(Part 2) Top products from r/progresspics

Try taking up meditation! It can really help you stop, take a step back, realize when and why you're craving, and deal with those feelings instead of giving in. I highly recommend "The Mind Illuminated" as the best no bullshit, no religion, science based, practical meditation manual. https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_3?crid=VFY2JW8DLREG&keywords=the+mind+illuminated&qid=1570291925&sprefix=the+mind+Illuminated%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-3 edit: and the related subreddit /r/TheMindIlluminated

You could also try some supplements. I find that magnesium supplementation (get lysinate/glyciante chelated form, not oxide, that will just make you poop and do nothing) can help. Supposedly Kudzu can also help reduce your desire to drink. Some people have great luck with Kratom to quit drinking, it's very powerful, but be careful if you try it -- some people have dependence/withdrawal problems using it.

A ketogenic diet can also do a lot for you. For me it decreases desire to drink, makes me sleep better, gives me more energy, keeps my head more clear, and eliminates energy "crashes" throughout the day. Check out /r/keto if you're interested. It also helps that beer is entirely incompatible with a keto diet so if you do drink on it you have to drink dry wine or liquor which helps remove the temptation of delicious beer.

Hope that helps!

Well I can't tell you how to feel because that's rude but I can share something with you. I'm in my mid 40s and started working out and eating healthy when I was 21 or so. I only have a few years difference on you with my start date and when I go to my doctor he says I don't exhibit any signs of being in the 40s, in fact he says I have the body and health of a 30 year old. I know you feel old but you have a long way to go my friend, I have almost 20 years on you. What you've done will make those 20 years really good for you. So while I don't want to tell you how to feel, I don't think you should feel remorseful. Look what you've accomplished! Here is a really good book that I like to refer to: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385347316/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Check it out. I bet you have a lot of compassion after going through this transformation, this might help you direct that inward. Best of luck in your future goals.

> Got any cites to legit studies on either side? Would love to read them.

There's two great sources I like because they take a scientific approach in their own ways.

The Ketogenic Diet by Lyle McDonald. It's expensive to buy on his website, but you can get it via torrents. I liked this book because he went into detail on how to do the diet. He doesn't take sides based on ideology and presents the scientific evidence for keto dies, and well as their drawbacks. It gives a very technical way to do the diet with the different ways to do it. "Over 600 scientific references were examined in the writing of this book, and each chapter includes a full bibliography so that interested readers may obtain more detail when desired. Readers who desire further in-depth information are encouraged to examine the cited references to educate themselves."

Summary of The Ketogenic Diet can be found here.

Gary Taubes has written Why We Get Fat: And What to do About it and Good Calories, Bad Calories. I've read the latter of the two and enjoyed it because he also takes a very scientific approach to the matter at hand.

I personally haven't seen any evidence that low carb diets are bad for you. People just argue this point on ideological grounds, and only care about proving their particular diet is the best one, instead of being open-minded. I've read books on both sides, from vegan to keto, and I believe that the evidence points to one thing: The main thing to worry about is eating a variety of foods in moderate amounts.

And some people may need different diets to accomplish this goal. One thing that is especially true of both vegan and keto diets is that they force a person to think about what they eat. It makes food artificially more scarce, thus making it more difficult to over eat. And I believe that that simple fact creates the majority of the health benefits that either diet purport to have.

I'm really sorry to hear that your sister is struggling with disordered eating.
Sounds like she's in a period where she recognizes that she has a problem but is still trying to manage it on her own. For me, personally, it was the most hopeless part of my ED, and I would've been super happy to have someone to vent to and talk about my behaviors. I think it's a huge showing of trust that she's willing to talk to you about it, because ED thrives in secrecy and guilt for using behaviors. My treatment team recommended this book to my family, and it helped them understand what I was going through and how they could be most supportive. It might be worth looking into.

I would really, really urge her to continue seeking medical care. It sometimes takes a long time to find the right therapist and dietician, but having a treatment team is critical to recovering from an eating disorder. EDs are usually comorbid with other issues such as anxiety and depression, and seeing a therapist helps to sort out those issues without resorting to ED behaviors as a coping mechanism. With the right treatment team, seeing a therapist and dietician really is invaluable. I can't stress it enough.

Overall, just continue to be there for her. I can tell by your post that you care a lot, and I think sometimes just having someone who can listen and understand makes a big difference. I wish both of you the best of luck.

