Why do people go on strict diets to make themselves live longer?

[Ace_BB6]

Originally Posted by MrHT

This has always bugged me for a long time. People restrict themselves of junk food & fast food just because they want to eat healthy and live a longer life. But think about it. Wouldn't it be better to live a shorter life and enjoy it rather than live a longer, miserable life? Now, I'm not saying to order 10 donuts at Dunkin' Donuts and gobble them all up, but once in a while, enjoy yourself!! Some people restrict themselves and starve themselves all their lives just to add more years to their life. But what good are those extra years of living if you're just miserable??

Its about finding a balance, those people that go extreme health freak, I think are missing the point. But the argument is not about living a LONGER life but living a life without health issues. You don't appreciate good health until you lose it. In the present moment you can make better choices to not cause problems for your body. Its about moderation and REDUCING your intake of junk foods. No one is saying go cold turkey. Remember, what you put in your body is what you will get out. You don't need to be a nutritionist to understand that concept.

Example1: I currently have high cholesterol, my doctor says I should eat less meat. So Im seeking vegetarian options for lunch, dinner I can have some meat, about a fist size portion. The rest will be vegetables. Am I giving up BBQ (my favorite food)? No But find a balance.

RECAP: Not about living a longer life but living a life without health issues.
What you put in is what you get out.
Moderation.

[dancerslegs]

Originally Posted by WhySoBlu?

Except that you could eat any of the things you're eating now without "going pescatarian," so that really has nothing to do with it, other than you may have been forced - out of necessity - to try different dishes.

The reality is, you eliminate a ton of options when you cut out all meat besides fish, and there's no way you don't realize that - and what's exciting about that?

My point is that I still eat a million-and-one awesome dishes without having to ingest less-healthy red meat or poultry into my body. I used to eat beef, pork and chicken every day. Now, I don't miss them at all (well, maybe pepperoni...).

But I realize my diet's not for everyone.

[Abby is Q]

Originally Posted by MrHT

I never understood why people think red meat is bad for you. It's insanely high in protein. It's actually very good for you.

Lean cut red meat, sure. But even still in moderation because it's not great for the cardiovascular system. Most red meat is high in iron, fat, and protein (which of course the body needs), but can be hell on the colon and heart. I don't necessarily think red meat is bad, but all of the options available at most restaurants and grocery stores aren't the healthiest options.

Plus, you can get the same protein (if not better) with fish, certain cheeses, nuts, and eggs. And in my opinion, a fish filet, or certain cheeses paired with fruit, or a salad mixed with nuts and a sweet vinaigrette is far more flavorful than the lean cuts of beef and pork.

And I used to eat red meat in moderation, but I find it easier if I avoid it altogether and my body thanks me for it. I've been doing this for a while now, so I've actually grown more of a taste for white meat chicken, fish, and veggie dishes.

[Ace_BB6]

Any animal meat produces some levels of cholestrol, for me who suffers from that must reduce intake. Its just not that cut and dry with protein being beneficial.

[Abby is Q]

Originally Posted by dancerslegs

My point is that I still eat a million-and-one awesome dishes without having to ingest less-healthy red meat or poultry into my body. I used to eat beef, pork and chicken every day. Now, I don't miss them at all (well, maybe pepperoni...).

But I realize my diet's not for everyone.

Oh god. Pepperoni pizza I think is the one thing I miss more than anything since giving up red meat. Seriously, pizza is still great, but it's not quite the same without it.

[42041]

Originally Posted by Ace_BB6

Any animal meat produces some levels of cholestrol, for me who suffers from that must reduce intake. Its just not that cut and dry with protein being beneficial.

It's also not cut and dry that dietary cholesterol directly corresponds to the bad sort of blood cholesterol.

About the only things everyone seems to unanimously agree are meaningfuly harmful are trans-fats. And even so, not that long ago trans-fatty hydrogenated vegetable shortenings were considered the healthier alternative to saturated animal fat. So, I guess we've finally worked out all of our endlessly wrong ideas about health and nutrition? I doubt it - all this research is so contradictory, murky and polluted by political and commercial interests that I prefer to just split everything down the middle and eat whatever I want in moderation.

