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[Psychotext]

What is this? No one needs a cheat meal/day.

Needs? No. But when you're lean there are real advantages to them.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Well yes and no. If he was much leaner it wouldn't be a bad thing necessarily. Some psychological relief with some possible physiological bonuses. As long as you keep it within reasonable bounds and don't binge. Anyway he probably doesn't need them and isn't doing them correctly anyway apparently.

Most of the time cheat days cause more damage than they offer benefit but you can't make a blanket statement that "no one needs them". Just like you can't make blanket statements like "everyone should do low/zero carb diets."

You just heavily implied that fat people do not need cheat days, so maybe you shouldn't be making recommendations about blanket statements?

If anything, it's the person going through radical diet changes in an attempt to drop extra body fat that would reap psychological benefits from occasionally diverging from his or her diet to enjoy some comfort foods.

 

[despire]

You just heavily implied that fat people do not need cheat days, so maybe you shouldn't be making recommendations about blanket statements?

If anything, it's the person going through radical diet changes in an attempt to drop extra body fat that would reap psychological benefits from occasionally diverging from his or her diet to enjoy some comfort foods.

Fat people don't need cheat days for physiological reasons. Fatter people are also more likely to suffer from mental issues related to food, in which case something like a cheat meal would be more beneficial since you can scratch the itch without turning it in to a 24hr binge fest.

Saying no one needs a cheat day/meal is just stupid. There's plenty of reasons to have one for a variety of different reasons. It's just a massive risk in terms of your progress in many cases as well.

 

[M.D]

Question for you nutrition GAF - How hard is it to lose body fat by eating right without exercising?

 

[Psychotext]

It's pretty much exactly the same, you just need to eat less as you're doing less.

The problem is, without exercise, most people tend to look like crap once they've lost the fat, because inevitably they'll lose a bunch of muscle at the same time.

 

[despire]

It's pretty much exactly the same, you just need to eat less as you're doing less.

The problem is, without exercise, most people tend to look like crap once they've lost the fat, because inevitably they'll lose a bunch of muscle at the same time.

This pretty much. Weight lifting is recommended, cardio a mininum for best results

 

[M.D]

I went from 88 to 60 about 2 years ago just by changing my diet but I barely lost any body fat and people told me I looked sick.
I had problems keeping that up and generally didn't know how to stop the weight loss and maintain weight.

I'm starting to feel fat again, most pants I bought even a year ago are not wearable anymore..
My goal right now would be to lose body fat but I'm not sure how much exercising I can do since I'm facing some medical issues that won't prevent but limit what types of things I'd be able to do

 

[jmdajr]

So for a couple of weeks I have tried to just give up sugar. Added sugars. About the only thing I was eating with sugar was fruit. This was simply as a way to keep blood sugar in check, not really a weight loss thing.

Anyhow the weight comes off pretty fast. Heck it's almost impossible to maintain weight!

I went to check my cholesterol and blood sugar levels. My blood sugar levels didn't change all that much(still in ok range), but I have not been exercising. So maybe that had something to do with it.

But what shocked me was how low my Triglycerides had gotten. You need to have them below 150..... and mine were 50. 50!

Granted my trigs have never really been that high, usually in the 100 range..they had never been that low.

Anyhow I was surprised at these results. And I had also been eating butter, whole milk, etc. So yeah. Sugar plays a huge part on how your Lipids system works.

Now I just need to eat more because I'm disappearing.

 

[Dre]

Well I bought a bunch of purple sweet potatoes when I was just on a no grain diet. Had to give them all to my roommates. White and purple sweet potatoes are amazing, less sweet more nutty.

Ugh.

It'll be much easier though, I have a kitchen scale coming in today, so I figured i could have one cheat day yesterday before I really get into it.

Side note: I'm having trouble finding accurate net carbs chart. EVERY chart I look up has a different amount, yeah a .5 difference doesn't sound like much, but when you only have 20 points and eat vegetarian, every little thing counts. Does anyone have any suggestions or charts they use?

Natural produce are always susceptible to variances in quality depending on the origin. That's why you'll always get approximate values in those charts.

I don't know if it's the ultimately best resource but for calculating my macros I use http://nutritiondata.self.com/ and have been quite happy with it.

 

[Arsenic Yellow]

Natural produce are always susceptible to variances in quality depending on the origin. That's why you'll always get approximate values in those charts.

