Current Events > Diets are usually stupid and you should not practice them.

(+) Yeah! (+)

A "diet" has a finite beginning and ending phase. It is all about basically trying to reach a goal and then going back to habits that may not be healthy.

Instead of thinking about a "diet", think about a change in lifestyle. You don't need to be entirely vegan if you don't want to. Instead just try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet, maybe cut out a portion of meat to substitute in a nice big portabello mushroom.

A change in lifestyle = a positive change that will have hopefully lifelong potential benefits. It is something manageable that you can continue incorporating into your regular life. If you're eating in a way that you don't feel is viable long term, alter it so it is, rather than being like, "2 more weeks and then I'll eat like shit!"

Don't fall into the traps of diets. Just try to be healthier rather than worrying about dropping to a specific weight. ^_^
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Imma bump for posterity.
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Great advice
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The word diet has been murdered in the states.

Diet is thought of as a fad or get thin fast thing.

When in actuality "diet" is what you eat all the time. In short, have an overall healthy diet and your ok.
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HypnoCoosh posted...

The word diet has been murdered in the states.

Diet is thought of as a fad or get thin fast thing.

When in actuality "diet" is what you eat all the time. In short, have an overall healthy diet and your ok.

That is definitely true. I just find when most people say anything about diets, they mean "a diet" or being "on a diet", as opposed to what their normal eating habits are.

As someone who has healthfully dropped 120 pounds so far, small changes can make a big difference. If you can't do "drink only water", maybe for every bottle of soda you drink, drink a "bottle" of water. If you normally hate veggies, just keep trying them until you find even ONE you can like/stand, and just ADD it to your meal. You don't even need to necessarily change anything, just add it to it to get the vitamins and nutrients. Maybe force yourself to finish the veggies before the rest of the food, heh.

Little changes and eventually your body actually craves those good things. I can't really stand the thought of drinking soda anymore, and I love drinking water. I love having a nice salad, or eating some raspberries.

I still eat chocolate bars too, since a healthy diet can handle that too.
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Most diets fail too because of social pressure. Ever since I started lifting/eating healthier I find parties very awkward.
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Vermander posted...

Most diets fail too because of social pressure. Ever since I started lifting/eating healthier I find parties very awkward.

Eh, unless you're doing some really hardcore stuff in terms of weight lifting, you can handle a day of pigging out. It happens.
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Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

Vermander posted...

Most diets fail too because of social pressure. Ever since I started lifting/eating healthier I find parties very awkward.

Eh, unless you're doing some really hardcore stuff in terms of weight lifting, you can handle a day of pigging out. It happens.

4 times a week, and I eat between 3500-3800 cals a day.
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More tips :

- Definitely try to eat less red meat. It normally has a higher fat content in general. Moving to turkey/chicken is alright, and if you can find some fish you like, that is AWESOME. Fish is almost uniformally the best meat you can be eating for nutritional value.

- Eat almonds or other nuts, plain, if possible. They add a lot of great minerals and vitamins, and are VERY filling. They make for an overall much better nutritional snack and keep you feeling good and full longer.

- Again, if you are averse to fruits and veggies typically (I was), just keep trying until you find something you like, and just go to town on it. It's better to get a lot of cauliflower than no veggies at all, and your body will start to crave that stuff and maybe other things will start to change. Even if you gotta give those veggies a little bit of a fry in some butter, that doesn't negate the good that comes from it, especially if you normally would just replace the veggies with a bunch of empty carbs.
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Vermander posted...

Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

Vermander posted...

Most diets fail too because of social pressure. Ever since I started lifting/eating healthier I find parties very awkward.

Eh, unless you're doing some really hardcore stuff in terms of weight lifting, you can handle a day of pigging out. It happens.

4 times a week, and I eat between 3500-3800 cals a day.

Assuming you are trying to do it as healthy as possible, that's gotta be a lot of brown pastas, bunch of bananas, etc. etc. Probably a good amount of plain peanut butter and avocado as well.
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Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

Vermander posted...

Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

Vermander posted...

Most diets fail too because of social pressure. Ever since I started lifting/eating healthier I find parties very awkward.

Eh, unless you're doing some really hardcore stuff in terms of weight lifting, you can handle a day of pigging out. It happens.

4 times a week, and I eat between 3500-3800 cals a day.

Assuming you are trying to do it as healthy as possible, that's gotta be a lot of brown pastas, bunch of bananas, etc. etc. Probably a good amount of plain peanut butter and avocado as well.

A lot of meat, oats, protein shakes
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Ah yeah, lots of protein for sure. Do you stick to lean meats, or do you get your caloric intake from more fatty meats?
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@Jeff_AKA_Snoopy what is your opinion about 1200 calorie diets?
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pojr posted...

@Jeff_AKA_Snoopy what is your opinion about 1200 calorie diets?

They are not healthy and are definitely EXTREME. They are done not with health in mind, but with weight loss. Eventually the body starts to eat away at your muscle instead of fat, and you lose muscle mass and strength. It is not a smart decision to make. I get why some people do it, but it's a short term solution that will almost inevitably end up with consequences that you have to deal with for awhile.
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I get what you're saying, but I tend to disagree with it a little. I am trying to lose a bit of weight in order to reach a weight class for lifting. In order to do so, I need to "diet" and lose around 7-10 permanent pounds of weight. Once I am done, I am going to resume eating more food and maintaining the weight I am at.

Would you consider this two different, "lifestyle" changes, or a small diet?
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Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

Eat almonds or other nuts, plain, if possible. They add a lot of great minerals and vitamins, and are VERY filling.

I hear this said all the time, but I find nuts aren't filling at all. I find I have to avoid them because I can put away a ridiculous amount of calories and feel like I've not eaten anything.
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NightMarishPie posted...

I get what you're saying, but I tend to disagree with it a little. I am trying to lose a bit of weight in order to reach a weight class for lifting. In order to do so, I need to "diet" and lose around 7-10 permanent pounds of weight. Once I am done, I am going to resume eating more food and maintaining the weight I am at.

Would you consider this two different, "lifestyle" changes, or a small diet?

When it comes to having to do so for your profession, I understand the differences for sure. You can lose 7-10 pounds safely with small changes quite quickly, but if you have a weight limit you HAVE to hit... I mean, 7 pounds of water weight can come off relatively quickly if it's just to make a weigh-in.

You said it is going to be a permanent change, so you'll have to change your daily diet to incorporate the fact that you need to stay at a specific weight.
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IloveJesus posted...

Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

Eat almonds or other nuts, plain, if possible. They add a lot of great minerals and vitamins, and are VERY filling.

I hear this said all the time, but I find nuts aren't filling at all. I find I have to avoid them because I can put away a ridiculous amount of calories and feel like I've not eaten anything.

That's interesting. They definitely won't bloat and make you feel gorged like a bowl of pasta will do. Definitely don't eat a bunch of almonds instead of having dinner for example, but I've found I stay full way longer after a few handfuls of almonds compared to a few handfuls of chips, for example.
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Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

That's interesting. They definitely won't bloat and make you feel gorged like a bowl of pasta will do. Definitely don't eat a bunch of almonds instead of having dinner for example, but I've found I stay full way longer after a few handfuls of almonds compared to a few handfuls of chips, for example.

I don't really eat crisps so can't make the comparison.
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*bumpers*
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