Diet

[fishersofmen]

I must say this is one area where I am not a good example. I have tried to eat cleaner over the years here and there but always end up eating garbage again. This is an area of life that obviously takes ALOT of discipline! Sometime in the near future I am going to clean it up and see where it takes me......my main problem is I can eat like a total pig and not gain any weight or get fat whatsoever. I do realize though just because it doesn't show does not mean I am very healthy on the inside.

Do any of you have a strict diet plan that you continually follow? How has it affected you?

[Hoffer]

I have had to. I have to wear suits during the day due to my job (hate it!). At the age of 49, if i dont eat right my suits can get pretty tight in a short amount of time.

I keep it simple. No fast food. No chips. Try to keep carbs to a minimum unless its right before a work out. High protein, low fat. Try to do more salads and vedgies but its not easy. If you love stuff like burgers - buy the lean ground turkey. You can get a 20 ounce package at Target for 5 bucks. Put it on the grill and its not bad. No...not as great as a juicy burger but the whole 20 ounce package has like just 600 calories and is packed with protein. Just general stuff like that. My downfall is my job. A few nights each week on the road ends up with room service and late night eating. Its tough to eat right on the road.

[upnorth]

Not a real strict diet, but a lot better than years ago. We splurge usually once or twice a week and have Pizza or something, but the rest of the week is pretty good.

Normally low fat yogurt and a piece of fruit for breakfast, Subway for lunch, supper is usually some sort of lean meat, salad or some fresh fruit or veggies. Rarely eat potatoes, very rarely eat white bread. I just won't eat krap like potato chips or Doritos. We don't buy cookies, cake, etc. Desert is either Yogurt and berries or maybe frozen yogurt.

And this is only part vanity. You eat well for a while then eat poorly for a few days and realize you feel like krap. You need to eat good to feel good.

[nofishfisherman]

I've always been able to eat what I want with no need to worry about weight gain. Even as I get a little older I can still eat almost anything. However, I have started to trend more toward fresh ingredients and steer clear of the prepackaged stuff as much as possible.

Most of my new diet changes don't have anything to do with weight loss or anything like that. I just find that i prefer to know what exactly is in my food and where it comes from. I do also prefer to eat locally sourced food whenever possible. I just don't think there is any need to have my food shipped to me from various places around the country/world. If I can eat something that doesn't require the burning of 100's of gallons of fuel to get to me I figure that has to be a good thing.

Now that I read this it sounds like a bunch of hippie mumbo jumbo but I'm finding it works for me.

[TonkaBass]

Mine is clean and easy. I use tupperware and pre make my meals. I eat 6 to 7 times a day every 2 to 3 hours. About 400 to 500 calories each meal except for shakes. 3500 calories total. I eat chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, wild game for my protein. Brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and oats for my complex carbs. And a mix of veggies. I also eat two bananas a day and blueberries. The key for me is to have everything ready to go before hand so I don't have to cheat. I also use herbs and spices a lot more instead of salt.

[titelines]

I reached a point that my workouts weren't trimming the weight anymore, so I decided the time had come to rethink my diet. I was a veggie in college and cut out red meat years ago, so it wasn't that much of a strain for me. That being said, I wasn't going to go vegan, or do the vegetarian thing again. I love cooking, grilling etc. and my wife is a great cook. We substitute healthy ingredients at every possible opportunity, but still... I like good food..sue me.

So, I figured that if I did curb my eating habits it would allow me to indulge occasionally without feeling guilty.

After looking around a lot and talking to friends, I settled on a book called "The Flat Belly Diet for Men". It's all about a diet centered on MUFA's (mono-unsaturated fat aminos). I did the "Week 1 Boot Camp" and lost 7# the first week. I was sold.

What I love most about it is that, it's not a diet. It's a roadmap that assists you in creating a healthy eating lifestyle. It's not a 10 week deal...it's a life-long plan that benefits your body and mind. Coupled with a good workout routine it's been great for me.

