Typically I eat 3 meals during the day plus some snacking. My diet consists of 70% plants, 10% diary, 10% bread and 10% meat. This year I started making a vegetable-based smoothies every day to help with snacking and staying hydrated. I also add some Huel to the smoothie and so far I can say it has had a positive effect. I do not eat sweets (almost never) and I drink 2-3 coffees per day. I drink bear/wine occasionally and don't smoke.
I try to stick to 40/40/10. That is, 40% protein, 40% carbs, 10% fat. I eat about 5 small meals a day about 3.5 hours between.
Usual protein is eggs, chicken, sometimes pork/beef, and supplemented with whey. Carbs are usually multi-grain breads, brown rice, or sweet potatoes. Fats usually nuts and cheeses. I'll throw green veggies into a few of my daily meals. I avoid all refined foods and sugars.
I try to stick to that breakdown about 90% of the week. I'm not super strict as I do enjoy unhealthy food (McDonald's, Kettle chips, mmm) every so often.
I have one basic rule: Everything in moderation. Any time I eat a meal of shitty/unhealthy food, I usually ensure the rest of my day's meals have reduced carb and fat content.
Being healthy is really easy, it's developing the habit that is hard. I've been doing this for 10+ years so it's normal to me now.
If I remember rightly there was a study about ten years ago that showed that multiple small meals throughout the day provided the same benefits as three meals.
Dinner: Meat (usually chicken, sometimes Salmon) with spices cooked in George Foreman grill + Broccoli and / or spinach, kidney beans, buckwheat.
Snacks / Ancillary: Oranges, Bananas, dark chocolate, 'Barley cup' to drink (a caffeine free coffee substitute)
I've developed this over the years based on that following criteria.
What they sell in my local supermarket cheap
What foods keep the longest
Nutritional content.
What is fastest to cook.
What I'm not allergic too (I have a major nut allergy + mustard, eggs,few other things in a minor way)
What I like (or am ok with)
When my routine is good I will not throw any food out.
I have a few other habits I've developed. Eg, for chicken breasts I buy big cheap packs of them from the 'about to go off' section of the supermarket. Then squish them flat (about 1cm or less) and freeze them seperated by layers of clingflim. The clingfilm stops them from sticking together and making them flat means they will defrost in the microwave ina bowl of water in 10 mins, and also cook on the george foreman grill in 2 or 3 minutes.
Also when I buy spinach I immediately take it out of its plastic bag and put in in a big bowl with some paper towels.
If you keep it in the plastic bag, when the leaves sweat water builds up in the bag and when they are damp they go-off very quickly.
I take iron tablets and vitamin D tablets as my doctor told me to. Blood tests revealed I had low levels of those.
I do daily 16:8 fasting (only eat from noon-8pm) and keep things paleo/low carb when eating. Recently I've tried some extended 72-hour fasts and really like them too. The big thing for me is that I love exercising in a fasted state--I'll do 30 mins. of cardio and about 10 mins of bodyweight strength training each day in the most fasted state (right before noon when I break the fast). The combo of eating low carb, intermittent fasting, and fasted exercise is pretty incredible--I'm in the best shape of my life and still getting better. Two years ago I was 300+ lbs and now I'm a lean 155 lbs. and running half marathons--it's wild.
Just a multivitamin and magnesium supplement are all I take.
Yeah it's wild, here's a before and after: http://imgur.com/hHtyMPF Training to climb Mt. Rainier later this summer--something I could never have imagined being possible 2 years ago.
For 16:8 fasting it's just water (I like using a sodastream to make seltzer water) and black coffee. Maybe a tea if I want to mix something up. Never any sugar, cream or other things added to coffee/tea. For the 72 hour fasts it's the same but I have a couple cups of bone broth during the day. It's a minimal amount of calories (~100-200 cals) but more importantly helps get more electrolytes, which I've noticed can be trickier to manage while fasting.
Seems like it would approximate ancient conditions our bodies evolved to cope with. Especially the part about working hardest right when you're hungriest, then you get to eat. That sounds like a hunt!
