn't healthy.

Bunny you are right exercise doesn't burn calories as fast as we would like, but the more lean muscle mass that we have the more effiecient we are at burning calories.

Hi Lily, how ya doing princess.

Leaner Panda

 

[windwalker]

The world around is constantly trying to feed us too much of the wrong foods. We have to fight back! Ever notice that they don't super size the salads?

I find that when I am very good and get rid of all the simple carbs that I feel better ALL day long. It isn't easy in this fast food world, but if you eat right then you feel right. The problem is that sugar is addictive, we are naturally drawn to it, so it takes a lot of will power to break the cycle.

Of course, when you are sick and stuck at home full time and feeling sad as well then there is nothing that soothes the soul quite like a choclate eclair.......
(Sorry, I will be the strong athlete type again next week - today I need choclate.)

Feel better dear. You are always so strong for everyone else, you deserve joy of your own.

I love that "Biggie Size Salads". Wonder who we need to call and suggest that?

Leaner Panda

 

[Steffwalks]

Ever notice:

1) That sugar and salt are addictive. And necessary for life.

2) When someone developes heart desease and diabetes and other devastating deseases the first things they are supposed to give up are sugar and salt?

3) When you check into a hospital, the first thing they do is mainline salt or sugar? (ie, saline and sucrolose IV drips)

Lfe is funny.