Chickpea Chat

[Plumfoodie]

Hm, interesting. I'm not sure I would personally agree with his motivation or method for attempting to understand his clients, but to each their own. I have to admit that back in the days when I had a personal trainer she always made me giggle when she'd say 'oh, believe me, I understand what it's like to struggle with weight as I used to have excess weight myself' - but then I found out that the excess weight had been about 7 lb. Which to her seemed like quite a lot! Heh!

 

[CaliSweden]

Lol! 7 lbs! Sorry I'm trying to wish I had to deal with a omg excess weight of 7 lbs.

I don't think it's healthy for the trainer to do what he's doing. But I guess I would be more motivated to know that he lost a lot of weight himself, versus 7 lbs >_<

 

[Plumfoodie]

I know what you mean, Cali, but if I were his client I don't know if I would consider his struggle the same as mine. Here's why.

In my experience - which may not be scientifically valid! - weight that goes on quickly also comes off quickly (and although he's putting on fat, all his muscle won't be disappearing in the time he's gaining - you can see in the photos that his muscles are still there, just with a layer of fat over them), and of course the eating habits that led him to put on the weight are an aberration rather than the norm for him, so he won't have to re-learn how to eat when he starts to lose - he'll just be going back to what is normal for him. In my opinion his experiment is ignoring some of the main aspects people struggle with when losing weight:

1. Having to retrain eating habits, both types of food and portion size - he already has good eating habits, he is just ignoring them for the duration of the experiment.

2. Mentally adjusting to the idea that they can/will be slimmer - he is familiar with what his body is like when it's healthy/fit, and he knows he can achieve this because it's his usual state of being.

3. Losing weight that has potentially been around for awhile, and having to build up muscle tone from scratch - his muscles are mostly still there and will greatly aid his efforts when he starts losing, and all his fat will be 'new' fat.

And I agree with you that I couldn't personally relate to the need to lose only 7 lb, but I can see that for people who have always been quite slim, even that amount can be significant to them and make them feel negatively about their weight too. I think we're all in it together.

 

[Plumfoodie]

I'm a little embarassed to admit that I've downloaded some cognitive hypnotherapy MP3s (kind of like Paul McKenna, but not him) targeted at improving one's attitude towards food. Anybody else tried anything like this? I will of course still be making low GI/GL choices, my planned way of eating is not changing, but when I am stressed or tired it becomes apparent that I do still have some issues with food when I'm not rigidly controlling it by either sticking to a pre-planned low GI menu or logging in MFP. And in the long term I would like to get over this so I can have a fairly relaxed attitude towards maintaining and staying healthy!

 

[CaliSweden]

I see both points too He does have a lot of muscles left. It isn't like he's been unhealthy for years, or being overweight for years, and haven't done exercise in years, and have trouble just walking up a flight of stairs etc.

 

[CaliSweden]

I think that sounds good Plum. You know your body best, and when and how it craves. If it works for you, then that is really wonderful You shouldn't feel embarrassed about it.

 

[CaliSweden]

I found this on MFP, and thought it was really funny and interesting. I have lost 18.8 lbs, so that makes it somewhere between 16-20lbs. That means I lost between 16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain and
20 pounds = an automobile tire.

tell me ::: WHAT HAVE YOU LOST? :::

1 pound = a Guinea Pig
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs
3 pounds = an average human brain
4 pounds = an ostrich egg
5 pounds = a Chihuahua
6 pounds = a human’s skin
7.5 pounds = an average newborn
8 pounds = a human head
10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year
11 pounds = an average housecat
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs
16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain
20 pounds = an automobile tire
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
25 pounds = an average 2 year old
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephant’s heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!)
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year
117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11”)
118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month
130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year
140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year
144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’4”)
150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
187 pounds = an average adult man
200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds
235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger
300 pounds = an average football lineman
400 pounds = a Welsh pony

 

[Plumfoodie]

That's an interesting list, they're fond of it in the slimming world forum too!

 

[Plumfoodie]

One of the issues I have is making sure I get the right carb portions whilst not starving my twiglike husband.

A friend mentioned the Rosemary Conley portion pots to me - they allow you to easily scoop the right amount of cooked pasta, for example. I've ordered a set to try, at the moment I weigh out my cooked portion but it's a bit awkward as our plates overhang the scale display!

I'll update if they turn out to be useful!

