Weight Loss Challenge...

Lawrence Garcia93 said:For me, it’s all about the pressure cooker or the microwave.

Honestly, a pressure cooker is a total game-changer—I just toss in a bunch of veggies and have a delicious stew ready in maybe 10 to 15 minutes... mmmmmmmmmmm🙂

That zone sounds cool, but honestly? Way too complicated for my brain... 😁
For me, the big thing is not having to constantly obsess over what I’m allowed to eat or counting every single gram and calorie. If I start doing that, I spend my entire day thinking about food, and then weight loss just goes out the window.
And nothing can be totally off-limits, because if it is, that's exactly what I'll crave... someone mentioned avoiding bread entirely, but I don't even try that because my body just feels off, plus cutting out bread completely would basically drive me insane... 😳 ...but I always stick to whole grain or sourdough (I bake my own bread using a mix of flours exactly how I like it)... I haven't totally quit sweets either, because if I did, I'd become a danger to society! But if I have some chocolate while studying, I'll make sure to balance it out with a lunch of tomato salad, fresh cheese, slices of prosciutto (a huge bowl!), and a slice of bread, or maybe just a veggie soup.
Not mixing carbs and protein... I love cooking up two or three potatoes and eating them with fresh cheese. It's low calorie, super filling, and sits perfectly in my stomach—my body loves it.

What I totally stay away from... soda, chips, all those greasy burgers, and any kind of pastry made with processed white flour... basically anything that doesn't actually fill me up and just ends up sitting on my hips. 😁
I wouldn't hesitate to grab a homemade whole grain sandwich with salami at the university... I'll look like some hiker who just came down from the mountains after tending to sheep all day. 😁
I've learned to listen to my body and what it actually needs. Like, if someone tells me I can't eat more than 1200 calories but I'm starving, I'm eating 1800. My body asks for it, and I don't end up feeling stuffed or heavy afterward.

And obviously, staying active... that's the fun part because you can actually see the progress. You can literally feel your body "working" better.
When I first started, I could barely do 8 crunches... now I can knock out about 70 without even breaking a sweat.
There was no way I could touch the floor when I bent over... now I can put my palms on the ground without feeling that painful muscle stretch.
If I walked for more than 20 minutes back then, I'd be gasping for air like I was running a marathon, but now I spend hours hiking various mountain trails. The best part is I don't work out for super long or intense periods... just enough to challenge my body so it pushes its limits.

Seriously, I eat almost everything, but whenever I feel like my next bite is just for taste rather than actual hunger, I stop... and there's no more unbuttoning my pants after a meal or feeling sleepy.
Oh, and... someone mentioned cabbage soup. I have never tasted anything more disgusting in my life; I bet even the food in Australia tastes better than that. 😁 ---The mere thought of having to eat that just to lose weight makes me reject the whole idea of dieting.

Boone... I lost track of how much I even wrote, and honestly, I can't stand reading long posts myself either...🙄

I’ve been trying to stick roughly to my target zone lately... and I think I'm starting to see some actual progress with my skin and hair 🙂 My Killica isn't there yet, though 😢 But hey, maybe it'll happen eventually.

Anyway, quick question—for the last 5 or 6 days, I’ve basically been having beef jerky sticks for dinner. It’s not even like I’m forcing myself to eat them; they actually taste really good to me 🙂 They're so tasty and crunchy... Does anyone know how healthy or bad they actually are in terms of calories? A friend of mine lost a ton of weight just eating those sticks.

I mean, I don't even buy that they're actually high in calories—it's just the salt making you retain water. But they aren't giving you anything useful to actually fuel up with either... wouldn't recommend them as a real meal replacement long-term...

Look, I’m not saying my friend picked out the absolute healthiest way to drop some weight..
But right now? These snack sticks are hitting the spot. It's like, 7 PM hits, I'm staring at the fridge, just staring and staring.. and nothing looks good. Not cheese, not ham, not yogurt, not eggs, not fruit, not veggies, not even bread (thank God for small mercies), but I am absolutely dreaming about those meat sticks—specifically the BOBI kind (you know, the BOBI 🙂 ones). Then I end up sprinting to the convenience store.

Maybe I'm just low on salt, who knows... 😁

restlessmarlin6 said:I am attempting to stick roughly to the zone... I see some improvement in my skin and hair so far 🙂 but not yet in my Killica 😢 though hopefully soon.

On another note—I have been eating snack sticks for dinner for about 5 or 6 days now... It isn't that I am forcing myself, they just really suit my taste 🙂 nice and crunchy... Does anyone know how healthy or harmful they are—specifically regarding calories? A friend of mine lost quite a bit of weight eating nothing but those sticks.

If you are eating snack sticks, you aren't in the zone. Or rather, if you eat *only* those sticks. According to the zone principles, every meal should include proteins, fats, and carbohydrates; those sticks are just carbs—and likely unhealthy fats at that.

I have been on the zone since March and have lost 12 pounds. I was 134, now I am 121. I am 5'3" and every single pound shows—not to mention those 12—so I could still lose more. I am extremely satisfied with this way of eating. In the beginning, I followed it strictly—to the letter—but I have loosened up a bit, because frankly, you cannot always eat perfectly. It all boils down to avoidance—or reducing the intake of sugar, bread, dough, and rice—essentially those types of carbs—and the results follow. You need to exercise too, but nothing extreme. Before the zone, I used to work out much more and couldn't lose anything; now, over the last few months, I hardly exercise at all, aside from the occasional walk, and yet I am maintaining this weight. Truly, the Zone is the big leagues.

I mean, I really do try my best when I’m actually sticking to regular meals.
This whole thing is just some nonsensical obsession with Boise. 🙂