Yeah some studies show exercise in a fasted state increases adrenaline and human growth hormone production, so it's kind of like getting natural steroids. :) It also helps train your muscles to burn fat for energy which is great for endurance (you have far more fat in your body vs. sugar for energy). Great info here: https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/fasting-and-exercise-... and http://leangains.com/
I started on a second round of keto but found staying under 40g net carbs quite hard (should be nearer 20g. 20g is almost guaranteed to enter ketosis according to /r/keto), so I reduced calories and started 16:8 to try to boost fat burn in place of ultra low carb. I've found staying under 1500 calories really easy as I enjoy coffee in the morning.
I don't exercise really at all but just changing how I eat and keeping my calories up during times when I eat I went from 215 to 170-180. I feel great when I keep my grains and sugars down.
I've read tons of things and Jason Fung seems to be the best reminder I keep going back to when I forget.
Edit: might as well mention meds and supplements.
Magnesium glycate or another high bioavailability version
Ketogenic diet for 2.5 years now. High fat, moderate protein, very low carb. Weight loss was not the goal, not snoring at night was the goal. Still weight the same as I have for the last 15 years but I've put on more muscle.
I have no idea why it fixed it but it did. Not overweight, so that wasn't it. I heard that keto can do it, so I thought that this is a better option than surgery or a cpap machine. In this n=1 study it totally worked. It wasn't exercise ether as I've only been doing that on a regular basis for the last 1.5 years.
I don't over-think about it but here is the "usual":
- Breakfast : Either black coffee, or I add cereal (+ milk) when I have time. I do scrambled eggs if I really have lots of time to sit and eat.
-Lunch: Whatever is the "dish of the day" in the nearby restaurant. Usually steak, or some form of meat. Sometimes I order salad to feel a bit more "healthy".
-Dinner: Pasta or rice, whatever is easier to cook after getting home.
I have to say that this is not working very well for me, and I'm gaining weight.
I'm thinking about doing Soylent (or a variant of it) that would save me the 2 hours lunch so I can get out of the office sooner.
> I have to say that this is not working very well for me, and I'm gaining weight.
Try ditching the grains and sugar, they're doing nothing but adding weight. Eat foods that have low glycemic loads to keep from spiking blood sugar and causing sugar to be stored as fat: http://burnfatnotsugar.com/diet-2.0-explained.html
The pendulum has swung back to just a straight caloric deficit as the cause of weight loss (so yes, 1800 calories of sugar when the body expects 2000 calories causes weight loss). His hypothesis isn't panning out..
The NuSI experiments that were suppose to prove the insulin hypothesis but showed no metabolic advantage for low carb/high protein/fat diets.
The one advantage the low carb diet does appear to have is satiety; fats just leave you simply feeling fuller longer. But there's nothing metabolically magical about them.
I tried a European version of Soylent: 'Queal' I found the more of it I ate the more messed up my bowels were. I'd feel fine but I'd fart a lot and have weird soft poops. I think my own guts definitely need roughage.
There are a bunch of them now and they vary wildly in their composition. Determine your diet's target macronutrient percentage (50% carbs, 30% fiber, etc) and try to find one that matches. They also changed from batch to batch, I switched to Joylent from Soylent because they dropped the fiber content.
Also, start with one meal replaced a day, and see how you feel. Don't replace all your meals at the very beginning.
I ordered 5 bags of Joylent to test it. After three days I'm having weird "bowel movements" (weird sounds coming from my stomach) is this normal? Does it become more stable as I get accustomed to it?
Hmm, I'm not sure, I haven't had those issues. Like I mentioned, it is fairly high in fiber so if your diet was lacking before it would require an adjustment.
Whatever I want to eat that day. I don't overthink it. I wouldn't bat an eyelid at eating a pizza but I do try to avoid obviously unhealthy food in general. Generally the more colours in the food the better.
No supplements, completely healthy BMI. The key is to just not eat too much of whatever you do eat - portion control is everything.
