How is my diet?

[66-30-33]

I just started getting into eating better, working at it slowly but COMPLETLY cut so much of the garbage out I used to eat. Here is what I would be eating now for example....

Breakfast fruitloops, 2% milk and 1 cup of coffee, maybe a few eggs on a slice of rye bread instead of cereal.

Snack a little fruit.

Lunch would be a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, tomato, tuna.

Dinner would be Kale Salad with chicken breast all cut up and MAYBE some tuna added or sweet tai tuna. Or I would eat some salmon.

Oh and I stopped drinking pop 2+ months ago and only drink water now. Try drinking atleast 3L a day plus 1-2 water bottles. Like I said, i'm trying to figure this out slowly and seeing what I like/don't like. I really don't wanna be like my 400 pound father...i'm 32 years old 219 pounds (fat) and 5'10 atm and exercise until i'm soaked 6 days a week.

Thinking of adding a few things slowly like more types of fruit although I hear you're not supposed to eat much. Rice, beans, frozen mix vegs, bars, nuts, protein shake of some sort. I don't wanna count cals, more just eyeball it.

Click to read more...

 

[FLYLine27*]

I just started getting into eating better, working at it slowly but COMPLETLY cut so much of the garbage out I used to eat. Here is what I would be eating now for example....

Breakfast fruitloops, 2% milk and 1 cup of coffee, maybe a few eggs on a slice of rye bread instead of cereal.

Snack a little fruit.

Lunch would be a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, tomato, tuna.

Dinner would be Kale Salad with chicken breast all cut up and MAYBE some tuna added or sweet tai tuna. Or I would eat some salmon.

Oh and I stopped drinking pop 2+ months ago and only drink water now. Try drinking atleast 3L a day plus 1-2 water bottles. Like I said, i'm trying to figure this out slowly and seeing what I like/don't like. I really don't wanna be like my 400 pound father...i'm 32 years old 219 pounds (fat) and 5'10 atm and exercise until i'm soaked 6 days a week.

Thinking of adding a few things slowly like more types of fruit although I hear you're not supposed to eat much. Rice, beans, frozen mix vegs, bars, nuts, protein shake of some sort. I don't wanna count cals, more just eyeball it.

Seems like a good start and you will definitely see results. Maybe get rid of the fruit loops and replace it with something else, but if you are just starting out, and are at 210, then that's a good start. Add some veggies in there too.

 

[66-30-33]

Seems like a good start and you will definitely see results. Maybe get rid of the fruit loops and replace it with something else, but if you are just starting out, and are at 210, then that's a good start. Add some veggies in there too.

I'm also thinking of buying mini carrots, perhaps some sweet potato? I love kale salad because it helps with the poops. What type of cereal should I get instead?

 

[KaseMeOutside]

find an app to log all your food intake, trust me just do it. don't guess on anything, try loseit or something similar

also keep a log of all your workouts, even just walking that way you can kind of have a baseline for how many calories you can eat a day(based on your goals)

ditch the sugary cereal and try oatmeal with fruit and personally i am not a fan of dairy beyond some cheese but that's just me

 

[kanuck87]

If you can ditch the fruit loops ( and all cereal in general), you should. A small bowl of cereal with 2% milk is just about equivalent to a pretty big plate of 3 eggs, ham and pan-fried potatoes (cutting out the oil) in calories. That'll make you a lot more fuller than cereal will. Oatmeal also works too if you're looking for something easier and quicker to make.

Otherwise, you're doing pretty well in terms of what you're eating in order to lose weight.

 

[kanuck87]

Also, if you're looking for some more variety in the food that you eat, I suggest trying yam noodles. These are the sole reason I was able to lose 25 pounds earlier in the year and have been able to keep the weight off. They have almost no calories in them so I just eat a big pack of them with vegetables, chicken and sauce and you have yourself a massive meal that consists of only around 200-250 calories (depending on how much vegetables, meat and sauce you use).

When I was on a diet, I ate these virtually everyday. Now I eat them two nights a week and it's been great to help me keep my weight in check.

 

[Havre]

As others have mentioned fruit loops is not all that useful. That said I don't think you got a problem losing weight with that diet - seems healthy enough. More about portion control for you. I usually lose weight when I'm on vacation - and then I will eat and drink whatever I want, but because I eat out more often etc. the portions are generally smaller and I still lose weight.

