Fill up a gallon jug of water and take it with you to work or wherever you go.. make sure you drink the entire thing before you get home. Don't eat right before bed. Make sure you eat something for breakfast. As to the actual things to eat, I think you know what's good and isn't. Take the time because it's really only a few minutes out of your day. If your goal is weight loss, focus on the calories you consume and burn. T There is a difference between eating to lose weight and eating healthy.
Protein is very important, but not as important as fat. I'm a firm believer in a high fat diet, and don't necessarily believe all that about bad fats. I think saturated fats are just fine (I mean, obviously, don't drink bacon grease 3 times a day, but in moderation animal fat is healthy, and obviously, organic, grass fed is best, but expensive!), it's the trans fats you really have to watch out for. I know there's a lot of fruits and veggies that you can get some really good fats from. Omega-3 is something I've been really deficient in, in the past, because I do eat so much processed food and can't stand fish. But I found out Chia seeds are loaded with it, and actually really delicious (which surprised me, because they sound disgusting). And yes, while still sort of a grain, they've got enough good stuff in them to be worth eating daily, unlike almost all flour, even whole grain. Eggs are alright. I could eat eggs (I just can't think too much about what it is though, or I get really grossed out). No hard boiled for me though. Makes me blah. But soft boiled is just as good, and much more tolerable to me. If I do eat eggs though, I'll have to watch my sodium intake. I like my eggs salty. And yes, the less I have to cook the better! Lol. I'm so bad at it, not even funny. Oh man, I gotta say though. I'm on day two of my healthy eating plan, and to be honest I feel like absolute crap. Massive headache. And though I feel really energized actually (and I'm certain it's the Chia), I've been having mad cravings and feeling hungry even after I've eaten a fuck load (of healthy stuff). Anyone who tells you processed sugar and carbohydrates aren't addictive is full of crap (and no, I'm not undercutting my calorie needs).
Oh my god I love Greek yogurt, the problem is, it's so freakin' hard to find proper Greek yogurt! Pretty much everything on the grocery store shelf is reduced fat, or no fat! And I can't roll with that. If a food's supposed to have fat in it, and I want to eat that food, I want to eat it with the fat in it. Goes along with cutting out the processed crap; cutting out the chemically modified "diet" food. I don't even understand fat free Greek yogurt. How do they make it thick? That can't be natural. And then of course there's the sugar they add to most of it. I think the only I've been able to find that I'd be willing to eat is the Greek Gods plain, but it is kind of expensive all things considered >_> I might go for it though. Or maybe some cottage cheese. I love cottage cheese too.
I hear ya mate!!! I love Greek yougurt, but as you said the stuff in the grocery stores is full of sugar and reduced fat milk. I have just recently started making my own Greek yougurt. It is so easy and that way your in control of how much sugar is in it!! Oh and you can make it what ever flavour you want too Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Yeah it was extremely unhealthy. I was very very broke and almost homeless at the time. This was basically my diet for the month. Breakfast - Banana, multivitamin Lunch - Apple Snack - Handful of trail mix Dinner - Handful of trail mix Went from 205 lbs to 155 lbs. Lost a lot of fat but also lost a large amount of muscle mass. Do not recommend this to anyone. Omega369
First, I'd like to say that MULTIQUOTE is finally working on my Chrome! Good job whoever has been strugglin' with this as of late. I don't think protein is important at all. Or rather, I don't believe protein is only sufficient without supplements if you eat meats. A healthy amount of protein is provided when you eat veggies, fruits, and seeds. I ate about a pound of asparagus today which has about 16 grams of protein in it. All of the foods I mentioned have fats in them as well. I think you might be on to something with this fats concept you're offering. I'm not sure it would mean eating lots of good fats will make you lean and healthy though. You aren't feeling well? How poorly were you eating 3 days ago? Plus keep in mind, you are going to have diarrhea out the toxins you've been stuffing your body with for a week or so. The same thing happens when a heavy cigarette smoker quits smoking - the tar comes up through the throat and nose for weeks (citation: my personal experience only). Post your food log for the last two days! Plus how much water are you drinking? And any exercising? I don't even bother with yogurt or greek yogurt. And cottage cheese is terrible for you. It's just bad fat, bad sugar, and bad carbs. I'm skeptical about the protein in it, at best. Dairy is a joke all around. OMG. Tbh tho, it's not bad for a homeless person. Should have just spent most of the money on bananas though. Basically 25 cents a piece and sitting at almost 100 calories each makes them a great option for ballin' on a budget.