Disclaimer - I do live in Spain, obviously food generally available in supermarkets and restaurants is probably quite different to what you'd find in the US.
Proviso : I do Judo, rockclimb and mountain bike, so I have both a large volume of daily work built in to my lifestyle, and a vested interest in maintaining a specific weight (80kg@186cm w/approx 10% BF). I am not elite in any of these pursuits. I work out in the morning for about an hour 6 days a week and in the evenings 2 or 3 days a week.
I have been doing intermittent fasting for 3 years or so. Just the bog-standard 16h fast/8h eating window version
Fast is broken around 10am with 3 eggs with sea-salt and 4 small homemade cookies
Lunch is usually a regular cerealbowl sized bowl of veggie soup w/olive oil, a handful of salad, one glass of milk (small tumbler size), a 5g square of dark chocolate [1] and a handful of nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts). On days where I have extra training in the evening I'll also have a small bowl of 6% fat yogurt with some granola and jam.
Dinner is eaten around 5pm, is home-made, and is as much as I can comfortably eat while being active within a half hour of finishing. I also have a tall mug of 2% milk with it. There is a meat component about 80% of the time, but by volume it is about 80% veggies and rice/potato/bread. After dinner I have a 2nd square of chocolate and some walnuts. I do not eat anything after dinner until breaking the fast the next day.
I carbo-load once a week with a Sunday brunch of pancakes, waffles or crepes (rotating), eating until I am satiated
I supplement with BCAAs, creatine, maca, coffee (2 cups on workout mornings) and green tea (2l/day)
This keeps me within 2kg of my target weight and 2% of my target BF all year round.
The most important thing for maintaining a steady weight is volume of food. Once you get a consistent volume of food day-to-day and can go by feel, you can ramp it up or down and control your weight as if you are turning a dial.
If you are interested in body composition (ie. body fat/muscle) and not just weight, then you have to add in an exercise component
I also do a ~5 day water-only fast every 6 months, as the practice seems to help with healing any persistent injuries I have accumulated in the meantime.
50/50 good food and junk. I don't overthink it and I try to avoid extremes. Half of my friends think I eat "like shit", the other half think I'm a health nut.
Half home cooked (or healthy restaurant) meals and half fast food (as in, literally McDonalds.) I eat a fair amount of red meat (I'm a hamburger junkie) a moderate amount of fish and vegetables (lots of crucifers), and get my healthy carbs from rice (brown and white) and oats. I eat a ton of whole eggs - sometimes a couple dozen a week. Not a big dessert eater, but I will binge on sweets now and then. Unless I'm dieting, I will plow through a box of oreos a week.
I default to a Mediterranean diet (because I was raised on it) and probably eat that way at least a 1/3 of the time and sometimes more, time permitting. Bottle or two of wine a week. I almost always skip breakfast because it tends to upset my stomach.
Protein: If I'm exercising and/or trying to gain weight, I shoot for 1g protein per pound of bodyweight. Otherwise, I try for 0.5g/lb.
Calories: If I'm trying to lose weight, I shoot for 1000-1500 calories a day. Slightly more if I'm trying to maintain. 2500-3500 if I'm trying to gain.
Supplements: magnesium, vitamin D, creatine.
38 years old, 5'7", weight fluctuates between 150-180 lbs, body fat fluctuates between 8-18% but has definitely been over 20% for short periods, total cholesterol usually around 150.
You probably should be asking people's age too. With young people you're going to get a lot of "Oh I just eat whatever the heck I want and it's fine." As you age and your metabolism slows, that shit won't fly.
74 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 160 ms ] threadI take one pill of vitamin every day and I enjoy occasional protein shake (2-3 per weeks.)
I try to reduce my meat consumption, but I find it very hard.
2 PB&Js for lunch with extra pecans on the side.
Tomata pasta with steamed carrots, broccoli, onions, and pan fried chicken thighs for dinner.
Every single day. No variations which allows me to monitor my diet like it's 1984.
No supplements b/c I never really thought of them as being necessary.