Just be aware if you exercise then cutting too much just means you lose energy which means you will not manage to train as hard which again means less calories burned. Most people aren't able to cut their food that much anyway, but I have seen it happen. Some after they start cutting it almost becomes obsessive at a point. Nothing to be afraid of, but certainly something to be aware of.

 

[Ozz]

Input coming from an ex-competitive bodybuilder/powerlifter, so take it with a grain of low-sodium salt alternative. My experience comes from attempting the BEST possible efforts to obtain the BEST possible results:




If you want to "eyeball" food and not pay much attention to what you eat, you need to either:

a) get a GREAT understanding of your body's requirements for your goals, which will NOT come from half-assing your nutrition (i.e., pay your dues first and then curb your efforts back to half-ass it and still expect success)

b) not expect great results (of course, this is subjective, so if you want to lose a few pounds it could still be fine...though it could always be better)

c) have superior genetics that let you get away with 'whatever', coupled with goals that they will allow you obtain them


You'll read it time and time again from those who know, but there's simple no way to fool your body regarding the science of what it takes to build muscle/lose fat/etc. The only ones who say otherwise will fall mostly into one of the above categories I came up with off the top of my head.

Yes you can progress without going full-bore into planning your nutrition, but there will be a wall and you will hit it HARD. After that comes lack of progress and soon enough comes regression. I could tell you stories for days about my competition days, men and women I coached both in the gym and with their nutrition, men with insane genetics who I trained but did their own nutrition thing (because it's easier) and hit the wall I mentioned, etc.

I don't want and don't think it should get into such a highly detailed topic here, but the long and short of it it "there is no long-term shortcut". Sure shortcuts might work in the short-term, but it will not last forever and if you even reach your goals you'll be back to square 1 soon enough. Best to cut the problem off at its head. Spend a little time learning some basic nutrition and it'll treat you to advanced results over time. Seriously, I'm not even trying to preach anything here, but a little bit of trial & error to find how your body reacts to certain things will allow you be able to take it easy by eyeballing things later on. You'll know what 8oz. of lean meat feels like, you'll know whether or not your body can burn fat on 400g carbs per day or on certain days of the week (you'd be amazed), you'll know how to build a meal plan on the fly and how much will add up to 2500, 3000, or 3500 calories. You'll remember how many calories are in a specific meal you come up with, and know that you can get an easy X amount of calories by eating a certain amount of, say, steak, sweet potatoes, and cottage cheese w/fruit. All great foods, btw.

Lastly, smh @ Fruit Loops. Come on, get serious. Grab 2 bananas for breakfast and that alone will be immeasurably better for you. If you're stuck on cereal for some reason, get some whole grain Cheerios or something. Or, and this should be deathly obvious, some oatmeal (not sure sugary packet kind, although for the majority of people I dare wager this would still be a huge improvement)! Without a doubt that is the #1 pick you will see from anyone who knows anything about nutrition for weight loss or weight gain. Despite tasting worse than cardboard (there are plenty of ways to spice it up, don't worry), the plain oats in a giant cylinder container are nearly magical. As far as the sugary stuff goes, that's fake crap but you still get SOME oats in there. Not ideal, but again better than nothing unless your body can't survive the sugar. SOme can get away with it, others can't. Chances are, needing to lose weight, you will find trouble doing so. One last tip: the better your nutritional efforts are, the more leniency you can get away with and still see progress. I have an ex-lifter-friend-turned-training-guru whose entire program and coaching philosophy is based off of this, and he routinely guides experienced competitors, people who know their stuff, to better heights with it.

 

[Havre]

Input coming from an ex-competitive bodybuilder/powerlifter, so take it with a grain of low-sodium salt alternative. My experience comes from attempting the BEST possible efforts to obtain the BEST possible results:

If you want to "eyeball" food and not pay much attention to what you eat, you need to either:

a) get a GREAT understanding of your body's requirements for your goals, which will NOT come from half-assing your nutrition (i.e., pay your dues first and then curb your efforts back to half-ass it and still expect success)

b) not expect great results (of course, this is subjective, so if you want to lose a few pounds it could still be fine...though it could always be better)

c) have superior genetics that let you get away with 'whatever', coupled with goals that they will allow you obtain them


You'll read it time and time again from those who know, but there's simple no way to fool your body regarding the science of what it takes to build muscle/lose fat/etc. The only ones who say otherwise will fall mostly into one of the above categories I came up with off the top of my head.