I eat four times a day, with each being approx. 400 calories. The book lays out suggested meals and you can mix and match. I'm at the point that I have a ton of choices when I go to the store and I can make a ton of different things with the ingredients.

As with anything else, it's not for everyone, but it works for me. I'd recommend it.

[Hoffer]

Nofish

Doesnt sound like hippie mumbo jumbo to me. I think its a great idea and am going to try and do more of that myself.

Tonkabass

3500 calories a day? Are you into some kind of high exercise program or what?

[SkunkedAgain]

I've found that the key to dieting is exercise. It never feels good to workout/run/bike/swim with a belly full of ribs, pizza, potato chips, etc. If you exercise regularly it's easier to eat healthy. For me, I generally have always eaten semi-healthy but my downfall is portion control. There are people that eat until they aren't hungry any more, and people that eat until they are stuffed full.

The biggest thing about managing your diet is all in the brain. You need to be mentally tough, tougher than playing football or hunting or anything else. It takes real self control. I make it a test of willpower. I know that I can be stronger than my cravings. I like to prove it to myself. Dare yourself and win the battle.

[nofishfisherman]

For me exercise seems to make it harder to eat healthy. When I am done with a tough workout or just got done playing a long game of Ultimate I'm tired and I want quick food and quick food is rarely healthy food. Thats when I tend to break down and eat garbage.

[fishersofmen]

Tonkabass

3500 calories a day? Are you into some kind of high exercise program or what?

Thats about where I'm at too. There are many times where I will get 1,000+ calories at one meal thats how my lunch went today (Mexican buffet). I realize many people believe in spacing things out more and eating several smaller meals a day but I tend to side with those who say, here are your numbers at the end of the day its not of significant importance how you got there.

I do however try to get protein as soon as I wake up and immediately after my workouts. Plenty of carbs before workouts.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Mine is clean and easy. I use tupperware and pre make my meals. I eat 6 to 7 times a day every 2 to 3 hours. About 400 to 500 calories each meal except for shakes. 3500 calories total. I eat chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, wild game for my protein. Brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and oats for my complex carbs. And a mix of veggies. I also eat two bananas a day and blueberries. The key for me is to have everything ready to go before hand so I don't have to cheat. I also use herbs and spices a lot more instead of salt.

Im pretty similar to that. Add in some home made gainer shakes that consist of whole milk, oats, lots of Peanut butter, scoop of protein and EVOO.

Im not too picky about what I eat I really try to hit my calories though. I stopped eating junk like candy, chips, pop except for on the rare occasion but I dont get paranoid if I have it. Thing is I eat frequently enough that I rarely crave that stuff much anymore. Lots of times Im eating when Im not even hungry, which can actually be a drag.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

I want quick food and quick food is rarely healthy food.

That WAS me until recently between jobs and or play ... I still duck into McDonald's on occasion but now instead of a McRubble which really isn't food I get the Fruit and Walnut Oatmeal "no cream" which has about 30 less calories then their Maple Oatmeal version. Still not the greatest option but much better then the rest of there line-up. Served all day and 2 bucks is the price.

[TR21HP]

I never pay attention to calories as I look at grams per meal and with an assigned ratio of protein, carbs and fat. Carbs are bounced from day to day as I don't oxidize carbs as well as protein. Diets are very individual and should fit a persons activity level, response to insulin and oxidation profile. That's why someone like Tonkabass can eat that much a day and someone else can't. A lot of the pros are consuming 10,000 calorie a day diets with about 10 percent of that coming from fat. Try that one time It's absolutely brutal.

[TonkaBass]

Yep. If I eat less than 3000 calories at my activity level, I loose weight really fast, and I am a mesomorph. I'm on a bulking diet right now, but I only eat a little more (200-300 calories) than what I need to maintain. I dont pig out. Jay Cutler will sometimes eat up to 16,000 calories a day! Insane! I thought 3500 was difficult lol...

