Going Organic for 2009!

[Jeffreyj]

Hi everyone. I need to lose 30 plus pounds. No diets work. So I was wondering if anyone had any ideas, good or bad, about going on an organic diet.

Thanks allot!
Jeff

[mecch]

Congrats for having the motivation and a goal.

What I learned from several years once being organic, working in an vege restaurant, reading etc.

1) things have vastly improved for finding a variety of organic food - but be sure to check (yourself, and b talking to others)
a) that your local food sources sell enough organic food in each season
b) that you can afford it

2) Join a food coop that sells cheaper organic food than the supermarket, or in some instances a greater variety. You also meet people and belong to a nice community that way

3) Justify you choice of eating organic - in some instances it is a belief and not based on fact. Also good fresh locally grown seasonal food that is NOT organic can be just as healthy for you as "organic".  What does your ID say? A nutritionist? Your own heart or politics?

4) Organic diets are not necessarily low in fat.

5) Organic diets probalby will not, on their own, lead to weight loss. Conventional wisdom says that the calorie imput and your expenditure govern most peoples' weight.  If one wants to loose weight - exercise is pretty essential - more so than choosing "organic" food.  Eating a balanced diet of any food (organic or not) that gives a lot of energy to be active and feel good is very important, as is upping your body's metabolism by increasing exercise and also increasing muscle.  If you are going to get all anal retentive about sticking to an organic diet, it will be counterproductive to enjoying life and your food!

6) if you can, see a nutritionist. If you have even more money, get a physical therapist or exercise coach to make a workout /exercise plan that you will fit forever into your life.

7) If you eventually lose weight, bravo, but watch that you don't get too skinny. Vegan + organic often results in rather thin people, especially men.  Ask you HIV ID if that is wise, if in fact you end up rather thin.

Best of luck and Happy New Year. 
 

[Moffie65]

Hi Jeffery, and happy holidays.

I've been on organics now for about two years.  What I can tell you is that I have had far fewer gastrointestinal problems and have also had fewer colds.  I have no reason to believe the organics have much to do with the colds part, but I do know that getting rid of many of the chemicals in our food chain has made my immune system work so much better. 

With my drug failure in '06; I felt that I stayed much healthier than in times past, due mostly to the fact that what was left of my immune system was able to work more effeciently because it didn't have to fight the effects of all those chemicals.  This is my supposition, but when looking back and comparing my physical struggles with times past, I personally feel that the food did make a huge difference.

Also, I still eat three eggs a day, and my doctor doesn't want me to change that because of the intense intake of animal protein each day.  He feels that the benefits far outweigh the cholestrol intake.  He also has put me on 1000mg of slow release niacin each day to help keep the cholestoral under control, which seems to have worked very well and I have no problem with cholestoral any more, even though I carry a bit too many pounds for my comfort.  He personally feels that eggs are one of the foods that are HIV+'s best friends in the nurturing of a damaged immune system.  I always buy free range, with no antibiotics and no animal feed.

Good for you buddy, I think you will really profit from the organics far more than you might think.

[Miss Philicia]

Look, you're NOT going to lose weight unless you NOT ONLY change your diet BUT ALSO get on the treadmill (or other such cardio type exercise like a stationary bicycle or elliptical machine).  You have to do both.

Why obsess about "organic" in the absence of exercise?  What sort of exercise have you engaged in, Jeffrey, during all of these diet indulgences?

ps: I'd never eat 3 eggs a day, but whatever works for you Daddy Tim   That seems completely contrary to anything I've ever heard in numerous consultations with nutritionists over the past decade, and I saw plenty of them in HIV oriented settings while I twice battled HIV wasting issues.  The only way I'd do this is to limit myself to the eggs whites, which is of course what bodybuilders do.  All of an egg's cholesterol is found in the yolk.  That said, I'd agree that what one should focus more on are transfats used in industrialized types of grocery products or restaurant meals.

[Moffie65]

Ms Philicia,  Yes, I know the quandry this creates for some, but I also eat bacon, brie, Cheddar, dark chocolate, and many more things that send nutritionists out of the room shreaking in horror, but when I question most nutrionists about thier own diet, many have confessed that they in fact are very sloppy with thier own diets because of work load and thousands of other excuses.  Truly I have NEVER found a nutritionist that I would trust any further than I could throw them. 

I really hate to talk about my diet on this site, mainly because of just the kind of post you just made Phily, but the reality of it all is that I have researched so many sources about how to live a healthy life with HIV, and I have found virtually nothing that held much credence for me, outside of some really good books from the early years of the pandemic.  This is just my experience over the last 15 years of AIDS.  Hell, when I was recovering from PCP twice, I ate six eggs every morning, but I have cut back as I have aged, due to my reduced need for all that food.

[Jeffreyj]

MECCH....Thanks for the insight about the people aspect into it. As for justifying my desire to go organic, is that i feel the need for a change. I have gained weight on my pas few diets(And yes MISS P-i have exercised during each of them). So, why not try this organic thing?

Something clicked om my brain when I was watching Suzanne Summers on  Larry King. She was talking about how bad the food supply is, and she said"At least go organic" I was like "Why not.If there is a chance i might feel better, what's to loose?" 

Moffie, How are you? Happy Holidays to you my dear friend. Your comments give me hope, something I have been seriously lacking in my life of late! I really likes the fact that you have had fewer colds this years. It's been the exact opposite for for me this year.

So by going organic, I hope to feel better and loose weight and feel better.

Besides, the only constant in life is change, right?

Thank you for the comments, ans thanks for reading.

Happy holidays to you all!

[mecch]

I think Larry has a big crush on Suzanne!

best wished for success on organics -- just remember to check to make sure you can find enough variety, and you can pay for it. it aint cheap, but the prices will come down as more and more people buy it.