Sabotaging with Ice-Cream?

JennieAL

So I've been increasing my workouts lately and starting to focus on muscle building & definition. I've gotten into the habit of nearly daily ice-cream with a cookie or two after dinner. Am I really messing things up for myself? What is everyone's thoughts on staying within your calories, treats, sugar, etc?

And is it ok to substitute fruit and nuts for the ice-cream? Would that be smarter and more efficient calories?

I think I already know the answer

carrie_eggo

I think I already know the answer

:flowerforyou: I think you do.

However, as long as it fits into your calorie goal and your hitting your macros, it's fine! Also, if you actually want to BUILD muscle then you do have to eat at a surplus.

stylistchik

My hubby and I got into some really bad dessert habits last year and i did find it was easier to wean off them by substituting. If you peel and freeze whole bananas and then mash them up in a food processor or blender, it makes a really decadent-textured dessert. Add vanilla and top with fruit or nuts or sprinkles!

MinnesotaManimal

I think I already know the answer

:flowerforyou: I think you do.

However, as long as it fits into your calorie goal and your hitting your macros, it's fine! Also, if you actually want to BUILD muscle then you do have to eat at a surplus.

THIS.....^^^^ I eat ice cream when I want it, I just make sure it fits into my calories and macros. No problems losing, I did it with ice cream and pretty much anything else I wanted to eat and still lost 65 lbs. no problem...

agthorn

And is it ok to substitute fruit and nuts for the ice-cream? Would that be smarter and more efficient calories?

That depends on if you'll actually be satisfied with the fruit and nuts, or if you'll eat the fruit and nuts and then go "Nope, what I really wanted was ice cream" and then still have the ice cream. In that case it would have been more efficient to just have the ice cream in the first place.

But really, there's nothing inherently wrong with ice cream.

slicksps

Baked apple is also delicious.

Have you also looked into Sorbet if ice cream is a favourite?

Just before I started my diet, I perfected home made ice cream and oh my god, it's so unhealthy I nearly had a heart attack just adding up the ingredients!!!

But as said, if you can fit it into your calorie budget, then there's no real risk to fatty weight gain...

Newfiedan

If timed right it can be beneficial to muscle gain to eat those things, its all about fitting it into your daily caloric goal, if it fits into your macros and you are eating this thing about 30 mins post workout then you are fine.

wyldweazel

Make your own ice cream out of Unsweetened Almond Milk and Chocolate Protein Powder. I made some the other night. It was easy and pretty delicious.

hottottie11

If it fits your calories (and macros), eat it!

agleckle

But really, there's nothing inherently wrong with ice cream.

THIS.

ShadowSoldier23

I am an ice cream junkie. I would eat a pint a day and it's no wonder I gained 60lbs since I met my boyfriend! I found a nondairy desert that is about the same calorie but much better in the long run. It's called Purely Decadent and it tastes just like regular ice cream. Instead of eating the whole thing I take a few bites at a time when I'm craving ice cream. Don't completely give it up if you know you will wind up binging (which i would do) and instead take a few bites at a time when you crave it.

galegetsthin

I substiuted my ice cream and sweets with jello and light cool whip. That way I get something sweet without feeling icky

JennieAL

I am an ice cream junkie. I would eat a pint a day and it's no wonder I gained 60lbs since I met my boyfriend! I found a nondairy desert that is about the same calorie but much better in the long run. It's called Purely Decadent and it tastes just like regular ice cream. Instead of eating the whole thing I take a few bites at a time when I'm craving ice cream. Don't completely give it up if you know you will wind up binging (which i would do) and instead take a few bites at a time when you crave it.

I like this brand! I like the coconut ice-cream... lately we've been getting Breyer's. Breyer's Vanilla is probably my favorite. I may pick up some of the Purely Decadent coconut today.

JennieAL

My hubby and I got into some really bad dessert habits last year and i did find it was easier to wean off them by substituting. If you peel and freeze whole bananas and then mash them up in a food processor or blender, it makes a really decadent-textured dessert. Add vanilla and top with fruit or nuts or sprinkles!

Yep, I did the frozen bananas for a while when I was trying to eat all raw (too hard, mistake!). I did like a combo of raw bananas, raw cacao, nut butter... that was good stuff! I might go back to the and the Purely Decadent coconut ice-cream.

ShadowSoldier23

I am an ice cream junkie. I would eat a pint a day and it's no wonder I gained 60lbs since I met my boyfriend! I found a nondairy desert that is about the same calorie but much better in the long run. It's called Purely Decadent and it tastes just like regular ice cream. Instead of eating the whole thing I take a few bites at a time when I'm craving ice cream. Don't completely give it up if you know you will wind up binging (which i would do) and instead take a few bites at a time when you crave it.

