Diet idea.

[Terry Awhile]

If I ate low calorie, but all day long, would it work?

Looking to really lean out.

I am thinking "nutrition"----based on fresh vegetables (now in season, awesome, awesome) some meat----even cured/dried like salami, etc. (no lunch meats)

Olives, bread, and cheese, and I guess wine. And coffee.


Like people eat in old Italian movies.

Or, were people thin in the past because they did not eat sugar, and they smoked helluva lot?

 

[strat1117]

I can never quite grasp the point of your posts Terry -- I'm not sure why. It's probably not your fault -- I can't follow James Joyce either.

Anyway, I think that Atkins showed that low carb is the way to go, moreso than low calorie, but extremes are not good for anyone. Glycemic index seems to be the current vogue, taking the best from Atkins and applying it a little more judiciously. IMO, exercise, combined with diet, is your best bet if you really want to get lean.

Good luck!

 

[Fnord5]

Constant grazing, or snacking on low calorie food all day, will increase metabolism. Combine that with some cardio exercise(jogging or biking) and you will slim down quickly.

 

[Terry Awhile]

I can never quite grasp the point of your posts Terry -- I'm not sure why. It's probably not your fault -- I can't follow James Joyce either.

Anyway, I think that Atkins showed that low carb is the way to go, moreso than low calorie, but extremes are not good for anyone. Glycemic index seems to be the current vogue, taking the best from Atkins and applying it a little more judiciously. IMO, exercise, combined with diet, is your best bet if you really want to get lean.

Good luck!

Is it possible that I have not found mine yet?

I do write in a highly stylized manner---I just try to get it all up ins.


I have been exercising (finally) but let the BFP build up more than ever. Just cannot give up chips and green sals. In fact, I refuse.

 

[Gruder]

I like Michael Pollan's take on the matter: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

(I said I like the advice, not that I always follow it. )

 

[Koss]

I use to be a motorcycle-ridin', automotive technician Vegetarian!

And switching back to a "normal" diet of regular food stuffs we are all use too... I gain a lot of weight back.

I'm not saying don't eat meat... but I had a large portion of fats cut out from my diet. Atkins never has worked for me.

Its just like having a healthy spending limit at home when it comes ot money. You have to spend less than you make if you want to stay debt free and financially healthy!

You have to take in less calories than you need and burn in a day!
You don't have to calorie count. Just eat healthy, with modest portions...

Another good rule is to get that Metabolism up there! I eat 6 times a day. Smaller meals. Just imagine the amount of food you should eat in your 3 meals a day... and split each meal so that you space it out throughout your day. eat every 2-3 hours. And within the first 20-30 minutes of you waking up in the morning. That supercharges your Metabolism. Prevents a lot of fat storage. Also, never eat within 2 or 3 hours span before bedtime. Your body thinks it should store whatever food is left in your system when you are sleeping.

Cardio/aerobic is good. Maybe some muscle toning exercises at home. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn from just doing normal things throughout the day. Even sitting down and breathing...
Not saying you have to get all muscle bound... but just strengthen the muscles you already do have.

 

[Obsessed]

Eating low calorie all day long might end up not being low calorie.

 

[Kratos]

Eating small meals throughout the day is pretty much the best way to lean out. Unless you want to lose a bunch of muscle tissue along with fat protein intake needs to be upped a bit. A bunch of plants ain't gonna do it. Especially if you are exercising.

 

[Brad31]

DIETS DO NOT WORK. 97% of people that lose weight on diest regain the original weight plus some within 3 years. Weight watchers, South Beach, Atkins, Jenny Craig, etc. do not work long term.

They lower your metabolism long term, most of these involve tricking your body into losing 10lbs in the short term, but your body wises up and you gain it back.

Exercise actually raises your metabolism. So it is more important that what you eat, although they are both important. Eat FOOD. Fruity Pebbles, Ego waffles, Aunt Jemima syrup, Hungry man dinners, Skippy PB, etc are not food. Eat food that is as natural as can be and exercise, that is the only way to lose weight for more than a year or two.

 

[ouch]

That's a new one- the salami diet.

Have you given any thought to exercise?

 

[Kratos]

DIETS DO NOT WORK. 97% of people that lose weight on diest regain the original weight plus some within 3 years. Weight watchers, South Beach, Atkins, Jenny Craig, etc. do not work long term.

They lower your metabolism long term, most of these involve tricking your body into losing 10lbs in the short term, but your body wises up and you gain it back.

Exercise actually raises your metabolism. So it is more important that what you eat, although they are both important. Eat FOOD. Fruity Pebbles, Ego waffles, Aunt Jemima syrup, Hungry man dinners, Skippy PB, etc are not food. Eat food that is as natural as can be and exercise, that is the only way to lose weight for more than a year or two.

