Calorie Counting

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

Also I know Kep doesn't want to cut out breakfast but honestly this did wonders for me and usually at that time of day I always felt like I was more forcing down food and didn't really feel all that hungry more often than not. There's gotta be some way around this where you can drink some caffeine w/ minimal calories and just power through until noon (or whenever, maybe you're more of a morning person and eat lunch earlier).

My problem has always been if I miss a meal I get crippling headaches. If I miss breakfast I am f-cked for the rest of the day.

My largest (so to speak) issue is that I hate exercise and I'm not good about portion size. Both are a matter of simple self-discipline: in a word, character. Even when I was active and very fit I hated exercise -- it's the single most boring thing on the face of the earth, edging out commuting. But it's worth not being fat and maybe staying upright. I really want to bury the rest of you f-ckers. Use whatever motivation works.

I should just bike the 24 miles to work everyday. My co-workers would love that.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

I have my sr. year high school football pic, I was 5'10", 185lbs. I was a beanpole, and I'm not saying that relative to my current weight. I was just really thin, and didn't realize it at the time. I had 32" wait jeans, and they fit really well. Then my body matured. And after that I started packing on the weight because I didn't adjust my diet after suffering a few injuries that kept me from the weight room. Now when I was down to 225lbs, I could just barely squeeze into 34" jeans. That didn't last long.

I was 5-7, 155 in HS and 5-9, 165 in college. Size 30 jeans, and before relaxed fit was a thing. And I held that well into my mid 30s. I stabilized at 185 through my mid 40s. And then I went from 185 to 230 in my early 50s and have been immobile (in so many ways) there ever since. It doesn't show much because my dad gave me very broad shoulders and a good frame to carry extra weight, but I know it can't be healthy and I sometimes have breathless moments that make me aware of it.

Plus Dr. Mrs. is a hot little number and I want to match.

I'm not delusional, I know 185 is gone forever, but I think 199 is doable and that's my aim. This year's goal was to cut out my 8 soda a day habit and I did. I've also cut down on beer severely. But I have a lot I can do with portion control and I'm starting from cold metal zero on exercise so I know there's a lot more I can do.

All I ask is a form of exercise that uses my brain. I'll go through a lot if it's getting me off intellectually; hell, I even do marriage. I should volunteer to be hunted every weekend. I know people who'd be interested.

 

[trixR4kids]

Re: Calorie Counting

My problem has always been if I miss a meal I get crippling headaches. If I miss breakfast I am f-cked for the rest of the day.

Are you just not drinking water or something? Or maybe you can have some minimal amount of cream/sugar in whatever caffeinated drink you have or something...? Idk for sure how to help you here but I guess I would rule out that it's solely related to caloric intake rather than something else entirely. From what little I'm reading (and I'm no expert obviously) is that it sounds like a blood glucose issue. There's gotta be some way you can do the bare minimum here without eating a ton of calories to avoid the headaches.

Use whatever motivation works.

Pretty much this though I had more success and stuck with it longer when I had an ulterior motive.

I should just bike the 24 miles to work everyday. My co-workers would love that.

I probably could bike to work my only issue is having a laptop I'd need to carry plus work clothes. Maybe if I just left my laptop at my desk I could do it.

 

[jerphisch]

Re: Calorie Counting

I'm down about 37 lbs from last Sep and I'd echo a lot of what dx said. The biggest thing for me has been portion control and just accepting that I'm hungry and it's ok. I've really focused on limiting calories, I try to keep it to about 1500 on days I don't go to the gym and 2000 on days I do. I don't really watch WHAT I eat, just how much. But as dx said, that leads to a lot of veggies since they are lower calorie. As for the gym I typically either do an hour long spin class or an hour on the stairclimber about 4 times a week. I like watching food network while I do the stairclimber, keeps me distracted

 

[trixR4kids]

Re: Calorie Counting

Yeah eating high fiber veggies really helps. I almost always eat a spinach based salad with dinner.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

Are you just not drinking water or something? Or maybe you can have some minimal amount of cream/sugar in whatever caffeinated drink you have or something...?

