Calorie Counting

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

Kep, I suggest pregnancy for weight loss. Nausea will help you eat less, and growing another human burns calories.

I'll consider it. I get nausea from hunger headaches so I can develop a virtuous cycle by simply starving.

[ticapnews]

Re: Calorie Counting

In the past 14 months I've essentially lost a person. The key for me was cutting 5 things from my diet: soda, pizza, grains (cereal&white bread mostly), wings and nachos. I was aided greatly by having a farm nearby that sells exactly what I needed. Lean cuts of beef and pork, eggs and fresh dairy. Since I live in Maine cheap, abundant seafood was also an option. My meals have been:
Breakfast-eggs (bacon 3x week) and skim milk.
Lunch-protein shake or Greek yogurt, sometimes chowder.
Dinner-4-6oz of meat or seafood, non-starch vegetables and another glass of milk.
I'd also typically snack 2-3 times a day, either salad, protein bar/shake or vegetables.

The big thing is avoiding sugar and empty calories. I didn't really count calories, I just ate smart and the calories took care of themselves.

I also have done a lot of walking. I joined the Y for a while and would spend 2-3 hours there 3x per week. I know that's not an option for most people. I have a unique schedule. I've also moved my office into the basement so climbing those stairs has become a frequent activity.

Really though, it's a mental thing. For years I knew how to eat healthy and I knew I needed exercise. I just didn't want to do it. Then something clicked in my head and I was ready. My diet changed overnight and the pounds melted away. There is no magic solution. People have gotten rich selling "Lose weight fast!" schemes. You have to decide to do it. Diet all you want, but it's my experience that until you make the mental decision to change it won't matter.

The fact that you even posted this message is a good first step.

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Calorie Counting

Artificial sweeteners are as bad for you as sugar. There have been studies done that when you taste something sweet, but your body doesn't get the calories, your brain is tricked into making you hungrier at your next meal to make up the deficit.

This does not surprise me. I used to not be able to finish a whole can of classic Coke because it was filling. Now I chug through 32 oz + of diet soda at lunch and overeat. Then again my weight gain also aligns with graduating college, becoming less active, the ability to afford fast food all the time, and a guy telling me I was fat (which I had never thought of myself as until he said it....and that was 60 pounds ago when I was a healthy weight).


Kep, I suggest pregnancy for weight loss. Nausea will help you eat less, and growing another human burns calories. Also, it could provide motivation to eat healthier. While I haven't actually lost any weight yet...in about 3 weeks I plan to lose 12 pounds in a day.

[BassAle]

One thing I have done is break an 8-soda per day (not an exaggeration) home habit by going strictly to 0-cal soda. Still have to do something about the caffeine, though.

I drink seltzer instead of soda (zero calories, no artificial sweetener) and a ton of unsweetened tea (hot and iced). They just added a “hydration station” at work with three different flavored waters (basically water coolers with things like sliced lemons or watermelon and mint floating in the water). That’s helped me cut back on the tea

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Calorie Counting

This is good advice. Liquid calories are some of the sneakiest. If I recall, kep does not like coffee which is a shame. Black coffee is an excellent appetite suppressant.

I'm actually more into fancy tea these days - I get loose tea imported from Taiwan and China via a store in San Fran (yes, I'm THAT guy ). But I still drink black coffee when I travel to clients and it's not convenient to bring bags of loose tea with me.

[Spartanforlife4]

Just exercise.

Not that Kep shouldn’t exercise, but cutting calories is easier. But seriously Kep, at least go for walks or do some sit ups or push ups or something.

Make your own lunches. I don’t actually know the calories in my lunches I bring from home, but I know they’re healthier than my coworker who gets McDonald’s or tacos or subs everyday.

Replace the pop with coffee and water.

If you start feeling hungry and it’s not near mealtime, drink a glass of water and see if you’re still hungry. I’ve tried doing this more the past year and it’s amazing how much less I snack.

[BassAle]

Just exercise.

