Permanent diet may equal longer life

[Beemnseven]

It also isn't clear whether caloric restriction would extend human lives by very much, UCLA evolutionary biologist Jay Phelan said. He has combined results from animal studies with data on men on the Japanese island of Okinawa who ate 17% fewer calories than men in Tokyo. He calculated that reducing intake by 35% would extend the human life span by just two years.

Two years is two years, but still -- if that's the payoff for a life of starving and denying yourself, I'm not all that impressed.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

Two years is two years, but still -- if that's the payoff for a life of starving and denying yourself, I'm not all that impressed.

I've been doing a reduced calorie diet for a few months now, and there's no starving involved. I'm actually pretty surprised at how much I can eat and still be in my target range. I've lost 20 pounds this summer so far and it's been pretty easy.

[Beemnseven]

That's about what I need to lose; maybe more like 25-30 lbs.

Can you give me a run-down on what you're eating and the quantities involved?

My biggest problem is late-nite munchies. Around 9 or 9:30 or so, I start getting the urge to pig out.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

That's about what I need to lose; maybe more like 25-30 lbs.

Can you give me a run-down on what you're eating and the quantities involved?

My biggest problem is late-nite munchies. Around 9 or 9:30 or so, I start getting the urge to pig out.

I have an app on my iphone where I track everything I eat. That's the key, you really need to count your calories. It's a pain at first but eventually it becomes part of your routine and it really makes you think about what you're eating.

Based on your starting weight you'll need to determine how many calories you actually need everyday. Check out a site like this to get a basic idea

Perfect calculator to determine whether you are overweight or not. | AHealthyMe.com

Basically, I stay between 1500-2500 calories per day. It's a good idea to mix up your calorie intake from day to day to keep your body guessing.

Exercise is of course a big part. I do at least 30 minutes of cardio 3-4 days per week and I also mix in some weights as well. I cut way back on red meat and alcohol too. When I do drink it's mostly light beer.

I can post some samples of what I eat on a daily basis later. I've got to run now.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

That's about what I need to lose; maybe more like 25-30 lbs.

Can you give me a run-down on what you're eating and the quantities involved?

My biggest problem is late-nite munchies. Around 9 or 9:30 or so, I start getting the urge to pig out.

I lost 30 pounds, without changing my diet, when I moved to Colorado and started hiking mountains. You could always try that, if you like hiking.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

That's about what I need to lose; maybe more like 25-30 lbs.

Can you give me a run-down on what you're eating and the quantities involved?

My biggest problem is late-nite munchies. Around 9 or 9:30 or so, I start getting the urge to pig out.

Here's a sample of a typical day:

breakfast:
1 nutrigrain blueberry bar - 130 calories
2 homemade low fat waffles with a tiny bit of no sugar syrup - 210 calories

lunch:
2 grilled chicken sausage links - 260 calories
steamed mixed veggies (2 servings) - 120 calories

dinner:
1 broiled chicken breast - 213 calories
1 medium bake potato (dry) - 163 calories
1 large mixed greens salad w/cheese and croutons - 200 calories

snacks:
cheez-its (100 cal pack)
baked tortilla chips with salsa - 150 calories
goldfish crackers (100 cal pack)
1 mini drumstick ice cream cone - 130 calories

exercise
30 minutes on stair climber moderate intensity - burned 372 calories

Net calories for the day: 1404

I hear you on the late night snacking. But if you have a snack mid morning, mid afternoon, and another one a few hours after dinner, you shouldn't get those late night cravings. Plus I drink a lot of water, 8 glasses/day at least is a must. And I simply don't allow myself to eat after 8pm. Counting your calories really helps you realize what you're putting into your body.

[an23dy]

I think one of the underlying reasons why it's better is that your body gets used to how much food you're eating and the body doesn't have to guess how much food is going to be eaten and then over-compensate or under-compensate depending on whether you eat a lot more or less food one day. When it has to change like this it puts a lot of stress on the body and how it functions.

[Schneed10]

Though I will say I don't care how long this study says I will live, I'm not going to change what I do. Like anything else, balance is key in life. Whether it's balance between work and home, between family time and time to one's self, between work and play, or between indulgence and discipline.

This diet might be good for the body but that chocolate cupcake is good for the soul. You need some of both.

