Anybody on a diet?

[bkd_guitarist]

The mathematics of dieting are simple. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. There is no diet that can avoid this fact. The trick is finding a diet and exercise combination that you can live with.

I believed this for a long time, but the experience of getting fit in my mid-40's has changed my mind. In my mid-30's I lost 63 lbs in 9 months on a ketogenic diet. I didn't exercise at all, but with focus and consistency on the nutrition side, the pounds fell off rapidly. Fast forward 10 years, I've added 20 of those lbs back on and it's time to so something. Except now it's a F**KING SIEGE. I monitor my calorie intake religiously, eat right (good proteins, healthy fats, no bad carbs), have a conservative deficit of at least 700 kcal/day, and train like an absolute madman (CrossFit 4-5x a week). I am losing maybe 2 lbs a month, and if I dare enjoy one alcoholic beverage or one small desert, that screws up the whole works and my weight loss efforts are shot for three days. And I've only managed to get this far because of testosterone therapy. For 6 months I was stuck with virtually no results - the T therapy has kick-started things.

I'm also experimenting with supplementation and soon to be intermittent fasting in an effort to get things on track. As previously stated, the human body is a complex machine and I've learned there's no simple answer, particularly as we get older.

 

[Narzugon]

I watched "What the Health" on Netflix last August and have been avoiding all animal based foods ever since. I know I'm getting some dairy and eggs in ingredients but trying to avoid as much as possible. Not so much because I'm opposed to eating animal based food but more because I feel like a pawn being manipulated by the food, health care industry.

Agree.
Everyone should see that documentary.
I believe it is a life saver

I watched it after seeing you guys mention it. It scared the shit out of me. I was ready to go throw all of the meat out of my fridge that moment (3am). I slept on it and the next morning I processed some of the info and did some research. I think the documentary makes a lot of valid points but also skews or exaggerates facts/findings to shock or push the vegan diet.

One of the doctors in the documentary said in another interview that he compares today's food industry to the tobacco industry of yesteryear. I'll agree with that comparison.

I don't want to clog the thread with some of those old advertisements or stray too far off topic but take a look at some of these: Google Image Search Results for "Vintage Tobacco Ads".

 

[shredsquatch]

I watched it after seeing you guys mention it. It scared the shit out of me. I was ready to go throw all of the meat out of my fridge that moment (3am). I slept on it and the next morning I processed some of the info and did some research. I think the documentary makes a lot of valid points but also skews or exaggerates facts/findings to shock or push the vegan diet.

One of the doctors said in another interview that he compares today's food industry to the tobacco industry of yesteryear. That's a statement I can get behind.

I don't want to clog the thread with some of those old advertisements or stray too far off topic but take a look at some of these: Google Image Search Results for "Vintage Tobacco Ads".

Hey I'm the OP and I think it's all related so no worries. I think all of this discussion is great and has motivated me even more. Hopefully it's doing the same for some others!

I wanted to try the Vegan thing but I din't want to be like that guy in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

~SS

 

[BillyZeppa]

I watched it after seeing you guys mention it. It scared the shit out of me. I was ready to go throw all of the meat out of my fridge that moment (3am). I slept on it and the next morning I processed some of the info and did some research. I think the documentary makes a lot of valid points but also skews or exaggerates facts/findings to shock or push the vegan diet.

One of the doctors in the documentary said in another interview that he compares today's food industry to the tobacco industry of yesteryear. I'll agree with that comparison.

I don't want to clog the thread with some of those old advertisements or stray too far off topic but take a look at some of these: Google Image Search Results for "Vintage Tobacco Ads".

Notice the tobacco co. s have 'doctors' promoting their products as healthier?

Here's where I ended up after a couple of years of wondering WTF with my body... and it worked.
It's OK to wear your "Corn Fed" T-shirt again!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...93E96BC80B6AB6ECB6E393E96BC80B6A&&FORM=VRDGAR

 

[jakel]

The mathematics of dieting are simple. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. There is no diet that can avoid this fact. The trick is finding a diet and exercise combination that you can live with.

I may be wrong, but another problem with "consume more than you burn to lose weight" is that different foods require different amounts of energy to digest. Celery or an apple vs. a soda, for example.

