Opinions wanted on this diet.

tt123

tt123

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 1, 2010
271
92
Denmark
#1
I've put a bit of weight on over the past couple of years and would like to get back to where I should be (which I think is around 170 lbs), and then get back into shape.

Since New Year I've been trying to follow this diet which my wife found. I've upped some of the amounts slightly since I'm male, 6' tall and nearly 200lbs, and I think the diet was originally designed for women.


Breakfast:

1 egg or 50g of breakfast cereal (müsli, oats, or similar. I don't think Coco-Pops will do the trick)
1 piece of fruit and 30 grams of bread (I've chosen to take that as one slice).

Lunch:

300 grams of vegetables. (I'm having real difficulty eating so much veg at lunchtime, so I've been eating one or two pieces of fruit instead)
120 grams of meat (or fish) or 2 eggs.
60 grams of bread.

Dinner:

300 grams of vegetables.
220 grams of meat (or fish).
30 grams of bread.
75 grams of rice/pasta (cooked weight!) or 100 grams of potatoes.

Dairy products:

1/2 liter of milk or 2.5 decilitres of yoghurt (or similar).

Extras:

3 teaspoonsful of mayonnaise (I don't eat much mayo, so I've been substituting other sources of fat instead; butter/low fat spread on my bread, a small piece of cheese etc.)
1/2 liter of sugar free soda.
6 teaspoonsful of ketchup (or similar).
4 pieces of fruit.
Coffee/tea (unsweetened)
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if this is enough in the way of calories, as I've been pretty tired the past couple of days, but I suppose it will take a few days to get used to eating less carbs and sugar than usual (especially since I've been pigging out all through Christmas!). I work 12 hour shifts and my job can be quite physical sometimes, so I'll be interested to see how it goes when I start back tomorrow.

Any opinions on the diet?

Thanks in advance.
tt123
 
#2
I don't like it at all, honestly the macros make no sense...

A few things, and it's simple
1. 3 meals a day is not good, try 5-6
2. Get a body fat % on where you are now and design your caloric intake based off your lean mass
3. Cereal is bullshit
4. If you want to lose weight focus in protein, high fiber vegetables, good fats and some carbs(preferably only early in your day and non-processed or refined(brown rice, oats, quinoa, black beans))
5. Keep good snack choices around always
6. Prepare your meals in advance so you aren't put in a position to make hasty or poor choices
7. Get good sleep
8. Tone down all booze, sugars, artificial sweeteners.

That's a start
 
#3
Thanks a lot for the reply.

1/.I've heard that it's better to eat more often before, but I think I'd find difficulty finding time for it when I'm at work, and I'm not sure how this would fit into the family schedule on my days off.

2/.I like the idea of a body fat test, but don't think I'll like the results!

3/. I understand that sweetened kiddy cereal is out, but what's the problem with unsweetened oats or müsli? I thought that would be okay as unprocessed carbs?

4/. I'm with you 100% with this.

5/. The fruit basket is full! :)

6/. I do that already on workdays, but haven't really considered it for days off, as both this and number 1, I think may be difficult with a wife and kids.

7/. I try, but about half my shifts are nights, which really messes me up.

8/. With you there 100% too!
 
#4
I travel tons for work and it can 100% be a challenge…


1/.I've heard that it's better to eat more often before, but I think I'd find difficulty finding time for it when I'm at work, and I'm not sure how this would fit into the family schedule on my days off.
try foods that are fast and convenient to eat. I used to make a huge bucket of chili and freeze it into tupperware, just bring it to work and nuke when ready, I can eat it pretty much anywhere. Also you can make wraps with lettuce or cabbage. the key with more frequent feeding is keeps your metabolism up and burning hot


2/.I like the idea of a body fat test, but don't think I'll like the results!
nobody does

3/. I understand that sweetened kiddy cereal is out, but what's the problem with unsweetened oats or müsli? I thought that would be okay as unprocessed carbs?
it's not something to base a meal off of at this point in your dieting. If you were doing a keto based diet with a carb up or carb cycling then maybe, but at this time not a good idea.