What you are saying about those little fads is correct, but diet will ultimately determine what results you get from exercising. It is actually more important. You can undo the 5 miles you just ran with a single pizza and some beers or a week of hard work at the gym with a weekend of binging.

 

[strat1117]

Is it possible that I have not found mine yet?

I do write in a highly stylized manner---I just try to get it all up ins.


I have been exercising (finally) but let the BFP build up more than ever. Just cannot give up chips and green sals. In fact, I refuse.

I remember that!! Me and my arrow!

 

[Stubblefield]

What you are saying about those little fads is correct, but diet will ultimately determine what results you get from exercising. It is actually more important. You can undo the 5 miles you just ran with a single pizza and some beers or a week of hard work at the gym with a weekend of binging.

Yep. If the OP wants to 'get lean' a dietary change needs to be made as opposed to following some fad diet. And as Kratos points out, successfully getting lean (or increasing your lifts, getting stronger, whatever) is highly dependent on adopting the proper diet.

If you are truly serious about leaning out, you have to do the following:

Cut out sugar and processed foods

Cut out processed carbs: Breads, chips, things like that

Cut out alcohol. the presence of alcohol in the system makes it almost impossible to lose weight. Your liver will generally not metabolize fat and alcohol at the same time.

The Zone diet, if followed properly, has worked wonders for some, but only when they followed it rigorously (which means weighing your food) and followed it over a long period of time--at least a year. Not everyone's cup of tea. I follow a more Paleo style of eating, mostly meats, fresh veggies, and I stay away from all processed stuff. Basically I eat what our Paleolithic ancestors ate. I do include rice and beans on occasion, and of course will have a beer or pizza now and then.

But whatever diet/eating plan you follow, you want to achieve only a slight caloric deficit each day. Drop too many calories from your diet and your body puts itself into starvation mode, and will not burn off any excess fat.

Of course, you should be exercising anyway.

 

[Oldhope]

Http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate

This program will use your statistics and input to figure out how many calories you use per day. You can then set a goal of how many pounds per week you want to lose and give you a calorie goal to reach that weight loss. (Warning: eating too few calories can invoke the bodies starvation response, so it is not recommended to lose more than 2 pounds per week or 1% of your body weight, whichever is less.)

You can then track your food intake and excercise to help you reach that daily calorie intake.



Fat 2 Fit Radio

The first 24 podcasts have to be purchased, but the rest are free and contain everything you need to know anyway. The following 3 podcasts, I feel, are the most important.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/2008/10/fat-2-fit-show-44-calories-incalories-out/

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/2008/10/fat-2-fit-show-45-breaking-weight-loss-plateaus/

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/2008/12/fat-2-fit-show-51-the-most-important-show-of-the-year/


The above three are the ones most packed useful info IMO, all of them are worth listening to and following the podcast is great motivation.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/



While the above links are all free and contain everything you need to lose weight, I would also recommend checking out the various stuff from Tom Venuto.

 

[Wendy]

A low calorie diet with many small snacks and meals daily will increase metabolism and you will lose weight as long as you are really counting everything that goes in your mouth. You mentioned wine that is my biggest downfall at 150 calories per glass and up it can be evil. It is very easy to just have a bite of something all day long that we forget actually counts as calories.

 

[moonshine44]

I went to low fat, more protein, cutting back on carbs, eating smaller portions and exercising as opposed to some rigorous "weigh your food, count every calorie" type diet 6 years ago. I lost 43 pounds, and have only got about 6 or 7 of those back, and I'm in the best shape I've been since high school...

Feel great too...

 

[gratewhitehuntr]

+ 1 on exercise being the only way

I can drop 15 pounds in two weeks easy with something like Atkins but if I go have milkshake the button on my (two sizes lower) jeans might put your eye out.

plus exercise begets exercise

 

[Kratos]

I went to low fat, more protein, cutting back on carbs, eating smaller portions and exercising as opposed to some rigorous "weigh your food, count every calorie" type diet 6 years ago. I lost 43 pounds, and have only got about 6 or 7 of those back, and I'm in the best shape I've been since high school...

Feel great too...

A fine example of how common sense and moderation can get you to your goals. Good work!

Tracking calories is not an absolute necessity, but it has it's uses. I hear guys trying to bulk up say they are 100% sure they are eating enough, and I get them to tally it all up, and it's like a measly 1600 calories, and nowhere near the protein they need. Same goes for losing. It helps you establish a baseline for how much you can eat and stay on track with your goals.

 

[Mrs. Chip]

A good site for healthy eating and lifestyle is www.sparkpeople.com and it is FREE!

They are a community designed people to live well, and there are many sub communities to meet everyone's needs. They will meal plan for you based on a certain caloric intake. If being lean and healthy is a goal, check it out.

 

[ouch]

You can always try the Mrs. Ouch diet. Let Mrs. Ouch cook for you, and you'll weigh sixty pounds by September.