Counting Calories

[Lau]

I make allowance for special occasions and treat myself during them, just not everyday.

Sounds like a good idea. If you never let yourself have any of what yo love, you just get fed up. Sounds like you still treat yourself, which doesn't do you any harm in small quantities, and keeps you on track.

Oh, didn't say it before, but well done.

 

[stubeeef]

800 calories?!?! 1200 calories?!?! That is borderline anorexic fellas. You could be doing yourself some severe damage. Eat lean and eat often, in small portions. But for Heaven's sakes don't starve yourself...

I wont starve, earlier I could "pinch and inch" on my forehead!

I have lost weight the least healthy way, 800 is a low number, but I swear, after i found good choices, I was eating all the time. I just eat fruit as a snack a lot now, grapes, tangerines, apples. I am rarely hungry now.

 

[iBlue]

correct me if i am wrong, should anyone know what i am talking about, but i've heard cucumbers have negative calories. meaning it takes more calories to digest it than the cucumber contains. i imagine lettuce has a similar story.
it's a bloody shame i don't like vegetables and fruit, but i can make an effort
i like nuts (shut up, no pun intended) and think that might make a good snack. (don't go there!) i snack a lot, that is my number one problem, so i need to think up easy things to grab and munch on. seems my appetite is hard to calm at times.

i used to have a secret weapon, it's called Adderall. (it's an amphetamine) i have a fairly unfortunate case of ADD and those meds made me not want to eat AT ALL. i was 5'8 and 115 pounds at one point, then people started staring at me (and not in a good way, in that "what the hell is wrong with her?" stare) and then my doctor made note of it and wanted me to take less. (damn!) that is when i gained the weight that i currently carry. [grumble] i like to be a few (read: 10) more pounds than that, so lets hope i can do it without begging for more drugs

need...snacks...now...

moderation... this is a tough key to turn

 

[devilot]

correct me if i am wrong, should anyone know what i am talking about, but i've heard cucumbers have negative calories. meaning it takes more calories to digest it than the cucumber contains. i imagine lettuce has a similar story.
it's a bloody shame i don't like vegetables and fruit, but i can make an effort
i like nuts (shut up, no pun intended) and think that might make a good snack. (don't go there!) i snack a lot, that is my number one problem, so i need to think up easy things to grab and munch on. seems my appetite is hard to calm at times.

Haven't heard of cucumbers, but that makes sense... Have heard that is the case w/ lettuce and celery. A handful of unsalted nuts is considered a very nutritious snack, high in protein and other goodies. I'm not much of a nut-fan though. Sorry to hear about the issue w/ the adderall, iblue...

 

[Blurb]

Great thread! And keep up the good work Stubeef and MRJ, especially.

3 of the biggest culprits in having weight sneak up on you are: 1) sodas, of course. There is the equivalent of 10-12 teaspoons of sugar per each 12 ounce can of regular soda! Imagine putting 10-12 spoons of sugar into a glass of tea... ewwww. And, it is a sad state of affairs we live in when it is cheaper and easier to get a soda when out in public than to get a drink of water.
2) portion size. That is why people gain so much weight when eating out regularly, cause restaurant portions are not in the least related to normal portion size. Start getting in the habit of taking home 1/3-1/2 of your meal for next day's lunch or dinner, and reap the benefits of lower calorie intake as well as extending your food budgeted dollars!
3) Eating too late at night. No matter what schedule one adhere's to, your body's natural circadian rhythm determines your metabolic rate throughout the day. It starts rising slowly about 4-5am, peaks about 8-9am until about 2-3pm, then slowly continues to decline/slow down until about 7pm. Then it never rises again until the next early AM. So many people skip breakfast and eat a huge dinner meal about 8pm. Even if they did not increase their calorie intake, just eating late and going too long between meals (slows the metabolic rate) will cause weight gain. It is very important to eat small amounts several times throughout the day, rather than 1-2 large meals per day.

