The ideal diet

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I totally recommend Body for Life as a diet plan. Even if you don't want to do any exercise, it tells you how to eat healthfully. And you can drink red wine.

And I 100% agree with eating several small, healthy meals at intervals throughout the day. If you do this well you shouldn't need to count calories. I also completely agree with drinking lots of water, whether you feel thirsty or not.

If you're looking for more interesting healthy things to eat, I'm all excited about this honey-smoked salmon I recently discovered in the deli section at Costco. (Gotta love those sample ladies!) It's the best fucking salmon I've ever had! I'm eating it on everything. And it's so tasty that when I put it on salad I don't even need any dressing. Mmmm.... :P

Good luck! Let us know what you find out.

gimmesometruth27

i agree with unsung and scb.

a great analogy i have heard is that your metabolism is like a fire. when you are starving yourself it is like the fire is going out and you do not want that to happen. fuel the fire with small and light meals. just enough to keep the fire raging. don't let yourself starve because nothing good comes from a fire that has gone out.

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gimmesometruth27 wrote:

i agree with unsung and scb.

a great analogy i have heard is that your metabolism is like a fire. when you are starving yourself it is like the fire is going out and you do not want that to happen. fuel the fire with small and light meals. just enough to keep the fire raging. don't let yourself starve because nothing good comes from a fire that has gone out.

It makes sense, and we can (or at least I can) see that it's true from our experience, right? When I eat this way, I feel much better and am in much better shape. When I don't, I feel like shit and gain weight. And I've never read a bodybuilding magazine in my life.

gimmesometruth27

scb wrote:

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

i agree with unsung and scb.

a great analogy i have heard is that your metabolism is like a fire. when you are starving yourself it is like the fire is going out and you do not want that to happen. fuel the fire with small and light meals. just enough to keep the fire raging. don't let yourself starve because nothing good comes from a fire that has gone out.

It makes sense, and we can (or at least I can) see that it's true from our experience, right? When I eat this way, I feel much better and am in much better shape. When I don't, I feel like shit and gain weight. And I've never read a bodybuilding magazine in my life.

i'm the same way. the less i eat the more weight i gain and it makes me feel really crappy and fat. but unfortunately the last few weeks my diet has really gone to shit. i have been working out more but i have not been hungry really and have been having to force myself to eat at times and have been allowing myself more "cheat days", which is a hard habit to break. as a result i feel like crap and my body feels like it is not recovering well from my workouts. slacking on the diet is definitely counterproductive, and summertime is when you absolutely DON"T want to feel and look bad, right? i will get it all straightened out soon enough though. once i eat right for a only a few days it becomes routine again.

Godfather.

I don't know if anybody has reconmended this yet but look up food combining,your body process's different food's differently or slower or faster and when you mix certain food together in your meal they will not proses or digest well together and spend more time in your body turning to fat,anyway it's real interesting check it out.

Godfather.

Blockhead

The question is about an ideal diet - Some of you are passing off BS that you have heard or what is trendy. The whole 5-7 meal is best, is a complete and total MYTH! Quit passing it on as gospel. Your metabolism does not changes as long as total calories are the same, regardless of meal frequency, if you think that please show me Scientific studies. The only thing that eating 5-7 meals provides is better insulin management which means your energy level is up. Your metabolism is controlled by caloric total! People advocate 5-7 meals because in essence it cuts our your snacking, and turns what you would eat as a snack into a healthy meal. The reason people like Bodybuilders and athletes eat like this is beacuse they have to consume huge amounts of calories in a day, and it is extremely hard to eat healthy and eat 1,000 to 1,500 calories in a meal. So they spilt these meals up throughout the day. I do eat about 5 meals a day but that is because i consume around 4,500 calories a day. The OP asked about ideal diet, You guys are providing some good info but don't say its ideal to eat 5-7 meals a day when there is no different in eating 3 meals, and saying things like it makes your metabolism work faster. That is a lie. Please see attached like, I have trained with the man and has a PHD. Look at his section on meal frequency.
http://alanaragon.com/an-objective-look ... sting.html

gimmesometruth27

HeidiJam wrote:

