Nutrition Programs/Fasting

[warlandsboy]

I'm looking for a book or guide which gives (hopefully) a minimum 3 month plan for just all around healthy and nutritional eating. Something along the lines of the P90x nutritional guide would be good, except I'm not looking to loose or gain weight, just maintain my current body mass (5'10", 130lbs). What books or programs have you guys followed? I'm also interested in doing a two day fast/total body cleanse prior to starting one of these programs so any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

A long time ago I used the book "Body For Life." The routine in there worked well for me. There was also the Website http://www.fatlosstips.com. It's ancient at this point (I discovered it nearly a decade ago) and I don't know how much it's changed since I used it, but it was helpful way back when.

 

[dlseto]

Please be careful following nutritional advice and diets, which supply programs. There are very few diets that are scientifically proven to affect results they claim.

Since you seem to want knowledge on how to maintain your current body image, and are not desperate or wanting to change anything about your body, I would suggest finding a textbook on nutrition. It will give you a much better idea on what changes you could make to your diet/exercise habits, as well as increase your general health knowledge.

 

[warlandsboy]

Since you seem to want knowledge on how to maintain your current body image, and are not desperate or wanting to change anything about your body, I would suggest finding a textbook on nutrition. It will give you a much better idea on what changes you could make to your diet/exercise habits, as well as increase your general health knowledge.

Thanks, do you have any recommendations on particular books you've read or found to be helpful?

 

[toucanlamp]

Why do you want to be so underweight? I can remember being 150 lbs at 5'9 and I looked like a twig.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Try reading the Hacker's Diet. A quick search will bring it up and you can read it for free. It's mostly about weight loss, but gives a good overview of how diets actually work. I didn't find it until after I lost a lot of weight, but what it recommends is almost exactly what I did.

 

[warlandsboy]

Why do you want to be so underweight? I can remember being 150 lbs at 5'9 and I looked like a twig.

Just to clarify, my current BMI (body mass index) is 18.7 (more like 19.4 now) which is classified as "Normal Weight" NOT underweight. I am satisfied with my current body, and would like to maintain my slim figure as I enjoy jogging and don't need any extra pounds. Your thoughts of what is "normal" may, in fact, be quite distorted.

I'm not really interested in loosing right now, I'd just like to maintain my current (healthy) weight.

 

[Go West Young Man]

6'1" 180 here, and I feel like a beanpole most of the time!

 

[dlseto]

Thanks, do you have any recommendations on particular books you've read or found to be helpful?

I'm sure if you did a search on Amazon for "nutrition textbook" you can find one that would suit your needs. Just look for one published recently. Nutrition science is an up and coming subject receiving a great deal of study and attention within the past two decades. There is a lot to understand and learn before concrete conclusions can be drawn and theories and facts are continually changing and being discovered.

 

[dlseto]

Why do you want to be so underweight? I can remember being 150 lbs at 5'9 and I looked like a twig.

I'm 5'9" and 150#. I don't look like a twig. I benchpress my body weight plus 30%. My waist is 30", and body fat % is pretty low around 10%. Just because someone looks thin, doesn't mean they can't be muscularly dense. When I was a personal trainer, one of my co-workers was one big, ripped, dude. If you saw him on the street late at night, you would look away. He was 5'7" and 160#. If you looked at us side by side, he was easily 50% wider than I.

 

[Stubblefield]

A bit OT (you weren't really asking about this, but your mention of detox got me thinking), but body cleansing/detoxing really has no scientific basis. The idea that the body accumulates toxins is unscientific at best. The best way to detox the body is eat normal food; the liver will do the work on its own. Tho I recommend dumping alcohol and caffeine (as well as all pain relievers) as they can/do put an additional load on the liver.

If interested in fasting, I'd suggest googling "intermittent fasting," lots of good info to be found. Nothing wrong with an occasional fast.

 

[SRock]

Wow you are tiny! In fact if you were in the military you'd probably be on an eating profile for being borderline underweight. I have a troop who is 5'8" and 138 and every time he goes to the Dr. they warn him he is getting too close to being underweight.

I'm only 5'6" and when I've gotten down to 165lbs I look totally emaciated.

You must have a very very small frame and not carry much muscle mass at all.

That said, there is nothing wrong with that if you are happy the way you are.

However, my question is this:

If your goal is simply the status quo why are you worried about a diet? If what you are doing is keeping you there, why change?

 

[warlandsboy]

If your goal is simply the status quo why are you worried about a diet? If what you are doing is keeping you there, why change?

I'm not worried about a diet per-say (ie. loosing weight), but rather HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS eating. Luckily, I have a high metabolism which helps me keep from gaining weight, however, this does not mean I'm eating healthy or nutritious foods. In fact, it's quite the opposite really. The issue is a bit more complex than it sounds as I've been on some medication lately (causing increase in appetite) which has caused me to gain a few pounds on my stomach. While a few pounds may not seem like a lot to many people, it is a lot to me when you consider I have never gained weight from eating in the last 24 years of my life.

Just to clarify, I have seen my family doctor on a regular basis throughout my life and I'm weighed each time I go by one of the nurses. Never once has she mentioned that I am anywhere close to being underweight. In America things may be different as the average size of a male may in fact be larger than it is here. However, just because a "norm" is heavier weighing people, does not make it the "right" or "healthy" condition to be in. Furthermore, military rules and regulations on what is and isn't a healthy size/weight may in fact be distorted or incorrect. Not to say that they are, but I would not base my lifestyle choices around such guidelines, unless of course they are justified by properly trained and qualified nutritionists and/or physicians.

 

[Wendy]

A long time ago I used the book "Body For Life." The routine in there worked well for me.

I used this program myself and did wonderful. It was many years ago. I was not real fat by any means. My BMI was within the normal range but my % of body fat for a woman of my age at the time was recommended to be at 20% and I was very high, 25.6%. I had never worked out or did much of anything but worked, bar hopped then off to Denny's at 6am.

This really changed my lifestyle. Over the 12 week program I lost about 6 pounds but I took off 2 full sizes and dropped my body fat to 17%.

The workouts are simple and the eating is very easy to follow even a kid could make sense of the diet.

 

[shmeegs]

Just get sick, therefore you won't be hungry at all. Plus with all of nose blowing and hacking up phlegm, you will look slimer and tighter than before.

Now if I could only sell it, I would be rich.

Honestly, just watch what you eat. Stay away from things you know are awful for you. Summers are bad due to the want to grill out, but as long as you make an effort, you should start seeing results.

 

[Trendkill]

Just get sick, therefore you won't be hungry at all. Plus with all of nose blowing and hacking up phlegm, you will look slimer and tighter than before.

Now if I could only sell it, I would be rich.

Honestly, just watch what you eat. Stay away from things you know are awful for you. Summers are bad due to the want to grill out, but as long as you make an effort, you should start seeing results.

I disagree. There are a lot of healthy options when grilling.