Yes you can progress without going full-bore into planning your nutrition, but there will be a wall and you will hit it HARD. After that comes lack of progress and soon enough comes regression. I could tell you stories for days about my competition days, men and women I coached both in the gym and with their nutrition, men with insane genetics who I trained but did their own nutrition thing (because it's easier) and hit the wall I mentioned, etc.

I don't want and don't think it should get into such a highly detailed topic here, but the long and short of it it "there is no long-term shortcut". Sure shortcuts might work in the short-term, but it will not last forever and if you even reach your goals you'll be back to square 1 soon enough. Best to cut the problem off at its head. Spend a little time learning some basic nutrition and it'll treat you to advanced results over time. Seriously, I'm not even trying to preach anything here, but a little bit of trial & error to find how your body reacts to certain things will allow you be able to take it easy by eyeballing things later on. You'll know what 8oz. of lean meat feels like, you'll know whether or not your body can burn fat on 400g carbs per day or on certain days of the week (you'd be amazed), you'll know how to build a meal plan on the fly and how much will add up to 2500, 3000, or 3500 calories. You'll remember how many calories are in a specific meal you come up with, and know that you can get an easy X amount of calories by eating a certain amount of, say, steak, sweet potatoes, and cottage cheese w/fruit. All great foods, btw.

Lastly, smh @ Fruit Loops. Come on, get serious. Grab 2 bananas for breakfast and that alone will be immeasurably better for you. If you're stuck on cereal for some reason, get some whole grain Cheerios or something. Or, and this should be deathly obvious, some oatmeal (not sure sugary packet kind, although for the majority of people I dare wager this would still be a huge improvement)! Without a doubt that is the #1 pick you will see from anyone who knows anything about nutrition for weight loss or weight gain. Despite tasting worse than cardboard (there are plenty of ways to spice it up, don't worry), the plain oats in a giant cylinder container are nearly magical. As far as the sugary stuff goes, that's fake crap but you still get SOME oats in there. Not ideal, but again better than nothing unless your body can't survive the sugar. SOme can get away with it, others can't. Chances are, needing to lose weight, you will find trouble doing so. One last tip: the better your nutritional efforts are, the more leniency you can get away with and still see progress. I have an ex-lifter-friend-turned-training-guru whose entire program and coaching philosophy is based off of this, and he routinely guides experienced competitors, people who know their stuff, to better heights with it.

I have no idea what the objective of the OP is, but if it is to try to live a normal life with a body fat % from 15-20 (assuming you are male) I would disregard all this and especially the bold parts. That is perfectly achievable without hitting any walls hard etc.

If not, if the objective is to build muscle and get down to sub 7% body fat - then sure.

 

[Ozz]

I have no idea what the objective of the OP is, but if it is to try to live a normal life with a body fat % from 15-20 (assuming you are male) I would disregard all this and especially the bold parts. That is perfectly achievable without hitting anything hard etc.

If not, if the objective is to build muscle and get down to sub 7% body fat - then sure.

That is a fair point - if the OP is heavily overweight and wants to drop some, simple changes will be OK. However, there still comes that time where the wall will be hit while "not really trying". Think of folks on Weight Watchers and the like, "beginner gains" always disappear.

No matter what the case, though, the best ammo will always produce the best damage. Any extra bit of attention one can put into their nutrition, it will pay off that much more. Nothing is necessary, no, but the better effort you give the more you'll get out of it. Who wants to spend MORE time losing fat? That stuff sucks. Hit it w/all you've got and get back to normal, I say.

There's no need to act like it's really hard to do either, after a few weeks of getting into the swing of things, it becomes second nature. What's wrong with wanting a healthier lifestyle? I for one LOVE having a set eating schedule rather than worry what I'm going to have one day to the next. That's not say of course that I don't say F it and eat whatever/whenever, I surely do especially since I play so much hockey and my schedule gets crazy/inconsistent, but generally I love it. It's like a machine, just keep going and I know how I can change my body whichever way I want.

