Beginning a healthy diet

[lak2004]

Where to start?
I'm 33 and have high blood pressure and a beer belly. 5'10" 178 lbs. I eat ok, but have a bad sweet tooth. I would like to lose weight, gain energy and start strength training. I know diet is going to be key.

I read all kinds of posts on here, but I need a good place to start with cutting sugars and carbs. Can someone point me to a good book or any other place/person that can get me going?

I'd like to lower body day and sodium intake so I don't have to take any blood pressure meds (not currently not have I ever taken any).

Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[jt4]

Not sure if you meant it the way it sounded, but my vague input would be don't "diet", but try to make it a conscious choice to eat better. Diets don't stick. Making any kind of change for your actual health is going to take long term sustainability.

 

[danarnold]

skip white enriched flour, soda and fast food

for my sweet tooth I eat a few prunes, I like em

 

[lak2004]

Not sure if you meant it the way it sounded, but my vague input would be don't "diet", but try to make it a conscious choice to eat better. Diets don't stick. Making any kind of change for your actual health is going to take long term sustainability.

Definitely not in that way. I mean my day to day eating habits, not a "diet" in the hollyweird sense of the word.

skip white enriched flour, soda and fast food

for my sweet tooth I eat a few prunes, I like em

I very rarely have soda or fast food, less than 3 times a year. I do eat bread such as rye, sourdough, bagels and english muffins, but will begin phasing those out almost entirely. I do not eat a lot of pasta or rice, but I do have it on occasion.

I am thinking for breakfasts I should cut out breads and stick with eggs, bacon/sausage, fruits/vegetables.

Lunch will have to be salad with grilled chicken, veggies, egg and olive oil/vinegar for dressing.

Dinners will be tough because my wife is a rice/pasta fan and I am not going to change her diet because she is pregnant.

Overall, I eat fairly healthy but my demise comes from sugar and alcohol. It will be really difficult to give up booze, so that might be my one vice if I can stick to something low in carbs/sugars?

 

[*zap*]

So, a transition to a better nutrition plan may take a while and require incremental change in order to be sustainable. I would start by gradually eliminating all processed foods and substituting natural foods(foods with one ingredient or 1% of added ingredients). You might temporarily substitute blueberries for the processed sugars but aim to eliminate as much sugar as possible for the long run. You might also use higher carb natural foods (black beans/sweet potatoes) for the transition to a low carb end game. This transition can take up to one year but I have found that gradual transition is more sustainable. I have found that a high amount of unsaturated fats has been very agreeable for my strength gains and decreasing my recovery times. Right now I do lower carb, high good fats and high protein. A good mix of quality monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats has been good for me but I think that you need to watch the total calories taken in a day compared to calories burned especially if your not very low carb and low protein because of weight gain issues. Good luck!

 

[lak2004]

So, a transition to a better nutrition plan may take a while and require incremental change in order to be sustainable. I would start by gradually eliminating all processed foods and substituting natural foods(foods with one ingredient or 1% of added ingredients). You might temporarily substitute blueberries for the processed sugars but aim to eliminate as much sugar as possible for the long run. You might also use higher carb natural foods (black beans/sweet potatoes) for the transition to a low carb end game. This transition can take up to one year but I have found that gradual transition is more sustainable. I have found that a high amount of unsaturated fats has been very agreeable for my strength gains and decreasing my recovery times. Right now I do lower carb, high good fats and high protein. A good mix of quality monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats has been good for me but I think that you need to watch the total calories taken in a day compared to calories burned especially if your not very low carb and low protein because of weight gain issues. Good luck!

Thank you! Just the kind of info I need. I have a hard time controlling urges, so an incremental change would be more successful for me. Thanks again

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[JustJustin]

Not sure if you meant it the way it sounded, but my vague input would be don't "diet", but try to make it a conscious choice to eat better. Diets don't stick. Making any kind of change for your actual health is going to take long term sustainability.

This is correct.

Cut out sweet drinks, soda, beer, sweet tea...
I actually got on to drinking UNsweet tea. It took about 3 or 4 times to get used to it but now I'll take unsweetened over sweet any day of the week!

I have a sweet tooth as well, and its really hungry!! For me, if I eat sweet things in the morning like pancakes & syrup, donuts etc, it makes me crave sweets the rest of the day, so avoiding sweets, especially in the morning, is beneficial to me. Fruit is a good way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Choosing what you eat is going to be a better long term plan than a diet.
A grilled chicken sandwich often has between 300-400 calories, fried chicken 600-800 and a burger is 600 +++. A few simple decisions like that make a big difference after a while. Ultimately skip the bread and eat grilled chicken!


Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[BeaverHunter]

I would start with not drinking for awhile. Or at least try 6 days a week of no drinking with a cheat day where you limit yourself to a couple drinks. You will feel a lot better and probably work out more often.
I would also make sure to bring your lunch from home. And load up on heathy snacks.

 

[Flatgo]

I think the easiest way to start is to take a month do a "cleanse"/whole 30 type diet. that show what really effects you. then go on an 80/20 plan. But being strict to begin with is key and will get you off on the right foot. when i orginally did this i felt so much better i did not want sweet dairy and gluten which are at least for me the 3 biggest things that make me put on the pounds. plus you feel like garbage after eating so you don't want those items after 30 days anyways. good luck

 

[Buckshot85]

I will add this, you will be surprised how your sweet tooth will not be as hungry for sugar once you stop feeding it. If you can go 5-7 days with no unnecessary sugar your cravings really start to diminish.

