At my leanest I was only eating 2 large meals a day (lunch, dinner) and intermittent fasting and i felt great. So yeah the 6 meals a day thing definitely isn't true for me, I find it hard to find time to eat 6 times anyways.
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Hasn't it been proven that 5-6 smaller meals per day isn't any different from 2-3 larger meals? I think people are all different.
I can get away without eating much till noon. Some people get sick and dizzy if they don't have breakfast.
As for the cheat meals, I certainly don't disagree. Some people quit smoking cold turkey and beat the struggle afterwards when the cravings are really bad.
Some people can't. Its different for everyone.
Most of what I've read seems to indicate there's no real evidence that eating 5-6 small meals per day is more beneficial than 2-3 big meals. It's all about caloric intake. If your eating is habitual or compulsive it might make sense to do the smaller meals just to minimize calories, but it's still calories in vs calories out.
At my leanest I was only eating 2 large meals a day (lunch, dinner) and intermittent fasting and i felt great. So yeah the 6 meals a day thing definitely isn't true for me, I find it hard to find time to eat 6 times anyways.
This is basically what I am doing and it works really well for me. But I am like a python - I like to eat a big meal and then I am good for 7-8 hrs, so I could probably get away with just eating at 2-3 pm and that's it for the day, plus some fruit. I did that on Tuesday because I had hockey at 830 and it worked really well. By taking a meal out of the equation I basically save 300-500 calories per day, as I found I ate the same amount per meal, regardless of whether I had 2 or 3 meals.
I think it is a good idea to give yourself one cheat meal every 2 weeks. Eat as much as you want of anything. Usually this means people go to 5 guys and binge. Or order in pizza.
Look at is as a deload week.
What's helped me this time around and why I've stuck with it for 6 months (and nearly 50 pounds) is that I haven't eliminated things I like to eat. The bulk of my diet is of course now healthy but every day I have a little calorie room reserved for a treat. Without that daily dose I go off the deep end pretty quick.
I also don't necessarily have a cheat day but I don't worry that much if I have a "bad" meal as I make sure I'm not having multiple bad meals and part of helping me limit those meals is the knowledge that another one will be coming soon. Again it keeps me from going off the deep end. Or at least it has.
Given I stick to what I LIKE which is a 45:30:25 type carbrotein:fat split at the desired calorie range (for me this is about 1400 right now), when i do have a bad day I find it is less than I was eating before. I find it hard right now to go beyond 2200 calories in a day at all because to do so requires me to eat something that is typically grease-laden and that now makes me feel like complete crap. So I don't do it. Instead I'll treat myself to an extra portion of salmon or steak (I love meat) rather than get the side of fries. In fact in these 6 months I've gone past 2000 calories in a day about 10 times. Before I started I'd be shocked if I ever ate anything less than 2000 calories if I wasn't sick.
At the same time I've made some behavioural changes. I don't carry cash at all. This eliminates the trip to the vending machine at work. It also eliminates the "I'll just pop in for donut" impulse type stuff because I won't use credit or debit for a 74 cent donut. It takes some extra time as well. I spend a good 4-5 hours on Saturday/Sunday shopping and preparing food for the week ahead. I pack what I need for the day the night before so i don't need to think about it in the morning. Etc.
Thus far it's working. But with all fat people trying to lose weight I can't guarantee it'll always work and I'll end up with a win at the end of this, because as has been shown your body really wants you to go back to what it was. It's a fight that's for sure. And it isn't easy so if it works for you then keep doing it.
Last edited by ernie; 06-02-2016 at 01:56 PM.
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As for the cheat meals, I certainly don't disagree. Some people quit smoking cold turkey and beat the struggle afterwards when the cravings are really bad.
Some people can't. Its different for everyone.
This is probably the key. I have never struggled with overeating and have generally always been a fit and active individual. I simply let myself go for a few years following marriage, got back on track in 2012 and down again to a healthy weight and lifestyle. Someone that has a history with obesity and binging though might need to be more cautious with a cheat meal/day.