Off the top of my head, here's a solid meal plan for anybody. Adjust according to your needs/goals:

1: oats/eggs/grapefruit or banana
2: lean meat/rice/veggies or a meal replacement shake
3: same
4/5: post workout meal or shake, perhaps with some simple carbs as a follow-up
5/6: cottage cheese and perhaps some natural peanut butter as an EFA pre-sleep filler

If you need another meal, replicate one. If you like supplements, add another meal replacement shake.


Doesn't really involve much effort there, cooking the meats ahead of time means just weighing it out (or grab a decent amount), bags of steamable minute rice & veggies are a Godsend for those on the go, etc. One will spend more time running to a drive-thru than prepping these in the morning, much more if you take half an hour to source your meals for the week over the weekend.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

I think oatmeal tastes pretty good, i go to the store and buy a bag of frozen fruit, i heat it and throw it in gives it a little flavor. I also recently tried adding a teaspoon of honey and that helps too.

most of us are not trying to be bodybuilders or anything, it all comes down to good habits, if you are consistently good with them you will see results but don't just look at the scale you WILL fluctuate but that's OK. Just direct your focus on doing the right things.

that's why i really recommend using a food journal at the very least, in today's world it's easy as **** and you can get a good general estimate of your calorie intake

Also I've been trying to keep my food intake within in 8 hour window, for most people that is hard because of work and their daily lives but it's worked so far.

I would like OZZY opinion on what vitamins we should be taking in the morning. not for bodybuilding just for general good health, and maybe something to attack lactic acid?

 

[66-30-33]

Thanks guys, i'll definatly be looking at what you guys said. Just eating my lunch now which is a whole wheat wrap with lots of lettuce, 1 whole sliced tomato, 1 small can of spicy tai chili tuna and 1.5L of water to go with it from my brita. For a snack I had 1 pint of raspberries and a half pint of black berries. I'm looking to get rid of my belly but I also want to have a nice 6 pack.

 

[Ozz]

That lunch is great. Tuna is such a great value option. I'd recommend checking out a BMR calculator to get an idea of the calorie intake you can benefit from. At the end of the day, if you eat too many calories you will be holding yourself back. If you eat too little, it won't speed up weight loss either. Just to have an idea of whether you should be closer to 2000 vs. 3000 ories per day, then just eat enough throughout your day to get around it. Doesn't have to be exact or precise, but you don't want to eat 1000 less than you should or definitely not 1000 more than you need to

To keep things simple and not overload yourself, set a standard (like you have), give it a few weeks, and see how it goes. No matter what the situation, there are always large and small tweaks that can be made to help. Getting the visible six pack of abs is, for most, a tough endeavor requiring serious dieting (not "going on a diet", but planning their nutrition game), but if you want to hold off on getting too deep into it just keep going until you see results cease.

If you get nowhere in 2-3 weeks, time to change. And just to be safe, mind you that 2-3 weeks isn't a timeframe for getting ripped, but seeing noticeable in-the-mirror progress. Of course, this is a general statement unless you're teetering on the brink of your goals, though I'm sure that's not the case or you wouldn't be putting up questions

 

[Ozz]

I think oatmeal tastes pretty good, i go to the store and buy a bag of frozen fruit, i heat it and throw it in gives it a little flavor. I also recently tried adding a teaspoon of honey and that helps too.

most of us are not trying to be bodybuilders or anything, it all comes down to good habits, if you are consistently good with them you will see results but don't just look at the scale you WILL fluctuate but that's OK. Just direct your focus on doing the right things.

that's why i really recommend using a food journal at the very least, in today's world it's easy as **** and you can get a good general estimate of your calorie intake

Also I've been trying to keep my food intake within in 8 hour window, for most people that is hard because of work and their daily lives but it's worked so far.

I would like OZZY opinion on what vitamins we should be taking in the morning. not for bodybuilding just for general good health, and maybe something to attack lactic acid?

My wife mixes protein powder & cinnamon into hers, but that only barely helps it for me. I take the easy way out: a shake mixed up of 1 cup oats, 2 TBSP natural peanut butter, 2 scoops of protein powder, water for preferred consistency. You can add some fruit to it, use milk, or whatever else too. Killer breakfast shake, easy to get down, and is 1/3 or more of most people's daily calorie requirements. I used to have 2.5 of those per day when I was bulking up hard, in addition to 4 other full meals. It was the only way I could eat nearly enough. I'm an ex-stringbean so I had to really pound the food endlessly.

