Heritage Weight Loss Thread

[AroModerator]

Note – This is a merge thread, after a bit of back and forth with the Random Rant Thread, and that thread becoming full of weight loss discussion, I decided to merge everything for simplicity.

Firstly, I feel I need to preface this by pointing out that while the only thing I changed was what I ate, you really do need to keep in mind that even before doing this I ate a very healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables, very small potions of carbs and fats, and had a low calorie intake. I also did at least an hour of exercise every day. A 20min Windsor pilates routine as a warm up, at least 30min of strenuous Tai Chi (as verses the far more relaxed way of doing it) and other martial arts if I have time, with 10min or more of Baduanjin as a warm down and to promote good health. So, it’s not as if my weight issue was caused by over eating or a lack of exercise. Also, I feel the need to mention that I have a hormone imbalance. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was in my teens, and received advice on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and eating habits young. But even though I’ve followed their advice I’ve struggled to maintain a healthy weight.

So, what did I actually do? I changed to a traditional/heritage diet.

Essentially the concept behind this is that our bodies aren’t as use to the modern diet as one might assume. It’s not so much about how highly processed foods are today, but more that not every single race has had the same amount of evolutionary time to develop the same level of tolerance for a lot of the foods that make up a modern diet, even the supposedly healthy stuff, especially compared to the diets our ancestors ate for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. This is about eating a diet more tailored to your genetics, if you will. Over the past few years or so I’ve seen a number of documentaries/studies/experiments done where they took groups of people and had them switch to a more traditional diet, and with very surprising results, from weight loss through to people with diabetes no longer having it.

In my case this means instead of the modern diet high in grains I eat a diet high in vegetables and fat. Specifically kumara (sweet potato) and Maori potatoes, root vegetables, pumpkin and squash, as well as lots of leafy greens (in particular sow thistle and watercress), mushrooms, and even seaweed. As counter intuitive as this may sound, I’m also able to have lots of eggs, butter, dripping or coconut oil for cooking (no vegetable oil), and even cooking with cream. For meat I eat mostly seafood or poultry, plus some pork. Then in moderation there’s seeds and nuts, banana’s and berries plus kiwifruit and feijoa, as well as honey and syrup.

The biggest change for me was eating more kumara and potatoes, as I was advised by doctors to eat only small portions/low carbs, and eating way more fats. I’ve upped the amount of seafood I eat, cut back on fruit, and also eat more pork (fat included). I realize this diet probably doesn’t sound that appetizing to a lot of people, especially with no red meat or bread and pasta, but for me this is essentially like being told I can eat whatever I want .. even pavlova and whipped cream *lol*

Also, I believe in the “one day off” rule. So for me this is when I’ll eat bread, pasta, or rice as part of my main meal.

[AroModerator]

About six months ago I got concerned about how big I’d gotten, I’m very concious of the medical complications this could mean for me personally, so I tried a different diet/eating plan and I promised myself that if I managed to drop some weight I’d buy myself some arse hugging new jeans. Well, I’ve gone from a US size 18 down to a 12. I don’t tend to look at my actual weight, as even at my ideal size (as advised by doctors and dieticians) I’m still heavy enough BMI wise to be categorized as overweight, and even then it’s on the cusp of obese. Anyway, after managing to lose weight, and now without any jeans that fit properly, I hit the post Christmas sale to try and grab a new pair only to find that they had absolutely nothing in my size and everything was size 20+. RUFKM?! OMG this is so not right!

[LysGeek]

18 to a 12! That’s amazing! Share your secrets lol I’m currently a 16, and my goal is also a 12. I honestly think that the BMI thing is a load of crap. Anyway…being a bigger girl myself, I know how hard it is to find my size and style because most plus sized clothing is either too grandma, or too plain. I totally understand your frustration. lol

[KatyGeek]

I do think BMI is a bunch of crap. My friend is of a healthy weight, and I’m in the obese category. We wear the same size and have the same measurements and are the same height. But I somehow weigh 40 pounds more and idk how. It just doesn’t really seem to make sense. I don’t know where it’s being stored

[AroModerator]

The problem with BMI is that it’s a one size fits all system, and as we all know one size doesn’t fit all. While I’m only “half” Maori I took after that side. I’ve read pieces on tweaking BMI to be better suited to different races/builds, and from what I’ve read of Polynesian types I’d be within a healthy weight range at my ideal weight/size even though on the traditional scale it puts me on the cusp of overweight/obese. But, I think that shows just how misleading BMI can be. If I was a ‘healthy’ weight on the traditional scale, in actuality I’d be seriously underweight.