I like this brand! I like the coconut ice-cream... lately we've been getting Breyer's. Breyer's Vanilla is probably my favorite. I may pick up some of the Purely Decadent coconut today.

I am very happy that I found something I can still have! The ingredients are much better than dairy, which I recently cut out of my diet entirely along with wheat. I can still have the one thing I didn't want to give up, its great. My fave though had to be ben and jerrys hands down. sadly though I think with the Purely Decadent I can make it. lol. I tried almond ice cream which is non dairy and that was pretty good too.

tigersword

So I've been increasing my workouts lately and starting to focus on muscle building & definition. I've gotten into the habit of nearly daily ice-cream with a cookie or two after dinner. Am I really messing things up for myself? What is everyone's thoughts on staying within your calories, treats, sugar, etc?

And is it ok to substitute fruit and nuts for the ice-cream? Would that be smarter and more efficient calories?

I think I already know the answer

Does it fit in your caloric plan? Then it's perfectly fine. Hit your macros, hit your calorie goals, the actual food you eat doesn't matter.

bjfmade

I like a cup of frozen blueberries (or whatever you like) 1/2 cup silk light, 1 tsp FF/SF instant cheesecake Jello Mix and blend. Top with a sprinkle of crushed graham cracker (optional)

aweightymatter

I was formerly a huge ice cream junkie as well... I really can't have it in the house, even the sugar-free/fat free/etc. stuff.

However... If you like to eat A WHOLE LOT of something frozen, there is always ARCTIC ZERO. The whole pint is 150 calories and it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners or anything. The texture is somewhere between sorbet and ice milk, but you can eat so much of it guilt-free.

Check out their web site to see if they have it near you. It's still expensive so it's not a good habit to pick up, but as a harmless treat I love it.

ShadowSoldier23

I was formerly a huge ice cream junkie as well... I really can't have it in the house, even the sugar-free/fat free/etc. stuff.

However... If you like to eat A WHOLE LOT of something frozen, there is always ARCTIC ZERO. The whole pint is 150 calories and it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners or anything. The texture is somewhere between sorbet and ice milk, but you can eat so much of it guilt-free.

Check out their web site to see if they have it near you. It's still expensive so it's not a good habit to pick up, but as a harmless treat I love it.

I wanted to try that stuff but we have nowhere here that carries it. It sucks trying to be healthy without some sort of Whole Foods store! lol. Fortunately our HEB grocery store carries a lot diet specific foods, so I get by!

gigiangelique

http://www.myarcticzero.com/ this is what you need! yum

HMonsterX

Does it fit in your caloric plan? Then it's perfectly fine. Hit your macros, hit your calorie goals, the actual food you eat doesn't matter.

This. Completely this.

No need micromanage crap that doesn't matter, or cut out things you actually like and run the risk of falling off.

Several of the ripped guys here eat ice cream daily.

aweightymatter

I was formerly a huge ice cream junkie as well... I really can't have it in the house, even the sugar-free/fat free/etc. stuff.

However... If you like to eat A WHOLE LOT of something frozen, there is always ARCTIC ZERO. The whole pint is 150 calories and it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners or anything. The texture is somewhere between sorbet and ice milk, but you can eat so much of it guilt-free.

Check out their web site to see if they have it near you. It's still expensive so it's not a good habit to pick up, but as a harmless treat I love it.

I wanted to try that stuff but we have nowhere here that carries it. It sucks trying to be healthy without some sort of Whole Foods store! lol. Fortunately our HEB grocery store carries a lot diet specific foods, so I get by!

It's actually better that it's harder to get, probably, because it's like $3 or $4 a pint BUT, check the web site because it might be in your area at a regular store. I get it here at a regular local grocery chain (and not even a particularly upscale one), not a Whole Foods or anything.

Acg67

I was formerly a huge ice cream junkie as well... I really can't have it in the house, even the sugar-free/fat free/etc. stuff.

However... If you like to eat A WHOLE LOT of something frozen, there is always ARCTIC ZERO. The whole pint is 150 calories and it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners or anything. The texture is somewhere between sorbet and ice milk, but you can eat so much of it guilt-free.

Check out their web site to see if they have it near you. It's still expensive so it's not a good habit to pick up, but as a harmless treat I love it.

