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Originally Posted by bronco67
the key to getting lean is eating less. Everyone knows that. But actually doing it is tough. I have some general rules I follow and some specific practical things I do to help make it easier.
First thing to do is what I mentioned earlier. Stop thinking about it as weight loss. That implies the "loss" is indiscriminate. When the number on the scale goes down, you're losing water, fat and muscle. How you go about it will determine the ratio. If you just do a bunch of cardio and no weight lifting (or some form of resistance training) you can lose just as much muscle as fat. The idea is to focus on losing body fat. You have to hit the weights at least a couple times a week to let your muscles know they're still needed.
As I said, the weighted backpack walks are awesome for burning calories and retaining muscle. Don't jog. It's for suckers.
As far as eating less goes, I'd recommend tracking calories with an app. I used to be into the macro balance and all that, but I've been staying lean by making sure I get enough protein and having a little extra carbs on workout days. I kind of wing it now, but that's because I tracked for so long that I know how many calories I'm eating daily (ballpark).
Your body doesn't make changes based on what you do in a day, so don't drive yourself crazy worrying about messing up. If you look at the 30 days in a month, and the balance of good eating days compared to bad eating days favors the former, then you're on the right track. Actually, when I've been having a good run of eating well and not having ice cream or pizza, I take a deliberate step back and have those things. I've found that constant forward progress is not possible, so I hit pause for a couple of days. When I get back to it, I find that no progress has really been lost in the tape measurement. But I gained a mental release which is important to keep going. Sometimes, I end up being leaner so maybe there's something to be said physiologically as well as psychologically for that spike in calories being good during a diet.
Practical stuff:
1. fasting. This is the number one way for me to eat less. Starting to eat later in the day makes it easier to hit a calorie target. It never fails for me. I don't religiously look at it as "I can't ingest any calories"...I still have creamer in my coffee or might snack on a couple of grapes, but I just don't eat a real meal until the afternoon (the later the better).
2. Chicken or beef broth. One cup contains 15 calories (a little protein too) and makes you feel like you had a meal. If you feel like raiding the kitchen, just have a cup or two to stave off the hunger.
3. Popcorn is my favorite snack to help with hunger. Low in calories.
4. Meal prep. I don't do it as much as I used to, but it's a good way to know exactly how many calories and protein you're consuming. It only takes an hour for me to make 10 meals. I use either ground beef or turkey, frozen vegetables and either rice or sweet potatoes and pack them in the plastic Tupperware containers. Actually, I might start doing it again soon to push past that sub 10% barrier.
If I can think of any other things I'll keep posting here.
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I would agree.
My bod was about like that till about 3 years ago. Have a minor spare tire.
limit your consumption but with foods you likely like and at least half of them naturally fiber rich to keep the intestinal tract clean.
I try to keep it mixed up for diet. But these are consistent throughout a week.
broccoli, cauliflower, peas oatmeal, eggs
Yes, I do higher carb potato, with skin, normally red skins with a batch of home fries twice a week.
I do pasta quite a bit.
But meat only twice a week. Fat is not fattening. Some level of fats are required for health.
It's not really how much you eat as much as it is how much you eat in proportion to how active you are and how much calorie you burn off in a average day. I eat ice cream 3 times a month.
More often than not, I eat twice a day, rather larger proportions. Against the advice of doctors. But I do drink unusual amounts of coffee. But I'm not suggesting anyone follow either. But I have been pretty much the same since high school. And very active.
When you quit smoking, the weight gain after 30 days is merely the fact you are not burning off calories cleaning all the crap out of your system once most of it has been caught-up. But some do actually eat more. But that is 500-1500 calories a day depending on how much you smoked. To receive a benefit from this, you must quit soon enough or before age 60 as the body gets poor at cleaning up and restoring the natural you.
So, you need to be more active to maintain the same weight level.
I have been surprised over the years that many think they are eating healthy with many salads but fail to account for the junk they put on the salad or many other things.
I might make mac-n-cheese, but I put broccoli and mercury free tuna in with it. Make it like a casserole.
As a young man, I would switch between high carb to high protein foods everyday. but honestly, at my level of physical activity, I don't think it would have mattered much.
I crave carbs. And most often, I forfill that craving with pasta and potato somethings prepared without a bunch of crap in/on them.
All I am saying is watch what you put with those natural good foods and mix-it-up.
Just my thoughts.