I don't know if it's the ultimately best resource but for calculating my macros I use http://nutritiondata.self.com/ and have been quite happy with it.

Thanks! I actually found out about the site last night, loving it!

My kitchen scale came in yesterday and I'm loving it, It's so hard to measure leafy veggies with units like a cup. I also ordered a new weight scale as my other one broke. Came in today and looks like I've lost the 6 lbs i gained while in New Hampshire, so about 3 weeks. Lost the weight seriously cutting carb and really feeling awesome.

Totally in love with this keto diet.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

So for a couple of weeks I have tried to just give up sugar. Added sugars. About the only thing I was eating with sugar was fruit. This was simply as a way to keep blood sugar in check, not really a weight loss thing.

Anyhow the weight comes off pretty fast. Heck it's almost impossible to maintain weight!

I went to check my cholesterol and blood sugar levels. My blood sugar levels didn't change all that much(still in ok range), but I have not been exercising. So maybe that had something to do with it.

But what shocked me was how low my Triglycerides had gotten. You need to have them below 150..... and mine were 50. 50!

Granted my trigs have never really been that high, usually in the 100 range..they had never been that low.

Anyhow I was surprised at these results. And I had also been eating butter, whole milk, etc. So yeah. Sugar plays a huge part on how your Lipids system works.

Now I just need to eat more because I'm disappearing.

Yes, it's over consumption of carbohydrates (coupled with not using them immediately for energy) that raises triglycerides, so a massive drop is expected if you dramatically reduce intake.

Question for you nutrition GAF - How hard is it to lose body fat by eating right without exercising?

It's not hard at all. It's magnitudes easier than trying to lose weight by increasing exercise without changing your diet.

Definitely exercise, though. I'm not talking about treadmill sessions or anything, but resistance training (weights, body weight exercises), sports, swimming, walking, hiking, etc. are find. You may want to wait until you've already dropped a substantial amount of weight before doing a lot of exercise, though. Not only is it miserable when you're carrying around a bunch of extra body fat, but it's hard on your joints.

 

[Stasis]

Dropping sugar almost fully and doing IF (usually 18/6 or even 20/4) along with bodyweight/calisthenics and some cycling has done wonders for me in a short amount of time.

I'm doing push-up and sit-up progression routines along with some pullups, chinups, dips, crunches and the like. A small amount of indoor cycling until it gets warmer and I can go for real rides. Some free weights but not much yet and not very heavy for now.

Coupled with dietary changes and timing I've lost 10 lbs in a little over 3 weeks. My energy levels are great, I'm sleeping well, and I'm still gaining some muscle and strength. I'm not a big guy to begin with: 5'8", but at my max of 170 it just wasn't a good look. At 154 now I'm starting to "fit right" again. 150 is my target to just ditch the remaining small amount of belly flab and then I'll be ramping up the training and eating more.

I do consume my full amount of calories in my window. I'm not eating at a deficit at all. Just eating healthy things. Also made more tricky by hereditary cholesterolemia, so I have to be careful with fatty food types. Typically having fish (small mouth: salmon, sole, trout) 2-3x a week, good pasta (barilla plus) once and then lean meats. Mostly chicken. Lots of veggies and fruits. Nuts as snacks. Coffee, green tea, water. Cheat days are red meat. Fast food maybe once a month is the plan, if lazy and there's an urge. Booze rarely.

Maybe this will be helpful to someone. I just kinda fell into a rhythm and adapted and read as I went along. Girlfriend is a nurse, doctor friends, nutritionists etc. I'm well surrounded for advice if needed but I decided to just kinda run with it and see how my body reacted. Nothing negative yet in the short term.

 

[Psychotext]

Be careful with too many situps. It's easy to do damage to your lower back, and frankly there are better options than situps for core strength anyway.

 

[Megalosaro]

Can someone recommend me a good food scale? Best bang for your buck?

 

[AudioNoir]

Holy wow, awesome thread. Definitely subbed.

I feel like a pile of puke today after a massive cheat. Been doing excellent for over a month now, and destroyed it with garbage food and beer How bad ARE cheat days, anyway? How much do they set you back? I mean the occasional one-- not like a weekly thing.

 

[Psychotext]

Can someone recommend me a good food scale? Best bang for your buck?

