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[harSon]

I'm willing to take suggestions in regards to my diet. I weigh 234 pounds, down from 351, and try to eat roughly 1800-2000 calories a day although I typically come short of those numbers. I'm not the best cook in the world, and am a poor college student, so I tend to keep my meals simple and static for the most part. Below is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast:
- Refried Black Beans (Canned black beans mashed with a little butter and some light seasoning for taste)
- Egg Whites
- I'll have 2 strips of Turkey Bacon or 2 Turkey Sausage

- An assortment of fruit (Pears, Strawberries, Blackberries, Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Apples, etc) between Breakfast and Lunch.

or:

- Steelcut Oatmeal w/ a little 2% milk, brown sugar and cinnamon
- An assortment of fruit (Pears, Strawberries, Blackberries, Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Apples, etc)

Lunch:
- Turkey/Ham Sandwhich on Whole Wheat Bread w/ Romaine lettuce hearts, tomatoes, red onions, light mayo and mustard.
- Mixed Salad with corn, grape tomatoes, kidney beans, sliced almonds and a dressing from Trader Joes (Tuscan Italian Dressing)

Dinner:
- Turkey Burger on Whole Wheat Bun w/ a slice of mild cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce heart, tomato, red onions and a teaspoon of BBQ sauce.
- Broccoli sauteed with a bit of olive oil, garlic and a bit of salt/pepper for taste

I don't really eat many snack foods, but if I do get hungry, I'll eat something like fruit or possibly prepare something like Zucchini or Squash in between meals.

I don't really drink anything but water through out the day, and I drink A LOT of it, but on rare occasion I'll have a Diet Coke/Pepsi.

I haven't really been working out religiously in the past, but I've recently started Insanity and I tend to do a lot of recreational sports (Basketball and Baseball with friends mostly).

 

[parrotbeak]

Has anyone here tried to diet simply by eating from smaller plates?

I started with that, and ya, that's probably a good step, maybe the only step depending on your needs. Another easy thing that some of my friends do is start with what you would eat and then eat only half of it, then the other half like an hour or 2 later. It's worked for them to lose some weight, but not to where they want to be. So many variables on whether something like that will work: metabolism, how much you work out and when, what your lifestyle is. I wouldn't say it'll work for anyone but it's easy to try and see. It's also pretty easy to keep up, since those new portions just become habit.

 

[Srsly]

- Refried Black Beans (Canned black beans mashed with a little butter and some light seasoning for taste)
- Egg Whites
- I'll have 2 strips of Turkey Bacon or 2 Turkey Sausage

Why would you eat only egg whites? You're wasting, by far, the most nutritious part of the egg when you don't eat the yolk which, in addition to all the nutrients and healthy fats, also contains half the protein of the egg. Don't toss the yolks due to unfounded fears of dietary cholesterol

 

[harSon]

Why would you eat only egg whites? You're wasting, by far, the most nutritious part of the egg when you don't eat the yolk which, in addition to all the nutrients and healthy fats, also contains half the protein of the egg. Don't toss the yolks due to unfounded fears of dietary cholesterol

I thought I edited that back in, I typically mix carton'd egg white with a real egg. Should I just be eating nothing but real eggs?

 

[Srsly]

I thought I edited that back in, I typically mix carton'd egg white with a real egg. Should I just be eating nothing but real eggs?

I would (and do)

 

[Schlep]

I'm willing to take suggestions in regards to my diet. I weigh 234 pounds, down from 351, and try to eat roughly 1800-2000 calories a day although I typically come short of those numbers. I'm not the best cook in the world, and am a poor college student, so I tend to keep my meals simple and static for the most part. Below is what I ate yesterday

You're not doing bad overall, but you're following the "eat whole grains and low-fat" diet which may be impeding your progress.

I quickly entered everything on your list into a calculator and guessed at some of the portions. What I got was 42% fat (73.5g), 40% carb (156.3g), and 18% protein (73.7g) on 1,541 calories. Personally, from what you posted yesterday, I would have egg yolks instead of beans, pumpernickel or rye bread instead of wheat, replace the corn with almost anything else, and have a regular beef burger instead of turkey.