It’s very difficult to lose significant weight through exercise alone if you eat like ****

[WisconsinWildcard]

Re: Calorie Counting

I've never really had an issue with sticking to water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee.

This is good advice. Liquid calories are some of the sneakiest. If I recall, kep does not like coffee which is a shame. Black coffee is an excellent appetite suppressant.

Kep if you can find something in the three above that is an acceptable substitute for something in your diet, it would go a long way. Only you know yourself well enough to know if it will work or not. Remember, if you are absolutely miserable it is likely not sustainable.

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

I think that if you’re not below 200 by Election Day you have to vote for Trump! That should be all the motivation you need.

Jesus. I... Jesus, man. That's worth considering.

[Drew S.]

I have complete control over all of this. There is no power forcing me not to eat right and exercise. I'm simply trying to do this in the laziest, least morally demanding possible way. A man with 60k Cafe posts, most of which run to 100+ words, is clearly not naturally attracted to healthy living.

I think that if you’re not below 200 by Election Day you have to vote for Trump! That should be all the motivation you need.

[WisconsinWildcard]

Re: Calorie Counting

Tuesday, 4/30
Breakfast: Special K (120) with 1% milk (50) = 170. Good.
Lunch: McDonald's quarter-pounder (520), large fries (500) and large Dr. Pepper (270) = 1290. Very bad.
1460 cumulative, leaving me 540 for the next 12 hours. Considering that includes Trivia Night which means beer and tater tots that's not going to happen. One day plus a bit closer to death.

Long term weight loss for most people requires a slow reduction in daily caloric intake. Generally, diets do not work in the long term. Do not try to do a complete tear down of your diet. Take one thing a week that you find do-able, and either eliminate it or replace it with a low calorie alternative.

Consider seeing a dietician (not a nutritionist). A dietician is a licensed health care professional...a nutritionist (in most states) is someone who wants to be called a nutritionist.

Just exercise.

Exercise, although great for long term physical and mental health, is not nearly as efficient as caloric restriction at a population level if your goal is to drop weight.

Artificial sweeteners are as bad for you as sugar. There have been studies done that when you taste something sweet, but your body doesn't get the calories, your brain is tricked into making you hungrier at your next meal to make up the deficit.

I agree with this 75%. I would not use the word "bad" as I feel the binary nature of the way we look at food creates misinformation and unnecessary guilt. You are correct that some people will seek out extra calories after consuming artificial sweeteners. But there are other studies that show they can be effective in reducing overall caloric intake in the right setting and decreasing A1C levels. All of this with the huge caveat that nutritional studies are incredibly difficult to rigorously perform and that a large majority of studies have huge methodological flaws that make their findings at best, meaningless or just flat out wrong.

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

Right but I'm not entirely convinced you have zero control over that (hence what I added after editing).

I have complete control over all of this. There is no power forcing me not to eat right and exercise. I'm simply trying to do this in the laziest, least morally demanding possible way. A man with 60k Cafe posts, most of which run to 100+ words, is clearly not naturally attracted to healthy living.

If it weren't for high blood pressure I would consider developing a serious amphetamine addiction. I hear they help you get stuff done around the house.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Calorie Counting

It helps that other than a period in high school where I drank a Coke almost everyday, as well periods in my 20s where I drank entirely too much booze, I've never really had an issue with sticking to water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee.

I drink a Coke maybe 2-3 times a year now.

[trixR4kids]

Re: Calorie Counting

Not if it leads me to overeat elsewhere. I take his point.

Right but I'm not entirely convinced you have zero control over that (hence what I added after editing).

If you feel hungry and eat a bunch of tater tots or chips or something then yeah it's bad. If you drink some zero calorie soda and eat a bunch of lean protein and don't go over your calorie # it's not really a problem. There might be other negative health effects of diet soda besides that I'm not aware of.

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

Meh, just count the calories and go below the limit, drinking soda with zero calories is far better than drinking 8 sodas with 150 calories (or w/e it is).

Not if it leads me to overeat elsewhere. I take his point.