Fat - Be - Gone

[ceeboo]

Ceebs, a few meal preparation things I've picked up along the way. Again, nothing here is rocket science but starting off can be daunting so I figure I'll ease the burden any way I can.

How kind of you. Thanks!

• Have plenty of reusable storage to use. If you're taking the meals to work I recommend something that is fairly air tight and microwavable. If you are like me I am notorious for leaving stuff behind so I also opt for cheap. I use something like this because I don't care if they are all melded together but there are tons of various options. But you want to pre portion your meals, having a giant pot of cooked food isn't that helpful.

Yep - Already got my containers (bought some relatively cheap plastic bowl thingies with lids)

[*]To that end, I highly recommend a food scale. Although I don't count calories I do weigh my food (I also have designated utensils that I know roughly the serving amount for). You will be surprised at first how generous your portions likely are compared to a "standard serving".[*]Have a plan for the day you are doing the prepping. It doesn't have to be anything fancy but I have a mini dry erase board on my fridge that I right out what proteins are going with what starches and veggies. When you get all your skillets and pots and oven going it can get a bit hectic, for me anyways. [*]I bought a Ninja Fodi a few years back and it is an absolute Godsend. Any brand or style will work but I really like having my air fryer, pressure cooker, steamer, etc all in one place. The pressure cooker alone can cut WAY down on preparation time for large quantities of meat and it makes some killer rice.

Understood and I think we have one of those Ninja things (not sure if it's a Ninja but it sounds like it will do the same stuff) - just have to ask the bride where it is.

I like to marinate my meat

Interesting - but probably a little too much personal information for this thread.

When I'm cooking a regular meal I will often prepare double or triple the amount and just save the rest, last generations leftovers is my generations meal preparation.

Yes - I was thinking of doing exactly this.

Thanks for all the effort and time you have taken for my benefit.

[ceeboo]

Ceeboo, how’s your probiotic and fiber intake?

Yeah - My probiotic and fiber intake is splendid............................... (What the helsinkibread is he asking me?)

[Xenophon]

I like to marinate my meat

Interesting - but probably a little too much personal information for this thread.

I did set myself up for that.

[canpakes]

Ceeboo, how’s your probiotic and fiber intake?

Yeah - My probiotic and fiber intake is splendid............................... (What the helsinkibread is he asking me?)

No need to eat your chopsticks after your meal, lol.

Here’s a good, short overview on the thinking behind how probiotics and fiber could support your effort. There’s still more research needed, but there are promising connections for this (and cardiovascular health, too) -

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pr ... ody-weight

[ceeboo]

Reconsidered.

[Jersey Girl]

Question: Are there any specific things I can do to concentrate on loosing belly fat, specifically?

Put down the beer and move your ass.

[MeDotOrg]

I've had periods where I stopped exercising and ate poorly, and watched my weight go up.

One thing to avoid when exercising is to be focused on the stopwatch. When I was really into riding my bicycle, it got so if I didn't bike 180 miles a week I felt like I was backsliding. If I couldn't ride all week I would go for a really long ride on the weekends and 'bonk' on the way home. (Bonking is sort of like runners hitting 'the wall' in a marathon, where the body has used up all of the easily converted sugars and carbs, and you just run out of gas.)

I got to be a prisoner of my own numbers. If I didn't ride as fast as the week before I put pressure on myself. It got to the point where I stopped riding after a leg surgery because I couldn't face seeing my numbers go down.

So my advice about exercise is to enjoy it. If you enjoy it, you'll keep doing it. If you hit a performance plateau, don't sweat it. Let your body tell you how you're doing, not a stopwatch.

The only time I find that not to be true is in the first 2 weeks of exercise. Sometimes in the first 2 weeks you have to go out on faith that things will feel better, but after a while they do.

[Jersey Girl]

So my advice about exercise is to enjoy it. If you enjoy it, you'll keep doing it. If you hit a performance plateau, don't sweat it. Let your body tell you how you're doing, not a stopwatch.