Very much congrats on the 117 lb drop. That's amazing work.

 

[Fireye]

I've been using Mio, the new stuff you squirt into water. It's great and zero-carb but god knows what's really in it.

Also I recently discovered that I actually like brussel sprouts! Where are they are on the "good veggies" scale?

I have two things of Mio in front of me, Fruit Punch and Berry (berry is the better one, by the way). Ingredients are:
Water, citric acid, propylene glycol, malic acid, sucralose / acesulfame potassium, potassium citrate, polysorbate 60, red 40, blue 1, potassium sorbate.

Of the ones I wasn't familiar with;

The acute oral toxicity of propylene glycol is very low, and large quantities are required to cause perceptible health damage in humans; propylene glycol is metabolized in the human body into pyruvic acid (a normal part of the glucose-metabolism process, readily converted to energy), acetic acid (handled by ethanol-metabolism), lactic acid (a normal acid generally abundant during digestion),[9] and propionaldehyde.[10][11] Serious toxicity generally occurs only at plasma concentrations over 1 g/L, which requires extremely high intake over a relatively short period of time.[12] It would be nearly impossible to reach toxic levels by consuming foods or supplements, which contain at most 1 g/kg of PG. Cases of propylene glycol poisoning are usually related to either inappropriate intravenous administration or accidental ingestion of large quantities by children.[13] The potential for long-term oral toxicity is also low. In one study, rats were provided with feed containing as much as 5% PG in feed over a period of 104 weeks and they showed no apparent ill effects.[14] Because of its low chronic oral toxicity, propylene glycol was classified by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) for use as a direct food additive.

Malic acid is an organic compound with the formula HO2CCH2CHOHCO2H. This carboxylic diacid is the active ingredient in many sour or tart foods. Malic acid is found mostly in unripe fruits

Acesulfame K is 180-200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), as sweet as aspartame, about half as sweet as saccharin, and one-quarter as sweet as sucralose.
...
In this study, conducted by the National Toxicology Program, 60 rats were given acesulfame K for 40 weeks, making up as much as 3% of their total diet (which would be equivalent to a human consuming 1,343 12-oz cans of artificially sweetened soda every day). There was no sign that these (or lower) levels of acesulfame K increased the rats' risk of cancer or other neoplasms.

Looks mostly benign. I certainly like Mio better than using Crystal Light powder, it hides better in my desk for sure.

 

[Gary Whitta]

Gonna post some semi-progress pics. I'm not even halfway to where I want to be with my goal yet but at least I am on my way.

In terms of how pleased/disgusted I am with my appearance I always go by how fat my face looks. Here are a few pics from various times over the past year or so when I've been around my heaviest, approx 235-40lbs.

Today, at 209lbs:

It's hard for me to tell, can you see much difference?

 

[Lerozz]

Obviously there is quite a difference. Especially in comparison to that last picture of the older ones. Your lower jaw is showing again instead of only being able to see the tip of your chin. Keep up the good work.

 

[Zoe]

I think your jawline is more pronounced than before.

 

[Count Dookkake]

.

 

[Agent Ironside]

Lookin' good Gary. The second picture is the most accurate comparison to the latest one, and I definitely see a difference, keep on keepin on and push forward!

EDIT: I also notice a good difference in the neck region as well.

 

[Corky]

I think there's a big difference in your face between the second to last picture and the last picture.

Keep at it.

 

[Gary Whitta]

Looks mostly benign. I certainly like Mio better than using Crystal Light powder, it hides better in my desk for sure.

Good to know, thanks. The thing I like most about Mio is you don't get any powdery residue or gunk like you do with the powder additives.

 

[Schlep]

I have two things of Mio in front of me, Fruit Punch and Berry (berry is the better one, by the way). Ingredients are:
Water, citric acid, propylene glycol, malic acid, sucralose / acesulfame potassium, potassium citrate, polysorbate 60, red 40, blue 1, potassium sorbate.

Looks mostly benign. I certainly like Mio better than using Crystal Light powder, it hides better in my desk for sure.

