JCC 2013 Fitness Goals

Agreed. I lack the experience in diet planning needed to make sure I am prepared. When I eat healthier I tend to get bored because I eat the same stuff all the time.

Maybe some practice cooking or meal planning would help.

 

No worries heels, and I'm with you Mikaboshi, I know stuff based on what I've read but it doesn't mean I've put it into practice myself yet

I think planning is the main thing, yet you have to maintain some flexibility else it is going to get boring...

I am planning on getting some sort of healthy menu together for myself, but need to just sit down and do it. FYI, I'm allergic to nuts and I don't like eggs, so that rules out the two most suggested protein sources

 

Protein powder?

 

Cottage cheese. Yogurt. Fish. Lean meat. Beans and other legumes. Tofu. All good protein sources.

 

MarcusP2 - Yeah I suggested lean meats like turkey / chicken / yoghurt / hummous on the previous page, I also love baked beans which are pretty good for protein. I have also started to have more fish in the last few months. Cottage cheese can go to hell though, can't stand it.

Sith-Lord-Gunray - I'd rather have my diet provide what I need, and it's another expense...

 

@heels1785: When it comes to eating and diets, I've learned two fundamental lessons: 1. The primary purpose of eating is to provide nutrients for your body (duh). 2. Do not deny, but rather manage, your cravings.

The rest of this will be a little long, but the salient points are above.

Disclaimer: I am no dietician and no expert. Everything I know is what I’ve learned from research and personal failures. I absolutely allow for the possibility that I’m wrong on some of this and you’ll have to decide for yourself what works best for you. Ok.

1. Intuitively, we all seem to understand that we eat for fuel and we all have heard the term “junk” food all of our lives and that we’re to avoid them. But inevitable, we eat quite a lot of junk food because we don’t eat with nutrition first, in mind. Our first thought is usually something else—cost, pleasure, pain avoidance, peer pressure (like a party or something), etc. Bottom line is that many of us eat for reasons that have nothing to do with nutrition. Most of us conflate “craving” with “hunger”, but they are not the same thing. In any case, I think just recognizing this particular reality helps you to see where problems might arise. I’ll address that in the end, though.

2. Eating to “lose weight” is another one of those examples of eating for reasons that have nothing to do with nutrition. Your body has needs. Almost every diet plan involves some form of denial process—especially the rapid weight loss systems (i.e. exceed 2lb/week without exercise). Whether its carb reduction, sugar busters, water diet, 10 day diet, etc, they all do two things: drastically reduce your calories and deprive your body of something it really needs. Of course, they all work because if there is a calorie deficit, you will lose weight (not necessarily fat right away). The problem with these diets is that they are not at all sustainable. You start thinking about “cheat days” and the like and before long, you’re cheating more often than not. What’s worse is that once you fall off the proverbial wagon of denial, you get depressed and sometimes even eat worse than before.

So looking at these two concepts, how do you implement them in a practical way to improve your health?

First, you organize your priorities with food selection in a way that fits your needs, with nutrition at the top of the list. For me, it’s nutrition, taste, cost, then quantity. You may be nutrition, cost, taste, quantity. Or some other set of priorities. But the point is nutrition is your highest priority. What is the point of eating 2000 calories if your body is still starving? I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I make spinach salads with mandarin oranges and fresh fruits (delicious!) and I try to make chicken dishes. When I do eat out, I know I have to spend a bit more to get the healthier food, but that’s ok. I almost always get grilled instead of breaded and fried. I usually have enough for leftovers anyway, so I often get two meals out of it.

Second, I don’t deny myself anything. If I feel a need for a pizza (virtually no nutrition, but soooooo good!), I’ll eat a pizza. I just manage the amount. I don’t count calories (again, not sustainable way of life). Instead, I try not to eat more food than would be about the size of a fist and a half. Your stomach is about the size of your fist, so that metric works out pretty well with chewing. I also try to eat slowly as it takes 20 mins for the status report from my stomach to get to my brain.

With the above approach along with a consistent activity routine, I’ve dropped over 40 lbs from my peak weight over the past year and a half.

If you (or anyone else) want even more details, shoot me a PM and we can have a discussion.

Hope that helps.

 

i usually eat a whole ton right before i work out. also i usually only exercise out of guilt.

 

LOL that's a sure-fire way to puke for me, or get a stitch! General rule tends to be to avoid eating 2 hours before you plan to work out

 

The only thing tom needs to work out is his tight rhymes.

 

Erm I don't really know what your goals are or whatnot...but if you're trying to lose fat and be healthier and you're not eating nuts or eggs, and you ARE working out consistently every day by building muscle weight up to any extent...refusing to use protein powder is kind of stupid. For the reason you just gave at least. No one is saying you need to buy jugs of the stuff but just try throwing a bit into a smoothie once a day. It's not that expensive if you're not a hardcore buff workout person, and you're already saving a considerable amount of $ by not buying nuts or eggs. I personally have the same issue of having to restrict certain protein sources, and yes I do incorporate extra yogurt/cheese etc. but if you're someone who's actively working out consistently you definitely need to use a bit of protein powder. If you're just in general trying to lose weight though and you're technically obese then sure, don't use it. I don't know who you are or what your goals are. But anything involving losing fat + building leaner muscle should have the powder incorporated.

I guess my point is that your reason is kind of like saying "I'd rather have my diet provide my vitamins, multivitamins are another expense..." .. it all comes down to what your goals are and your schedule. Are you casually and idly trying to lose fat as weight alone for just general health, or are you actually trying to make a big difference in that area and tone up at the same time.

 

Tuna (canned is really affordable) and cottage cheese are both excellent sources of protein.

 

I dont save money not buying eggs or nuts etc as it is replaced by something else in my diet. I also never needed supplements when I played rugby and I was the strongest on the team (not boasting, just proving a point).

I see your point but what I am doing is changing my lifestyle habits, both in terms of workout and diet. I don't want to achieve my goal using a product I don't intend on using on a permanent basis... does that make sense?

Does protein powder contain calories? I hadn't considered using it before and I may have dismissed it out of hand 180 completed

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I think it might be, i was brought up on tuna chunks in brine and I shirk away from any other form of it

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You can get some without calories, some of them have extra stuff in it that gives it the calories. Different types.

 

It's a moot point. Excess carbohydrate calories get stored as fat. Excess protein gets converted into glucose. . .which will again be stored as fat. The key to not eating too much is, unsurprisingly, not eating too much. Trying to get around it with "calorie free" dietary elements isn't really a workable cheat.

 

Yeah, you definitely want the stuff packed in water.

 

I had three cookies last night and then did a veryittle night workout that lasted until midnight.
Why do those cookies have to taste so damn good?!

 

This was kind of my point for not using protein powder... I'd essentially be having more than I need of something 'unnecessarily'.

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finally gotten around to setting up a serious running plan. time to get back in the shape i was a year ago.
so if i follow this plan of mine i'll be running 10km straight again in 2 months. omg i should never have quit.

 

Today I did it, finally! I broke 365 miles for the year a whole 4 months early! 1st 2013 Fitness Goal in the bag!

 

WT*G man!

Awesome job, aim for 500 for the year?

 

Thanks! That's exactly what I'm thinking, Matt!

 

Bought new running shoes and shorts for my final year of Cross Country. Come at me season.

 

Good man, smash it!