Well no, of course not. You absolutely can get a healthy amount of protein from plant matter. I mean, that's obvious, or all vegans and vegetarians would either be dead or in very poor health (and though some of them may be, it's definitely not a general case!). Though I do think think that those seeking to get protein from plant matter do need to be more careful about getting it, because it's not as....how do I say it? Available by defacto I guess? You eat meat, you get complete protein. Period. You don't, and you gotta be a bit more careful about it, and be conscious that you are eating the right things. But no, totally possible, and totally healthy. Of course simply eating lots of healthy fats won't make you lean and healthy. It'd dependent upon what else you're eating, and your activity level too. That's a given. But I buy a whole lot more into the high fat, low carbs (processed), than the high carb (processed), low fat diet. Fat is the most satisfying energy source to humans that is readily available in nature (sugar really isn't naturally available....at least not the sort and amount that's become commonplace in our diets), and I just don't believe we'd be engineered to prefer a readily available, natural diet that's going to kill us. I think we'll have to agree to disagree about dairy. I don't think anyone should be loading up on it, but in small doses, I think it can go a long way toward overall health, when you also consider what else you're eating. Even the "bad" stuff, we do need a little of. Bad fats. Bad sugars. We need very little of them, but some are healthy. So I think it really depends on what else you're eating. If you're resigned to completely cutting out processed sugar and carbs like I am (though I admit it, I had a very small piece of cake today. The sugar come off was killing me >_<), a little won't hurt. I drink water when I feel like it. Uhh....I'd say I've gone through at least a half gallon a day since I started my new diet. Before that, I was a major coffee binger. Coffee most of the day, and then really diluted soda. Water mostly just when I was going to bed. Although Idk if the soda water counted, as it was mostly just carbonated water, with just a little splash of doctor pepper or lemonade. Oh god I was eating really really badly. The thing is, I know better too, but hell, it's a sneaky spiral of not giving a fuck. But I was eating so badly. for example. The last day of my poor diet was fast food nachos for lunch (nothing but black coffee for breakfast), and a double cheeseburger with fries and a shake for dinner (also fast food). Now granted, I didn't eat like that every day. But it was a lot of garbage. Oh gosh, you want my food log? Alright, but you're not getting my current weight (and I have reasons for that. I deal with a lot of body shaming as it is. People tell me too often I'm too skinny to diet, completely missing the point that it's not just about my weight, but also about my overall health). Yesterday: Breakfast: 20 oz black coffee, unsweetned and a bottle of water. 2 carrots, full size, unpeeled 1 orange 2 tbs of natural peanut butter (no sugar added) Lunch: A water bottle with 2 tbs of chia seeds (oddly delicious) 2 carrots same as breakfast (I really love carrots) 1 apple Spinach salad with celery and sunflower seeds, some cut up ham and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese (less than a half oz) Dinner: Iced tea, and then water French dip sandwich (only half a roll, the other half of the sandwich worth I ate just meat with sauce) More spinach (I really like spinach) Mixed veggies, couple carrots, green beans, celery Desert: 1 cookie, bad I know! I'm trying >_< And water in between all. Whenever I get thirsty or my mouth gets bored lol. Today: Breakfast: 20 oz black coffee, unsweetened. Then my water chia mixture (I've pretty much settled on this with breakfast because it gives me excellent energy). 1 apple 3 radishes And a bit less than an oz of ground beef, drained....to ensure the quality of food at work >_> lol! (yes my breakfasts are light, but they have to be; I'll get sick to my stomach if they're not) Lunch: 20 oz green tea, hot...well...lukewarm by the time I finished it Arugula salad, with tangerine slices, peanuts, mixed veggies and what not. No meat in this one. Steamed broccoli and califlower, salted. 1 banana And a handful of raspberries (my god they're expensive!!!!!) Dinner: Water BBQed chicken breast (you win) with light sauce. BBQed asparagus (I hate it, but I ate it anyway) 1 carrot, unpeeled 2 stocks of celery 1 oz cheddar cheese Desert: 1 very small piece of cake (I know I'm bad! Lol. I need to stop with the sweets). And I have a second chicken breast I'll eat later if I get hungry. Of course, again, water whenever I feel like it all day. You can assume all veggies raw except when noted otherwise. As for exercising, I don't work out in my off time, but I do get a fair amount of exercise at work. I have an on my feet, go go go job, that requires quite a bit of heavy lifting. To be honest, with my back problems I'm usually in no condition to do much else when I'm done at work. Though I do usually go for walks on my days off, body willing of course. Sciatica is a bitch. I haven't noticed any sort of bowel problems at all, except for being maybe a tad more regular. But I'm certainly peeing a lot more, and it's not from the coffee and tea either, because I used to load up on the caffeine, way more than I am now. We're talking about a pot and a half in the morning. Any my face broke out yesterday really bad though.
