# Personal diet question.



## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 11, 2016)

Last few years I've been eating just one meal a day (dinner around 5-6pm). During that period I was not working out, drinking beer, etc. Started working out again about two months ago, immediately dropped 27lbs, but hit the wall. I would say body fat is between 20-25%, but that's really just a guess. I plan to see a nutritionist in the coming months, along with getting a hormonal test. But until then I'm looking at what I can do currently with diet. I'm going off what I've done been told in the past, and I'm wondering if there is something I'm not looking at right or over looking, outside of possible supplements.

Current diet plan:

Water, throughout the day/night, with a occasional booze night (yeah I know, but I gotta have cut loose time).

Breakfast, cup of mixed fruit, no real set plan on type.

Morning snack, banana, apple, orange.

Lunch, about 1qt size container of salad, mainly rabbit foods, with occasional tomato's.

Afternoon snack, celery, carrots, or another small portion of mixed salad.

Work out from 4-5:30pm, running, cardio, low weight hi-rep.

Dinner, 6-8oz of meat, 2 cups of steamed veggies greens, and a cup of rice (generally white or Spanish rice).

Evening snack, fruit based shake or apple, banana, orange.

Booze, normally beer, 8-12, once to twice a week, normally on the weekend.

Goal, loose another 20-30lbs by June 1st, get body fat around 15%. Outside of the boozing (nonnegotiable), what should a change? I'm not planning to bulk up much, just lean out the fat and tone up a bit.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.


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## LibraryLady (Jan 11, 2016)

Too much fruit, not enough vegies. 

Fruit = sugar. 

Try using nuts for snacks. Plain, unsalted.

Try adding a little cardio first thing in the morning, get your metabolism a little boost.

LL


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## Avenger hammer (Jan 11, 2016)

Multiple variables will come into play with any diet plan and cookie cutter plans can help but are not exactly tailored for everyone. You'll have to figure out your daily caloric needs. I dug out my book from my personal trainer course and I'll just go through that a little.

Step 1: convert your body weight in pounds to kilograms
Take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2
Example: 200 lbs ÷ 2.2 =90.9 kg

Step 2: For males take your body weight in kilograms and multiply it by 1 and then by 24 (hours in a day)
For females multiply your weight by 0.9 and then by 24.
Example: 90.9kg x 1 x 24 = 2182

Step 3: Determine your lean factor multiplier. For this I'll still use the numbers I have previously used but I will input the body fat percentage you stated in your post "20-25%"
For 20%-25% BF% the lean factor multiplier is .90

Step 4: Calculating your basil metabolic rate.
Now lets take this multiplier and multiply the answer we got for step 2
2182 x .90 = 1963.8 or simply 1964
1964 is your basil metabolic rate. Simply put, if you were to lay in bed doing no physical activities for a day this is how many calories your body would burn.

Step 5: Determine daily activity multiplier.
This is difficult to explain without showing my text book but it basically shows 3 categories ranging from "couch potato/fitness buff/athlete or hard daily trainer" with 2 sub choices in each to determine your daily activity level.
For the sake of this and reading your post I'll put you into fitness buff since you workout, but i'll put you in the light part. So your multiplier is 1.55.

Step 6: Calculate your daily caloric expenditure.
Take your basil metabolic rate and multiply it by your activity multiplier from step 5.
1964 x 1.55 = 3044.2
So that is roughly how many calories you burn through the day, granted I plugged in 200 lbs from the beginning for simplicity sake.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 11, 2016)

Holy shit, I have no freaking idea what any of that meant.

ETA: I'm guessing this means once I figure my daily calorie burn, I would than adjust my intake to achieve the goal of fat loss?

My current weight is 218, that's been steady for 2 weeks. My current work out is 3-5 mile jog (slow about a 9.5 minute pace), and the P90x workout system with light weight. I'm doing this 4-5 times a week, primarily due to schedule. I would like to get to 7 days a week steady, I just have some scheduling issues to work out or just getting my ass up at 4am, which is not really practical right now.


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## Avenger hammer (Jan 11, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I'm guessing this means once I figure my daily calorie burn, I would than adjust my intake to achieve the goal of fat loss?
> 
> My current weight is 218, that's been steady for 2 weeks. My current work out is 3-5 mile jog (slow about a 9.5 minute pace), and the P90x workout system with light weight. I'm doing this 4-5 times a week, primarily due to schedule. I would like to get to 7 days a week steady, I just have some scheduling issues to work out or just getting my ass up at 4am, which is not really practical right now.



Yes generally speaking once you know roughly how many calories you burn every day you can build from there. In my nutrition class I took a few semesters ago we were encouraged to have a food journal which could be anything from a note pad to an excel spread sheet or even just keeping the nutritional labels from what you ate that day. Basically it is the foundation from where you start. You can do almost any diet you really want once you figure out what your body needs. I personally always stick with the 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (218 for you) in order to sustain muscle mass spread out through the day. 

