Diet/food suggestions

[zahc]

I'd say my 'ideal body weight', typified by my college days, is about 180 pounds. Or, at least, a lot less fat than I'm carrying around now. Back then I ate whatever and as much as I wanted, but I exercised a great deal. I longboarded several miles per day. Now that I've been domesticated, moved to flatland, and yuppified, I haven't really changed my eating. I've ballooned up to 215 or so. I have more or less stabilized there, but I am going to embark on what I shall call my "don't eat so goddamn much" diet.

Right now I'm just trying to eat less than 500 calories per meal. I'm not worrying about any other details because I don't trust the dietitians, half of whom say fat is bad and half of whom say carbohydrates are bad. I think the "low-*" diets, and vegetarian diets, etc. all work just because you are eating fewer calories. The 'hacker diet' makes sense to me in a thermodynamic sense. So if I just don't eat so goddamn much, my wife can cook all the same meals, I don't have to buy vastly different or expensive groceries (I priced how much it would cost to buy enough high quality meat to 'go Atkins'--I'd rather buy a new gun every couple months). I can even eat fast food if I swap the fries for a side salad.

I already drink no pop and eat no junk food, so I'm finding that 500 calorie meals of good food are quite adequate. Now it's just a matter of selecting for foods that keep me the fullest, with the fewest calories. I've already discovered a lot of assymmetry in calorie-vs-filling. Salads are basically free. Two boiled eggs is less calories than a bowl of cereal yet keeps me filled longer. A glass of orange juice is nearly 200 calories, and is going to do about nothing for keeping me full till lunch. I should eat a salad at practically every meal, just to keep me full, and provide that "shoveling food in the mouth" fulfillment. I would welcome any suggestions from people that have managed to lose body fat by altering diet.

[AZRedhawk44]

I've found that eating too much salad/roughage gives me a bit of a stomach-ache.  That much cellulose requires a lot of cellulase and bile to break down.  Your liver kicks in hard and the food that chases the salad helps to soak some of the left over bile... but salads on their own can result in too much digestive fluids in your intestine.

Just my experience.

[mtnbkr]

For me, the key was staying away from sugary foods (juices, soda, candy, sweet-tasting condiments, etc), adding fiber (fruits, oatmeal, whole grains), and eating multiple small meals/snacks.  I cut nearly 40lbs in a few months.  I kept my weight 185+- 3lbs until recently when I balooned up to 192.  I'm getting back on the old diet as we speak.  Actually, that's not quite correct.  I was never completely off the diet, I just snacked too much over the past few months.

Chris

[Northwoods]

I dropped 15# in a couple months just by adding exercise.  No dietary changes at all.  I've put 5# back on since the end of hunting season as I've not been hiking or biking since then.  I need to just spend the $50 to get a fender for my bike so I can ride in the rain without a streak of grimy water up my back, and get a chain cleaning kit as the chain seriously needs it.  My goal is to lose 20# from where I'm at now.  Should be easy enough if I can keep up on the exercise.

[jackdanson]

I think the "low-*" diets, and vegetarian diets, etc. all work just because you are eating fewer calories

Bingo.  You already have the right idea.  My dad has gone from 275 to 204 in about 6 months.  All he has done is cut calories.  Just sub out things that have slightly less calories.  When he makes chili he uses turkey instead of beef.  He eats veggie burgers instead of hamburgers.  Eat steamed veggies as a a side instead of something fried.  All these things are just trimming a few calories here and there, but they add up.  He had "motivation" though, diabetes, blood clots, and 4 heart stints will change you a bit.  He tried the "Atkins" thing for years before this, he would temporarily lose weight, but would put it back on, plus some.  Just cut calories, it's as simple as that, gimmicks don't work.

I'm vegetarian and have always been thin, I'm at my all time high of 152 lbs.  People always assume I eat super healthy because I'm vegetarian, I don't really eat that healthy, but the calories cut from not eating meat means I'm getting less calories than a lot of people are, which means I don't gain weight as easy... plus I work out a bit.

