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Originally Posted by R Grubba Balls
^ agree
stick to the simple stuff everyone knows: exercise, eat well, and eat less overall. when you're going for 5% body fat then you can get really technical and fancy with nutrition. for nearly everyone else, stick to the basics.
and the thing about eating less, your body gets used to it pretty quickly. this coming from a guy who basically scarfed 2 big macs at a time when he was 10. i'll pretty much eat whatever's in front of me. i've been dieting all year, and what works is when you set a portion before you start eating, eat it, and be done.
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Exactly, in fact, I could argue that worrying about the minutia too much can actually hurt you.
Case in point- A family member of mine has been over weight her entire life. However, she is the weight-loss “guru.” She has read every Jillian Michaels and Atkins book out there. To this day, she still tries to give me advice on my dieting/exercise even after I’ve lost 50 lbs and she’s stayed the same. In fact, she’s read so much that she has actually convinced herself that she can’t lose weight and has a thyroid issue. This is a person who never exercises, has a pantry full of junk food, and wonders why she can’t lose weight.
My father (the two are blood related) is the complete opposite. My grandfather died about 4 years ago from emphysema. He decided that he wanted to live long enough to become a grandfather and one day got off the couch and walked up the street and back (about 2 miles). Eventually, he started jogging and those 2 miles turned into 4, then 6, then 10, and about a month ago he ran his first marathon at 52 years old. Last year he ran over 1500 miles and I think this year he’s on pace to break 2000. This is a man who drinks a beer or two a day, eats whatever he wants, and “dieting” is not in his vocabulary. I’m damn proud of him so forgive me for the boring story.
My point is this: look at farmers, ranchers, or oil men that are actually doing hard physical labor. Many of them eat whatever they want, probably drink 6 beers a day, but they’re in damn good shape. You don’t have to consume yourself with maintaining a perfect diet. You need to consume yourself with maintaining an active lifestyle, using moderation with food intake, and eating as healthy as you can. Sure, a strict diet is the best, but if it were that easy to do, you wouldn’t have gained all that weight in the first place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 954Stealth
I agree with that. Simply create a calorie deficit, move around each day and drink water.
Overcomplicating things will overwhelm most people and make a plan much harder to stick with
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Again, very true. Here are a few things I used to do that helped me enjoy my life, satisfy cravings, but stay on track with my weight loss goals:
Drinking
-Crystal Light and Vodka- When I’d go to a bar, I’d order a vodka/water on the rocks. I’d bring some of the individual crystal light packets and put them in my drinks. It makes for a decent tasting drink, but with no extra calories.
-Drinks with minimal calories- Scotch, Whiskey, Vodka, Tequila, and Rum are all very low in calories. If it’s good stuff you can drink it straight (I prefer scotch). If it’s crappy stuff you can throw in some diet soda or zero-calorie flavoring. Bloody Mary’s can also be very low in calories and they’ll fill you up too.
-Things not to drink- liqueurs such as Baileys are high in calories. Avoid margaritas, sugary mixers, or anything with extra calories.
When you have a craving for sweets
-Healthy Milkshake- I’d put a scoop of protein powder (ON Chocolate Mint is amazing), 8 ounces of milk, a bit of splenda, and some ice in a blender. It makes for a full sized milk shake that tastes very good but has about 300 calories (the majority of them from protein)
-Healthy candy bars- Mix some protein powder with oats and a bit of milk (enough to give it a peanut butter consistency). Stir it all up and separate them into cupcake sized portions. Then put them in the freezer. If you keep your freezer at a low setting they’ll come out like a frozen candy bar. Again, a very healthy snack that has no empty calories.
-Cereal- I used to LOVE Lucky Charms. I’d buy a 5 pound bag every few weeks. 2 cups of cereal and a minimal amount of milk will satisfy your sweet tooth. Even lucky charms only have about 120 calories per serving. 2 cups with milk is around 300-350 calories
When you’re hungry as hell and your stomach feels empty
-Broccoli and chicken- My dad always jokes that I should have wrote a book about my “Broccoli and Chicken Diet.” I’d eat about 5 pounds of chicken and 3 pounds of broccoli a week. Those are two foods that will fill you up fast, are very cheap, and you can eat as much as you want of them without worrying about gaining weight.
-Any lean protein or green veggies are things you can eat as much as you want and not have to worry about it turning into fat. Protein has a natural tendency to fill you up faster and it is extremely hard for your body to convert it into fat.
Other little things I did:
-Swap out mayo and salad dressings for mustard. I would mix Dijon mustard with tobasco sauce as a salad dressing. It actually doesn’t taste that bad
-Swap out Sugar with Splenda
-Use non-stick cooking spray or extra-virgin olive oil to cook with
-Invest in a variety of different spices and seasonings (give your food more flavor)
-Buy a food scale or at least some measuring cups (they help until you learn to eyeball what a portion looks like)
-Buy Sara Lee 45 calorie bread- If you like sandwiches as much as I do