 

[yeky83]

Well, I think is not that easy, our human body is a complex marvel and can't be defined by a simple formula. You consume more or less but your body absorbs what he "senses" that you need and needs may vary widely under the circumstances.
When you begin a diet your body does not know it, he only knows that you make him go hungry and he supposes that it is because the available food has decreased. This causes stress and your system enters in survival mode. Abrupt physical activity will make the situation worse, your system will interpret that you need to hunt and the energy demands will raise, your system is preparing for the worst.
In the following meals he will absorb at the highest possible rate even if you eat little amount to accumulate supplies because he senses that difficult times will come (when is not really the case).
Lipids has bad press this days but are an excelent source of energy that can be stored and requested as we need them. Problem here is that we don't really need them!
This causes the dreaded rebound effect and it's not good or bad, is an evolutionary mechanism that has kept us alive for millennia. We have a 21th century brain but our inner circadian clock hasn't evolved at that pace.

This is why I don't believe in miracle diets: is not only intakes or weight loss, is a new firmware: you have to analyze and redefine your whole lifestyle for success.

I would recommend to anyone who wants to start a diet: plan it well, do it in a gradual way and looking at the long term, our body does not like brusqueness...and watch this video first:

I believed this for a long time, but the experience of getting fit in my mid-40's has changed my mind. In my mid-30's I lost 63 lbs in 9 months on a ketogenic diet. I didn't exercise at all, but with focus and consistency on the nutrition side, the pounds fell off rapidly. Fast forward 10 years, I've added 20 of those lbs back on and it's time to so something. Except now it's a F**KING SIEGE. I monitor my calorie intake religiously, eat right (good proteins, healthy fats, no bad carbs), have a conservative deficit of at least 700 kcal/day, and train like an absolute madman (CrossFit 4-5x a week). I am losing maybe 2 lbs a month, and if I dare enjoy one alcoholic beverage or one small desert, that screws up the whole works and my weight loss efforts are shot for three days. And I've only managed to get this far because of testosterone therapy. For 6 months I was stuck with virtually no results - the T therapy has kick-started things.

I'm also experimenting with supplementation and soon to be intermittent fasting in an effort to get things on track. As previously stated, the human body is a complex machine and I've learned there's no simple answer, particularly as we get older.

I may be wrong, but another problem with "consume more than you burn to lose weight" is that different foods require different amounts of energy to digest. Celery or an apple vs. a soda, for example.

What @Rex says is true. Thermodynamics, calories in, calories out, maths have to add up. The law of conservation of energy and all.

What the different diets and food choices can help with, sometimes tremendously, is how your body responds -- how miserable/good you feel, how easy is it to stick to the plan, how much cravings you have, how the food is converted to energy, where the body decides to burn the calories from (is it burning muscle or fat), will you yo-yo after the diet plan, etc. etc. So it can be very helpful to find out what works for you. I agree with the TED video, I had to change my "long term relationship" with food when I wanted to stop being fat.

But to say calories in & calories out doesn't work is just... wrong. In fact, I stress that it's wrong because I've seen that kind of mindset be very dis-empowering for some people, since they feel trapped with no way out. Good food + minding calories consistently for long-term will work wonders without necessarily resorting to specific diet plans.

 

[Rex]

I may be wrong, but another problem with "consume more than you burn to lose weight" is that different foods require different amounts of energy to digest. Celery or an apple vs. a soda, for example.

Those differences are minor compared to their actual calorie content. Apples, on average, are about 100 calories. A can of Coke is 150 calories. In contrast, a stalk of celery is only six calories.

There's your difference. One apple = 15 stalks of celery.

 

[bkd_guitarist]

What @Rex says is true. Thermodynamics, calories in, calories out, maths have to add up. The law of conservation of energy and all.

What the different diets and food choices can help with, sometimes tremendously, is how your body responds -- how miserable/good you feel, how easy is it to stick to the plan, how much cravings you have, how the food is converted to energy, where the body decides to burn the calories from (is it burning muscle or fat), will you yo-yo after the diet plan, etc. etc. So it can be very helpful to find out what works for you. I agree with the TED video, I had to change my "long term relationship" with food when I wanted to stop being fat.

But to say calories in & calories out doesn't work is just... wrong. In fact, I stress that it's wrong because I've seen that kind of mindset be very dis-empowering for some people, since they feel trapped with no way out. Good food + minding calories consistently for long-term will work wonders without necessarily resorting to specific diet plans.

Believe me, I wish with all my heart that my experience bore this out. Life would be much easier!

 

[mr_fender]

You can't cheat physics. The body can't produce energy. If you consume a deficit of calories long enough, you will lose weight. How much of that will be fat vs muscle, now that's a different story.

