Stereotypical Disclaimer: You could buy bigger pants. Or you could stay the same size. Clothes that fit look great. They look even better when they fit someone who’s fit. Before changing your diet or starting an exercise program, talk with your physician. Learn your limits, and don’t give yourself a heart attack or starve yourself to death. And if you do, don’t come cryin’ to me because you didn’t heed that warning.
.
.
Use chopsticks. Use chopsticks as often as you can. Use chopsticks to eat your egg and yogurt with blueberries in the morning. Use chopsticks for your mid-day salad. Having Mexican that night at home? Put the Tortilla to the side and use chopsticks on the rest. Ice Cream for dessert? Chopsticks even then.
Us guys just eat way too fast. If you slow down your eating, you’ll start to feel full faster. Your fork and spoon are a dump truck. Chopsticks are a bike. You’ll still get there, but one option takes longer and is the much healthier way to go. Get yourself some washable, reusable chopsticks
That’s a very good suggestion; we don’t start to feel full (even if we’ve already hit that point) until about 20 minutes after we’re into eating. By then, I’m usually already past the point of being full and have to suffer a food hangover later. It’s still tough slowing down your life enough to eat a meal slowly and enjoy it though, at least in college.
Another tip is to stop drinking soda. I did that for Lent and lost ten pounds (not the purpose of the exercise, but definitely a postive result).
On the topic of weight control, I highly suggest checking out the movie Fathead, available for free streaming on Netflix. It’s a comedy/documentary. Great stuff.
What if a bunch of what you have been told about how your body works is flimsily-based conjecture, fraudulently passed off as science?
Very true. People make a big deal about fats and cholesterol, but sugars play a huge role in weight gain. I cut sodas out of my diet a few years back and it’s definitely had a positive effect.
I’d like some motivation to quit *diet* soda, but I can’t really find any except from an evolutionary/paleo diet angle, but that’s just heavy on the uncertainty.
Problem is, post-masters-in-econ, I just don’t trust most data studies any more, and medical ones are probably the worst of the pack.
Right. What people dont understand is that there are good fats. Fat in foods does not equate to body fat. Body fat is a result of excess calories, and it just so happens that fat in foods is much more calorie dense. Eliminating all fats is probably not a good idea, as there are beenfits.
Sugar on the other hand is empty. It provides no nutritional value, no feeling of fullness but high in calories. Again, high calories, or excess calories, results in body fat. Incorporating a lot of sugar into your diet will most likely create many excess calories
There’s definitely a period of time between when food hits your stomach and when your stomach actually tells your brain its full, i’ve heard about 20 minutes. You’d be surprised how full half of your normal portions can make you feel if you just wait a little bit after you eat.
Also, one of the beliefs and/or myths about high fructose corn syrup is that it interrupts the message to your brain telling you that you are full, so you are more likely to continue shoveling Doritos into your face.
My problem is beer. Ugh. But I love it.
Better than yogurt, eat your soup with chop sticks!
Done it with Miso plenty of times.
+1
I quit drinking soda, did nothing else, and lost 5 pounds in about two weeks.
Very true. Eliminating most or all fats from your diet is not a good idea. There are essential fats that our body cannot produce that we need from our diet. Additionally, cholesterol is an essential precursor to most hormones, including testosterone. Cut it out or severely limit intake and it could affect your testosterone levels, among other things. The only non-essential macronutrient is carbohydrates (ie. sugars, same thing really). There are no essential carbs. The body can live without carbs as it uses other metabolic pathways to create the necessary energy for sustenance. Probably the only carbs we need on a daily basis is fiber. Obviously, it takes some discipline to cut out most carbs from our diet on a regular basis (with some breaks every few days or after workouts) but it WILL help anyone lose weight.
As Mark said, sugars are empty. Personally, I can eat 150 g of carbs easy without feeling full. Give me 40 g of protein and I’m stuffed. Like I said, not easy to drop the bread or rice or potatoes, but it will def help you lose weight and stay trim.
One reason to cut back on diet soda (or at least those that contain Aspartame): consuming more than 16 oz. of a beverage sweetened with aspartame per day can interfere with fat loss 75% of the time. So, it won’t make you gain weight but it can definitely affect your ability to lose weight, at a certain point. If you need to lose 100 lbs., you will probably be able to drop a lot of that weight even while still drinking plenty of aspartame-sweetened beverages but that last weight loss push (which everyone deals with) could be made monumentally more difficult if you’re downing a lot of diet soda.
Also, many artificial sweeteners have proven to affect the bacteria in our stomachs, which affects digestion and can ultimately affect our ability to metabolize certain foods.
(This info is mostly from Tim Ferriss’ book “The 4-Hour Body”. He is a self-proclaimed “Diet Coke whore” and he said it’s best to indulge that addiction only up to 16 oz. per day.)
Oh, I also speak as someone who loves Diet Coke. I have worked to cut back on it for the reasons stated above but even I admit that, some days, I can’t control myself. But it’s literally my only vice so, I feel like if that’s the worst thing I do to myself, I’m still okay.
Shawn, this is the bane of being educated, it only increases uncertainty. I’ve found cutting the caffeinated ones is a start to which I can feel the reaction of my body within a week. ones is a start to which I can feel the reaction of my body within a week.
Good point, JB, but I might be tipping the scales; I can easily drink a 12-pack of diet pepsi every day. Easily. In fact, I’m opening a 1-liter right now.
That said, it’s certainly a whole lot better than the ~20 bud lights/day I was drinking in grad school. :-/
I’m a little late to this conversation, but a good option that my girlfriend and I do is to pace out our meals over a longer time – like a series of tapas. Instead of packing your dinner plate with two sides and a main dish, you can break it up into smaller parts. Pair it with a glass of red wine or a local brew – not only will you eat less (because your stomach will start digesting the meal before you hit the final course,) but you’ll begin making nicer, lighter courses.
Can you identify any valid, documented studies which verify the claim that aspartame interferes with fat loss? I’ve been unable to find any. There’s some weak correlation which suggests that artificial sweeteners lead to a decrease in sensitivity to sugar, which prompts you to eat more sugar. That’s all I’ve been able to find any valid evidence, and it’s only a weak correlation.