My ideal size is a 10, but I’m absolutely thrilled to be down to a 12. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve been this small in a decade, though I think I got close about six years ago when I added pilates to my daily exercise routine, only to end up gaining weight again anyway. I was so happy about finally having found something that works for me, and to then end up finding I couldn’t get a pair of jeans in my size I was just so pissed *lol* I mean, normally you can’t find nice jeans in the larger sizes here, and yet that was all there was this time round. Though, I suppose that on a positive note this is the first time I’ve ever been able to say everything was too big *lol*

I think my weight loss is probably going to require a bit more of an explanation, but in short I changed to a traditional/heritage diet. I didn’t eat less, if anything I eat more, and I made absolutely no changes to my level of activity, keeping in mind I do at least an hour of exercise a day.

If you’d like to know more I can do a post on it

[LysGeek]

DO it! I’m actually in search some healthy recipes also, so if you have any of those I’d be really interested and appreciative I REALLY try to stick to a diet, but I get tired of eating the same old things over and over again. I want fried food, processed meats/cheeses, and the occasional soda and fast food cheeseburger. There is my rant, lol

[AroModerator]

Posted.

http://www.makeupgeek.com/forums/topic/heritage-weight-loss-thread/

[YoshicahGeek]

@Aro, I applaud you for your recent weightloss success!

[LysGeek]

lol, I love the “one day off rule”. I have German, French, Greek, and Scottish ancestors….I wouldn’t know where the heck to begin on a diet like this. I’m glad it’s working for you, though. Carbs are my kryptonite

[KatyGeek]

Really, congratulations I’m working my way down to a 12 myself, it’s my goal size as well. I’ve lost 20 pounds but it doesn’t seem to matter, I always seem to stay a size 18, lol.

[AroModerator]

I think having one day a week where you can eat the things that are a no-no for you is the best way to stop yourself from binging, but also helps give you more variety. After all, it’s about a lifestyle rather than a short term fix.

My mother’s of British ancestry, and I really do mean a mix of English, Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh. She has a much finer bone structure compared to me, and she has like a third the muscle mass I do. So while I do have that ancestry, I think it’s fairly obvious that I take after my Maori heritage. Also, out of my heritage it’s Maori who have had the least exposure to the modern diet. Only around 160-180yrs exposure to flour, and in those days it certainly wasn’t the same kind of highly refined flour we see today. I also think it’s fair to say that it wasn’t a major part of the diet until very recently, and when I say very recently I mean only the last few generations. While a type of simple potato bread and fry bread is a tradition of, and widely loved by, many Maori it wasn’t a staple in the same way bread is today. A couple of slices of bread to sop up juices from a meal, or fry bread eaten much like scones are with butter or cream and jam as a desert or supper. As I mentioned above, traditionally they had a diet high in vegetables and fat rather than grains, and even though this was the case and seems to contradict the current view on healthy eating, traditionally Maori enjoyed good health and longevity. There’s even dairies from pre-colonization with comments about how physically active and mentally fit even the very elderly were, as well as comments about the fact that they looked far younger than they actually were.

Anyway, in respect to your heritage, I think it’s more about figuring out what heritage you take after and seeing if there’s any significant differences between that and what you eat now rather than trying to do it all.

As for carbs, why so sad? I mean, I only ate small amounts of carb due to medical reasoning.

[LysGeek]

I wouldn’t know which heritage I take after. Sadly, I wasn’t born or raised in Germany, Greece or Scotland, and my great grandparents who were immigrants died long before I was born, so I was never really informed about how the typical Greek woman is physically built or what their typical diet is like (besides goat meat *barf*). I guess there always Google though. I’ll have to look into it a little more.

I mentioned that carbs were my kryptonite because they make up the majority of what I eat when I’m not on a diet. I’m always craving pasta and potatoes. I’ve always assumed that I was overweight because that was the one thing I would always overindulge myself with since I was a child. Once I start on spaghetti or pasta salad, I have no self control and I can eat up to 4 servings all on my own. lol. I just wish I had an awesome diet that would let me eat nothing but carbs to lose weight. Ha…

[AroModerator]

I’ll be honest, with the exception of rewana and fry bread .. and Vogels *lol*, I’m just not that fussed about bread, pasta, or even rice. I think it’s why I found it so easy to eat only really small amounts of them. For me, it’s potatoes. I use to get these insane cravings, to the point where I have to admit that there was more than once where I got a blood test done to check if I was pregnant *lol*

I’d seriously suggest you Google Greek diet, as you’ll find it includes a lot of carbs. Wheat has been cultivated in Greece for thousands of years, and so understandably it’s part of every meal. Granted we’re talking whole grains, but bread and pasta are staples in a Greek diet, as well as potatoes.

[DaantjeGeek]

Ladies on the way to weight loss: good luck and you already have my respect. If i’m in a better place in about a month probaly i will join you guys on the path to weight loss top become swimmsuitready in august.

[Candice SappierGeek]

i’ve been struggling with my weight after my 2nd child. After my first, I was 10lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight before I got pregnant with my 2nd. After her, I couldnt get out of the 180′s. I now have my 3rd child who is now 2 and I weigh 191.5lbs *sigh* but I have a goal in mind and thats to lose 50lbs this year and to look and feel beautiful.

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