What Are You Eating & Drinking?

[Jax]

So the last few days I started to think a little more about what I shovel into my mouth and I was wonder what do everyone here like to Eat & Drink?

Until my 20's I was eithger skinny or average in weight but since I entered my 20's that has changed and now I would say I need to lose around 5 stone (70 pounds) but at the very least stem the issue and to be honest my weight has been pretty steady for a while though becoming unemployed (mandatory redundancy) meaning doing less in my day has me more concerned with that could change for the worse.

At moment sticking to...

* Drinking only water

* Eating fruit when I feel like a snack

* Trying to plan out meals more on advance

* If I do have chips then oven baked over Oil fryer

* Use oven/cooker in general for foods over Oil fryer

In long term I will need to look at portion sizes as well but I will admit hardest thing is to figure out what I want with my meal so to find things apart from chips, wedges, mash etc.

So what do you drink/eat?

 

[Greylock Crescent]

^ Good luck with the diet!

About six weeks ago I decided it was finally time to start dieting and exercising regularly. I wasn't terribly overweight, but I was headed in the wrong direction, that's for sure (I'd gained more than 10lbs in less than a year). So I set a modest goal for myself of 10lbs.

I think the biggest thing, for me, is keeping track of total calories I take in - and keeping things as simple as possible.

Because mornings are hectic, I tend to skip breakfast (though, when I have it, it's some instant oatmeal and skim milk). For lunch I'll have a peanut butter sandwich or a turkey/chicken wrap (which I make myself with fat-free balsamic or Italian dressing, and a 40 calorie thin slice of cheese). For dinner, I'll have two small chicken breasts, or a salad (with the same fat free-dressing, grilled chicken or turkey, and modest pinch of shredded cheese). I'll also go with tuna and rice, too. I've been out to dinner a couple of times and I've ordered chicken fajitas and mahi-mahi.

As for drinks, I'll have a diet soda with lunch, and V8 with dinner and water throughout the day (when at work) or tea/coffee when I'm home.

My one splurge is a couple glasses of wine at night (which isn't as problematic it used to be - regarding weight anyway - because I'm keeping such close track of calories during the day).

Combined with running 2-3 times a week and a modest workout 2 times a week (situps, pushups, light weight training) I've already surpassed my goal and am now trying to see just how in shape I can get myself. Admittedly, it hasn't always been easy (hunger pangs are no joke, but I find I get them less often, and with less intensity, than when I started), but I feel very comfortable with my routine and about the only thing that will disrupt things in the foreseeable will be the winter weather, which will limit the amount of running I can do (and the holiday festivities and meals, which will challenge my tracking of calories).

 

[Jax]

I say the hardest thing is to make food instead of buying processed stuff, its not cheaper and more time consuming so thats a narrow avenue for me. But cutting down/away what harmful stuff I can + portion control will help. Watched "Fed Up" recently and they talked in great detail and 1 calorie is not always 1 calorie and exercise while important in our overall lives is not the key many people think to weight loss.

Its what's in our foods.

The biggest challenge will be when Christmas kicks in with all that lovely food

 

[JohnChod]

Oh...I thought you meant at this particular moment in time. I just had a Quaker Oats chocolate chip granola bar and a Yoo-Hoo!

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Jax ... Yeah, I hear you about cost and preparation time. But I've found a few things (which I mentioned above) that are quick and easy and (relatively) inexpensive (actually, much cheaper than getting fast food). I guess I'm also lucky in that I don't count food and eating as an especially pleasurable activity (I could never be a food critic ). So eating simply, and with little variety, is not something I mind doing. When it comes to calories, I do try to emphasize protein over carbohydrates and fats. And when I do eat carbs, I try to make sure they're of the high fiber variety.

As for exercise, while it certainly isn't the primary factor in weight loss, I still think it's a critical component because it can boost metabolism and build muscle (instead of having muscle loss with a purely dietary approach). This article has a decent perspective on balancing exercise and diet, I think. For me, too, it has an added psychological benefit. If I've just gone running, I'm less likely to snack on some chips - because I know the snack will have erased the effort I just put in to the exercise (incidentally, each run is 2 miles, which is only about 20 minutes, and my workouts are about 25-30 minutes, so while I exercise 4-5 times per week, it's only about an hour-and-a-half, total - which means I'm not going overboard with exercise, either, and am letting my healthier diet do most of the work).

At any rate, this approach is working for me and the next thing will be finding a way to maintain it. I've gone through this a couple of times before, and have always gone off track because of life changes, big issues and such. Making this more permanent, when those types of things happen in the future, will be ... difficult, to say the least.

 

[Jax]

Oh...I thought you meant at this particular moment in time. I just had a Quaker Oats chocolate chip granola bar and a Yoo-Hoo!

Well whenever

 

[Pondwater]

I've been lazy as of late. Too much with the drive thrus and oil. What I'd like to get back to is eating Kosher and ease back into vegetarian diet.