I'd rather do my best to stay fit while still enjoying the occasional splurge.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Though I will say I don't care how long this study says I will live, I'm not going to change what I do. Like anything else, balance is key in life. Whether it's balance between work and home, between family time and time to one's self, between work and play, or between indulgence and discipline.

This diet might be good for the body but that chocolate cupcake is good for the soul. You need some of both.

I'd rather do my best to stay fit while still enjoying the occasional splurge.

I think you can balance both. Being on a lifelong diet doesn't mean you can never splurge here and there.

[Daseal]

Plus I drink a lot of water, 8 glasses/day at least is a mus

While I'm far from an expert, drinking water can make a huge difference. From what I understand, we can often confuse hunger and dehydration. I know when I drink a lot of water, I generally eat a lot less.

[firstdown]

Ok, I have to do this. I could not find the info but I'm guessing the Fed. Goverment funded alot of this test over the past 20 years. Did we or who ever spend the money for the testing think that they would have any other out come. Heck, I could have told them that stuff for free.

While on the subject of food I made the best fish (tuna) tacos Friday night that we had to have them again tonight. If anyone wants to know how to make them let me know as its not that hard.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Ok, I have to do this. I could not find the info but I'm guessing the Fed. Goverment funded alot of this test over the past 20 years. Did we or who ever spend the money for the testing think that they would have any other out come. Heck, I could have told them that stuff for free.

While on the subject of food I made the best fish (tuna) tacos Friday night that we had to have them again tonight. If anyone wants to know how to make them let me know as its not that hard.

Yeah, I'd like to know. I grilled some tilapia tonight for fish tacos. Pretty basic, but I wouldn't mind hearing your recipe

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Yeah, I'd like to know. I grilled some tilapia tonight for fish tacos. Pretty basic, but I wouldn't mind hearing your recipe

If you're going to grill fish on an open flame, it better be pretty sturdy- i.e. Wahoo, Swordfish, Tuna. Otherwise, I'd advise baking or pan roasting. You can still cook a delicate fish on the grill, but you better do it in foil. In which case you might as well just use the stove and have more control. Tilapia is good fried, but I would hesitate to grill it. Any issues getting it off the grill or controlling the portions? It tends to fall apart so easily. Best cooked whole (head on, bones in) if anything.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by GMScud

If you're going to grill fish on an open flame, it better be pretty sturdy- i.e. Wahoo, Swordfish, Tuna. Otherwise, I'd advise baking or pan roasting. You can still cook a delicate fish on the grill, but you better do it in foil. In which case you might as well just use the stove and have more control. Tilapia is good fried, but I would hesitate to grill it. Any issues getting it off the grill or controlling the portions? It tends to fall apart so easily. Best cooked whole (head on, bones in) if anything.

It wasn't my top choice to grill but it's all we had and we wanted to grill. It was a bit flaky but sturdy enough. You really just had to keep an eye on it and grill like 3 minutes max on each side. And yeah I put it in a foil.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Yeah, I'd like to know. I grilled some tilapia tonight for fish tacos. Pretty basic, but I wouldn't mind hearing your recipe

For fish tacos I like either tuna or dolphin lightly blackened.
First I chunk up the fish.

I use a large iron skillet but I'm sure any skillet will work. I also do this outside so I don't smoke up the house.

I take the fish chunks and put them into a bag and add the blackening season. This you will need to play around with to get to your tast. I like for each peice to have a light coat. The stuff I use is the best seasoning I have found and will get you the name tonight.

I then get the pan very hot and add a good coat of butter.

I add the fish continually stirring them around as they cook very quick.
I find 5 to 7 min. at the most for the center to be nice and pink but its a fine line from done to over cooked.

My wife dices up tomatos and onions puts them in a bowl and then squezes fresh lime over them and lets it set for about an hour.

We then have shreaded cabbage (I know I'm not a fan of cabbage but it works in this case), cheese, and sour cream and make them to your tast.

Its an easy meal to make and the toughest thing about the meal is learning how to season and blacken the chuncks of fish. You do not want the chunks too big and I almost cut them in strips around 1/2 to 3/4 thick.
I would also suggest to season a chunk and cook one to see how it cooks and tast and repeat this a few times until you find the right combo of seasoning and cooking.