Oh, and I know that sounds like relatively little. But you have to understand, that when I make salads, they're like the size of your face. MASSIVE SALAD OMNOMNOM!
Oh my, there is so much to go over. But by now, I'm drunk and I am having a blast typing! I'm glad we agree on the protein and fats discussion. End of discussion haha. I appreciate the way you have agreed to disagree about dairy. I did this the other day in the politics (or related) forum and someone gave me shit about that being a cop out. I'm not here to be angry and argue with strangers so no, it's not a cop out (;]). I have about 3-4 servings of dairy per week. This is because I usually obtain my dairy through some form of cheating (i.e. McDonald jr. cheeseburger) OR because I'm hitting the gym for weight lifting and cheat via one scoop of whey gold standard protein mixed with 6-10 ounces of 2% fat free milk. Everybody has those times in life where everyday turns into poor choice of food after poor choice of food. I've regularly been in positions of fast food three times per week while consuming at least 1 and as many as 3 16oz. energy drinks Per Day (now a thought that makes me very unsettled for myself). Let's talk about the food logs you provided. And you, and all the other readers, please keep in mind I'm just giving my opinion and am more than willing and open to others' advice and opinions about my own opinions or w-t-f-ever haha. 1 Coffee. I personally do not understand all the coffee drinking. You are having, it looks like, about 40 ounces of coffee per day! I don't really see a problem with this, or anything unhealthy about it, but it just doesn't suit me or my needs. I don't believe it offers enough health benefits to justify two drinks (not even 8 ounce cups in your case lol) of coffee every day. I would rather believe that you have a serious caffeine addiction. Which again, isn't much worse than a cannabis "addiction" so I'm not terrible concerned about it anyways. Especially since you are getting caffeine through coffee. Like I said, I was doing up to 3 energy drinks per day for almost a year and a half (though while typing and trying to figure out how long I really consumed that much - it was almost 3 and a half years I'd venture to say. 2 Calories. You seem to be getting a good variety of foods, including leafy greens, seeds, lean meats and fruits. But holy shit, your calorie intake is WAY low! In my opinion, the healthiest option to combating healthy but low calorie eating habits is to up the fruit intake. I'm up to an average of 8-12 fruits per day. The only viable arguments I adhere to against this involves diabetic restrictions or other related conditions that present food restrictions. Do you have any disease or ailment or whatever that prevents you from eating a lot of sugary fruit? Other than your possible fear of the SUGAR in fruits which is really not a serious concern, again, unless diabetic, etc.etc. 3 Cheating. Cheating on the diet happens. Cake happens. For me, liquor happens. Just do the best you can! If you don't get those cheats in, you will fall off completely. 4 Exercising. Personally, I would never consider any sort of physical activity that you do at work as exercise. Even if someone does heavy labor for a living - they shouldn't count it as exercise. This way, I give yourself a real reason to find those 30 minutes that you need every day to work up a sweat and get that heart rate pumping in a healthy way! But who am I to talk? I'm not good at motivating myself to exercise/workout. 5 Peeing and Acne. < lol. I pee a lot. It makes me mad. I don't know what to think about either of these though. I don't have acne problems so I don't have any advice in that area.
A massive salad is great! But greens and the other foods you should be putting in your salads don't have anywhere near enough calories. The more calories, the better!
