Dieting Sucks

I do a cheat meal or cheat day once a week when sticking to my nutrition plan. It helps with the cravings. Pizza, greasy bar burger and fries, ect are very tempting if you cant have them. Knowing you can have one on Saturday if you stick to your plan during the week is just goal setting. Ill try to go 8 weeks on of following the nutrition plan very close. Then about a 4 week break where Im still eating well.

Even on the nutrition plan there is no starving. Actually the biggest challenge is eating enough food. 6 meals a day. Its very easy to get side tracked during the day and not make time to eat. When my metabolism kicks in it gets easier. Big three eggs and meat breakfast in the morning and I still need a mid morning snack to get me through til lunch time.

Rootski made a great point that being an outdoors person can fit into eating healthy very well also. Lots of lean protein running around in our woods and lakes it just takes some exercise to go get it. Venison is in my nutrition plan. Pike that is simple pan seared is in the plan. Wild rice that I harvested this last summer. Wild mushrooms. I even have maple syrup in my plan as a carb.

I dropped about 60# last year. No diets, no fad stuff.
Life change. Much like what was already stated. Diets are only temporary, and so are the results.

The primary things I changed:
1. Try to eliminate preservatives. Ask yourself why a bag of anything pre-made can have a shelf life of a month or more. Since I cut at down on anything with preservatives, I’ve noticed I have more energy from eating less since the change.

2. Carbs. I stopped doubling or tripling up on carbs. If I eat pasta, no bread. Eat a potato, no bread or o the starch/Carbs.

3. Water instead of soda when I’m thirsty. I still drink soda (NEVER DIET SODA), but never because I’m thirsty. Water quenched thirst. Soda for a treat. Plus diet soda is awful

Randy Wieland wrote:

3. Water instead of soda when I’m thirsty. I still drink soda (NEVER DIET SODA), but never because I’m thirsty. Water quenched thirst. Soda for a treat. Plus diet soda is awful

That’s a really good point about thirst vs sweet tooth hankering.

To scratch the soda itch without having to go to diet stuff, I have been mixing 10 oz sparkling water (0 calories, 0 sugar) with 2 oz “Simply” Lemonade. 30 calories, 7.5g carbs, 7g sugar. A big part of the soda appeal for me is the fizz, so this more than covers that ground. And if you’re not used to eating much sugar, you’d be surprised at how sweet that 2 oz. of lemonade is.

Compare to a can of Mtn Dew (170/46/46)

I’m currently using the Mayo Clinic Diet plan but I like it as its based on balanced nutrition. You do count calories as a way of staying on track but it also does meal planning and beyond that also creates my shopping list. Good educational material and a sound plan.

My hope is that it teaches me how to eat long term as I agree, diets only work while you are on them.

My goal is to drop 52 lbs. which will put me in just under 200 lbs. Then I’d like to add back about 10 lbs of lean muscle and learn how to maintain at that point.

I’m two weeks in and down 11 lbs.

ET

About 4 years ago I dropped 75lbs and have no problem keeping it off. Here’s my rules. I don’t follow any diet, never counted a calorie, eat a lot, and just healthy living in general.

1. Diets don’t exist, healthy lifestyles do.
2. Eat everything in the most simple form it can be. The more it is altered or changed, whether by you or prepackaged at a factory, the more unhealthy it becomes.
3. Meal Prep (works wonders for the body, wallet, time management)- Every Sunday I will prepare 5 lunches for the week. They usually consist of a meat, veggie, and potato, sweet potato, or rice. Put fruit in 5 different ziplock bags for a healthy snack during work week. Put veggies in a 5 different ziplock bags for a healthy snack during work week. I’ve now allowed myself to make it through the entire day eating healthy whole foods.
4. Avoid sugar and read labels. In general, if the label has more sugar than protein in it, then I avoid it. I also look to avoid things that say acid, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The least amount of ingredients on the label, the better.
5. Drink water. 64 oz of water is recommended in a day, to me, that is way way too low. Double it.
6. Eat a healthy breakfast. Start off every morning with 3 eggs, usually mixed with some fresh veggies and ham or bacon. Also have a fresh apple, carrot, orange juice with it that I made, or a smoothie with other fruits and berries in it.
7. Eat every 2-3 hours. Breakfast. Mid morning fruit snack. Lunch. Mid afternoon veggie snack. Supper. Bedtime snack (usually satisfy the sweet tooth there with something Peanut Butter).
8. Follow that Monday through Friday the best I can, do whatever I want on the weekends. Eat good about 80% of the time and care less what I eat the other 20% of the time.
9. Workout when you got time. I try to workout 3-4 days a week, mostly weight lifting. With 2 young kids, it’s getting tough to do it 2 days a week. But even things as simple as taking the stairs vs elevator, parking in the furthest spot in the parking lot, etc., all add up.

