trulyhuge.com

I know what you’re thinking, you dirty minds, you, but trulyhuge.com is the name of something even more pathetic: yet another truly lame health and fitness site. All summer, I dieted on a low-carb regimen, and while my weight dropped, it messed up my health. For one thing, once I stopped dieting, I gained half of what I lost. And second, my body had become so used to having extremely low levels of insulin that whenever I ate even small abounts of carbs (say, a couple pieces of white toast), I’d go into insulin shock.

Anytime I cheated on my diet, I’d feel faint and extremely tired; my face would become pale and my eyes would dilate. My mother seriously thought I was doing drugs (ah, damn you, Traffic, for making my parents more paranoid than usual!) My goal all along wasn’t just to lose weight, but to change my lifestyle and become so active, I wouldn’t have to watch what I ate (my little bro’s the perfect example: he eats more than I ever did, and is the tallest, skinniest boy you’ve ever seen).

Anyway, I still want to become a runner, but I have no idea how to go about endurance training and making sure that I’m exercising long or often enough. I still want to diet while I’m getting down to my ideal weight (it’s not a big hurdle, just about fifteen lbs), but I don’t want anything that’ll fuck me up like Sugar Busters. In trying to research this, all I can find are the same pretentious websites and magazines that have no more scientific validity than the National Inquirer.

Does anyone know of a health source that a) does not advocate popping pills, b) stresses the importance of exercise over dieting, c) does not write about trendy diets or fitness fads, and d) is about wellness of body through natural means, not just looking good?

try http://www.thefatdoctor.com - I actually went to this guy for a while, and lost about 45 pounds in about 4 months. His regimen back then was basically a well- rounded diet that included high protein. I don’t know how things have changed lately; he follows the medical research pretty closely.

Check out T-Tapp. This is an amazing exercise program. You can lose inches and weight w/out necessarily changing your eating habits. It focuses on building muscles that in turn burn the calories so that you can lose the weight.

If you go to the site, check out the forum!
Especially this thread.

I recommend you look for information from websites rather than specific programs. You don’t have to buy into one trainer’s philosophies and methods in order to accomplish your weight loss/fitness goals. You’re much better off learning what you can and then tailor-making your own exercise plan and diet changes.

Try about.com’s exercise topics index page. Also, do a search for exercise and diet threads in GQ. You’ll find a lot of good info there.

Ideally, your get-in-shape plans should be a balance of exercise and better eating. And keep in mind that if you want lasting results, you can’t just stop dieting or exercising. The changes you make need to be small, gradual, and permanent.

Thanks for your advice, guys. I found a great six-week beginning runner’s training program that I’m really excited about. Now, if I could only get my roommate to stop buying those damn Zebra Cakes - ah, so tempting.