They're pretty much all the same. Just grab one you like the look of from Amazon.

How bad ARE cheat days, anyway? How much do they set you back? I mean the occasional one-- not like a weekly thing.

They can actually be helpful, both psychologically, and in resetting some hormone levels. Unless you're already low body fat I wouldn't recommend doing them regularly though.

 

[AudioNoir]

They can actually be helpful, both psychologically, and in resetting some hormone levels. Unless you're already low body fat I wouldn't recommend doing them regularly though.

I weigh 179, and am sort of in the middle with body fat. Not low, not high. I actually do find that a cheat day here and there feels good I don't get cravings, and it feels really good to get back into the routine the following day. Huh.

 

[Megalosaro]

Bought a food scale. Turns out I eat less tHan I thought. By about 400 calories.

Which means I'm maintaining at 1600 calories.

I'm a 5'9 male, 165 lbs

 

[Psychotext]

Would be interested in seeing a MFP screenshot or something, because that seems incredibly unlikely, unless you sleep for a living or something.

 

[Walter White]

Started to check this thread out as my recent trip to the doctor had her telling me I needed to lose some weight to get rid of some belly fat and mild case of man boobs. Lots of great info. Started to use the My Fitness Pal app, plugged in some numbers and its suggesting I go with about 1600 calories a day to slowly lose some weight. Which I'm sure is quite lower than my usual amount since I love sodas and fast food and consuming them quite often at work.

Does it matter how I get those 1600 calories? I'm not really focusing on the macros really, just eating what I'd like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with some small snacks in between. Just counting the calories only. Most days I end up about 100-200 short of 1600.

I'm 5'9", started the diet at 167, not really doing much exercising other than walking the dog and some walking during breaks at work. She never gave me a goal weight, but I guess for now I should shoot for about 155? Any recommendations from fitness GAF? Advice?

I'm pretty much new to this whole thing and am actually making a real attempt this time. Just trying to figure out a goal that would achieve the fat loss, figure out should I be doing more exercising right now or wait till I hit a goal weight, then start doing more exercising.

Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

 

[Psychotext]

Not in particular, both you'll want to make sure you're at least getting some protein in you.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

Cut out the soda. Unnecessary and it adds up over time especially if you drink huge cups or bottles. Those usually have 2-3 servings in just one cup/bottle.

Might want to start thinking about preparing your meals and not eating out or eating fast food as much. Just one off day before you work for the week. Food from home can save money and allows you to keep track of what you're eating more.

 

[Hazaro]

Started to check this thread out as my recent trip to the doctor had her telling me I needed to lose some weight to get rid of some belly fat and mild case of man boobs. Lots of great info. Started to use the My Fitness Pal app, plugged in some numbers and its suggesting I go with about 1600 calories a day to slowly lose some weight. Which I'm sure is quite lower than my usual amount since I love sodas and fast food and consuming them quite often at work.

Does it matter how I get those 1600 calories? I'm not really focusing on the macros really, just eating what I'd like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with some small snacks in between. Just counting the calories only. Most days I end up about 100-200 short of 1600.

I'm 5'9", started the diet at 167, not really doing much exercising other than walking the dog and some walking during breaks at work. She never gave me a goal weight, but I guess for now I should shoot for about 155? Any recommendations from fitness GAF? Advice?

I'm pretty much new to this whole thing and am actually making a real attempt this time. Just trying to figure out a goal that would achieve the fat loss, figure out should I be doing more exercising right now or wait till I hit a goal weight, then start doing more exercising.

Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

Cut soda 100%. That alone should make things way easier.
How you get the calories can matter in that 'empty calories' won't make you feel as satisfied, thus making it harder to eat fewer calories.
Protein helps a lot in this regard.

Log a week and see where you might be having problems, then see if lowering portion sizes, drinking more water, or eating more protein, etc. works better for you.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

This might be a stupid question, but how do fruits compare to each other? Like, if I'm trying to lose fat, is a banana worse than an apple? I hear it has more sugar (??? maybe unreliable info) but it feels like so much less food. Raisins on the other hand pack on calories fast (I like them in yogurt though)

I tend to have fruit with every meal too

 

[Walter White]

Cut soda 100%. That alone should make things way easier.
How you get the calories can matter in that 'empty calories' won't make you feel as satisfied, thus making it harder to eat fewer calories.
Protein helps a lot in this regard.

