Food Question?
Out of context: Reply #12
- Started
- Last post
- 26 Responses
- ********0
Despite all the fad diets and bullshit literature on how to lose weight, it's actually really simple.
If you want to lose weight: calorie intake must be less than calories burned. That's it.
I used a calorie tracking site (fitday.com) for a couple weeks. It was a hassle, but it did show me a few things:
1. Some foods that you think are healthy are not. For example, I used to eat veggie & cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread. I thought this was soooo healthy. The fat and calories in the cheese alone were putting me over my fat/calorie limit for the day! Now, everything I eat becomes a cost/benefit analysis. Was the cheese really THAT good? Did it make the sandwich that much better, and was it worth being fat over? Not to me. I've learned to appreciate expensive, fine cheeses in smaller quantities instead of just putting shitty american cheese on everything. This cost/benefit works in many foods. Cream & sugar in coffee? Sugar on grapefruit? Soda pop vs. San Pellegrino? 5 pints of beer? None of these things are worth being fat to me. (One beer is great. After the first one, they're not that good. Switch to scotch or gin-sodas or something.) I still eat unhealthy foods, but you need to learn to which foods are worth it to you. Why eat McDonald's when you could go out and get some rich, fatty cheesecake and still be skinny? Why eat donuts when you can have pure dark chocolate? Learn to appreciate the finer things in life.
2. Exercise burns calories, but not as much as you think. Simple changes in what you eat will make a much bigger difference. People who say "I went for a jog today, so it's okay if I have fast food for lunch" will get fatter. There is far more calories in the fast food than you could ever hope to burn from exercise in a day. Also, it's easier to change your diet than it is to exercise. Keep in mind that exercise does help and is very good for your body, but it's not required for weight loss. You can exercise all day, but if you don't change your eating habits you'll stay fat.
3. After your mid-20s, your metabolism slows down throughout your life. Always. This means that if you continue your typical eating & exercise habits, you will get fatter and fatter until you die. It's why old people are fat. You have to constantly be reducing your calorie intake. Luckily, your metabolism changes slowly, so once you get a handle on your weight, it's pretty easy to stay in shape.
^ Discalimer: this is not medical advice, but I've been paying attention to nutrition for about a year and I've noticed a huge difference. I'm 30 years old and I'm proud to say I'm no longer a chubby guy. I'm in the best shape of my life, and it feels fucking great.
- a lot of old people get skinnier and skinnier. They sleep less and don't get as hungry. It's midlife that's the hardest.Amicus