I'm just happy I can hit it again as I had c5-c6 disk replacement surgery in my neck on November 8th. I was in a land of 5 to 10 pound dumbbells for months! lol Crazy what they can fix these days!

[fishersofmen]

Jay Cutler will sometimes eat up to 16,000 calories a day! Insane! I thought 3500 was difficult lol...

Its incredible how steroids can change your body like that. Obviously someone who is drug free cannot consume that ammount of calories and look that way, but can you imagine the toll not only the drugs themselves must take on your organs but also consuming that much food? Many of these guys will get up throughout the night to ingest more food and protein etc. Their digestive systems are literally working overtime around the clock. It is impressive how dedicated and disciplined these guys are (IMO the most disciplined athletes on the planet) unfortunately they will pay the price for it.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

I'm just happy I can hit it again as I had c5-c6 disk replacement surgery in my neck on November 8th.

Now there's an interesting new topic/thread I'd be interested in ... so your surgery went well? I have several friends that have nothing but nightmare results with there back surgery's.

[mrklean]

hence Arnold having open heart surgery not to many years ago

[TR21HP]

Hence 6 of my friends from the Plymouth Gym dead from chemical abuse.

[tacklejunkie]

I don't follow any diet. Just plenty of protein, fruits, and veggies. Everything in moderation.

[TonkaBass]

Pierbridge, yeah it went very well. I lost 20 pounds in three months from the nerve impingement, and was taking tons of percocets just to get by. It was bad. I woke up from surgery with no pain and have been relatively pain free ever since. I haven't taken a pain pill, other than Tylenol, since the surgery. I have also jumped from 172 pounds to 187. Couldn't be happier. I had a Bryan cervical disk replacement put in. I'm 28 years old and didn't want the fusion option after I researched it...

[JakeJ_Mn]

In Jan. of 2012, my insurance changed and I had to use a different brand of pain meds. They controlled the nerve pain I suffer from, but also made me gain weight. In 8 months, regardless of what I did I gained 43 pounds. I was always hungry and ate steady. Last August, I filed an appeal to go back to my former meds and started on Aug. 22. As of last Friday I have lost 65 pounds and am working with a dietian to find the right amounts to maintain. I started at 230 lbs. and currently weigh 165 lbs.

I did have some struggles along the way, but for the most part ate sensibly during the week and enjoyed regular meals on the weekends - minus the pop, chips, sweets. No fast foods.

For me the key was keeping busy and setting 2 goals. -50 by Christmas eve(made on Dec. 14) and -60 by the end of Jan.(made on Jan. 23)

I started with the food, but purchased a digital scale and weighed every Friday.

I never thought it would be this hard to lose. I walk about 6 to 8 miles a day and do some minor lifting. I feel great and have set my mind to maintain.

[shizzy]

I was a bad food junkie for years. what helped was both my Wife and I on the same level for goals. neither wanted to do it for weight gains, only for health. There is no restrictions, or "Taboo" foods, Just a conscious decision to avoid them when possible.

We do our best to avoid ANY kind of prepackaged food. They are usually 99% junk. I take it real easy on the carbs, and what carbs I do have are a quality multi grain. Lots of fruits and veggies (buy local and in season and it isn't expensive). This is the bulk of my "snacks" in my lunch box at work. I drink whole milk and eat quality yogurt every day. I garden so I grow, dry and store lots of beans so I use those for a good part of my protein for the year. When we do eat meat we only buy grass fed quality stuff.

My Wife has a crock pot with a timer so we do lots of "clear out the fridge and freezer" meals which is when we chop up veggies that have been in the fridge a while and dig out a piece of meat from the back of the freezer. Chop up the veggies, toss in the meat, some beans and some chicken stock in the morning, kick on the crock pot and you come home to a big bowl of stew with leftovers for two days.

In the end, I eat like a king and feel great.

[Malt]

Well,According to me that diet is play a important role to loosing weight so we should be follow the diet rules for keep fitness of the body.Mostly i like the healthier and vegetarian diets for keep good health....