I tend to eat good quality meats and veg, lots of salads with avocado and falafel... but also burgers and pizza and beer.
Been doing it for a year solid, good stuff. It is tough though.
Sometimes I cut corners on the weekends. :)
Usual protein is eggs, chicken, sometimes pork/beef, and supplemented with whey. Carbs are usually multi-grain breads, brown rice, or sweet potatoes. Fats usually nuts and cheeses. I'll throw green veggies into a few of my daily meals. I avoid all refined foods and sugars.
I try to stick to that breakdown about 90% of the week. I'm not super strict as I do enjoy unhealthy food (McDonald's, Kettle chips, mmm) every so often.
I have one basic rule: Everything in moderation. Any time I eat a meal of shitty/unhealthy food, I usually ensure the rest of my day's meals have reduced carb and fat content.
Being healthy is really easy, it's developing the habit that is hard. I've been doing this for 10+ years so it's normal to me now.
Lunch: Salad of, Spinach, cooked meat, pickled onions, balsamic dressing, rapeseed oil (maybe some cheese)
Dinner: Meat (usually chicken, sometimes Salmon) with spices cooked in George Foreman grill + Broccoli and / or spinach, kidney beans, buckwheat.
Snacks / Ancillary: Oranges, Bananas, dark chocolate, 'Barley cup' to drink (a caffeine free coffee substitute)
I've developed this over the years based on that following criteria.
What they sell in my local supermarket cheap
What foods keep the longest
Nutritional content.
What is fastest to cook.
What I'm not allergic too (I have a major nut allergy + mustard, eggs,few other things in a minor way)
What I like (or am ok with)
When my routine is good I will not throw any food out.
I have a few other habits I've developed. Eg, for chicken breasts I buy big cheap packs of them from the 'about to go off' section of the supermarket. Then squish them flat (about 1cm or less) and freeze them seperated by layers of clingflim. The clingfilm stops them from sticking together and making them flat means they will defrost in the microwave ina bowl of water in 10 mins, and also cook on the george foreman grill in 2 or 3 minutes.
Also when I buy spinach I immediately take it out of its plastic bag and put in in a big bowl with some paper towels. If you keep it in the plastic bag, when the leaves sweat water builds up in the bag and when they are damp they go-off very quickly.
I take iron tablets and vitamin D tablets as my doctor told me to. Blood tests revealed I had low levels of those.
Just a multivitamin and magnesium supplement are all I take.
And wow! You more than halved your size. That is absolutely incredible.
And wow! You more than halved your size. That is absolutely incredible.
I don't exercise really at all but just changing how I eat and keeping my calories up during times when I eat I went from 215 to 170-180. I feel great when I keep my grains and sugars down. I've read tons of things and Jason Fung seems to be the best reminder I keep going back to when I forget.
Edit: might as well mention meds and supplements.
Magnesium glycate or another high bioavailability version
5k iu vit D
Amphetamine 30mg 2x a day for ADHD
Clonidine 0.5mg at night for sleep
Do you have any thoughts, advice to start?
Also, what do you do about fiber?
- Breakfast : Either black coffee, or I add cereal (+ milk) when I have time. I do scrambled eggs if I really have lots of time to sit and eat.
-Lunch: Whatever is the "dish of the day" in the nearby restaurant. Usually steak, or some form of meat. Sometimes I order salad to feel a bit more "healthy".
-Dinner: Pasta or rice, whatever is easier to cook after getting home.
I have to say that this is not working very well for me, and I'm gaining weight.
I'm thinking about doing Soylent (or a variant of it) that would save me the 2 hours lunch so I can get out of the office sooner.
Try ditching the grains and sugar, they're doing nothing but adding weight. Eat foods that have low glycemic loads to keep from spiking blood sugar and causing sugar to be stored as fat: http://burnfatnotsugar.com/diet-2.0-explained.html
The NuSI experiments that were suppose to prove the insulin hypothesis but showed no metabolic advantage for low carb/high protein/fat diets.