4/. I'm with you 100% with this.

5/. The fruit basket is full! :)
try also raw almonds, jicama, high fiber veges, celery sticks. fruit while it is a good choice is sugar…

6/. I do that already on workdays, but haven't really considered it for days off, as both this and number 1, I think may be difficult with a wife and kids.
I'm a familiy man with two lil girls(8&5), I do meal prep once maybe twice a week and set it all up so it's fast and easy. sure you may go out once in a while, but keep to your plan and you will see a change, and you will also appreciate those "cheats" more

7/. I try, but about half my shifts are nights, which really messes me up.
that's tough, interrupted sleep patterns with @#$@^ your world up on many levels but it's life. When i travel for work I often have 21 hour days and it's hellish

8/. With you there 100% too!
this for me is always the challenge, but when i drop the sweets eventually you stop wanting them. There's also a theory that craving for sweets are just your body screaming it wants carbs, but i'm not so sure about it, i just like candy and chocolate a lot

site's like livestrong.com offer a good calorie counter/meal planner for free, it was a huge help when I started out
 
#6
I turned into a straight lard ass after I got out of the Army. I went from 5'6" 180 all muscle to 230 pounds 5 years later because I was still eating like I ran 25 miles a week..... And the only time I ran was when I had to make it to the pot.
Then I got told about Paleo / Clean eating. The basis is dont worry about counting calories or any of that jazz, just cut out a lot of the crap food. Sugar, soda, flour, pasta white potatos .... pretty much anything in the "Isles" at the grocery store. I eat Meat Lots of veggies a moderate amount of fruit and do body weight exercises and the weight just started to melt back off. Theres no real secret to it.

This guys blog is what got me started Welcome to Mark's Daily Apple | Mark's Daily Apple
 
#7
Docdredd, that's pretty much my problem too. I broke my ankle two years ago and haven't really exercised since. I'm going to get back into running this year, I'd like to get back up to running half marathons again.

Thanks for the link.
 
#8
My thing was I hated running even when I was in and fit LOL. Now years of lugging Aid Bags and marches have taken their toll on knees and ankles so I keep my running to a minimum (Apache Runs once a week) about 2 miles on fridays. Most of my works outs are of the functional strength variety , Pushups , bridges, squats, pullups that kind of thing Monday - Thursday, 2 mile run on Fridays (Sprint then jog, sprint then jog) and then on Saturdays BJJ or Krav depending on which buddy is available. You are going to see most of your weight loss in the Kitchen, You can run 10 miles a day but if you eat like crap you will still be fat :) ask me how I know........
I will warn you though I had massive Mt Dew (Soda) withdrawal when I started this, Headaches and really a crappy attitude..... but they were gone after a week, And if you have o knock the edge off a cup of black coffee usually does the trick.

Best of luck man.
 
#9
Here is what has worked for me. January 7 2013 (first monday of the new year) I weighed 278 pounds. I set a goal that I would like to get to 200. I weighed in at home every monday morning and recorded my weight. I have one more monday to weigh in to complete my 52 weeks and as of last monday I was at 202.

I started following the weight watchers plan. I dont go to meetings or anything like that like I just follow there plan. I write down everything I eat and how many points it is every day. I downloaded a calculator to my phone to tell me how many weight watcher points are in items. There is tones of info online about it also. You can pretty much just google how many weight watcher points are in x and it will tell you. You can also find how many points for your weight you should stay under.

It really hasnt been bad at all and I eat plenty. Im not hungry all the time and feel much better.
 
#10
Stay away from high sugar fruits like oranges and bananas. They are OK in the morning but not the best for afternoon snacks.

Focus on meats and vegetables. Eat very few grains and sugars.