 

[Rex]

You can't cheat physics. The body can't produce energy. If you consume a deficit of calories long enough, you will lose weight. How much of that will be fat vs muscle, now that's a different story.

That pretty much sums it up.

But many people report other experiences. The key here is that, subconsciously, we measure our food intake by how full we feel. What you eat, and when you eat, can have a profound effect on how satisfied you feel after eating a 500-Calorie meal, and how likely you are to eat more Calories to end your hunger.

 

[yeky83]

You can't cheat physics. The body can't produce energy. If you consume a deficit of calories long enough, you will lose weight. How much of that will be fat vs muscle, now that's a different story.

Yes, agreed.

What people seem to be wanting to say is that with improper crash dieting, the body goes into starvation mode and "holds on to" energy, lower metabolism, etc. So a moderate, sustainable diet with good food choices is important. But it's incorrect to say calories in & calories out math doesn't work, it's just that a bad diet can induce your body to burn less calories.

 

[jakel]

Those differences are minor compared to their actual calorie content. Apples, on average, are about 100 calories. A can of Coke is 150 calories. In contrast, a stalk of celery is only six calories.

There's your difference. One apple = 15 stalks of celery.

Ok, so the differences are too minor to matter. Bummer. Believing that helped me make better food choices. Well, I still FEEL better eating the apple instead of the can of Coke, so I've got that.

 

[scottburrow]

Someone was asking how I did it. I chose Medi fast because it was fast. It isn't cheap. I talked to a buddy a while ago who wasn't interested in the cost, I said this. I think if you eat six meals a day with five of those meals being around 110 calories every 2 1/2 hours and your last meal being around 500 or so calories, you will lose the weight. Keep your calories to around 1500 a day and it will come off fast. So he tried his way with my schedule and he kept his calorie count around 1500 per day. He lost 20 pounds that first month. The secret is stay away from Carbs, pop, beer (sorry) and eat every 2 1/2 hours to stay in fat burn mode is the secret. that's how I did it. I do the Medifast bars because it's stupid easy and they are all 110 calories each. All I have to know is eat five of theirs and one of my own. My own meal is usually costco Salmon/chicken and veggies under or around 500 calories.

 

[mr_fender]

That pretty much sums it up.

But many people report other experiences. The key here is that, subconsciously, we measure our food intake by how full we feel. What you eat, and when you eat, can have a profound effect on how satisfied you feel after eating a 500-Calorie meal, and how likely you are to eat more Calories to end your hunger.

True. Also how fast you eat. It takes time for your body to let you know when you've had enough. Eating fast is an easy way to eat too much. By the time you feel full, you've already had way too much. It doesn't help that most restaurants give you ridiculous portions that are easily at least twice what most people should be eating in a single meal. It's a hard cycle to break. Food is awesome. It's damn hard to know when to stop.

 

[Rex]

Ok, so the differences are too minor to matter. Bummer. Believing that helped me make better food choices. Well, I still FEEL better eating the apple instead of the can of Coke, so I've got that.

The apple will make you feel more full than that can of Coke, and 15 stalks of celery will make you feel way more full, so you’ve still got that.

 

[iaresee]

The apple will make you feel more full than that can of Coke, and 15 stalks of celery will make you feel way more full, so you’ve still got that.

But you’ll die of boredom before you finish chewing those 15 stalks of celery!

 

[Rex]

True. Also how fast you eat. It takes time for your body to let you know when you've had enough. Eating fast is an easy way to eat too much. By the time you feel full, you've already had way too much. It doesn't help that most restaurants give you ridiculous portions that are easily at least twice what most people should be eating in a single meal. It's a hard cycle to break. Food is awesome. It's damn hard to know when to stop.

One of my tricks is to eat what I think should be a reasonable meal. If I still feel hungry, I wait half an hour to let my brain catch up with my stomach. If I feel hungry after the half-hour wait, then I’ll eat a bit more.

 

[Toopy14]

This is one story that inspired me;

https://ca.style.yahoo.com/45-year-old-dad-got-six-pack-12-weeks-173001857.html

Another, is the step-dad of my daughter's friend, someone I've become friends with over the last couple of years. He's my age and competes in drug free body-building competitions. He's about 5'-7" tall and competes at about 162 pounds. Last November, he placed third out of 8. One guy was in his 40's I believe, the rest were in their 20's. My friend is 53!!!

I've worked out since I was 15. I could build muscle and mass, but I could never get the lean muscle mass, like the guy in the article. After speaking to my friend about what he does to look the way he does, in terms of diet, what to do, what not to do, etc., I decided to give it a try.

