The self restriction thread: Diets, purges, and fasting

[dragon wench]

Recently we spent ten days away and ended up eating a lot of less than ideal food. For example, a little too much bacon for breakfast, because bacon and eggs are pretty cheap as a satisfying feed that keeps you running for a while.

So now that we are home, we've decided to follow a herbal detox programme. In addition to various herbal capsules we will also have food restrictions. Although, we normally eat a fairly healthy diet anyway, this is going to require some forethought because things like wheat, dairy and tropical fruits are not permitted. We'll have to actually eat some of those dreaded "Health Nazi"products like quinoa....
Given that we eat things like bananas, cereal, toast and yogourt in the mornings breakfast will be a headache, to say the least...


Anyway, here is a place to describe your trials and tribulations with dietary strictures, whether they be voluntary or a necessity.

[Xandax]

Well, I'm generally way to cheap to have bad habbits, but I do have two I'm trying to kick to a minimum.
Cola and chips. Not so much because it is bad for you - I could just bike some extra miles each day if I wanted to, but because it is expensive habbits (the cheap aspect again ) and I want to save the money so I can use it for something more worthwhile

Other then that - I live pretty much as I want to in total disregard of what is currently thought healthy - if I feel like eating steak and drinking red wine, or some nice spareribs and cold beer, I do so. I don't even eat much veggies because - well, I prefere meats and dislike the taste of cookied vegatbles and well, I can't be bothered to prepare them either (unless I cook Wok dishes)
I've never been caught in the "good for you" and "society outlook" etc so I can't be bothered with diets or fasting and all that nonsens.
I don't even by ecological goods, because - well frankly they cost to much, and well - I don't want to pay that.


Did I mention I am cheap and trying to be even more tight with money.

[Dowaco]

I am supposed to be on a diet for a variety of medical reasons. Weight is not one of them, but I myself would like to lose 5-10 pounds. (added weight as the result of breaking my leg and not being able to excersize)

A list of things I am not supposed to eat.
High potassium foods (banana, mango, potato)
spicy foods (most ethnic stuff like mexican, Thai, etc)
food with sharp edges (ie. popcorn (husks))
acidic foods (colas, orange juice, anything with tomato - pizza, sauces,etc.)
carbonated beverages
Alcohol in excess
Foods with high fat content and or high cholesterol.

Actually, the list of foods I can have is short and bland. I therefore have basically ignored the dietary restrictions and eat whatever I like but I invoke the diet when faced with a food I do not like. I can do this because of a few extraordinary chemical compounds.
Nexium, Cozaar and Tricor allow me to abuse my body and get away with it.
I do use Splenda instead of sugar and try to replace carbonated beverages with artificially sweetened iced tea. I also eat smallish portions and do not eat after 7 PM.

[Denethorn]

I'm one of those lucky chappies who has no problem with weight. I can eat what I wish (which I did for for the last two weeks) and drink what I wish (ditto) and not gain anything.

Mmmmm fried bread. Personally I think a diet without wheat and dairy is a bit ridiculous

Eat healthy and exercise more. Simpler way.

Or just drink more water, thats a good detox

[Chimaera182]

I'm definitely not the healthiest eater in the world; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I got a heart attack some time in the next few years due to the fact that the majority of things I eat on more than just a regular basis are just cholestrol with some tomato sauce.

Case in point: this weekend I was visiting a friend of mine in northern Florida. I don't actually recall what I ate the first night I was there, but the next morning (Sunday) my breakfast included no less than 3 eggs, a slab of ham, a sausage patty, some fried potato strips, bacon, grits and toast (the grits I didn't eat, and the toast I only really ate a bit of, and that with jelly not butter). I had this same breakfast the next morning, as well. Sunday afternoon we went to the Boardwalk in Daytona and pizza was had by all; Sunday night we went to a greek restaurant and I had some great shrimp scampi (which wasn't exactly prepared with health in mind), and last night we went to Sonny's and ordered a boatload of ribs (of which I at least ate half of). Now that I'm home again, I'm not exactly going to start eating any healthier, although I probably should.

[Magrus]

*shakes fist at Denethorn* Lucky bastard.

