to wonder how the hell she stays so slim??

[SequinsAndSparkles]

My BIL is engaged to a spanish woman, and we spent the weekend at MIL's, all of us together.

She is very slim, I'd guess a size 6/8. Her skin is glowing and she is stunning, yet her diet perplexes me?

On the first morning, we were all having breakfast, MIL made a fry up for everyone, but I am on a diet so I had special K and some toast. SIL prepared her own breakfast (they are currently staying at MILs while they have some work done on their house), and she had some kind of cheese, can't remember what she said it was, about 10 olives and a slice of ham! Yet she said that my breakfast of Special K and toast was stodgy and apparently English women have 'very strange ideas about nutrition'.

For lunch, she had a chicken salad, but it involved lots of extra virgin olive oil, all over the peppers and a big dollop of salsa. And then for dinner she had chicken smeared in pesto, with green beans in salt, more salsa and a slice of cheese.

How is she so slim??

I didn't have a particuarly healthy weekend in the end, we ended up having a takeaway on the Saturday evening, and SIL wouldn't eat any of it, she wasn't rude, she politely declined but I just find it hypocrytical that she eats all this fatty stuff and made the comment about England having strange ideas about nutrition when I was eating Special K and toast!!

wildspinning - I'm not a big fan of "classic" low carb but certianly moderate carb with the emphasis on unrefined carbs - in fact if you eat lots of pulses, nuts seeds etc then you are getting lots of protein which is generally a healthier source of protein than red meats etc. However what isn't mentioned is quantities - OP says "a slice of ham" and "a slice of cheese" - its hardly excessive consumption.

Anyone who understands how insulin works will understand the need to moderate refined carbs.

OP if you try to steer clear of refined carbs and if you have to have them (or want to) try to keep them in moderate proportions and/or mix with something lower GI/GL - so if you fancy some toast have it with some protein like an egg or some baked beans (and preferably some wholemeal/seeded bread), stick to one slice.

I don;t think muller light are particularly bad (and a good source of calcium) but try to avoid low fat stuff which is made artificially very sweet - there is some evidence that articuially sweetened stuff leads your body to expect calories (sweet taste = calories normally) and you end up eating more over all as your body seeks out the calories it was expecting.

OP - dull troll. Or rather dim.

Oi you lot who decried the op - get yourself over with your knowledge of all things heathly and mediterranean - add to the other thread.... you don't need to stay on it...

I am now genuinely confused. I was always led to believe From right back in science lessons(when I remember burning a peanut in a bunsen burner and measuring how much the temperature of a test tube of water increased) that losing weight was basically about eating less calories than you burned off and gaining weight was about eating more calories than you burn off - whether those calories came in the form of bread or bacon didn't seem to matter. I've always thought this carbs thing was made up to sell loads of books although I'm quite happy to be proved wrong. With the whole Atkins thing, would you be allowed to eat 2lbs of lard every day as long as you don't eat any bread? And I know olive oil is "good" fat but it still has loads of calories surely? And, in that food pyramid at schools,it says it's Ok to eat lots of pasta but not too much meat. and, when i was training for the Marathon, I was practically ordered to eat loads of pasta as it releases energy slowly. I'm not being sarcastic about the lard thing btw - I don't think anyone would seriously eat a block of lard- I'm genuinely interested.

I don't think Atkins would recommend a block of lard ad it might be low-carb but it would also be virtually nutrient-free Not to mention who in their right mind would choose to eat it?

Atkins does restrict carbohydrates quite extremely in the first few weeks but even then quite a lot of salad and green veg is recommended. As the weeks go past more carbohydrate is added in - in the form of veg, fruit, dairy and nuts, and eventually when you are happy with the weight loss, you add in complex carbs such as brown rice and lentils etc. He never recommends processsed carbs such as white bread.

upsylazy I think the bit of info you are missing is to do with satiety or how filling foods are. So a Muller Light yoghurt (fat removed, sugar/sweeteners added) may have slightly less cals that a similar one with less sugar/more fat, but the one with fat in it will leave you feeling fuller for longer.

Poached egg on buttered wholegrain toast will leave you feeling more satisfied than just white bread and low fat spread even if the same amount of calories are consumed, plus it's nutritionally richer. As far as your body is concerned, physiologically white bread is like eating processed sugar. The egg/wholegrain meal is nutritionally rich (vits/minerals/fibre/fats/protein etc) whereas the refined toast & artificial spread will actually TAKE nutrients from your body in order to digest/process it through your digestive system esp if the spread contains hydrogenated/trans or other 'bad' fats.

This is part of the argument against so called 'diet' or low fat products. For example in low fat dairy products often loads of sugar is added (which creates further cravings in itself do to blood sugar levels/insulin levels etc). And as excess sugar is converted to fat by your body the whole fat free/added sugar thing is pointless and disingenuous. You're better off eating a product closer to it's original state, with some of the fat at least, feel satisfied with what you eat, and make those calories nutritionally work for you, rather than craving more.

Another point re low fat dairy is in order to utilise the calcium in the dairy you need Vitamin D, a fat soluble vitamin. Remove all the fat from the product, you remove the vit D, and so are unlikely to be able to absorb the calcium. So from a nutritional perspective semi-skimmed is the way to go - NOT fat free.

Technically the calorie is a calorie point you make is correct, but nutritionally it is more complex than that.

Athletes are always told to carb-load as that is the easiest way to get instant energy. But there are athletes who don't. Once your body is used to burning fat for fuel it is just as easy to run.

I used to do 13 miles regularly on what would have passed for an Atkins 'maintenance' level of carbs - ie no bread, no processed foods, no pasta. Plenty of veg, some brown rice, fruit.

