Trim Down Club?

[Larry Gude]

I just sat through their on line speal. It makes sense, good balance of foods, snacks, etc, to feed your body properly. However, I have no idea. It seems obvious that 'proper' diet would make a HUGE difference in health and weight but, again, I don't know. Is that so?

Anyone have an opinion on proper diet and whether Trim Down Club is a good, helpful move to lose weight and be healthier?

At 50, it's time to eat right.


Thanks

 

[vraiblonde]

I don't know what Trim Down Club is but you can't go wrong eating a more healthy and nutritious diet I read somewhere that what you eat is way more important than exercise for weight loss. This stands to reason when you think about it: if I do a half hour on the treadmill it burns off about 400 calories. That is a Snicker bar or three fried chicken wings. If you're raking in calories out the yang on fatty junk food, you cannot reasonably burn them off with exercise.

When you see someone our age who looks terrific - clear skin, bright eyes, trim body - they typically eat a lot of whole natural foods; they didn't get that way at McDonald's.

 

[Monello]

All the good weight loss plans tout DIET & EXERCISE as the keys to weight loss. There is no such thing as a magic pill or special contraption to lose weight. Unless you have some medical condition, if you eat less calories than you burn on a daily basis, you will lose weight eventually.

For a 50 year old man, the daily caloric intake would be around 2,000 - 2,400 calories a day, depending on daily activity level. Eat less than that should do the trick. But eating less is not necessarily eating healthy. Your 2,000 calories could come from eating stix of butter.

Healthy eating is a different story. Use the food pyramid as a guide. Lots of vegetables, some fruits, whole grains, eat meats and fats sparingly.

Bill Clinton even changed his eating habits after his heart issues. He isn't a classic vegetarian but he's close to it. He has doctors advising him. Here's quotes from them:

Hyman and Ornish share plenty of beliefs about nutrition. They both insist that the right diet and lifestyle can transform your health without pharmaceutical intervention. And they both recommend a plant-heavy diet that’s low in sugar and refined carbohydrates.

Bubba's diet

Getting old is a lot of work. Many Americans struggle with the same weight issues. Just look around. Best of luck.

 

[Larry Gude]

When you see someone our age who looks terrific - clear skin, bright eyes, trim body - they typically eat a lot of whole natural foods; they didn't get that way at McDonald's.

Ah, if only they made bigger bumper stickers....

 

[Larry Gude]

All the good weight loss plans tout DIET & EXERCISE as the keys to weight loss. There is no such thing as a magic pill or special contraption to lose weight. Unless you have some medical condition, if you eat less calories than you burn on a daily basis, you will lose weight eventually.

For a 50 year old man, the daily caloric intake would be around 2,000 - 2,400 calories a day, depending on daily activity level. Eat less than that should do the trick. But eating less is not necessarily eating healthy. Your 2,000 calories could come from eating stix of butter.

Healthy eating is a different story. Use the food pyramid as a guide. Lots of vegetables, some fruits, whole grains, eat meats and fats sparingly.

Bill Clinton even changed his eating habits after his heart issues. He isn't a classic vegetarian but he's close to it. He has doctors advising him. Here's quotes from them:


Bubba's diet

Getting old is a lot of work. Many Americans struggle with the same weight issues. Just look around. Best of luck.

I was hoping you'd respond, Mr. Chef! Thanks!

 

[hitchicken]

Sorry, I don't know the Trim Down Club, but...

No. 1: Eat like our ancestors have been for hundreds of thousands of years, not just the last 10,000. Meat, leafy greens, fruits, nuts, berries eggs, not grains or dairy. Our bodies have not evolved to eat this bad stuff. Go Paleo.
No. 2: Eating is just a DISTRACTION, a short-term easily-accomplished goal requiring little time or effort (like shopping, going out, excessive cleaning, sports obsession, TV watching, movies). Choose a long-term goal worthy of your time and effort, something challenging and satisfying that YOU REALLY WANT to accomplish before you pass. You'll forget to eat or eat quick short meals so you can get back at it.

 

[Roman]

Like hitchicken, I am not familiar with the Trim Down Club. I've gained a lot of weight since I became semi-retired. I decided to eat non-processed foods. This includes bread, and pasta, which happen to be what I craved the most. I'm on no specific diet. Before this, my triglycerides were way over the limit. I also have Colitis. Since I've been on the basic diet, my digestion is much better, no more antacids, and I am slowly dropping weight. So far, 10 pounds in less than 2 months. I can't wait to see what the cholesterol numbers are on my next lab. I have more energy, and no longer get tired after eating. I still eat like a Lumber Jack, but the food choices are far better.

 

[MMM_donuts]

I went to school for nutrition and food science. My thesis was on Celiac Disease a few years before gluten free was the coolest exclusion diet and I've been following the research on it since. Nutrition is very frustrating because the media will run with just about anything and people that want to sell you their books will use any snippet of research or theory possible to make their pitch believable.

