Getting in shape with exercise and diet... thoughts?

Karen Ruiz66 said:Good grief! You’re doing it all wrong😲. You absolutely have to eat something in the morning! How on earth do you expect to hit your minimum of five meals if you aren't eating anything until noon? And looking at what you ate today🙏—just pure carbs, pasta, and veggies. Basically, you're missing protein big time. Plus, you're planning on more carbs for dinner. If your goal is actually to lose weight while keeping your muscle mass, you need to be hitting at least 1g of protein per kilo of body weight (nutritionally speaking). That’s on top of everything else you've already eaten today.🙂

Don't sweat it—it isn't always like this🙂
Sometimes I just hit a phase where I am totally over meat. It's one of those things. As for breakfast—honestly, after my coffee, I’m just not hungry. I don't feel any need to eat before my workout, though occasionally I'll grab some fresh juice. Once I get back from training, then I'll have breakfast—but only when I manage to get my workout done early in the day. On days like today, where things are a bit off, I'll just have some fruit as a snack before lunch.🙂

...and honestly, the weather plays a huge role in my appetite. With this intense heatwave we're having, my body is basically screaming for less food and way more fluids and fruit.

wanderingraven15 said:The list I bolded is bad. Extremely bad.

I'll tell you why.

Take the first meal, for example—a liter of Nescafé with milk.
That isn't a meal. 🙂 I could write a book on milk, but honestly, I don't feel like it right now. 😁 The caffeine in Nescafé reduces insulin sensitivity, which means there's a much higher chance any carbs you eat afterward will just turn into fat.

Chocolate snacks—loaded with sugar.

Tuna in oil plus mozzarella plus bread—fats and carbs don't mix.
The same applies to the next meal. Only, that dairy spread is also packed with trans fats that do nothing for the body except cause havoc in the circulatory system, etc. (I could go on about this for ages too).

Mayonnaise—I don't think I need to explain what kind of garbage this is. You wouldn't even feed this to an enemy.🙂

Frankfurters—you're better off not knowing what the food industry stuffs inside them. Even if the label is accurate, the ingredients are pathetic (saturated fats).

Pizza, croissants, cookies, etc.—all of this spikes insulin through the roof, prevents lipolysis, and stores everything in fat cells.

With a diet like this, you can count on being close friends with your doctor. Better to prevent than to cure; my well-meaning advice.🙂

I agree with 99 percent of this, but still... maybe we should leave some room for people. 😉
I don't see much harm in having a tiny, tiny amount of something like processed cheese once a week, or a slice of pizza once a month...
The same goes for chocolate snacks... look, we can't always live on just chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, grains, fruit, and vegetables. I think you need at least 10 percent freedom... I need it, just to know I'm not a robot. 😛

brightotter21 said:Omg, I see people talking about low-fat cheese again... mmmmmm, I seriously love it—sometimes I'll polish off like half a pound in a single day! I usually grab the stuff that's only 76 calories per 100g...

But now, let me ask you guys about this other cheese I went out and bought—and now what? I can't just toss it, I have to eat it, but it's got 105 calories per 100g.... So, the big question is, how much am I actually allowed to eat daily??? Definitely not as much as that 76-calorie one, right?? :/

Honestly, you should probably look at the fat percentage instead... calories go up and down, but it's the fat that really packs on the weight..
Besides, 105 calories per 100g of cheese isn't even that bad..

Amy Long19 said:Better to just check the fat percentage... calories go up and down, but fat is what really packs on the weight..
Anyway, it's only 105 calories per 100g of cheese, so it's not even that bad..

It has 5g of dairy fat??? Hmm... is that actually a lot??😕 I'm totally lost when it comes to this stuff!!
🙄

brightotter21 said:Wait, hold on... 5g of milk fat??? Hmm... I mean, is that actually a lot or what?? Just trying to wrap my head around it—is that a ton or basically nothing?😕 I don't really get it, to be honest??
🙄

Look, it’s really not that much—you can see that for yourself if you just look at it. Honestly, if you compare it to the fat content in non-fat milk, you'll get exactly what I mean... I don't think any single food out there is ever going to be "perfect," you know? Like, finding something that hits that sweet spot of 0% fat, 30g of protein, and only 10g of carbs per 100g is basically impossible. That's the whole reason we play around with different food combinations in the first place—to make sure we're actually getting everything our bodies need while still keeping things healthy.
Man, finally... summer is actually here! Now we can finally get some decent produce—plenty of zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and basically every kind of fruit and veggie you can think of. Plus, more seafood, long walks, hitting the pool... honestly, it’s pure bliss. I wish it could just stay like this forever.