Log a week and see where you might be having problems, then see if lowering portion sizes, drinking more water, or eating more protein, etc. works better for you.

Well I started on this diet this past Sunday and have cut out all sodas. Just water or slightly flavored water with no added calories.

I think I do probably need to increase my protein a bit though to help with the hunger feelings I sometimes get at night after dinner. Otherwise just counting calories seems not too hard so far. I think like you said, I need to find a good balance within my calorie limit that helps keep me satisfied through the day.

Thanks for the advice. Much obliged.

 

[Dre]

Well I started on this diet this past Sunday and have cut out all sodas. Just water or slightly flavored water with no added calories.

I think I do probably need to increase my protein a bit though to help with the hunger feelings I sometimes get at night after dinner. Otherwise just counting calories seems not too hard so far. I think like you said, I need to find a good balance within my calorie limit that helps keep me satisfied through the day.

Thanks for the advice. Much obliged.

If sometimes you feel hungry after dinner you should increase your fat and not protein consumption. Since you are currently not working out 1g/kg body weight should be more than enough for you. In your case that would represent a daily intake of about 75g of protein.

You might also be feeling the symptoms of "carb flu" since you went cold turkey on soda (mind you this is the best decision ever) so it could very well be that you need to give your body time to adapt to your superior sugar-less way of living. It shouldn't take more than a couple weeks though.

 

[alternade]

So based on my macros I should consuming

2900 Calories/day
290g Carbs
219g Protein
98g Fat
28yr, 280lbs, 6' 2"

I work out 4-5 days a week, cardio for 20-30 minutes every session. 219g of protein feels impossible, and I have no idea what a full day of eating would look like with these guidelines. Everything feels so daunting when it comes to dieting that I almost want to give up just looking at the raw numbers

 

[Stainless]

Hello everyone, I've been subscribed to and lurking this thread for a while, and it has a lot of great info that has helped me a lot. I mean, even the title "can't outwork a shit diet" has been something I think about that has been helpful in changing my mindset about my own specific nutrition and exercise.

I got back in the gym starting last December and have been exercising minimum 4-5 times a week. I used to play soccer and run 5 and 10ks until about 10 years ago when a car accident combined with degenerative discs resulted in requiring artificial discs in my neck. The pain I was having even after the surgery led to my being lazy for way too long and gaining a ton of weight. (ok, that AND too much pizza and video games)

I gave up all sodas and caffeine and drink mainly water with occasional orange juice and powerade zero. I've improved my diet a lot, eating more fruits and vegetables than ever before as growing up...well, I was never forced to have healthy eating habits and this has taken some time to adjust to making this a way of life. I've laid off the red meat but do still eat chicken, always grilled or baked, etc.

So even my doctor has been extremely happy as I've been losing about 4-5 lbs per month which usually helps it to stay gone when done slowly and consistently like this. I'm 44 years old and it has definitely been tougher to lose the weight now than when I gained and lost previously in my 20's and 30's. Basically at this point I've gone from 249lbs to 212lbs with hopefully about another 20-25 lbs to go before I hit my goal. I think at 185-195 I will be extremely happy and even more determined. Getting to 249 was kind of the wake up call as I knew hitting 250 was way too heavy for me (I'm 6' tall) especially since I used to be so physically active in the past. Of course having lost a decent amount of weight and doing way more weightlifting than I ever have before (I used to mainly do cardio such as sprints or endurance for the soccer and running when I was previously active) has really helped alleviate much of my neck pain, as I suppose having stronger neck and shoulder muscles results in less pressure on the C4-C6 area in my spine. This has even resulted in my no longer requiring the use of pain meds to manage my pain. I hate pain meds as they make me feel lethargic and a vicious cycle of laziness ensued until I finally just forced myself to endure the pain and work through it.

Basically for the last 5 or 6 months I was not even making it a habit of weighing regularly so as not to "obsess" since it has been coming off so slowly. I literally weighed a few days ago after not having done so after all that time and then being extremely surprised to realize I've lost about 37 pounds. This has me even more determined to continue.

Anyways, this is not about bragging, but to say thanks and hopefully encourage someone else. Thanks to health-gaf as many of you have helped and encouraged me without even knowing it. And to those just starting to make the change, trust me, if I can do it at my age, so can you.