If you stay away from carbs other than what's in fruits and vegetables, eat 3 regular meals and two snacks (vegetables or nuts but not peanuts) you wont have to worry too much about counting calories.

Eat until you are satisfied/full but don't over eat. Drink a full glass of water before each meal. Wait 5 minutes then eat slowly.

Everyone over complicates "diets". I suggest reading "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I847 using Tapatalk 2
 
#11
These guys are right on. Read the zone by dr. Barry sears.very informative. You gotta know your body fat so you know your lean muscle and how much protein you need. Looks like you definitely need more protein.
 
#12
Wow! Thanks for all the help guys!

Docdredd, caffeine withdrawal is a terrible thing!

Traav, I've heard good things about the Weightwatcher's diet before. I know a few people who've had success with it.

Afalex and rw496, thanks, I'll take a look at the books you mentioned.
 
#13
Personally and this is my opinion is that it is the best most well rounded diet out there. You are not eliminating anything and not over loading on another. There are other diets I have seen people drop a ton a weight on but for me this works the best.
 
#15
First of all do not call it a diet, diet means what you eat taste terrible. You need to start by cutting carbs, no soda, no coffee unless it is decaf like a tall skinny at Starbucks, stay away from sugar period. Workout for and hour and a half to one hour miniumum. Go to Quiznos for lunch and check out their web site and check out their salads, case in point their harvest chicken salad with no dressing is only 500calories. Taste good and has the protien that you need, drink water all the time. Dinner eat a normal meal, lots of chicken and fish and cook with olive oil. You can drop ten pounds in a month if done right. Cardio and weights will do it to you every time. Ride a bike three to four miles at a sprint and then do one hour of weights on top of it. The worst part will be carb withdrawl because your body will be getting rid of fat after three days if you dont eat carbs and drink alcohol. Eat carbs only when you are doing high endurance just like a bicyclist. They carb up the night before they ride long distance, good luck.
Read: Body for Life
 
#16
I was not heavy but decided to lose the weight that crept up on me over the years. I read about the Primal Diet and decided to try it. It took a couple weeks for me to become comfortable with the diet after I started. I was hungry at first and found I was not eating enough. I began to eat more protein (Meat and eggs) and have not been hungry since. I eat more than most people and lost my weight without difficulty. I have always watched my eating and tried to eat healthy foods we all think of: whole grains, low fat, etc. so it took a while for me to get the Primal diet into my head and understand how I could eat 1/2 pound of bacon and 3 eggs for breakfast and still lose weight. I went from over 200 lbs to 165 in a few months without any major exercise change. I began eating primal in summer of 2012 and it has easy for me to remain on the diet and easily maintain 165 and from 170 lbs.

I was on high blood pressure and cholesterol lowering medications before I dieted. I went for my physical and had stopped taking my Rx meds when they ran out but I felt good and knew my blood pressure was down. My Dr. was shocked and found my blood pressure and cholesterol were lower without meds than they were when I had been using them. I am medication free, reasonably thin, and feel better than I have felt in years. I eat a lot but I eat few carbs and very little sugar, following the Primal Diet within reason. I eat more than most people I know and the only time I get hungry is if I don't eat enough protein and/or fat. I skip meals (fast) when I am not hungry.

I listed the web site of "Mark's Daily Apple" at the end of this email.

The Primal Diet works well for me and I recommend you go to the web site and explore the benefits of the diet. There is a lot of free information and you get a few email books if you sign up with your email address. Those books explain the diet and how it works to lose weight and make you healthy. They also show the good and bad foods to eat with a search index for any food you want to research. It took me about a week of reading and thinking before I went for it.

Good luck in your quest to lose weight.