Many people see success whether it's splitting meals up into 10 smaller ones, 5 large ones, or 3 giant ones. I can't argue the science of either but many do and some say each is as good as the next. Seems to work for many, if not most, so I'll stick with that and offer folks to give it a fair shot to see how it works. Some can't tolerate eating SO much in one sitting though, so it stands to reason 3 giant meals would be bad for them.

I didn't mean to insinuate he should eat like a bodybuilder, but just that utilizing some top-level tricks that BBers use will expedite his results. Surely somewhere in the middle is a great compromise of attention vs. benefits. You reap what you sow, as they say.

I agree, ABSOLUTELY do not worry about fluctuating weight, and do realize you might find you look best when you weigh the most throughout the day. The body is very funny like that. One friend of mine, big dude never in shape, finally started taking my tips after knowing me for many years. He was able to get from 240ish to 170 but was way more extreme in his dieting than lifting. Finally he started lifting regularly and shot up to 180-185, stopped paying much attention and is creeping back towards 200 again. But I digress, he used to keep texting me saying how he looked better at 180 than 175, abs were showing more, etc. I notice myself at night, after a workout or not, my obliques always cut deeper and etch the perimeter of my abs more prominently. I don't keep myself in six-pack shape, but if I flex them you can see them pretty good. Morning and middle of the day? Not so much, but at the end of the night it's always there. Go figure. I don't weigh myself either so I have no clue what I weigh early vs. late, but if it is like it used to be, I expect a good 5-8lbs. difference.


For vitamins, a multi- ought to be enough. EFAs aren't bad either, though if you eat fish daily you'll be all set. I don't think any special/fancy/expensive option is necessary either, but there are plenty out there that have a little extra for men who are very active weights-wise. I can't for the life of me think of one at the moment but if you want me to I'll look some up. ZMA is a good one that helps promote quality sleep, I've had success with it before. I personally believe it is best being cycled on and off, though most might not say so. I feel you get used to it and it loses its effectiveness, like anything will. It's claimed to help promote muscle recovery & growth too, but I tend to look at things in a "Come on, be serious" manner and expect the minimum. When I used it, it was for sleep. It did the trick. Anything else isn't able to be confirmed and is just icing on the cake anyway. Then again, I don't even care for Glutamine or Creatine and contest that I have had just as good of gains by eating more/less or tweaking my protein/carb/fat ratios. But alas, ZMA is cheap and it's just Zinc, Magnesium, and B6 IIRC.

 

[66-30-33]

That lunch is great. Tuna is such a great value option. I'd recommend checking out a BMR calculator to get an idea of the calorie intake you can benefit from. At the end of the day, if you eat too many calories you will be holding yourself back. If you eat too little, it won't speed up weight loss either. Just to have an idea of whether you should be closer to 2000 vs. 3000 ories per day, then just eat enough throughout your day to get around it. Doesn't have to be exact or precise, but you don't want to eat 1000 less than you should or definitely not 1000 more than you need to

To keep things simple and not overload yourself, set a standard (like you have), give it a few weeks, and see how it goes. No matter what the situation, there are always large and small tweaks that can be made to help. Getting the visible six pack of abs is, for most, a tough endeavor requiring serious dieting (not "going on a diet", but planning their nutrition game), but if you want to hold off on getting too deep into it just keep going until you see results cease.

If you get nowhere in 2-3 weeks, time to change. And just to be safe, mind you that 2-3 weeks isn't a timeframe for getting ripped, but seeing noticeable in-the-mirror progress. Of course, this is a general statement unless you're teetering on the brink of your goals, though I'm sure that's not the case or you wouldn't be putting up questions

When I did Insanity a few years ago I lost 50 pounds in 2 months (gained it all back too ugh) following a 3000 cal meal plan. I should probably aim for around 2500. of course when people look at me when I tell them my weight they don't believe it, apparently I look heavier then I weigh.

 

[Ozz]

When I did Insanity a few years ago I lost 50 pounds in 2 months (gained it all back too ugh) following a 3000 cal meal plan. I should probably aim for around 2500. of course when people look at me when I tell them my weight they don't believe it, apparently I look heavier then I weigh.