 

[CaliSweden]

I've never heard of the pots before, they sound interesting Let us know how they turn out.

 

[Plumfoodie]

I've never heard of the pots before, they sound interesting Let us know how they turn out.

They're from a UK slimming club that promotes low GI (but not hardcore)/low fat/calorie control/exercise. They're designed so you can (for example) easily scoop out 100g cooked pasta from a bigger pot full, useful if you're cooking for more than just yourself. We'll see!

 

[clarri]

It'd been thinking bout getting a set too. Must now remember to look when I get home.

 

[Plumfoodie]

It'd been thinking bout getting a set too. Must now remember to look when I get home.

If you do, be sure to compare the price! I actually paid more on eBay than I would have by ordering from the RC website! Which was stupid of me as I didn't check until later - d'oh!

 

[babliboobabu]

Plum, let me know how useful they are. I watched RC's video and it sounds great but then she's a good saleswoman.

I particularly want to know how much the raw rice actually weighs (grams wise) in her little cup. Thanks.

 

[babliboobabu]

I've been reading Peter Kay's book recently and it reminded me of this little gem. Enjoy.

Peter Kay discussing Fat Clubs - YouTube

 

[Plumfoodie]

Ahahaha! That video made me LOL!

I'll do some experiments when the pots arrive and report back!

 

[Plumfoodie]

Ashie, the pots have arrived. The card that comes with them says that the smallest (blue) holds 55g uncooked basmati rice and the red cup holds 144g cooked, for the same amount of calories (ie the blue cupful turns into a red cupful when you cook it). The yellow pot holds 103g cooked rice and that's what I will probably use!

Edit: in fact tonight I had a yellow cupful of mixed lentils and brown basmati and it was a nice side dish portion.

 

[Plumfoodie]

With winter imminent, what are your favourite seasonal non-starchy veggies? As we enter the season of the root veg, I'm a little curious about what I'll be able to eat out of our weekly veg box delivery! I've never yet made certain of where winter squash (butternut etc) sit in relation to low GI/GL. Last winter I ate a lot of it. Fortunately I like cabbage, cauliflower and sprouts. Unfortunately I also love beetroot, swede, turnips etc. And parsnips!

 

[irish molly]

Nice question !!
I always loved root veg!! Parsnips were my fav.
In GL mode I now rely in mangetout, baby sweetcorn( less sugar than mature), fine beans, celery, broccoli, peppers. Butternut squash and beetroot are medium GL and I have these too as I love them. If you have them with other low GL foods then it lowers the overall GL of your meal. I'll also have a little of high GL roots like parsnip or swede and potato when I fancy them or for occasional variety.

 

[babliboobabu]

Plumfoodie said:
Ashie, the pots have arrived. The card that comes with them says that the smallest (blue) holds 55g uncooked basmati rice and the red cup holds 144g cooked, for the same amount of calories (ie the blue cupful turns into a red cupful when you cook it). The yellow pot holds 103g cooked rice and that's what I will probably use!

That's interesting about the amounts in the cups. Because I can only eat such a little amount of calories, I think I might give these pots a miss for now. I followed Irish Molly's advice and eat only 30g of rice with my meal. This allows me to eat lentils or beans with it, but whilst beans/lentils provide protein, they also have quite a lot of carbs in them too. In fact, I never have had a handle on how much rice and how much lentils I should have in one meal (and I have been eating a lot of rice & legumes lately). Oh well, I am not going to sweat on it as my weight, touch wood, has been going in the right direction.

If your feedback is positive Plum, I will get them when it's time to maintain. I wont want to weigh everything then and the pots make it easy to scoop out the right amount of pasta/rice etc. I am looking forward to eating 55g rice as I love the stuff.

Plumfoodie said:
With winter imminent, what are your favourite seasonal non-starchy veggies?

I am afraid I am not so good with wintery vegetables. I had broccoli and cauliflower today but it was a bit blah! I am more into Mediterranean veg. I do like butternut squash and pumpkin but I never buy the stuff because I hate cutting it all up as it is quite difficult for me. (Pathetic, I know. ) I especially like butternut squash cooked with dahl. It's delicious and very warming in the winter. I also like parsnip and beetroot but only have it when I am out.

Where do mushrooms come out on GI? I eat tonnes of mushrooms.

EDIT: Adore cauliflower curry BTW but then again I would probably eat curried shoe (in the style of Charlie Chaplin).