No fad diet, no busting my ass at the gym, no running around from nothing in circles and no starving. It's all about perspective. Work smarter, not harder.
I've had some success getting myself back down to my fighting weight by simply tweaking what and when I eat and I thought I would share them on here, and perhaps help one of my friends on GCGF.
1. Being hungry is the enemy. Distribute your food intake and portion size thereof so that you are eating only enough to keep you satisfied and get you to the next meal. Any less and you'll pig out at the next meal and consume excess calories. Any more, and you'll consume excess calories then. You have to eat, make your calories count so that they'll fuel you until the next meal instead of going right to your gut, by choosing slower digested, more nutrient rich foods
2. Make time to eat, and when you do, eat to satisfaction, not fullness. Over the past 5-10 years, as life got busier and busier with kids, work, and whatnot, I had gotten into the habit of just not eating all day long and having one gigantic calorie filled meal just before going to sleep. Instead, I've broken that and gotten into the habit of eating 3 well portioned meals per day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it sets the pattern for he you will feed your body for the rest of that day. Something as simple as a good cereal with a banana starts that process. If I'm really in a hurry, some of my favorites are an egg white sandwich from McD's or a turkey bacon sandwich from Starbucks, but anytime you eat fast food though, you must be mindful of the beverages. A ginormous cream and whole milk sugar loaded quarter gallon of "coffee" is not your friend. All tha cream and sugar is also not going to help you stay full and satisfied. By having a small meal for breakfast, it makes it so that I'll be hungry by when most people eat lunch, but because I actually had something in the morning, I wont be starving either, and it'll be easier to grab something sensible, instead of pigging out on whatever cheesy fried deliciousness I come across. I love making chicken or turkey Cesar wraps at home, with whole wheat or spinach wraps, and instead of lettuce, I use spinach, it's more filling and nutritionally dense. Some of my favorites while out and about are Sonic chicken sandwiches on wheat, with veggies, mustard and jalapeños, and no cheese, a grilled wrap from McD's or a burrito from Moes made with black beans, brown rice, chicken and loaded with veggies. No extra cheese sauces or dressings of any kind and on a wheat tortilla. Look for a feeling of satisfaction as opposed to fullness. When you're satisfied you could certainly eat more, but remember, you're just getting to the next meal, so stop. Fullness is that feeling when you can't stuff another ounce of food in your mouth. Fullness is excess, fullness is the enemy, but it will happen once in a while, when something is really really good, and that's ok, just don't make a habit of it, and the more you get away from habitually pigging out, the more it becomes part of your routine.
3. Substitute good for bad. Whole wheat instead of white, tenderloin instead of chops or ribs, filet instead of ribeye, brown rice instead of white rice, brown wheat noodles instead of white, a bit of shaved Parmesan instead of cheddar, a handful of almonds instead of a bag of chips, turkey bacon instead of pork, chicken breast instead of legs, grilled instead of fried, olive oil instead of butter, skim instead of whole. You get the idea, small changes, that add up to make a big difference. Lean meats, fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts are your friends. These are my staples, not only are they lower in calories, so you can actually eat more in value vs bad foods but also keep you satisfied longer and keep you from overeating. My favorite part of meat was the fat, because it tastes best, but well seasoned, lean meats are very good indeed. I've never really eaten fruits or vegetables at all, but I've learned to embrace them and found that I have more energy and just feel better overall. Fruits and vegetables will not only help fill you up, but I also feel that I'm getting nutrients that I may have been lacking and my body is thanking me for it. Also, well seasoned, leafy greens are fantastic: collards, mustards, kale, even spinach, just skip the bacon or pork hocks, jowls, or whatever lard when cooking. Nuts are great for keeping you from being hungry. Again, you don't want to starve or you'll binge. Nuts keep you from starving if you just eat a handful here and there if a meal runs late, or if you find that your last was too small. Nuts are awesome little fillers, just dont grab the whole bowl to go sit and watch the game. You'll eat mindlessly and consume excess calories without even realizing it.
4. Do not completely cut out or deny yourself anything. Ice cream, bacon, fried whatever. If you do, you'll eventually just break and say "F it, this sucks, I'm gonna eat whatever I want whenever I want". You'll them consume excess calories, get fat, get obesity related diseases and die early. Lol.
But really, enjoy what you like once in a while in moderation, and keeping in mind what else you ate that day, your favorite foods will taste much better when you do. At this point, I find I'm having a meal like that about once a week. My favorite food is Wine Bar's burger, it's the best in the world and I absolutely love it, I'm even skipping the chips, cheese and bacon and loving it just as much.
I hope that helps someone, at least a little, and if not, it's a written down record reference for if I ever fall off the wagon, but I feel really good about it. It's really not difficult. Work smarter, not harder.
