A Very Simple Approach For The Very Simple

[mgil]

I’ve been doing better eating-wise recently and have lost a little weight while not losing energy or strength.

I’m too lazy to count macros and all of that other food calculus stuff. Instead I boiled it down to these two tenets:

Make sure your carbohydrates have plenty of fiber along for the ride.

Make sure your proteins have minimal fats along for the ride.

[perman]

I’ve been doing better eating-wise recently and have lost a little weight while not losing energy or strength.

I’m too lazy to count macros and all of that other food calculus stuff. Instead I boiled it down to these two tenets:

Make sure your carbohydrates have plenty of fiber along for the ride.

Make sure your proteins have minimal fats along for the ride.

Does that mean no rice, potatoes and pasta?

[mgil]

@perman, yeah, I try to limit that stuff within reason.

[quark]

Another good tenet is only eat (or combine) single ingredient foods.

[augeleven]

Jim Wendler, everybody’s go-to nutritional and weight-loss guru, suggests whenever you have the munchies, before attacking all the beer and pizza (for me, popcorn and ice cream) to have a really big protein shake. He said that it would fill him up and it cut into his ability to eat all the pizza.

[cwd]

Are we building a collection of good diet habits?

Make sure your carbohydrates have plenty of fiber along for the ride.
Make sure your proteins have minimal fats along for the ride.

Another good tenet is only eat (or combine) single ingredient foods.

* Don't snack between meals, this includes beverages with calories.
* Don't drink alcohol/smoke pot, if that tends to make your diet discipline break down.
* Avoid temptation -- don't watch cooking shows, don't leave your favorite snack foods out on the counter, etc.

[perman]

Jim Wendler, everybody’s go-to nutritional and weight-loss guru, suggests whenever you have the munchies, before attacking all the beer and pizza (for me, popcorn and ice cream) to have a really big protein shake. He said that it would fill him up and it cut into his ability to eat all the pizza.

That's funny.

[DirtyRed]

I do none of this shit, and seem to be pretty strong, without being unduly fat.

Just manage your goddamn calories and always eat more protein. It's never enough. Fats are only an issue if you don't want the shitload of calories that accompany them.

[Jay870]

Jim Wendler, everybody’s go-to nutritional and weight-loss guru, suggests whenever you have the munchies, before attacking all the beer and pizza (for me, popcorn and ice cream) to have a really big protein shake. He said that it would fill him up and it cut into his ability to eat all the pizza.

I tried this approach for a while and it mostly just resulted in having a really big protein shake + plus whatever I would have eaten without it. For that matter I've tried several other variations of this "spoil your apetite with something healthy" approach and none of it works.

Each individual is 100% responsible for the amount of garbage they shovel into their pie hole, but some people definitely have a leg up in the satiety department that allows them auto-regulate their intake.

[jwilson625]

Make sure your proteins have minimal fats along for the ride.

Even with macro tracking I have found this to be the most important thing, particularly if you are like me and eat in restaurants rather frequently. Super easy to blow up your fat intake without even realizing it, especially when you're trying to get 200g+ of protein daily.

[neandrewthal]

I would rather track every last macro than do either of those things.

[MPhelps]

Track everything on my fitness pal
Eat less protein than supplement companies tell you to
No dairy
High carb, low fat
Fiber from whole foods

[TimK]

No dairy

Dairy is like, half my diet

[mbasic]

No dairy

Dairy is like, half my diet

me too.
maybe not half, but I couldn't do without

Yogurt
Cheese (lowest fat I can find: part skim mozzarella)
2% milk

[MPhelps]

I used to eat a ton of it, mostly in whey protein and cheese. Cut it out 2 months ago, and don't miss it at all. I don't think I was very tolerant of it, lots of mucus and allergic symptoms that have all but disappeared. Whey is a waste product of cheese making, so the dairy industry is thrilled that were buying their waste products. Win win, they actually sell their waste, and then government gives them money to sell their product.

[TimK]

I used to eat a ton of it, mostly in whey protein and cheese. Cut it out 2 months ago, and don't miss it at all. I don't think I was very tolerant of it, lots of mucus and allergic symptoms that have all but disappeared. Whey is a waste product of cheese making, so the dairy industry is thrilled that were buying their waste products. Win win, they actually sell their waste, and then government gives them money to sell their product.

Well if it caused you problems, then fine. But whey being a "waste product" is neither here nor their considering it's basically the highest quality protein source you can get.

Anyway, I'll stick with my whey, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, actual cheese, and milk since they are good sources of protein, and delicious.

[Chebass88]

Those are some pretty solid guidelines, @mgil

A few others that work for me:
Only eat what I've brought for lunch while at work.

Only 1 plate at dinner, no matter how excellent the meal is. Includes not eating what my little guys left on their plate.

No sweets during the week (ice cream, dessert, candy, etc.). Ice cream on Friday night, **maybe** Saturday night if I've "earned" it by maxing out a lift or something.

No alcohol during the week.

[SpinyNorman]

I do none of this shit, and seem to be pretty strong, without being unduly fat.

Just manage your goddamn calories and always eat more protein. It's never enough. Fats are only an issue if you don't want the shitload of calories that accompany them.

I take the DR approach. I don't count calories, but I manage them by not eating sweets, drinking sugary drinks or keeping chips I like in the house. Seems to be working fine.

I think I'm on an accidental cut right now because I'm stressed and my appetite goes to shit when that happens.

[Allentown]

Only 1 plate at dinner, no matter how excellent the meal is. Includes not eating what my little guys left on their plate.

I've been doing this out of necessity- I only get a ~30 min window at dinner now, and part of that is feeding the kid, because he will eat way more if you give in when he holds the fork out for you to stab stuff than if you just leave him to his own devices to toss the food onto the floor/walls.
But I'm never going to not eat his mac & cheese or the veggie tots or sweet potatoes that he leaves half the time. That stuff is life.

I do think <4 alcohol drinks a week is a good dietary policy. Or <2 during the week, at least.

[TimK]

You guys have so many rules.

I just stay under 2700 calories and over 200g of protein. Now that's simple.