making a strong commitment to lose weight

[Juneau]

anyone else use thedailyplate to count calories? it has a pretty extensive database of food items, which makes it easy to log even if you end up at a whattaburger at 3am

I've been tracking calories and exercise since last october on the dailyplate. I've lost about 30 lbs and have gotten into the best aerobic shape I've ever been in. I now ride an 18.5 mile bike loop like 5 or six times a week, plus I've been rocking the 100 pushups, 200 squats and 200 situps challenges. The food database on tdp is pretty nice, but it's a pain in the ass to add something new. I usually just end up tracking something comparable if I can't find exactly what I ate. So far, it seems to be working alright for me.

[Lampwick]

How do you guys find time to ride 18 miles 5 or 6 times a week

[clockout]

so yesterday i ate whatever the fuck i wanted and killed a bottle of wine - got up to about 3200 calories

today i worked out and have only had one meal so far (woke up late), and net calories are negative

ive been told total calories are cumulative over time, so as long as im snacking and not starving myself it should be ok to come under the daily calorie goal, right?

[okl]

whats the health effect of eliminating carbs, sugar and starches from your diet for, say, 4 weeks?

[free range lettuce]

i just checked the daily plate to see what my calorie goal is per day. it's 1100.

booooo.

[okl]

i just checked the daily plate to see what my calorie goal is per day. it's 1100.

booooo.

it told me mine was 3192 to main current weight

i dont think ive ever consumed 3192 calories in a day

[free range lettuce]

are you tall? i think mine is because i'm only 5'2

[mich]

I used to use the Daily Plate but it's slow sometimes so I put together an excel sheet that I use. I don't always track food, usually do it for a couple weeks at a time every couple months to spot check my diet.

frl, 1100 sounds really low. Use http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ and http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calcu ... -equation/ for a better estimate. Everyone varies though so it's just a guideline.

[okl]

are you tall? i think mine is because i'm only 5'2

6'2

[badhat]

But it's not that simple. It's not like people just say, 'Oh, now I'm going to lose weight because it's what I choose to do.' There's a helluva lot more to it than that, even if it was that simple for you.

It's just that this kind of thinking is representative of our weight-obsessed society, and it pisses me off.

Actually, in most cases it probably is as easy as that, hence my original post. Burn more calories than you consume, and you will lose weight. As with smoking, the solution is readily available for most people. You just stop, why make it more complicated than it need be. It's there for the taking, if you really wish to do something about it. If you don't want to do something about it, this is perfectly fine with me and I'll respect your decision to treat your body however you please. Whining about it, however, cannot be justified.

yeah but youre being stupid.

"just stop" is the most fucking useless, obnoxious advice or support you can give someone whos trying to manage thier weight but frustrated.

some people find it easy, and thats great for them. but those who find it easy and then extrapolate that it must be easy for everyone and therefore anyone who struggles with weight is lazy are being really myopic.

its its a really complicated mix of psychology, culture, physiology, genetics, popular/conflicting misinformation (like your retard dont eat after 5 pm bullshit), and it deserves more respect and nuance than "its easy, just eat less"

[okl]

whats the health effect of eliminating carbs, sugar and starches from your diet for, say, 4 weeks?

badhat

[badhat]

not recommended

[badhat]

i mena you could minimize sugars and simple starches, but keep whole wheats and unrefined grains an fruit and get all the benefits youre looking for without the drawbacks.

[okl]

how will my body rrespond to that diet though? just lack of eneergy?

[jbiz]

okl just do what me and nathan and mich do. minimal-to-no carbs during the week, then eat whatever on the weekends, then start over.

i've been losing weight for over a year and the progress always happens during the week. if you can be disciplined during the week, while working and dealing with life's stresses, then the weekends are your reward/cheat days.

[jbiz]

also, last week i ate little to no carbs monday through friday. i did not feel a lack of energy at all. i did exercise 4 of those days, though. also, make sure you're getting good sleep.

[jbiz]

so yesterday i ate whatever the fuck i wanted and killed a bottle of wine - got up to about 3200 calories

today i worked out and have only had one meal so far (woke up late), and net calories are negative

ive been told total calories are cumulative over time, so as long as im snacking and not starving myself it should be ok to come under the daily calorie goal, right?

i'm sure i was over 3000 yesterday too, and probably over 2000 today. yesterday i had like 6 beers and wine, today i had 2 beers and wine, plus some awesome meals. always happens on the weekends, though. friday i weighed in at 227.6. this morning i was 229.8 and i'll probably be around 231 or so tomorrow morning. once i get back on track during the week, with no drinking and no carbs, i'll probably get down to around 225 or 226 this friday.

weighing yourself every day probably isn't the best indicator, but i like to do it cause it helps paint a picture of how your body responds to these indulgence days.

[fury]

what do you eat without carbs? are you cutting them out completely during the week, or just eating things like brown rice/ whole wheat? im just trying to think how i would adjust my diet.

