Have you ever stuck with a diet...
Discussion
I've been fluctuating between low carb and zero carb since about 2013 if that counts. Certainly completely changed my diet from what it was before and apart from occasional attacks of social cake no desire to go back. 1.5 to 2 stone lighter now than I was then and significantly fewer knee issues.
Yes I have. Nutritious balanced diet and calorie count to control portion size. No food/diet fads. I basically got to an age where I had to chose between changing the way I eat or becoming increasingly overweight/unhealthy for the rest of my life. I too love food and had a sweet tooth for years but it has been a sacrifice worth making.
Yes, 2yrs ago I was 220lb not too fat and lot of it was muscle, however for the sake of my joints and long term health decided to lose weight, soo ditched the snacks cut down the alcohol, now I no longer drink, weight loss was averaging around 1 or 2 lb a week, not fad dieting everything was done with sustainability for the rest of my life, I’m now 170lb and single digit body fat.
So a typical day of eating is and this may not work for everyone, coffee on getting up no breakfast, lunch is scrambled eggs with bacon or cottage cheese, evening meals are ether red meat or fish with lots of green and vegetables, or a stir fry if I fancy a change, anything sweet comes in the way of Greek yogurt blueberries or dark chocolate, I still have blow outs as food avoidance only leads to problems down the road, been like this for two years with no problem at all, fad or starvation don’t work!
So a typical day of eating is and this may not work for everyone, coffee on getting up no breakfast, lunch is scrambled eggs with bacon or cottage cheese, evening meals are ether red meat or fish with lots of green and vegetables, or a stir fry if I fancy a change, anything sweet comes in the way of Greek yogurt blueberries or dark chocolate, I still have blow outs as food avoidance only leads to problems down the road, been like this for two years with no problem at all, fad or starvation don’t work!
I had to as I developed a load of food intolerances including dairy and potatoes. Previously I had followed Slimming World for a long while.
With regard to a diet to lose weight, I am now only able to get success by counting calories. I have an app on my phone called Nutracheck which is easy to use (includes a bar code scanner) and works. Although the longest I have stuck to it religiously is three months. Just started again this week.
I also have the "Pinch of Nom" recipe books which are good.
With regard to a diet to lose weight, I am now only able to get success by counting calories. I have an app on my phone called Nutracheck which is easy to use (includes a bar code scanner) and works. Although the longest I have stuck to it religiously is three months. Just started again this week.
I also have the "Pinch of Nom" recipe books which are good.
Edited by Slow.Patrol on Friday 12th January 17:17
I've pretty much stuck to a diet for the last year. I also try and get an hours bike ride a day.
I don't usually eat breakfast, just coffee. Lunch is rare too, but if I feel hungry I'll have a boiled egg, or egg mayonaise (I boil a dozen eggs at a time and keep them in the fridge).
For dinner I'll eat meat (mostly chicken) in whatever form takes my fancy, and a large portion of mixed vegetables, eiither the individual fresh packs, or frozen. I don't limit the amount of meat, fat or veg, so I'm not left feeling hungry. If I ever feel like a snack, I'll have an egg, a bowl of oats, or a banana. The hardest part was cutting out sweet things, like biscuits, cake and chocolate, but after a few months the cravings went.
Around once a week I'll eat what like, which may be a full roast, fish and chips, KFC, pizza etc. in doing that I don't feel like I'm missing anything, and the result so far is that I'm down 3 stone from this time last year.
I don't usually eat breakfast, just coffee. Lunch is rare too, but if I feel hungry I'll have a boiled egg, or egg mayonaise (I boil a dozen eggs at a time and keep them in the fridge).
For dinner I'll eat meat (mostly chicken) in whatever form takes my fancy, and a large portion of mixed vegetables, eiither the individual fresh packs, or frozen. I don't limit the amount of meat, fat or veg, so I'm not left feeling hungry. If I ever feel like a snack, I'll have an egg, a bowl of oats, or a banana. The hardest part was cutting out sweet things, like biscuits, cake and chocolate, but after a few months the cravings went.
Around once a week I'll eat what like, which may be a full roast, fish and chips, KFC, pizza etc. in doing that I don't feel like I'm missing anything, and the result so far is that I'm down 3 stone from this time last year.
Your diet is what you eat if you want your diet to be one that maintains you at a healthy body weight then it can only contain so many calories, start looking at food as a source of fuel rather than just a source of enjoyment/crutch for life, you wouldn't keep pouring fuel into a car once it was full and the same goes for the body.
So just work out how many calories you need and then eat what you want in terms of food (but it would be better to go for foods that fill you up rather than junk that just leaves you craving more) and don't eat more than you need, it really is that simple.
Consistency is key over a long time not crash "diets" they don't work for most people, it took a while to put it on so accept it'll take a while to take it off and therefore you need something you can stick to even if it takes 2 years to reach a target better than reaching it in 6 months and then piling it all back on again.
