Adpully's Journal, 14 May 17

its all a learnig curve isnt it youre doing great have a good sunday 

Maybe we all need a heading on a graph called "naughty days" 😏 

Very sensible advice. I totally agree to try for less than 100g of carbs daily plus some form of exercise and plenty of water. 

Try dropping your daily calories consumed to 1300-1500/day. If you're calculating your exercise with FitBit, be aware that it overestimates by a lot. Also, the cheat days should probably go, if they only undo all your progress for the week. Lowering carb consumption is only part of the equation. 

Hi! I'm an old school bodybuilder and although I'm not in as good a shape as when I was in my 20's and 30's I'm in very good shape and condition for my age... I'm 54. Over the years of training and diet ( and I have been on stage in competitions) I have experimented with various combinations of diet. My conclusion and fail safe method is simple; At least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day, slightly less carbs ( complex carbs) approx 200 grams per day, and very VERY low fat.. approx 35 to 45 grams per day ... which when all is added together I'm on 2200 calories per day. I do not go with the 'good fats' theory. I'm on a calorie deficit and still maintaining my muscle mass due to the high protein intake. I take my carbs in the morning and over the day but hardly have any after 4pm. Therefore in order for the body to repair and maintain it draws on the fat reserves instead of readily available carbs. Just an insight for you and hope it might help. 

P. S. Don't forget the once a week cheat day. Carb up! Burger & fries, cream cake, big Chinese takeaway etc. It kick starts the metabolism... stokes up the furnace! U will NOT gain fat from a cheat day. It's vital u have one. 

Cuban Holiday I think its a good idea to try an forget the diet once a week -It would have the benefit of making my wife happy - She likes cooking and is struggling because I (her words "don't eat normal food". Currently my cheat days are not excessive, the worst by far this month is a day with 2400 cals - The hotel we were in prior to Harrogate food festival gave free breakfast. Then in mid April I had a 2400 and 2600 calorie blast eating a few my home made hot cross buns. Similarly in March a few days 0n 2400 cals and higher than normal carbs. A day a week with my wife cooking whatever she fancied for us sounds like it would kill two birds with one stone.  

Adpully, no one says you have to eat a full serving of everything at these events or on your wife's cooking days. Two bites, then push the plate away. Is she thin? Perhaps consume only what she does. Guess it depends on if hour cheating is about the type of food you eat, or the amount.  

Sorry- that was supposed to read "your cheating" not "hour." 

Soon, my husband is very thin and the amount of carbs he eats I wouldn't dare do, so it's not just the food; it's how one's body responds to the food. I don't see anything wrong with one day/week eating ONE meal prepared by a spouse. Happy wife happy life. :} Just have to reconfigure what is being eaten that day. If my husband took two bites and pushed it away I wouldn't be very happy about that. First, it's a waste of food and secondly he would be asking for problems.  

@CC - I get how wives or Mothers would take insult to rejected offerings of food, but it's that way of thinking that unfortunately teaches people that the choice is to either be fat or insult loved ones. Perhaps spouses and moms should consider other ways of rewarding their families. If they truly loved them, they would want them to be healthy, yes? 

I take it your're not married or a mother. "Would want them to be healthy" should be the case. Not all mothers and wives prepare less then nutritious meals and not every mother and wife piles the food on the plate or forces anyone to eat 2, 3 or 4 servings, so we can't blanket all mothers and wives. These things can drive a wedge between a couple if you let them, so one needs to tread lightly. We can't assume she is thin and is trying to sabotage him by wanting him to eat what she prepared. I, myself eat ONE less then ideal meal ONCE a week that I prepare for myself and hubby, BUT it is still clean eating. Hubby eats what I eat sometimes and sometimes I have to prepare two separate meals. I don't expect him to convert 100% to my way of eating and I will never go 100% back to the way he eats. We compromise, but not every couple does. Plus, some people come from different cultures and backgrounds, so yes not eating a meal that they have prepared is an insult. I don't think his wife's meals are mostly to blame; probably those visits to the restaurant is the main culprit.  

Adpully, it would be like killing two birds with one stone. Reconfigure those numbers.  

@CC - At one point in my life I was both a wife and a stepmother, but I never cooked and my DH would occasionally play with the grill. We were all thin, and meals were seen more as a nuisance that distracted us from play or work. We were more likely to grab an apple and a bottle of water and jump on our bicycles than to sit down for dinner. It's a whole different attitude than the FS journals I read about people seeking entertainment by going to restaurants or baking cakes for their families. 

With me only really mixing within the gym circle of friends where we mostly know how to diet... I'm wondering if my friends on here are aware of certain criteria for a diet? I really REALLY don't want to try and teach my granny to suck eggs so to speak and don't want to appear a 'know it all' because I don't! However, if u go on the net and look up BMR ( base metabolic rate) u can put in your age, weight, sex, height and life style ... active, moderate, sedentary etc and it will calculate the calories u need just to MAINTAIN your current weight. Mine is 2700 calories per day. So! All u do is take 500 calories off your BMR .. so mine is 2200 ok? Therefore a deficit of 500 per day... 7 days a week = 3500 calories short. A pound of human fat is exactly 3500 calories. So under that regime I should lose a steady 1 lb of fat per week. Slow and steady is the key. I'm losing more than that now as I've upped my cardio. And the closer u get to your goal weight the lower your BMR will be so u have to tweak your numbers a little as time goes on. Just a little insight there. If u already knew all this that's great and if u didn't I hope it helps. Steve. 

SoonSS - Two bites of my wifes cooking and push the plate away is not an option, neither I think is a sub 1500 cals per day - My wife is concerned(wrongly I think) that I am not getting a proper balanced diet. For the last few days I have been eating exactly the same dinner as my wife and son for dinner - and doing a little more exercise. I am still loosing weight at the same rate. Eating out or having a take away is very rare for us average once a month. We do argue about portion control because my wife always cooks much more than is needed then likes to store left overs in tupperware in the fridge for later - I much prefer to cook what you need and eat it all no faffing around and importantly no temptation of eating too much. I am closing in on my target weight now so I'm feeling I should relax my diet vigour a little .  

@adpully- I meant 2 bites of her desserts, or any sweets for that matter. When people cook for others (special things, not day-to-day meals), they do it to receive compliments and recognition for their efforts and talents. This is pretty easy to turn around. Just find a recipe you'd like her to try that falls within your WOE and then compliment the heck out of it when she's made it. Better yet, find an activity for both of you, and thank her profusely for joining you.