Personally, I still maintain a metabolism of many individual's dreams, but have been doing "experiments" to deal with the inevitable slowing of my metabolism. My wife ascribes to this "lifestyle" with me and it seems to work ok for us. I don't mind a few suggestions or criticisms to think about, but this set up so far seems to work best after watching my friends/wife deal with diets with pure frustration and defeat and I'm not in a rush to tweak it.
I tried calorie counting for a month to slim down for my wedding and I was miserable. My wife had results but was miserable too. So we changed and our current set up allows us to at least have a more positive outlook and our figures are pretty close to what they were around our wedding. Most of our friends are miserable with many of the methods they are using as well.
In a paragraph, I eat as I need to eat and I can eat what I want. But if needed I will tweak the ratios of what eat to bring down my body to a healthy range. Healthy range is also not limited to food consumption.
What we do in a nutshell
- Ketogenic/Paleo "inspired" diet. (Lots of fruits/veggies/meats, less processed foods)
- Stay properly hydrated.
- Exercise as possible
- Everything in moderation.
- You have to be honest about what you're doing... (explained below)
- If you have a craving, satisfy it... but on a loose idea of calorie counting. Certain "bad things" are restricted to lower calorie levels. But eat it whenever you want.
- Must maintain a certain level of happiness with the diet/lifestyle. I believe studies show stressed individuals are more prone to gain weight.
DoubleF overshares
Spoiler!
The main things about our diet perhaps is that my wife and I consume soups on a regular basis. We can also eat all the veggies and fruits and fibre foods like oatmeal, cheerios etc. which help to curb hunger pangs. If we have a craving, we satisfy it, but limit the consumption of it.
Another slight caveat is that the success and failures are shared. If I am ahead for instance, I will consume the bigger portion of the cheat item (ie: Tiramisu cake or cheese platter) and my wife less. If she is doing well, she gets more and I get less. If both of us are in the higher range and not doing well, neither of us gets any. I joke that my wife's snacks are half the calories now because we share them and since I'm usually doing well on weight, I consume half if not more. Sometimes my wife has like two bites of different desserts and I finish them off. Sometimes, it's reverse. We often watch our weights go up and down together. On average, it's probably true. I eat about half. But weirdly, my wife perceives we both have consumed a full portion of a snack item and is either satisfied or worried she consumed too much. Win either way I think?
Think of an Aero bar. 221 calories and 8 ish squares or about 28 calories per square. Consuming 2 of those squares is about 56 calories, can somewhat meet a chocolate craving and is still less calories than those calorie conscious 100 calorie chocolate bar. If my wife has consumed 2-3 square and I the rest, She's at about 58-84 calories consumed, me, 137-163 calories. BUT, she had the satisfaction (or horror) of watching the entire thing disappear. This either tricks her into fulfilling her craving or affirms a need for her to stay diligent to a healthy diet for a day or two. Then in a few days or week, we rinse and repeat.
"If I'm not starving myself to enjoy myself on occasion, what am I starving myself for?" This was something I said on my honey moon. Rather than have a honey moon filled with regret for the foods we ate or didn't eat, we agreed to consume with recklessness and deal with the weight gain over the next few weeks. I think we tricked ourselves because several weeks later, we didn't mind the "diet food" because in our convos, that binge... so worth it.
Special occasions such as anniversary, stat holidays, crappy week at work beers or friends over means we don't overly count calories or worry at all about what we are consuming. We will gain, but if we don't have such targets to look forward do, it's a grind. On a recent trip, I gained about 8 lbs in a little over a week. When we returned, my wife and I used discipline to consume more fruits/veggies and more soups to counter the high protein/carb diet we had consumed prior. Because the weight was gained fast, it was lost pretty quickly too. Sometimes we just diet in anticipation of a big feast we will have. 2-3 day disciplined consumption of food prior to a no bars held Thanksgiving isn't too horrible I'd think.