I need to just spend the $50 to get a fender for my bike so I can ride in the rain without a streak of grimy water up my back, and get a chain cleaning kit as the chain seriously needs it.

Real men get mud on their back!! (and in their hair)    Also I reccomend using a "dry" lube like white lightning instead of something like pedro's.  It keeps the chain a lot cleaner.  You don't need a chain cleaner, just flip the bike upside down, coat a towel in grease and run the chain through it, it will get clean pretty quick.  It the chain is older or rusted at all just replace it.

[mtnbkr]

You can get a set of fenders for most bikes for less than $50.  I paid $35ish for the fenders on my touring bike.

Dry lube isn't good for wet weather.  I prefer a wet lube for that.

Chris

[Northwoods]

You can get a set of fenders for most bikes for less than $50.  I paid $35ish for the fenders on my touring bike.

Dry lube isn't good for wet weather.  I prefer a wet lube for that.

Chris

$50 also covers the cleaning kit and lube.

I'm vegetarian and have always been thin, I'm at my all time high of 152 lbs.  People always assume I eat super healthy because I'm vegetarian, I don't really eat that healthy, but the calories cut from not eating meat means I'm getting less calories than a lot of people are, which means I don't gain weight as easy... plus I work out a bit.

I've known enough very obese long-term vegetarians that I don't buy the idea that not eating meat makes it easier to be thin.  Until I graduated from college and started sitting on my ass too much I had an easy time staying under 180.  Heck at times I struggled to get over 160.  And I ate A LOT of meat.  Activity levels and ability to moderate total food intake is much more important than what classes of food you eat or avoid.

[41magsnub]

What is working for me is getting off my lazy ass and cooking instead of waiting until the last minute and using that as an excuse to eat fast food.  On top of that I am still on a low sodium/high fiber diet which ties neatly into healthier eating overall.  Less red meat, more poultry, more veggies, less bread since that is relatively high sodium, and etc.  the low sodium thing sucked at first but once I got used to it it is fine.  Now when I eat at a restaurant it tastes really salty to me (because it is and they are using salt to cover up not using more expensive spices and lack of cooking skill).

Also exercise is helping a lot, I was off that for a while with my foot issues but those are pretty much gone now and starting this weekend I'm back on the elliptical trainer since its cold and I don't want to go outside.

[Balog]

My wife lost ~115 pounds eating low glycemic. Had to in order to avoid becoming diabetic. high fiber, less refined carbs etc. Not that tough really.

[41magsnub]

Real men get mud in their back hair!!

FTFY

[zahc]

These things are really going to help out. 30% less calories and a lot more fiber than my bread, but I can still eat sandwiches etc. so the wife can cook what she always did.

[Jamisjockey]

Frozen grapes.  No, I'm not kidding.  Wash and pluck the grapes, throw them in a bowl, freeze.  Its like freaking food-for-you crack.  Oh, and if you eat too much, you get extra regular.

[brimic]

Weight Watchers. One of their plans allows you to eat as much as you want of certain foods- frutis, veggies, eggs, chicken breasts etc. I lost 35 lbs last year loosely following that plan (gained 1/2 of it back on the 2nd half of the year though when I went back to eating normallly  )

[mtnbkr]

These things are really going to help out. 30% less calories and a lot more fiber than my bread, but I can still eat sandwiches etc. so the wife can cook what she always did.

I've had those before, they're quite good.

Chris

[Nick1911]

Dieting is easy.

Food consumption -> Calories In
Exercise -> Calories out

Maintain a deficit of calories to lose weight.

3500 Calories = 1 lb body fat.

Exercise is good to keep you from losing too much muscle mass as well as fat.

[Sawdust]

Frozen grapes.  No, I'm not kidding.  Wash and pluck the grapes, throw them in a bowl, freeze.  Its like freaking food-for-you crack.  Oh, and if you eat too much, you get extra regular.

Frozen grapes FTW.

They are quite good.

Sawdust

[Vodka7]

Dieting is easy.

Food consumption -> Calories In
Exercise -> Calories out

Maintain a deficit of calories to lose weight.

