[Ruckus Fox]

Well...I'm unsatisfied with my appearance as of late. I'm starting to lose my curvy love-handles and my tummy is getting a little more round. Since X-mas, I've put on ten pounds. ;-; I figure it's a mixture of the nasty cold weather (keeps me indoors), food from X-mas, and food from my Birfday.

I've made the resolution to start a diet. I need to get fit for paintball, and if I ever want to pick up any studs, I need to look my best.

I'm very good at "cold turkey." But the problem is, I don't know where to begin. I'm replacing my breakfast foods (normally omelets, breakfast sandwiches, etc.) with healthy cereals like Fiber One and oatmeal. Sugars are going down the tube. Once the pop disappears from the fridge, I'm not going to get any more. Salts are going to be greatly reduced--soups and salads will be monitored. And I'd like to give up a majority of my red meats. A great reduction in beef and pork would be great...as well as some loss in fowl.

Things that are still open to me are fish, a reduction of sea food, cold meats (sandwiches, wraps, anything that isn't cooked), and carbs. Never give up carbs. Carbs are, quite simply, the most easily digestible source of glucose. There's a reason why the pyramid recommends 10-12 servings of bread each day.

What else can I do to fight off this fat? I do squats to plump my butt...I should probably start running again too. I'm also told that tea helps to fight off hunger very well.

Tips? Tricks? Humor me.

--Ruckus

[Master Of Stuff]

Yeeeesh... you've got a Very good handle on what to do. I can only add a few recommendations:

-Omega-3 is good for the brain-meats. A lot of recent health-conscious food contain it, and fish is full of it. A new fad I would guess.
-Reduce pork and beef, but keep the good ones: Sirloin, Tenderloin, extra lean ground(sparingly, fat content is variable despite the beef/fat ratio which is merely an estimation). Small warning, those meats are Expensive but have the least fat content.
-Chicken: White meat Only. Breast and wing, skinless.
-Carbs: There's a difference between good and bad carbs, usually due to processing. White bread is usually stripped of anything nutritious and additives are used. Go with Whole Grain(not just wheat).
-A multivitamin helps. I don't know your health, but I know a few people where vitamins are downright necessary.

And if you feel an urge or a craving, have a little to sedate it. Going too long while having urges usually ends up with gorging.

Best of luck!

[Cspace]

Chew gum. It can help when one's hungry.

[Traver]

Chewing gum always makes me more hungry.

[Jake]

Eat less + more moar = Profit
Always remember that.
Anything else you do (no red meat, etc.) is simply extra.


As for the tea... yeah. It's good for suppressing hunger, but so is water. But if you must drink obscene amounts of tea, might I suggest decaf?
Seafood is pretty healthy too. I suggest boiled shrimp. You use so much energy shelling the bas­tards that it's probably impossible to get fat on them. They're delicious too. Then again, living so close to the gulf coast has me spoiled on fresh seafood.

Oh, here's some good fish.
Red Snapper
Flounder
Speckled trout
Redfish(red drum)
Whiting

Sad thing is that Specks and reds aren't available in stores afaik since it's a game fish. As if they'd be available in the frozen north anyway.

[Ruckus Fox]

Alright. Thanks for the input.

I'll get some whole wheat bread right away. We're running low anyway...so I'll just add it to the list.

I already take multiple vitamin supplements a day. They aren't really necessary...but...some (like L-Lysine) help with fending off sickness and what not while others are for nutrition.

I can't chew gum. My enamel is genetically weak and it gives me cavities in the recesses of my teeth. Gum is not an option.

Jake, yeah. You're spoiled. We can't even get half of those fish up here in South Dakota. We have bass, perch, northern pike, walleye, and different varieties of sunfish. I also can't eat shrimp or crab without some sort of bread or breading on it. It makes me puke. I dunno why...it just does. Cocktail sauce doesn't help any...in fact, I think it just speeds up the rate of which I puke.

I already drink at least a bottle of water every day (not counting milk, water at school, and meals) and if I am going to shed sugar/pop from my diet...I think I may need -some- source of caffeine. Especially since my mum will only drink decaf coffee. -.-

Thanks for the advice!

[Jake]

I don't really like the way most shrimp is prepared either, but if it's done right.... da­mn.


Also, wtfperch? That's like... 1/2 a fish stick per fish.


Edit: Cold turkey on caffene is not difficult. If anything you'll be more addicted to the sweetness of the drinks.

[Res]

By the way, SeeDCon hosted at my house WILL have THE largest and best crawfish boil you suckers have ever had.

As far as dieting goes, I've never had to go on one myself. :$
The most I can say is to cut junk and stick with suggestions others have made.

Oh. And it's "Coke", regardless of what kind of drink it is. Not "Pop". Silly Ruckus. <3

[Jake]

I've... never had boiled crawfish.

What the hell...

[Zziggywolf5]

My only suggestions:
Make water your principle drink.
Avoid soda unless it's the only thing you can drink.
Watch for added sugar in products you may not expect... We have a bag of blueberries in the house with both sugar and corn syrup added. >.>
Don't forget exercise.

[Aaron]

Seems like your food plan is just fine. Stick to it! It gets easier as time goes on. As for exercise, I would highly recommend running. It's free and only requires a pair of shoes. It also burns a heck of a lot of calories and will help build endurance for paintball. If you want to keep your current weight or even gain a little, then you should replace it with muscle. Train the muscles wherever you feel they will be most beneficial. I personally do upper body weight training, sit-ups, and running (builds leg muscles, naturally).

[Charlie]

Cut out all excessive snacking, or at least replace them with good stuff.

I find watching cooking programs help, but that might be just me o.o.

[Ruckus Fox]

Thanks for all of the advice, folks!

I still call it Pop or Soda... ;-;

The Missouri River perch up here get a -lot- bigger than you're thinking. I'm not talking about the 1 inch by 4 inch things. These little guys can get longer than a small mouth bass, and much wider than any sunfish.

Crawfish, I can stomach. Those are good. I trust you are skilled enough to gut them safely?

I was tempted, today, but I've read up and snacking is one of the killers of obesity. It's the main reason why some people look the way they do. I'm stopping it immediately.

I don't mind keeping my weight (145lbs), I just want to lose fat off of my tummy and suck in my love-handles again. And no, I'm doing -no- upper body training. I prefer to be weak. That way I can get a big, strong, handsome man to lift all of my heavy {expletive hax0rd by Cspace}. ;3

--Ruckus

[Master Of Stuff]

Cut out all excessive snacking, or at least replace them with good stuff.

Snacking is good, as long as you do it smart.

For me it was unsalted almonds and peanuts.

If you have the time, space out your meals to 6 or 7 a day, with significantly smaller portions. Don't have the time for this personally, but if I could I would.

[Phieta]

TLDR, so some of this may have been mentioned.

Advice I've been given and largely ignored due to laziness and a love of food (loosely summarized):

1. Get a good, timed-release multivitamin. Friend recommended GNC's "Mega Men"; your mileage may vary. But the time-release formula is important because otherwise most of it is wasted and peed out.
2. If you want to build muscle rather than just losing weight, get some protein shake mix too.
3. You should take the multi first thing when you wake up, then do at least 30 minutes of cardio. -Then- you can breakfast.
4. Depending on your multi, don't forget to take a second one about six hours later
5. The same amount of food will serve you better if you have it over many smaller meals rather than the usual two or three meals a day. Too much at once and your body stores it for later.
6. Carbs are generally better earlier in the day, so you can use them up before they're stored away. Protein is better after exercise, and later in the day, to "refuel."
7. WILLPOWER OMG.