Yes, eating healthier actually makes a quantifiable difference in your life. It isn't so much about living longer as much as improving your own quality of life as you age. No where has that ever hit home more that when I started volunteering with the rescue squad. I highly recommend anyone that questions the validity of smoking cessation and a healthier diet to go ride along on an ambulance for a few hours. If it doesn't make you change your ways, and it doesn't sometimes, then at least you'll have an idea what your sixties very possibly might look like. When disease happens it seems quick, but when you look back on it you'll see many clues and markers that you should have picked up.

Having said that, my professional recommendation is that crazy exclusion diets are usually so strict, unpleasant, and difficult that they are often failures. Paleo is the new veganism and sugar is the new egg yolk, they will wane again in a few years. If it works for you, fantastic. If not, no biggie, but people (the collective, not anyone specific) please stop using it to break down other people that choose not to go down that path. One diet will not work for the entire population and that is a physiological fact that I can back up with cited references.

One of the most successful weight loss programs of our time is Weight Watchers. It's pretty simple and has a good support network. I'm not familiar with Trim Down Club but I generally support anything that helps you move in the direction of healthy habits. There are plenty of free resources available to you if you're afraid of wasting your money but there's so much misinformation about nutrition out there that it's sometimes helpful to have a little guidance. If you're interested in a snapshot of your eating habits, the food tracker MyFitnessPal has been very successful for individuals that tracked their daily food intake. Just know that you don't have to do any of those things. You can easily come up with your own thing. Nutrition not nearly as difficult as our society has made it out to be.

Come up with some goals. What would you like to see happen? Then find something that aligns with those goals. If your goal is to ensure mobility and good general health as you age but time, money, and support are a concern, find a community that will help you integrate exercise and healthier eating into your daily routine. And be ok with the evolution of your goals. It doesn't have to be something that rigidly consumes your life.

I did a quick internet search and came up with a list of foods you should never eat from their presentation. For me, that's a HUGE red flag. There's hardly anything you should NEVER eat. And since they listed carbohydrates and GMOs such as whole wheat bread and corn, I'd say their informational resources are not in line with anything that's strongly backed by research. I'd want to look into their cited sources prior to giving them any money.

 

[vraiblonde]

I think the reason diets tell you to "never" eat certain foods is because people find it easier to quit them altogether than to eat them in moderation. For someone with food addictions - to sugar, bread, whatever - it makes sense to quit cold turkey.

 

[Roman]

Informative read, and thank you MMM. I am a retired Paramedic, and over the 40 years of running on the Ambulance, and the Medic Unit, I can say that I've seen a lot of what life style habits have done to people. Haven't seen it all though. It didn't stop me from smoking, or eating like a Lumber Jack, until recently. I haven't been on an ambulance in 5 years. The reality check came when my Doctor told me what my triglycerides were at the last visit. It was well above the high end of normal. Fast foods, fried foods, breads, and pasta were my favs. I feel so much better now because of the change in diet.

 

[vraiblonde]

Monello and I just spent two weeks traveling - Myrtle Beach for a few days, on to TX, then Memphis, then Gatlinburg just in time for fall to arrive - eating BBQ and fried things. While I only gained 2 pounds, they were really really expensive pounds because my body is screaming for mercy. And mood swings? Good lord.

I definitely feel better when I watch my carbs and lose the processed junk entirely, along the lines of a Clean/Paleo hybrid. WW is great but their packaged meals read like a chemistry experiment, so I'd avoid those.

 

[hitchicken]

A quick correction:

By suggesting Paleo, I was not “trying to break down other people” that choose not to go down that path. I would never do that.

Paleo is simply a name given to the way humanoids having been eating for some 500,000 years compared to the last 10,000 years of eating products produced by farming. I don’t know about any ‘studies’ and I don’t see where that matters. Highly processed manufactured foods have been around even less: about 150 years. GMOs even less. The time frame comparisums are dramatic. I don’t believe the human body can evolve quickly enough to absorb that change without consequences (allergies, cancer vs. being stepped on by a wooly mammoth). I was merely offering LG a specific solution based on a half million years of human EXPERIENCE rather than the tiring repeated refrain of food pyramid, diet & exercise oft repeated in posts with little specific content.

PS: I said eating was a distraction. I meant EXCESSIVE eating is a distraction. It’s something we do when our favorite show isn’t, there’s no new movies, there’s no football and we are bored. Obviously, we need to eat (and sleep), just not because we have nothing better to do.

