That's great! I love how determined you sound. One thing though, motivation is a huge part in losing weight. When I first started losing weight I would lose motivation so easily and slip back into my old habits. Tell people around you how much you wish to lose the weight, you'll be surprised how other people can re spark your motivation if your feeling weak. :)

Meat-eaters are fatter. The only regimen that’s been proven to take weight off and keep it off is a low-fat vegan diet. Obesity is one of the most pressing health problems in the U.S. and will soon become the country’s leading cause of preventable deaths. Despite the growing number of “diets” that are being touted throughout the country, Americans just keep getting fatter. Research studies cited by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) have shown that “the vast majority of people who lose weight gain it all back—and then some—within a year or two.” Dr. Dean Ornish, a medical doctor and the author of Eat More, Weigh Less, cites government studies that show that within five years of losing weight, 97 percent of dieters are just as fat as they were when they first began to diet—fatter, in some cases. They would have been better off if they hadn’t dieted at all.

Researchers have found that overweight people consume about the same number of calories as slim people—but that they don’t consume the same kinds of food. Animal products contain much more fat than plant-based foods—animal flesh, after all, is designed to store calories, which makes it one of the worst things that a dieter can eat. It’s no surprise that population studies have proved that meat-eaters have three times the obesity rate of vegetarians and nine times the obesity rate of vegans. It’s possible to be a fat vegan, of course, just as it’s possible to be a thin meat-eater, but adult vegans are, on average, 10 to 20 pounds lighter than adult meat-eaters.

The first thing to realize is that changing eating habits must be more than a short-term means to an end. Changing eating habits is the cornerstone of permanent weight control. There is no way to “lose 20 pounds in two short weeks” and make it last. Very-low-calorie diets cause two major problems: They lower one’s metabolic rate, making it harder to slim down, and they lead to bingeing.




Study: More Milk Means More Weight Gain

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 7, 2005; Page A03

Children who drink more than three servings of milk each day are prone to becoming overweight, according to a large new study that undermines a heavily advertised dairy industry claim that milk helps people lose weight.

The study of more than 12,000 children nationwide found that the more milk they drank, the more weight they gained: Those consuming more than three servings each day were about 35 percent more likely to become overweight than those who drank one or two.

"The take-home message is that children should not be drinking milk as a means of losing weight or trying to control weight," said Catherine S. Berkey of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who led the study, the largest to examine the question in children.

The National Dairy Council has spent $200 million since 2003 to promote the idea that milk can help people lose weight. Some research has suggested that calcium or other elements in milk may cause the body to make less fat and speed its elimination, but the studies produced mixed results.

"I went into this project expecting that drinking milk would have some weight benefit for children. So I was surprised when it turned out the way it did," said Berkey, whose findings are being published in the June issue of the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. "The studies are all over the place, but the dairy industry tells children and adults, 'Drink more milk and you will lose weight.' I think that's misleading."

The dairy industry disputed the idea that the new study challenges its ads, saying it had said only that adults may be able to lose more weight if they drink milk while cutting calories.

"Our message has always been very conservative -- that three servings a day as part of a reduced-calorie diet may help promote weight loss," said Isabel Maples, a dietician speaking for the council. "Most children don't even get one serving a day" of milk.

Based on the findings, Berkey and her colleagues said children should follow federal recommendations to consume two to three servings of dairy a day, no more.

The study comes amid intense concern about the growing problem of obesity among children. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Public health experts have been particularly concerned that drinking soda contributes to weight problems, leading some parents to try to get their kids to drink more milk instead.

The researchers analyzed whether the children would have been better off if they replaced the soda they were drinking with milk but found no benefit.

"Our findings do not suggest that if children replace beverages sweetened with sugar with milk they would reduce their body weight," Berkey said.

For the study, Berkey and her colleagues analyzed data collected from about 12,829 children from all 50 states who were ages 9 to 14 in 1996, when they began participating in the Growing Up Today Study, an ongoing project examining the relationship between diet, exercise and a host of health issues.

