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I feel like diet is completely the wrong word, just because I have so many associations of diet with crazy weight loss plans, lol.
The past two years since I have been in college I have been eating a lot of 'empty' food. Food that has calories but not much nutrients, food that doesn't fill you well, food that doesn't have a lot of tastiness. Mainly I have been eating a pasta-centric diet. Plain pastas with butter and parmesan, ramen noodles, pasta with butter and salt and pepper... pasta, pasta, pasta.
This is clearly not very good for you. However, pasta is about the cheapest thing you can buy, and I am poor, so this has been the main portion of my diet. It makes me tired and have weird cravings (because I'm not getting nutrients my body needs), and it makes me sick of pastas.
But... hurrah a friend is helping me with food now so I can eat a bit better. Also negotiated with financial aid a bit and have a meal plan once school starts.
My goal is now to have a diet that consists of:
- healthy proteins
- vegetables
- fruits
- dairy
- a bit of grains (but not very much)
I love seafood, so I will try to eat more fish. Fish is pretty good for you because it is a lean meat with good unsaturated fats. They serve a wide assortment of sushi here as well as shrimp and baked and grilled fish at the dining halls. Grilled chicken and turkey is also pretty delicious, and lean beef from time to time (I hateeeeee fatty beef for some reason lol, tastes so nasty to me).
I really like salads, but I have to have a shitton of stuffs on them to fill me up-- eggs and olives and tomatoes and cucumbers and carrots and mushrooms and peppers, etcetcetc. I like to have a bit of protein on my salads as well, such as tuna or grilled chicken. For dressing, I don't really care too much about 'healthy' dressings, since I don't put very much on my salads anyway, and I am not concerned with losing weight. If I feel like ranch I will have it.  But for the most part I really like vinegarettes. ^_^ The dining halls here all have very good salad bars, so I should be able to eat a large salad for at least one of my meals each day.
Fruits: I can eat fruit like candy (srsly). This is definitely my preferred snack! I usually want to snack when I feel like I am getting a low blood sugar after a long day at work or classes. Fruits are a naturally sugary and good for you food! Grapes, peaches, cherries, and strawberries are probably my favorites, but there are also some really good blueberries in the dining halls sometimes. They leave a lot of fruits around in bowls and you can take whatever you like with you.
I like dairy products. Cheese is especially amazing (born in Wisconsin, lol). A strong tasty cheese is very rewarding in small amounts for a snack. Yogurt and cottage cheese are great for breakfast, especially with fruits. Also... ice-cream... the one sweet I shall indulge in 2 or 3 times a week, lol. Not healthy but I love it? XD
Grains I will not be going out of my way to consume, but of course they will pop up with other foods. Rice/pasta/tortillas etc are often part of the meal packaging. I shall eat it if it is convenient to my other noms.
Drinks... I suppose I will just keep drinking ridiculous amounts of water. It's pretty delicious, and free, and also Sheth drinks it so it must be good.  I also miss drinking teas, so I think I will start to drink a cup a day. Warm drinks make me sleepy, so I think a cup of chamomile tea before bed in the evenings would be nice. ^_^
Anyway... This is my plan! :D
I am writing the blog partly because it makes me feel a bit more accountable to doing it, and also if anyone has any advice that is nice to. 
 
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My best advice if you wish to really lose extra weight and fat, is adopt an eating style similar to the Atkins Diet.
Basically you cut out carbs almost entirely, or as much as you possibly can and eat a mostly fat/protein based diet. Lots of meat and eggs, vegetables and other high fat fat protein foods.
The real secret is not listening to any type of social standard for food. Do NOT finish everything on your plate if you aren't hungry anymore. Three meals a day is far more food than I require, so I don't. I eat when I'm hungry and only then. Today I ate.....a bagel with bacon egg and cheese from a local bakery, a small bag a jerky, and some ice cream with a bunch of strawberries. And like, 3 bottles of coke throughout the day.
Remember, only eat when you are HUNGRY. Not when the clock says "well its lunch time so I SHOULD be hungry, I'll eat something."
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Look up paleo diet. I am currrently reading "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf. If you want to keep it simple, just eat real foods!
good luck!
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Hmmm... guess I didn't make it clear I have zero interest in losing any weight.. just want to feel less crappy since my diet the past two years has majorly contributed to that. I would like to eat filling foods that taste nice and provide my body with proper nutrients basically. (Meats, fruits, and veggies mostly then.) A basic rule of thumb for healthy food is-- fewer ingredients + ingredients you actually know (like-- banana instead of dicholitemonosomething) = probably healthy for you OR you should be able to tell it's unhealthy because the ingredients list will read SUGAR and BUTTER, lol.