Randy Wieland wrote:

I dropped about 60# last year. No diets, no fad stuff.
Life change. Much like what was already stated. Diets are only temporary, and so are the results.

The primary things I changed:
1. Try to eliminate preservatives. Ask yourself why a bag of anything pre-made can have a shelf life of a month or more. Since I cut at down on anything with preservatives, I’ve noticed I have more energy from eating less since the change.

2. Carbs. I stopped doubling or tripling up on carbs. If I eat pasta, no bread. Eat a potato, no bread or o the starch/Carbs.

3. Water instead of soda when I’m thirsty. I still drink soda (NEVER DIET SODA), but never because I’m thirsty. Water quenched thirst. Soda for a treat. Plus diet soda is awful

I agree with this 100%. You’d be amazed at the changes to your health just on these three things alone. Sleep, digestion, energy, stress, cravings are all greatly improved by this alone.

I was 165# at my heaviest but started feeling really really unhealthy. I’m not overweight by any means but by dong this I’ve gotten rid of muscle soreness, sleep issues, energy loss, improved heartburn and have not been ill with cold or flu since.

Well this is a fun read over lunch as I eat my chicken salad with an ice cold Coke (the chicken is really cut up chicken strips from last night)…

I feel like I’ve always ate relatively healthy as I rarely go out to eat and we eat mainly home made meals. I have been the same weight for about 5 years now with not really changing anything. The wife and I have determined it’s time to ensure we get more active and work out about 4 days a week doing a half hour workout in the morning before the kids are up. Like everyone says, when you start it sucks and is hard to get up, but once you get into the habit, you feel bad the days you don’t execute the work out (like today…)

We have more energy and I can tell I have quite a bit more focus and patience with everyone the days I work out. I know I could be better, and am always trying to improve.

I can relate to most who have posted – It’s motivating to read everyone else’s thoughts and problems to know I’m not alone!

As a lot of others have pointed out a true diet is a life style. You have to be on it without thinking about it. I believe a sustainable diet involves not being sedentary and forming good eating habits. What seems to be the easiest long term solution is to stick to fresh, natural foods and learn what a reasonable portion size is so you’re not overeating (especially carbs which is an easy thing to do).

Successful dieting and exercise is different for everyone. The key is finding something you’ll be motivated to stick with. It’s hard for most people to change habits but you just gotta keep trying.

Congrats on all the sucess stories of quitting smoking and losing weight. Those two things alone will have an amazing impact on your heart!

I agree that diets might be temporary and have temporary results, but those results can be very motivating to continue making better choices and being mindful of your body. Changing your diet for a month to lose 10-20 lbs might be all it takes for someone to reevaluate what their body needs and what it’s lacking.

I wish everyone success in their goals and I hope too that I find the motivation I need to lose some weight. I’m not a picky eater in the least and my husband is a fantastic cook… Although I’m in pretty good shape, it makes for a “well fed” body type.

Sharon wrote:

“well fed” body type.

That was my problem. I loved to eat until stuffed

Anyone that’s seen my cooking posts knows I love food. There are things that I just can’t see myself ever giving up. The holidays kicked my ass so I’m dieting right now. Portion control is my only real hope. Changing to a diet of food that isn’t satisfying for the rest of my life doesn’t seem sustainable to me.

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Sharon M wrote:</div>
“well fed” body type.

That was my problem. I loved to eat until stuffed

I think this is what triggered my heartburn and acid reflux. High carbs wil change your whole digestive system and compound the problem.

