Tips, tricks, and things that make eating healthy so much easier

[Mad Hatter]

I'll start.

Don't go hungry or starve yourself. EVER! - When you get down to it, losing weight can be summed up in four words; eat less, exercise more. I'm talking calorie intake here, not mass/quantity. A cheeseburger has 350+ calories. Whereas 1 cup of broccoli has 35 calories. You do the math. Vegetables have very few calories, so by eating less (calories), you can actually eat more (mass). Pretty cool huh? So there's NO EXCUSE for you to go hungry... like some guy off youtube said: "Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym." It really is true that 80-90% of losing weight rests on what you eat. But of course, the best combo is to eat less, and exercise more

With that in mind, and the fact that you should eat 5+ servings of vegetables a day, here's what I do:

• Stir-fry - My mum bought me a high grade wok for my birthday. Less than a week, and I loved it more than my girlfriend. Even for me, the worst cook in the world, I can easily whip up a stir-fry complete with 7-10 servings of veggies. I do this daily now... just throw in some steak and have it for lunch and tea.

• Eat meals (roughly even in calories) every 2-3 hours.

There's no quick fix, weight loss really is a change of lifestyle - You didn't put on the weight overnight, so you're not going to lose it overnight. Once you accept this and keep your eye on the prize (your rocking new bod in X-amount of time), things become clearer. When I finally accepted this, my whole outlook changed. I wasn't just losing weight, I was changing my lifestyle...

IMHO, unless you're fasting for religious or cleansing purposes, I suggest avoiding fasting all together.

This isn't really a tip, it's just something that I've always done -- I never use the term "diet" or "dieting", I always use "clean eating" instead. I might DIE from DIEting, but I'll get LEAN from cLEAN eating... hehe

Well that is some of my thoughts and opinions on weight loss. Who am I? I'm an obese guy who has so far shed 45 pounds in 2 and a half months following the same advice as above. I still have roughly 45 pounds to go, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll be able to lose it! You can take my advice or leave it...


Please share your own thoughts, opinions, tips, and tricks that you've discovered and learned....

[Ne Cede Malis]

Thanks for sharing this

My friend keeps nagging me to get a wok, I guess I'm fresh out of excuses not to ...

Ne Cede Malis

[ginkgo]

Actually the more you eat, the more weight you will lose. Eating more food means less calories. The Doctors TV show said that there are actually negative calorie foods. The more you eat, the more calories are burned. Common ones are celery and carrots.

Negative Calorie Foods

[Havard]

The best tips I know for losing weight are very simple:

No soda, ever

Walk as much as you can

There are many other things to do to get to a healthier weight, but these two are important and easy.

[sirkinm]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

I'll start.

Don't go hungry or starve yourself. EVER! - When you get down to it, losing weight can be summed up in four words; eat less, exercise more. I'm talking calorie intake here, not mass/quantity. A cheeseburger has 350+ calories. Whereas 1 cup of broccoli has 35 calories. You do the math. Vegetables have very few calories, so by eating less (calories), you can actually eat more (mass). Pretty cool huh? So there's NO EXCUSE for you to go hungry... like some guy off youtube said: "Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym." It really is true that 80-90% of losing weight rests on what you eat. But of course, the best combo is to eat less, and exercise more

Mad Hatter, your heart is in the right place for wanting to share these tips. However, they won't work.

Your body knows how much energy it's receiving regardless of the volume of the food. Eating a cup of broccoli is not fulfilling. You can eat high-fiber, low calorie foods until you feel sick, but that will not fulfill your caloric needs, and you will have a strong desire to binge on calorie dense foods. You can't fool your body like that.

On the other hand, it's a great idea to replace some carbs (like potatoes or bread) with broccoli. If that's what you're suggesting, then I'm all for it. You can't replace your main sources of protein and fat with low-cal foods like broccoli though.

If you don't give your body plenty of healthy fat and protein, you will be starved, and your cravings will overpower your will-power. You can still eat reduced calories, but if you don't take care to get your fat and protein, the likelihood of succeeding is extremely low.

I write this as I'm eating a beautiful plate of high-quality bacon and eggs. My abs are starting to show for the first time in over 10 years. Trust me, I would take the burger over the broccoli (without the bun, and only if it were grass-fed meat).

I highly recommend you read Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes (or the more technical book, Good Calories Bad Calories). It will open your eyes to a lot of our myths regarding dieting.

I absolutely agree that losing weight is almost entirely about what you eat, not about exercise.

[neivindamin]

well to reduce weight best way is to hav a healthy eating habits nd regular excise like running,jogging nd skipping these exes ice r fats burners these simple 3 exercise can make whole body workout.
avoid smoking,fast food,,,,,,,
drink lot of water u can also take lemon water early in the morning this also burns fats every effective....

[Mad Hatter]

Originally Posted by sirkinm

Mad Hatter, your heart is in the right place for wanting to share these tips. However, they won't work.

Your body knows how much energy it's receiving regardless of the volume of the food. Eating a cup of broccoli is not fulfilling. You can eat high-fiber, low calorie foods until you feel sick, but that will not fulfill your caloric needs, and you will have a strong desire to binge on calorie dense foods. You can't fool your body like that.

On the other hand, it's a great idea to replace some carbs (like potatoes or bread) with broccoli. If that's what you're suggesting, then I'm all for it. You can't replace your main sources of protein and fat with low-cal foods like broccoli though.

If you don't give your body plenty of healthy fat and protein, you will be starved, and your cravings will overpower your will-power. You can still eat reduced calories, but if you don't take care to get your fat and protein, the likelihood of succeeding is extremely low.

I write this as I'm eating a beautiful plate of high-quality bacon and eggs. My abs are starting to show for the first time in over 10 years. Trust me, I would take the burger over the broccoli (without the bun, and only if it were grass-fed meat).

