Most people on this forum eat bad food

[ET80]

- Breakfast was more turkey sausage (5oz) eggs and braised cabbage.

- Lunch is probably going to be 5oz chicken, 1/2 cup of creamed spinach and two cucumbers.

- Dinner is probably shrimp (4oz) and broccoli with snow peas.

[MWil23]

26 minutes ago, mattyice0401 said:

I feel like you have more muscle mass than I, I dont really work out at all, I'll go on a couple hour and a half walks a day which is about 10 miles give or take and do yoga for 30 minutes or so around mid day. I just cant get myself into working out, Its always been so boring for me personally, Something I wish I could get myself into maybe in the future. And I still have a little belly fat that I would like to get rid of as its the most unhealthy kinda of fat around, Id like to get where youre at with that line down my stomach but all In do time.

It's all good man. I've been lifting for 15 years and it's all about what works for YOU and what YOU will enjoy for the rest of your life. I hate running and will never run. Meanwhile my wife is running a half marathon on Saturday.

I can lift and bike, and after my knee surgeries I can't play hoops or other fast twitch things anymore as much as I'd like...so it's all about a calories in vs. calories out game and using weights to tone up. Just keep in mind the more muscle you put on the easier it is to burn fat. I'd suggest starting small with some lifting things you enjoy doing, whether Olympic, HIIT, circuit, machines, or push ups/pull ups (even modified or with bands).

My goal is 3-4 lifts a week with another 3-5 cardio workouts.

Sometimes those cardio workouts are the 20 minute walk I went on yesterday, and sometimes they are the 45 minute bike ride I did today (inside bike, stationary) after a 30 minute lift.

@ET80 has been SPOT ON and measuring food for me has been a game changer. I use MyFitnessPal (you can even scan barcodes) and my wife's cheapo scale that measures in your choice of ounces or grams. I synced that with my FitBit, and it accounts for what calories/how many I should eat in a day (after setting my goals it gave me my own plan), how the negative calories balance it out (as @LETSGOBROWNIES said just be careful and use sound judgement on what you're burning if something seems off), etc.

[MWil23]

22 minutes ago, ET80 said:

- Breakfast was more turkey sausage (5oz) eggs and braised cabbage.

- Lunch is probably going to be 5oz chicken, 1/2 cup of creamed spinach and two cucumbers.

- Dinner is probably shrimp (4oz) and broccoli with snow peas.

Broke my fast at 10:00 post workout(s) with a pita bread, 3 strips of bacon, 2 eggs, a slice of Munster cheese, and guacamole with a serving of yogurt and TBSP of granola. ~800-850 calories.

Probably do a salad for lunch maybe with 1/4 cup of cashews.

Tonight I'll do 2 medium sized pork chops with either sweet potatoes or regular potatoes and some corn.

Technically it's "low carb" day for me and I won't hit my protein numbers, but the added fats I'm doing should make up for it in a helpful way.

[MWil23]

@AkronsWitness the last few pages you may find helpful. I highly recommend MyFitnessPal as an app.

[Sad People]

Biking is something I would like to get into (inside on a stationary bike and outside as well) low impact which is the biggest for me

[ramssuperbowl99]

12 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

I highly recommend MyFitnessPal as an app.

It's funny, I can't use tracking apps. I've tried. I've even stuck with MyFitnessPal for long enough that my staples were pre-loaded in there for ease. But I couldn't ever stick with it. I'd get in a cycle where by writing it down, I'd pre-judge myself for any cheat meals, which lead to an improved diet short term but not one I could stick with beyond a few weeks. 

Now I keep a mental log of the last few days of calories (roughly, so like +500, -500, +750, etc.) compared to my baseline (2500) to do the same thing without the opportunity for self-judgement. 

If anyone else is out there oscillating between eating like crap and eating like Captain America for 10 days, that might be an alternative.

[Sad People]

Breakfast for me today was lite as usual about a half cup of blueberries I would guess, a banana, and some yogurt along with my cup of coffee.

