Diet Plan

Absolute twaddle

Bill and Ben are twins and both CFAVs
They followed each other through Cadets and now both FS staff and active with unit both having a fist full of qualifications to allow things to happen, both up standing members of society and do more in the community than just the RAFAC.

Bill likes his food and it shows. He’s noticeably overweight with a BMI into his 30s he’s almost classed as obese.
Ben on the other hand is more moderate with his food intake and takes part in charity fund raising 10k runs.

Who is the better role model?
Bill for “beating anorexia”?
Or Ben for maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

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This is a very, very, very, very narrow perspective.

Why are people so hung up on this model revolving around physical attributes and eating habits? Is it just to reinforce something deep seated in their own minds of what they see as bad, or, are they “born again” evangelical types with respect to eating and exercise and on a mission, or, a combination of both.

When I look back my major role models are my dad and one of my uncles who lived with us for a couple of years, when I was younger.

I do wonder about this fascination with eating habits and exercise, as it seems to be a peculiar thing to obsess about when dealing with teenagers, given they will have little or no say in the matter, unless they do the fad thing, which right minded parents nod sweetly to and allow to move into the undergrowth. If I’d said to my parents I want to eat or I’m not going to eat, the response would have been curt and to the point.

Look, in the distance! The actual topic!

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The OP says something a diet plan, why? If they are that concerned get on with it, if you are that bothered and it is obviously something that does bother them by the line

which suggests to me that someone has commented that in the observers opinion they are a bit tubby. They should just get on with it and for advice ask any woman where they work, as they will be inundated with ideas. I may be wrong, but obviously something somewhere has got to them.

it would be interesting to see how many cadets actually care what the staff do or look like. I can’t think in my time in the organisation that I’ve ever been bothered by some of the things some respondents seem to be unnecessarily worried about. Thee are more important things that need addressing than this.

Completely disagree with that whole statement, I’m tubby but not big and I’ve heard many comments from cadets and staff alike about the size of some personnel in the ATC/RAF.

Also, what makes you think just “women” will have ideas about weight loss? Men can also have tips can they not?

Obesity is now being an epidemic in the UK, surely this is the time to start addressing the problem? And the best way we can start this (as members of staff) is to lead by example and follow a healthy timetable

Maybe some people have parents who would actually respond in a reasonable fashion to the request “May I please eat more vegetables?”

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don’t feed the troll people.

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If at any point in their day all that cadets or staff start talking about staff like that, then they must have run out of things to do. It’s never been a topic of any conversation I’ve ever been involved in.

Why just women, because in 35 years of employment I’ve never heard a man talk about an eat less diet, they may do one, but not talk about them like the women I’ve heard many go on about them before Christmas, after Christmas and then in April/May when they worry about holidays. I’ve seen them compare notes, lists, how much they lost or put on and you know what in all these years, it has only made any visible difference to one woman who was really big, but she put some of it back when she stopped.

As for obesity epidemic who knows and how much influence do you really think you or any of us exert? The only way to have that level of influence is to stand up and say I am doing and I think some of you should to, but be prepared for some parents taking umbrage. If someone we left our kids with suggested they should do this or that in terms of changing how they live, they would have been on receive only message.
I don’t wish to upset you, we see these youngsters for at most 3-4 hours per week if the cadet attends both nights and maybe 40% of those couple of hours. They will on average see a school teacher 4-5 hours a week and potentially double that if you consider breaks etc, so where you do honestly think the greater influence would be? We are an after school club, little more, little less and we need to concentrate on delivery in that club environment and not peripheral personal whims or fancies.

We are a military youth organisation and after all we are trying to promote the RAF, that is one of our aims and many cadets do join after cadet service. They need to have a decent amount of fitness to even begin the progress of joining so the best way this can start is by us staff regardless of how often we see them. How can we expect cadets to be healthy and fit if us staff are unhealthy and unfit. It’s embarrasing to even think I should try and run a sports night if I can even do the activity myself, this is the reason why I have asked for tips so I can become a better person and set an example to the kids. Not because “someone has upset” me.

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Because then he’ll get fat…

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To summarise:

Person A wants to lose weight, has reasons, asks for tips on how to achieve their goals.

People B-S are supportive and offer advice.

Person T disparages Person A’s reasons, tells them not to bother, and throws in a bit of misogyny for good measure.

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Welcome to ACC

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The topic please.

Being a role model is many things, including physical appearance. Its not about preaching to them, it’s about setting an example.

However it’s not about everyone being a ninja kicking, back flipping lunatic that runs an iron man every Friday.
It is about showing our youth that it’s good to improve and to better yourself, and if they see the staff try and the difference it makes, it encourages them aswell.

You don’t better yourself for others, you do it for yourself.

