Going for broke (healthy eating thread)

[culturejam]

Somehow, I missed this thread.

I've been doing keto for a year. Lost about 30 pounds, and now I 'm mostly in "maintenance mode" for the time being, but I do want to do another push for loss of about another 10-15 pounds.

It's been far easier for me than I thought it would be. I'm rarely hungry, which is clutch for any sort of dietary change. My biggest challenge is blowing past the daily calorie goal with alcohol.

[peAk]

Somehow, I missed this thread.

I've been doing keto for a year. Lost about 30 pounds, and now I 'm mostly in "maintenance mode" for the time being, but I do want to do another push for loss of about another 10-15 pounds.

It's been far easier for me than I thought it would be. I'm rarely hungry, which is clutch for any sort of dietary change. My biggest challenge is blowing past the daily calorie goal with alcohol.

It's amazing how removing the sugars actually makes you not hungry. It's something that's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it.

[culturejam]

It's amazing how removing the sugars actually makes you not hungry. It's something that's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it.

Agreed. I think it's the fact that I'm eating protein- and fat-dense foods, which are very filling for a long period of time. Protein and fat take a while to process, while carbs/sugar have very quick metabolism times and then get stored as fat if not needed in the moment.

If I truly ate just for max efficiency (with no consideration for enjoyment), I could probably feel satisfied with about 1000-1200 calories a day at my current level of physical activity. Doesn't sound like much, but when it's 95% fat/protein, it's very filling.

[TNblueshawk]

Disclaimer: All the below opinions are my own based on my own experiences 

Good on you Brian. Since about 2000 I've been doing the diet 16 weeks thing to take off what I slowly gain over the course of year. I always take off between 20-35 lbs each the latter of which was just too much as in I shouldn't have gained that much nor is it good to lose that much every year. There is not a feeling I've not experienced in doing this over the years. The plateau thing is always present and never goes away but try not to let it get you down. If you keep at it you can always push through it until the next plateau. Rinse and repeat. There will be a point however that when you get your body fat down to a certain point then it becomes a grind, if you want to lose weight. The rubber really meets the road then and I'm talking about bringing in the 6 pack or at least bringing in the 2 pack or if not the 2 pack, to where your gut doesn't nudge over the belt. My problem always come with maintenance though which is why I slowly creep up. My problem is I'm an all or nothing guy so if I'm not actually dieting I tend to let it go and since I love beer and pizza it doesn't go well.

I'd like to comment on exercise versus diet. I'm not sure how old you are Brian, but prior to when you turn 40 a lot of what you eat you can burn off with exercise. I'm here to tell you that around 40 that ratio begins to change. And when you hit 50 all bets are off. I'm 55. I believe that short of running marathons, or at least training like you are, that diet is 90% of the weight loss and exercise is 10% for anyone over their mid 40's roughly. Obviously I'm generalizing but I know several people this holds true for. I've lost weight doing zero cardio exercise (injury related) but I've never lost weight not keeping a diet tight. The other problem with exercise over 50 is the injuries start to mount. The minor crap one got in their 20's and 30's has now resurfaced and it won't go away. This says nothing about the new injuries you get in your 40's and 50's that don't go away or if they do they show up again real quick. At some point and there is just no way around it, it becomes about the diet and how strict you can stand to be from week to week.

The fad diets I hate. I don't pay any attention to them. The regimen I've always used is more along the lines of how body builders train for competition (since the 60's really), minus the crazy stuff the last month before said competition and of course minus the steriods    Don't under estimate what these guys know when it comes to losing weight as they have it down, if you happen to know any. Try to look past the "meatheadedness" and glean the knowledge they have on this subject of diet and losing weight. Having said all that it's funny how all the diets come back to controlling carbs (anyone heard of Atkins?).

Oh yeah, sugar is bad. I eat the hell out of it unless you tell me Skittles are not sugar  First 2 things I cut out when I begin a diet. Refined sugar and alcohol. I'm not sure which is harder. I do my cheat meal Sat night. It gets me through the week looking forward to it.