The question is about an ideal diet - Some of you are passing off BS that you have heard or what is trendy. The whole 5-7 meal is best, is a complete and total MYTH! Quit passing it on as gospel. Your metabolism does not changes as long as total calories are the same, regardless of meal frequency, if you think that please show me Scientific studies. The only thing that eating 5-7 meals provides is better insulin management which means your energy level is up. Your metabolism is controlled by caloric total! People advocate 5-7 meals because in essence it cuts our your snacking, and turns what you would eat as a snack into a healthy meal. The reason people like Bodybuilders and athletes eat like this is beacuse they have to consume huge amounts of calories in a day, and it is extremely hard to eat healthy and eat 1,000 to 1,500 calories in a meal. So they spilt these meals up throughout the day. I do eat about 5 meals a day but that is because i consume around 4,500 calories a day. The OP asked about ideal diet, You guys are providing some good info but don't say its ideal to eat 5-7 meals a day when there is no different in eating 3 meals, and saying things like it makes your metabolism work faster. That is a lie. Please see attached like, I have trained with the man and has a PHD. Look at his section on meal frequency.
http://alanaragon.com/an-objective-look ... sting.html

difference of opinions. you present one article and if i were so inclined i could post several different ones spouting the virtues of different philosophies. i will not waste my time doing that though. you believe what you want and i will stick what works for me. the OP asked for basic suggestions and that is what the rest of us have given him/her. i stated what works for ME, and it makes sense to ME and it appears to be working for other people as well. i eat about 3000 calories per day and i work out very hard and spar and drill very hard. i am always hungry when i am working out, so the small meals cut out my snacking.

Jason P

HeidiJam wrote:

The question is about an ideal diet - Some of you are passing off BS that you have heard or what is trendy. The whole 5-7 meal is best, is a complete and total MYTH! Quit passing it on as gospel. Your metabolism does not changes as long as total calories are the same, regardless of meal frequency, if you think that please show me Scientific studies. The only thing that eating 5-7 meals provides is better insulin management which means your energy level is up. Your metabolism is controlled by caloric total! People advocate 5-7 meals because in essence it cuts our your snacking, and turns what you would eat as a snack into a healthy meal. The reason people like Bodybuilders and athletes eat like this is beacuse they have to consume huge amounts of calories in a day, and it is extremely hard to eat healthy and eat 1,000 to 1,500 calories in a meal. So they spilt these meals up throughout the day. I do eat about 5 meals a day but that is because i consume around 4,500 calories a day. The OP asked about ideal diet, You guys are providing some good info but don't say its ideal to eat 5-7 meals a day when there is no different in eating 3 meals, and saying things like it makes your metabolism work faster. That is a lie. Please see attached like, I have trained with the man and has a PHD. Look at his section on meal frequency.
http://alanaragon.com/an-objective-look ... sting.html

LIES!!!

It's not really 5-7 meals in what I was trying to describe. It's adding healthy snacks between major meals so that you eat smaller portions during the major meals and avoid binging. For example, this would be a typical day for me:

Breakfast: Bowl of cereal; 1 hard boiled egg
9:30 am - V-8 Low Sodium; 2 servings raw carrots; 2 egg whites
Lunch: Ham & Cheese sandwich on whole grain bread; Apple; Low-fat crackers
3:00 pm - Handful almonds or energy bar; Jerky
Supper: Chicken breast; Salad
Evening: if hungry I will eat a 100 cal bag of popcorn or some pretzels

This is somewhere in the 2,500 cal range.

If I follow that eating pattern I don't find myself getting hungry or tempted to gorge on a bag of Doritos. I don't consider the above pattern to be a "diet". I consider it to be more of a lifestyle change. But I've been following it for a year and have not gained any of the 20 lbs back that I lost since starting it. And I have tons more energy.