What an outstanding positive change you've made in your life recently Stubeeef, what with this diet change and your recent career change. Hats off to you for both! And I wish you the best of luck in your new career.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

800 calories?!?! 1200 calories?!?! That is borderline anorexic fellas. You could be doing yourself some severe damage. Eat lean and eat often, in small portions. But for Heaven's sakes don't starve yourself...

I definitly appreciate the concern. But 1200 calories is a very common (non-dangerous) intake. I don't usually eat breakfast (never have), I have a sensible lunch: Non-fat lunchmeat on light wheat bread with some mustard, some fat-free cottage cheese, some fruit, and a "light" juice drink or water. For dinner, I eat sensibly again, smaller portions, eating slower (we Americans eat too fast). Then, I just don't have snacks in the evening beyond some fat-free graham crackers.

It's really not unhealthy, my prior lifestyle was unhealthy. But 1200 calories is a weight-loss intake. Count your daily caloric intake without trying to reduce it. I bet most of us (were) far over 2000. It's just unhealthy.

 

[stubeeef]

I had heard alot of the negative calorie stuff before.

I google it at first in early june, then google problems with neg calorie diet.

Turns out there is no proof that the body uses more calories to digest a food than it contains. Low calorie veggies are good for you and that is a great reason to eat them.

Using google and your smarts will find lots of good info, just remember to read the counter arguments as well. You will learn alot.

edit: mrjohnson just hit on an important thing I do now that I didn't mention. I chew my food to near liquid before I swallow. This has helped my indigestion as well (less stomach acid needed to break the food down) and there are signals your body gets from saliva, that help you think you are full, you just need to slow down and chew.

 

[skunk]

So when are you going to post a picture?

 

[stubeeef]

So when are you going to post a picture?

There are no specific pix, here are some I zoomed and cropped to try and show a difference.

 

[emw]

Lookin' good, stubeeef! Should post those in the MacRumors Pics thread (at least the after pic).

As for moderation - I was successful mainly because I had help. I used the Jenny Craig program (no chuckles, please ) and it really helped. They told me exactly what I needed to eat. Now I basically stick to the plan, although with my own food.

As for snacking, iBlue (although I can't believe from your picture that you think you need to lose weight), the Jenny Craig diet has you eating 3 meals, plus 3 snacks. So it's not too bad, and snacking actually helps you from over-eating when you do have a meal.

 

[iBlue]

oh wow! looking great there stubeeef!!! that's awesome, and that was very sweet what your kids said by the way.



emw:

well the pictures i posted are of me a bit skinnier than i am currently, (i'll just admit that the recent pic is somewhere between 20-40 pounds skinnier) so although i'm not "fat" i am not where i like to be.
thank you for the words on snacking, that's a good point. going at a plate of food when you've denied yourself most of the day and when you are ravenous is not good.

 

[devilot]

There are no specific pix, here are some I zoomed and cropped to try and show a difference.

stubeeef you look amazing!!! You should feel so proud of yourself. Wow... that's crazy! And those are only headshots, I bet the rest of you has changed a great deal as well. Congrats, again!

 

[stubeeef]

***blushing***

 

[rainman::|:|]

Congrats, that's very cool. Of course some people work exactly the opposite-- Lower your caloric intake, your body goes into "starve" mode and makes you hold onto all fat-- and increase it, your body feels safe to burn stored fat. I'm in that category, tho I know in the next few years, that will change (everyone keeps telling me my metabolism will crash out in my 20s and then i'll be fat just like everyone else). So in the meantime, I'm trying to occasionally excercise, see if I can't get a decent body just once before it totally goes to hell...

edit: wow, just saw the pictures... you look like a totally new man!

 

[skunk]

There are no specific pix, here are some I zoomed and cropped to try and show a difference.

You look quite a few years younger. What a cutie!

 

[bebo]

to the OP.

I'd head the words of one of the above posters about your daily calorie intake.

Its great that you've lost so much weight. But too little can be as dangerous or more dangerous as too much.