Once you have found your ideal diet then you can forget about food and get on with enjoying your life, but remember your diet isn't a "diet" it's what you need to eat not what you want to eat.
This isn't a dig at anyone here but its incredible that eating real food in the UK and USA is considered a diet.
In UK terms, I guess that most of my food is freshly prepared, loaded with vegetables and general no processed stuff, you could say i'm on a diet. In Italian, French, Spanish terms, i'm just eating food.
Last nights dinner was a paella, tonight its fish n chips (well vegan "fish" for me), tomorrow a spag bol, Sunday will be a roast, Monday a stir-fry, Tuesday sausages, Mediterranean veg and cous cous etc etc. None of that would probably be classed as "diet" but its all healthy filling enjoyable food that would lead to weight loss if I was calorie counting and being in a deficit.
Diets are short term fads. They have a place, a wedding has sprung up in 4 weeks and want to shift a pound or two for the suit? Go on a diet. Long-term though change the mindset, you're not on a diet, that seems like its restrictive and you're missing out, you're just eating healthy nutritious food that will fuel the body and mind
In UK terms, I guess that most of my food is freshly prepared, loaded with vegetables and general no processed stuff, you could say i'm on a diet. In Italian, French, Spanish terms, i'm just eating food.
Last nights dinner was a paella, tonight its fish n chips (well vegan "fish" for me), tomorrow a spag bol, Sunday will be a roast, Monday a stir-fry, Tuesday sausages, Mediterranean veg and cous cous etc etc. None of that would probably be classed as "diet" but its all healthy filling enjoyable food that would lead to weight loss if I was calorie counting and being in a deficit.
Diets are short term fads. They have a place, a wedding has sprung up in 4 weeks and want to shift a pound or two for the suit? Go on a diet. Long-term though change the mindset, you're not on a diet, that seems like its restrictive and you're missing out, you're just eating healthy nutritious food that will fuel the body and mind
NaePasaran said:
This isn't a dig at anyone here but its incredible that eating real food in the UK and USA is considered a diet.
In UK terms, I guess that most of my food is freshly prepared, loaded with vegetables and general no processed stuff, you could say i'm on a diet. In Italian, French, Spanish terms, i'm just eating food.
That's exactly what I was saying, the word diet needs reframing as when it's mentioned people think of it as a "dieting" When everyone whether they eat 1500 or 10000 calories a day is on a diet. In UK terms, I guess that most of my food is freshly prepared, loaded with vegetables and general no processed stuff, you could say i'm on a diet. In Italian, French, Spanish terms, i'm just eating food.
I maintain my weight by making sure my diet consists of the calories I need, people gain weight because their diet contains more calories than they need, it really is that simple.
Edited by Wills2 on Friday 12th January 18:53
NaePasaran said:
Last nights dinner was a paella, tonight its fish n chips (well vegan "fish" for me)
Are you a vegan mate? I've been vegan for about 7 years or so. Before I gave up o animal products I did well on a paleo diet, but it's hard to do when you don't eat meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
I think the best thing you can do is spend a week weighing out everything that you eat and entering it in a food tracker. Learn what a portion should be - be that 600 calories, 800 calories, 1000….and then learn to keep roughly within the confines of how many you need to lose or maintain weight. Track everything for that week.
For me I track every single breakfast and make sure it’s 35g of protein and less than 500 calories. Previously I could easily smash my way through 1200 calories before 10am! That way I know I can have a sensibly sized lunch of about 600 calories, two high protein snacks and a sensible dinner and stay within 3000 for the day.
But I’ll ‘borrow’ calories from meals to have cakes or chocolate or beer; so if I decide to have a chocolate bar with my afternoon coffee I’ll ditch the carb element from my dinner and just have protein and veg.
I also base every meal or snack around it containing 30g or more of protein. It makes you feel fuller and is obviously essential if you’re training.
But, as other have mentioned, your diet should just be what you routinely eat and not some special plan. I think portion control awareness is the key and the quality of what you eat. And eating lots of protein and massively reducing sugar / processed junk.
I fancy some chocolate now…..
For me I track every single breakfast and make sure it’s 35g of protein and less than 500 calories. Previously I could easily smash my way through 1200 calories before 10am! That way I know I can have a sensibly sized lunch of about 600 calories, two high protein snacks and a sensible dinner and stay within 3000 for the day.
But I’ll ‘borrow’ calories from meals to have cakes or chocolate or beer; so if I decide to have a chocolate bar with my afternoon coffee I’ll ditch the carb element from my dinner and just have protein and veg.
I also base every meal or snack around it containing 30g or more of protein. It makes you feel fuller and is obviously essential if you’re training.