It's not a cop out. There's not exactly for sure, hard science on this stuff. I could be wrong. You could be wrong. Neither of us is going to change each others opinions on it, so why argue? Lol. I do have a major caffeine addiction lol. Which I'm not at all likely to stop any time soon. I'm also a bad sleeper and work a lot of morning shifts. Coffee helps me feel like less of a zombie. I have an energy drink occasionally, but don't really see the need for them. They're a lot more expensive, and a lot more unhealthy than black coffee and various sorts of tea. I'll try to eat more fruit. I'm not afraid of the sugar in fruit. It's the processed sugar I'm trying to cut, not the natural. There's really no medical reason I shy away from fruit, it's more of a palate thing and dental reason. I just....I like vegetables more. I've always preferred bitter to sweet on my palate (though I definitely crave sugar, it's not a taste thing) and I have no idea why. Also, I have enamel issues, and the acid often makes my teeth hurt, especially with citrus. But I'll try to get more. Although, I've been using an online calculator, and based on my estimates of food weight, it seems to put me at about 1500 calories a day, maybe a bit less (but certainly no where near what would be considered anorexic). Which, I mean, I've lived off a rough estimate of that for years. I may have gotten bad foods in, but more or less stayed around that calorie count. You have to understand, I'm a pretty small person. 5 foot 2, and like I said I'm not going to post me weight for reasons already mentioned, but I'm definitely not overweight by BMI and I'm really not doing this out of vanity...I've gotten to a point where I'm seriously concerned about my health, not just those last few lbs. But I mean, it's a chain reaction, fixing my diet can't help but take a bit of weight off. I'm also female and that factors in. I definitely don't have the same caloric needs as a 6 foot tall man, and I really should have mentioned that at the start of this. I'm not trying to justify undercutting myself or anything. Mostly, I'm still trying to figure out what to eat, and the last two days sort of just happened. I'll get better at it. I know cheating happens. It's just....I feel like the processed junk is sort of an addiction thing, and if I don't cut it out eventually, I'm never going to get through the withdrawal. Although....I suppose it's helping my calorie count! Lol. It's really not as though I have no motivation to work out. I used to, a lot. And I miss it. Nothing better than a 10 mile bike ride. I just have trouble actually doing it, because of my back problems. Once I strain my back too much, my week is pretty much shot. Most days it's a choice between exercising, or being able to go to work and do normal day things. It's extremely frustrating too. I used to be an avid biker and skater. I miss it. If you have any suggestion for what might be a good compromise here, I'd love to hear it.
I'm not a dietician, or some exercise guru. I was 130 lbs at 5'10" and jumped up to 180 lbs from a drinking problem with beer that came up, I lost that weight slowly from gym and watching things like soda, junk food, etc. And the only exercises I did at the gym really was the elliptical, treadmill, cycling. I worked cardio extra hard I'd do 2 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of jogging, 5 minutes of running (6 mph+), 2 minutes of sprinting (7.5mph+) then back down to a slow jog. Then I repeat that. It gradually work up your heart rate, without putting yourself into shock. I would spend normally 30 minutes to a hour at the gym. It's kinda easy for me, cause I never really eat things like chips, queso dip, mayo, candy, and such. Though my two things I fall for is Fast Food, and Soda. But it can be acceptable in moderation. Right now my mom is training for a half marathon. She is doing this by herself, usually I've always helped her out at the gym. But the only thing I did this time was I bought 2 bottles of wine, totaling $50 and told her each bottle of wine is a reward for her goal she reaches. One for her weight loss, and one for her half marathon. Sometimes giving yourself extra incentive to make that goal can be helpful. Especially setting money aside for a new wardrobe or so.