You're body needs a sufficient amount of calories to create proteins. Proteins that required for cholesterol metabolism to get them outside of your liver. You can get fatty liver from not enough calories, just like you could from alcoholism.
You could lose your hair, as its get replaced often. Or end up with a very fine hair. Same with the lining of your stomach, it gets replaced often. And so does your skin.

Not enough calories can impair your memory and cognitive functioning.
You need fat to ensure proper vitamins are being absorbed.


Basically, to lose weight you need to burn more than you are putting in. But at some point, you need to resume the body's homeostasis. Your input should match your output.

Honestly, for a man of your size. I wouldn't go below 1200 calories/day. Even then its really low. I think women should be consuming between 1200-1400 calories/day. Men should be around 1600-1800/day ?? I'm just guestimating these amounts.

If you're going to keep up with this kind of diet, tell your doctor the next time you see him or her for their thoughts and recommendations.

You're doing this for your health, make sure you're doing it correctly.

 

[Roger1]

Good job Stu! I've been trying to loose weight for a while now, but I have serious issues in the evening. I eat well during the day, but I fall apart at night. That's what I'm working on now. Anywho, I think it's time for you to change your avatar

 

[iBlue]

i love the stubeef avatar though!

maybe i can re-do it with him eating a sandwich or an apple or something [ponders it]

 

[Roger1]

That would work!

 

[michaelrjohnson]

Great work Stubeef.

I've attached a photo of me at my target weight. Man, I can't wait to get back there. (That's my mother in the photo, it was taken over 3 years ago)

 

[iBlue]

i edited the avatar so that the dude eats a sandwich instead at least, it was as close as i could get without a major re-do - i love that avatar so i wanted to make it at least similar.
that is, if stubeeef likes it if not, no worries

 

[stubeeef]

Yes, i can feel the love! Thanks everybody, but I truly started this post as help for others out there.;

Right now I am a one trick pony, the harder trick will be to keep it off. I am raising my intake to 1000 calories, and slower weight loss, since I made the navy goal weight. But lets not kid anyone, at nearly 5' 10" and 187# I am not skinny, I still want to get btween 165 and 170 again.

The avatar thing is cracking me up! Thanks for the suggestions and the work on mine. I will change it when I feel I have changed.

As said earlier, you need protein, so chicken breasts (skinless), salmon, steak, and other forms are important everyday. I always drink lots of water after eating meat to help digestion though.

I have had a few pm's from people here needing a little encouragement, trust me on this, you only need one thing! A DESIRE TO CHANGE! If I can do it everyone else can too. 25 more pounds and I will be about right.

 

[EJBasile]

I saw the STUPIDEST infomercial ever a couple days ago!

It was an infomercial from the '80s and it said you needed there product so that you could diet. The host guy was the sleeziest guy I have ever seen. This product was supposed to clean out all the feces in your intestines. He claimed that there is 10-15lbs of coagulated crap on the inside of your intestines. Also this product helps more nutrients get into your blood because your crap eon't be blocking the walls of your intestines, but to me it makes sense that if you have so much sh** blocking the side of your intestines you won't beable to get enough nutrients and you'll get skinnier. Also, the large intestines don't absorb nutrients mr. sleezey, they only absorb excess water.

I was laughing out loud when I saw this commercial.

I'm sure this is true to some point but I KNOW you cannot have 10-15lbs of coagulated crap inside of you.

 

[wdlove]

I never have watched my calories. Just eat what I want when I want.

The only time that calories are monitored is during three studies that I participated. My weight needed to be maintained within a narrow range, so that it wouldn't affect my blood pressure.

I was on a 3,000 calorie diet plus three special cookies. With total calories of 3,300.

 

[iBlue]

I never have watched my calories. Just eat what I want when I want.

The only time that calories are monitored is during three studies that I participated. My weight needed to be maintained within a narrow range, so that it wouldn't affect my blood pressure.

I was on a 3,000 calorie diet plus three special cookies. With total calories of 3,300.

well aren't you lucky