My metabolism is one of the things that got screwed up from doctors poisoning me with drugs. Given that I do a 3 mile hustle to, and from work every day each way. As well as deal with doing moderately heavy labor on and off all day at work, I am gaining weight. Not in a bad way, simply burning off fat and replacing it with muscle, which is the proper way to get in shape. Exercising the fat off doesn't harm your body like starving it off does, as you tend to burn an equal amount, if not more muscle than fat doing so.

I tend to eat whatever I want. There are times I force myself not to eat things I want, just because, well I know it is horrible for me and I don't need it. I tend to not keep any snack foods, like chips, cookies, ice cream, etc in my appartment. If I do get one of those, it is a random treat that doesn't happen often. That, tends to keep my health somewhat in perspective given that I probably burn roughly 4000 calories or so a day any day I work. My downfall is the restuarant in the store I work in which provides me with a discount to eat there. Burgers and fries are great, but horrible for you.

[dragon wench]

Originally Posted by Xandax

Other then that - I live pretty much as I want to in total disregard of what is currently thought healthy - if I feel like eating steak and drinking red wine, or some nice spareribs and cold beer, I do so. I don't even eat much veggies because - well, I prefere meats and dislike the taste of cookied vegatbles and well, I can't be bothered to prepare them either (unless I cook Wok dishes)
I've never been caught in the "good for you" and "society outlook" etc so I can't be bothered with diets or fasting and all that nonsens.
I don't even by ecological goods, because - well frankly they cost to much, and well - I don't want to pay that.

lol! I am cheap with things like clothing (or maybe I just hate shopping ), but not so with food... My tastes are a bit expensive where food is concerned, actually...

It's weird, on one hand I'm fairly health conscious. We buy a lot of organic vegetables and free range meats, we avoid processed foods etc. etc. But, I'm also of the view that people should just eat what they want, and I'm no fanatic either. IMO, it's perfectly fine to consume stuff like steaks and red wine, if that is what you feel like eating. Indeed..... I'm personally rather fond of that particular combination

As far as the ecological goods go. I honestly see your point, a lot of that stuff is extremely expensive. Perhaps part of it is production cost, but I also suspect that it has something to do with yuppie snob value. We are very fortunate in that we have a plethora of organic and free range products here on the "Hippie Coast," and since there is so much of it, it is quite competitively priced.

Originally Posted by Denethorn

I'm one of those lucky chappies who has no problem with weight. I can eat what I wish (which I did for for the last two weeks) and drink what I wish (ditto) and not gain anything.

Mmmmm fried bread. Personally I think a diet without wheat and dairy is a bit ridiculous

We are not prone to weight gain either. But, we feel a cleanse is a good idea, just because we ate so much that was a bit uncharacteristic; heart disease and cholesterol problems run in my SO's side of the family. Plus, the energy boost you apparently get from doing something like that wouldn't be bad right now.

Fried bread in all it's forms tends to be quite tasty

Basically, the idea here is to not eat things that tax your system. Dairy contains a lot of fat, and wheat contains gluten. But yes, wheat and dairy are such a large part of the average Western diet, so doing without will be tough, especially the former. Dairy is not quite as bad, I hate milk for one thing. But, we eat a lot of cheese and yogurt, so they will be difficult to ignore for 12 days

@Chim,
I figure that diet is a personal decision, much like religion. So, IMO, the important thing to consider is if you enjoy the food you eat. If you do, than I don't think you should feel pressured to change. Sure, I guess there are the health considerations, but hey, where lifespan is concerned, there's always something to be said for "quality over quantity."

[Chimaera182]

Originally Posted by dragon wench

@Chim,
I figure that diet is a personal decision, much like religion. So, IMO, the important thing to consider is if you enjoy the food you eat. If you do, than I don't think you should feel pressured to change. Sure, I guess there are the health considerations, but hey, where lifespan is concerned, there's always something to be said for "quality over quantity."

It is a personal decision. I've tried in the past to switch to a healthier food regimen, but I always fall back on the unhealthy stuff I love most. As Julia Child said, and I have to butcher this quote because I don't remember it very well, "I would rather eat one small bite of steak than a dozen rice paddies."