[MWil23]

7 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

It's funny, I can't use tracking apps. I've tried. I've even stuck with MyFitnessPal for long enough that my staples were pre-loaded in there for ease. But I couldn't ever stick with it. I'd get in a cycle where by writing it down, I'd pre-judge myself for any cheat meals, which lead to an improved diet short term but not one I could stick with beyond a few weeks. 

Now I keep a mental log of the last few days of calories (roughly, so like +500, -500, +750, etc.) compared to my baseline (2500) to do the same thing without the opportunity for self-judgement. 

If anyone else is out there oscillating between eating like crap and eating like Captain America for 10 days, that might be an alternative.

That’s the one thing I’m honestly worried about since I haven’t had a cheat meal yet. However, I’m also fighting the battle of undereating, which is kind of embarrassing to admit out loud. I’ll go from eating well to undereating to rebound binging, so I’m trying to be smart on cheat meals.

A piece of cake instead of 3.

2-3 pieces of pizza instead of 5.

Sure, I’m waiting for the day where we stop at Canes chicken after church and the self loathing kicks in after a box combo no slaw extra Texas toast, but I’ll cross that bridge when I have to. 😂 

 

[MWil23]

19 minutes ago, mattyice0401 said:

Biking is something I would like to get into (inside on a stationary bike and outside as well) low impact which is the biggest for me

I’ve really enjoyed it. I setup a bike in the basement with my smart tv and started at 30 minutes and now I’m up to 45 minutes.

If you don’t lift, do that 5 days a week and you’ll be at or above 2 hours and 30 minutes per week, which is good.

[ramssuperbowl99]

1 minute ago, MWil23 said:

That’s the one thing I’m honestly worried about since I haven’t had a cheat meal yet. However, I’m also fighting the battle of undereating, which is kind of embarrassing to admit out loud. I’ll go from eating well to undereating to rebound binging, so I’m trying to be smart on cheat meals.

A piece of cake instead of 3.

2-3 pieces of pizza instead of 5.

Sure, I’m waiting for the day where we stop at Canes chicken after church and the self loathing kicks in after a box combo no slaw extra Texas toast, but I’ll cross that bridge when I have to. 😂 

Hard disagree that this is embarrassing.

 

But yeah dude, it's not easy especially when it's staring at you in ink. If someone else has a strategy on how they deal with cheat meal tracking, I'd be interested. I see people try to make a spectacle about them or count it like you're counting beers, but that doesn't work for me (or hasn't worked to this point).

[MWil23]

4 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

Hard disagree that this is embarrassing.

Appreciate it. I think it’s a byproduct of fasting and not measuring while accounting for heavy workouts. We are talking like under 1,000 calories looking back because I had no idea how to even mentally measure.

4 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

But yeah dude, it's not easy especially when it's staring at you in ink. If someone else has a strategy on how they deal with cheat meal tracking, I'd be interested. I see people try to make a spectacle about them or count it like you're counting beers, but that doesn't work for me (or hasn't worked to this point).

I’ve already mentally decided I’m not logging Thanksgiving or Christmas, but aside from those occasions, I’m going to do better on portion control. There seems to always be a reason or excuse to have a treat, so I can emotionally eat, because let’s face it, the Midwest has some of the best comfort food/snacks and seasonal desserts (HELLO FALL!!!!) going.

So yes, pass the apple pie and ice cream, but instead of 2 scoops and a giant 2 piece, gimme that half slice and a 3/4 scoop. 

[ramssuperbowl99]

7 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Appreciate it. I think it’s a byproduct of fasting and not measuring while accounting for heavy workouts. We are talking like under 1,000 calories looking back because I had no idea how to even mentally measure.

I do this like once a week. I've read that 1,500 calorie/day minimum advice too, but for me a good long period of intermittent fasting is pretty much required to keep my hunger response deadened, so I'll do one meal a day and if it happens to be a super lazy, 800 calorie thing, I'm not going to go out of my way to force food intake. That's the opposite of the whole point. So if that makes me "unhealthy", whatever.