@AoN.DimSun: Thanks for the suggestion! I have heard the diet mentioned once or twice but do not know too much about it. I shall look it up and see if I glean any good ideas. I am afraid of trying to follow any diet too carefully or else I know I will give up on it lol. Therefore I am trying to put together a general idea of healthy eating I want to do.
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also since you are in usa, try this website for shopping for meat: eatwild.com
You can find the closest farmers where they sell grassfed/free range meats/poultry.
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On August 05 2011 13:18 N3rV[Green] wrote:
My best advice if you wish to really lose extra weight and fat, is adopt an eating style similar to the Atkins Diet.
Basically you cut out carbs almost entirely, or as much as you possibly...blah blah blah
On August 05 2011 12:24 RedJustice wrote:
I am not concerned with losing weight
lol
also wtf
On August 05 2011 13:18 N3rV[Green] wrote:
I eat when I'm hungry and only then. Today I ate.....a bagel with bacon egg and cheese from a local bakery, a small bag a jerky, and some ice cream with a bunch of strawberries. And like, 3 bottles of coke throughout the day.
your diet needs serious help man
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On August 05 2011 14:31 sob3k wrote:Show nested quote +On August 05 2011 13:18 N3rV[Green] wrote:
My best advice if you wish to really lose extra weight and fat, is adopt an eating style similar to the Atkins Diet.
Basically you cut out carbs almost entirely, or as much as you possibly...blah blah blah Show nested quote +On August 05 2011 12:24 RedJustice wrote:
I am not concerned with losing weight
Show nested quote +On August 05 2011 13:18 N3rV[Green] wrote:
I eat when I'm hungry and only then. Today I ate.....a bagel with bacon egg and cheese from a local bakery, a small bag a jerky, and some ice cream with a bunch of strawberries. And like, 3 bottles of coke throughout the day.
your diet needs serious help man
I'm not expert or anything and i bet there is hundreds of different diets which can work, but only healthy food for you today has been those strawberries. And i'm pretty sure that's not enough vitamins, 'good' nutriments and all that shit.
For me that "diet" looks pretty awful and i bet if someone would keep going with it(similar to that of course) for months or even years, that will become a problem.
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On August 05 2011 14:31 sob3k wrote:Show nested quote +On August 05 2011 13:18 N3rV[Green] wrote:
My best advice if you wish to really lose extra weight and fat, is adopt an eating style similar to the Atkins Diet.
Basically you cut out carbs almost entirely, or as much as you possibly...blah blah blah Show nested quote +On August 05 2011 12:24 RedJustice wrote:
I am not concerned with losing weight
lol also wtf Show nested quote +On August 05 2011 13:18 N3rV[Green] wrote:
I eat when I'm hungry and only then. Today I ate.....a bagel with bacon egg and cheese from a local bakery, a small bag a jerky, and some ice cream with a bunch of strawberries. And like, 3 bottles of coke throughout the day.
your diet needs serious help man
Those are all carb-loaded meals, I feel like he isn't being serious.
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I have been reading about diet bullshit for years and this is what i gathered:
1. 4-6 meals a day.
2. eat a meal every 3-4 hours.
3. Drink lots of water and try to stay away from other drinks (they contain a shit ton of sugar)
4. Obviously eat fruit and veggies throughout the day.
5. No sugar.
6. your first meal in the morning should contain protein to set you off for a good start.
7.Eat a light meal in the evening.
8.Do not eat at night.
9.You should drink about 2l of water a day. (not gonna list why it is so important to drink so much water every day , go look it up)
I just thought id share this for some people who didnt know yet , its good to know these things anyway.Good luck on your new diet.
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5. No candy - Change it to No SUGAR.
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You probably don't have to go crazy nazi dieting if you throw in some exercise 3-4 times a week like jogging in the morning.
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Yeah the Paleo diet is getting really popular. A friend of mine does MMA fighting and he says he and like 80% of the guys at his gym swear by it. Seems like a good natural diet for the human body. We haven't really evolved physically in about 10,000 years, so our digestive system is still designed to process stuff we'd have been eating that long ago.
It's not cheap though, lol. You end up buying a *lot* of meat, and lots of fresh produce. Starches make up a huge % of our daily diet, and they're cheap. Removing them adds quite a bit to your food budget.
When you're tight for cash though, rice, beans, and potatoes make a wonderful base for any cheap but filling meal ^.^
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I like your approach OP, eat what makes you happy :D. You ask us to give any advice, but what is your goal?
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On August 06 2011 03:32 dudeman001 wrote:
I like your approach OP, eat what makes you happy :D. You ask us to give any advice, but what is your goal?
"I want to feel less crappy since my diet the past two years has majorly contributed to that. I would like to eat filling foods that taste nice and provide my body with proper nutrients basically."