Oh, and this carnivore loves meat and I am unapologetic. I believe the human body is designed for it. But shoot, it doesn't bother me what someone eats one way or the other. More power to you if you feel healthy, you love the taste of tofu 'burgers' and or keep a healthy weight etc... Do whatever makes you feel good.

[peAk]

Giving up alcohol is the hardest for me.

I have narrowed it down to a glass or two of dry red wine or a few Michelob Ultras (water, basically)

[TNblueshawk]

Giving up alcohol is the hardest for me.

I have narrowed it down to a glass or two of dry red wine or a few Michelob Ultras (water, basically)

The best way I do it really is having this Sat night cheat night thing. Surprisingly, I can make it the other days once I get into it but without my Sat night man it would be a total grind.

The times I crave a few beers the most is sitting down and playing for an hour or two. I sound so much better too 

[peAk]

Giving up alcohol is the hardest for me.

I have narrowed it down to a glass or two of dry red wine or a few Michelob Ultras (water, basically)

The best way I do it really is having this Sat night cheat night thing. Surprisingly, I can make it the other days once I get into it but without my Sat night man it would be a total grind.

The times I crave a few beers the most is sitting down and playing for an hour or two. I sound so much better too 

I think this is the best way to do it. I just am trying not to have any cheat meals until I reach closer to my goal weight. While I realize Keto/Atkins are basically "fad" type diets, I think they are really the best way to go. Cut out all the refined sugars, breads, rice, flour, etc. Just eat meat, vegetables, some fruit and nuts. Isnt that what all mammals eat?

 

[TNblueshawk]

Giving up alcohol is the hardest for me.

I have narrowed it down to a glass or two of dry red wine or a few Michelob Ultras (water, basically)

The best way I do it really is having this Sat night cheat night thing. Surprisingly, I can make it the other days once I get into it but without my Sat night man it would be a total grind.

The times I crave a few beers the most is sitting down and playing for an hour or two. I sound so much better too 

I think this is the best way to do it. I just am trying not to have any cheat meals until I reach closer to my goal weight. While I realize Keto/Atkins are basically "fad" type diets, I think they are really the best way to go. Cut out all the refined sugars, breads, rice, flour, etc. Just eat meat, vegetables, some fruit and nuts. Isnt that what all mammals eat?

I agree totally. By fad I really meant they seem to repackage and recycle what essentially is the Atkins concept with respect to little carbs and or low glycemic carbs with a tweak here or there. It's a money maker to be sure.  Funny, it's all really math at the end of the day. There is a formula by which we store fat. We store the fat most efficiently through carb intake. Protein just doesn't covert over very well to body fat. The other math part is no matter how one looks at it, in order to lose weight when it's all said and done, each day you must burn more calories than you take in. How one does that is all good to me, within reason. There are bad ways to do it. My mom used to starve herself to death. i suppose that will work but holy moly is that a stress on the body. i'm sure her organs were screaming.

Sorry for the slight derail Brian. But, we are at least talking losing weight.

[stevie1556]

I'll admit, I haven't read all of the thread yet, but a massive congratulations to anyone trying to lose weight and managing to lose some no matter how much you've lost.

I saw some posts about the vegan diet and I work with a few people that are vegan, and many that have tried it. Some of the people that tried it got quite ill on it as they weren't getting the right nutrients on it. I'm not saying it's a bad diet, but someone needs to do research on it to make sure they are eating enough of the right foods, which is the same for all diets IMO. For me personally, I couldn't do it, however, I have cut down on the amount of meat in my diet and try to have 2 vegetarian days a week.

I have found that exercise and eat what you want, when you want, but in moderation works well for me. Several years ago I had to have a knee operation and lose weight and build up my leg muscles. I'm 6'3" (192cm) and weighed nearly 120kg. I lost a lost of weight by eating more while reducing how much saturated fat and sugar I was eating, plus cycling. I now seem to hover around 95kg and want to lose some more, my problem is that I'm picking on food all day. If I go into the kitchen, I'll get something to nibble on from the fridge or the cupboard and that's my downfall. Would love to get closer to 85kg and this thread in giving me inspiration to do it!

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