diet tips: willpower?

[Defy Belief]

Oh and go by the mirror not by the scales

 

[Roar87]

They might be zero calories but they contain a whole load of chemicals including Aspartame. No thanks.

I lost 16lbs over 12 weeks and cut down to about 10% bodyfat using intermittent fasting while lifting weights, I was drinking Pepsi Max Cherry during the day. Saying words like chemicals doesn't mean anything, it's a logical fallacy. Aspartame has been proved time and time again to be safe for human consumption, it's one of the most tested "chemicals" I believe.

 

[touch]

that's an awful lot of chemicals you're going to get into the habit of ingesting. Just drink water ffs.

Water is a chemical.

 

[200sols]

Cant beat a bit of Adams ale though.

 

[Roar87]

Oh and go by the mirror not by the scales

And if you're using the scales make sure you weigh yourself at the same time of day each time, you weigh less on a morning than an evening. Water retention has a massive impact on weight.

 

[One More Solo]

Basic eating principles that have worked for me over many, many years (initially starting from a weight loss perspective, now just a maintenance/health perspective) based on the literature/studies I've read:

-Aim to eat all food within a 10 hour window (ideally this would mean a high protein breakfast within two hours of waking and final meal at least 3 hours before sleep).
-No caffeine after 2pm.
-Limit alcohol intake.
-As much fresh veg as you like, keep fruit consumption to a minimum (no juices or smoothies, eat whole fruit if you must).
-Eat more fish, less meat and sensible portions of carbohydrate (if you're going to weigh anything, it should be your carb sources).
-Cook your meals! Takeaways and ready meals are expensive and crap. IMO there is no excuse for eating ready meals when you can throw together an omelette, quick pasta dish or meat/fish and veg in the same time with as much effort. Reserve takeaways/eating out for an occasional treat and go somewhere decent instead.
-Eat when you're hungry, not based on the clock. If you have a big/late dinner and wake up still feeling full, don't just eat breakfast because that's what the clock says. Listen to your body.

There are points in there that have a pure sleep benefit (i.e. part of points 1/3 and all of point 2). Getting enough good quality sleep is key to reducing sugar/bad food cravings, particularly in the afternoon. Eating too soon before bed or having excess caffeine in your system will both impact your quality of sleep.

I don't think any of those things are particularly difficult to achieve.

 

[AHarvey]

Paul McKenna - I can make you thin.

Simple rules

When you feel hungry have a drink of water first.
If it doesn't go away, time to eat.

4 main rules:
1) Only eat when you're hungry
2) Eat whatever you like
3) Eat slowly, chew food and with no distraction
4) Stop eating when you're full.

Cravings - he's got some weird tapping technique to help handle cravings too.

Portion size, eating slowly and learning what a filling portion is will make all the difference.

That and being active.

I can't be too active at the moment due to my autoimmune disease and the high levels of pain, but, not filling my face constantly means that even over the Xmas period when I've lived off Jelly Babies, chocolate, biscuits, mince pies and Xmas cake my weight hasn't changed. I've not felt rough after eating either like the previous couple of years.

 

[Defy Belief]

keep fruit consumption to a minimum (no juices or smoothies, eat whole fruit if you must).

The right fruits are packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fibre, why would you want to keep that to a minimum?

 

[Deluxe1]

Exercise and eat WHATEVER you LIKE in MODERATION.

Simple as that really, you don't have to cut out certain food groups just stay under your daily calories and you will lose weight.

 

[TheSkateyBird]

Second a lot of the stuff posted here, I'm 25KG down from my 128KG start point back in August from eating less. I have had a several of days of weakness after a long term relationship ended. But it's all been eating less and doing more. Weirdly getting a Fitbit got me moving more so it was good investment!

 

[XeNoN89]

I lost over a stone last year - Went from 15.3% bodyfat to 9.1%

I just gradually dropped my carbs but i also did 5 on 2 off

Really strict during the week, minimal carbs, high protein. Weekends I could eat whatever I wanted. I found it worked relly well because when you get those sugar or junk food cravings in the week you know you just have to wait until the weekend to have everything you want. It makes it much easier to stay strict for the other days i found.

 

[Feek]

Exercise and eat WHATEVER you LIKE in MODERATION.

Simple as that really, you don't have to cut out certain food groups just stay under your daily calories and you will lose weight.

Again, this is it.

There is still far too much rubbish in this thread. It doesn’t matter a jot what time of day you eat. A calorie is a calorie, it’s a measure of energy.

Calories in vs calories out. I can’t be arsed to search but it will be relatively easy to find the thread where I’ve posted my weight loss results. I’m lighter than I’ve ever been, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I still eat the rubbish, just less of it.

Fasting has been mentioned a few times. Well guess what, when you fast, you reduce your calorie intake. Duh.

 

[BoyceyLDN]

Question for the people saying: learn to cook or get better etc, i can cook but could do with levelling up my game, is there any cook books you guys recommend that are game changers? any good low-carb cook books or any people follow which has helped shift weight?