Also, there's a huge psychological benefit to having that regimen in your back pocket. That way, if/when the scale gives bad news you have something productive to put your energy in. "Time to go psycho mode" is a way better reaction than "this is impossible", even if psycho mode isn't the healthiest diet long term.

11 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

I’ve already mentally decided I’m not logging Thanksgiving or Christmas, but aside from those occasions, I’m going to do better on portion control. There seems to always be a reason or excuse to have a treat, so I can emotionally eat, because let’s face it, the Midwest has some of the best comfort food/snacks and seasonal desserts (HELLO FALL!!!!) going.

So yes, pass the apple pie and ice cream, but instead of 2 scoops and a giant 2 piece, gimme that half slice and a 3/4 scoop. 

100%, and yeah any diet that has no room for emotional eating is never going to work. Or games. Not watching baseball this year has been a real night and day shock as to how powerful food advertising is. 

[MWil23]

18 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

I do this like once a week. I've read that 1,500 calorie/day minimum advice too, but for me a good long period of intermittent fasting is pretty much required to keep my hunger response deadened, so I'll do one meal a day and if it happens to be a super lazy, 800 calorie thing, I'm not going to go out of my way to force food intake. That's the opposite of the whole point. So if that makes me "unhealthy", whatever.

Also, there's a huge psychological benefit to having that regimen in your back pocket. That way, if/when the scale gives bad news you have something productive to put your energy in. "Time to go psycho mode" is a way better reaction than "this is impossible", even if psycho mode isn't the healthiest diet long term.

100%, and yeah any diet that has no room for emotional eating is never going to work. Or games. Not watching baseball this year has been a real night and day shock as to how powerful food advertising is. 

Ironically I started fasting because of coaching football in season. Pregame meal at 3:00, press box food at 6:45, postgame homemade sandwiches and desserts in the coachs office at 10:00 PM and then up half the night watching film with a postgame bourbon to help get my resting heart rate down (it’s crazy elevated during games) just so I can sleep. If I ate breakfast and lunch those days I’d have been north of 6,000 calories before accounting for those 2 meals I didn’t eat I’d wager.

[Sad People]

Is it unhealthy or bad for you to only really eat one meal a day? Or considered under eating?

My diet for the most is exactly that and really only eat one meal a day and thats dinner other than that I usually just snack for most of the day

I'll eat something small for breakfast, Couple things of fruit and greek yogurt, a few hours later around noon I'll snack on a few other things, Chips & salsa, A peach or apple, a couple things of string cheese, and a handful of nuts and dried cranberries and that usually gets me to about dinner time which is at 5 and fill my plate up for dinner, usually half of the plate is a salad the other 1/4 of the plate is the veggie of the night and the other 1/4 is the protein of the evening

[ramssuperbowl99]

4 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Ironically I started fasting because of coaching football in season. Pregame meal at 3:00, press box food at 6:45, postgame homemade sandwiches and desserts in the coachs office at 10:00 PM and then up half the night watching film with a postgame bourbon to help get my resting heart rate down (it’s crazy elevated during games) just so I can sleep. If I ate breakfast and lunch those days I’d have been north of 6,000 calories before accounting for those 2 meals I didn’t eat I’d wager.

lol we've heard about the kids your coaching and their parents and know exactly why your heart rate is through the roof. If that was me, I'd have a SmartWatch dialing 911 for me automatically by the 2nd quarter out of concern for my life.

 

But to take your funny story and then be the buzzkill to stick a moral on it, yeah that's just good dieting. I'm not surprised we both found fasting, it uses our strengths like focus and passion for something. Dietary science is like 25% actual biochemical reality, 25% culture, 25% inter-personal variability/genetics/epigenetics/psychology, and 25% pure religious BS. Find the thing that works in your schedule and takes advantage of your psychological strengths and you'll have a much better time IMO.