Cheers!
I've had some success getting myself back down to my fighting weight by simply tweaking what and when I eat and I thought I would share them on here, and perhaps help one of my friends on GCGF.
1. Being hungry is the enemy. Distribute your food intake and portion size thereof so that you are eating only enough to keep you satisfied and get you to the next meal. Any less and you'll pig out at the next meal and consume excess calories. Any more, and you'll consume excess calories then. You have to eat, make your calories count so that they'll fuel you until the next meal instead of going right to your gut, by choosing slower digested, more nutrient rich foods
2. Make time to eat, and when you do, eat to satisfaction, not fullness. Over the past 5-10 years, as life got busier and busier with kids, work, and whatnot, I had gotten into the habit of just not eating all day long and having one gigantic calorie filled meal just before going to sleep. Instead, I've broken that and gotten into the habit of eating 3 well portioned meals per day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it sets the pattern for he you will feed your body for the rest of that day. Something as simple as a good cereal with a banana starts that process. If I'm really in a hurry, some of my favorites are an egg white sandwich from McD's or a turkey bacon sandwich from Starbucks, but anytime you eat fast food though, you must be mindful of the beverages. A ginormous cream and whole milk sugar loaded quarter gallon of "coffee" is not your friend. All tha cream and sugar is also not going to help you stay full and satisfied. By having a small meal for breakfast, it makes it so that I'll be hungry by when most people eat lunch, but because I actually had something in the morning, I wont be starving either, and it'll be easier to grab something sensible, instead of pigging out on whatever cheesy fried deliciousness I come across. I love making chicken or turkey Cesar wraps at home, with whole wheat or spinach wraps, and instead of lettuce, I use spinach, it's more filling and nutritionally dense. Some of my favorites while out and about are Sonic chicken sandwiches on wheat, with veggies, mustard and jalapeños, and no cheese, a grilled wrap from McD's or a burrito from Moes made with black beans, brown rice, chicken and loaded with veggies. No extra cheese sauces or dressings of any kind and on a wheat tortilla. Look for a feeling of satisfaction as opposed to fullness. When you're satisfied you could certainly eat more, but remember, you're just getting to the next meal, so stop. Fullness is that feeling when you can't stuff another ounce of food in your mouth. Fullness is excess, fullness is the enemy, but it will happen once in a while, when something is really really good, and that's ok, just don't make a habit of it, and the more you get away from habitually pigging out, the more it becomes part of your routine.
3. Substitute good for bad. Whole wheat instead of white, tenderloin instead of chops or ribs, filet instead of ribeye, brown rice instead of white rice, brown wheat noodles instead of white, a bit of shaved Parmesan instead of cheddar, a handful of almonds instead of a bag of chips, turkey bacon instead of pork, chicken breast instead of legs, grilled instead of fried, olive oil instead of butter, skim instead of whole. You get the idea, small changes, that add up to make a big difference. Lean meats, fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts are your friends. These are my staples, not only are they lower in calories, so you can actually eat more in value vs bad foods but also keep you satisfied longer and keep you from overeating. My favorite part of meat was the fat, because it tastes best, but well seasoned, lean meats are very good indeed. I've never really eaten fruits or vegetables at all, but I've learned to embrace them and found that I have more energy and just feel better overall. Fruits and vegetables will not only help fill you up, but I also feel that I'm getting nutrients that I may have been lacking and my body is thanking me for it. Also, well seasoned, leafy greens are fantastic: collards, mustards, kale, even spinach, just skip the bacon or pork hocks, jowls, or whatever lard when cooking. Nuts are great for keeping you from being hungry. Again, you don't want to starve or you'll binge. Nuts keep you from starving if you just eat a handful here and there if a meal runs late, or if you find that your last was too small. Nuts are awesome little fillers, just dont grab the whole bowl to go sit and watch the game. You'll eat mindlessly and consume excess calories without even realizing it.
4. Do not completely cut out or deny yourself anything. Ice cream, bacon, fried whatever. If you do, you'll eventually just break and say "F it, this sucks, I'm gonna eat whatever I want whenever I want". You'll them consume excess calories, get fat, get obesity related diseases and die early. Lol.
But really, enjoy what you like once in a while in moderation, and keeping in mind what else you ate that day, your favorite foods will taste much better when you do. At this point, I find I'm having a meal like that about once a week. My favorite food is Wine Bar's burger, it's the best in the world and I absolutely love it, I'm even skipping the chips, cheese and bacon and loving it just as much.
I hope that helps someone, at least a little, and if not, it's a written down record reference for if I ever fall off the wagon, but I feel really good about it. It's really not difficult. Work smarter, not harder.
Cheers!
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