Blockhead

Excuse me? what did i say was a lie?

Jason P

I would also recommend spending $12 for the book, "Eat This, Not That!". The author has a good sense of humor, and while the book doesn't go into extreme details, it will give you a good idea on what you should avoid eating. The book covers all the major restaurants, grocery store items, and holiday meals.

I repeat, it is not a diet book but it is a fun read (sort of like a magazine) and will give you good tips. For instance, at Arby's, one of the worst items you can get is the Market Fresh BLT Sandwich (850 cal; 46 g fat; 1700 mg Sodium) while the Arby Melt is one of the best to choose (320 cal; 11 g fat; 900 mg sodium). But that is all the info they give on Arbys to help give you an idea how the book is set up.

It also opened my eyes to the false connotation that Arbys is implying with their "Market Fresh" campaign (which I would associate with being more healthy). If you look up Arbys nutrition facts, the "Market Fresh" sandwiches are some of the most unhealthy things on the menu.

Anywho, I think this is a good coffee table book.

redrock

The idea behind the 5 smaller meals (3 'main' ones + 2 'snacks') is to keep sugar levels, etc. at as much a constant as possible, which is obviously of benefit. You have more energy, concentration is better, etc. If you eat at say, 7.00am, 12.30pm, 7pm (more or less average meal times?), there are major dips in all levels so it's a constant up and down. Smaller meals also benefit digestion. I follow a low GL diet. Well.. not a diet really, just healthier eating habits. Weight loss is not the goal but health, energy, etc. is.

The diet allows you to eat normally. Adjustments have been made, for example eat brown/wholemeal instead of white (rice, pasta, bread... though you CAN eat white as well), balance the foods properly (you get to know what 'goes' with what, eg, if you eat a fruit salad, sprinkle a few seeds on top), look at how they are cooked (ie don't deep fry, rather steam for example). Use sugar replacements instead of sugar, etc. I eat red meat (which is a no-no in a lot of diets), basically, I eat everything, just give it more thought. I do not buy processed foods, eg, pizza ,but make it myself. Again, I don't use ready made cooking sauces (eg rogan josh sauce to make a curry), but make these from scratch.

To give you an idea, yesterday's menu:

Breakfast - homemade muesli with berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) with milk.
mid morning snack - boiled egg with 'soldiers'
Lunch - salade nicoise
afternoon snack - yogurt with seeds
Dinner - chicken breast stuffed with feta & roast pepper pesto with sweet potato mash. Desert: apple crumble.

Portions are reasonable though not big because it's not necessary. Before eating this way, I was often very hungry by the time lunch and dinner came, so ate way too much and too quickly.

Naturally, any food intake needs to be in relation to your needs.

Jason P

HeidiJam wrote:

Excuse me? what did i say was a lie?

Third to last sentence in your post. You stated that the 5-7 meal plan is a lie.

Smellyman

I will say this too. It's not just McDonald's and Burger King you need to stay away from. It is almost all restaurants.

If supersize me was done at an olive garden, tgif's, etc. etc. the results would probably have been worse.

Blockhead

Jason P wrote:

HeidiJam wrote:

Excuse me? what did i say was a lie?

Third to last sentence in your post. You stated that the 5-7 meal plan is a lie.

No, i said that it is a lie to say the 5-7 meals is better than eating 3 meals a day. I have listed the difference between 7 meals and 3 meals. And it all comes down to your own will power and hunger. If you can go 3 meals a day and not have to (unhealthy) snack inbetween you will see the same gains or losses as you will see with someone who eats 5-7. I bet that most people that eat 5-7 meals a day do so because they have heard that it makes your metabolism speed up. Which is a flat out lie. The only benefit is controling your snacking.
I have been around some of the best college trainers and nutritionist as well as train with many ex-D1 football players and NFL scouts for the last 7 years. The most important thing is what you put in your body. I have seen great results from people who eat one 3,000 cal meal a day.