I wanted to try that stuff but we have nowhere here that carries it. It sucks trying to be healthy without some sort of Whole Foods store! lol. Fortunately our HEB grocery store carries a lot diet specific foods, so I get by!

It's actually better that it's harder to get, probably, because it's like $3 or $4 a pint BUT, check the web site because it might be in your area at a regular store. I get it here at a regular local grocery chain (and not even a particularly upscale one), not a Whole Foods or anything.

for the same price you can get Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Dazs which tastes a billion times better then Artic Zero

Onesnap

I eat my ice cream and cake and cookies and log every bite.

Experts say that denying yourself treats does not lead to success in weight loss, it just leads to binging later on.

Plus, this is not a diet. It's a lifestyle.

Eat the ice cream. Life's too short not to.

Onesnap

I substiuted my ice cream and sweets with jello and light cool whip. That way I get something sweet without feeling icky

So chemicals and whipped oil?

Fun!

keesh1123

Umm, I hate to sound completely ignorant but what is Macros???

debussyschild

I think I already know the answer

:flowerforyou: I think you do.

However, as long as it fits into your calorie goal and your hitting your macros, it's fine! Also, if you actually want to BUILD muscle then you do have to eat at a surplus.

Hitting macros = you're on track. Try to avoid eating it every day, though. That's a lot of sugar and saturated fats! Don't agree with having to eat a surplus in order to build muscle. If you're trying to lose weight, you'll still need to be in a calorie deficit. BUT you're building muscle that will help you burn the fat on your body, so essentially you'll have replaced a lot of your current body fat with muscle in addition to slimming down.

Onesnap

Don't agree with having to eat a surplus in order to build muscle.

So....you don't believe in science and modern medicine?

Newfiedan

macros are the breakdown of protein, carbs, fats etc, so just a fancy way to say the way your cals are broke down, you do not need to be a nazi about following them to the letter, for the bulk of ppl its the overall cal content that matters for fat loss.Some days I am over or under on certain macros, base it more off how you feel.

debussyschild

Umm, I hate to sound completely ignorant but what is Macros???

The 3 big macronutrients are carbs, protein, and fat. Lots of people use different ratios of these macronutrients to produce certain results. I use a 40/40/20 ratio i.e. 40% of my daily calories come from carbs, 40% from protein, and 20% from fat. Lots of people use 50/30/20, as well, it just depends on what kind of training you're doing.

Edit to add: this begs the question, what are MICROnutrients? Micronutrients are all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs on a daily basis. Hope that clears it up for you, never feel silly for asking questions :flowerforyou:

Onesnap

From burn the fat.com

The Secrets To Gaining Lean Muscle Without The Fat

Just as with a fat loss program, your lean muscle gaining program begins with calories. Most men need 3200-4000 calories to gain lean body weight, more if they're extremely active. If you are average in body weight, or slightly under weight, you'll probably have a maintenance level around 2600-3000, depending on how active you are. This is just a generalization. It's best to use a calorie calculator and pinpoint your exact optimal maintenance level.

Once you calculate your daily maintenance level (referred to as total daily energy expenditure or TDEE in the "calorie Calculators" article), your calorie surplus should only be 10-20% over TDEE. For most men, this is about 400-500 calories above maintenance. This will give you a good starting point. For example, if your TDEE comes out to 3000 calories per day, then you need about 3500 calories per day to gain lean body mass (3000 TDEE + 500 surplus). If you go too much higher, you'll probably gain fat along with the muscle. Keep the surplus, but keep the surplus small because you cannot force feed your way to more muscle mass. Excess calories will always be stored as fat.

Remember that your initial calorie calculations are just a starting point. Any time you change your calories, your metabolism will adjust itself like a thermostat in an attempt to maintain some sort of equilibrium in body weight. Sooner or later, you may need to increase your calories a second time to keep the weight gains coming. This explains why many men gain weight initially on 3200-3600 calories a day, but later need to bump it up to around 4000.

Except for extremely active, extremely large and/or "anabolically enhanced" men, very few need more than 4000 to 4500 calories to gain weight (contrary to the stories you read in the magazines about pro bodybuilders eating 6,000, 8,000 or 10,000 calories a day, etc). Eating more and more calories thinking that you'll keep gaining more muscle doesn't work. You'll just get fat. All you need is that small surplus.

It all starts and ends with calories. Listen: It does not matter what else you do. if you are not eating enough and not getting your calorie surplus, nothing else you do will matter - not your training program, not the specific foods you eat, not the supplements you take - nothing. So don't mess around and don't guess. write yourself a menu and tally up the calories. The get busy with that fork of yours!