You are very small so I get what you mean about not needing many calories. I just did a quick one over to count your calories and it looked like you were having maybe 6- or 700 calories but if you really think it's up to 1500 I would say that is great. How do you sit with bananas? Personally, I recommended at least 4 or 5 bananas per day or 20-30 per week. I've even heard some people recommend 10 per day but I think that might be extreme. What to eat? I try to think about in terms of my carbs, fats, and proteins. I know I'll need at least 1200 calories from the time I leave my house in the morning till the time I get home at 6pm. I pack meats, fruits, and seeds that make up at least those 1200 calories. Then when I get home, I get down my veggies and the rest of the foods I need. For carbs: potatoes, brown rice, bananas (healthiest-cheapest per-calorie option ever), apples, almonds, cashews, shelled pistachios, pear, orange, quinoa, pineapple, squashes, avocado (and great for good fats of course), and the list goes on and on. Grapes, watermelon, berries. Oh my god don't forget your berries! They are probably the best carb source. Fats: the seeds and nuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, filberts, brazil nuts (once known as nigger toes unfortunately), avocados, lean meat skins and dark meat portions (I think.......). Proteins: White meat chicken breast is NUMERO UNO, tilapia, ground turkey, pork loins, shrimp, crab, catfish, the aforementioned nuts, seeds, asparagus, various veggies. Vegetables: Romaine lettuce, green leaf and red leaf lettuce, kale, black kale (the BEST!!), rainbow chard, broccoli, celery, carrots, mmm idk what else. Alright, well just trying to throw some food ideas out there with that one I guess. With cheating, I suppose it helps my calorie count as well lmao. Healthy lifestyles are usually considered to be 70-80% diet and 20-30% physical activity. So take that for what it is I guess when it comes to poor exercise habits. I don't know about your back problems because I'm not a doctor or anywhere close. I have really bad lower back problems as well. Actually, I'd say at this point HAD lower back problems. Cannabis helps but so has improving my body. Firstly, the chiropractor I saw for a year after an unrelated accident worked wonders. I highly recommend a chiropractor. What really sealed the deal for me and helping my back problems though was weight-lifting, I believe. Strengthening the core muscles, my delts and traps, my chest and triceps, and my lower back muscles have also helped tremendously. At the end of the day though, long car rides or standing in long lines throw my back for a fucking riot or whatever I'm trying to metaphorically express here. *Thirdly, serious weight loss helps my back pain. I still have some fat to work off though.
The meat portions were pretty big, and the chia adds a couple hundred calories here and there. Plus, you know....cake. I could work with some of that. Bananas? Eh, okay. Depends. They have to be under ripe though. If they're completely yellow, I don't like them. No squash for me (except summer squash). Other than that, I think I can work with most of those veggies. I'll eat any sort of leafy green besides mustard greens *makes a horrified face*. Honestly the biggest challenge is going to be finding food that fits my budget >_< gosh these foods get expensive fast (not that eating poorly doesn't). I think I'm going to have to check out discount super markets and see if I can't supplement at least the basics for less. Kale is so good though! But I find you either have to wilt it, or pulverize it in a blender, otherwise it's way too hard to eat lol! I don't think I've ever had black kale; I'll have to try it. I really hate celery, but I eat it anyway because it's good for you, and I kinda like how it crunches. Flaxseed? No. I cannot stand it. It tastes all sorts of wrong, and the little bits are too stabby. I'll stick with my Chia instead. I like how it gels, and side by side comparison....pretty similar nutritionally. And see? Protein problems. I really hate fish man. It's just so....gross. Maybe if there was like....a cow fish? Lol. It's not like veggies for me, which I can tolerate even if I don't really like them. I just cannot do fish. Maybe a little tuna, specific sorts, as long as it's raw (for some reason I like tuna rolls once in a while, but not the spicy ones), otherwise, I just can't do it dude. Crab's the same for me. I can eat shrimp if I really have to. Pork loin I might have to check out though. I can dig me some pig. Not quite as good as bacon, but I'll make do LOL! My back issue is a nerve problem. I had a car accident when I was 19, and it's been pretty steadily downhill from there. Idk, never really had health insurance so I've never gotten it checked out, but just based on the symptoms, I've got a good idea of what's going on. But I'm almost positive it's a nerve problem. My symptoms are textbook. The funny (and depressing) thing is, helping my back pain was one of my major motivators for weight loss in the first place, but it's only gotten worse since. I might try a chiropractor one of these days, but I tend to think a masseuse would help more. But damn....expensive!
I only take the vitamin shake and i have stayed the same weight but lost fat but there is an entire program to it look up Zeal for life
Well I'm actually doing really good now, a couple days down the road. I feel much better. I'm getting waaaaay less of a crashing and starving sensation. I did add a bit more sugar and refined carbs (but not much!), and a lot more protein and fat, and I think I've really found the sweet spot here that I can live with. To be honest, I think I did it out of necessity. I had a bit of a freak out when I stepped on the scale after two days and realized I'd lost 5 lbs. I held out thinking maybe it was water weight from the first day, but to be honest, I don't really bloat so I was concerned. Plus, the pattern was continuing. Yes I wanted to lose a little weight, but that's WAY too fast and it scared me a bit. Soooo, more food, a little sugar and bread and the rapid weight loss slowed considerable and I feel better. I think I got this now!
Our weight fluctuates something crazy like 5-10 pounds day to day. Scales should only be used to make sure you aren't gaining weight in a way that implies obvious fat gain (versus slow and healthy muscle mass gain).