Welcome to Mark's Daily Apple | Mark's Daily Apple
 
#18
We have not changed our eating habits back from the days when you had to herd cows, fix fence, chop wood, back then you had a substantial calorie burn so eating bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy for breakfast was the normal. Very few people today have that type of calorie expenditure today on a daily basis. We sit at a desk and do not burn calories but we still eat like you are doing massive amounts of manual labor. The rule of thumb to make it simple is to look at your activity per a day for the first week to see how many calories you burn and then your calorie intake. You will be surprised at your findings. Match your calories for your activity, most important part is not to lose muscle, especially with a hard core workout. After a workout you have a 30 minute window to take whatever supplements that you want to take. Anytime after that you are just pissing them away literally. Do your research and start slowly so that you do not hurt yourself which is paramount. If you don't sweat you don't get rid of the bad stuff in your body. Funny part is when you eat clean for a couple months you will eat something and you can smell it coming out through your pores. When you figure it out you can have your one day a week where you can eat, pizza, a burger it will taste good but your body may not like it. Check out the difference between good carbs and bad carbs, if I put in 50 miles on a bike, I eat popcorn like Nearly Naked by Popcornopolis from Costco taste really good the night before. The next morning plain oatmeal, with blueberries, peanuts, cranberries and agave syrup backed up with a whey protein shake. I can go like the Everready Bunny, I drink lots of water mixed with a scoop of Gatorade for electrolyte's while riding when I reach the 25 mile mark I will stop at a brewery in Golden have a beer then ride back. I think folks only think of there bodies and staying in shape when they get ready to retire and by that time it is to late. When I go to the ski area to go snowboarding the out of state visitors are stunned at how well people are in shape in Colorado. I tell them have you looked at our playground.
 
#20
A benefit of Paleo not mentioned very often is you'll find yourself hungry less often than you will if you go carb heavy. If you try to eat 6 times a day and you miss/delay a meal you'll feel it. If you're full-on paleo (the right way, not avoiding fats) and you need to delay a meal it won't bother you much. Beware the low-carb flu. Some people get it for a day, a week, or not at all, but you'll basically feel hung over while your body adapts.
 
#21
That diet is crap. Processed grains, no macros, sugar-free soda? C'mon...

Forget the other bull**** fad diets, too. Read in between the lines, though, and there is some good info to be found in some of them-- like our friend eating bacon and eggs. Much better advice than a lot of these dumb diet fads with their juice cleanses like you to think. Do not abandon fats. The right fats are very good for you, even if cutting fat yourself.

When I was training hard it was 6 meals each day, with all of the macros (amounts of protein, carbs, fats, and calories) worked out to balance for the meal and to total for the whole day. And one more thing: no alcohol-- ever. Meals from my daily plan might look like this: Oats, Egg Whites & Veg Omelet, Fish Oil // Chicken Breast with Peanut Sauce, Sweet Potato, Veg // Fish, Wild Rice, Veg-- you get the idea. Lamb and rice with greens and hot peppers was a fav.

If you can't eat full meals consistently look into healthy meal replacements to tide you over and help keep cravings in check. Real, chewable food-- not glasses of milk or nutri-crap bars.

I highly recommend adding even a basic exercise regime. Even 10 minutes of something that gets your heart going every day makes a difference. Intensity matters, push yourself.
 
#22
I have found eating smaller portions 5-6 times a day works pretty good. You tend to over eat when you are hungry.
This is the meal plan that I follow and have had really good results.
meal 1: 2.5 scoops of whey protein and 1/2 cup of oatmeal
meal 2: 150-165 gram of top sirloin steak and a cup of brown rice-with a shitload of Cholula
meal 3: 2 scoops of whey protein, spinach salad, and 10-20 almonds
meal 4: 170 gram chicken breast, 1 cup of sweet potatos
meal 5: usually whatever my wife makes for dinner. By this time I usually am not very hungry.

Once a week I will cycle in a high carb day. I lift 5-6 times a week. This meal plan has proved to work very well for losing weight and keeping energy up for workouts.
 