Well, when I skip I do tend to fast. So it's possible it's dehydration. Worth a try, anyway.

I drink a lot of water in the p.m. at work -- picked it up as a soda substitute and it's how I keep from snacking.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Calorie Counting

I was 5-7, 155 in HS and 5-9, 165 in college. Size 30 jeans, and before relaxed fit was a thing. And I held that well into my mid 30s. I stabilized at 185 through my mid 40s. And then I went from 185 to 230 in my early 50s and have been immobile (in so many ways) there ever since. It doesn't show much because my dad gave me very broad shoulders and a good frame to carry extra weight, but I know it can't be healthy and I sometimes have breathless moments that make me aware of it.

Plus Dr. Mrs. is a hot little number and I want to match.

I'm not delusional, I know 185 is gone forever, but I think 199 is doable and that's my aim. This year's goal was to cut out my 8 soda a day habit and I did. I've also cut down on beer severely. But I have a lot I can do with portion control and I'm starting from cold metal zero on exercise so I know there's a lot more I can do.

All I ask is a form of exercise that uses my brain. I'll go through a lot if it's getting me off intellectually; hell, I even do marriage. I should volunteer to be hunted every weekend. I know people who'd be interested.

Go for a walk with Dr. Mrs. My GF and I go for walks a couple times a week. She enjoys raising monarch caterpillars so we walk down to the park after work and get about 0.5-1 miles to get milkweed. Otherwise, yardwork is another great activity. I suck at keeping things alive and she has a green thumb. I can move heavy things and she can plant things. Makes your body and yard look better. We're going to be doing a lot of landscaping this fall. Hopefully. (It's also nice because we can think and discuss what we want to do. We go to Gerten's, a local landscaping and plant megastore, take an hour to walk through to get ideas and take notes. Then we start planning.)

Commit to getting healthier together. Hold each other accountable and don't let it turn into an unhealthy competition or something where you or she is ragging on the other one for not following or meeting goals. Be constructive and supportive.


Oh, I thought of another thing while walking from my car. This has zero nutritional science behind it, but try cutting gluten out of your diet for two weeks. Not because gluten is bad, but it makes you think about every food decision you make. You have to read the ingredients and ask questions. I've become far more in touch with food since my GF and I started dating. We eat less takeout because of it. You can't just order a pizza because it's late and you don't want to cook. Helps us keep things like basic salad ingredients stocked in the house. And it has forced me to cut down significantly on the amount of pasta I've been eating.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Calorie Counting

There's nothing villainous about pasta per se, it's the amount of pasta Americans tend to eat that is more of the problem (and never mind that it's mostly the no-fiber, white flour kind). Look at a standard portion of pasta in Italy, or the noodles in a bowl of authentic Japanese ramen (NOT the dried crap you at in your college dorm). Now compare it to the amount of pasta on the plate at an Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill/Carrabba's, or the all-you-can-eat pasta places, or even what your mother gave you as a kid when spaghetti was on the menu at home. The differences in portion size will be pretty obscene. Plus, we drown our pastas in meat sauce and cheese, or in cream sauce which renders any veggies pointless.

 

[trixR4kids]

Re: Calorie Counting

There's nothing villainous about pasta per se, it's the amount of pasta Americans tend to eat that is more of the problem (and never mind that it's mostly the no-fiber, white flour kind). Look at a standard portion of pasta in Italy, or the noodles in a bowl of authentic Japanese ramen (NOT the dried crap you at in your college dorm). Now compare it to the amount of pasta on the plate at an Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill/Carrabba's, or the all-you-can-eat pasta places, or even what your mother gave you as a kid when spaghetti was on the menu at home. The differences in portion size will be pretty obscene. Plus, we drown our pastas in meat sauce and cheese, or in cream sauce which renders any veggies pointless.

Yeah basically pretend the food pyramid never existed.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Calorie Counting

Right now, my struggle is this: prior to surgery on my right foot July 2, I was active. I ran, I did HIIT workouts, I did yoga and Pilates, and I was at my physical job Monday through Friday and sometimes Saturday. I ate to match this.

