My Current Diet

[John Ingra]

Yes, I should probably consult with a doctor, but I just
wanted to run it by here and see what comments you might have.

Today is Day 8 of my New Life -- I hesitate to call it a diet,
because most people think of a diet as something temporary. I
call this a New Life. I quit smoking (I'm on the three-step
patch), I started excercising, and I started watching what I'm
eating. I'm not doing Atkins or any other "fad" diet (yes, I
still consider Atkins a fad, just a long one -- not looking
for any holy wars, though). I'm using the pure science of
caloric intake and excercise to burn fat relatively slowly,
recognizing as absolute fact that a net deficit of 3500
calories results in a pound of weight loss, balanced with the
fact that you have to have enough calories to sustain your
body at your current weight, or your body goes into survival
mode, storing fat.

So, having said all that, a little about me. I'm somewhere
between 245 and 250 pounds (I started at just about 250 pounds
a week ago) with 30% body fat (I have a body fat scale). I'm
6'3". My "Air Force weight" was 207, so I consider that a
reasonable goal, unless I'm doing some working out
specifically to put on muscle, in which case I probably won't
get down to 207.

My excercise is walking about a mile and a half a day through
my neighborhood, which is just hilly enough and just flat
enough to be a decent workout. It's a brisk, deliberate walk,
but not speed walking. I do that first thing in the morning,
about 5 minutes after I roll out of bed, starting with a glass
of water and a vitamin C chewable.

Caloric intake: I used all the calculators I could find online
for BMR maintenance calories. I was getting somewhere around
3000 for all of them.

My daily target intake is 2000 calories with 70 grams of
protein and that's ALL that I'm looking at. I pay no attention
to carbs, fat, sodium, vitamins, etc... I eat whatever I want,
prefering foods that have at least a 30-to-1
calorie-to-protein ratio, since that will give me 2000 and 70
at the end of the day.

So far I feel great. As I said, I'm on Day 8. I drink water
all day long and urinate clear all day long. If there's too
much color in my urine, I know I'm not drinking enough water.

Weight loss has been obvious, on the scale anyway. There's a
lot of flucuation, though, because I don't have a consistent
time to weigh every day. The scale instructions say to weigh
in the early evening, which hasn't been very convenient so
far. But I'm pretty confident that I've lost about 3-4 pounds
in the first week. I have read here and there that weight loss
can be quicker during the first week, until the body's
metabolism catches up with the change. That's consistent with
what I've seen.

So... comments? Am I neglecting anything serious in my diet?
Is the caloric intake too low? I had first decided to reduce
my net calories by only 500 per day (1 pound of loss per
week), but I found that the 2000 calorie diet gives me
everything I need, as long as I get enough protein. So I
accidentally ended up on the 2-pound-loss-per-week system
(lucky me if it holds up). What kind of adjustments, if any,
should I make now that I'm starting the second week.

Just looking for people with more experience in this to guide
me in the right direction. I'm feeling great, morale is high,
and I'm excited abou the New Life to come.

Thanks, John

[Cde]

John Ingram wrote:

> So... comments? Am I neglecting anything serious in my diet?

Try to include

-2-10 cups dark green or red lettuces, dandelion greens -1-2
cups crucifers (broccoli, bok choi, turnip greeens, mustard
greens, cauliflower, arugula, brussels sprouts, etc.) -1-2
cups goosefoots (spinach, chard, beet greens) -carrots or
sweet potatoes -red bell pepper, tomato, watermelon -dark
blue/purple berries, eggplant -red berries -citrus -apricots,
canteloupe -onion, scallion, garlic

Try to eat most of your veggies and all of your fruits
raw, cooking tends to destroy a good fraction of the
protective phytochemicals and in most studies, raw
vegetables are more protective than raw fruits, cooked
vegetables, or whole grains.

Could include some legumes, cooked from dried soaked (and
preferrably, sprouted)

fats: raw walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts/filberts,
sunflower seeds, etc, extra virgin olive oil, olives,
avocadoes, fish fat

omega6:omega3 fatty acid ratio should be 4:1 or lower.

fiber: current rec is 30 g per day, probably should be 30 g
per 1000 kcal/day.

fish: should not be fried

green tea: instead of diet soft drinks

[Jan]

cde wrote:
> John Ingram wrote:
>
> > So... comments? Am I neglecting anything serious in
> > my diet?
>
> Try to include
>
> -2-10 cups dark green or red lettuces, dandelion greens -1-2
> cups crucifers (broccoli, bok choi, turnip greeens, mustard
> greens, cauliflower, arugula, brussels sprouts, etc.) -1-2
> cups goosefoots (spinach, chard, beet greens) -carrots or
> sweet potatoes -red bell pepper, tomato, watermelon -dark
> blue/purple berries, eggplant -red berries -citrus
> -apricots, canteloupe -onion, scallion, garlic
>
> Try to eat most of your veggies and all of your fruits
> raw, cooking tends to destroy a good fraction of the
> protective phytochemicals and in most studies, raw
> vegetables are more protective than raw fruits, cooked
> vegetables, or whole grains.
>
> Could include some legumes, cooked from dried soaked (and
> preferrably, sprouted)
>
> fats: raw walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts/filberts,
> sunflower seeds, etc, extra virgin olive oil, olives,
> avocadoes, fish fat
>
> omega6:omega3 fatty acid ratio should be 4:1 or lower.
>
> fiber: current rec is 30 g per day, probably should be 30 g
> per 1000 kcal/day.
>
> fish: should not be fried
>
> green tea: instead of diet soft drinks

Very good list, IMO! I would only like to add that tomatoes
should be cooked to ensure the best absorption of lycopene.