P90x is not a bad workout program, it teaches some really good fundamentals like dynamic warm up, good form and isometric holds. I've seen it help a lot of guys get in shape while we were deployed. I dunno about the 7 days a week idea though. Rest days are critical to help recharge you mental focus and not get burnt out and end up hating what you're doing along with the obvious muscle repair and hormone replenishment.


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## JustMe (Jan 12, 2016)

I would cut back on the fruit intake, too much can lead to a sugar crash and kills testosterone. 

I would also add a sugar free probiotic like Kefir Plain, You could make a smoothie with sugar free granola or peanut butter (for a healthy fat) Kefir, celery, carrots, kale or spinach maybe a couple fruits to sweeten it but then skip the fruit snack.

It is really hard to give a definite answer. @Avenger hammer  makes a good point on having a food journal as each body is different. Believe it or not some peoples bodies will burn more calories if they consume a little bit more where as others are better off on a lower caloric diet. 

One thing I realized that helped my body type was spiking my metabolism once a week aka cheat day 1 day a week I would eat what ever I wanted.

Also one more thing if you do a food journal you could try eating more fatty foods and testosterone boosting foods and see if that works for you, more eggs, avocado, spinach and take a vitamin that includes Zinc or eat more foods containing zinc...


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## digrar (Jan 12, 2016)

That beer is going to kill you, 8 beers is about 1100 Cal, 12 is 1700ish, twice a week, that's near on 2 more days worth of energy intake a week. Not negotiable, so it's 3 hours of P90 cardioX you need to do to burn it off.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 12, 2016)

digrar said:


> That beer is going to kill you, 8 beers is about 1100 Cal, 12 is 1700ish, twice a week, that's near on 2 more days worth of energy intake a week. Not negotiable, so it's 3 hours of P90 cardioX you need to do to burn it off.



Or just eat less those days? I totally get the "don't drink beer" side of things, but I simply know I will, my buddies all drink beer, I like beer, what's the point of living healthy if you can't enjoy the good things in life, etc, etc.

I'm going to start the food journal today, also going to substitute carrots, celery and cucumbers for the fruit snack during the day. Still going to do the cup of mixed fruit for breakfast.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 12, 2016)

@Diamondback 2/2 , I feel ya man.  I really do, but could not drop a pound while drinking beer.  EVERYONE in circle drinks beer, hence, I drink beer.  And my weight loss suffers because of it.

Sweets, carby shit, etc have no effect on me - but offer me a beer...I'm fucked.  Not even to get drunk, just because I fucking love the taste of a good cold beer.


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## Devildoc (Jan 12, 2016)

Sugar, sugar, sugar.  It will kill you.  It is amazing what has a lot of sugar: most fruit, sports drinks, energy drinks....almost EVERYTHING processed has a shit-ton of sugar.

My two drachmas: cut the sugar (as in eliminate as much as possible), increase protein, focus on "good" carbs, eat more veggies.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 12, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> @Diamondback 2/2 , I feel ya man.  I really do, but could not drop a pound while drinking beer.  EVERYONE in circle drinks beer, hence, I drink beer.  And my weight loss suffers because of it.
> 
> Sweets, carby shit, etc have no effect on me - but offer me a beer...I'm fucked.  Not even to get drunk, just because I fucking love the taste of a good cold beer.



Yep, going from being a case a day guy (with no exercise) to try and keep it under a 12pk and only on the weekend, has been the biggest difference for me. I'm going to give it a month and see if I can continue to loose weight with diet change and keeping the beer. If it's not working, than I'll have to address it.

It's a bit awkward for me, I've let my physical fitness go so long, that now it's just about being healthier vs performance, hints the not wanting to give up my beer.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 12, 2016)

Devildoc said:


> Sugar, sugar, sugar.  It will kill you.  It is amazing what has a lot of sugar: most fruit, sports drinks, energy drinks....almost EVERYTHING processed has a shit-ton of sugar.
> 
> My two drachmas: cut the sugar (as in eliminate as much as possible), increase protein, focus on "good" carbs, eat more veggies.



I've cut out all cain sugar, well unless they put any in Bud Light.? But I was always told fruit based sugar is good, where cain based sugar is bad. Is that wrong? 

I'm not eating anything processed currently, my family eats very healthy for the most part, we've cut all sugary drinks, we don't do canned veggies, fried foods, or fatty meats. We do eat rice, just about every meal, except for stews and soups (home made), breads and tortillas are probably one of the harder things to avoid in our diet, but I've been able to cut out bread for myself and use corn tortillas vs flower.


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## Devildoc (Jan 12, 2016)

Part of the "wrong thinking" is the while there are, indeed, "good" carbs and "bad" carbs, there are also "good" sugars and "bad" sugars.  A better way to look at it, perhaps, is "natural" vs "unnatural."  An apple has sugar; so does a Snickers.  One boots the body's blood sugar faster than the other and therefore elicits an insulin response differently.  The rapid spike in blood sugar gets a big bolus of insulin, which leads to a whole hormonal cascade of badness.