Since surgery, I've had trouble cutting back on what I eat to match the relative inactivity, and what's worse, I've developed a "f-ck it" attitude, which has me wanting salty snacks, ice cream, and wine. At least I cut back on the wine and am learning to scoot (I'm on a knee scooter) past the salty snack aisle.

 

[trixR4kids]

Re: Calorie Counting

I feel like Wine is generally healthier than beer at least and shouldn't have a ton of calories, assuming you aren't getting Arbor Mist or something with a bunch of sugar. Ice Cream and salty snacks are a different story (I went through a chip phase recently but like you said, I generally avoid that aisle).

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Calorie Counting

I feel like Wine is generally healthier than beer at least and shouldn't have a ton of calories, assuming you aren't getting Arbor Mist or something with a bunch of sugar. Ice Cream and salty snacks are a different story (I went through a chip phase recently but like you said, I generally avoid that aisle).

With wine, it's not the wine itself, it's the frequency. When I'm basically drinking a bottle a week...

 

[trixR4kids]

Re: Calorie Counting

With wine, it's not the wine itself, it's the frequency. When I'm basically drinking a bottle a week...

A bottle a week is what, a glass per (work) day? And if you're including the weekends that doesn't sound that bad... (unless you're really trying to cut out alcohol entirely for health reasons or what have you)

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Calorie Counting

A bottle a week is what, a glass per (work) day? And if you're including the weekends that doesn't sound that bad... (unless you're really trying to cut out alcohol entirely for health reasons or what have you)

My alcohol consumption is related to my food consumption. When I drink, I tend to eat more carbs and fat to soak it up. What I ended up doing is basically cutting back to a small glass 1-2 times a week, and trying to drink with my dinner instead of as a nightcap.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Calorie Counting

A bottle of dry red wine a week isn’t bad. Just make sure it’s dry. Cabernet. Zinfandel, Syrah are all good choices. Stay away from the mega brands. Trader Joe’s has some very good wines for super cheap I’m finding.

Alton said it best though. He doesn’t drink milk not because of the milk itself but because it makes him so bad things. So if you’re finding wine is making you eat other things that are especially bad, stop drinking.

 

[Randy26]

Re: Calorie Counting

Been drinking red wine since the acidic stomach reaction to beer. A bottle a week is definitely just fine.

 

[trixR4kids]

Re: Calorie Counting

My alcohol consumption is related to my food consumption. When I drink, I tend to eat more carbs and fat to soak it up. What I ended up doing is basically cutting back to a small glass 1-2 times a week, and trying to drink with my dinner instead of as a nightcap.

If I drink during the week I limit it to 1-2 beers/drinks but I do it before/with dinner generally. That said I have a weird eating schedule compared to most people where I kinda just fast in the morning (maybe do a banana on free fruit day), eat lunch around 1-3, sometimes later if I'm extremely busy/overwhelmed, and then have dinner around 9-10, which makes the timing easier.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Calorie Counting

Since I'm trying to shed the "f-ck it" attitude, what I've been doing is emphasizing quality protein, quality fiber, and water.

Breakfast: steel cut oats with 3 eggs and 2 large cups of coffee
Lunch: lean protein, sweet potatoes or quinoa, and a non-starchy veg
Dinner: same as lunch
Snacks: fruit (like an apple or pear) and raw almonds or pickled vegetables or maybe popcorn
Beverages: coffee (black) or green tea, water (sometimes with a Nuun electrolyte tablet), with rare alcohol

What really helps is that I'm cutting back on baking. Double chocolate crunchy peanut butter bread is tasty, but not really all that healthy.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Calorie Counting

steel cut oats

When I see this on farm-to-table menus I always wonder: is it bullsh-t or does it actually mean something? I translate it to "oatmeal you pay 3x the price for."

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Calorie Counting

Yeah, the oats are just cut instead of rolled. They take longer to prepare but some people love them. I’ve made them twice and it’s too much effort. I like old fashioned (not minute) oats with a pinch of salt, a teaspoon or two of maple syrup, and pecans or walnuts. I always use skim milk and rarely cook them until the mush most people like them as.