Your body is talking to you if you listen.

I refuse to drink soda unless on an occasion where a splash of it is used as a mixer. Bourbon on the rocks is one of the best moves I ever made! I have not purchased a soda to drink on its own in over 9 years. If I were to consume a 12oz or greater soda now, there’s not a doubt in my mind that I’d get some combination of headache/gut rot.

Coffee and tea are huge. If you can drink a coffee with a little low calorie creamer or completely black, they are some substantial benefits to it regulating your digestive system. I have 2 cups a day – never more and it seems to help a lot.

I generally despise working out (outside of running outdoors). Gym memberships, yoga, personal trainers, and all of that are just not for me and I’m not going to kid myself that they ever will be. Instead, I find things I either enjoy in life or simply have to do that offer cardiovascular fitness. I walk and pull my gear when ice fishing, push mow my lawn while neighbors ride, regularly cut wood for the hunting cabin and logging trails in the woods, kayak or paddle-board, take on the wife’s landscaping projects, shovel the driveway by hand, walk only when golfing, play pickup basketball games at the local school, etc. This combination has kept me within about 10lbs of my high school weight at all times and I’m 29 years old. Don’t make your diet or workout regimen something you dread. Find healthy things in your life that you enjoy.

I dropped 40 starting exactly 1 year ago. Have maintained ever since. Did it on my own with one basic premise. Less eat, more move.
I cut out pop, sweets, fast food and snacking after dinner. Otherwise I just focus on portions. No change to beer intake. The most dramatic affect was on my wallet as I have had to purchase all new clothing. It got VERY expensive this fall/winter. Now my entire diet has changed for the better and its the new normal. I walk a lot for my main exercise. Just did 2.25 miles at lunch. Felt great.

buckybadger wrote:

I refuse to drink soda unless on an occasion where a splash of it is used as a mixer.

I’m the same, and I think pop is one of the worst things you could ever put in your body. I was in elementary school and read an article about a professional athlete I idolized who didn’t drink pop. I have only had one pop since then in about the last 20 years – one day at a new job, our boss brought us all a fountain pop to reward us for a pretty tough day. I would’ve felt too bad and guilty not drinking it.

We’ve noticed fast food is pretty easy to give up while road tripping as a family. It’s easy (and cheap) to pack a few sandwiches, fruit, string cheese, etc. ahead of time.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

Portion control is my only real hope.

You’re on to something here, SuperDave! Portion control is out of control in the US. Our serving sizes are astronomical to what they used to be and to what’s considered standard in many other countries.

“Everything in moderation” has been a common phrase for a long time for a reason. It’s true! But hard to commit to sometimes. Using smaller plates and cups can help, and keep in mind you can always go back for seconds if you absolutely must. We need to remember to give our bodies a good 20 minutes to process when we’ve just eaten, otherwise we stuff ourselves.

I believe portion control is one of the hardest hurdles. A person can give up all the other bad habits (pop, fast food, adding sugar/salt to prepared foods) and have good habits (like eating fresh foods, salads, lean protein), but still be overweight if they can’t get that portion size under control.

Fell off the wagon last night into a pile of brownies.

So worth it.

I’m in my second week of no pop at work. I’d usually drink 3-4 20oz bottles a shift (12hr shifts). The good news is this has also been easy to follow at home.

I’ve gotten fat and need to lose weight. Going to give myself 2 more weeks on the no pop thing and then start focusing on my diet also. I want to lose 60 pounds in 2018. The dreadmill is also in my future.

Jonesy wrote:

I’m in my second week of no pop at work. I’d usually drink 3-4 20oz bottles a shift (12hr shifts). The good news is this has also been easy to follow at home.

Did you drink that much pop for your caffeine fix or more just out of habit? I work straight 12 hour nights and I’ve been trying to cut from 2 mtn dews down to just 1. Sounds so simple, but when its a learned habit it can sure be difficult.

Props to all of you dieters. You are all a better men than me (except you Sharon ). I thank god every day I’m skinny cause theres no way I could pull a consistent diet off if I needed one.