All that said if you have to choose, you will choose the apple over the Snickers.  It IS better for you.  The other side of the coin is that the apple still has a lot of sugar, and may not play well with insulin and other hormones.

If you look at the broad view of most eating plans (I refuse to call them "diets) they are all variations on a theme, which is low-sugar, moderate-carb: Atkins, Paleo, Trim Healthy Mama (yes, there is such a plan, and it is a good one), South Beach, etc.


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## LibraryLady (Jan 12, 2016)

Beer = sugar.

Look into the chemistry of alcohol.  I know someone else can rattle off the pertinent details, I'm lacking caffeine and time to do it this morning.

LL


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## Devildoc (Jan 12, 2016)

Basically, during fermentation yeast breaks down sugar into alcohol.  Although the sugar "converts," it is not eliminated.  And depending on what you drink, sugar is added to the process: sugar in malted barley --> beer, sugar in crushed grapes --> wine, etc.

Furthermore, the finished product results in increased insulin production which can lead to low blood sugar, and the alcohol can inhibit the body's response to low glucose.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 12, 2016)

So for the science types here - If I stayed away from enjoying two high calorie 12 oz beers in the evening, and went instead to 5 or 6 oz of bourbon or wine, would that make a difference, or is alcohol a no-go regardless, when you are trying to drop weight?


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## Devildoc (Jan 12, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> So for the science types here - If I stayed away from enjoying two high calorie 12 oz beers in the evening, and went instead to 5 or 6 oz of bourbon or wine, would that make a difference, or is alcohol a no-go regardless, when you are trying to drop weight?



While there is 0 grams of sugar in some beers (craft beers and specialty beers can have quite a bit), the carbs will get broken down into glucose, which is a form of sugar.  So consult Dr. Google to see what beer is 0 grams/low-carb, and which are not.  A regular ol' Bud has 4 grams of carbs per 12 oz can.

There is almost no carb and no sugar in straight bourbon.

So what that comes down to is the calorie count of each: two 12-oz beers of 200 cals each is 400 cals, or about 30-45 min of exercise to burn.  Six ounces of bourbon is about 420 calories (at 120 cals/2 oz), so about the same.

When it comes to liquor where a lot of people get into trouble are the mixtures and add-ins.

Edited to add, I like my booze, all of it...beer, wine, liquor.  I just moderate my amount and adjust exercise accordingly.  Also, some of this info came from just googling some of this stuff.


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## Gunz (Jan 12, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> Or just eat less those days? I totally get the "don't drink beer" side of things, but I simply know I will, my buddies all drink beer, I like beer, what's the point of living healthy if you can't enjoy the good things in life, etc, etc.
> 
> I'm going to start the food journal today, also going to substitute carrots, celery and cucumbers for the fruit snack during the day. Still going to do the cup of mixed fruit for breakfast.


 

I wish you luck, brother. I drink 3 or 4 beers every afternoon before dinner and I don't want to have to give it up. If they ever tell me I can't have my 2 cups of joe in the morning and my beers in the afternoon, that's when I check out.

But...keep eating healthy and exercising and try to cut back on the beer. (Easy for me to say.)Maybe just try to put more positives into your day to balance the negatives.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 12, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> So for the science types here - If I stayed away from enjoying two high calorie 12 oz beers in the evening, and went instead to 5 or 6 oz of bourbon or wine, would that make a difference, or is alcohol a no-go regardless, when you are trying to drop weight?



A old friend of mine (67 years old) stopped drinking beer all day and went to a glass to two glasses of bourbon a day. He was a case of beer a day guy as well, but had some real heart issues (had his pilot license pulled). He lost about 40lbs almost immediately (in like 6-8 wks). He was drinking about 4-6 oz glass of Makers Mart over the course of several hours. Although he did drink like 5 diet cokes along with it. But he lost alot, I mean pretty chunky guy to bean pole. Not saying what he did is healthy, but he did drop a lot of fat.

I had another buddy, who ballooned up to 290lbs (normally about 190lbs), he literally starved himself for about a month, then started a healthy diet and daily exercise, he is smaller than mean right now. But is still drinking beer, he is in a crossfit gym though, which is far more intensive than the P90X I'm currently doing.


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## Devildoc (Jan 12, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> A old friend of mine (67 years old) stopped drinking beer all day and went to a glass to two glasses of bourbon a day. He was a case of beer a day guy as well, but had some real heart issues (had his pilot license pulled). He lost about 40lbs almost immediately (in like 6-8 wks). He was drinking about 4-6 oz glass of Makers Mart over the course of several hours. Although he did drink like 5 diet cokes along with it. But he lost alot, I mean pretty chunky guy to bean pole. Not saying what he did is healthy, but he did drop a lot of fat.
> 
> I had another buddy, who ballooned up to 290lbs (normally about 190lbs), he literally starved himself for about a month, then started a healthy diet and daily exercise, he is smaller than mean right now. But is still drinking beer, he is in a crossfit gym though, which is far more intensive than the P90X I'm currently doing.



