You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Hi Folks,
So, I finally am changing eating habits. No beer and crisps or general shite in the evening, no carbs at all after 4pm.
Recommended by my gym as a first step.
Lost 8kg in 8 weeks, feel great. 125kg down to 117kg. (i am generally a big lad, at 6'4", but still need to shift another 7 at least).
Been a big issue recently with travel and works dinners to really keep to my rules, so I have taken a different approach. Will it work? What flaws are there in my plan:
If I have a dinner out, that has unnavoidable carbs, and probably beer, I "punish" myself next day by missing either breakfast or lunch.
Is it doing more harm than good?
Kev
Probably not harming, but probably not helping either.
The no carbs after 4pm thing sounds bogus to me. The issue is with fast absorbed carbs causing your body to produce insulin which stops you burning fat etc etc. I dunno that time of day matters. General shite and crisps should be avoided at all times.
As for 'unavoidable carbs' - there is always a way to avoid them. I've spent a lot of time in hotels and you can usually have steak or omlette or something with vegetables and no chips.
No such-and-such after a certain time is nonsense, it's not like your body digests it and processes the nutrients that quickly anyway.
Also agree that there's no such thing as "unavoidable carbs". It's not like someone is putting a gun to your head! But then I don't agree with the demonisation of all carbs either, especially if you are very active.
Maybe try red wine instead of beer? And yes, I think "punishing yourself" sets a bad precedent. As you've said, you're changing your eating habits for the better (which is a good thing), not doing some crazy quick-fix crash diet. As long as the weight is coming off, it's fine.
😆
What a bunch of bastards!
Dinner out = unnavoidable carbs
just like
Night out = unnavoidable kebab
it's the law, innit? 😉
You are of course correct, that there is no such thing. It is however rather dificult to change habit, so I am proud of myself thus far. I am changing habit.
So, to summarise, when you eat what, matters not a jot (hey, nice rhyme!), only that it is a total amount in a day, and that carbs as a whole are to be avoided. Correct?
You don't need to avoid carbs, for a start not all carbs are equal (i.e. porridge oats Vs. refined sugar).
Take no notice of anyone who says to cut out a complete food group or macro nutrient group.
Don't listen to alot of the advice on here, if you are serious about making a life long rather than unsustainable temporary change to your eating habits then consider paying for the profesional services of a dietician.
Maybe, it very much depends on the individual. Certainly if you're trying to lose weight don't go overboard on the carbs. But when you reach your desired weight, they're fine IMO but since things like potatoes and rice are so energy dense it depends on your activity level as to how much you need.and that carbs as a whole are to be avoided. Correct?
LOL, I really wouldn't. To be a "professional" dietician you need to be a member of the BDA and their advice is woefully out of touch with current thinking. FWIW there have been some great threads on this forum lately with some very sensible advice (not to mention a lot of success stories).consider paying for the profesional services of a dietician.
there are many ways to skin a cat. personally i find it easier to eat in 'windows' of around 8hrs. basically it just means missing breakfast which comes easy to me, and eating dinner and tea.
i use myfitnesspal.com to log cals and carbs/protein/fat and aim for around 2000 cals per day. i estimate 'maintenance' to be around 2500 cals.
ive lost around a stone since early october at a steady rate doing this (i believe 2lbs per week is a decent aim to lose)
ive also been weight training and logging my workouts and its clear my lifts have remained constant, which to me suggests im losing fat rather than muscle.
like i say, different people have different things that work for them and different preferences in how to eat. this is my favoured approach.
i wont turn a night out down either, but ill still log all those extra calories so i can see whats happening. i just aim to hit the 2000 cals mark most of the time, i dont beat myself up about it if i go over.
hope that helps.
I've lost a stone over the last couple of months. I'm not particularly eating, or avoiding eating, anything 'special'. Operation TubGone consists of (in theory, there is occasionally booze and snacks where there's not meant to be):
Mon, Wed, Fri - coffee on way to work, cereal at work about two hours after I get up, sarnie and apple for lunch, dinner. No snacks, no booze (until Friday night).
Tues, Thurs - 45mins on bike straight out of bed (road, rollers or off road, depending on weather/inclination). Coffee but no breakfast. Lunch/dinner/booze/snacks as above.
Weekends - Snacks, booze, ideally a 'proper' ride.
