h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am sure that all these diets and plans plus worrying about weight is more damaging than anything else.

Try walking whenever possible, use stairs instead of elevators, walk to the shops instead of using the car, play with the kids more.

Adopt a few stretching exercises that you can do on the living room floor for 10/15 minutes every day or two or three times a week.

Avoid eating for two hours before you go to bed, and then if possible until about midday when you get up.If you have to have something, have some fruit or a couple of slices off unbuttered toast with your tea or coffee, it is only a habit.

Breakfast; "the best meal of the day" is simply an advertising slogan that was drummed up by kellogs sometime early last century.

Try and 'listen' to your body....it does talk to you...you may notice that you get indigestion after eating a certain food or foods...that is your body telling you it is not happy.Try having days where you only eat soft foods like rice or pasta or soups, easier to digest and gives the body a chance to recover from that whopping great steak you may of eaten the day before.

Have a day every now and then when you only eat veggies or fruit, that can include potatos, rice or pasta, you might be surprised at how much better you feel and look after a very short time.

I am no expert, these are just a few of the things that i adhere to and i never seem to have a problem.

I have to say I don't agree with the idea that you shouldn't eat until midday. I personally couldn't survive without some decent breakfast (although admittedly I am a student so that does tend to be at about midday!) as I can get very tired and annoyed if I don't have the energy to work in the morning. I must also admit I have no need to diet, if anything I need to put on weight and can't, but I still think that breakfast is very important and other meals should be cut down if necessary instead. But still, I'm sure that what's right for me isn't right for everyone

I do appreciste what you are saying, i definitely used to be the same, especially if i had plenty of work to do.When that was the case i made a point of doing a few hours before eating....it gives the system a chance to wake up properly.

I found that the easiest way of breaking the habit of stuffing your face first thing in the morning is to drink plenty of tea (black).....gawd knows whether that is medically correct or not....but it works for me, and if i am really hungry i would have a piece of fruit or toast....the trouble with that of course , is that once i had eaten a little something i would start craving for more.

I have to say that I completely disagree with the idea of having no breakfast, the word itself says it all break-fast, you have gone at least six hours without food and if you have to work or study you need food 'fuel' to get you going and keep you going.
I agree that you don't need to 'stuff your face' I think a couple of pieces of fruit or bread would deinately suffice, I tend to eat a few srawberries and a small amount of low fat natural yoghurt in the morning, it really wakes me up and energises me.
I also believe in lunch being your main meal as opposed to dinner, at dinner time you are likely to relax for the evening afterwards where as at lunch time you are likely to go back to work then look after your family if you have one and get all of your chores done, you will probably burn more calories before dinner than after.

There's an old saying:

Breakfast like a King
Lunch like a Lord
Dine like a Pauper.

I couldn't breakfast like a King - toast and tea is quite sufficient - but research is showing more and more that breakfast is without doubt the most important meal of the day. It's not an advertising slogan, though the cereal companies are cashing in on it with their 'convenient breakfast' bars!

Going without food for more than twelve hours without a worthwhile reason (e.g. fasting for religious reasons or for a good cause) isn't wise, as it can slow your metabolism down as your body thinks there's a famine and takes remedial action to keep itself alive as long as possible. I can remember being told about a girl who did one of those 'sponsored famine' things - the first thing she did after the end of her 'fast' was hit the creme eggs. It was only after she'd done it that she realised you really should stick to stuff like dry toast. The results were not pretty!

Most doctors will tell you the best way to lose weight is to eat small meals through out the day.

I disagree with just having toast and tea in the morning or having a all veggie day. You need protein it fills up more and it takes longer to digest so you feel fuller for a longer time. If I eat just toast in the morning I will be hungry again within two hours and will be more likely to go upstairs and have a candy bar. I usually have toast with peanut butter on it in the morning and then I am fine till noon.

The reason the tea helps you from being hungry is the caffeine, it's a stimulant and keeps you from feeling hungry that's why it's used in diet pills.

I would agree with the concept of eating small meals through the day, i think it is absurd that two or three times a day we throw a big plate of food down our throats in one go...camels we are not.

All i am saying with the breakfast thing really is that i find it a lot more comfortable to get up and do a few hours at least before i eat anything, it seems to give my body a chance to wake up properly and make sure that food from the day before has been digested nicely.If i do eat something early, or when i get up i seem to feel a lot hungrier throughout the day and end up eating far more than i normally would.

The western world clearly indulges too much. I have just returned to England from africa, and to be honest i have been quite shocked at the amount of obesity...and the fact that people seem to think it is normal. From what i can see it is a combination of eating all day ( i even see people walking down the street eating) and eating crap.

I take your point about tea being a stimulant, just for the record i drink herbal teas after about 11am...but yes good old black tea is an absolute must for the morning...several cups..lol

Are all you can eat resturants popular in England? They are here every were you turn there is a another one and their GROSS! I saw one that was Ethiopian, which I just found very ironic.

To be honest CB that is the first i have heard of them, although it would not surprise me, it seems that everything in England is buy two get one free....everything is aimed at excess.

Just the thought of that kind of restaurant sounds gross....and as for the Ethiopian one....totally ironic and i feel stronger words would be more appropiate!!

I realise it is just someone trying to come up with an idea to make a few bucks, but i cannot help but think something is very wrong somewhere, very easy to become cynical about where the western world is at right now.

Hey go to New Orleans there is a bar there on Bourbon St. called the Cat's Meow that has a buy one get two free happy hour from 4-7 everyday. That's where you'll find me every day that I am there.

Houston was voted the fatest city in the nation because it has more restaurants per person than any other U.S. city and there are over 4 million people in Houston. It's crazy!About a fifth of them are all you can eat or have an all you can eat buffet for lunch. Texans have this saying everything is "bigger in Texas" (the state is larger than most european countries)and they believe the more the better that's one thing I hate about Texas!Califorians eat a lot more healthy! You grill it with lemon not deep fry it and cover it in a cream sauce.

I have always been a little cynical about the western world and some of the things we have done.

what you eat is pointless unless u do the exarsise to go with it
u need to do certin types of workouts to to put the food u eat in to the right places

Not always! You can work out all day long but if you are eating candy, burgers and fries you aren't going to lose the weight.

year your right but it depends om your motabalizim. what i ment was if u diet and dont do exisize u will lose waight from the wrong places because the body use's food resvies from the musuals before trying to brake down fat.

Agreed, Ben. You also lose weight a hell of a lot slower without exercise! I lost twice as much weight as my mum did in probably the same amount of time she took, because I joined a gym (and actually went there), whereas she didn't. It *is* possible to lose weight without additional exercise (my mum managed it), but it's dead slow and you have to eat far less than otherwise.

If you're doing the healthy lifestyle thing, then exercise is invaluable as it increases your metabolic rate - which then stays quite high for a while afterwards, so if you eat after exercising, you burn it up quicker!

And, given the kinds of Patisserie that's turning up in British bakeries these days - I need all the help I can get.

Slice of cucumber, anyone?

If you are excercising on a regular basis your metabolism will slowly increase, it does not just get higher after you work out, that's a myth.

The other reason you would have lost weight faster is your difference, I am sure there is 15-20 year difference in age and your metabolism slows down as you get older. Women also don't lose weight as fast as men, we have a slower metabolism than men because we need a higher percentage of fat on our bodies than men do.

I am not saying not to excercise, I am saying you need a lot more than just excercise. So stay out of the bakeries

Cucumber it is then......lol