3500 Calories = 1 lb body fat.

Exercise is good to keep you from losing too much muscle mass as well as fat.

Nick's got everything you need to know right there.  I've lost over 20 pounds in a bit under two months from just doing the math.  At my age, size, and activity level, my maintenance caloric intake is 2500-2700.  If I wanted to lose a pound a week, I'd cut that 3500 he mentioned, and lower my daily intake to 2100.  I wanted to lose the weight faster than that, so I've been eating right around 1900 calories a day.

You don't mention how many meals a day you have, but I'd watch out if you're really down to only 1500 calories.  For a guy your size that could easily put your body into starvation mode, and after a good week or two you're not going to be losing anything.

Me, I find it easier to have smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.  I usually have a low or nonfat yogurt for breakfast, a banana or fruit cup for a morning snack, a wrap and veggies or crackers for lunch,  a lean cuisine for an afternoon snack, a small dinner, and then two beers or a healthy rum and diet coke for an evening snack.  If I know I'm going to splurge on one of those meals, I'll cut out some of the snacks.  Other than booze I only drink water or diet sodas.  (Also, if you're going to drink, generally clear liquors are best, followed by Michelobe Ultra.  It tastes bad, but its stats are great and it's 4.5% ABV.  Most light beers are closer to 3.)

And, as you can tell from the frozen meals, the booze, and the diet sodas, I'm not really a healthy eater.  They key to me has been making it easy on my daily routine.  Each morning I spend five minutes in my kitchen throwing stuff in a bag so I'll be able to eat all day at work whenever I feel hungry.  And since I bring my food with me, I'm not tempted to run out for fast food or hit the vending machines.

It's amazing how much more filling a wrap on a low carb tortilla with 3.5 (small) slices of turkey, one slice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard is compared to a small bag of chips.  And yet the ones I make are only 190 calories.

But, since you asked for foods you can munch on without feeling guilty, the best are air popped popcorn (no butter), and pickles.  For everything else, try eating half servings--you'll get used to them pretty quick.

[zahc]

For a guy your size that could easily put your body into starvation mode, and after a good week or two you're not going to be losing anything.

I don't really understand this.

I generally have been taking 3 very small snacks per day, or stretching my breakfast into two small breakfasts. I'll snack mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and late evening before bed, typically on random leftovers. Tonight, it was two spoonsful of chilli.

[Vodka7]

I don't really understand this.

I generally have been taking 3 very small snacks per day, or stretching my breakfast into two small breakfasts. I'll snack mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and late evening before bed, typically on random leftovers. Tonight, it was two spoonsful of chilli.

Depending on the size of the snacks, you're probably fine then.  The biggest part of successful dieting is being honest with what you take in and how much of it you take in.  When I first started dieting I assumed I was at 1800 calories a day until I signed up for dailyburn.com and tracked everything I took in.  It turns out some days I was as low as 1400--no wonder I always went to bed hungry and didn't notice any change in my energy despite my "better" diet.  I'm a lot happier at 1900, and I'm losing weight just the same.

As for what I was referring to--if your calorie consumption is significantly lower than it should be, your body will adapt to the new restriction by basically not storing any fat whatsoever, and will burn off your lean muscle to make up the calorie deficiency.  You'll end up looking and feeling worse.

The moral is, one extreme isn't any healthier than the other.  Most people I've talked to suggest limiting your maintenance intake by about 15-20% for dieting.  If your maintenance level is around mine, you'd be cutting it by like 40% at 1500/day.  That's just not healthy.

[JonnyB]

I'm using the "Eat what I like but eat less of it" plan.

Unfortunately, I've learned that I've developed a lactose-intolerant digestive system. Don't have a clue how it happened but after two years of enduring all sorts of Ned-like symptoms finally figured it out.

No more milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, ice cream, real cream in my coffee, puddings and white sauces, etc. I have to pass up many snack foods, as they're often made with whey products or dry milk. This is going to really impact my food intake but probably in a positive way.

I weigh just under 180, am 5-9 with a medium to heavy frame. I hope to get to about 165 and stay there. I weighed around 195 at high-school graduation (1972) and reached a high of around 210 a few years after. I've been about 180 for 10-11 years but want to further reduce my body fat content.