#25
Eldiablo, sounds like we are on the same plan almost but I run every day and bike to work every day before breakfast if there is no snow. Whey protein shake to before my daily workout and one thirty minutes after . Total miles per day running and biking is ten. Worst day is always legs, which I hate out of my whole workout.
 
#26
thebolt said:
I was not heavy but decided to lose the weight that crept up on me over the years. I read about the Primal Diet and decided to try it. It took a couple weeks for me to become comfortable with the diet after I started. I was hungry at first and found I was not eating enough. I began to eat more protein (Meat and eggs) and have not been hungry since. I eat more than most people and lost my weight without difficulty. I have always watched my eating and tried to eat healthy foods we all think of: whole grains, low fat, etc. so it took a while for me to get the Primal diet into my head and understand how I could eat 1/2 pound of bacon and 3 eggs for breakfast and still lose weight. I went from over 200 lbs to 165 in a few months without any major exercise change. I began eating primal in summer of 2012 and it has easy for me to remain on the diet and easily maintain 165 and from 170 lbs.

I was on high blood pressure and cholesterol lowering medications before I dieted. I went for my physical and had stopped taking my Rx meds when they ran out but I felt good and knew my blood pressure was down. My Dr. was shocked and found my blood pressure and cholesterol were lower without meds than they were when I had been using them. I am medication free, reasonably thin, and feel better than I have felt in years. I eat a lot but I eat few carbs and very little sugar, following the Primal Diet within reason. I eat more than most people I know and the only time I get hungry is if I don't eat enough protein and/or fat. I skip meals (fast) when I am not hungry.

I listed the web site of "Mark's Daily Apple" at the end of this email.

The Primal Diet works well for me and I recommend you go to the web site and explore the benefits of the diet. There is a lot of free information and you get a few email books if you sign up with your email address. Those books explain the diet and how it works to lose weight and make you healthy. They also show the good and bad foods to eat with a search index for any food you want to research. It took me about a week of reading and thinking before I went for it.

Good luck in your quest to lose weight.

Welcome to Mark's Daily Apple | Mark's Daily Apple
Click to expand...

Mark's Daily Apple is run by the same guy who wrote "The Primal Blueprint". I have stuck to this eating style (I don't like the word diet either, we as a society have turned it into a bad word) for a couple years. I have maintained the same weight, within 3-5 pounds whether I exercise or not.

I do notice my cardio and strength suffer greatly without exercise, but my body doesn't put on the pounds if I don't exercise.

I don't worry much about portions at meals as long as the food choices I make are within the primal blueprint ideals. I eat when I feel hungry and until I am satisfied. I do get sugar cravings every few weeks and will give in to my urge, but I don't go crazy. I will eat things like 70% or higher cacao chocolate or fruit with a little heavy cream and honey. Not much. Just enough to calm the urge to devour junk.

I love my Bacon and eggs. Tuna and vegetables, steak, BBQ pulled pork, raw spinach leaves, grilled asparagus ...man I'm hungry now!

Good luck on your new eating habbits/meal choices. Mark even has a very simple workout to follow if you like.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I847 using Tapatalk 2
 
#31
Also, I always laugh at people that recommend one diet to every person as a cure all type of diet. If anyone ever recommends a diet without knowing your basal caloric intake and macro consumption PLEASE run FAR FAR AWAY.
Take for example myself. I am a mainly mesomorphic weighing on the endomorphic side(meaning i gain muscle easier than most with a lower than moderate fat storage rate). My macronutrients would be VASTLY different than my little brother for example which is a Endomorph weighing on the mesomorphic side(meaning he is natural small but well built and cut with minimal fat storage). If I gave him the same diet i partook in he would be cut out significantly in his consumption of carbs and fats that would do nothing but benefit him in his goal of gaining mass. So please take
99% of people's words with 10 grains of salt. Now I am by no means the master of knowledge in dietary matters, but I can back up my word with a very hideous word in the dietary/fitness/nutrition community. Science.