Jan

[Jan]

cde wrote:
> Jan wrote:
>
> > Very good list, IMO! I would only like to add that
> > tomatoes should
be
> > cooked to ensure the best absorption of lycopene.
> >
>
> That's what they say. But, I think it may be more
> complicated than that. Carotenoids are not very stable.
> Cooking may increase uptake of certain carotenoids while
> reducing bioactivity because of conversion from the trans to
> cis isomers. Cis isomers are less biologically active.

That was interesting to learn. This is quite academic, but how
about switching the red bell pepper to the orange bell pepper?
Orange bell pepper is the best source of zeaxanthin and a good
source of cryptoxanthin.

Jan

[John Ingra]

cde wrote:

> Try to include
>
> -2-10 cups dark green or red lettuces, dandelion greens -1-2
> cups crucifers (broccoli, bok choi, turnip greeens, mustard
> greens, cauliflower, arugula, brussels sprouts, etc.) -1-2
> cups goosefoots (spinach, chard, beet greens) -carrots or
> sweet potatoes -red bell pepper, tomato, watermelon -dark
> blue/purple berries, eggplant -red berries -citrus
> -apricots, canteloupe -onion, scallion, garlic
>
> Try to eat most of your veggies and all of your fruits
> raw, cooking tends to destroy a good fraction of the
> protective phytochemicals and in most studies, raw
> vegetables are more protective than raw fruits, cooked
> vegetables, or whole grains.
>
> Could include some legumes, cooked from dried soaked (and
> preferrably, sprouted)
>
> fats: raw walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts/filberts,
> sunflower seeds, etc, extra virgin olive oil, olives,
> avocadoes, fish fat
>
> omega6:omega3 fatty acid ratio should be 4:1 or lower.
>
> fiber: current rec is 30 g per day, probably should be 30 g
> per 1000 kcal/day.
>
> fish: should not be fried
>
> green tea: instead of diet soft drinks
>

Wow, that's quite a list. Thanks for your input. When I say I
eat "pretty much whatever I want", that's what I mean. I don't
scoff too much at the usual family cereal, Frosted Flakes... I
only separated my eggs once, Rice Bowl for lunch, though
yesterday I had a normal Bubba Burger... and I'll partake in
whatever the family is having for dinner (lasagna, chinese,
pizza, whatever).

In my research (though I'm no expert), what really matters is
the calories -- which are made up of all the elements in the
food (fat, protein, sugar). So if the protein content is high
enough and the calories are low enough that I can "afford"
them in my 2000 calorie diet, I can assume that the other
calorie sources aren't going to give me much of a problem. So
that bowl of Frosted Flakes isn't carefree -- it's carefully
measured and logged on the spreadsheet as 160 calories and 5
grams of protein (including the 2% milk -- can't stand skim
milk). It's just under my 30-to-1 protein requirement, but I
make up for it with eggs or cottage cheese.

When I say it's a simple diet, I really mean it. It does take
some effort to make sure everything is correctly recorded and
to make sure eating is spread out throughout the day (I eat
about 5 times a day, I guess). And one of the most important
factors is to prove that weight loss goals are obtainable
without turning into a barley-and-whey kind of guy.

I enjoy food that tastes good and I believe a 2000/70 ratio
supports eating the whole spectrum of food. If I skip a piece
of cheesecake, for example, I don't want it to be because I'm
not allowed to have it -- but because I choose to get my
calories elsewhere. On the other hand, if I really want that
piece of cheesecake, I just, as they say in the government
budget world, have to find a way to pay for it -- giving up
calories elsewhere throughout the day.

Obviously, I'm giving an overview of my nutrition philosophy.
If I'm way off base, feel free to jump in and warn me about my
dangerous ways.

Thanks for the fatty acid ratio, by the way. I enjoy having
good, reliable math on which to base my eating decisions. I
came up with the
30/1 calorie-to-protein ratio with a pencil on the back of an
envelope and it has been effective.

Thanks, John

[Cde]

Jan wrote:

> Very good list, IMO! I would only like to add that tomatoes
> should be cooked to ensure the best absorption of lycopene.
>

That's what they say. But, I think it may be more complicated
than that. Carotenoids are not very stable. Cooking may
increase uptake of certain carotenoids while reducing
bioactivity because of conversion from the trans to cis
isomers. Cis isomers are less biologically active.

Refs:

Eitenmiller RR;Landen WO Jr.;. Vitamin Analysis for the Health
and Food Sciences. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press; 1999.

Cano MP, Vegetables. Jeremiah LE;. Freezing Effects on Food
Quality. New York, NY, Marcel Dekker, Inc.; 1996: 247-298

[Jan]

cde wrote:
> Jan wrote:
> > This is quite academic, but how about switching the red
> > bell pepper to the orange bell pepper? Orange
bell
> > pepper is the best source of zeaxanthin and a good source
> > of cryptoxanthin.
>
> Yes, that would be better. Do you have any data for the
> purple ones?

No, I couldn't find any. My guess is that it has a good deal
of anthocyanins.

Jan

[Cde]

Jan wrote:
> This is quite academic, but how about switching the red bell
> pepper to the orange bell pepper? Orange bell pepper is the
> best source of zeaxanthin and a good source of
> cryptoxanthin.

Yes, that would be better. Do you have any data for the
purple ones?