And this is a case of calorie counting.  Beer is pretty caloric, 145 calories in a Bud (110 in Bud light).  So, two a day is about 300 calories, which is about 30 min of pretty intense exercise to burn.  So all things being equal, no additional calories and no additional exercise, your weight shouldn't change.  Take some of the richer, ticker beers, they are worse, around 200 cals each.

Me, I drink usually one a day, sometimes two, adjust my exercise and diet accordingly.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 12, 2016)

For you IPA guys...do a little research.  Turns out one of my favorite IPA's are 300 calories per 12 oz bottle!


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## JustMe (Jan 12, 2016)

If you are going to drink beer I would say drink a "Real Beer" like a craft beer that way you are at least getting nutrients out of it. 

I look at it this way Budweiser, Coors all those are the Mcdonalds where as a craft beer is a restaurant. At least one your actually getting real food.


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## DocIllinois (Jan 12, 2016)

Evidence based guidance per the parameters noted by the OP: 

Skip the nutritionist and consult a Registered Dietitian.


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## Dienekes (Jan 12, 2016)

Your diet seems to be seriously lacking fats and protein. I would check out If It Fits Your Macros. This plan is awesome because you can eat whatever the hell you want(steak, pizza, burgers...etc) as long as it fits your daily macros. I followed it very, very strictly a while back and lost 30 pounds in 3 months starting at around 16% bodyfat without losing strength or much muscle, if any(never did a body fat test). I'd be better at following it still if my school had nutritional facts on its food. Counting macro nutrients is easier than calories although it is the same train of thought. Protein-4 cal, Carbs- 4 cal, Fat- 9 cal. The site typically recommends ~BW for protein in grams, ~.5BW for fat, and the rest in carbs depending on your goals, but they have calculators that are customizable to change percentages of each macro that you want to consume. Like I said, it worked great for me but YMMV.


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## Polar Bear (Jan 13, 2016)

Are you a dickhead when you drink hard alcohol?


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 13, 2016)

Polar Bear said:


> Are you a dickhead when you drink hard alcohol?



I laughed pretty hard when I read this... But yes, I'm a complete dickhead when I drink liquor unless I do the no more than two deal, and at that point, I'd rather not even drink.


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## Polar Bear (Jan 13, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I laughed pretty hard when I read this... But yes, I'm a complete dickhead when I drink liquor unless I do the no more than two deal, and at that point, I'd rather not even drink.


Well let me put it like this, you are right about drinking being non negotiable. As in not drinking. If you want to lose the last bit of weight you got to stop. Not forever, but have to stop for now. Been down this road, at our age you ain't going to lose it while drinking.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 14, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2  I saw you mention P90X a few times. The meal plan that it comes with is 90% of the battle regarding the weight loss you experience during the program. Have you looked into that at all?
And agree with all the above about cutting back/out the booze to get where you want to be.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 14, 2016)

Polar Bear said:


> at our age you ain't going to lose it while drinking.



It's been a week, I've changed nothing except turning beer into water...5 pounds.

....damn it....

@Polar Bear is right - going to do a month of no beer during the week and drinking beer during the football playoffs.  Easy estimate is that this will save me minimum 3500 calories per week -


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## Red Flag 1 (Jan 14, 2016)

Polar Bear said:


> Well let me put it like this, you are right about drinking being non negotiable. As in not drinking. If you want to lose the last bit of weight you got to stop. Not forever, but have to stop for now. Been down this road, at our age you ain't going to lose it while drinking.



This is solid advice. While tempting, and hard to stay away from, it will raise havoc with and diet.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 14, 2016)

I'm listening, just gonna let it soak in for a bit. What I'm really trying to avoid is doing a "X-amount of time diet" and trying to change things that are not sustainable over the long term. I have done several "diet plans" but they just seem to be a rollercoaster ride of loose weight and gain it back when you start living normal. Hints my original "non negotiable" comment. 

What I'm gathering is, in order to meet my stated goal, I need to STFU and listen, and than adjust once the goal is met. 

I'm going to finish out the week on my original plan, and take what's posted here and apply it to next week's plan. I'll post that up Sunday or Monday. 

I really appreciate the feed back!


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## Polar Bear (Jan 14, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I'm listening, just gonna let it soak in for a bit. What I'm really trying to avoid is doing a "X-amount of time diet" and trying to change things that are not sustainable over the long term. I have done several "diet plans" but they just seem to be a rollercoaster ride of loose weight and gain it back when you start living normal. Hints my original "non negotiable" comment.
> 
> What I'm gathering is, in order to meet my stated goal, I need to STFU and listen, and than adjust once the goal is met.
> 
> ...


Get to your goal weight. Then tweek it. Alcohol at our age goes straight to the belly. I don't care what you do.


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## LibraryLady (Jan 15, 2016)

Think of alcohol as a reward once you hit your goal weight.  Then learn to drink quality instead of quantity as a special treat rather than an every day occurence.  There's a reason the booze in our house is top shelf or above, it's a treat consumed occasionally.  Like when you come to visit... 

