How to eat when dieting

[z1ggy]

So far I am in my 3rd week of the Insanity program. If you don't know what it is, it is a high intensity cardio/strength program that involves no weights. It's a DVD work out program, much like P90X. So far I have only missed 2 days out of the 3 full weeks, and I am eating better than I ever have... so I think. I have 4 proteins shakes a day, morning, mid day, before I work out, and then right after. For lunch I generally have a salad, with balsamic ving. dressing or I will have chicken breast w/ tomato and lettuce. For dinner I will have pasta w/ sauce, or chicken breast again. Lately, I have broken down a little bit and had some ice cream, but not in crazy amounts. I feel like this diet plan is not working b/c my pants aren't fitting any easier than they used to, and doing the "eye ball" test, I feel as if I dont look any better. All I feel is a bit more in shape cardio wise, and I feel stronger a bit. Help?

 

[HomerX]

I feel like this diet plan is not working b/c my pants aren't fitting any easier than they used to, and doing the "eye ball" test, I feel as if I dont look any better. All I feel is a bit more in shape cardio wise, and I feel stronger a bit. Help?

Take pictures of yourself in order to track your results... "eye ball" tests can be missleading!
did you lose any weight?

4 Protein Shakes a day imho is an enormous amount of liquid calories.. if your goal is to lose fat and get fitter you don't need so many protein!

Protein shakes are an easy way to get some additional calories/proteins if your goal is to bulk up...

 

[killster1]

Pretty funny, what made you decide to drink 4 protein shakes a day? i bet body builders dont drink that much =P haha

If you eat a good amount of protein you dont even need shakes and that is for lifting weights. But a high protein low carb diet will def help, cut the shakes out use the sticky at the top (i never read it but always see others saying to read it hehe)

Here is what i eat and i dropped 50 pounds with just cardio (my cardio was just p90x ab ripper and 7-10 miles on treadmill every single day) They also say you lose more weight with a weight lifting routine instead of cardio.. (even says that at the end of some them damn insanity work out vids haha)

breakfast
non fat Cottage cheese blueberrys banana with Cinnamon and honey (sometimes frosted shredded mini wheat)

Lunch
non fat Cottage cheese with fish and hot sauce (tuna fish and salmon rotating)

Dinner change it up alot but
Chicken tomatto's carrots non fat cottage cheese hot sauce salad

If im still hungry after breakfast lunch or dinner ill eat some hard boil eggs and snack on some peanut butter sometimes. Carrots too and mango's and milk 1%

 

[NSRock]

I highly recommend you try a <50 gram/day carb diet for a week. Eat almost nothing but meat, not 100&#37; lean, but vary it up. Lots of bacon too. (seriously). I lost about 40 lb in the past 2 years by doing intervals of 1 month no carb, the second month low-normal, then low carb again, and I eat tons of meat.

So if you're stuck in a rut try not eating carbs (completely, if you can handle it) for about 2 weeks, and see if it doesn't ABSOLUTELY jump start your progress.

Also try to cut dairy out completely along with sugar.

 

[z1ggy]

Take pictures of yourself in order to track your results... "eye ball" tests can be missleading!
did you lose any weight?

4 Protein Shakes a day imho is an enormous amount of liquid calories.. if your goal is to lose fat and get fitter you don't need so many protein!

Protein shakes are an easy way to get some additional calories/proteins if your goal is to bulk up...

4 shakes= 80g protein. How is that too much? I read , yes body builders need like 100&#37; of their body weight in grams per day, so I halved that more or less since I am just doing the Insanity, and not power lifting. If I did not have the shakes, then the only protein I would eat would be 1 chicken breast, and that's not even everyday. Chicken is what 30-40g protein? that's barely anything. Insanity is aimed to cut fat, but you do tons of pushups and squats/jumping. I need the protein to fule my body if I am cutting carbs ( which so far I think I am doing OK at, but the pasta isn't helping.

I see the post about cottage cheese. I personally find it disdusting, so I won't be eating that. Maybe my metabolism is just slow since I am a bit older than a few years back when I actually was in good shape?? Probably doesn't help that I sit at a desk for 9 hours a day either.

Also, some article today on yahoo said salad is bad for you??? I assume its the dressing, but I put spinach and romaine in there, other veg, and balsamic vinegarette. The black kind. I thought that is basically just vinegar and a few other limited items..low cal, low fat. Is it high in sodium? I would just expect now after almost 3 full weeks of barely any junk food, eating better and doing the Insanity program that I would see a little difference.

