Rice and tiredness

[Thanatos]

I used to eat two whole plates of white rice. Reduced it to just one (or a little under), and in a few months lost an awful lot of midsection fat. But I must admit I feel soooooo tired by this reduced intake of rice. One day I eat two plates and the whole day I felt good - no tiredness at all.

But if I do this again and again, I'll gain all the lost weight. What am I to do?:( I can't reduce other foods cuz they're minimum anyway. So is the only option more rigorous exercise?

[IWantToLearn]

I think your tiredness is related to the total amount of calories and your fat reduction to the high glicemic index of the rice, you try replacing a part of the white rice for a low or moderate GI carb food like garbanzo beans, lentils, green peas, etc.

[Ceallach_the_Witch]

I can only echo what IWantToLearn says, it's a good idea in all respects to vary what you're eating and it's an especially good idea to eat foods that release energy more slowly over a longer period and such.

[Tenka]

Is your aim to have a flawlessly sculpted figure without any clothes on? That seems to be your aim. As it stands, you are thinner than me, and I don't think about losing weight or anything. Would probably get fat if I had access to more food. Maybe I am psychologically fat and forever will be regardless of my outward appearance; fat-minded. I can't understand someone so dedicated to fitness.

[Red Economist]

Would strongly recommend varying your diet as whilst you might get the 'macronutrients' from rice (Carbohydrates, Protiens, Fats) you'll miss out on the Micronutrients (minerals, vitamins etc). You need both- irrespective of calories intake. The more varied your diet is, the better! Unfortunately, it is not as simple as 'eat less, loose weight' as the body tries to balance it out. [beyond that don't know]
Crash dieting doesn't work and puts alot of stress on your body which is probably why your tired; as a rule of thumb it's best to change certain parts of your diet slowly over-time (and to enjoy your food! if you don't enjoy you food you won't keep to it!). it won't get 'instant results', but once you get there- it will pretty much stay that way. Unfortunately our consumerist society judges people as commodities, so body-image matters irrespective of it's health consequences.

[I had the option of doing a small module on human nutrition for my degree (as I am a little overweight and body conscious myself and need to eat more fruit/exercise more). it wasn't much but this much I remember].

[Slavic]

Is your aim to have a flawlessly sculpted figure without any clothes on? That seems to be your aim. As it stands, you are thinner than me, and I don't think about losing weight or anything. Would probably get fat if I had access to more food. Maybe I am psychologically fat and forever will be regardless of my outward appearance; fat-minded. I can't understand someone so dedicated to fitness.

Agreed, you are not fat-minded I beleive OP has a body image issue and an eating disorder.

@Thantos

You've posted threads before about your "fat" around your midsection and your dieting, I'm concerned that you might have a warped body image and maybe an eating disorder. You posted your weight and height previously and I think it was somewhere along the lines of 135lbs. 6' 1", you can correct me if I am wrong, but that BMI is severely underweight.

You feel tired and lethargic because you are in a sense starving yourself. You are not getting enough calories to sustain your body's needs so your body is literally eating itself. That tiredness may be caused from your body cannibalizing proteins to produce energy that you are not getting from your diet.

[PhoenixAsh]

Have you substituted your rice intake by fruits?

[Ceallach_the_Witch]

wow yeah i took the liberty of looking through your past posts and you cited 5'11 and 140lb as your stats, that's certainly not fat, afaik its at the lower end of "normal"

like i said before and other people in the thread have said, you really should try eating other foods in a more balanced diet and i suppose you could try excercises for toning your muscles or whatever

[Thanatos]

wow yeah i took the liberty of looking through your past posts and you cited 5'11 and 140lb as your stats, that's certainly not fat, afaik its at the lower end of "normal"

like i said before and other people in the thread have said, you really should try eating other foods in a more balanced diet and i suppose you could try excercises for toning your muscles or whatever

The thing is, I had midsection fat last year - it was so ugly and annoying I was determined to get rid of it at all costs. But when I did, I realized I had lost weight in other areas as well - it is impossible to lose from one area alone. So now after losing this fat, I feel I am underweight. And tired. So I am trying to put on weight again, but I am also exercising so that the weight will not again lead to midsection fat. Sorry, slavic, for mentioning my midsection fat again.:p

[Thanatos]

Have you substituted your rice intake by fruits?

As an Indian, it is my habit to eat rice in the afternoon with green veggies. Orange (or pineapple) in the evening. What I did was to reduce two plates of rice to one, and increase green veggies from one cup to two.

This makes me tired, but today after eating two plates of rice I feel good. For some reason, more rice makes me feel energetic. It is strange but true.

[Os Cangaceiros]

White rice shoots blood sugar sky-high. Pure simple carbs, pretty much.

[Quail]

Perhaps swapping some of the rice for wholegrain would help?

About fat on your stomach... It will never go. There will pretty much always be a little bit of fat on your stomach no matter how much you diet/exercise. At some point or other you will have to make peace with that or you will always hate yourself.