The only time I find that not to be true is in the first 2 weeks of exercise. Sometimes in the first 2 weeks you have to go out on faith that things will feel better, but after a while they do.

Amen!

I also have a message board (a real one, not this one ) where I created a menu of activities that I enjoy. The idea behind the menu is to pick whatever I feel like doing from activity that I really enjoy. I'm not good with repetition. I need variety.

I'm typing them right off the board now...

Free Weights
Swimming
Yoga DVD
Walk the Driveway
Dance

It used to have Yoga Class and Treadmill, but we canceled our gym membership (pandemic) so the DVD's are my Yoga Class (as well as youtube accessible videos) and the driveway is my treadmill. I clocked the driveway a long time ago. So if I do a certain amount of laps I get to a mile and half. More laps, more distance. Each time I come up from the end, I put a rock on the driveway pad. Probably sounds crazy but it helps me keep track and I enjoy it. Sometimes I've got music in my ears, sometimes silence, and sometimes I've got dogs going with me. It works! I have to add the new rebounder I bought a while back. That's mainly for winter exercise. Also need to remove swimming for the time being.

So, I agree wholeheartedly with your advice, MeDot. Do what you enjoy and also...if you get into a slump and need to restart, just give yourself some grace and start wherever you are at. You'll do just fine!

[Gadianton]

I'm pretty sure it is all about calories

And the best diet is not one that you "go on". To keep weight off, your diet is the way you normally eat.

I'm a reductionist and will go with: you can eat pretty much whatever you want if you count calories and exercise. You can eat burgers 7 days a week and lose weight. The problem is you get that taste for it and it's hard to stop yourself from going over.

I think a double-whopper from Burger King is a great choice and if we can ever get over this Covid thing, the BK near me now has straight soda water that's as good as Perrier. No soda; no fries. The sodium level of a Whopper is relatively low compared to pizza, tacos, or sandwiches with processed meat; I believe when I checked a while back, if you were to get all your calories from Whoppers, you'd be within your Sodium allowance.

Bran flakes or oatmeal in the morning with 1 apple and 1 banana; double whopper for lunch; tiny dinner. <--- 2-3 days a week planned right there.

I'd say the ultra hard-stop is on candy and sugar, sugar drinks and soda. And definitely drink more water and try sparkling water as soda substitute.

I might get stoned by nutritionists, but MeDotOrg makes the most important point of all: sustainability.

Some people can go all-in and make this huge lifestyle change for the long haul. Most people who go all-in can pull it off for a short time and then burn out. It's not just the time and effort of exercise, but the time in preparation and cleanup of healthy meals along with sacrificing what you like. I have to say when I've done heavy exercise regiments in the past, it killed my desire for heavy foods, but that's not practical for me now.

Another point from my unorthodox perspective; I'd focus on caloric intake first and exercise second. Definitely need to get that walking in for a half hour or as long as you can commit. But learn to eat at sustainable calorie levels. See, if you go all-in on exercise, you can get away with eating a lot because you're burning it. I know several people who either due to athletics or military were in super shape, and then get out of military or sudden work commitment or injury, and then you're still eating at that level and it's all over in weeks. One of the great things about walking vs. any other exercise is ease of access and low risk of injury.

Anyway: sustainability. Whatever you end up getting yourself into you have to repeat continually for decades, rain or shine, good times or bad, changing work schedules etc.

[canpakes]

I'm a reductionist and will go with: you can eat pretty much whatever you want if you count calories and exercise. You can eat burgers 7 days a week and lose weight. The problem is you get that taste for it and it's hard to stop yourself from going over.

This trends towards the IIFYM idea.

Having a list of ‘prohibited’ foods seems like it would just make a long-term weight goal harder to achieve, if it feels like you’re denying yourself foods that you can still enjoy, within reasonable caloric limits and an eye on protein, fat and carb content.

I won’t give up any food, but if I go a bit overboard on a particular meal, I’ll devote more time later that day to exercise, or will take in fewer calories the following day. Some things, like good ice cream, I’m going to happily enjoy right up to my last minute of life.