The Blue Board

honestly? count calories for a few weeks and you will realise quickly what you can and can't eat.

you need to know your daily maintenance calories and how to eat under that at a rate to lose 1-2 pounds per week. weigh yourself, track progress...if you apply a scientific method to it, its very, very easy. You don't have to count forever, just meticulously for a short period so you understand whats happening.

its calories in/calories out...it physics and thermodynamics...if you do it right you cannot fail.

go to bodybuilding.com and read the nutrition forum stickies....

the places you frequent for lunch, etc, the meals you cook, see how many calories you are eating and how you can make small adjustments.

i.e. get a bowl instead of a burrito at chipotle, moes, etc...the flour tortilla has 300 calories...cut cheese and guac for another 100...etc....still filling, still good.

PM me if you want to discuss. I have lost 50 pounds in the last 6 months this way...but you have to see it as a lifestyle change, not a quick diet fix. it has to be something you can stick to.

Get your lifestyle in order, and that includes cooking. There is no easy way out, either do it or reconsider your goals.

you don't even need to count calories. Eat smart, even when going out. Stop going to fast food places like McDs/Burger King. You shouldn't eat that stuff more than once every few months. Don't eat a ton of fried food. Eat more fish (not fried), eat more chicken (not fried). Make sure you eat a veggie with a meal. Cut down on chocolate, cut down on munchies like Chips, cookies, and those kind of pre-packaged snacks. Start eating more fruit as a snack. When you cook, know what you're putting into your food. Less sugar and salt, more spice. Drink lots of water.

Rip off. Uber rip off.

EDIT

Assuming you're talking about the chain Whole Foods, otherwise I agree.

breakfast eggwhites and toast. anyone can make that.

lunch tuna salad on tomato and spinach

snack: your choice but I go with a tasty cake some would say eat healthy here but i say don't deprive yourself of all pleasures

dinner: fish ,chicken, or some lean red meat and some veggies

cut out soda, replace with flavored tea or water

watch the lbs peel off.

I'm doing Insanity also. Have lost 30 pounds in 3 months by counting calories. Just echoing what other posters have said about replacing fruit with snacks, eating veggies, grilled chicken and fish. Never felt better.

Also, greensooner can email you a diet scale he put together. A lot of good info.

"Not having time to cook" or "always on the go" is a bit of an excuse. Not calling you out, but if you take the time to prepare some meals early in the week or every few days, it will make eating well much easier. Also, check out www.myfitnesspal.com (it also has an app) and you will see how easy counting calories is.

Snacks like nuts, fruits, and veggies don't need to be prepared... just put 'em in a baggie and take it to work. You can cook a breast of chicken in 10-20 minutes at night and steam some broccoli while the chicken is cooking. So you're looking at 15-20 minutes to prepare a very healthy dinner.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Check out the link above for counting calories and head to the forums for TONS of ideas on good stuff thats healthy. I have sweet potato fries, lasagna, pasta, sandwiches, and various types of mexican/burritos all of the time... and its nothin' but health.

Exactly!

I lost 80 pounds during college doing these things. I quit all the late-night Taco Bell runs and the BK breakfasts. I will warn you though that you have to maintain a proper exercise routine. I lost all that weight but all of the muscle I had went with it and I was weak to a point that was unhealthy. I literally struggled trying to lift 10 pounds of weight because I didn't lose the weight correctly.

After college I gained about 40 of it back from eating more "southern home cookin" at my parents place, "midwestern rib-sticking meals" at my ex-gf's place, and then lazy processed-food cooking when I became single again.

I've since lost all of those 40 pounds. Started by cutting back on the booze and changed the types of food I have eaten. Once you actually look at the labels on some of these foods it will make you sick. A great example is those photos you see of McDonalds that has been left out for months/years that still look the same as the day you ordered them. If that stuff can survive open elements for that long of time, how long does it take for your body to break that down? Cooking isn't that difficult. There are millions of health-food information sites out there. I'm a big fan of ground turkey and brown rice with some seasoning myself. I keep my sodium count low, keep the protein high, and moderate sugar and carbs.

I only recently started my consistent workout routine 7 weeks ago and the best way to keep at it is to track EVERYTHING. I keep a running spreadsheet of weight, BMI, and how many reps I do during my workouts. I've set individual goals for certain things such as number of situps, max weight for curls, etc. I've just now started to do running to improve cardio since my first goal was to regain strength. It's nice actually seeing the results written out, keeping track of milestones, and checking off completed goals and I'm hoping to keep the spreadsheet current for an entire year.

They say it takes 12 weeks for other people to see significant results. If you can dedicate yourself for even half that time, you will be addicted and you won't want to stop at just 12 weeks.

Best of luck to you.

This is all that needs to be said. End of thread.

Solid advice ITT. I would also add splitting your calories into 5 meals. I started doing that when I started Insanity and I can feel the burn/churn all day. I'm also never hungry.