It's like targeting a 6 lb weight loss to allow for a targeted 5.5-6 pound weight gain. Overall not much changed, but better than languishing in a 7 pound weight loss only to possibly back slide 8 lbs later and not even enjoying oneself during that weight gain. It's like a delayed gratification thing. Friends often comment about how much junk food just sits in our home. IMO, if you don't trust yourself around snacks, what happens when you're put in a situation where snacks are everywhere? The other thing I hate is dishonesty. These chips are healthier than those chips; I ate out, but I got a salad so it's ok since salad is healthier; I have pop every day, but it's ok, it's diet pop. All BS IMO. It's like saying, what's better to your body? A cold or a flu? Neither, really. (Yeah, it's hyperbole and a bad example. No one actually enjoys a cold or flu)
I'm about 6'0 maintaining between a 170-185 lb range. Weight isn't static, so sometimes gaining weight or fluctuating back up isn't something I lose sleep over. Setting a single number and getting frustrated being .5 lbs away is silly. Celebrate the progress you made, not worry about the progress you didn't. I feel guilt is a big problem in many diets. Every time I watch someone succumb to guilt, I often see them lose all the progress and more.
Like I mentioned, I target a weight range. I usually target 170-175 lb and in periods of special occasion I can hit up to 185 lb or so. My wife and I use this to our advantage. If we didn't stay in the lower end of the spectrum, we can't celebrate as much. It sucks watching people enjoy foods you've limited yourself because you're on the higher end of the spectrum. We found having an option to "enjoy next time" if is/we are disciplined is its own motivator.
I dislike many diets. Many of them take joy out of food. Joyless food IMO on occasions start vicious cycles. You backslide, feel bad, backslide more because you feel bad etc. Other times you just feel really hungry. When you backslide and need to eat? You'll target the foods that destroy your progress. The worst IMO is putting together an "alternative" that doesn't even fill your craving. Better to have that horrible item in all its godly yumminess then work it off diligently later than consume an alternative, not kill the craving, but still have added those calories into your body (however, "lower" it might be. ie: Cold vs Flu)
Overall, it is highly plausible that my method is complete nonsense and the only reason it's working is due to a high metabolism. But I believe not fighting the craving, feed it in moderation and never be hungry or unhappy are concepts/principles that are working out well for my wife and I so far.
Uff its hard to put yourself out like this, but Iceland is a tiny country and there are a lot of former competitors who feel a lot of shame and guilt because of how people have seen them all regain weight. I'd like to think I have a pretty thick skin, but sometimes you let it get to you.
Anyhow the english article is out, another one comes out in one of the bigger papers in a few days.
I certainly wouldn't expect everyone to share but I'm curious what weight many of you started off at. I'm seeing lots of posts of people saying they've lost dozen's of pounds like 20-60lbs in a matter of a few months. That seems crazy to me.
I don't ask in a mean spirited way. In fact it is the opposite, I've been working out pretty regularly for the last 8 months and have curbed my rather unhealthy diet to be something somewhat more healthy but still not amazing and I've had a hell of a time losing weight. Reading about people losing a crap ton of weight is making me feel like I'm getting nowhere lol. I'm just trying to get rid of my belly and not much is happening. I feel better but I haven't noticed significant results. Certainly not as much of my gut is gone as I would have hoped.
Maybe it is a matter of perspective as it is my understanding that shedding pounds quickly is easier when there's more to lose.
Hope this doesn't sound too self serving I'm just curious.
I certainly wouldn't expect everyone to share but I'm curious what weight many of you started off at. I'm seeing lots of posts of people saying they've lost dozen's of pounds like 20-60lbs in a matter of a few months. That seems crazy to me.
I don't ask in a mean spirited way. In fact it is the opposite, I've been working out pretty regularly for the last 8 months and have curbed my rather unhealthy diet to be something somewhat more healthy but still not amazing and I've had a hell of a time losing weight. Reading about people losing a crap ton of weight is making me feel like I'm getting nowhere lol. I'm just trying to get rid of my belly and not much is happening. I feel better but I haven't noticed significant results. Certainly not as much of my gut is gone as I would have hoped.
Maybe it is a matter of perspective as it is my understanding that shedding pounds quickly is easier when there's more to lose.
Hope this doesn't sound too self serving I'm just curious.
Are you using something like fitness pal to count calories?
I totally flattened out with loss until I got it and really got a sense of what the numbers are.