[Chanak]

I eat anything and everything possible. I have no restrictions. I put on 30 pounds over a year's time recently; I just cut back on lunch and lost it rather rapidly (in 2 months). For me, eating only when I'm hungry is the key - I adhere to no set schedule. It's interesting to note that during the time I put on that weight, I was cohabiting with someone. *cough* She was a stickler about regular mealtimes, which ended up being a bone of contention since I was very reluctant to sit down and eat at established times. I would gladly cook, but that wasn't good enough for her: I had to eat it, too. Bah. I packed on some pounds thanks to that "compromise."

On the other hand, she had a problem with me eating at 10:30 pm. Why, I have no idea.

[Magrus]

@ Chanak, I lost a lot of weight a few years ago doing something along those lines. I would wait until I was extremely hungry and had a craving for something in particular. I would then eat whatever it was that I happened to be craving. Combining that with exercise, I dropped 80 lbs in a year. I tended to notice that if I had not done anything all day, I would end up craving something high in sugar. If I had run around for the past few hours, I would crave chicken or beef. I think the fact I would eat whatever it is I happened to be craving at the time and nothing else until I felt satisfied might have had something to do with all of the weight I lost. If I only needed protein, I ate just that.

So, now I tend to eat only when hungry and never simply because it is "time to eat". Although, I ALWAYS make sure I have breakfast and lunch at some point given the sheer amount of activity I do in the days I work. I noticed if I do not eat either, I end up exhausted, shaking and extremely dizzy after a while. Dinner is hit or miss. There are definately days I pass out cold almost as soon as I enter my appartment and miss dinner completely.

[Chimaera182]

I also cut breakfast out of my diet, moving lunch to earlier in the day, somewhere between late morning and early afternoon (so it was like brunch), and then I would have a slightly earlier dinner. I gained weight doing this, I didn't lose it.

[Denethorn]

Originally Posted by Chimaera182

I also cut breakfast out of my diet, moving lunch to earlier in the day, somewhere between late morning and early afternoon (so it was like brunch), and then I would have a slightly earlier dinner. I gained weight doing this, I didn't lose it.

Unless you're used to a late breakfast you would gain weight. The body believes it is short on food and starts storing more fat.

Remember: breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, dinner like a pauper. All to do with your activities during the day. Eating a huge meal in the evening (as most do) only gives you a huge burst of calories which you then go to sleep on, which the body then stores as fat as it has nothing to do with it.

[Magrus]

Originally Posted by Denethorn

Unless you're used to a late breakfast you would gain weight. The body believes it is short on food and starts storing more fat.

Remember: breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, dinner like a pauper. All to do with your activities during the day. Eating a huge meal in the evening (as most do) only gives you a huge burst of calories which you then go to sleep on, which the body then stores as fat as it has nothing to do with it.

*nods* I tend to have a decent breakfast, I simply do not have time in the morning to eat a large one like I should. Then I eat a very large lunch, and something small for dinner. Something large enough to ensure I do no wake up halfway through the night needing food and nothing more.

[The Z]

I tend to exercise a lot for 10 months of the year and during that time, I don't worry too much about food (fat's needed to have reserves to burn off, carbohydrates are needed to fuel you, protein's needed to recover).

When the other two months of the year come, I try not to eat as much breads and stuff that give you carbs (because they become fat if not used). I try and replace that with stuff like fruits and vegetables because they not only fill you up and give you vitamins, they also go straight through the system as well.

Breakfast is really important for me though; I need to wake up and get food in.

Of course, all this is a bunch of rambling from an athlete that's heard waaaay too many nutrition talks.

[Chimaera182]

Originally Posted by Denethorn

Unless you're used to a late breakfast you would gain weight. The body believes it is short on food and starts storing more fat.

Yes, but that's the thing; I was used to late breakfasts. Once I started college, breakfast was pushed later and later back until eventually I started calling it early lunch. I don't get hungry until 11 am, and I still tend to eat a little before that (generally this is because I have classes scheduled either in the morning or all afternoon, with little or no time to break for food, which is why I would eat at all). I've tried to switch back to an early breakfast routine, but because habits are so hard for me to change (to who is it not?), once I skip one of those breakfasts, I'm suddenly not even considering it anymore. I'm too used to skipping breakfast.