Everyone carries it differently (and has a varying frame on which to carry it), so we often look different than others at the same weight and height. Sometimes completely night & day! Keep track of the mirror and go by that, if you get to where you want to be while weighing more than you expected... oh well! Unless you have a bet to reach a certain weight range, or make weight for a competition or something, a scale is really best to just track that you are continuously losing or gaining, not necessarily that it reaches one's target weight.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

I've watched some jay cutler videos and it is INSANE how much weight that guy will lose overnight, I don't know how those dudes who train like that can eat so much and also afford it. I saw a video where he lost 9 pounds between sleep and before his next meal in the morning.

Ozzy have you seen those vitamin packs you can buy at walmart? they are pretty cheap and you get a 30 day supply is it worth it or is fish oil and a multi vitamin enough? I don't eat any fish.

Sorry to hijack OP thread but there are some good nutrition tips here you cannot out train a bad diet a wise man once said

 

[KaseMeOutside]

When I did Insanity a few years ago I lost 50 pounds in 2 months (gained it all back too ugh) following a 3000 cal meal plan. I should probably aim for around 2500. of course when people look at me when I tell them my weight they don't believe it, apparently I look heavier then I weigh.

The problem with something like insanity is it is not sustainable unless you are committed to doing it all the time, don't get me wrong it's a killer workout and it does work, but what happens when you stop? that's why the real key IMO is sustainability. if you keep the good diet and even only get moderate exercise you will lose weight

 

[Ozz]

I've watched some jay cutler videos and it is INSANE how much weight that guy will lose overnight, I don't know how those dudes who train like that can eat so much and also afford it. I saw a video where he lost 9 pounds between sleep and before his next meal in the morning.

Ozzy have you seen those vitamin packs you can buy at walmart? they are pretty cheap and you get a 30 day supply is it worth it or is fish oil and a multi vitamin enough? I don't eat any fish.

Sorry to hijack OP thread but there are some good nutrition tips here you cannot out train a bad diet a wise man once said

Haven't seen them but if they're a multi-vitamin chances are it's as good as most anything. If you're going to make sure you're taking a multi, I'd suggest adding the fish/EFA pills too since you're already making a conscious effort. They're really cheap.

 

[UnrealMachine]

If you don't want to consume fish, there are vegetarian DHA/EFA supplements available. You can also add milled flax and walnuts to your diet, and although those don't contain DHA, your body will convert some of the ALA to EFA & DHA.

 

[Mrb1p]

I stopped at Fruitloops.

Is this a Lounge thread joke ? I don't know anymore.

Cut the sugar.

 

[radicalcenter]

I just started getting into eating better, working at it slowly but COMPLETLY cut so much of the garbage out I used to eat. Here is what I would be eating now for example....

Breakfast fruitloops, 2% milk and 1 cup of coffee, maybe a few eggs on a slice of rye bread instead of cereal.

Snack a little fruit.

Lunch would be a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, tomato, tuna.

Dinner would be Kale Salad with chicken breast all cut up and MAYBE some tuna added or sweet tai tuna. Or I would eat some salmon.

Oh and I stopped drinking pop 2+ months ago and only drink water now. Try drinking atleast 3L a day plus 1-2 water bottles. Like I said, i'm trying to figure this out slowly and seeing what I like/don't like. I really don't wanna be like my 400 pound father...i'm 32 years old 219 pounds (fat) and 5'10 atm and exercise until i'm soaked 6 days a week.

Thinking of adding a few things slowly like more types of fruit although I hear you're not supposed to eat much. Rice, beans, frozen mix vegs, bars, nuts, protein shake of some sort. I don't wanna count cals, more just eyeball it.

I don't wanna be rude or anything but that's why you're never going to either;

1-achieve your goal
or
2-Maintain your bodyweight after your fat loss phase is over

Right now you're eating an artificial diet if I may say. You have no clue how much calories you're consuming, you're just trying to eat as little as possible. It's not sustainable over a very long period (by that I mean the rest of your life)

How long are you going to be able to maintain such a diet? A few weeks? A few months? I don't know.