Also, you can't really spot reduce, you just need to lose overall and hope the bad parts go away.
Uff its hard to put yourself out like this, but Iceland is a tiny country and there are a lot of former competitors who feel a lot of shame and guilt because of how people have seen them all regain weight. I'd like to think I have a pretty thick skin, but sometimes you let it get to you.
Anyhow the english article is out, another one comes out in one of the bigger papers in a few days.
I certainly wouldn't expect everyone to share but I'm curious what weight many of you started off at. I'm seeing lots of posts of people saying they've lost dozen's of pounds like 20-60lbs in a matter of a few months. That seems crazy to me.
I don't ask in a mean spirited way. In fact it is the opposite, I've been working out pretty regularly for the last 8 months and have curbed my rather unhealthy diet to be something somewhat more healthy but still not amazing and I've had a hell of a time losing weight. Reading about people losing a crap ton of weight is making me feel like I'm getting nowhere lol. I'm just trying to get rid of my belly and not much is happening. I feel better but I haven't noticed significant results. Certainly not as much of my gut is gone as I would have hoped.
Maybe it is a matter of perspective as it is my understanding that shedding pounds quickly is easier when there's more to lose.
Hope this doesn't sound too self serving I'm just curious.
Don't give up!
A good thing to do when you start any sort of healthy lifestyle change is to take measurements and pictures. I don't know if you did those or not, but if not, it isn't too late to start now. Then you'll have a base point to look back on. Sometimes you may feel like you're not getting anywhere but you look back and realize you've lost an inch or two here or there, and you realize that while you look in the mirror everyday and don't think you're getting anywhere, when you compare it to a picture from a few weeks or months ago, you actually can see improvement.
It feels corny to do the start point pictures and measurements but it can help you to keep motivated.
Step 1. Cut soda/pop out. Benefit? Lost 21# in less than a month. Then plateaued.
I'm still figuring out what Step 2 will look like. Have to balance a very stressful and time demanding job with whatever I do, but it is going to be some form of regular exercise that I can make habitual. I find that if I have success with something and then apply the methodology/psychology I used to achieve it to the next thing, I do much better. This is really only the second time I've been serious about losing weight. 2 years ago I dropped about 50# in 6 months or so. Moved back to Kansas and gained it all back and then some. I think I was treating a mild case of depression with food and gallons and gallons of Mountain Dew. I had cut the pop out in 2014 as well but I also was extremely intentional about hydration then and I think it really helped. I'm having a more difficult time getting enough water down the hatch this time. Still working on it though.
I appreciate what everyone has shared. This is really the first time I have mentioned any details about myself and my weight. I'm embarrassed about it generally speaking.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
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I used to run marathons, and have always loved to eat - running marathons allowed me keep my weight at a reasonable level. I fluctuated at around 185-190. I tore my meniscus playing hockey and had to stop running, then had the surgery. My exercise went from running and hockey to riding a stationary bike. I kept eating just like in the glory days and eventually got up to 225 in about 12-15 months. Locke can testify to my love of the dumpling. Eventually, I think I just became embarassed of how I looked next to my wife. I started working out a bit more intensively, but that didn't make a huge difference - I suppose it's hard to match the calorie burn of running 20k regularly. This past February, while I was in Tucson, I did 2 things - I started counting calories (not setting a limit, just recording) and I turned up the intensity of my workouts (i.e. setting the bike resistance to 25 instead of 10), and went to 2/day. I am down to 185 now. Counting calories has made me a whole lot more conscious of how much I was eating, with the result that I have definitely cut down my portions a bit. 2 workouts per day means I am burning 1500-2000 calories exercising. None of this has felt "hard" - I am still eating anything I want, and I don't find the exercise difficult - I just watch TV and crank the pedals. I think the key to sustaining has been that I am not making myself do anything that I don't want to do. I can see myself doing this indefinitely...
Anyone putting sugar and cream in their coffee should consider drinking better coffee. Tims tastes like fetid dumpster water, so of course you need to put a pile of sugar and fat in it. Go get some drip or beans at Phil and Sebastian, Rosso, or Monogram and you won't need to sweeten it. Such an easy way to cut calories.