Dieting is the completely wrong word, you are describing the yo-yo dieting or the crash fad diets that are harmful and serve little purpose. This is the misinformation of the fitness industry. It’s designed to confuse you so you spend money.

It’s about taking positive steps in your life to improve. The little things make up the big things.
If you don’t view it as “weight loss” and get a goal, run a marathon, run 5km, cycle 20km, walk 1km, do 50 press-ups, do a muscle up, whatever it is, it’s about making a goal and hitting it, you can’t hit what you can’t see.

Unfortunately you do have a minor point in the fact that it’s over complicated and over hyped and there’s so much misinformation floating around, but that’s because of the fitness industry and people being too naive or ignorant to work hard and look for an easy solution. So surely the way to combat this for our kids is to be the change ourselves and to be that role model?

And it’s not just women, the number of blokes being affected by eating disorders and body dysmorphia and steroid abuse has grown incredibly. And why? Lack of information or misinformation. And arguably lack of decent role models. The amount of times I hear lads talking about “needing to get big” for the Forces, when it’s about being robust and more about endurance instead of bench pressing a car. How do we combat this? Role models, encouragement and correct information from a young age. There are several other factors including decreasing testosterone through the generations but what’s a different topic.

Humans have been fascinated with eating and exercise since the dawn of the human race. Ever since we were running down antelope on the plains. The problem now is, it’s over hyped, full of chemicals, and everyone is selling something.

When you were a kid you properly had wholesome foods, and your parent could probably cook something, these days the food is polluted with chemicals and barely anyone cooks beyond through something in a plastic container in a microwave.

Maybe the Original poster wanted to feel more pride when in uniform or feel like a better example when in uniform? Or maybe it had nothing to do with uniform and wanted to improve herself and used the uniform as an excuse to ask people she thought might have had a good idea?
There’s numerous reasons why people want to improve themselves, and the way tomdeal with it, isn’t a barrage of “health at every size” rubbish but to respond positively and give her enough choices to find what works for her or is he best thing suited for her lifestyle.

You would be surprised what the cadets say about staff members, and of course the Regulars have their own opinions.

If it’s never been a topic of conversation, it’s probably because you have no interest in it, I don’t run about talking about fitness and food all the time, but if that topic comes up or if someone has just told me they beat their Personal Best time at running X amount then why can’t congratulate them and discuss it? No one is saying we need to be gobbing off about calories every 2 seconds, and I hate those fitbits and all this tracking stuff(its far too socialist for me). But people like to talk about their endeavours and their achievements.
And I would happily talk to you about nutrition and fitness Tef, any day, let’s chat. I have bulked, I have cut, I have been 75kg, I have been 120kg, I have deadlifted, pulled up, pushed up, jumped up, ran, swam and squatted all sorts. I enjoy fitness and talking about it.
I could bore you about estrogenic chemicals, E numbers, the food chain, testosterone, “super foods” and whatever edible lovelies you can find in nature.

Any time brah.

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I’m just starting a diet plan but from what I can work out, it mainly seems to be a change of diet rather than a “fad” diet. My old plan used to just be PUT DOWN THE FORK but that doesn’t last anywhere near as long as I’d like so the change is really changing a mindset (and shopping trolley).

I used to be quite bad for grabbing a burger from the golden arches or maybe some chicken from the Colonel - now I’ve learnt that I don’t have to do that twice a week, sometimes I can actually have a salad at home instead!

The biggest change is cutting out fast food and sugar. The other things will be slow changes (if I go out to eat it’s a treat but that doesn’t mean I should order all three courses).

Good luck @LRG76 - hope it goes well!

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Cutting out fast food and sugar is by far the best kick start. I used to travel a lot for work and would always get a bottle of coke at the station and usually find a KFC or similar for at least one meal a day. Cutting that out (but still allowing the odd treat) resulted in a 3 stone loss of weight, more energy, less stress and most importantly a fatter wallet.

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I have a handy visualisation for how quickly food will be digested (therefore essentially the inverse of how satiated it will make you feel) - imagine how long it will take to dissolve in a bucket of hydrochloric acid. Then try and cut down on the stuff that will disappear quickly.

Sugar - pretty much instant.
White bread - not long
Fibrous vegetables - quite a while
Steak - a decent length of time

Simple and far from foolproof, but not a terrible analogy.

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Let’s not forget sugar has its place.

One of my favourite things to eat while doing endurance stuff or long walks or being in the field was chocolate covered flapjack. The chocolate and the sugar gave me the kick of energy and the oats gave me the longer energy.

Everything in moderation and everything for a purpose.

That would be the key. Nonetheless, if the question is (and it usually is) - “I usually eat X amount of food, and it contains Y calories. I need to keep eating X amount of food so I don’t feel excessively hungry, but reduce my calories to Y-200” then the answer should start with reducing the calorie-dense foods which don’t fill you up (and spike insulin), and that will be sugar.

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