Blockhead

Smellyman wrote:

I will say this too. It's not just McDonald's and Burger King you need to stay away from. It is almost all restaurants.

If supersize me was done at an olive garden, tgif's, etc. etc. the results would probably have been worse.

To compare the nutirtional value of olive garden to mcdonalds is outrageous. You could get fat off of anything if you eat it in excess. Pasta, chicken - should be a staple of everyones diet.

redrock

HeidiJam wrote:

If you can go 3 meals a day and not have to (unhealthy) snack inbetween you will see the same gains or losses as you will see with someone who eats 5-7. ....... The most important thing is what you put in your body. I have seen great results from people who eat one 3,000 cal meal a day.

I think the, for the purpose of this thread, the main focus of the 'diet' is health, not weight loss. I'm sure that one 3000 cal meal a day is not a healthy way to eat, especially if this one and only meal is the evening one!

Blockhead

redrock wrote:

HeidiJam wrote:

If you can go 3 meals a day and not have to (unhealthy) snack inbetween you will see the same gains or losses as you will see with someone who eats 5-7. ....... The most important thing is what you put in your body. I have seen great results from people who eat one 3,000 cal meal a day.

I think the, for the purpose of this thread, the main focus of the 'diet' is health, not weight loss. I'm sure that one 3000 cal meal a day is not a healthy way to eat, especially if this one and only meal is the evening one!

Your right it is about the ideal diet "health". But many people here seem to think that the ideal diet is 5-7 meals. I am telling you that there is no proof that it does anything but spread your meals throughout the day.
and why is 3000 cal a meal not a healthy way to eat once a day assuming that all the food we are talking about is healthy.

he still stands

I haven't seen any health professional say to NOT eat 5 or 6 small meals a day. That is universally accepted. It doesn't have to be "square" meals... the 2 or 3 extras can be "full" snacks like a cup of yogurt, a hard boiled egg, and some veggies. Or a handful of nuts, a cup of fruit and a 1/2 pint of skim milk. Those are my typical mid day "meals" and I also have a protein shake after my daily workout. Bowl of cereal and juice in the morning. Turkey or chicken (sometimes beef) at night with a starch (usually potatoes) and lots of vegetables. Nothing pre-packaged (well, except for the yogurt, nuts, etc) or with added sugar (don't get the fruit in a cup).

When you eat 2-3 meals a day you're going to have crashing sugar levels and spikes which exacerbate stored body fat. Not to mention your energy levels are going to be shit.

The other 50% of being healthy is exercise. Even if it is just a 2-3 mile walk and some pushups, sit ups.

he still stands

HeidiJam wrote:

Your right it is about the ideal diet "health". But many people here seem to think that the ideal diet is 5-7 meals. I am telling you that there is no proof that it does anything but spread your meals throughout the day.
and why is 3000 cal a meal not a healthy way to eat once a day assuming that all the food we are talking about is healthy.

because most people only burn ~2000 calories a day. So 3000 calories a day will make you fat... regardless if you are eating 3000 calories of Snickers or 3000 calories of broccoli (which would be like 10 lbs... but you get my point)

redrock

HeidiJam wrote:

Your right it is about the ideal diet "health". But many people here seem to think that the ideal diet is 5-7 meals. I am telling you that there is no proof that it does anything but spread your meals throughout the day.
and why is 3000 cal a meal not a healthy way to eat once a day assuming that all the food we are talking about is healthy.

Due to major health issues I have had to look at how and what we eat (issues are not due to food, ie obesity, etc.). My husband is followed by a dietician and nutritionist (amongst other health professionals). It would seem the consensus IS 5 'meals' a day, for reasons I already explained and that he still stands reiterated in the post further below. And, yes, it does spread those meals throughout the day - that's the point. No self respecting nutritionist would say eating once a day is healthy, even if the foods are.