But, as other have mentioned, your diet should just be what you routinely eat and not some special plan. I think portion control awareness is the key and the quality of what you eat. And eating lots of protein and massively reducing sugar / processed junk.
I fancy some chocolate now…..
mcelliott said:
Yes, 2yrs ago I was 220lb not too fat and lot of it was muscle, however for the sake of my joints and long term health decided to lose weight, soo ditched the snacks cut down the alcohol, now I no longer drink, weight loss was averaging around 1 or 2 lb a week, not fad dieting everything was done with sustainability for the rest of my life, I’m now 170lb and single digit body fat.
So a typical day of eating is and this may not work for everyone, coffee on getting up no breakfast, lunch is scrambled eggs with bacon or cottage cheese, evening meals are ether red meat or fish with lots of green and vegetables, or a stir fry if I fancy a change, anything sweet comes in the way of Greek yogurt blueberries or dark chocolate, I still have blow outs as food avoidance only leads to problems down the road, been like this for two years with no problem at all, fad or starvation don’t work!
Ignoring the food in the meals, what you have described is pretty much the 16:8 "diet".So a typical day of eating is and this may not work for everyone, coffee on getting up no breakfast, lunch is scrambled eggs with bacon or cottage cheese, evening meals are ether red meat or fish with lots of green and vegetables, or a stir fry if I fancy a change, anything sweet comes in the way of Greek yogurt blueberries or dark chocolate, I still have blow outs as food avoidance only leads to problems down the road, been like this for two years with no problem at all, fad or starvation don’t work!
Personally, the 16:8 is what I am doing but in no way dieting on it. And I'll probably have a day or two a week where I am not strict on this but this doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference.
I wake up and have a coffee or two, will generally eat around 11am-midday ish, snack if I want but no gorging, and then eat a normal meal in the evening around 5-7pm. Bingo 16:8 "diet" achieved. I may grab a chocolate bar a bit later in the evening, or have a hot chocolate, but the secret seems to be to leave your first meal of the day as late as possible and then have another meal within 8 hours of that and then repeat. Been doing this for over a decade now!
NaePasaran said:
C4ME said:
Point being, eating properly and losing/maintaining weight doesn't need to feel like a gimmicky "diet".
sustainable eating plan is the way to do it.
C4ME said:
NaePasaran said:
C4ME said:
Point being, eating properly and losing/maintaining weight doesn't need to feel like a gimmicky "diet".
sustainable eating plan is the way to do it.
Worth ready ‘fat girl friday" - expect there is ‘fat guy Friday". By Craig beck.
I went from 120kg to around 95kg and have kept it off for 3 years now.
As others have said, no fad diet, no eliminating any particular food stuff. I just don't find that sustainable. All about counting calories and knowing what food is calorie wise, my fitness pal has been great in that respect.
Exercise has played a massive part in maintaining the weight, but you certainly can't outrun a bad diet. Before I lost weight I only exercise now and again. I'm now at the point that I can feel my anxiety levels increase if I don't exercise. Normally 3 times a week.
As others have said, no fad diet, no eliminating any particular food stuff. I just don't find that sustainable. All about counting calories and knowing what food is calorie wise, my fitness pal has been great in that respect.
Exercise has played a massive part in maintaining the weight, but you certainly can't outrun a bad diet. Before I lost weight I only exercise now and again. I'm now at the point that I can feel my anxiety levels increase if I don't exercise. Normally 3 times a week.
Slowboathome said:
......for over a year?
Yes.
I'm fed up of feeling fat, but food is one of my favourite things in life.
I Know how you feel. You can still enjoy food, just need to be in a deficit.
Recent attempts at reducing calories have made me miserable.
Do you know your maintencance calories and eaten enough to be in a deficit but not a surplus?you may have room for a bit more food
Has anyone on here made significant and lasting* changes to their eating habits?
At the start i just replaced the crap for healthier options. So no more chocolate and crisps at lunch and instead a belvita and some fruit. But now im more aware of calorie and protein content and eat better.Yes.
I'm fed up of feeling fat, but food is one of my favourite things in life.
I Know how you feel. You can still enjoy food, just need to be in a deficit.
Recent attempts at reducing calories have made me miserable.
Do you know your maintencance calories and eaten enough to be in a deficit but not a surplus?you may have room for a bit more food
Has anyone on here made significant and lasting* changes to their eating habits?
- ie, for more than one year.
Try making little changes weekly, find an enercise you enjoy doing to keep you motivated. Im not a fan of the gym, love going boxing training and after an hour of that i dont want to undo my hard work so stick to my strict plan.
Have the occasional treat,in consideration.
Ill be back in a minute with a yt link to a guy who i think would benefit you.
ETA: have a look through his videos
https://youtube.com/shorts/uwfHt6r6vrE?si=0hKSWe08...
Edited by Ryyy on Friday 12th January 20:17
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