I started by calculating my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) . Then from there, I adjusted my caloric intake accordingly as well as my ratio of protein, carbs and fats. For example, I consume 180 to 200 grams of protein per day.

Long story short, I went from 196 pounds, January of 2017, to 178 pounds last June and I'm still 178 to 180. My friend is now trying to convince me to enter an amateur bodybuilding competition, as are several people at the gym I workout at. Not sure I can go on stage wearing a banana hammock, but whether I do or don't, it sure is nice to know the hard work and discipline has paid off in so many ways.

In that time, I shed most of the fat off of my body, while maintaining muscle. My strength has increased, I have more energy and I just feel great. The only supplement I take, is Creatine, which naturally exists in meats and fish. I'll be 54 in June and I've never felt better. I don't drink soda (never have really), I don't smoke and I don't do drugs. My BP is below 120/80 and my resting heart rate is 66-.

The funny thing is, I actually eat way more than I used to, it's just what I eat now and how much I eat, in terms of calories, protein, fat and carbs, is what makes all the difference in the world. I always thought I ate decent, but until I started tracking what I eat in a spreadsheet, I didn't realize I was eating way too many calories and carbs. I can still splurge now and then, by eating pizza, going out for dinner, Tostitos, chocolate, etc.

If anyone wants more info. on BMR or wants an example of what I eat in a week, let me know, I would be more than happy to share the information. I never thought nutrition, in particular, protein consumption, would make such a huge difference in my appearance. The body really is just a machine, an amazing one at that and if you consume more calories than you need, it will store the energy in the form of fat.

 

[Fro]

I’ve really enjoyed this thread. Every post has been a wealth of information, and I’m learning a lot, so thanks.

When I was in weight loss mode, I stayed around 1500 Net calories for the day, calories in minus calories burned. Again, I was using MyFitnessPal.com to keep track. And it’s not just the calories it keeps track of, also carbs, fat, protein, sodium and sugar. The calorie count was just a good overall thing to keep track of, but watching all of the levels equally was the real goal.

It was important to me to make sure I didn’t fall below the calories for the day just as much as it was to not go over my daily goal. My understanding is when you fall below what your body needs for regular daily function, the body will go into starvation mode and will fight against loosing the weight.

For me, it was a slow to moderate, but very steady weight loss. Through it all, I learned what foods I enjoy eating that would still fill me up, give me energy, and stay within my daily goals. I developed new eating habits where I eventually no longer needed to keep strict track of things on a daily basis. Instead of a bowl of ice cream, I eat a bowl of raspberries with yogurt. Instead of french fries, I have a side of fresh fruit. I pack my own lunch for work instead of going to McDonalds, usually a ham sandwich with a pear and some yogurt. I don’t drink soda/pop, just ice tea. It’s really basic things like that. I bring ice tea to every gig, and I no longer plow an entire frozen pizza when I get home at 3:00 in the morning. I can’t even believe I used to do that.

Maintaining the weight has never been an issue. I will track things through the holidays when I’m eating things excessively, like cookies, cakes, pies, etc. I enjoy eating those homemade treats from time to time. So when my brother-in-law makes Schaum Torte for dessert, I don’t pass on it. I just make sure I ride the exercise bike a little extra that day. But I always make sure I don’t go the other direction and under eat or over exercise.

After I lost the 50 pounds, I had to buy all new clothes. My 36” waste went down to 30”. I also had to resize my wedding ring. All the old clothes went away as I had no intentions of ever needing them again. It’s actually a pretty empowering feeling to have complete control of your health, at least from a nutritional standpoint. Fighting cravings at the beginning was hard. But, as with quitting anything, an idle mind…. So I made lists of things I wanted to do and plowed through my lists. As I mentioned in my earlier post, forcing myself to get proper rest is the next goal. Time management is a tricky thing when you have so many things you want to do and accomplish every day.

Point of reference: I’m 46. I quit drinking when I was 38. I lost the 50 pounds when I was 40. I live in Milwaukee, which is beer, cheese, brat, fry everything, drinking capitol of the world. Living unhealthy is very common. A lot of people did congratulate me for getting in shape. But there were also quite a few who just did not understand what I was doing, and they thought that the new me looked unhealthy.

So here is a little before and after:

 

[Rex]

...until I started tracking what I eat in a spreadsheet, I didn't realize I was eating way too many calories and carbs.

This is at the heart of most dietary misconceptions.