...but summer also means heatwaves, ice cream, and just lounging around on the couch...all pretty much non-aerobic activities. 😁 Honestly, I’m already dreading the trip back home...

Look, plenty of seasoned athletes hanging out on this forum follow some incredibly strict dietary regimens—so I certainly don't take all their advice as gospel, and you shouldn't either.
The stuff they eat is pretty limited... and let's be honest, they aren't exactly professional chefs, either 🤣, so whatever.
Personally, I love actually enjoying my food—after all, eating is one of those essential social rituals we live for.
That said, I do try to watch what I eat as much as possible, making sure everything stays fresh and high-quality.
But sometimes, you just have to treat yourself to that one thing you've been absolutely craving... and I truly believe there's nothing wrong with that.🙂
There are countless ways to prep a massive spread that tastes amazing while keeping the calorie count low.

driftingwolf79 said:I’m with you on about 99% of this, but still... maybe we should leave a little room for actual people 😉
I don't see any massive harm in having a little—and I mean a tiny, tiny bit—of something like processed cheese once a week, or maybe a slice of frozen pizza once a month and stuff like that...
Same goes for chocolate... you know, we can't just live on chicken, turkey, plant-based cheese, grains, fruit, and veggies all the time. I think you need at least 10% freedom... I know I do, just so I don't feel like a total robot 😛

Sure, you could eat junk food constantly. But we're talking one meal a week, not eating chocolate every single day.
Besides, plenty of healthy stuff tastes amazing. Go ahead and say beef or lamb isn't delicious 😁—you can have that too, just skip the carbs during that meal. Pork is fine as well.
The real trick is knowing when you can indulge (or figuring out how to eat things while causing the least amount of damage).

wanderingraven15 said:Of course you can indulge in some junk food every now and then. But we’re talking about having one cheat meal a week, not eating chocolate every single day.
Besides, plenty of healthy foods actually taste great. You could just as easily claim that veal or lamb isn't delicious 😁—which is fine, too—as long as you skip the carbs during that particular meal. Pork is also an option.
The real trick is understanding the timing of when you eat certain things (or, I suppose, knowing when they'll do the least amount of damage).

👍

fadedmason16 said:A lot of the veteran athletes on this board follow pretty strict diets, so I don't take all their advice as gospel—and you shouldn't either.
What they eat is actually quite limited... plus, they aren't exactly professional chefs 🤣, so whatever.
.

Prejudices. 😉 Why do you think it's limited? 😉

I don't hold any prejudices—I just genuinely believe that athletic nutrition is an entirely different beast compared to the diet of a casual eater or someone just starting to tinker with their eating habits. So many people dive headfirst into these radical, sweeping changes, only to inevitably crash and burn back to their old ways.
In my opinion, if you’re someone just beginning to scale back your dietary habits, you need to take it one step at a time—just like you would with a new workout routine. You have to work your way up to a certain level through gradual, intentional planning. It takes actual time to phase out certain foods and learn to actually enjoy new ones. For instance, there are several "diet staples" that I personally can't stand; it took me quite a while to figure out how to prep them so they were even remotely palatable. Some things? I just can't wrap my head around them, so I simply don't use them.
Furthermore, I think the goal should be learning how to master ingredients, rather than just focusing on restriction.
And by that, I’m not talking about junk food—that should be avoided as much as humanly possible.
A few years back, I used to drink espresso with milk, whipped cream, and two or three teaspoons of sugar... it was a total sugar bomb. Then, one day, I decided to try drinking my coffee with just a splash of milk and no sugar or cream. It took me about two weeks to adjust to the actual taste of coffee. Nowadays, I couldn't dream of drinking coffee with sugar even if my life depended on it. To me, that isn't even coffee anymore.

Someone posted earlier that a Frankfurter is absolute "shit," and I couldn't agree more—honestly, it's better not knowing what they actually put in those things.
But then again, I still think it’s better for Crook to opt for a chicken Frankfurter, a hard-boiled egg, and a single tomato rather than a plate of pork and bean salad.
It’s incredibly difficult for someone who eats everything under the sun to suddenly flip their entire nutritional profile upside down overnight. You have to try explaining to them that they can still eat the things they love, just prepared in a different way that isn't so calorie-dense or toxic.

So... there’s my little manifesto on the subject. It's something born from years of fasting, various diets, and reading endless books and advice... much of which, frankly, had zero effect and was just a massive waste of money.
Fine, maybe I’m being a bit too harsh—there were certainly some books that truly opened my eyes and helped me shift my perspective.