[WhySoBlu?]

Originally Posted by 42041

It's also not cut and dry that dietary cholesterol directly corresponds to the bad sort of blood cholesterol.

About the only things everyone seems to unanimously agree are meaningfuly harmful are trans-fats. And even so, not that long ago trans-fatty shortenings were considered the healthier alternative to saturated animal fat. So, I guess we've finally worked all of our endlessly wrong ideas about health and nutrition? I doubt it - all this research is so contradictory, murky and polluted by political and commercial interests that I prefer to just split everything down the middle and eat whatever I want in moderation.

This.

[dancerslegs]

Originally Posted by Abby is Q

Oh god. Pepperoni pizza I think is the one thing I miss more than anything since giving up red meat. Seriously, pizza is still great, but it's not quite the same without it.

Ikr? Of course, my bestie makes a red sauce pizza with mozzerella, crabmeat, pesto and pineapple that makes me forget all about pepperoni most of the time.

[Abby is Q]

Originally Posted by dancerslegs

Ikr? Of course, my bestie makes a red sauce pizza with mozzerella, crabmeat, pesto and pineapple that makes me forget all about pepperoni most of the time.

I've grown fond of jalapeno/pineapple. I also spent a short period of time at a pizza place and experimented with wonderful combos like olive oil, mozzarella, chicken, pesto, goat cheese, sun-dried cranberries, and walnuts. And when I bake at home, I've become a fan of sardines and goat cheese on a red sauce.

But let's be real... pepperoni is the best thing that ever happened to pizza. If there was one thing that made me want to go running back to red meat, that would be it.

[dallywhitty]

Sausages (and by extension sausage rolls) are delicious as ****, so there's no way I could be a vegetarian.

[dancerslegs]

Originally Posted by Abby is Q

But let's be real... pepperoni is the best thing that ever happened to pizza. If there was one thing that made me want to go running back to red meat, that would be it.

The struggle is real!

[The Great Owl]

I don't run and eat healthy so that I can add years to my life. I run and eat healthy so that I can add life to my years.

[segagamer12]

Originally Posted by SixSpeedSamurai

You must be under 40 hahaha. When I was in college, I trimmed down a ton. After that as long as I worked out, I could eat and drink whatever the hell I wanted and was fine.

Not the case anymore, especially at 41. I already have quit drinking 12 years ago because of a rare liver disease, and my wife has cut out most processed foods at home. They'll pry pizza from my cold dead hands.

I was 29 at the time. I am a little older now and yeah I am not doing as good losing weight as I was then. But yeah still under 40

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by dancerslegs

Healthy diets are aces!!

Here's something I posted about my diet on my Facebook:

I am pescatarian. A lot of people don't seem to know what that means when I say that, so I will elaborate here:

Basically, it means that I can eat anything at all that I want. The only restriction being that my meat consumption is limited to creatures who breathe water (a.k.a., seafood). This includes, but is not limited to, various types of scaled fish (wild-caught only, if available)--salmon, mahi, tilapia, catfish, bass, grouper, trout, red snapper, lionfish, etc.; crustaceans--lobster, crab, crawfish, shrimp, clams, mussels, conch, etc.; and assorted "miscellany"--squid, octopus, sea cucumber, etc..

I went pescatarian on April 8th, 2015, along with my bestie, have seen various improvements in the state of our health (such as clearer skin) since then, and have no plans to ever reintroduce meat into our regular diets.

Once a month only, we select on day on which we "debauch" on meats, but experience has taught us to now try to limit the debauch to just pepperoni or maybe bison--our systems no longer seem particularly friendly to other meats!

Additionally, we both endeavor to stick to healthier choices in the selection of other foods we eat--mostly fresh fruits and veggies (frequently organic and non-GMO), some starches, less grains, a fair amount of nuts and legumes.