LL


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## Devildoc (Jan 15, 2016)

Like I said, I factor it in and adjust my calories and exercise accordingly.  It is slower for me to take off weight than being totally booze-free, but that's the choice I make.  After all, I am no uncivilized, monastic, masochistic, self-flagellant in pursuit of Asceticism. ;)

But you should definitely lose weight faster.....


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 17, 2016)

Week 2 plan:

Drinking water, cutting beer back to one six pack a week (baby steps).

Morning 30 minutes calisthenics workout.

Breakfast: Two eggs, two slices turkey sandwich meat, yogurt.

Morning snack: Cup of fruit, or carrot/celery (dependent on energy level).

Lunch: Salad.

Afternoon snack: Celery, carrots, or cucumber.

Dinner: 6-8oz lean meat, 2 cups of steamed veggies, cub of rice (still my post main workout meal).

Evening snack: Protein shake, or more veggies, we will see how my guts feel.


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## Devildoc (Jan 17, 2016)

Not bad, but add a protein for lunch and the afternoon snack.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 17, 2016)

Devildoc said:


> Not bad, but add a protein for lunch and the afternoon snack.



I'm going to pick up a rotisserie chicken rip it up and toss it on top of the salads, I'm thinking 5-6oz of shredded chicken would add some welcome flavor, and cover the more protein.

Outside of doing a protein shake in the afternoon snack, I'm not really sure what to add to bump up protein. Keep in mind, I'm really trying to make this a permanent diet change...

lol, got my wife on the bandwagon.


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## pardus (Jan 17, 2016)

LibraryLady said:


> Think of alcohol as a reward once you hit your goal weight.  Then learn to drink quality instead of quantity as a special treat rather than an every day occurence. * There's a reason the booze in our house is top shelf or above*, it's a treat consumed occasionally.  Like when you come to visit... LL



It's because the Troll can't reach it! 







@x SF med 



Diamondback 2/2 said:


> Week 2 plan:
> 
> Drinking water, cutting beer back to one six pack a week (baby steps).
> .



I will say something r.e. the beer. Don't drastically and unrealistically restrict yourself unless you think you can handle that.
If you cut back too much immediately, you maybe left craving it too much and cause you to throw away your new diet (the beer portion of it) before you see any results.
For example I would recommend a starting plan of two beers per day. Give that a week and go to either one beer a day, or two beers every other day (your liver would prefer every other day, but livers are like that).

NO SODA OF ANY KIND!



Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I'm going to pick up a rotisserie chicken rip it up and toss it on top of the salads, I'm thinking 5-6oz of shredded chicken would add some welcome flavor, and cover the more protein.
> 
> Outside of doing a protein shake in the afternoon snack, I'm not really sure what to add to bump up protein. Keep in mind, I'm really trying to make this a permanent diet change...
> 
> lol, got my wife on the bandwagon.



Add avocado and hard boiled egg whites to the salad. Protein and good fats.


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## medicchick (Jan 17, 2016)

You could always try adding tuna or hard boiled eggs.


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## Brill (Jan 17, 2016)

How many miles a week are you running?


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## pardus (Jan 17, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> For you IPA guys...do a little research.  Turns out one of my favorite IPA's are 300 calories per 12 oz bottle!



Guinness: 125 cal per 12oz


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 17, 2016)

pardus said:


> Guinness: 125 cal per 12oz



Funny you should quote that, I've recently switched to Guinness as a cigar beer - creamy taste pairs well, and the beer itself holds up very well as it reaches room temp.


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## pardus (Jan 17, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> Funny you should quote that, I've recently switched to Guinness as a cigar beer - creamy taste pairs well, and the beer itself holds up very well as it reaches room temp.



It's a great drink! My winter go to.


I do like IPAs too, but I hate the way American Brewers have seemingly decided that the reason IPAs are nice is due to the hops, so more hops equal better IPAs.
Wrong!
Taste an English IPA, see what it is meant to taste like. Much milder that a standard American IPA. 
That said, I've had many many wonderful American IPAs. 
Some of the best beer in the world is brewed here in the USA.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 17, 2016)

lindy said:


> How many miles a week are you running?


16-19, currently and there pretty slow paced jog's.


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## Devildoc (Jan 17, 2016)

medicchick said:


> You could always try adding tuna or hard boiled eggs.



I was going to say the same thing.  As well as, cheese and deli meat.  A handful of nuts.  Lots of options.


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## metalmom (Jan 17, 2016)

I am exactly like you from your 1st post.I only eat once a day.Happy you have moved forward.  Love my water and tea in the am. At this point still love my brewskies-daily. Cant do JD or any hardcore liquer anymore. Problem is Im a vegetarian-not a tree hugging vegan.lol. I cant eat nuts-and PB but eat a ton of beans-eggs and cheese. Sadly my only workouts are yoga . My question-anyone know a good vegetarian diet plan. I also like the comments on beer being a reward. Beer is my reward for just being here to see another day.lol. Good on you  Diamondback for having the self discipline to go after your goals. Great advice from so many.