I highly recommend you read Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes (or the more technical book, Good Calories Bad Calories). It will open your eyes to a lot of our myths regarding dieting.

I absolutely agree that losing weight is almost entirely about what you eat, not about exercise.

sirkinm, you're taking what I said far too literal. In hindsight, it was a bad comparison and I apologise if it seems like I'm suggesting that you just eat vegetables and don't eat a good balance of protein, fats and carbs. Because that would be just as idiotic as doing a fast...

What I was trying to say was that you can cook up a decent size stir fry (5+ serves of vegetables, 100g of beef, some rice) and it will still be less calories than a cheeseburger and far more filling... not to mention you've just got your 5 servings of veggies in one meal.

[KaleidoskopicVision]

Mad Hatter, fasting can be one of the healthiest, cheapest forms of healing for the body mind and spirit. You're speaking presumptuously.

That said a good tip is to eat all the colors of the rainbow (as they occur naturally of course) when choosing food items. Diversify those phytonutrients!

[Mad Hatter]

Originally Posted by KaleidoskopicVision

Mad Hatter, fasting can be one of the healthiest, cheapest forms of healing for the body mind and spirit. You're speaking presumptuously.

That said a good tip is to eat all the colors of the rainbow (as they occur naturally of course) when choosing food items. Diversify those phytonutrients!

In my first post I mentioned that I don't have a problem with people fasting for religious or detox purposes (usually only a few days), but I have a problem with anyone who do a fast just to lose weight (often for weeks). You're just creating an eating complex. This goes back to my first rule--never starve yourself!

[russianrocket]

Calories in calories out had been shown to be a myth. Heart might be in the right place but the brain is in the wrong

[Mad Hatter]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

Calories in calories out had been shown to be a myth. Heart might be in the right place but the brain is in the wrong

What a load of crap... pretty much all diets rely on caloric intake. I've lost nearly 50 pounds by eating less calories. Or am I missing something? You can't make a claim like that and not provide a significant amount of proof...

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

What a load of crap... pretty much all diets rely on caloric intake. I've lost nearly 50 pounds by eating less calories. Or am I missing something?

Instead of me having to explain it once again, what do you say you spend a minute googling , and you'll have all your answers. Unless you are eating a large amount, eating less calories will only allow your body to get used to eating less calories. That's how the body works. If you are eaton less, your body will see that as a lack of food, and will slow down your metabolism to compensate. That's complete logical sense. What sense would there be for us to evolve to lose weight during times of famine? Tell me, where did your calorie count start at and where did you end up now?


Its the TYPE of calories that you ingest that matters, and not the amount. So unless you are to say that the type of food you ate hasn't changes, then your assertion that eating less calories is what caused you to lose weight, is without merit.

[russianrocket]

The Myth of Low-Calorie Dieting for Weight Loss Exposed

It's funny, if you google "calories in calories out" the first suggestion given to you is " calories in calories out myth".

The one after that " calories in calories out debunked"

I'll repeat it once more. The calorie in calorie out part of your diet is not the basis for your weight loss. It is only a small part, as many people have lost weight without cutting calories, and in my case, I increased calories and lost weight.

Go read " good calories bad calories" . he also came out with a new book, which is easier to read, if you'd like.

[Mad Hatter]

I'll admit that I'm no expert on the science behind weight loss. Far from it. I don't count calories or anything, I just listen to my body. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm not satisfied with a meal, I refine it. Something must be right because in 2 and a half months I've lost nearly 50 pounds with no exercise.

All I know is I've been eating extremely clean and have been eating a lot less (calorie wise) than I used too.

Wait a second, I think you might have taken me too literal as well. I'm in no way suggesting that you'd lose the same amount of weight if you ate a whole pizza (with cheese stuffed crust) than if you ate the same amount of calories through vegetables, wholegrains, protein, healthy fats, etc, because you wouldn't lose the same amount of weight. Anything I say regarding calories only refers to "clean calories", another reason I refer to dieting as clean eating. To me, calorie count and calorie source go hand in hand. Sorry if I didn't get that across earlier...

[KaleidoskopicVision]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

In my first post I mentioned that I don't have a problem with people fasting for religious or detox purposes (usually only a few days), but I have a problem with anyone who do a fast just to lose weight (often for weeks). You're just creating an eating complex. This goes back to my first rule--never starve yourself!

Oh yeah agreed, fasting for weight loss is an all around terrible idea. I must've missed that part of your post

[shawnmihalik]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

I'll admit that I'm no expert on the science behind weight loss. Far from it. I don't count calories or anything, I just listen to my body. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm not satisfied with a meal, I refine it. Something must be right because in 2 and a half months I've lost nearly 50 pounds with no exercise.

All I know is I've been eating extremely clean and have been eating a lot less (calorie wise) than I used too.

Wait a second, I think you might have taken me too literal as well. I'm in no way suggesting that you'd lose the same amount of weight if you ate a whole pizza (with cheese stuffed crust) than if you ate the same amount of calories through vegetables, wholegrains, protein, healthy fats, etc, because you wouldn't lose the same amount of weight. Anything I say regarding calories only refers to "clean calories", another reason I refer to dieting as clean eating. To me, calorie count and calorie source go hand in hand. Sorry if I didn't get that across earlier...

I find that eating a diet of clean, natural foods (i.e. food) tends to result in a caloric decrease, but like you said, it's the clean eating that causes the weight loss and health improvements, not the calorie amounts.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by shawnmihalik

I find that eating a diet of clean, natural foods (i.e. food) tends to result in a caloric decrease, but like you said, it's the clean eating that causes the weight loss and health improvements, not the calorie amounts.

Lol more like what I said