High sugar, sodium, and preservative-rich foods are all but completely eliminated--we have both given up sodas, ice cream, confections, frozen processed foods, salty snacks, and such, except on the rare occasion. Condiments of all varieties--assorted dressings, sauces, dips, etc.--are kept to a bare minimum.

Although we are both very conscientious of the widespread mistreatment of farm animals in the West, we continue to consume certain animal products, such as eggs, cheese, butter, etc.. However, in these things, we go for more humanitarian and nutritious options these days, such as eggs from free-range chickens.

The upshot of following such a diet is that we both experience greater energy, strength, mental-clarity, lower blood-pressure, and smoother digestion than we ever have in our lives. We are committed non-meat eating, healthy dieting peeps for life!

And you're not concerned at all about the levels of mercury you may be ingesting from eating all that seafood?

[dancerslegs]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

And you're not concerned at all about the levels of mercury you may be ingesting from eating all that seafood?

Nah, I'm sensible about my consumption of seafood established as high in mercury vs those displaying lower amounts. My doctor says I'm about as healthy a specimen as he's examined.

[nikita70]

I'm 46. 6 months ago I weighed 330. I joined a gym and put myself on the Wheat Belly diet. Doing the elliptical 45 minutes to an hour per day 5 days a week.
Lost 50 pounds. So far. A1C dropped from 6.4 (6.5 is diabetic) to 5.4 in the first 3 months.
Cholesterol dropped so far my doctor took me off the statin drug I've been on for a few years.
Eating mainly meat and vegetables, some nuts. No sugar, no starches. I drink a bottle of red wine per day.
A lot of eggs with yolks, bacon, sausage, BBQ ribs.
I get my blood checked every 3 months. Doctor is ecstatic with my progress. As am I.

[BeastCreatureTrapper]

I love the common sense responses in this thread. I feared we would have a chorus of fitness/health-shamers, who project their own insecurities on how others live their lives.

I'm approaching my mid-forties. I've never been in horrible shape, but I did have a stretch in my mid-to-late 30s, on into my 40s, where I could no longer binge-eat and not pay for it.

The last couple of years I settled into the moderation approach. I do a fun workout a least every other day, and I found a staple of healthy foods and drinks, which I sincerely enjoy, and I rotate them in and out for my meals throughout the week. I also try to have a cheat meal once a week (usually for Game of Thrones night).

That's my routine, and it is what I follow. However, since having done it solidly for over a year now, this is what I have discovered...

I want to have more fun workouts every day. I actually have to force myself to take at least one day off a week from working out.

That cheat meal? Yeah, I still have one, but not every week. The truth is that I just don't miss the "bad" foods enough to crave them all the time anymore. I don't feel deprived, or that I am missing out on anything.

Quite honestly, my cheat meals usually end up being something small and lame, like a root beer float...or something silly, just to tell myself I had something. Either way, I never feel as though I gave up anything.

I guess my point is that just because one watches what they eat and how they live doesn't mean they are suffering or giving up what they like.

Maybe they are, I don't know, actually happy living their life that way.


PS This is not an earth-shattering revelation, but for those trying to find that one thing to drop from their diet to lose weight...yeah, it's soda. Soda is a killer. No nutritional value and it wrecks your entire body, regular or diet.

The first week I dropped soda, and nothing else, I dropped seven pounds.

Don't drink soda for month. Go back and try some after that and you will wonder what you liked about it in the first place!

[pmil]

* No such a thing as junk food. Some foods are simply more nutritious than others. The junk food term was made up by ignoramuses and food snobs. These are the same people that would extol French "fine"cuisine while putting down a person having a slice of pizza, and yet the former is likely much more fattier.

* You can eat whatever food you want and stay thin by simply controlling your caloric intake, and that comes down to controlling your portion sizes. That is how lifelong thin people, like myself, remain thin.

* Don't look to fat people for weight losing advice. Do look to lifelong thin people for weight losing advice. That is logical.