It doesn’t suck if you look at it the right way. 4 years ago on my 26th birthday I was at about 240 lbs and not happy. Just generally felt like crap. I have a desk job and blamed most of it on that. I decided that would be my last birthday over 200 lbs. I went from 240 on January 26th to 180 by the end of May that year.

I had tried many things in the past. What finally worked for me were two things. Walking for my primary exercise with strength training, and portion control. I use my inner geek and track my activity level with a fitness tracker and use MyFitnessPal to monitor food intake. It isn’t just about calories but basically what I learned was that if I was eating less calories I was eating better food. Meal prep is key. You can still make fantastic food but because it is made by you and fresh it actually tastes better and is way better for you.

I too hate the word diet and all of these diet fads. When it comes down to it portion control is key for whatever you are eating. If you would have told me 5 years ago my favorite meals would be any kind of lettuce taco and banana oatmeal pancakes, I would’ve said you were nuts.

And I still drink beer…

Soda was the very first thing I changed and found it to be about the easiest also. No more soda. Replaced with ice cold water. That simple. Soda was gone the day I started getting in better shape and other than some mixed drinks Ive never touched one in over a year now.

I picked myself up a yeti mug for keeping water cold all day. Fill this up with ice in the morning and it will hold ice all day. Just keep refilling with water. Very quickly found my cravings for water much stronger than any soda. Actually that stuff tastes like crap. A coke might as well be battery acid. Diet mountian dew a fruity glass of chemicals. My tastes buds changed very quickly for other foods also once off soda. Real fruit started tasting so much better. Not a chance I would still be drinking water if the main source was from a plastic bottle. Now nice cold ice water and Im good to go.

Doing a little research we found that the mountian tumblers at wallmart in the sporting good area hold ice just as long as the yeti brand at a fraction of the cost.

Make sure to get enough water each day. Start each morning with a cup of water right next to the coffee. This will help re-hydrate you from the night and also get the body ready for some much needed breakfast. I then try to drink my tumbler empty twice by noon. 3 more times for the rest of the day. That gets me 80 to 100 oz a day. Yes you will pee a lot. For some of you older guys just be happy that is still one thing that is working well on your body.

Drink up.

Like said above the outdoor lifestyle can fit well into a healthy nutrition plan also. Here is an alternative to fried fish. Pan seared pike. Should work well with most any caught fish.

The most important very 1st step is get off the sofa and go catch yourself a nice pike or two. I like them 3 to 4 pounds. This will give a couple of very nice fillets each running 6 to 8 ounces per side.

Get a heavy pan nice and hot on the stove. Melt some butter in it just about to the point of burning. Season up your pike fillets with your favorite seasoning. A few I like are Lemon pepper, Blackened, Taste of India, or just plain old salt and heavy on the pepper for a fantastic peppered pike. Place fillets in the hot pan. Cook each side for 1.5 minutes to 2 minutes depending on thickness. Test with a fork. Do not over cook. Put on a warmed plate with some veggies and wild rice and you got a very health diner.

Should ad the reason to use butter with this is to get a little burn/crust on the fillets. Im not drowning the fillets in butter. Just enough to get a good coating on the bottom on the pan.

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As I read through all the do’s and dont’s, I kind of laugh because there’s so much research supporting and debunking many of these.

Take your pick of the ones you want to believe and the ones you don’t.

To start I will say the one you should not believe is the usda food plate (formerly food pyramid). Influence by major food industries will always weigh heavy on this.

Fat is good, not bad. You need to consume it, your body needs it. Low fat and no fat products are destroying the health of this country. After the low fat no fat movement in the 80’s, the country got exponentially fatter. Don’t ever buy low fat anything! Although anything that has a low fat option is probably not good for you anyway.

The book wheat belly said you should do your grocery shopping only on the perimeter of the grocery store. All the junk food is in the isles. All of it. Once you notice this you’ll be absolutely shocked at how much junk food is on a grocery store.

Thought i would give a little update. First off thanks for all of the great replies! A lot of great information and support which is appreciated!

Its Day 5 and im still at it. Im proud to say that i havent cheated once, not even a little bit. Yesterday someone brought in donuts and the box sat behind my desk all day long while i just sat there and chewed on celery.