Andrew
 
#34
Thanks for all the input guys, there have been some very interesting posts so far. It's about time I gave an update on how it's going. I'm not following the diet I originally posted, in fact I'm not really following any diet plan, I'm just trying to cut down or avoid the things that I know are causing a lot of my problems (beer, cookies, cake, chips, and white bread). So far I've lost about 11 pounds, which I'm quite pleased with.

I've also started running again, which I'm sure will help a lot as I build my distances up too (I'm only at three miles so far).
 
#35
TT,

Back in 2001 I weighed 242 lbs. I am 5'6" tall. I was a size 42 pair of pants. I tried a bunch of things that did not work. Too fat to even walk far let alone exercise. I started the weight watchers program. After 1 year, I was down to 195 lbs and then continued with weight watchers and added exercise (cycling). By 2004, I weighed 148 lbs and I was in the best shape of my life. Today I weigh 160 lbs as I don't cycle as much as I used to but still say somewhat active. Still feel great.

I wholeheartedly suggest that you look into the weight watchers program. It is not a diet as it does not restrict what you eat as much as it teaches you how much to eat. You can do it on-line and track your daily intake. There is no special food or anything. The only thing you have to do is enter what and how much you eat. The on line calculator totals your daily intake in terms of points and as long as you stay within the guidelines, you will lose about 1-2 lbs per week. You don't want to go faster as you are trying to change the behavior that made you overweight.

There are lots of "diets" out there. Losing weight is easy. Keeping it off over a long time takes constant vigilance.

I wish you the best!
 
#36
Avoid diets, they are generally not sustainable. What you want is to change your eating habits. Here are a few good tips I give patients:

The idea of having healthy eating habits is that habits are sustainable while diets are not for most people.

-Healthy Eating Tips-
Always eat a fat with a carbohydrate
Drink a glass of water with your meal
Eat less, more often (5-6 times a day)
Eat green, leafy vegetables often
Eat white vegetables sparingly
Allow yourself to eat anything you want once a week
Don’t drink your calories
Eat proactively - "dinner" for breakfast. Fat and protein for breakfast is a must to have energy all day

-Healthy shopping tips-
Avoid nitrates
Avoid bleached flour
Avoid partially hydrogenated oils
Avoid boxed foods
Sugar is sugar, whether it is cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup or sucrose –it’s all the same
Buy cold pressed olive in a dark container
Read labels! If you can’t pronounce it, it’s not good for you!
If a food claims to be healthy, it is probably trying to trick you
 
#37
go to bodybuilding.com. They have a lot of good diets. I only eat oats in the morning along with my eggs. If you are going to eat some whole grain carbs or fruit, eat them early in the morning and not even close before bed. Fruit has a lot of sugars, I know natural sugars but its still sugar. Make sure to take a multi vitamin. Your body will have a hard time shedding fat if its not getting what it needs. My diet consists of eggs, oats, protein shakes, sweet potatos, chicken, turkey and a lot of veggies. The only thing with eating most of this, is getting burnt out on it. You have to mix it up. Also, you can eat a lot of healthy foods and not loose weight. The key is moderation. Good food in moderation is how you lose weight! Keep us posted on how you are doing. Plus, as stated above, work out, and do plenty of cardio.
 
#39
+1 on outing the bread. If you want something like it, try using tortilla shells. Better yet, use the whole grain. Still not good for you but it helps break everything up.
 
#40
Another quick update for you all. I'm now at 181 lbs and quite pleased with the way it's going. I'm still running, but haven't upped the distance too much since last time (I am doing it faster now though!).

There's a 10k race in my town next month which I'm planning on entering, so I'll be increasing the distance of my runs over the next couple of weeks. I'm not expecting a record breaking time, but it should be a good motivator.

My next project may be a half marathon. There's one in the summer that I've done before and enjoyed that I'm considering doing again (this one: North Sea Beach Marathon*-*Home).
 
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