* Getting all your required nutrients doesn't have to come from just foods. Supplements can also address what is lacking.

* The reasonable and healthy diet would include enough foods with both types of fiber and would also include moderate amounts of foods we all enjoy. A good supplement can take of the rest.

* People are fat because they simply consume more calories than their bodies need. It's that simple. People are lacking required nutrients because they are not getting enough from their food and because they are not supplementing to get the rest. It's actually extremely difficult and for all practical purposes impossible to get all your required nutrients from your diet alone. To do so would require an extrmely restricted and rigid diet. So again, supplement where needed.

* Now go enjoy some so-called junk food.

[pmil]

Originally Posted by BeastCreatureTrapper

I love the common sense responses in this thread. I feared we would have a chorus of fitness/health-shamers, who project their own insecurities on how others live their lives.

I'm approaching my mid-forties. I've never been in horrible shape, but I did have a stretch in my mid-to-late 30s, on into my 40s, where I could no longer binge-eat and not pay for it.

The last couple of years I settled into the moderation approach. I do a fun workout a least every other day, and I found a staple of healthy foods and drinks, which I sincerely enjoy, and I rotate them in and out for my meals throughout the week. I also try to have a cheat meal once a week (usually for Game of Thrones night).

That's my routine, and it is what I follow. However, since having done it solidly for over a year now, this is what I have discovered...

I want to have more fun workouts every day. I actually have to force myself to take at least one day off a week from working out.

That cheat meal? Yeah, I still have one, but not every week. The truth is that I just don't miss the "bad" foods enough to crave them all the time anymore. I don't feel deprived, or that I am missing out on anything.

Quite honestly, my cheat meals usually end up being something small and lame, like a root beer float...or something silly, just to tell myself I had something. Either way, I never feel as though I gave up anything.

I guess my point is that just because one watches what they eat and how they live doesn't mean they are suffering or giving up what they like.

Maybe they are, I don't know, actually happy living their life that way.


PS This is not an earth-shattering revelation, but for those trying to find that one thing to drop from their diet to lose weight...yeah, it's soda. Soda is a killer. No nutritional value and it wrecks your entire body, regular or diet.

The first week I dropped soda, and nothing else, I dropped seven pounds.

Don't drink soda for month. Go back and try some after that and you will wonder what you liked about it in the first place!

What health shaming are you referring to? The fact is people are fat because they consume too many calories. Inactivity contributes a bit to the obesity, but not anywhere near as much as people think. The problem is people refusing to control their caloric intake. That's fact. That some people have a problem with that is their problem. In fact, a defensive response to that fact goes far to explain why they are fat in the first place.

A "healthy food" has nothing to do with caloric content. There are many foods high in calories with plenty of nutrients. Nutrition and staying thin are two separate things. A person can be very thin and not be getting all the nutrients they need while a person could be getting far more nutrients and be fat.

Non-diet sodas are a contributor to people being fat and that's because they have a lot of calories, but so do grains and other foods. There is nothing wrong with drinking soda in moderate amounts.

[BeastCreatureTrapper]

Originally Posted by pmil

What health shaming are you referring to? The fact is people are fat because they consume too many calories. Inactivity contributes a bit to the obesity, but not anywhere near as much as people think. The problem is people refusing to control their caloric intake. That's fact. That some people have a problem with that is their problem. In fact, a defensive response to that fact goes far to explain why they are fat in the first place.

A "healthy food" has nothing to do with caloric content. There are many foods high in calories with plenty of nutrients. Nutrition and staying thin are two separate things. A person can be very thin and not be getting all the nutrients they need while a person could be getting far more nutrients and be fat.

Non-diet sodas are a contributor to people being fat and that's because they have a lot of calories, but so do grains and other foods. There is nothing wrong with drinking soda in moderate amounts.

Agreed on all your points.

The "health-shaming" I was referring to was to people who try and shame those who DO try and live a healthy life of activity and healthy eating, as though they are obsessed with every calorie and every minute on a treadmill.