 

[Oblivion]

(Crossposting this from the fitness thread)

Bad news, people.

Went for a physical the other day and got the results. It's mostly good except for one particular thing: apparently I have high cholesterol.

So now I have to modify my diet to lower this. Doc recommended I lay off the fast food, which I can deal with. But the problem is my diet consists of lots of things like contain quite a bit of cholesterol. The worst ones being milk and this protein powder that I use. I'm fine with cutting down the burgers and fries, as I don't eat them that often anyway, but the protein shake is a part of my daily routine (I try to drink between 1/3 to 1/2 a gallon per day).

Halp!

 

[entremet]

(Crossposting this from the fitness thread)

Bad news, people.

Went for a physical the other day and got the results. It's mostly good except for one particular thing: apparently I have high cholesterol.

So now I have to modify my diet to lower this. Doc recommended I lay off the fast food, which I can deal with. But the problem is my diet consists of lots of things like contain quite a bit of cholesterol. The worst ones being milk and this protein powder that I use. I'm fine with cutting down the burgers and fries, as I don't eat them that often anyway, but the protein shake is a part of my daily routine (I try to drink between 1/3 to 1/2 a gallon per day).

Halp!

Why are you doing protein shakes?

 

[Oblivion]

Why are you doing protein shakes?

Cause I'm trying to bulk.

 

[Psychotext]

You can do it with real food... it just requires a bit more organisation.

 

[Fistwell]

So, how about em evil fruits, eh?

 

[sam12]

Through excessive stress and eating too few calories a day for several years(skipping breakfast, eating snack forlunch and binging at dinner time), I feel like I am unable to put on weight. My metabolism is screwed and I feel skinny fat with no muscle. How do I get back on track gaf? Help me get my metabolism right. I feel so lethargic trying to exercise as well

 

[Psychotext]

There's no trick to it. Just eat more nutritious and calorie dense foods.

 

[mars20]

Yup, metabolism slows as we grow older. When you're a teen you can just eat anything. And as our muscle mass decreases the amount of fat in our body increase decreasing your basal metabolic rate and the amount of calories your body burns.

Through excessive stress and eating too few calories a day for several years(skipping breakfast, eating snack forlunch and binging at dinner time), I feel like I am unable to put on weight. My metabolism is screwed and I feel skinny fat with no muscle. How do I get back on track gaf? Help me get my metabolism right. I feel so lethargic trying to exercise as well

 

[mars20]

So are you doing a No sugar diet? I says here https://www.dietspotlight.com/no-sugar-diet/ that people have addiction to sugar because it was probably used as a reward when we were little, like a chocolate from mom if you behave. This cause people to associate good feelings with sweet treats.

I'm also interested in dropping sugar all together but are sugar substitute like Splenda safe?

Dropping sugar almost fully and doing IF (usually 18/6 or even 20/4) along with bodyweight/calisthenics and some cycling has done wonders for me in a short amount of time.

I'm doing push-up and sit-up progression routines along with some pullups, chinups, dips, crunches and the like. A small amount of indoor cycling until it gets warmer and I can go for real rides. Some free weights but not much yet and not very heavy for now.

Coupled with dietary changes and timing I've lost 10 lbs in a little over 3 weeks. My energy levels are great, I'm sleeping well, and I'm still gaining some muscle and strength. I'm not a big guy to begin with: 5'8", but at my max of 170 it just wasn't a good look. At 154 now I'm starting to "fit right" again. 150 is my target to just ditch the remaining small amount of belly flab and then I'll be ramping up the training and eating more.

I do consume my full amount of calories in my window. I'm not eating at a deficit at all. Just eating healthy things. Also made more tricky by hereditary cholesterolemia, so I have to be careful with fatty food types. Typically having fish (small mouth: salmon, sole, trout) 2-3x a week, good pasta (barilla plus) once and then lean meats. Mostly chicken. Lots of veggies and fruits. Nuts as snacks. Coffee, green tea, water. Cheat days are red meat. Fast food maybe once a month is the plan, if lazy and there's an urge. Booze rarely.

Maybe this will be helpful to someone. I just kinda fell into a rhythm and adapted and read as I went along. Girlfriend is a nurse, doctor friends, nutritionists etc. I'm well surrounded for advice if needed but I decided to just kinda run with it and see how my body reacted. Nothing negative yet in the short term.