 

[HomerX]

4 shakes= 80g protein. How is that too much?

not its not "too much" protein but probably too much calories...

the most protein shakes i know have a lot of calories compared to "normal" healthy fodd (e.g. veggies + lean meat).

reduce the amount of shakes to 1 after your workout and substitute the other shakes with "real" food.

don't be afraid of getting too little protein without 4 shakes a day

 

[Howard]

Yikes, what kind of protein shake only gives you 20g of protein?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I highly recommend you try a <50 gram/day carb diet for a week. Eat almost nothing but meat, not 100% lean, but vary it up. Lots of bacon too. (seriously). I lost about 40 lb in the past 2 years by doing intervals of 1 month no carb, the second month low-normal, then low carb again, and I eat tons of meat.

So if you're stuck in a rut try not eating carbs (completely, if you can handle it) for about 2 weeks, and see if it doesn't ABSOLUTELY jump start your progress.

Also try to cut dairy out completely along with sugar.

This is a terrible idea. He goes from not knowing how to diet at all to going completely ketogenic. Will it work? Yes, but the aerobic nature of the insanity workouts will make him feel terrible through and through.

OP, you need to count your calories, cut them down, cut your carbs a bit, and start eating healthier overall. Read the fat loss sticky - it works for everybody, not just people who are significantly overweight.

 

[Ghiedo27]

4 shakes= 80g protein. How is that too much?

Make sure you're not just looking at the per serving values if you're buying the cans. You may be chucking down 1000 Cal in liquid diet alone. Also keep in mind that you don't need much protein in the first place (Something like 125g for a 185lb person) and that you're already eating chicken once or twice a day.

I feel like this diet plan is not working b/c my pants aren't fitting any easier than they used to, and doing the "eye ball" test, I feel as if I dont look any better. All I feel is a bit more in shape cardio wise, and I feel stronger a bit. Help?

Don't get discouraged! You've taken years to get your body set a certain way and it's going to take a bit longer than 3 weeks to sculpt the body you want. You're already seeing gains, so stick with it and keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

 

[z1ggy]

This is a terrible idea. He goes from not knowing how to diet at all to going completely ketogenic. Will it work? Yes, but the aerobic nature of the insanity workouts will make him feel terrible through and through.

OP, you need to count your calories, cut them down, cut your carbs a bit, and start eating healthier overall. Read the fat loss sticky - it works for everybody, not just people who are significantly overweight.

I don't count them to the T, b/c I dont want to obsess. However, the protein shakes I use are Syntha-6, and the new AMP wheybolic by GNC. Generally speaking, the 4 scoops combine for about ~80g of protein, and about 700-800 calories. One chicken breast I would assume is along the same lines as one scoop of the mix..about 200 cals and 20-30g of protein. I have a salad for a mid day meal. Calorie wise, I can't see that being much as the dressing is the balsamic vinigrette. I assumed that was a healthier choice, opposed to ranch and all that nasty garbage. At night, sometimes I snack if I am hungry, but it's generally organic stuff ( organic salsa and blue chips, etc.) So overall, I am prob taking in 100g of protein a day, and 1200-1500 cals. I think I just have a slower metabolism..plus as an engineer I basically just sit here at my desk for 9-10 hours a day. That isn't helping me.

EditL Just read the sticky for weighloss/diet. I calculated my BMR using the website listed to be around 2kcal. Makes sense. Now it says I need to keep my cal/day between the BMR and some other number??

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I don't count them to the T, b/c I dont want to obsess. However, the protein shakes I use are Syntha-6, and the new AMP wheybolic by GNC. Generally speaking, the 4 scoops combine for about ~80g of protein, and about 700-800 calories. One chicken breast I would assume is along the same lines as one scoop of the mix..about 200 cals and 20-30g of protein. I have a salad for a mid day meal. Calorie wise, I can't see that being much as the dressing is the balsamic vinigrette. I assumed that was a healthier choice, opposed to ranch and all that nasty garbage. At night, sometimes I snack if I am hungry, but it's generally organic stuff ( organic salsa and blue chips, etc.) So overall, I am prob taking in 100g of protein a day, and 1200-1500 cals. I think I just have a slower metabolism..plus as an engineer I basically just sit here at my desk for 9-10 hours a day. That isn't helping me.

If you read the fat loss sticky, it details that too few calories can be just as bad as too many calories. What are your stats? Age, weight, height? 1200-1500cal for weight loss would be low for me and I'm 5'7", 155lbs. If you don't eat enough, your body minimizes caloric output - a sort of starvation mode. You should go into the fat loss sticky, calculate your BMR, and stay slightly above that. Try that out. In addition to this, programs like Insanity aren't great for weight loss specifically due to their lack of non-endurance resistance training. I've seen way more consistent results with pure weightlifting and no cardio than with HIT alone.