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## LibraryLady (Jan 18, 2016)

Devildoc said:


> I was going to say the same thing.  As well as, cheese and *deli meat.*  A handful of nuts.  Lots of options.



Be careful with deli meats.  They can be loaded with all kinds of extra fat and sodium.

LL


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 18, 2016)

So after talking with my brother and doing a little bit of googlefu, I'm switching beers from Bud Light To Michelob Ultra. I use to drink Michelob Ultra several years ago, but ended up changing to Bud Light, mainly due it being more available and that's what everyone drinks around me.

Well I'm going to try and stick to the 6pk a week (my brother laughed at me), but switch to Michelob Ultra, Calories: 95, Carbs: 2.6 g, ABV: 4.2% per 12oz beer. So you don't loose the alcohol by volume like all the other 'ultra light beers' but you cut back on the calories, and significantly in the carbs.


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## Polar Bear (Jan 18, 2016)

Throwing my Hands up


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## Marine0311 (Jan 18, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> So after talking with my brother and doing a little bit of googlefu, I'm switching beers from Bud Light To Michelob Ultra. I use to drink Michelob Ultra several years ago, but ended up changing to Bud Light, mainly due it being more available and that's what everyone drinks around me.
> 
> Well I'm going to try and stick to the 6pk a week (my brother laughed at me), but switch to Michelob Ultra, Calories: 95, Carbs: 2.6 g, ABV: 4.2% per 12oz beer. So you don't loose the alcohol by volume like all the other 'ultra light beers' but you cut back on the calories, and significantly in the carbs.



At your age you can not drink beer and cut/loose weight.  You need to give up beer for the short term at least.


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## pardus (Jan 18, 2016)

Marine0311 said:


> At your age you can not drink beer and cut/loose weight.  You need to give up beer for the short term at least.



That's not true. Ive done it.
Beer is just a food, not some magical fat monster.


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## Marine0311 (Jan 18, 2016)

pardus said:


> That's not true. Ive done it.
> Beer is just a food, not some magical fat monster.



I would be interested it hearing how you did it.


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## pardus (Jan 18, 2016)

Marine0311 said:


> I would be interested it hearing how you did it.



I just cut back the amount I ate and ate more fish instead of meat. I treat sugar like it is a poison and don't use it. No soda. No fast food. Very little processed food (I occasionally like a bag of potato chips, that's it).
I cook the majority of what I eat, grill/broil most of the meat I eat, not fry. Try to eat as healthy as I can.
Now that all said, I could drop a lot more weight If I cut back the amount of beer I drink for sure, but I dropped 15lbs when I was trying too, without touching my beer intake.


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## Marine0311 (Jan 18, 2016)

pardus said:


> I just cut back the amount I ate and ate more fish instead of meat. I treat sugar like it is a poison and don't use it. No soda. No fast food. Very little processed food (I occasionally like a bag of potato chips, that's it).
> I cook the majority of what I eat, grill most of the meat I eat, not fry. Try to eat as healthy as I can.
> Now that all said, I could drop a lot more weight If I cut back the amount of beer I drink for sure, but I dropped 15lbs when I was trying too, without touching my beer intake.



Impressive. It does go counter to what @Polar Bear said though. I myself have always thought and was under the belief it could not be done. Many of those P90x style programs also advocate no beer/etc.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 18, 2016)

Well to state you "can not" while drinking beer is a bit much, I've already lost 30lbs while continuing to drink beer. I lost 27lbs without diet change, just working out, and an additional 3lbs this last week by changing my diet. Now I took into consideration what many stated here, and I am cutting back my beer to no more than a 6pk a week, I will try this for a few weeks and see what difference it makes. However, if I continue to lose weight at 3lbs a week (which I know I won't, ill have to keep changing shit up), I'll hit my stated goal in 10 weeks.

My reason for not just saying no beer and crushing it, is I'm not looking to a rollercoaster of dieting and weight loss/gains. I'm wanting to find a healthy diet I can maintain life long, that supports my health and wellness, without being the guy who refuses to have a beer with his buddies because of diet, etc.

If I was only trying to drop weight, I'd go straight retard, eat salads and run/swim twice a day for 6-8 weeks, and done. A month after stopping I'll gain it all back, hints the wanting to figure out a life long diet plan...


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## pardus (Jan 18, 2016)

Marine0311 said:


> Impressive. It does go counter to what @Polar Bear said though. I myself have always thought and was under the belief it could not be done. Many of those P90x style programs also advocate no beer/etc.



Well, you can believe what you want to believe, it is a free country. I just gave you first hand testimony, what you choose to do with that is up to you.


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## Marine0311 (Jan 18, 2016)

pardus said:


> Well, you can believe what you want to believe, it is a free country. I just gave you first hand testimony, what you choose to do with that is up to you.



Which gives me more food for thought. If you can do it (from what I know about you) then that does cause me to think further about the subjects.


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## pardus (Jan 18, 2016)

Marine0311 said:


> Which gives me more food for thought. If you can do it (from what I know about you) then that does cause me to think further about the subjects.