Sure! When you look at the ingredients, the first few should be fairly recognizable but as you go on, there may be words you're unfamiliar with. Just because your don't recognize a word doesn't mean it's necessarily bad- that not scientific at all. But if you see any of these 56 names for sugar now you'll be able to spot the hidden sugars. Other ways that sugars are often hidden in processed foods is by researching HOW some of the foods we are used to are made. Bacon, for example, is often cured in sugar. So it may seem like a sugar free option but usually, there's some hidden sugar in there. Same with deli meat. And hot dogs. There's a documentary called The Sugar Film (I think?) and they said that roughly 80% of grocery store items have added sugars. If you take the list I linked to and start looking through the stuff on the shelves, it's truly appalling at how many items have sugar by another name.

The World Health Organization says that healthy adults should get no more than 10% of their daily calories from sugar. That's less than 200 calories from sugar for most people. When you factor in all the hidden sugars in processed foods, that doesn't leave much at all for dessert. Linky The WHO also emphatically states that cutting that in half is even better.

The fittest people I know don't eat processed foods. It requires a good deal of planning ahead, food prep, etc. But it is possible to have a truly sugar free diet with careful shopping.

[It Starts With Food](It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600543/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gHLPyb2QT23XV) is my go to for an introduction to basic nutrition. I can't recommend it enough.

I can attest to this. When I was in college I looked at myself in the mirror one day and decided I needed a change. Most people wouldn't have even called me fat, but I was definitely bigger than I should have been and my BMI was tipping the obese scale.
I wasn't entity sure how or where to start as I'm sure is the case with most people. As luck, karma, fate, coincidence, whatever would have it, a guy I worked with at the time (Olive Garden, a den of unhealthy choices, which is what lead to my current state) asked me if I was interested in working out with him on a new bowflex he had just bought. I said absolutely, but ONLY if we do it right and by the book. That book turned out to be something that changed my life. The title is The Bowflex Body Plan which was written by some doctor. If this is any indication of his level of commitment... He studied his own stool samples. Ha. I'm sure it was also in conjunction with Bowflex for some $$$$, but Tony Horton isn't just fit for giggles either.

The book was brilliant and put to rest a LOT of myths about working out. My favorite was always this... Your body can only physically absorb so much protein in one day and it's based on your weight. There's a specific equation that eludes me at the moment, but basically says that when you see people in the gym sucking on protein shakes and gnawing on protein bars all days they're actually pooping out more than their body is taking in. They're crapping money. The book... No gimmicks. No bullshit. That is where I first learned the idea of lifestyle change and not a diet. And I went on a quest after reading it from beginning to end.

Not to get in the specifics of what the book teaches, but basically it's a combination of calorie reduction, healthy eating and certain bowflex workout routines. I went to my apartment, pulled everything out of my cabinets and what I couldn't give away, I threw away. I then went to my local college superstore, Walmart of course, and spent 3 hours grocery shopping and just turning around items around to look at the nutritional labels, which I knew existed, but never knew how to really read them or what they meant as ignorant as that sounds.

Then it started... Calorie reduction, high water intake, high fiber intake, working out three days a week, walking to class, biking down the trail. I did not devote myself to working out. I devoted myself to eating better. Any good trainer will tell you it's education first, diet/lifestyle second and working out third. Your workout routine last because if your brain isn't on board then your body will certainly not be either. Plus if you don't do it right, you won't see results, you'll get frustrated and then you'll stop. If you continue your current lifestyle and simply hop on a treadmill, guess what? You won't see a damn thing for a long time. LONG time.

About 2.5 months later I was 30lbs down and never happier.

Over the course of time my weight has fluctuated, but never back to what I was. Plus I started eating plans that rotated around the kind of workouts I was doing, gained muscle and have transformed myself. Am I Greek god? Hell no. Am I 1000 times better off than I was physically and emotionally? Hell yes.

Education first. Lifestyle change second. Body third.

Errr... Not sure what else to say, but if you're looking for a place to start, even if you don't have a bowflex, Amazon that book. The Bowflex Body Plan. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1579546897/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1368271932&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

My journey started when I discovered the book "The Power of Habits" by Charles Duhigg. It made me realize that if I wanted to make long-lasting changes in my life, I needed to turn good habits into automatic actions. Nowadays, eating well, working out, taking care of skin and hair... it all feels like second nature!

In terms of weight loss, I eat mostly low-carb and do intermittent fasting (16:8). I don't count calories, but I write down everything I eat in a food journal to keep myself accountable. Eating low-carb has killed my sugar cravings and has helped me feel more energetic and satiated. (No more carb crashes in the afternoon!) Doing intermittent fasting has put a stop to my night-time snacking, and it has helped me maintain a good CICO deficit without having to count calories.