The researchers examined the relationship between the children's milk intake between 1996 and 1999 and their weight over a one-year period. Those who drank more than three eight-ounce servings of milk a day gained the most weight, even after the researchers took into consideration factors such as physical activity, other dietary factors and growth. The association held, even though most of the children were drinking low-fat milk.

"That was surprising," Berkey said. "Apparently this applies to any kind of milk."

Several researchers agreed that the findings undercut the idea that milk promotes weight loss.

"There's been a lot of talk recently that somehow calcium in dairy products improves your ability to lose weight. There's certainly no evidence of that in this study," said F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, a Columbia University obesity researcher.



Taken from various sites I don't care to remember.

I'm all for eating more veggies and less crap, but I don't think I can do without meat altogether. Smaller portions, perhaps, and better cuts, but not altogether.

I'm not sure about this, but from my experience, those who are obese and eat meat enjoy eating the fat of the meat more than the lean muscle that's actually good for you.

I'm 60kg or just over 9 stone. I'm 5'6" in height. I am pretty slim, narrow waisted- whatever weight I'm meant to be carrying is apparently in my ass, which can still feel damn bony to the poor Gent if I sit on his lap.

I eat meat when I have the chance, which isn't as often as I'd like. I get it once or twice a week. That's any kind of meat- raw fish, shellfish, white or red meat. The rest of the time, I eat soup, sandwiches, fresh fruit. I drink a lot of milky tea and have a big mug of hot chocolate made with semi-skimmed milk each night. I tend to eat pretty late, between 10pm and midnight, but I don't usually sleep before 1am.

I never buy diet or reduced fat anything- it doesn't taste as good, is rarely as filling even in larger portions, and contains a lot of dubious chemicals.

My exercise is mostly in walking to and from work, and on weekends to and from the various train stations or clubs as well as dancing or enjoying my male (sex is actually pretty good exercise, when it's vigorous). When at home, after work, I've got music on while I'm browsing the net. I'm only slightly ashamed to admit that since I'm always in my locked room, I will get up and dance to any good song that the random playlist selects- easily 20min active dancing a night.

I have precisely the figure I want, despite being really rather lazy. I'm sure others here can manage this also. In fact, I'm sure that others can manage the figures they want on a rather healthier regime with better food and better exercise.

Wow. I haven't seen anything below 160 lbs. for at least a decade or more, much less 130! If I get below 200 lbs., that'll be good for me.

it'd be nice for me just to get to 220 pounds...

I'm at 120 now, I don't really watch what I eat, though most processed foods don't agree with me so I avoid them, I work out when I have free time but I also try and make the most out of the tasks that I already know that I need to do. For instance I wear ankle weights and listen/dance to music while I clean, nothing too heavy maybe 10lbs per ankle, they take a bit of getting used to but I hardly notice them anymore and I have killer legs.

I've never weighed more than 110lb, possibly not even 105. I don't look creepy skinny either, and I eat whatever I want. The key to that though is that 'whatever I want' doesn't include soft drinks or junk food. I reckon if you eat a diet that mainly consists of good food made with fresh ingredients (vegetables and fruits, minimal meat) your body gives up enjoying processed crap. I liked some of those things as a kid, but since I've been cooking for myself most make me feel sick. My sweet tooth lives off chocolate and icecream, and that's a once-a-day thing.

Whoa...I don't think being just above 100 lbs would be all that healthy for me, but you girls rock on! :D

If it makes you feel better, I'm still 230 atm. :)

I like big butts and I cannot lie...

Sorry.

I eat whatever, whenever. I don't care if I'm fat. It's not important.

I went for 25 minutes on the 'mill this evening. My right ankle isn't happy about it.

Mir: I used to feel that way, but I don't any more; I don't want to be unhealthy any more or grow to be obese. x_x;;;

I guess you could say I'm a little more vain these days than I used to be. Heh.

I wouldn't have said you were fat as such. A slight podge maybe but not serious fat.

I'm 224 lbs now. 16 stome dead on. I'm off for a "jog".