Alcohol is converted to sugar in the body IIRC, it's not great for you.
BUT, do you want to live life as a fucking monk? I want to live and enjoy myself before I die. Loosing weight isn't vital to my health, I'm still well within Army regs so I don't need to do anything radical.
You have to work out what you are doing it for, what's your goal? Do you _have_ to loose weight RIGHT FUCKING NOW, or over the next few months?
Adjust your diet/lifestyle according to what _you_ need. No one plan will work for everyone.


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## Marine0311 (Jan 18, 2016)

pardus said:


> Alcohol is converted to sugar in the body IIRC, it's not great for you.
> BUT, do you want to live life as a fucking monk? I want to live and enjoy myself before I die. Loosing weight isn't vital to my health, I'm still well within Army regs so I don't need to do anything radical.
> You have to work out what you are doing it for, what's your goal? Do you _have_ to loose weight RIGHT FUCKING NOW, or over the next few months?
> Adjust your diet/lifestyle according to what _you_ need. No one plan will work for everyone.



Would cutting both alcohol and sugar be the way to go?
No haha.
No I don't. Lean out yeah sure. Beyond that like you I like to drink beer.
I do agree.


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## pardus (Jan 18, 2016)

Marine0311 said:


> Would cutting both alcohol and sugar be the way to go?



Sure, but again the rest of my last post applies. Do you need to be so radical?
The first thing I tell people is to cut soda and sugar completely from their diet.

Also I've discovered over the years that people eat like the size of the people they are. Fat people eat like fat people etc...
What that means is, I've watched fat people eat and stuff themselves full of food like it was their last meal on earth. Here's a big one, they will stop during a meal to rest and allow their body to digest/adjust for a while in order to stuff more food in. It has me shaking my head.
Don't eat to finish a meal, eat until you feel like "I could stop now and be ok" That is the point where you have had enough, not "I'm feel so full and kinda sick".


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## Marine0311 (Jan 18, 2016)

pardus said:


> Sure, but again the rest of my last post applies. Do you need to be so radical?
> The first thing IO tell people is to cut soda and sugar completely from their diet.
> 
> Also I've discovered over the years that people eat like the size of the people they are. Fat people eat like fat people etc...
> ...



I am agreeing with you but I am asking a question. Would/could cutting both be a efficient way to cut weight?


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## Polar Bear (Jan 18, 2016)

pardus said:


> I just cut back the amount I ate and ate more fish instead of meat. I treat sugar like it is a poison and don't use it. No soda. No fast food. Very little processed food (I occasionally like a bag of potato chips, that's it).
> I cook the majority of what I eat, grill/broil most of the meat I eat, not fry. Try to eat as healthy as I can.
> Now that all said, I could drop a lot more weight If I cut back the amount of beer I drink for sure, but I dropped 15lbs when I was trying too, without touching my beer intake.


He has already dropped weight and now is at a plateau.


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## pardus (Jan 19, 2016)

Marine0311 said:


> I am agreeing with you but I am asking a question. Would/could cutting both be a efficient way to cut weight?



I'm not an expert by any means, but I have no doubt at all that it would help to do so.



Polar Bear said:


> He has already dropped weight and now is at a plateau.



Then it seems that he should do something different for sure. Cutting alcohol out of the diet would/should be on the cards for that.


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## Devildoc (Jan 19, 2016)

I do not believe in living a monastic lifestyle.  There are just some things that I will not give up, beer/booze among them.  You CAN lose weight while enjoy a tip of the bottle, but you need to be creative with your diet. 

It does make sense that if you are drinking alcohol and weight is not budging regardless of other factors, then cut out the booze for a while.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 29, 2016)

Update: End of week 3, Gained 2lbs, started having some constipation and also had to skip a two workouts. Also been having some sleep issues. My diet stayed the same as week 2, however I didn't drink any alcohol this week. I've been having some bubbly guts, constant hunger although I'm eating and kinda of a hollow feeling. Don't know how to explain it. Also have had some fogginess, inability to concentrate. I'm not sure what that's about, but I'm going to start checking my blood sugar this next week, and have a doctor appointment schedule in late February.

I'm going to keep the same diet plan, but adjust the veggies with fruit dependent on blood sugar readings. Also I'm going to start running in the mornings.


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## Brill (Jan 29, 2016)

drink more water!


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 29, 2016)

I'm drinking water exclusively, all day, roughly 1-1.5 gallons a day. I've been talking with a buddy who is a PA, he was the one who recommend checking blood sugar.


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## Brill (Jan 29, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I'm drinking water exclusively, all day, roughly 1-1.5 gallons a day. I've been talking with a buddy who is a PA, he was the one who recommend checking blood sugar.



Prostrate...hourly checks.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 29, 2016)

lindy said:


> Prostrate...hourly checks.



You trying to win the internet today? lol, you ain't right...

I'm sure I'll end up getting the finger in February, old doctor knuckles and his thumb jokes.