I'd be more worried about the food coloring than anything else.

 

[Gary Whitta]

Quest Protein bars shipped! Looking forward to trying these out.

 

[PotatoeMasher]

For anyone doing Paleo, I'm a big fan of Larabars. They're the only snack that I can find that contains only real foods and no gluten/soy/peanuts/shitty oils, and they just happen to be delicious.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

It's hard for me to tell, can you see much difference?

Sir, are you looking at your face?

 

[TheRagnCajun]

It's hard for me to tell, can you see much difference?

Big difference. Look at the way your neck blends into your head, before and after. You neck is way thinner now, you have a more pronounced jaw line.

 

[harSon]

Yeah Gary, there's a pretty big difference to me.

 

[Gary Whitta]

Thanks all! I wasn't trolling for compliments, I think it's really weird to see yourself accurately sometimes, like hearing your own voice back on tape.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'm reading through Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It for the first time and am finding it extremely interesting. Taubes certainly knows how to present some compelling arguments. If what he claims is true, it's truly ridiculous how a few select individuals in the middle of the 20th century managed to completely shape the common wisdom with some very flawed conclusions to a very limited amount of tests. I'm going to have to look into this more for myself, but the whole calories in/calories out theory is becoming increasingly suspect to me. I already didn't really believe it, because if it were true, it should have been impossible for me to drop more than 45lbs in a little over four months.

 

[AceBandage]

Calories are just part of the story.
Everyone's body uses them differently.
The bigger part is carbs (especially sugar), as they are stored as fat very quickly.

 

[Buckethead]

Can definitely see it in your face Whitta.

Keep at it, people may not give you compliments but they definitely notice (especially women).
Just stay the course and one day you'll see old pictures of yourself and think "WTF?".

 

[oatmeal]

What are some good low-carb (or at least sugar) snacks?

 

[AceBandage]

What are some good low-carb (or at least sugar) snacks?

 

[Srsly]

Calories matter to some degree, but they're not the be all / end all. You don't want too much fat in your diet (i'm not talking %s of macros, but absolute amount) because your body will just use dietary fat for energy instead of your stored fat supply, regardless of insulin. Using protein for energy is very inefficient because gluconeogenesis requires quite a bit of energy -- synthesizing glucose from protein by itself yields less than what you took in. Generally, someone on a high fat diet will feel more satiated and spontaneously eat less, which is perhaps the biggest advantage to it. It also lets you have more even energy levels throughout the day, which means you won't experience the metabolic crash that comes along with the carbohydrate crash due hypoglycaemia.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I honestly haven't seen a compelling argument for why calories (regardless of their origin) matter when it comes to a person's weight. I'm not saying there aren't any, though, and I'd certainly be interested in hearing one.

 

[elrechazado]

I'm reading through Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It for the first time and am finding it extremely interesting. Taubes certainly knows how to present some compelling arguments. If what he claims is true, it's truly ridiculous how a few select individuals in the middle of the 20th century managed to completely shape the common wisdom with some very flawed conclusions to a very limited amount of tests. I'm going to have to look into this more for myself, but the whole calories in/calories out theory is becoming increasingly suspect to me. I already didn't really believe it, because if it were true, it should have been impossible for me to drop more than 45lbs in a little over four months.

If you're interested in even more in depth research, especially on the "fat makes you fat" science, he goes really deep into the history of it in Good Calories Bad Calories.

 

[Srsly]

To clarify: I'm not saying fat makes you fat, but if you are eating 3,000 calories of fat per day, it's probably going to put a halt to your fat loss.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

If you're interested in even more in depth research, especially on the "fat makes you fat" science, he goes really deep into the history of it in Good Calories Bad Calories.

I plan on checking that out after I've finished Why We Get Fat.

However, I'm more interested in reading a compelling argument from the other side of the camp that believes the basic tenants of weight loss are calories in/calories out and exercise.

 

[elrechazado]

I plan on checking that out after I've finished Why We Get Fat.

However, I'm more interested in reading a compelling argument from the other side of the camp that believes the basic tenants of weight loss are calories in/calories out and exercise.