Some observations: Overall my attitude has improved, both about the diet and about life in general (at least according to the wife). I do get grumpy at some points during the day and feel sort of on edge but its getting better. It really really helps to have a good support system! My wife has been very encouraging and its nice to do it with people at work cause i see them everyday and they help to keep me accountable.

I hear what you are all saying about becoming truly healthy is about a lifestyle change and not a diet. I definitely agree with you there. I am trying this more as a test to myself to see if i can manage to do it for thew whole 30 days. If after this diet is up i still find myself wanting to eat better i think i would choose a less regimented diet/plan. You need to be able to enjoy some aspects of food in order for it to be sustainable. I did discover that baking chicken breast at 450 for 17 minutes rather than low and slow yields a juicy delicious breast!

I didnt think to weigh myself before the diet started and im not sure if i trust my scale at home but i was weighed at the doctor around christmas time and i clocked in at 191 lbs. Lord knows i havent eaten healthy before the diet in Janurary so i imagine that mark didnt go down. This morning when i hopped on the scale i checked in at 180 lbs! Feeling pretty good about that

Great job on dropping that weight and sticking to the plan.

Some of the food cravings while trying to eat healthy can get pretty tough for me. Was just thinking about donuts last night after seeing a commercial for Dunkin. Used to love fresh cub foods donuts on the weekend. Treated myself to one last summer and it tasted like crap. Couldnt even eat it. But last night that craving came back so might have to give it another try this weekend for a treat. Im guessing its going to be more of a bite of a donut and Im good.

Just plain old not having the bad food options around the house is a must for a lot of people. Come home from work tired, hungry and short on time and chances are the quick easy food is going to get hit first. Even during the holidays I had to put my foot down at my house. Let my wife cook her big meals with everything. Dang right I ate it to. But then I gave that food 2 days to hang out for leftovers and anything left went in the trash. Was very happy that a week after the holidays I was back to my pre holiday weight.

If you are down 11 lbs in a week it’s water and next it will be muscle . Try something that you can make a lifestyle , fad diets completely screw your body. Make smart eating choices and exercise preferably weight training with some heart healthy cardio a few times a week. It’s a journey not a race.

Weighing in EVERY day is important until you hit your goal weigh, then once a week is fine, but you want to know if you spike a certain day you can go back and see what you ate, then stay away from that. If you only weigh in once in a while it’s harder to keep on track.

Program Im on has you weigh in once every 5 weeks and recommends most people staying away from the scale. Thats not me though. I weigh every morning and night. Find it very interesting how fast the body changes. I average 2 pounds of weight loss a night only for most of it to come back on the next day. I can sweat out 2 to 4 pounds in a 45 minute workout.

I don’t crap every day so weighing every day can be misleading. I weigh once a week on the same day. I’m down 7 pounds in 2 weeks.

3 yrs ago I kinda took 2 diets (but related) 1. High protein and 2. no sugar.
Mornings 5AM I start with a bowl of cheerios and coffee, about 9Am orange, about 8-10 almonds or walnuts and a hard boiled egg, dinner at noon was a homemade sandwich on (Whole Wheat) bread (absolutely not enriched) contents of sandwich spread was Big can of white chicken mixed with olive oil mayo, onion, 2 hardboiled eggs, Mrs Dash seasoning, all mixed up. Would almost make 4 days. (then mix up another batch). between dinner and 2pm more almonds or walnuts another hardboiled egg, 4pm an apple, and supper was hamburger(about 8 ounces browned and mixed up with beans or long grain and brown rice and more Mrs Dash seasoning. and coffee throughout the day and maybe about 4 bottles of water and I lost 50 pounds, then made a 2 long road trips after losing those 50 and blew it. When i am making trips i eat junk food and no excuse but I blew it. I need to get back on it as I am having my knees replaced starting next month and I have more weight to lose and older it isn’t going to be easy. I did quite a bit of walking but I didn’t over do it by no means. And chewed on a lot of trident cinnamon sugarless gum. I am not a fussy eater and after losing about 20 pounds I would treat myself to pizza and pop 1 night a week.