 

[MMM_donuts]

A quick correction: By suggesting Paleo, I was not “trying to break down other people” that choose not to go down that path. I would never do that. Paleo is simply a name given to the way humanoids having been eating for some 500,000 years compared to the last 10,000 years of eating products produced by farming. I don’t know about any ‘studies’ and I don’t see where that matters. Highly processed manufactured foods have been around even less: about 150 years. GMOs even less. The time frame comparisums are dramatic. I don’t believe the human body can evolve quickly enough to absorb that change without consequences (allergies, cancer vs. being stepped on by a wooly mammoth). I was merely offering LG a specific solution based on a half million years of human EXPERIENCE rather than the tiring repeated refrain of food pyramid, diet & exercise oft repeated in posts with little specific content. PS: I said eating was a distraction. I meant EXCESSIVE eating is a distraction. It’s something we do when our favorite show isn’t, there’s no new movies, there’s no football and we are bored. Obviously, we need to eat (and sleep), just not because we have nothing better to do.

I was very clear in pointing out that I was not speaking to anyone specific because I was indeed not speaking about you. A common problem with exclusion diets that is certainly trending amongst those that have chosen Paleo is demeaning others that do not follow it as though it is the obvious common sense answer to any nutrition question. It's also common among similar exclusion diets such as vegans, vegetarians, and others like low-fatters and non-GMOers.

Believe whatever you want. It is highly unlikely that you know more about Paleo and nutritional anthropology than me but I'm not here to argue with you or change your mind. If it works for you and helps you eat the way you want to then GOOD. I will say this though, the support for Paleo is based on ideology only, not history or experience. Before anyone gets offended by that, let me continue. We don't have good records of health from the time periods before grains were staples of our diets and we haven't had enough people doing Paleo for long enough to study it's physiological effects. Much of the support for Paleo is drawn off theories based on diets from populations that live in areas where grains are limited, such as the Inuits of northern Canada and Greenland. And their diets aren't like the Paleo people around here eat. They didn't have access to vegetables and would obtain appropriate vitamins by eating fresh raw animal products like seal liver. Since our societal Paleo is what we THINK ancestors ate but have no real data on how their bodies would've held out had they not died of disease and injury, we have no real way of knowing what the impact might be.

There are real issues popping up amongst Paleoers and Primalists. It's not for everyone. That's what studies are good for.

Btw, the reason nutrition advice is often so general when presented in forums is because it's just about worthless without details about the individual's lifestyle, goals, and current health status. It is irresponsible to advise anyone on how to eat before taking that information into consideration. What if Larry suffers from a disorder or disease like, idk, gout that is exacerbated by a Paleo diet? Then you've advised him improperly and have hurt instead of helped.

 

[MMM_donuts]

Informative read, and thank you MMM. I am a retired Paramedic, and over the 40 years of running on the Ambulance, and the Medic Unit, I can say that I've seen a lot of what life style habits have done to people. Haven't seen it all though. It didn't stop me from smoking, or eating like a Lumber Jack, until recently. I haven't been on an ambulance in 5 years. The reality check came when my Doctor told me what my triglycerides were at the last visit. It was well above the high end of normal. Fast foods, fried foods, breads, and pasta were my favs. I feel so much better now because of the change in diet.

I used to wonder how nurses and EMTs could eat poorly and smoke knowing all they know and seeing what they see but now I have a much greater respect for the burdens of that lifestyle. It's a different kind of stress than I could possibly have understood before experiencing it. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying positive benefits of an improved diet!! That's something you should be very proud of, it's tough to make changes!

 

[hitchicken]

So by even suggesting Paleo, I am demeaning others who chose not to follow it? Isn't that a stretch?

 

[MMM_donuts]

So by even suggesting Paleo, I am demeaning others who chose not to follow it? Isn't that a stretch?

Why do you keep saying that?

Can you quote it or something because I don't think anyone, myself definitely included, said that about you.

 

[hitchicken]

I'll quote you. "A common problem with exclusion diets that is certainly trending amongst those that have chosen Paleo is demeaning others that do not follow it..."

 

[MMM_donuts]

I'll quote you. "A common problem with exclusion diets that is certainly trending amongst those that have chosen Paleo is demeaning others that do not follow it..."

That does not have anything to do with you unless you personally feel you fall into that group. It doesn't specifically point you out nor does it insinuate your involvement. Instead it supports a point about an atmosphere that exists amongst exclusion dieters.

You are attempting to force an improper correlation. If you are offended then you are needlessly bringing it upon yourself.

Perhaps you should investigate the estradiol content of your meat consumption. Sorry, but you walked right into that little joke.

 

[hitchicken]

I have chosen the Paleo diet for myself, but I have NEVER demeaned anyone who has not. I don't demean anyone for their choices. But I see you've taken the low road of turning to nasty insulting comments. Too bad. I thought this was a forum for the posting of civilized opinions & discussions, not showing off one's rudeness.

 

[MMM_donuts]

I have chosen the Paleo diet for myself, but I have NEVER demeaned anyone who has not. I don't demean anyone for their choices. But I see you've taken the low road of turning to nasty insulting comments. Too bad. I thought this was a forum for the posting of civilized opinions & discussions, not showing off one's rudeness.

I never said you did. You were never able to show that I did.

And obviously you've not been on this forum very long if that's what you thought, thin skin. You are creating arguments where there isn't one. This is all your fault, not mine.