[professorTuring]

What worked for me: - quit sugar - quit processed foods - avoid fried food - little fat (even the healthy ones) - no nuts/seeds - lifting weights - little cardio

I have completely changed my life in one year.

It has been a very tough path, mostly socially, going out and not having a beer, burger… social pressure… but when you believe in eating healthy everything goes smooth. Also measure the results, once you get 12-15% of body fat, you may be gaining muscle weight.

The goal should be changing your lifestyle to one that is healthy and sustainable.

[beacon294]

That sounds great, but I haven't found it to be sustainable. I also avoid fried foods, sugar, processed foods. I only eat meat twice a week. I count every gram of saturated fat I eat, and keep it under 10 grams per day. I eat nuts every day, for breakfast and/or afternoon snack -- I find the unsaturated fats and proteins prevent hunger. I also drink protein shakes (1-2 per day).

[professorTuring]

Have you thought why isn’t sustainable for you?

The main problem I faced was giving in “just this time”. Fat and sugar are addictive and when you fall, it makes it easier to fall again.

About healthy food, I had overweight and I mostly ate “healthy food”. I needed to go to a nutritionist and ask him why.

This is what O was eating a year and a half ago:

Breakfast: two bread slices with avocado.

Meal: mostly salads with lettuce, tomato, tuna, avocado, carrots, salt, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. (I really wanted to lose weight).

Dinner: chicken, sushi, eggs… normally I would add a handful of seeds/nuts.

This is what my nutriotionist told me: you have been eating quite healthy, the problem are the fats: too many healthy fats (extra virgin oil, avocado, nuts… nuts have a lot of fats).

Only add protein shakes when you are trying to gain muscle and you are not able to add normal proteins. I started on protein shakes once I was slim and not able to eat that much food to gain muscle.

A year later I am fully conscious of what I eat. I can have eventually a burger, but I am fully aware that it is really unhealthy.

My proteins today are mainly chicken and salmon, carbs: quinoa, rice, lentils… and almost no fat (I’m trying to get my fat % to 12… it’s quite difficult)

Also read all packaged ingredients you will find nasty surprises in form of fats and sugar in diet / “high protein” meals.

Also no juices!

[beacon294]

Agreed: NO juices!!

I don't have a problem with food addiction or cravings, so I am fine to eat a huge burger here and there. Since I don't have this particular addiction problem, I use the "elasticity of willpower" a lot. E.g. if you restrict yourself too much you might rebound the other way, so I give in to desiring a burger in a controlled manner, I don't crave it for the next week.

As for what is not sustainable: for diet, quitting things cold is not sustainable, as small portions will not hurt me and not cause me to crave them. Instead I end up giving up on quitting them, and then they are no longer controlled by portion size.

I do have problems with limiting alcohol and nicotine, so I don't even have 1 sip/drag of those items, so I do know what addictive behavior is.

[nilsbunger]

Has it helped you lose weight or keep it off?

[beacon294]

My cholesterol dropped from 250 to 200, and I do expect it to fall further as I shave off more rough edges from my diet.

What "shaving the rough edges off" looks like is making a slightly healthier choice on my 2 meat meals per week, e.g. single patty burger, skip the cheese, or have a 4 oz steak. Drinking only half the mango lassi, or skipping the milkshake.

I also dropped from 215 to 205 lbs. 200-205 lbs is my healthy weight, with 11-13% body fat.

[jyunwai]

This tracks with food writer Michael Pollan's advice for eating a healthy diet. In his view, healthy eating for most people means sticking to a limited set of rules and habits, without overcomplicating the affair. The main rules are [1]:

"1. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

2. Eating healthy is common sense. Don’t make it complicated.

3. Avoid processed foods and ingredients you don’t recognize.

4. Use meat for flavor, not the main course.

5. Pay more, eat less."

While diet can be a contentious issue (with debates on meal timing, how many meals per day to eat, how much fat versus protein versus carbohydrates to eat per day, etc.), I've gotten a lot of mileage out of Pollan's central message that you eating healthily largely means limiting portion sizes and choosing fresh food over processed meals.

[1] https://tylerdevries.com/book-summaries/food-rules/