I even toyed with the idea of opening a restaurant that serves nothing but fresh, seasonal ingredients, where every single meal comes with a full calorie count. I wanted to create a space for people who are mindful of what and how much they eat, because I am absolutely fed up with restaurants serving overpriced "junk" where you can't even put together one normal, healthy, fresh meal. That idea hasn't been tossed out just yet.

Anything is possible if you actually have the drive—it’s just that some people can move with lightning speed and absolute conviction, while others... well, others need a little more time to get their act together. At the end of the day, it all comes down to sheer willpower.👍

fadedmason16 said:Someone mentioned up above that Frankfurters are total garbage, and honestly, I couldn't agree more. It’s probably better if we just don't ask questions about what they're actually stuffing inside them.
Honestly, I still lean toward thinking it’s better if Crook just sticks to a chicken Frankfurter, a hard-boiled egg, and maybe a single tomato, rather than going all out on that heavy pork and bean salad.

I’m not entirely convinced myself, so you might want to take a closer look at the ingredients list on those Frankfurters next time you're shopping. Honestly, there’s barely any chicken in there—maybe a measly 1% at most. The rest of it is pretty much just grease and food coloring.

fadedmason16 said:I’ve actually spent quite a bit of time daydreaming about opening my own restaurant—one dedicated entirely to fresh, seasonal ingredients where every single meal comes with a clear calorie count. I can see it now: a sanctuary for people who actually care about what they put in their bodies and how much they're consuming. Honestly, I am just so fed up with the current dining scene; it feels like every place you walk into is either overpriced or serves nothing but junk food. It’s becoming nearly impossible to find a spot where you can sit down and enjoy a genuinely healthy, wholesome, and fresh meal without feeling like you're compromising your goals. That idea hasn't been tossed out just yet, though.

You aren't the only one. 😁I’ve given that some thought myself, really I have, but between my schedule and just not having the drive to dive into it, it's not happening. Plus, let's be honest—I wouldn't call myself much of a chef by any stretch. I can hold my own enough to get a decent meal on the table for myself, but that's about as far as my culinary skills go.

fadedmason16 said:I don't have any prejudices

There isn't really such a thing as "athlete nutrition"; there's just healthy eating. Aside from the fact that athletes might use protein shakes and generally eat more calories—though I'm not sure where you got that idea about calorie reduction—they basically eat the same way anyone else would if they wanted to stay healthy. It sounds like you've got the wrong idea here.

Alright👍

wanderingraven15 said:Of course you can eat junk food occasionally. But we're talking once a week, not chocolate every single day.
Besides, plenty of healthy foods taste great. You could say veal or lamb isn't tasty 😁—that's your choice, just skip the carbs in that meal. Pork works too.
The key is knowing when things are okay to eat (or knowing when they'll do the least damage).

Absolutely. 👍
I'm just saying that since I'm not an athlete, just someone who gets about 6 hours of exercise a week, doesn't carry extra weight, and generally doesn't tolerate crap food or actual junk food in the strict sense of the term, I can have a little cream cheese on bread once a week. 🙂

Also—if I may ask for an opinion on "seasonal overeating" regarding tomato salad. It's my favorite summer meal when the real tomatoes come in. Is it an issue to eat a large portion with a little bread if that's all in the meal? Like, maybe half a kilo of tomatoes, one cucumber, some onion, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and about 100g of Miller's soy or sunflower seeds 😉

I guess you could pull it off—just maybe skip the bread altogether...😢
I mean, personally? I’m all about that olive oil and sourdough combo...

But hey, if you’re claiming weight isn't an issue for you, then by all means, go for it... just try not to overdo it too much.😍

driftingwolf79 said:totally 👍
just saying, since I’m not some pro athlete—more like a casual gym-goer hitting my six hours a week—I don't have any extra weight to lose... and honestly, I can't stand crappy food or actual junk food in the strictest sense of the word. So, once a week, I might spread a little cream cheese on some toast 🙂

anyway—if I could get your take on "seasonal bingeing" on tomato salad. It’s my absolute favorite meal every summer when the good tomatoes finally show up... is it okay to eat a huge portion with a bit of bread? Like, if that's the whole meal? We're talking maybe a pound of tomatoes, a cucumber, some onion, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and about 100g of 😉Miller's soy or sunflower seed bread

It's fine
🙂

I'd just go for the sunflower instead of the soy bread. Even better if it's toasted...

wanderingraven15 said:No issue 🙂

I just prefer sunflower bread over soy. Even better if it's toasted.

👍 Honestly, I'm glad an amateur actually managed to get something right here 😁