I've looked myself, and never found a serious refutation beyond "lol atkins makes you die" equivalent attacks from people spouting conventional wisdom.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

To clarify: I'm not saying fat makes you fat, but if you are eating 3,000 calories of fat per day, it's probably going to put a halt to your fat loss.

This was pretty much an unquestionable truth to me before this year, but really, where is the proof that calories are converted into body fat unless they are "burnt" by the body?

 

[ch0mp]

I plan on checking that out after I've finished Why We Get Fat.

However, I'm more interested in reading a compelling argument from the other side of the camp that believes the basic tenants of weight loss are calories in/calories out and exercise.

You might get some gibberish about the first law of thermodynamics but not much else.

People who 'cut calories', 'eat healthier' inevitably end up removing a lot concentrated carbohydrates from their diet - soda, take away food, chocolate etc because they have the biggest calorie contents.

 

[Srsly]

This was pretty much an unquestionable truth to me before this year, but really, where is the proof that calories are converted into body fat unless they are "burnt" by the body?

In my experience, carbohydrate restriction has the biggest effect on weight loss -- and combining it with a calorie deficit, which is easy to do on a ketogenic diet, further enhances the effect of carb. restriction. Of course, this is only anecdotal.

How are epileptics on a ketogenic diet able to maintain their body weight?

 

[NomarTyme]

GBBC is good, but you're just scratching the surface of things. Check out these awesome websites!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

http://robbwolf.com/

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/cholesterol-blog.html

 

[elrechazado]

GBBC is good, but you're just scratching the surface of things. Check out these awesome websites!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

http://robbwolf.com/

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/cholesterol-blog.html

I agree those are all great, but for a complete historiography of how we got the lipid hypothesis in a succinct yet incredibly detailed way, nothing beats gcbc for me.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

You might get some gibberish about the first law of thermodynamics but not much else.

People who 'cut calories', 'eat healthier' inevitably end up removing a lot concentrated carbohydrates from their diet - soda, take away food, chocolate etc because they have the biggest calorie contents.

The more I read, the more it seems to me that our weight is regulated by hormones, like many other functions and aspects of our bodies, and that it's not about how many calories we consume or burn, but about what kinds of foods (chemicals) we consume, and how they affect the hormones that regulate our weight.

 

[elrechazado]

The more I read, the more it seems to me that our weight is regulated by hormones, like many other functions and aspects of our bodies, and that it's not about how many calories we consume or burn, but about what kinds of foods (chemicals) we consume, and how they affect the hormones that regulate our weight.

Yep, that's the science in the most basic nutshell.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Yep, that's the science in the most basic nutshell.

If that's the truth of it, then all of this stuff about calories and exercise is pure nonsense when strictly talking about weight loss/management, and the only thing that matters is making sure you don't consume foods that spike insulin.

 

[elrechazado]

If that's the truth of it, then all of this stuff about calories and exercise is pure nonsense when strictly talking about weight loss/management, and the only thing that matters is making sure you don't consume foods that spike insulin.

*nods*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vr-c8GeT34

 

[ch0mp]

There are many other hormones but insulin seems to be the most significant. I find the more I read, I realise how little I know.

 

[dope4goldrope]

Dunno if anyone remembers any of my posts, but I started losing some weight in February.

Picture on the left is no older than 1.5 years. I found it and immediately went WTF and had to scan it. Right now I'm at 184.5. 65.5lbs lost. I'm on the home stretch, I think at 175 I'll be done with this!

 

[agm2502]

Does anyone else not eat fruit or vegetables in this thread?!?!! I'm not obese but i'd say i'm fat. I'd love to be able to eat fruit & veg but whenever I try I gag. maybe it's psychological but for some reason I can't eat healthy. I don't remember the last time I ate a fruit or vegetable except a potato. I can't be the only one? any advise on losing weight without eating fruit or vegetables??? I eat pasta and rice, most meats and sauces which don't have chunks of vegetable in it.