[Snatch]

fury, i don't want to contradict the jbiz/nathan/mich diet because it seems to really work for those guys. but i'm a total wop greaseball who can't live without his carbs, and i still manage. i just make a conscious effort to eat a lot more protein and a lot less carbs, particularly nutritionally empty carbs. that said, i still eat pasta on occasion, still eat rice on occasion, still eat sandwich wraps for most lunches, etc. just, y'know, less.

then again i'm not doing nearly as much strength training as those guys, so it's really just dependent on your goals.

[jbiz]

cutting them completely. pair your protein with pretty much any vegetable but potatoes. no pasta or bread either.

salads, greens of all kind (spinach, chard, kale, etc), carrots, brussell sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, cauliflower, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, etc etc.

for lunch, i usually eat some lean turkey breast (boars head from the deli) with some bagged salad mix. make your own vinaigrette with olive oil, vinegar (balsamic, red wine, champagne, sherry, etc), dijon mustard and salt and pepper.

for dinner, you can eat chicken sausages, pork chops, eggs, steaks, etc, combined with some veggie above, roasted or steamed or whatever.

[jbiz]

fury, i don't want to contradict the jbiz/nathan/mich diet because it seems to really work for those guys. but i'm a total wop greaseball who can't live without his carbs, and i still manage. i just make a conscious effort to eat a lot more protein and a lot less carbs, particularly nutritionally empty carbs. that said, i still eat pasta on occasion, still eat rice on occasion, still eat sandwich wraps for most lunches, etc. just, y'know, less.

then again i'm not doing nearly as much strength training as those guys, so it's really just dependent on your goals.

yeah you can pretty much eat carbs like one meal a day and be fine (i think that's what mich does), so if you want a sandwich for lunch you can have bread, or some pasta for dinner. just don't eat too much.

the key is figuring out how many calories/day are coming from fat/protein/carbs. if you can keep your fat+protein combined at around 75%, you can still have some carbs. i choose to get mine from fruit, though, instead of starchy stuff.

and fury, when i say i cut out carbs, i mean starch. i still eat fruit. i eat a banana almost every day, plus a pear or orange or apple or whatever is good with my lunch.

also, nuts are good snacks. almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc. i have a handful of nuts every weekday around 3pm as a snack.

[Snatch]

my carb calorie % is usually around 25-40, so i do eat a little more. but fuck it, that's how i want to live my life, and i'm still the healthiest i've ever been/getting healthier.

just don't eat like a half-pound of pasta or some shit

[jbiz]

yeah exactly

[fury]

i used to eat a lot better when i lived at home 2 years ago. i dont really know how to cook so lately i have been becoming lazy and going out a lot, which is getting annoying. i need to start cooking then that way i can portion control a lot better. what is the best meat to concentrate on, chicken? Fish?

[clockout]

so yesterday i ate whatever the fuck i wanted and killed a bottle of wine - got up to about 3200 calories

today i worked out and have only had one meal so far (woke up late), and net calories are negative

ive been told total calories are cumulative over time, so as long as im snacking and not starving myself it should be ok to come under the daily calorie goal, right?

i'm sure i was over 3000 yesterday too, and probably over 2000 today. yesterday i had like 6 beers and wine, today i had 2 beers and wine, plus some awesome meals. always happens on the weekends, though. friday i weighed in at 227.6. this morning i was 229.8 and i'll probably be around 231 or so tomorrow morning. once i get back on track during the week, with no drinking and no carbs, i'll probably get down to around 225 or 226 this friday.

weighing yourself every day probably isn't the best indicator, but i like to do it cause it helps paint a picture of how your body responds to these indulgence days.

its frustrating because weight cycles up and down, and always on delay after weekend days

but i guess i can measure it because instead of cycling from 170 to 174 like it was a month ago, it is cycling from 165-169 now

[badhat]

how will my body rrespond to that diet though? just lack of eneergy?

i guess my first question is why are you doing this? what benefit are you expecting?

[badhat]

i weigh in on friday mornings, cuz thats the furthest i get from oboth my irresponsible weekend indulgence and my grueling 5000 calorie weekend workouts, its the stablest time, benig the end of the week when both my diet and my activity have been pretty stable for a few days. i also chart it in sporttracks which gives a graph so i can see the trend rather than fixate on a single number.

[G_S]

[badhat]

fuckin things are the best workout

i burned out after about 6 months though.

if you can commit to them theyre killer thoughh

[Snatch]

i used to eat a lot better when i lived at home 2 years ago. i dont really know how to cook so lately i have been becoming lazy and going out a lot, which is getting annoying. i need to start cooking then that way i can portion control a lot better. what is the best meat to concentrate on, chicken? Fish?

don't limit yourself. as long as you're eating lean during the day, it's fine to go crazy at night. eat steak, eat pork, eat fish, eat chicken, eat lamb, eat eggs, and eat them all in different preparations. check the recipe thread for a bunch of ideas on how to cook all that stuff. grill chicken sausages. make steak or scallops in a cast iron and do a simple deglaze for a delicious sauce. roast pork or lamb. it's really not that hard to make meat taste great. just don't eat huge portions; fill up on literally any vegetable imaginable, and maybe a little bit (a little bit) of couscous or brown rice if you find you want that stuff.