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To all the obese Americans out there… · 1 September 05

I have had a fairly educational experience recently, as to how little it is possible to survive on. This was forced, but was nonetheless eye-opening. A sample menu of what I have lived on for almost 6 weeks:

Breakfast = smoothie
Juice of 1.5 oranges, freshly squeezed
1 banana
One of – small handful raspberries/blackberries/slice of fresh pineapple
2 tbsp whey powder

Mid-morning
Coffee with 2% milk

Lunch
Mug of soup (for example link)
2 tsp peanut butter

Dinner
Glass of milkshake – blended ice cream and 2% milk

More than enough for the sedentary lifestyle of a drive everywhere TV watcher. For my commuting by bicycle lifestyle it is just about enough. Not enough to keep any extra exercise going. All ingredients are fresh and everything is homemade, apart from the ice cream. Glasses and mugs are pretty standard sized. It is actually a pretty tasty diet.

I don’t mean to be unsympathetic, although as someone who more than likely has a mild endocrine disorder, I couldn’t be described as ultra-understanding of the ‘glands’ excuse. Really, try it. Even double it. It’ll do you some good.

  1. too true, too damn true :) as a personal trainer, i see it all the time even with my self and im healthy enough, the majority of people just comfort eat and our bodies dont need it at all! well done girl tell it like it is!
    — lette    Sep 2, 08:46    #
  2. Nina has always given a bit of a ribbing(no pun intended) about why I sometimes don’t eat somedays. Well not so much these days as when we first were starting out. With a mother who was tired of cooking for eight kids and husband, meals were more often than naught, well lets say they may have been edible, but were far from palatable. As I reached my later teens and began expanding my ideas, reading some of the more interesting works of the world, such practices intrigued me. My own parochial faith of Catholicism taught me in the Gospels how Jesus fasted and others proscribed to such practices. I was and still am a bit of a nut-case(Surprise!).

    Anyway, I would subject myself to fasts, sometimes for a few days. It amazed me what strengths I found living on minimal sustenance over those days. As life set me the unexpected curve balls, I was very grateful that I had spent times in the grips of hunger while forcing myself to function.

    There have been times where I have spent hours on the dojo floor without water. Days spent camping and do to those curve balls, living on foraging sustenance(sure glad I read my Brad Aniger and Euell Gibgons) and if it weren’t for those skills, I would have suffered immensely.

    Hope you are whole and hale again. And I still don’t know what you got for your new camera.
    — WepWaWewp    Sep 2, 21:12    #
  3. what’s a dojo floor, wep?
    — KS    Sep 3, 00:18    #
  4. Ks, a Dojo is a hall ro place usually where Martial arts are held, or any gathering of disapline, Wep im all for fasting, i truely but too much of it will undoubtedly ruin ur metabolism!! by all means listen to ur body and understand urself more but be carefull :)
    — lette    Sep 3, 04:49    #
  5. hm i dont know much about food stuffs and so but hey keep up the good work Sarah,we want our Healthy sarah back again :)
    — Alok    Sep 5, 13:44    #
  6. Well, one extreme doesn’t really answer the question of obesity … While I commend you hope that sedentary people would eat less, the diet you’ve proposed could lead to other problems.

    1. Water … you didn’t mention how vitally important this is. H20 Actually helps the body burn fat, and most Americans come far short of drinking 8 tall glasses a day. This would help in promoting vitality of body and mind

    2. vegetables … you are doing well with your fruits, but more vegetables are also a needed, and often neglected, resource for energy and weight loss (fiber, fiber, fiber). Steamed and/or Raw is the best – don’t boil. The vitamins Broccoli, Spinach, Cauliflower, Squash, and others provide is so essential

    3. Exercise … simply having people walk would be a great start to loosing weight. It’s one of THE best form of exercise – if you can avoid walking next to heavy traffic areas. Getting outside will also lead to greater health – fresh air of the lungs and a bit of sun for the skin

    4. Rest, Relaxation, and Meditation … getting good rest is vital. Too many gain weight and eat more due to stress and lack of sleep (not to mention eating late at night (the body’s metabolism slows down in the evening)) ... People should also find a mode of “Meditation” ... this could be prayer, tai-chi, yoga, or some form of meditative time. The body needs its rest

    As one who worked as an Exercise Physiologist with cardiac rehab patients, athletes, and every-day-clients, it’s just amazing to see the lack of effort towards good nutrition and exercise … You could eat a reduced calorie diet, but eventually the body sees itself as being “starved” and will retain what it can … But having a good, balanced intake of Protein, Carbohydrates, and Water combined with a daily exercise program would go a long way towards solving these problems. But it’s the individual who has to decide “enough is enough” and seek people to help them stick to their goals and provide encouragement on an ongoing basis. But often times, it’s a perpetuated cycle from parent to child that keeps this problem going.
    — Thomas    Sep 22, 18:30    #
  7. Weight gain and loss is simply thermodynamics: energy in = energy out + energy stored. Make the out more than the in, and the stored moves into negative, and weight is lost.

    I know it’s not that simple, no actually, it is. 1500 calories is enough for most people to survive on, no worries.

    “Easy for you to say, you’re thin” – 6’2” and 180 pounds, I suppose I am. But I exercise, and eat a sensible amount. Go figure.
    — Faroon    Sep 29, 22:41    #
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