I was wondering if anybody can give me some advice or let me know how they have been able to drop weight while having an extremely high food drive. I’m currently a 26 year old male that is 6’2 250. I go to the gym 4 days a week and would say I have good strength for my size. My PRs are 325 bench, 455 deadlift and a 425 squat. But I really only go to the gym just to be able to hold muscle and burn calories so I can eat. Right now I eat around 4100 cal a day and at minimum get around 225g of protein. I’m at 26% bodyfat and would love to lower that down to 18%ish. I’ve tried every diet trick and weight loss hack but nothing sticks. I’m open to anything, whether that means supplements or some new diet method. Any advice would be appreciated.
What are the foods you find yourself driven to eat? Can you list what/when you ate yesterday?
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I’m pretty fine during the day, I had broccoli cheddar soup 600cal, 2 hashbrowns 408cal, 5 chicken tenders 700cal, potato wedges 350cal, ground beef and rice 650cal, ground turkey and rice 400cal, and steamed veggies for 130cal. My issue usually comes before bedtime, I get cravings for usually chips and queso or pop tarts, or really anything junk food. The issue I run into is I find it hard to sleep unless my craving is satiated. Which then usually puts me over my calorie goal for the day.
Just QUIT feeding yourself carbohydrates at night. Only eat protein. It actually satisfies hunger and will help lean you out.
If you cannot stop eating carbohydrates this time period, I don’t give you much hope
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Do you just recommend very lean sources of protein or if a fattier source of beef fits my macros would that be fine?
At this point in your weight loss quest, either is fine. IMO, the carbohydrates is your enemy. Get those under control, and then you can address the fat content in meats
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Bro…
Just eat healthier food, damn
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I would not call this doing pretty fine…
Nighttime binge eating tends to be a result of daytime starvation. Everyone does “real good” during the day, because the day is early and the body doesn’t NEED those nutrients. But when it comes to the end of the day and the body hasn’t gotten what it needs yet, it goes “f**k you: pay me”, and it pulls all sorts of hormonal levers to get it done.
Beat it by eating the stuff you need at the BEGINNING of the day. Hashbrowns, chicken tenders and potato wedges are all an opportunity cost. You’re eating foods fried in low quality oils that are most likely rancid, taking in way more calories than are necessary for very little nutritional benefit. If you front loaded yourself with some unprocessed, high protein, nutrient dense foods, there’s a fair chance you can eat MORE during the day because you won’t be binging at night.
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How do you deal with not eating what you want? I know that might sound stupid but is there anything you did to become a more discipline eater, or was it just something you did cold turkey and then got used to it?
I DO eat what I want. What I want to eat is meat and eggs.
Do you like those?
Yeah I eat everything. So you meal prep everything? And just eat what you meal prep?
I eat 2 meals a day when gaining, and 1 to 2 when losing. I don’t need to do much meal prep.
I would eat a lot of meat and eggs during the day and see how that goes
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You didn’t ask me, but I trained the discipline. Sometimes when training for a Bodybuilding contest that after dinner, I would take my wife to one of the popular ice cream shops and watch her eat ice cream. Maybe, when at the mall, go and stand by Cinnabon and enjoy the savory odor of sugar and cinnamon that dominated the air.
Start eating by the clock. Set times to eat and eat those times the meal plan that you set for the day. It is easy if you don’t take the first taste of the food you want. Make it a point that YOU decide what you are going to eat, and not your taste buds.
Lays had a saying about their potato chips: “Betcha can’t eat just one!” Take the hint and don’t eat one.
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Okay the next time I go to the grocery store I’ll keep this in mind. I’ll probably also start bringing my lunch and dinner to work. It’s hard to find healthy food at the hospital.
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Do you always take your lunch to work?
I took three meals to work; lunch and both breaks
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It would be helpful if you know your TDEE and had a plan to eat less than that. TDEE is total daily energy expenditure and there are calculators online for you to figure that out.
Then, figure your macros - get 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight at a minimum - more would be better. Frontload the protein - get 40-50 grams at your first meal. Use protein powder for this as well.
Save carbs for the end of the day and then try to get non-starchy carbs like fruit. Avoid potatoes, rice and pasta.
Get 10K steps per day.
You can do this.
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This is fine if your already in shape or under weight. You should be getting 1g-1.25g protien per lb of lean body weight. You don’t need to account for body fat in this calc. A 300lb fatty at 40% does not need 300g of protien. They would require 180g to 225g to match their LBM. Obviously on a structured diet the more of your cals coming from protien/fats are better for fat loss.
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Instant 1,000 calorie cut right there.
What did you wash all this down with? What do you drink daily?
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I’ve always found that to be interesting. The one I go to semi-so often has actually changed it up a lot, but there’s still some way to go.
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