Chef Boyardee Diet?

johnlent
johnlent Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I have had some amazing success over the last 29 days or so with a somewhat bizarre but not hyper-restrictive or unhealthy diet plan. The easiest way to explain it: I eat one multivitamin and three cans of Chef Boyardee per day (roughly 1500-1600 calories daily). In addition I drink lots of water and get and average of 12 miles of jogging in each week.

How can that possibly be healthy you say? Well apparently the newest science is that its not high sodium that kills you, its sodium that is out of balance with potassium.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/507014-the-relationship-between-potassium-and-sodium/

So, a typical can of Chef Boyardee has 520 calories, 1200mg of Sodium and 1380mg of Potassium (Whole Grain Mini ABCs & 123s with Meatballs).

It's also pretty evenly balanced in terms of fat/protein/carbs - gives you just under 1/3 of your daily recommended values of each.

I know, common sense says that much processed food cannot be good, but I've lost 19 pounds in 29 days, my blood pressure is 116/73 and I feel great.

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions?
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Replies

  • dwh77tx
    dwh77tx Posts: 513 Member
    Yes you may lose weight, but are you going to do this for the rest of your life? Probably not. So, at some point you will need to start eating regularly again. What about fresh veggies and fruit? I wouldn't do this for long...
  • ctalimenti
    ctalimenti Posts: 865 Member
    LMAO! I LOVE THAT STUFF!!!!
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    Well, the fitness change (running in half marathons etc.) I certainly intend to keep up for the rest of my life if I can. Once I get down to a healthy weight, the plan is to slowly move to a more traditional diet that involves more fresh vegetables and less processed food. For a 6' tall fella like me that means somewhere in the range of 180-185 lbs. So probably will keep this up through March/April.

    Did I mention I am not experiencing cravings? If I get a little hungry in between meals I'll do like 1/4 -1/2 cup of granola.

    And of course, its $3 per day. Can't beat that!
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    I think you should follow up with the Twinkie diet.
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    Sadly there are no more twinkies. Once yodels and twinkies ceased to exist I lost all interest in sugary snacks. :laugh:
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    I'm British, I never had the pleasure of eating a Twinkie.......
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    Oh, now that is just sad. No wonder Hostess went of business. They clearly missed the boat on the international market.
  • mhk0719
    mhk0719 Posts: 255
    I will say CONGRATS on your weight loss! I had never heard of anyone doing the "Chef Boyardee diet". My boys love that stuff!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Who'd a thunk, undereating would result in weight loss?
  • akern1987
    akern1987 Posts: 288 Member
    That is kind of amazing...I love chef boyardee, but never thought it would be a good idea while trying to lose weight...you sir have inspired me, lol!
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    Who'd a thunk, undereating would result in weight loss?
    Obviously going from 2000+ cals per day to 1500 cals per day is going to be effective. The trick is finding a way to easily watch those calories, in a way that is inexpensive and enjoyable.

    PS: When Im at a healthy weight, maintaining it should require about 1800 calories a day. That's what Im eating now, plus a power bar.
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    That is kind of amazing...I love chef boyardee, but never thought it would be a good idea while trying to lose weight...you sir have inspired me, lol!

    Definitely read the labels, not all cans are created equal. Whole grain lasagna? Awesome. Chili Mac? Not so much.

    I would also warn anyone that a large part of why its okay for me to eat so much sodium is that Im in training for a half marathon in NYC this march. Long distance running you sweat out a lot of electrolytes that need to be replenished.

    Without exercise I definitely would not be comfortable eating that much salt.
  • bpmartyr
    bpmartyr Posts: 141
    Impossible. Only clean foods cause weight loss. Eating processed food will make you gain weight, even in a deficit, duh.

    Sarcasm Sheldon
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    I don't like processed foods personally, and haven't had a can of Chef Boyardee since I was 6 years old, but I don't see this being a problem health-wise. But do you actually enjoy eating this stuff all the time? There are so many delicious foods out there that I think it's sad you're avoiding them all.
  • GCLyds
    GCLyds Posts: 206 Member
    How boring and unimaginative. I think I would be sick of it after one day. Whatever keeps you at a deficit will help you lose weight. I cant imagine doing this long term.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    Did you ever see that brown substance in their ravioli, I think they called it meat, from what animal, I don't know
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    To be fair, I also have gone for extended periods of time in my life eating nothing but military Meals Ready to Eat (MRE's). And I assure you they are much more processed, less flavorful, and quite literally leave a bad taste in your mouth pretty quickly. By comparison this has a lot of variety, and I can add spices like basil, pepper etc. to get some more and different flavors as the mood strikes me.

    But hey, Ive been doing it almost a month and I dont feel the need to stop any time soon, so whatever works right? Not really that different from Mr Subway, Jared.
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    Did you ever see that brown substance in their ravioli, I think they called it meat, from what animal, I don't know

    Ha! In most of their food, the "meat" is a combo of chicken pork beef and soy protein. But then again, before I started doing this I had no problem with Taco Bell, Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs or Taylor Ham (Pork Roll) - so who am I to judge?
  • Erin_goBrahScience
    Erin_goBrahScience Posts: 1,215 Member
    tumblr_mgudwn8VHa1qk71sao1_250.gif
  • babyblooz
    babyblooz Posts: 220 Member
    Ew, no. :noway: I'll just keep eating fresh food, thanks!
  • darkguardian419
    darkguardian419 Posts: 1,302 Member
    calories in vs calories out...

    amazing.
  • ricky_j_b
    ricky_j_b Posts: 64 Member
    haters gonna hate,if it works,and is short term no harm,I bet once you get close to your goal weight it will be harder to do the can diet,,,,
    good luck!!
  • tracymat
    tracymat Posts: 296 Member
    But when it comes back out within a half hour do you really have to count those calories anyway? That's probably what causes you to lose...
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    The Cocaine Diet is better. You are all AMPED up for your workouts.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    I'd much rather enjoy a variety of foods, tastes, textures and colors in moderation and still lose weight then live on Chef Boyardee!
  • RicaJamie
    RicaJamie Posts: 46
    I'd be afraid of turning orange. D:
  • heypurdy
    heypurdy Posts: 196 Member
    Ugh, I could never only eat 3 cans of chef boyardee a day.
  • Midnight_Sunshine
    Midnight_Sunshine Posts: 369 Member
    cant-tell-if-stupid-or-trolling.jpg
  • firemanfive0
    firemanfive0 Posts: 228 Member
    One question...If you consume Chef lasagna, do you *kitten* ravioli? :bigsmile:
  • johnlent
    johnlent Posts: 20 Member
    The Cocaine Diet is better. You are all AMPED up for your workouts.

    Yeah, but it certainly is NOT $3 per day.

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