I'm easing back into it by eating more spinach and cabbage. I love kale. And easing down from the meats by sticking to chicken and turkey.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

^ Drive thrus are so damned easy - and very tasty (not always a great taste, but always a ... stimulating taste, I suppose). I've never tried a strictly Kosher diet - and I don't think I could ever follow it (heck, I still add a bit of cheese to my chicken salads - to say nothing of the occasional cheeseburger indulgence). Which, of course, means a vegetarian diet is strictly out of the question.

 

[Pondwater]

Do you get bacon on the cheeseburgers?

Going Kosher was easier after I had to quit consuming dairy. Forgot to mention that in my above post.


Vegetarian is hard to keep up if you're so used to eating meats. I have to admit that the longest gone without eating meat was four months...eat wildly then I start all over. Earlier this year I tried Vegan and that was a mess.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Do you get bacon on the cheeseburgers?

Is that a trick question?

I love bacon on my burgers!

I give folks who go vegetarian or vegan an awful lot of credit. It's not something I could ever do (or want to do) myself. But I know that it takes a lot of willpower ... and a lot of time, energy, and usually money, too.

I've been very strict with my diet over the past six weeks, and intend to do so for another six weeks ... but I know that, eventually, I will allow myself the pleasure of a bacon cheeseburger again (as long as I keep things reasonable, and keep exercising, it won't be an issue). I may (hopefully) be able to do a better job of moderating my diet, but I just don't think I could, permanently, eliminate the few things I really do enjoy.

Sorry to hear about your inability to have dairy, though. I'm not sure what I'd do without the prospect of pizza sometime in my future.

 

[Pondwater]

You could always do a bacon cheeseburger slider. It's 1/4 the size of a regular one and it will fulfill your taste for it and lesser calories. Or do a turkey patty.

I never abandoned having pizza because there's always Pizza Marinara.

 

[bbailey861]

Brie and red wine

 

[Jax]

So far after 5 days I've not had any cravings for Fizzy Soda drinks, which has surprised me. I virtually drank nothing but water (had a little squash with had virtually no sugar according to the labels). I've stayed away from Chocolate & Crisps and my snacking has been limited to fruit for the most part (Had 0 bag of crisps and no chocolate bars). Main meals am trying to stick to chips no more than 4 times a week (excluding breakfast we have 14 meals per week so 4 seems a nice number) and I am on 3 times so far with 2 days of the week left. Tomato Soup, Chicken Soup, Fresh made Beef Broth Soup, Meatball Wraps, Fish and two visits to the local chippy (1 time Steak Pie & another time fishcake with chips) have been my meals this week.

Tonight will be difficult because I am meeting up with friends for a full day n night of video games and bad movies and we generally eat crap on these occasions. I may let myself indluge in a muffin but going to try & stay away from anything like crisps or chocolate + Soda. Might try to find a chicken pasta dish or something to take with me instead + got box of grapes I can snack on.

 

[HIjol]

Day-Drinking vodka and Diet Coke. Out of V-8 or it would be Bloodys.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

So far after 5 days I've not had any cravings for Fizzy Soda drinks, which has surprised me. I virtually drank nothing but water (had a little squash with had virtually no sugar according to the labels). I've stayed away from Chocolate & Crisps and my snacking has been limited to fruit for the most part (Had 0 bag of crisps and no chocolate bars). Main meals am trying to stick to chips no more than 4 times a week (excluding breakfast we have 14 meals per week so 4 seems a nice number) and I am on 3 times so far with 2 days of the week left. Tomato Soup, Chicken Soup, Fresh made Beef Broth Soup, Meatball Wraps, Fish and two visits to the local chippy (1 time Steak Pie & another time fishcake with chips) have been my meals this week.

Tonight will be difficult because I am meeting up with friends for a full day n night of video games and bad movies and we generally eat crap on these occasions. I may let myself indluge in a muffin but going to try & stay away from anything like crisps or chocolate + Soda. Might try to find a chicken pasta dish or something to take with me instead + got box of grapes I can snack on.

Congrats! And keep up the good work! I know, for me, managing cravings is the most difficult thing (the idea of ordering a pizza has been lodged in my brain for a few days now ). The hard part is knowing when and how to give myself the opportunity to indulge in some of those things, without letting one indulgence suddenly become many indulgences ... but I think your system is a good one. Setting up a specific number within a week, and sticking to that, will keep things in check. I'm going to try and implement something like that myself when I am ready to shift adjust my intake to maintaining a steady weight, as opposed to losing weight like I have been.

I really do think being more deliberate in choosing what to eat and when is a significant part of the battle, especially when it comes to cravings. And your system is definitely deliberate. I hope it keeps working for you ... (and I'd say good luck with your friends tonight, but since you've already got it planned, you've taken chance out of the equation)!