Of course over that time span you're gonna lose some weight but then what? When you're going to tell yourself "Alright, I'm happy at that bodyweight" what are you going to do? Do you think you're going to keep eating the same boring diet you've been on for the past few months? I don't think so.

Usually at that point people completely overhaul their diet, they include more diversity in it, and because people suck at estimating how much they eat (and how much they burn through exercise) because they've never counted calories in their life they're eating 20 to 50% more calories* than they think they are and in a matter of months they're right back where they started before the diet and then they complain that "diets don't work".

If you don't know how much calories you need to be eating to maintain a bodyweight that you like how can you realistically hope to maintain that bodyweight?

Your body functions a little like a thermostat does, by that I mean that it regulates your energy expenditure and your energy intake to help you maintain a certain pre-determined bodyfat level. Judging by your comment, your bodyfat setpoint** is high meaning that your body will fight back to come back to a bodyfat level at which it feels comfortable (i.e. you will unconsciously move less or eat more)

If you don't keep track of the calories you're eating or can't even approximate how much you're eating you won't know that you're eating more and more over time. The difference won't be noticeable on a day to day basis but on a month to month basis the difference might be that you're eating 300 kcals more per day now than then.

Bottom line is, if you've never counted calories in your entire life and that you don't know how much calories you're eating in a normal day and how much calories you need to maintain a desire bodyweight you're going to play yo-yo with your bodyweight like the vast majority of people are doing.

yeah it sucks having to count calories but after a certain time you pretty much know the quantity you need to eat and you become pretty good at estimating how much you're eating.

Anyway, rants over, I have to go back to work

*Willbond SM et. al. Normal weight men and women overestimate exercise energy expenditure. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. (2010) 50(4):377-84
**http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fa...-points-and-bodyweight-regulation-part-1.html

 

[Havre]

That is over complicating it.

Look at any picture from the 50s. How many overweight people do you see? That had nothing to do with counting calories.

Yes. To get the absolute maximum out of your body - sure it requires a more scientific approach. To get to a "normal weight" really doesn't in most cases.

Not saying you shouldn't count them and it might be an idea to do it for a week or two just to get a better feeling for it. But losing weight and staying reasonably thin for most people isn't rocket science.

Of course you can maintain a 15-20% body fat weight without counting calories.

 

[radicalcenter]

That is over complicating it.

Look at any picture from the 50s. How many overweight people do you see? That had nothing to do with counting calories.

Yes. To get the absolute maximum out of your body - sure it requires a more scientific approach. To get to a "normal weight" really doesn't in most cases.

Not saying you shouldn't count them and it might be an idea to do it for a week or two just to get a better feeling for it. But losing weight and staying reasonably thin for most people isn't rocket science.

Of course you can maintain a 15-20% body fat weight without counting calories.

First OP is talking about wanting to see his abs, he's not talking about 20% bodyfat.

Second, when only 20% of overweight people can lose 10% of their bodyweight and maintain their weight loss for at least 1 year, (older studies were more pessimistic) I would say that yes it is rocket science
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11375440?dopt=Abstract
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/222S.long#ref-3

Third, if a lot of people can maintain a bodyfat between 15% and 20% year long maybe it's because their setpoint is "set" at that level. People with a higher setpoint will need to do more work to maintain a lower bodyfat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990627/

Finally, I don't want to get into a discussion of why we're fatter now than in the 50's but there are easy answers for that, the solutions to this problem are harder. Jobs and hobbies are less physical than they used to, the average restaurant meal is four times larger now than then (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/325591), and the environment we live in leads us to unconsciously eat more (http://maxcondition.com/2016/07/21/nutrition-eating-behavior-a-new-model-for-the-study-of-eating/)

 

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I stopped at Fruitloops.

Is this a Lounge thread joke ? I don't know anymore.

Cut the sugar.

No it's not a joke thread, I am actually serious about changing my diet in slow steps over cold turkey. Although this may be cold turkey compared to what I used to eat on a daily basis....like normally skipped breakfast, lunch I would buy something like donuts at work or some food that's really bad for you. Would eat say hotdogs pre dinner, then dinner something I threw in the microwave for dinner and sometimes later on before bed. Before I gave up pop 2 months ago I drank a TOOOON of pop a day, I literally felt like I wanted to die everyday at how bad I was eating and feeling and not excercising.