The one advantage the low carb diet does appear to have is satiety; fats just leave you simply feeling fuller longer. But there's nothing metabolically magical about them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiUyjMjuLl0&t=674s
The low fat/high carb group actually gained a longer-term metabolic advantage vs the low carbers..
Large Kale Salad for Lunch
Medium Kale Salad + meat for dinner
High Fiber small tortilla (8net carb) + peanut butter for desert.
Coffee liberally spread out over the morning to mid-afternoon (cream+splenda)
I take diabetes medication (Janumet XR- Slow release Metformin based medication).
I consume approx 40 net carbohydrates a day, and 2000 total calories a day. My fitbit says I get 500-700 calories of exercise a day.
I've lowered my HbA1C from 9.3 in december to 5.0 in March. I've lost 37lbs since december.
Also, start with one meal replaced a day, and see how you feel. Don't replace all your meals at the very beginning.
No supplements, completely healthy BMI. The key is to just not eat too much of whatever you do eat - portion control is everything.
Disclaimer - I do live in Spain, obviously food generally available in supermarkets and restaurants is probably quite different to what you'd find in the US.
Lost 52 kgs (115 lbs) so far since October.
NOT EAT: Fluffy puppies Anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) More than one drink that contains calories on weekdays
I have been doing intermittent fasting for 3 years or so. Just the bog-standard 16h fast/8h eating window version
Fast is broken around 10am with 3 eggs with sea-salt and 4 small homemade cookies
Lunch is usually a regular cerealbowl sized bowl of veggie soup w/olive oil, a handful of salad, one glass of milk (small tumbler size), a 5g square of dark chocolate [1] and a handful of nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts). On days where I have extra training in the evening I'll also have a small bowl of 6% fat yogurt with some granola and jam.
Dinner is eaten around 5pm, is home-made, and is as much as I can comfortably eat while being active within a half hour of finishing. I also have a tall mug of 2% milk with it. There is a meat component about 80% of the time, but by volume it is about 80% veggies and rice/potato/bread. After dinner I have a 2nd square of chocolate and some walnuts. I do not eat anything after dinner until breaking the fast the next day.
I carbo-load once a week with a Sunday brunch of pancakes, waffles or crepes (rotating), eating until I am satiated
I supplement with BCAAs, creatine, maca, coffee (2 cups on workout mornings) and green tea (2l/day)
This keeps me within 2kg of my target weight and 2% of my target BF all year round.
The most important thing for maintaining a steady weight is volume of food. Once you get a consistent volume of food day-to-day and can go by feel, you can ramp it up or down and control your weight as if you are turning a dial.
If you are interested in body composition (ie. body fat/muscle) and not just weight, then you have to add in an exercise component
I also do a ~5 day water-only fast every 6 months, as the practice seems to help with healing any persistent injuries I have accumulated in the meantime.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Delice-Dark-Chocolate-72
Half home cooked (or healthy restaurant) meals and half fast food (as in, literally McDonalds.) I eat a fair amount of red meat (I'm a hamburger junkie) a moderate amount of fish and vegetables (lots of crucifers), and get my healthy carbs from rice (brown and white) and oats. I eat a ton of whole eggs - sometimes a couple dozen a week. Not a big dessert eater, but I will binge on sweets now and then. Unless I'm dieting, I will plow through a box of oreos a week.
I default to a Mediterranean diet (because I was raised on it) and probably eat that way at least a 1/3 of the time and sometimes more, time permitting. Bottle or two of wine a week. I almost always skip breakfast because it tends to upset my stomach.
Protein: If I'm exercising and/or trying to gain weight, I shoot for 1g protein per pound of bodyweight. Otherwise, I try for 0.5g/lb.
Calories: If I'm trying to lose weight, I shoot for 1000-1500 calories a day. Slightly more if I'm trying to maintain. 2500-3500 if I'm trying to gain.
Supplements: magnesium, vitamin D, creatine.
38 years old, 5'7", weight fluctuates between 150-180 lbs, body fat fluctuates between 8-18% but has definitely been over 20% for short periods, total cholesterol usually around 150.