My list of food rules

jfig600

Bumpping

JodaNord

mp

terri0527

makes So much sense!

hbiffle

bump to read later

theartichoke

"...buying the paint and wallpaper before setting the foundation..." Brilliantly put and me in every way. Thank you for the lesson in common sense!

gailosborne

Thanks very much.

mes1119

Thank you for this.

Lately I've been getting really sick of people being so meticulous about what foods to eat, exact amount of calories etc. It really isn't that difficult.

marsellient

Thank you for posting this. It reinforces what I finally got through my head just before I joined MFP. After obsessing and becoming quite upset over some of the peripheral things you mentioned, I finally read some research that simplified things for me. I wish I had seen your article first...it's much shorter! Please keep spreading your message. It's very easy to listen to all the other ones out there.

stroutman81

Thanks for re-posting! I read the article when you initially posted it. But, I find that I REGULARLY fall back into the habit of agonizing over everything!

Note to self: STOP IT!! :grumble:

Have you identified what drags you back into micromanagement? What fuels it?

stroutman81

Thanks everyone!

BrionyTallis

Great re-post! Thank you!

jamie1888

Thanks for re-posting! I read the article when you initially posted it. But, I find that I REGULARLY fall back into the habit of agonizing over everything!

Note to self: STOP IT!! :grumble:

Have you identified what drags you back into micromanagement? What fuels it?

Hmm.... Good question! Hadn't even thought about WHY. (insanity!) I suppose I'm influenced by those that are picking out their paint & wall paper and all the while I haven't even poured my foundation! Seriously though, when I read how body builders & fitness competitors eat, I believe that if I eat like they do, I will see better results and hopefully see them faster than I otherwise would.

WickedGarden

thanks for posting, I have been eating this way (or trying really hard to) for a few weeks, I gained some weight (when I upped my protein) but hopefully, it will come off soon.

nz_deevaa

I think you are one of the nicest boys ever. :happy:

MogwaisGrandma

I read this and thought "ah yes it is that simple and I just need to remember that"

I have fallen into the carbs are evil trap in recent years but have come out the other side now. I need balance to change to a better way of living and feel I am now finding it a little at a time.

Nice read.

stroutman81

Thanks for re-posting! I read the article when you initially posted it. But, I find that I REGULARLY fall back into the habit of agonizing over everything!

Note to self: STOP IT!! :grumble:

Have you identified what drags you back into micromanagement? What fuels it?

Hmm.... Good question! Hadn't even thought about WHY. (insanity!) I suppose I'm influenced by those that are picking out their paint & wall paper and all the while I haven't even poured my foundation! Seriously though, when I read how body builders & fitness competitors eat, I believe that if I eat like they do, I will see better results and hopefully see them faster than I otherwise would.

You're not alone. But you can't simply read stuff like my article and think, "Hey, that makes some sense," and then move on without putting serious consideration into it. It's like this... I receive a ton of questions from folks about supplements. They want to know what they should take for improving fat loss, performance, or whatever. When I ask them some simple questions, it's very apparent that they don't have close to a firm handle on the basics. And those basics account for such a large majority of progress that's it's extremely naive to jump ahead to the supplements.

Supplements are called supplements for a good reason - they're supposed to supplement an already-locked-in program.

You wouldn't pack a car for an across-country trip if the car didn't have an engine, would you?

I think it's our cultures infatuation with highlighting the nuances that leads people to focus on the less productive variables. Our media makes these nuances out to be so magical, so important, and so special that the fuel that drives our focus is pretty much seeded in our subconscious minds. When we're doing the basics, we feel like we need that edge. We need to find that twist or that secret. And quite honestly, I think this plays a massive role in many people's struggles.

It leads to very unrealistic expectations, inconsistent drive/motivation, a lack of patience, a total disregard for what it means to really commit to a method, and on it goes.

What's more is people say they understand that it needs to be a lifestyle adoption, but what I find is very few people really "get" that. They might understand it, but they haven't really installed the reality of it into their thinking. Many of these nuances and advanced variables aren't realistically long term. Yet the progress people are shooting for is expected to last forever.

It's no secret in the research that we're AWESOME at losing weight. Really... as a society we are. We just suck at keeping the weight off. I wonder how much of a role these mismanged expectations play?

Anyhow... just some food for thought.

stroutman81

thanks for posting, I have been eating this way (or trying really hard to) for a few weeks, I gained some weight (when I upped my protein) but hopefully, it will come off soon.

Did you up protein while holding everything else constant? If so, that would mean you also upped calories.

stroutman81

I think you are one of the nicest boys ever. :happy:

I like you

stroutman81

I read this and thought "ah yes it is that simple and I just need to remember that"

I have fallen into the carbs are evil trap in recent years but have come out the other side now. I need balance to change to a better way of living and feel I am now finding it a little at a time.

Nice read.

Thanks, and I'm glad you're thinking a bit more objectively.

Something else for everyone to consider is the fact that most of the fitness-media is centered on what not to do. Avoid this, this nutrient is evil, cardio will eat your muscles, etc, etc. The marketing strategies revolve around making something out to be evil and then selling you some "scientific way" of avoiding said evil.

Forget that crap.

Focus on what to do and realize that in the vast majority of cases, when it comes to variables, they don't make or break you. It's that whole pareto principle again. Our media would have you believe that one variable has the power to totally derail your progress. It's reductionism at its finest. Our bodies are much more complex than this.

Carbs are a prime example. Sure... some people do better on lower carb approaches for a variety of reasons. But the push from Atkins to Taubes totally disregards the fact that many people actually do better on higher carb approaches. And even those who don't... carbs still aren't going to ruin them or their progress as long as calories are in check. Granted, they can make things difficult to the point where things might as well be ruined... but still. Everyone who has been given a pedestal are trying to paint pictures that scare you. That fear fattens their wallets.

AmyLRed

bump

Bean615

bump ill read later

beachgirl613

bump to read later

jonski1968

Excellent post...Thanks very much.

stroutman81

You're welcome, guys.

jamie1888

Bump! :drinker:

nz_deevaa

I think you are one of the nicest boys ever. :happy:

I like you

Activating crush in 3... 2... 1.....

Sublog

Love your writing style and kudos to another great article.

stroutman81

I appreciate that.... thanks man!

stroutman81

bump

silvercanoe

Thank you!