Hi! - Going on a diet

Joetf12 · July 2017

Hey all,

Need to lose some weight, and I've done plenty of research on fitness in these forums so far. Its been a while since I seriously focused on fitness and dieting. Last diet I did was the "Abs Power Diet", and there seems to be alot of conflicting information with today's current nutrition info.

In any case, I currently plan on doing a Paleo Diet, along with Shaun T DVD exercises (non weight resistance training). I think this is a good plan, but please let me know if there are any flaws.

Regarding modern effective diets:
-Dairy - Is lowfat milk 1% and chocolate milk still ok to drink?
-100% WW - apparently better just to skip bread altogether now - is this accurate?
-Yogurt - I eat low-fat with fruit, or vanilla flavored, but am told Non-fat plain is the better choice. Both have the same nutritional stats (incl. sugar and fat) - what gives?

Also:

-Best resource for Paleo dieting?
-Best quick and healthy cookbooks/recipe source?

If I have asked something that has been mentioned before, please just link any threads that may have the details and I would be glad to read them. I'm a newbie, so I know this is possible!

Your answers are greatly appreciated!

elphie754 · July 2017

No, chocolate milk would most certainly not be paleo.

That being said, weight loss comes down to calories. There is no reason for unnecessary restrictions, like paleo (diagnosed medical reasons are obviously an exception).

TeaBea · July 2017

Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out.

I've lost & regained too. I successfully lost doing low carb - then regained. I successfully lost doing __________ - then regained and I successfully lost doing __________ - then regained. In other words I've tried lots of fads thru the years.

What I finally figured out is that I need to change some of my eating habits forever, because that's how long I want maintenance to last. If you can take some of the things you learn from paleo and do them for life....then it's a good plan.

If paleo is temporary - then come up with a maintenance strategy before you get there.

Orphia · July 2017

People selling Paleo diets just make it up as they go.

You'll be successful for life if you just eat what satisfies you within your calorie limit. Some days will be more treats, some days will be salads and soup, but hopefully most days will be the food pyramid.

livingleanlivingclean · July 2017

You can consume whatever milk, yoghurt, bread, *insert every other conceivable food here*, you like, and you will lose weight if you're sticking to your calorie goal.

I drink coffee with milk every day - I use skim because it froths better.

I love bread, but it takes up a lot of calories that I would rather use on something else. I don't *not* eat bread, I just eat other things more often.

I eat yoghurt every day. I buy low fat, natural yoghurt and add my own flavour/sweetness with protein powder, cacao, PB, fruit etc. Flavoured yoghurts have added sugar, which again, isn't bad, but I try to avoid added sugars and use my calories on other things.

I find the best way of eating is one without a name. I don't need rules set by someone else to know how to eat what I believe is a healthy diet.

double_nn · July 2017

You need to read up on paleo if you think you can eat bread on paleo.

JeromeBarry1 · July 2017

That's cute. I don't even know what my diet is called. It's food. I eat enough. I stop eating before I eat too much.

The original idea of "paleo" diet was that before modern civilization humans did not have farming, nor grains, nor bread, so paleo people mustn't have bread or gluten.
Then last year some *ologist reporting finding a paleo-aged dead dude with grains in his teeth. Poof! Suddenly grains, gluten, and bread were paleo!

Joetf12 · July 2017

Hey again,

I was asking those questions about food in general, outside of paleo, tey we just answered diet questions I had.

Anyone have any ideas on a quick and healthy cookbooks/recipe source?

thanks!

abriz · July 2017

@Joetf12 , I would invite you to change your way of thinking about a "diet". Paleo, Atkins, or any name "diet" can fad in and out real quick. I'm not knocking any of them, but you have to figure out what's sustainable for you. Are you willing to/have the ability to eat Paleo forever? For me it was learning how to eat, what to eat, portions, macronutrients (carbs, fats, proteins), and what was doable for ME in the long run. If you think in terms of "dieting" as opposed to lifestyle change, you may be more apt to gaining back.

Joetf12 · July 2017

You absolutely right @abriz. I will continue to eat in moderation, but I'm a bit overweight right now, and would like to shed some extra pounds a little quicker.

DamieBird · July 2017

Joetf12 wrote: »

You absolutely right @abriz. I will continue to eat in moderation, but I'm a bit overweight right now, and would like to shed some extra pounds a little quicker.

Patience and perspective is key. You didn't gain weight quickly (most likely) and it may not come off as quickly as you want it to either. For most people with less than 50 pounds to lose (you describe yourself as a bit overweight), you should be aiming at about 1lb/wk of weight loss, less as you get closer to your goal. That means that if you are #20 overweight, you're probably looking at close to six months for it all to come off in a safe, sustainable way. Yes, some people lose more quickly and some of them even maintain the loss, but it's more common that after losing weight very quickly that people tend to gain it back. Ultimately it's faster to stick to a sustainable strategy than to try to lose quickly/re-gain/lose again.

There is no magic diet that will speed up your fat loss. Simply consume less than you need consistently over time and you'll get there

. You may want to start by inputting your information into MFP goals and adhering to the recommendation that they give you. Keep in mind, that if you select a rate of loss like 2lbs/wk and that's unsafe or unsustainable based on how much you have to lose, that MFP will still default you to 1200 cal. You CAN happily lose weight eating more, if you're taller or heavier.

Take a few minutes to read the stickies at the top of the forum page; they are a wealth of great information.
Welcome and good luck!

edit: typos

TeaBea · July 2017

Joetf12 wrote: »

Hey again,

I was asking those questions about food in general, outside of paleo, tey we just answered diet questions I had.

Anyone have any ideas on a quick and healthy cookbooks/recipe source?

thanks!

Skinny Taste and Cooking Light have great recipes. They have websites and cookbooks.

abriz · July 2017

@Joetf12 ,
I absolutely understand wanting to knock of those pounds quickly. If it's for an event or something like that I can see the rationale for sure. Aside froom that, I am a firm believer in the quicker it comes off, the quicker it can come back on. As I had mentioned before, and others have, just being able to sustain, even if it's for a quick loss. Good luck to you on your journey!

Joetf12 · July 2017

Thanks @abriz @TeaBea @DamieBird , and everyone else who answered. Will use all this information!

That's all for now, I'll post here if more things come up.

Hi! - Going on a diet

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