 

[Bubdog]

I found the best thing that has kept me from caving to urges was fasting. I started with 16:8 intermittent fasting and now I dont eat til around 6pm several days a week.

I also think it is best to do a slow gradual change. I cut out peanut butter, kefir, granola bars, OJ, and Sunday afternoon gluttony over a period of about two years. If I had tried to do it all at once I would not have made it.

 

[PMcGee]

Definitely not in that way. I mean my day to day eating habits, not a "diet" in the hollyweird sense of the word.



I very rarely have soda or fast food, less than 3 times a year. I do eat bread such as rye, sourdough, bagels and english muffins, but will begin phasing those out almost entirely. I do not eat a lot of pasta or rice, but I do have it on occasion.

I am thinking for breakfasts I should cut out breads and stick with eggs, bacon/sausage, fruits/vegetables.

Lunch will have to be salad with grilled chicken, veggies, egg and olive oil/vinegar for dressing.

Dinners will be tough because my wife is a rice/pasta fan and I am not going to change her diet because she is pregnant.

Overall, I eat fairly healthy but my demise comes from sugar and alcohol. It will be really difficult to give up booze, so that might be my one vice if I can stick to something low in carbs/sugars?

You’d be amazed how much weight you’ll loose if you give up booze for a few months. I’m 5’9” I weighed close to 180 when I started getting back into working out. I drank a few beers during the week and a lot on the weekends. I cut down to drinking once a week or once every two weeks and lost 30lbs in 3 months. I drink every weekend now and if I stop working out I start putting the lbs back on. I just try to workout all year long to keep the lbs off.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[jorgensen.travis]

Sounds like you already know what to do. As for books, Aubrey Marcus “Own the Day” is a good lifestyle book


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob5589]

You're not eating as "healthy" as you think if you have hypertension at 33. Get that under control asap or it will lead to far worse conditions down the road.
For a sweet tooth, I love refrigerated dates. Ditching the alcohol altogether will drop pounds off you pretty darn quickly.

Good luck man! Stick with it and you'll be pleased with the results, guaranteed!

 

[scooter25]

Check out cleansimpleeats.com Ive lost 100lbs following their seasonal plans.

 

[CBECK61]

Check out the Wheat Belly Diet Book. It is tough to follow for the first 10 days but honestly I have never felt better when I followed it strictly. Tough to make it through the holidays following it to the letter. I'm pretty lean typically and very active. I went from being 190lbs to 170 in 2 months at 6'2". I didn't do it to lose weight but followed it with my wife who has crohns disease. I struggled to follow it perfectly year round but hit it for 2-3 month gaps once or twice a year. I felt way better than ever and it really helped her.

Good luck.

 

[P Carter]

Another gradual approach is to start swapping relatively unhealthy habits for healthy ones. It can be easy. Tea instead of soda. Eggs in the morning instead of cereal. Standing for lunch instead of sitting. Dates after dinner instead of whatever other sweet. Gum right when I get home before dinner instead of a granola bar. For me, a conscious “swapping” is easier than just cutting. Plus the new, healthier routine ended up just as pleasing as the unhealthier one. A large component of the satisfaction, for me, is in the routine rather than the contents of the routine.

 

[DavePwns]

Drinking alcohol can make it tough to loose weight, the food you eat during and after you drink are where the calories serisouly add up. For me, I only drink if someone else is providing the drinks and will never have more than 3 servings. Doing this allows me to enjoy a wedding, a BBQ or poker with the boys 1 to 2 times a month and I feel it's a good balance having 1 or 2 days of drinks a month. Not sure why but if I ever have a sweet tooth, I'll drink jocko white tea and the cravings are gone. For sweets, I will eat processed sugar if someone bakes me something from scratch, and will enjoy no more than a few servings. Completely cutting sugar makes me eat more sugar later on due to cravings. In short, experiment with moderation or cutting things out to find what will work long term, I. E. Something you can tolerate and enjoy for 10 plus years. Don't think short term

 

[Frito]

I started as an endurance athlete at 18, running triathlon, runs, swims, adventure racing, etc. I continued on with it and trying to be a competitive mountain biker up until I was about 26, then I got married, started having kids, and kinda quit. I continued to keep up some of my training for a few more years and always had the idea that because of my training, I was "entitled" to carbs....carbs before and after training, and for the most part, I stayed away from "sugar". Little did I know I was ingesting sugar all day, every day in the form of bread products. Before I knew it, I had a nice little ring around my mid section that I couldn't run, bike, swim or hike off.

If you like reading and it motivates you, start with a book called "Wheat Belly". From there, read "Keto Clarity" and "The Complete Guide to Fasting". Cutting processed carbs from your diet will be life changing. I don't even do cardio anymore. I'm 40 and look better than I did when I was a Marine or triathlete. I feel like I'm 20 again, and I've had my share of ailments over the years.

It's good to know what's really making people fat and to learn about insulin response. I'm a believer.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Deadfall]

Thank you! Just the kind of info I need. I have a hard time controlling urges, so an incremental change would be more successful for me. Thanks again

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

Instead of cake eat fruit. Strawberries are good sugar replaced. Blueberries. Basically any fruit you pallet likes