Agree hiphop. My abiding memory of a calorie-counting low-fat diet was constant hunger and an obsesssion with what I was going to eat next! Torture.

sequins a good change to make re carbs is swap white for brown. So out with white bread/pasta/rice etc and in with wholegrains (real proper wholegrains), wholegrain pasta, brown rice etc. Go brown, and eat less carbs in general, but you don't have to eliminate them. And remember most veggies, even salads etc have a great carb element, along with loads of nutrients/minerals/vitamins/fibre ie all the good stuff.

The thing that I like least about low card eating plans is the restriction on fresh veggies - how can that be right when you are trying to eat a healthy diet?

"Technically the calorie is a calorie point you make is correct" well yes but it also misses out how your body reacts to differnt foods. Science has moved on and I think all in the know would accept the detrimental afect that refined carbs in particular have on your insulin levels.

Refined carbs which your body absorbs quickly requires a big rush of insulin to metabolise it. Lots of insulin is bad for you - insulin predisposes you to deposit fat rather than burn it and it also has the effect of using up insulin (which you have a finte amount of) faster and predisposing you to type two diabetes.

Any "low carb" eating plan which restricts veg is bollocks (IMVHO) because there is very little available carbs in the vast majority of veg and you do need an amount of carbs to survive - they aren't poison. Any diet plan which think veg should be restricted is based on some very dodgy science.

Approach should be what works for you given your lifestyle, body type and exercise level but in the majority of cases that is going to be a moderate carb, low refined carbs, high protein and veg and moderate unsaturated fat diet.

Athlete's load up on carbs because...well they're athlete's who will burn up that energy.

Eating a shit load of carbs then settling down with a mars bar to watch Corrie will just mean that your body turns that energy into fat.

prob no carbs

Ok,I stand corrected. Am now wondering how to wean myself off my daily M&S syrup sponge pudding and half a white bloomer. But I have definitely been told and have read repeatedly that carbs like pasta are good precisely because they release energy slowly rather than in a big rush like a Mars bar. Is this jsut wrong? Blimey, i've given up smoking, am trying to give up drinking - please don't tell me I have to give up bread and cakes. what will be the point in living?

Are you overweight upsy? It sounds like you are keeping active so I wouldn't worry.

Wow, I like her diet - sounds like a healthy mediterranean one. Yummy. Since I've given up diet foods/low fat foods and started eating more protein and full fat produce I've found I'm eating far less calories in a day than I used and have lost weight (half a stone in two weeks in fact). My portions per meal are naturally smaller now too and I'm trying to eat only when hungry and stopping when /satisfied or full. Sounds like your SIL is doing that naturally (as lots of slim people do).

I actually tried Wholemeal pasta for the first time last night - it was fine! With a tomatoey sauce though, I don't think it would go with anything creamy or cheesy.

Sequin, I am imagining that the cheese was a thin or smallish slice of tasty cheese rather than a massive wedge?

Lean ham is calorie-light.

You should all get down to Lidl it has all the meat, cheese slice things that you have been talking about plus some really yummy olives, like ones stuffed with almonds, a great selection of salads things and really really cheap!

GoldenBeagle I think it was Manchego cheese, it wasn't a massive portion, about three very thin slices.

Well, I had scrambled eggs this morning, and as rightly predicted, I wasn't nearly as hungry as usual.

Rollmops it seems that I am just that dim

Ooh thanks for the tip, mrsscoobs We have a Lidl right near us, but I've only ever been in once. I shall go and have a look!

Only read a few pages but very interesting information contained in here. I have given up bread for Lent and was resorting to Special K for breakfast - I shall bin the lot!

BUT - The mediterranean diet is so much easier to eat in the er - Med, isn't it? On a freezing cold winter's night when you have just returned from struggling through six foot snow drifts to get water to your horses, sometimes a big bowl of pasta and garlic bread is just what you need .

Still - Spring is here and it is so much easier to live on salads and fresh fruit.

Low calorie diet pushed me over the edge, I signed up to caloriecount.about.com and got in the habit of recording every single thing I ate as well as the exercise. It became so obsessive I considered a day where I hadn't burnt off all consumed calories in exercise (totally disregarding the 2000 you apparently need to live) was a failure. On the bright said I went from 9 stone to 6 in 3 months but it wasn't healthy and I don't trust myself to do it in moderation.

Please may I correct some myths about Atkins (or any other low carb diet)?

The first phase of the diet, called Induction, lasts for 2 weeks, and asks you to restrict your daily carb intake to 20g. This means, inevitably, that there are things that you can't eat, and most fruits and some veg are restricted. You are supposed to get your daily carb allowance from salad leaves and veg - mostly green veg, such as spinach and broccoli, but also things like cauliflower, celery, mushrooms (quite a few, actually)

However, after this short period, the aim is to gradually increase the carbs you consume daily, until you reach a point where you are no longer losing weight.

All low carb diets follow the same phasing process.

The only vegetable that's really restricted is the potato, as it is so high in carbs (and a dense vegetable, which means that you could consume a lot of carbs in one small portion). Otherwise, some veg you have to be aware of - e.g. parsnips and carrots - but you can still eat them.

The press have loved to sensationalise the Atkins diet as being all about eating bacon and eggs for breakfast and mountains of red meat for every other meals, whereas nothing could be further from the truth.

It is a diet that encourages fresh/unprocessed foods, with a wide range of vegetables and (some) fruit. How that can be unhealthy, I don't know.

And whilst cream and cheese are allowed, Atkins does make the point that these can't be consumed in massive quantities.

babybarrister - not surprising really (re: adult acne) - low carbing is recommended for anyone suffering from a PCOS like illness. :)