 

[z1ggy]

If you read the fat loss sticky, it details that too few calories can be just as bad as too many calories. What are your stats? Age, weight, height? 1200-1500cal for weight loss would be low for me and I'm 5'7", 155lbs. If you don't eat enough, your body minimizes caloric output - a sort of starvation mode. You should go into the fat loss sticky, calculate your BMR, and stay slightly above that. Try that out. In addition to this, programs like Insanity aren't great for weight loss specifically due to their lack of non-endurance resistance training. I've seen way more consistent results with pure weightlifting and no cardio than with HIT alone.

^^ Read my edit in my above post. BMR of 2kcal. So what, I eat maybe some yogurt or something in there? I am still prob 400 to 500 cal short of the 2kcal. And insanity is specifically targeted for weight loss..yes its HIT, but you are doing lots of reps at your own body weight..I would call that resistance training. I simply don't have the time to lift weights. Get home from work at 5pm, got a house and family to take care of.. when do I fit the 2 hours in to go to the gym in there?

 

[wheresmybacon]

It would do you well to be absolutely meticulous about calorie counting for at least one day where you eat what you've been eating to get a baseline to go from. It could be you're eating way too little or too much, but without knowing for sure you're just pissing in the wind.

You can get a scale for around $7 that you use to weigh what you're eating for a day. From there, you can at least know what 200 kcal or chicken breast look like, how many calories are in a couple cups of ice cream or pasta, etc.

You don't have to do this every day, but for one day IMO it's a good idea simply because most people have no concept of portion sizes until they are actually portioning out their own food by weight. I know I fell into this camp a while back.

In my experience, I was eating much more than I thought. I've gone the other direction too - "starvation mode" - and with that route it wasn't a case of not losing weight at all, it was a case of losing a fair amount of weight (15 pounds) and then having it just stop.

other things that have halted weight loss for me:
large amounts of diet soda
not getting enough sleep (BIG one for me)
too much sodium
not enough fat

 

[z1ggy]

Yeah, I think I am going to use one of those daily food logs to track what I eat. I guess I just worry I eat something that's not quality, so maybe I tend to shy away from eating in general. So far today I have had:

1 cup coffe w/ 2 sugar packs and ~some sugar free creamer
1 serving Syntha-6 protein
1 Turkey burger w/lettuce, tomato and onion w/ a tad of BBQ sauce
1 chicken breast that was left over from dinner
3 16 oz. glasses of water

 

[SociallyChallenged]

^^ Read my edit in my above post. BMR of 2kcal. So what, I eat maybe some yogurt or something in there? I am still prob 400 to 500 cal short of the 2kcal. And insanity is specifically targeted for weight loss..yes its HIT, but you are doing lots of reps at your own body weight..I would call that resistance training. I simply don't have the time to lift weights. Get home from work at 5pm, got a house and family to take care of.. when do I fit the 2 hours in to go to the gym in there?

Zig, I hate to burst your bubble, but the guy who wrote Insanity has no clue how to focus something for weight loss. HIT actually doesn't work very well for fat loss due to its intense nature. It typically results in uncontrollable hunger, use of amino acids from muscle for digestion, and increased secretion of enzymes that promote limited muscle mass.

High reps of resistance training promotes catabolism of muscle, especially if you're in a caloric deficit. I think you're disillusioned about how long it takes to get through a weightlifting program. If you look at the fat loss sticky, I suggest Starting Strength or Stronglifts. You complete three large compound movements for three sets of five. You know how long that takes, including warmup? Probably less time than Insanity. I've seen a lot of people get it done in under 40min.

 

[blackdogdeek]

as another reference point on duration of workouts, i can usually set up, warmup, finish and cleanup a crossfit workout in less than an hour. i workout in my garage or on my driveway so i spend 0 time driving anywhere.

 

[z1ggy]

as another reference point on duration of workouts, i can usually set up, warmup, finish and cleanup a crossfit workout in less than an hour. i workout in my garage or on my driveway so i spend 0 time driving anywhere.

That's my thing I guess. The driving time to the gym is prob 30 mins..I mean I can def do it, but I enjoy taking my dog to the park, and having a little me time before my girl friend gets home.

But I will go review that strength training stuff in the sticky. The only 2 times in my life where I wasd 100% satisfied with how I looked, I was barely lifting weights. It was during my first rugby season, and during the 3 months where I was training for my first MMA fight. All I was doing was cardio, and not eating junk food. I maybe hit the weights, once a week. I figure I got a lot of compound movement resistance from doing jiu jitsu and whatnot.

 

[nixium]

Zig, I hate to burst your bubble, but the guy who wrote Insanity has no clue how to focus something for weight loss. HIT actually doesn't work very well for fat loss due to its intense nature. It typically results in uncontrollable hunger, use of amino acids from muscle for digestion, and increased secretion of enzymes that promote limited muscle mass.