In terms of fitness, I workout four times per week: two days of weightlifting and two days of HiiT Cardio. I also do two days of light yoga for flexibility and relaxation. I have recently achieved my first set of fitness goals. I can now hold a plank for a minute, wall sit for a minute, and do 10 real push-ups. Oh and I can touch my toes standing! I am excited to set new goals for this summer!

So there's a great book and rehab protocol for shoulder rehab called "hanging therapy". I competed many years in brazilian jiu jitsu and have used it successfully for shoulder pain and issues of myself and friends. I first saw it on the Joe Rogan podcast.

You can read up on the protocol or get the book that it originates from. Here's a link to it: https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428

It's written by a doctor who was a shoulder specialist. It has a very high success rate for rehabilitating shoulders.

Ha, me too! I was like a 2/10 and they still had me buy the machine. I ended up using it once, and then selling it for like $400 profit. It seemed like an awfully big production for them to basically tell me I don’t sleep very well. FWIW this book helped me far more than any study. I’m still trying to get off the pills, but it’s a process.

Keto still requires a calorie deficit, it's just easier to manage because you don't get bad hunger pangs in between meals.

And ultimately, weight loss is practically a side effect of what keto is doing for your cardiac health, immune system, complexion, mental clarity, and other stuff. A number of interesting books on the subject have emerged in the last 5-10 years that are basically turning nutrition science upside-down. Grain Brain is a prime example.

Are you interested in the PDF? Also, here's the book that I read 1st, Beyond the 120 Year Diet: How to Double Your Vital Years

It was difficult! When I first started to lose weight, I did everything I could to just shed pounds. I lost 80 pounds upfront, but then I slowly gained 30 of those pounds back. I realized that "losing weight" wasn't the goal, but just being fit and eating "mindfully". I made this switch about 2/3 years ago and haven't looked back.

I think my biggest suggestion would be to switch up your routine every 3 months to keep your body guessing, and to keep things interesting in the gym. I've encountered a couple injuries, and it's so important to give it a break from time to time.

Also in terms of diet, this book was key - http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Drink-Be-Healthy-Harvard/dp/0743266420/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457623262&sr=8-1&keywords=harvard+medical+guide+to+eating

Not OP, but I highly recommend this book! Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a vegan cookbook rockstar and this is her lower-fat/calorie recipe book. I have cooked almost every single recipe in it and I have yet to find a clunker.

It's usually more like "Should I give this thing a try or not?"
You have to give effort when you refrain yourself from temptation and it's this effort that I am talking about.
Stanford has a course on willpower where they discuss this in detail (of course backed by research data). You can find more about this in the book The Willpower Instinct

Smokers only stop when they want to stop themselves. I find the best way to stop is reading Allen Carr's book.

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easyway-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155

If you want to help someone stop, ask them if they're willing to read a book with an open mind, and if they don't stop smoking by the end of it to not worry about it much.

Allen Carr even left a legacy of clinics that offer your money back if you don't stay smoke-free for the rest of your life after you're done with the treatment.

Yesssss I found it on amazon !

Theoretically, yes. Practically, no.

Eating 500 calories of granulated sugar sends signals to the brain that makes it nearly impossible to not crave more foods and more calories.

Recommended read:
https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Brain-Outsmarting-Instincts-Overeat/dp/125008119X

No I used the starch solution.

It's very similar to engine 2 - but focuses on basing your diet on starches - which are comfort foods for me.

I got the book - but you can pretty much get all the information for free

And his newsletters

Here's a graph of my weight loss during the first part of my diet - I lost more later on by doing his 'maximum weight loss program'.

I’ve lost 100lbs before (and unfortunately gained it back, I’m back down 45 lbs) and probably know where she’s at. It’s really fucking hard to keep going after losing so much and realizing that you have so much left to lose. You feel tired, burned out, and suddenly like everything you’re doing is unsustainable and for naught because even though you might be thinner - you’re not happier. You can’t eat anything and you have to obsess over every calorie and it fucking sucks. And then you plateau and it’s even worse.

I started doing the Intuitive Eating Workbook and that’s really helped me find my motivation, and a significantly healthier mindset. There’s also a really great book that goes with it. It’s not a diet book. It’s all about mindset and creating sustainable changes. It doesn’t give meal plans or anything. It’s literally all about mentality.