Oh, originally meant to mention.
I'm wary of Pineapple_Juice's mentioned studies, as they sound very similar to those commissioned by PETA. PETA are not champions of neutrality, and have been known to twist the statistics in some fascinatingly spine-breaking ways to get their desired answers. So I'm not sure how good the actual nutritional advice presented in those studies is. If they're the ones I've come across before anyway.

If you're taking dietary advice based on studies, check for financial incentives from whichever side of the argument the study would support. If it's government commissioned, check if that part of the government has received any donations lately. It's very hard to find any that are genuinely neutral, but the information you get is likely to be more useful and accurate.

I actually skipped over PJ's post cuz it was long but looking at it now I'm a bit skeptical, if they used whole milk then I'm not surprised by the findings but I would wonder what the results would be with 2%, 1%, and skim milk.

I have a big belly and to be quite honest, kind of makes me look like a pregnant woman. Other than sit-ups, what exercises can I do to get rid of it?

Run, do some sort of cardio or aerobic exercise t make you sweat . Burn the fat off. Situps and weights alone won't get rid of it. You need to reduce the fat on top of the muscles for the muscles to be seen. You could have the most amazing six pack on the planet but if it's hidden under a few inches of fat why bother having it if it can't be seen ?

I'm pretty muscular , but it's hidden under fat ( though it's starting to emerge a little I hope )

Why does it always come back to running? Well, anyways instead of those 3 20 ounce soda bottles a day, I'm drinking only 2 of the 12 ounce cans a day, which is pretty awesome.

Honeythorn is right.
Just run.

It'll suck at first, but you'll get used to it and you'll want to run.
Make it fun.
Try to run with a friend, or set goals for yourself and push yourself to get them. Run places you've never been so you can check things out to take your mind off of the physical exertion.

From what I understand, if you can't run, then start out fast-walking and eventually work up to running. That's what I'm doing, and so far it's going pretty well. :)

Ophie's right about the goals, though; they -are- helpful, and help you push through when you want to quit.

My goal is to lose at least 30 pounds by summer, heh heh heh.

This is good advice.

Quite, about the milk thing, I understand. PETA was once a good thing, but I'm afraid they've gotten a little crazy with their antics and definitely have skewed perception on many things.
I was a vegetarian for five or so years. I think my highest weight was around 170 pounds (I'm 5"11). I went vegan a few years ago and just from cutting out dairy and eggs and such, I dropped about 30 pounds. I didn't diet or try to restrict my portions.

I know that milk is not intended for anyone except babies, and that it is loaded with fat. Think about it. Babies need milk because they can't process solid foods. They get their nutrients, fats, etc. from mom until they can handle getting it themselves through other things. If you can eat solid foods, you do NOT need to drink milk. Furthermore, cow milk, goat milk, whatever, was NOT intended for human consumption. Human milk for baby humans, cow milk for baby cows, evil gremlin milk for evil baby gremlins, and so on. So far as I know, we're the only animals who drink other animal's milk, and the ONLY animals to drink milk beyond infancy when it's not needed.

The milk industry's spent millions of dollars in their advertising to get people to believe that milk is healthy and that it gives you strong bones. They tell you that without milk you won't have any calcium and you'll be ill. NOT true. One can get calcium from many other food sources, and without all the fats that are in milk. I read in a few places that the areas where there are the most milk drinkers internationally are also the places that have the most osteoporosis.

There's also the creepy thought that milk can actually be addictive. There's a chemical in milk, I think it's casein, that makes the baby cows keep coming back for more. It's a survival thing to make sure the babies stay alive. This chemical is present in cheese, milk, yogurts, etc. and when you eat it you are literally becoming addicted to it.

On average, a meat/dairy eater is 9 times more likely to be obese than a vegan (methinks that's the right number).

So that's my dairy schpiel.



I wouldn't spout bullshit if I didn't do any research, I swear. It probably looks like I'm trying to force my agenda but I'm not. Make of this stuff what you will, this is just what I've learned.

Honestly, I can't stand to drink milk plain, even with the 2% we buy. I usually only use it in baking, or with a bowl of cereal in the morning or with crackers if I can't sleep at night.