Smaller portions of good food does it for me. Depriving myself of the stuff I really like just makes me want it all the more. I don't keep beer in the house but do enjoy my nightly hard stuff.

jb

[mtnbkr]

Johnny, I was somewhat LI myself for years.  That situation improved greatly after I had my gallbladder removed in 2005.  I don't know that they were related, but I don't have a problem with it now.  Also, increasing my fiber intake made my digestive system less sensitive overall.

Chris

[zahc]

As of now I'm not accounting for alcohol, mostly because beer and wine never have nutrition facts on them. I rarely drink beer but I drink at least a glass of wine a day. I think that's about 100 calories or so. Might have to cut back.

[BlueStarLizzard]

i did south beach, works nice. its all get rid of bad calories, increase good ones.

lean meats, lots of veggies, low fat cheese and milk, for two weeks, then gradually add in fruit and whole grains until your eating normal preportions.

downside is its a lot of grocery shopping and little 'spensive. on the plus size its healthy.

also, try to add exercise of some form. especially intravel training and muscle stuff that tones (like yoga). 

yoga is something i really like. its great when i'm all stiff and feeling crochety.

[Monkeyleg]

A mixed drink (2 oz. rum, whiskey or whatever and 4 oz. soda) is about 125 calories. A can of beer is about 180.

I'm trying to gain weight by eating lots of carbs, plus a couple of bottles of Ensure Plus (350 calories each) per day. It ain't workin'. When I was drinking beer, though, I weighed 192. When I quit, I gradually dropped to the 160 I'm at now, which is what I weighed after high school.  But I was doing 2000 calories a day just from beer.

My wife has been trying to lose weight. Her meals total 700 or so calories a day. She does an hour or so on the treadmill and other machines every other day. But one mixed drink negates a whole hour's exercise.

I've read that calories from alcohol aren't burned off first, but rather the calories from food. Thus the alcohol calories tend to make weight loss more difficult. Don't know how true that is.

I've also read that consuming less than 1200 calories a day will put the body into a starvation mode in which it tries to keep all of the fat, and so losing weight is more difficult. That one doesn't make sense.

[Northwoods]

I've read that calories from alcohol aren't burned off first, but rather the calories from food. Thus the alcohol calories tend to make weight loss more difficult. Don't know how true that is.

I've also read that consuming less than 1200 calories a day will put the body into a starvation mode in which it tries to keep all of the fat, and so losing weight is more difficult. That one doesn't make sense.

Calories are calories.  What they come from has little to do with the order in which they are burned.  Alcohol has to be metabolized into something else before it can be finally processed.  That process adds time, but once that is done, the calories are burned or stored as fat just like any others.

Go too low on the caloric intake and the body starts to do whatever it can to reduce its base metabolic rates. That is why you can loose more weight at 1500 cal/day than at 1000 cal/day.  That's also why after coming off a starvation diet people tend to put weight back on very quickly.  They convince their body to drop the base metabolism from 2200 cal/day to 1200 cal/day, and then wonder why they are gaining a lot of weight back when they start eating 2200 cal/day again.  It takes a while to get the base metabolism back up to the previous levels, and for some people the lowering is at least partially permenant.

My wife has been trying to lose weight. Her meals total 700 or so calories a day. She does an hour or so on the treadmill and other machines every other day. But one mixed drink negates a whole hour's exercise.

She'd have a lot better long term success by increasing her intake to 1200-1400 cal/day.  If she wanted to increase her exercise levels at the same time, that would be OK, but not necessary.  Losing weight slowly over a long period of time is better for your health, and more likely to be sustained than rapid weight loss. 

Former co-worker of mine lost over 80# or so over a period of several years.  He did it by first adding some exercise, then slowly changing his eating habits, then incrementally adding to his overall exercise levels.  He never made large changes at any one time.  He allowed all changes to become a new habit befor emaking any more changes.  Last time I saw him he'd maintained his lower weight for 3 years, and was showing no signs of things changing.