I walk regularly through work, and maybe its the beer that gives me the belly but I just want to eat healthy but avoid fruit etc as I just can't eat it.

 

[AceBandage]

Damn man. Give me those abs.

Does anyone else not eat fruit or vegetables in this thread?!?!! I'm not obese but i'd say i'm fat. I'd love to be able to eat fruit & veg but whenever I try I gag. maybe it's psychological but for some reason I can't eat healthy. I don't remember the last time I ate a fruit or vegetable except a potato. I can't be the only one? any advise on losing weight without eating fruit or vegetables??? I eat pasta and rice, most meats and sauces which don't have chunks of vegetable in it.

I walk regularly through work, and maybe its the beer that gives me the belly but I just want to eat healthy but avoid fruit etc as I just can't eat it.

Try cooking the veggies. Lots of good recipes around.
Other than that, lose the pastas and rice and heavy sauces.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Does anyone else not eat fruit or vegetables in this thread?!?!! I'm not obese but i'd say i'm fat. I'd love to be able to eat fruit & veg but whenever I try I gag. maybe it's psychological but for some reason I can't eat healthy. I don't remember the last time I ate a fruit or vegetable except a potato. I can't be the only one? any advise on losing weight without eating fruit or vegetables??? I eat pasta and rice, most meats and sauces which don't have chunks of vegetable in it.

I walk regularly through work, and maybe its the beer that gives me the belly but I just want to eat healthy but avoid fruit etc as I just can't eat it.

If you just want to lose weight, just cut out the carbs and sugar. Gorge yourself on meat all day long, but never touch pasta, bread, and rice, and make sure there's no sugar in your sauces (there almost certainly is a ton). It's probably a good idea to get the various nutrients from vegetables, but you don't need them to lose weight if that's all you really care about.

The beer is definitely a problem. How much do you drink? I usually have a few on the weekends, but I avoid all alcohol for the rest of the week.

 

[elrechazado]

Does anyone else not eat fruit or vegetables in this thread?!?!! I'm not obese but i'd say i'm fat. I'd love to be able to eat fruit & veg but whenever I try I gag. maybe it's psychological but for some reason I can't eat healthy. I don't remember the last time I ate a fruit or vegetable except a potato. I can't be the only one? any advise on losing weight without eating fruit or vegetables??? I eat pasta and rice, most meats and sauces which don't have chunks of vegetable in it.

I walk regularly through work, and maybe its the beer that gives me the belly but I just want to eat healthy but avoid fruit etc as I just can't eat it.

Cooking things like broccoli in butter, or with bacon makes them even more healthy and delicious.

 

[agm2502]

If you just want to lose weight, just cut out the carbs and sugar. Gorge yourself on meat all day long, but never touch pasta, bread, and rice, and make sure there's no sugar in your sauces (there almost certainly is a ton). It's probably a good idea to get the various nutrients from vegetables, but you don't need them to lose weight if that's all you really care about.

The beer is definitely a problem. How much do you drink? I usually have a few on the weekends, but I avoid all alcohol for the rest of the week.

I drink quite a bit recently maybe a litre of beer a day. my healthy meal would be some beef mince with some spices mixed with rice. I really need to sort something out cause i'm going down the path to obesity I feel. I need some healthy meals that are easy to cook. boiled potatoes maybe?!?1 heard they were better than rice/pasta.

 

[elrechazado]

I drink quite a bit recently maybe a litre of beer a day. my healthy meal would be some beef mince with some spices mixed with rice. I really need to sort something out cause i'm going down the path to obesity I feel. I need some healthy meals that are easy to cook. boiled potatoes maybe?!?1 heard they were better than rice/pasta.

No potatoes. Cut out the beer (massive carbs, and bad ones), no white flour, no sugar. There, eat everything else that's not those things

 

[Gary Whitta]

I guess these are processed but I really like them because it's a good mix of veggies, they're really easy to make (microwave steamer bag) and they're actually tasty - I hate veggies but I can actually eat these. The stats are pretty good too, not too heavy on the carbs.

I just steam one of these and dump them on a plate next to a nice piece of steak or fish, instant dinner!