High reps of resistance training promotes catabolism of muscle, especially if you're in a caloric deficit. I think you're disillusioned about how long it takes to get through a weightlifting program. If you look at the fat loss sticky, I suggest Starting Strength or Stronglifts. You complete three large compound movements for three sets of five. You know how long that takes, including warmup? Probably less time than Insanity. I've seen a lot of people get it done in under 40min.

Hmm.. this is bad. I'm recovering from wrist and back issues so I was hoping to lay off weights for a while. This program seemed perfect for my goals (fat loss.) Any alternative ideas?

 

[z1ggy]

The links the orig stick are dead, so I will just google "starting strength" on my own. Heading to the gym tonight for a bit to see if I can pound a workout in <60 mins.

Edit: So I found the 5x5 work out. Seems super simple. I also watched the bear complex work out on youtube, also looks simple and fun. Are there any ways to get like a list of those crossfit work outs to do so one can do them on their own? I don't know of any crossfit places around here, and I don't really have much weight around here, just the resistance bands I used for p90X.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Zig, I hate to burst your bubble, but the guy who wrote Insanity has no clue how to focus something for weight loss. HIT actually doesn't work very well for fat loss due to its intense nature. It typically results in uncontrollable hunger, use of amino acids from muscle for digestion, and increased secretion of enzymes that promote limited muscle mass.

High reps of resistance training promotes catabolism of muscle, especially if you're in a caloric deficit. I think you're disillusioned about how long it takes to get through a weightlifting program. If you look at the fat loss sticky, I suggest Starting Strength or Stronglifts. You complete three large compound movements for three sets of five. You know how long that takes, including warmup? Probably less time than Insanity. I've seen a lot of people get it done in under 40min.

I thought I'd read where some recent research demonstrated HIIT was better for fat loss because it elevated BMR overall resulting in a higher caloric demand on a per-day basis. Perhaps I'm confusing "fat loss" and "weight loss," but I also seem to remember reading the suggestion that the heavier loads delivered to the muscles with the higher intensity encouraged muscle retention as compared to prolonged low/medium intensity exercise.

Can you set me straight?

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Hmm.. this is bad. I'm recovering from wrist and back issues so I was hoping to lay off weights for a while. This program seemed perfect for my goals (fat loss.) Any alternative ideas?

Stronglifts done properly would be a great program to rehab from injuries. You start with no weight on the bar whatsoever.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Hmm.. this is bad. I'm recovering from wrist and back issues so I was hoping to lay off weights for a while. This program seemed perfect for my goals (fat loss.) Any alternative ideas?

That's fine. I believe the way I mentioned is optimal. However, that doesn't mean other paths don't work at all. Endurance exercise in itself (with a controlled diet) can decrease weight. The issue is that it decreases both muscle and fat mass. The HIT program falls somewhere in between.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

The links the orig stick are dead, so I will just google "starting strength" on my own. Heading to the gym tonight for a bit to see if I can pound a workout in <60 mins.

Edit: So I found the 5x5 work out. Seems super simple. I also watched the bear complex work out on youtube, also looks simple and fun. Are there any ways to get like a list of those crossfit work outs to do so one can do them on their own? I don't know of any crossfit places around here, and I don't really have much weight around here, just the resistance bands I used for p90X.

The complex isn't really for the Starting Strength or StrongLifts programs. That's for more advanced lifters who have some experience and have drilled in their basic form for squats, cleans, etc. You can do CF workouts in a normal gym. Google crossfit wod list - you'll find one.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I thought I'd read where some recent research demonstrated HIIT was better for fat loss because it elevated BMR overall resulting in a higher caloric demand on a per-day basis. Perhaps I'm confusing "fat loss" and "weight loss," but I also seem to remember reading the suggestion that the heavier loads delivered to the muscles with the higher intensity encouraged muscle retention as compared to prolonged low/medium intensity exercise.

Can you set me straight?

HIIT results in a greater excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. That is typically driven by continued metabolism after exercise. However, the effects of the EPOC really aren't that significant. I mean, they may increased caloric burn by 100 calories separate from the workout (I've read as little as 30-40cal). Honestly though, 100cal is pretty insignificant considering you can cut that out very easily. In addition to that, high intensity exercise increases hunger hormones, increasing the drive to eat. If you do weightlifting, the hunger drive is not increased and remains low, typically making it easier to maintain a caloric deficit.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Stronglifts done properly would be a great program to rehab from injuries. You start with no weight on the bar whatsoever.

Honestly, that depends on the injury. Some injuries are more sensitive than that. If he has that much limitation due to his injuries though, I'd definitely suggest he go visit a physical therapist and get some rehab.