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## medicchick (Jan 29, 2016)

Are you getting enough fats in your diet?  You still need some, just the healthy kind.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 29, 2016)

medicchick said:


> Are you getting enough fats in your diet?  You still need some, just the healthy kind.



I really don't know. I'm a bit of a tard on diets or healthy balanced eating. Up until the last few years I just ate what I wanted and worked out all the time. Different now, take the fruit I've been eating, I never really ate fruit much, now if I don't I start feeling almost sick, dizzy, blurry vision, etc. 

But yeah the whole reason of this thread is really because I don't know shit about proper eating. To the point, that everything I was taught years ago, is now considered bad science or flat wrong.


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## CDG (Jan 29, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I really don't know. I'm a bit of a tard on diets or healthy balanced eating. Up until the last few years I just ate what I wanted and worked out all the time. Different now, take the fruit I've been eating, I never really ate fruit much, now if I don't I start feeling almost sick, dizzy, blurry vision, etc.
> 
> But yeah the whole reason of this thread is really because I don't know shit about proper eating. To the point, that everything I was taught years ago, is now considered bad science or flat wrong.



If you need fruit to keep from feeling dizzy, your most likely culprit is low blood sugar, which I know you already mentioned getting checked.  It's easy when starting on a new diet to overly avoid carbs because carbs are so obsessed over by many circles.  You absolutely need a certain amount in your diet though.  If you find yourself needing to grab fruit for a quick recovery constantly, you may need to consider some slow release carbs with each meal.  Or at the very least have a bowl of oatmeal in the morning with some eggs and bacon, or whatever.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 29, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> Update: End of week 3, Gained 2lbs, started having some constipation and also had to skip a two workouts. Also been having some sleep issues. My diet stayed the same as week 2, however I didn't drink any alcohol this week. I've been having some bubbly guts, constant hunger although I'm eating and kinda of a hollow feeling. Don't know how to explain it. Also have had some fogginess, inability to concentrate. I'm not sure what that's about, but I'm going to start checking my blood sugar this next week, and have a doctor appointment schedule in late February.
> 
> I'm going to keep the same diet plan, but adjust the veggies with fruit dependent on blood sugar readings. Also I'm going to start running in the mornings.



NOT a doctor or a medic.  But that sounds a lot like I felt before my doctor did some blood work and got me on some hypothyroid meds.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 29, 2016)

@Diamondback 2/2 , how goes the battle with the beer?


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jan 29, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> @Diamondback 2/2 , how goes the battle with the beer?



No beer this week.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 29, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> No beer this week.



Good job man.  I am admittedly struggling with this. I've had 2-3 per day for as long as I can remember - to say it's been a challenge to quit as I continue my weight loss initiative, would be an understatement.


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## Devildoc (Feb 1, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I'm drinking water exclusively, all day, roughly 1-1.5 gallons a day. I've been talking with a buddy who is a PA, he was the one who recommend checking blood sugar.



Water is good; too much is bad.  In obsessiveness you can become hyponatrimic (overhydration leads to sodium depletion).  Some of your signs/symptoms are those of low blood sugar; which are the same signs/symptoms as hyponatremia.

I would echo make sure you are eating _something_ with sugar (read about "good" sugars vs "bad" sugars and the glycemic index) and make sure you have adequate fats.

Also, if you are hungry, you are doing something wrong.  Eat something every three hours, the snacks should be more protein than carb but some carb is good.  A couple of boiled eggs, a bit of cheese, a Greek yogurt is an awesome snack.  Sure the cals go up....but it is a good mixture of carbs, sugar, protein, and fat.


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## JustMe (Feb 13, 2016)

Whats the status on the diet feeling any better?


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## JustMe (Feb 13, 2016)

Also how are your workouts going?


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Feb 13, 2016)

Still with the diet, but I sprained my ankle (recurring injury) last week so I've been off the running for a while, still doing the P90x workouts that I can do, and still doing pushups, situps and squats in the morning.

I have a doctors appointment on the 26th, my blood sugars have been fine, but I'm still having some fogginess and concentration issues, so hopefully I'll get that figured out.

I'm bouncing back and forth weight wise, I'm attributing it to lack of running right now.


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## JustMe (Feb 13, 2016)

Keep us posted on your test results! 

As I am sure you know for a sprained ankle hot compress, Ice bag repeat....


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## SkrewzLoose (Feb 14, 2016)

Do you have access to an indoor pool? Freestyle sprints will kick your ass just as much as sprinting on a track. Might be a good option with your hurt ankle.


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## JustMe (Feb 14, 2016)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Do you have access to an indoor pool? Freestyle sprints will kick your ass just as much as sprinting on a track. Might be a good option with your hurt ankle.



I have been doing these in hopes to improve my swim time..


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Feb 14, 2016)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Do you have access to an indoor pool? Freestyle sprints will kick your ass just as much as sprinting on a track. Might be a good option with your hurt ankle.



I do, but its a scheduling issue during the week. I've been a swimmer for a long time, and totally agree.


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