Cheers in advance

 

[VincentHanna]

http://www.hairybikers.com/shop/view/the-hairy-dieters

 

[One More Solo]

The right fruits are packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fibre, why would you want to keep that to a minimum?

Because the vast majority of those nutrients, vitamins etc can be obtained as easily from vegetables without a massive hit of fructose and negative impacts on your gut bacteria. Fruit should be viewed the same as any sweet treat really, one small bit of fresh fruit a day is ample.

 

[Roar87]

Again, this is it.

There is still far too much rubbish in this thread. It doesn’t matter a jot what time of day you eat. A calorie is a calorie, it’s a measure of energy.

Calories in vs calories out. I can’t be arsed to search but it will be relatively easy to find the thread where I’ve posted my weight loss results. I’m lighter than I’ve ever been, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I still eat the rubbish, just less of it.

Fasting has been mentioned a few times. Well guess what, when you fast, you reduce your calorie intake. Duh.

Not necessarily true, you could eat more fasting than in spaced out meals. It's more about feeling satiated when you do eat because you get to eat larger meals, and you don't feel hungry as much because you get used to not eating for X amount of hours each day. There are also hormonal benefits from fasting which can help maintain muscle mass while being calorie restricted. Calories are still the most important part of dieting though and nothing will work if they aren't controlled for.

 

[Uther]

Feek's weight loss thread. Do this.
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/ive-done-it-im-half-the-man-i-used-to-be.18633763/

 

[Screeeech]

Again, this is it.

There is still far too much rubbish in this thread. It doesn’t matter a jot what time of day you eat. A calorie is a calorie, it’s a measure of energy.

This isn't entirely true.

When it comes to weight loss, a calorie is a calorie - if you maintain a calorie deficit, or exercise a lot to create that deficit you lose weight, we can all agree on that.

The problem is when it comes to eating food, a calorie is absolutely not a calorie, go try it for yourself; Eat 1000 calories of Pringles or other junk, then next week do the same with 1000 calories of chicken breast and salad. Both will give you completely different sensations of satisfaction, one will make you feel agitated and a bit 'off' and not satisfied at all, the other will make you feel full like you've eaten a proper meal. Because different calories from different food sources are metabolised in completely different ways by the body.

The key is understanding how weight is gained in the first place, and it's a big advantage in knowing how to keep it off - because statistically more than 50% of people regain all weight they lose through dieting.

 

[Scam]

Proof?

Why don't you go away and show me proof that that aspartame is better for you then water? But go on then, I'll bite. Shall we try Harvard Medical School for one?

Overstimulation of sugar receptors from frequent use of these hyper-intense sweeteners may limit tolerance for more complex tastes,” explains Dr. Ludwig. That means people who routinely use artificial sweeteners may start to find less intensely sweet foods, such as fruit, less appealing and unsweet foods, such as vegetables, downright unpalatable.

In other words, use of artificial sweeteners can make you shun healthy, filling, and highly nutritious foods while consuming more artificially flavored foods with less nutritional value.

Artificial sweeteners may play another trick, too. Research suggests that they may prevent us from associating sweetness with caloric intake. As a result, we may crave more sweets, tend to choose sweet food over nutritious food, and gain weight. Participants in the San Antonio Heart Study who drank more than 21 diet drinks per week were twice as likely to become overweight or obese as people who didn’t drink diet soda.

But you say you can give up diet drinks whenever you want? Don’t be so sure. Animal studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may be addictive. In studies of rats who were exposed to cocaine, then given a choice between intravenous cocaine or oral saccharine, most chose saccharin.

(snip)
Studies leading to FDA approval have ruled out cancer risk, for the most part. However, those studies were done using far smaller amounts of diet soda than the 24 ounces a day consumed by many people who drink diet soda. We really don’t know what effect large amounts of these chemicals will have over many years.

(snip)
And there are other health concerns beside cancer. In the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, daily consumption of diet drinks was associated with a 36% greater risk for metabolic syndrome and a 67% increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Aren’t these diseases that artificial sweeteners may help prevent in the first place?

I spent all of 5mins Googling for that. Anyhoo, to echo the point above I've got no issue with 'chemicals' in food, I'm just rightly wary of ingredients that have been dreamt up by a multi-billion dollar company who's sole purpose in life is to sell addictive drinks.

-Eat when you're hungry, not based on the clock.

4 main rules:
1) Only eat when you're hungry

I'd actually disagree with this. For one probably a lot of unhealthy people (sorry, I nearly wrote fatties) eat out of boredom. I'd be more regimented. I know for one if I have a late lunch and end up really hungry, I'm way more likely to have something unhealthy/stodgy to fill that void.

 

[itchy]

Just pick for food, sack the fizzy drinks and eat what you like or fancy. I am 5,10 and 9 stone and drink like a fish but I can eat what I like whenever.

Get on the fish, eggs, bacon, peanut butter and rice.(Not altogether) I am lucky as I cannot gain weight but I understand some people just put weight on.

No fizzy drinks zero sugar or not. Water, milk (full fat) and don't stress about it we all different.

Exercise is a myth for weight loss, it just makes you more hungry as you burn energy.