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A tiny but provocative Canadian-led study suggests overweight and obese people have significantly less grey and white matter in key brain regions, offering what the researchers believe is a “biologically plausible explanation” for why heavier people tend to have reduced cognitive functioning, greater impulsivity and “altered reward processing.”
Quote:
However, the findings appear to fit with mounting evidence linking higher body mass with poorer impulse control and other “cognitive deficits” that may undercut a person’s efforts to lose weight.
“It has been suggested that body composition itself might somehow affect the neural systems that underlie cognition, motivation, self-control and salience processing, which would in turn affect one’s ability to make better lifestyle choices,” the researchers write, for example, “forgoing immediate and/or highly salient rewards for the sake of longer-term health and wellness goals.”
Quote:
In particular, heavier and fatter people had less grey and white matter in the “salience network,” what Figley describes as the “seat of motivation, willpower, and the ability to persevere through physical and emotional challenges.”
Given that, “it stands to reason that these changes could further affect the ability of overweight individuals to exert self-control and maintain healthy lifestyle choices,” he said.
They also found differences, based on body composition, in the dorsal striatum, an area of the brain involved with habitual behaviour.
Numerous other studies have shown obesity is associated with lower scores on decision-making and executive function tasks, slower mental processing speed and decreased learning and memory, Figley said.
Great. Now we're going to see a twist of "overweight people have less brain matter" to fuel the discrimination towards those who carry more weight than they should.
__________________
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Great. Now we're going to see a twist of "overweight people have less brain matter" to fuel the discrimination towards those who carry more weight than they should.
FAT LIVES MATTER - Rally 2017
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Tiny study, so lets not jump the shark here, but I would not be surprised that we would find some differences in obese brains, especially those who develop obesity in their childhood.
Anything that leads us to more answers I'm welcome to see us research it, but just don't ask me since I'm unable to keep up with my slower mental powers
So just went to Poland and had the Gastric sleeve surgery done, and it went utterly fantastic. The surgery was last Saturday, by Monday I felt almost ready to fly back home but stayed a few more days.
One of the newspapers here covered the story of me going and is going to follow along, so I'll update of course on my progress, the diet is very strict especially the first few months but its a breeze so far. 80% of the stomach was taken and now my levels of the hormone grelin seem bang on, no cravings even with a water diet, my stomach can now hold about 250ml of stuff, easy to get full.
Of course if anyone has any questions about the whole thing, publicly or privately do give me a shout.
rotein:fat split at the desired calorie range (for me this is about 1400 right now), when i do have a bad day I find it is less than I was eating before. I find it hard right now to go beyond 2200 calories in a day at all because to do so requires me to eat something that is typically grease-laden and that now makes me feel like complete crap. So I don't do it. Instead I'll treat myself to an extra portion of salmon or steak (I love meat) rather than get the side of fries. In fact in these 6 months I've gone past 2000 calories in a day about 10 times. Before I started I'd be shocked if I ever ate anything less than 2000 calories if I wasn't sick.
, got back on track in 2012 and down again to a healthy weight and lifestyle. Someone that has a history with obesity and binging though might need to be more cautious with a cheat meal/day.
I had cut the pop out in 2014 as well but I also was extremely intentional about hydration then and I think it really helped. I'm having a more difficult time getting enough water down the hatch this time. Still working on it though.
I started working out a bit more intensively, but that didn't make a huge difference - I suppose it's hard to match the calorie burn of running 20k regularly. This past February, while I was in Tucson, I did 2 things - I started counting calories (not setting a limit, just recording) and I turned up the intensity of my workouts (i.e. setting the bike resistance to 25 instead of 10), and went to 2/day. I am down to 185 now. Counting calories has made me a whole lot more conscious of how much I was eating, with the result that I have definitely cut down my portions a bit. 2 workouts per day means I am burning 1500-2000 calories exercising. None of this has felt "hard" - I am still eating anything I want, and I don't find the exercise difficult - I just watch TV and crank the pedals. I think the key to sustaining has been that I am not making myself do anything that I don't want to do. I can see myself doing this indefinitely...