I think the key to it is that I have periods in the mornings where I'm 'running on empty', which in my entirely unknowledgable head means that my body's burning fat as fuel, hence the weight loss. Weekly weight loss has averaged about a kilo.
IHN - I believe that's called the "Eat less/do more" diet. Expect to get roundly abused for even suggesting it's that simple.
Possibly, but bar breakfast on two days I'm not really eating that much less, or doing that much more.
Whatever, it seems to be working, so I don't really care 🙂
[b]@lynden[/b] the "eating windows" are known as Intermittent Fasting (IF). If you're doing that [i]and[/i] weight training you might want to look into LeanGains (if you haven't already). You might well be able to increase lean mass whilst decreasing BF with this method.
[b]@druidh[/b] no, that does work, but if you're of a mind you can apply simple scientific principles to make it easier/more effective.
[i]you can apply simple scientific principles to make it easier/more effective. [/i]
Is that what I'm doing?
Yes.
I think when you eat does matter, but not the time of day. Eat your simple carve immediately after exercise , and not at other times.
Yes
Ooh, really? So when I say:
[i]I think the key to it is that I have periods in the mornings where I'm 'running on empty', which in my entirely unknowledgable head means that my body's burning fat as fuel, hence the weight loss.[/i]
am I actually on to something?
Yes.
It's a funny thing, as basically it is not rocket science and the eat less, do more thing makes sense of course.
But, if you have been eating badly for a number of years, then your view on what is normal get's skewed. It requires some kind of significant intervention to kick start a difference and allow you to actually respond.
My evenings are basically only lean meat and veg, no tatties, pasta, bread etc. but also deffo no biscuits, crisps, beer.
I have read the other threads, all interesting, but I do not want this to become an obsession, I just want to eat a more normal diet and current intervention seems to be helping me view food intake differently.
Setting a hard rule is a good way for me, kinda like when I have up ciggies 12 years ago.
I was just wondering that if I slip, is the punish approach reasonable. It is a good point about simple carbs being eaten straight after exercise. I ride to work (1hr), do some gym weights, and I ride home (30mins). My trainer knows this so his approach to reducing evening intake makes some sense.
Good discussion, thanks.
Kev
http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/exercise/sports/8443/mf_meets_olympic_champion_bradley_wiggins.html
"How do you keep your weight down?
My nutritionist Nigel Mitchell helps me. We’re big into fruit days where you just eat fruit for the day and drink skimmed milk for your protein – you can lose half a kilo by doing that in one day. You’ve got to be really careful with training on these days. It’s not easy but after ten years of working together we’ve developed how to do it properly. At times, though, not being able to eat the things you want – or that your wife and kids might be eating for dinner – is bloody hard. But if you don’t drive a car, you don’t put fuel in it. So if I’m not training I only put enough fuel in for that. I try to live by that analogy every day."
as basically it is not rocket science
Actually, it is. How the body processes what goes into it is extremely complicated, varies a lot between individuals and it is not well understood at all.
There are simple aspects to it though. If you stuff your face and are fat, then stopping stuffing your face will help you lose weight. However there are many people who don't stuff their face and are still fat, and many who do and aren't.
You need Ben Greenfield in your life....check him out in i tunes, does a GREAT weekly podcast on all things training, eating and wellness!
INWTS
Sounds interesting though. Synopsis please?
Don't skip breakfast - it kick starts your metabolism - have a small bowl of weetabix or porridge with skimmed milk.
Stick to complex carbs, avoid refined sugar and aim to ingest less than you burn and it'll come off. If you insist on punishing yourself for eating a big meal with work, then punish yourself via a workout.
Alcohol is the worst for weight gain, and your weight loss will naturally slow - but thats no bad thing. If you lose is slowly it generally reflects a sustainable lifestyle change.
You said stick to cooled garbs and avoid sugar, then you recommend weetabix?
Don't skip breakfast - it kick starts your metabolism - have a small bowl of weetabix or porridge with skimmed milk.
id say thats open to debate on whether to skip it or not, depending on how easy you find managing calories. i skip breakfast each day as a way of doing this. i eat something like scrambled eggs with chillis on toast for dinner as my first meal, that leaves me plenty of calories to get in for a nice tea.
other people prefer to eat little and often, i just find it easier to eat in 'windows' of around 8 hours each day, zero cals for 16ish.