Eating well combined with my moderately active lifestyle should make me feel energized, less cranky, and not hungry all the time.
If you have suggestions that contribute to that goal, I would like to hear them! ^_^
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It sounds like you've pretty much got it figured out already. The one thing I would add is that if you're a pretty fast eater (like myself) make an effort to eat your meals more slowly. If you eat too fast your body doesn't have time to realize you're full before you've already overeaten, and when I personally do that it makes me feel like shit for the next few hours.
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On August 06 2011 04:06 RedJustice wrote:Show nested quote +On August 06 2011 03:32 dudeman001 wrote:
I like your approach OP, eat what makes you happy :D. You ask us to give any advice, but what is your goal? "I want to feel less crappy since my diet the past two years has majorly contributed to that. I would like to eat filling foods that taste nice and provide my body with proper nutrients basically." Eating well combined with my moderately active lifestyle should make me feel energized, less cranky, and not hungry all the time. If you have suggestions that contribute to that goal, I would like to hear them! ^_^
In that case just keep doing what you're doing. :D Your food choices are healthy, your goal is honest, and if you keep yourself on a diet you're happy with then you'll fair far better than trying to follow somebody else's plan. I can't stress that enough. Staying on a diet you enjoy is infinitely easier than staying on a marginally better diet you hate.
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Good luck on your new eating habits. But I have to ask.
What the hell? You were you just eating pasta plain with butter? You can make a rue or even an abundant amount of red or white sauces for ridiculously cheap!
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Lol, I don't like a lot of pasta sauces, but dry pasta is... dry? XDD
Mostly I prefer pasta with just a little Olive oil or butter and veggies and meats. I suppose some tomato sauce would have been good for me though, lol. XD
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If you need a very simple yet healthy and tasty salad dressing, use some olive oil and lemon juice. Add just enough salt to reduce the strong taste of the lemon. When tuna starts to get boring you could try eating shrimps, they're pretty cheap and tasty.
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I'm a Wisconsinite. I ceased all dairy about 3 years back; feel way clearer now and would never touch the stuff again. The same goes for meat and grains. Now it's just raw and organic fruits, vegetables and seeds. It's a trip to realize 95% of what's out there is mostly chemicals developed in labs to be addictive.
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On August 05 2011 20:37 Knap4life wrote:
I have been reading about diet bullshit for years and this is what i gathered:
1. 4-6 meals a day.
2. eat a meal every 3-4 hours.
3. Drink lots of water and try to stay away from other drinks (they contain a shit ton of sugar)
4. Obviously eat fruit and veggies throughout the day.
5. No sugar.
6. your first meal in the morning should contain protein to set you off for a good start.
7.Eat a light meal in the evening.
8.Do not eat at night.
9.You should drink about 2l of water a day. (not gonna list why it is so important to drink so much water every day , go look it up)
I just thought id share this for some people who didnt know yet , its good to know these things anyway.Good luck on your new diet.
Do you have any research that backs up these claims? (not including statements of 3,4,5.)
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On August 06 2011 07:51 HowitZer wrote:
I'm a Wisconsinite. I ceased all dairy about 3 years back; feel way clearer now and would never touch the stuff again. The same goes for meat and grains. Now it's just raw and organic fruits, vegetables and seeds. It's a trip to realize 95% of what's out there is mostly chemicals developed in labs to be addictive.
A Wisconsinite who doesn't eat dairy?!?! Blasphemy!!
I was making dinner this past weekend and asked myself, "Dirty, when was the last time you made dinner without using any cheese, milk, or butter?" My answer was that I honestly can't remember. It might be years lol. Maybe it's because half my family members are dairy farmers and I just grew up putting cheese/butter on everything...
Long story short I've decided to work on reducing my dairy intake. I'd be ashamed to eliminate it completely and still call myself a Wisconsinite, but I'm sure such a butter-heavy diet would catch up to me at some point.
@OP I think N3rV[Green]'s advice sounds the best. Just don't overeat. My plan is to do that, and find someone who eats healthier than me and just copy their diet
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On August 05 2011 20:37 Knap4life wrote:
I have been reading about diet bullshit for years and this is what i gathered:
1. 4-6 meals a day.
2. eat a meal every 3-4 hours.
3. Drink lots of water and try to stay away from other drinks (they contain a shit ton of sugar)
4. Obviously eat fruit and veggies throughout the day.
5. No sugar.
6. your first meal in the morning should contain protein to set you off for a good start.
7.Eat a light meal in the evening.
8.Do not eat at night.
9.You should drink about 2l of water a day. (not gonna list why it is so important to drink so much water every day , go look it up)
I just thought id share this for some people who didnt know yet , its good to know these things anyway.Good luck on your new diet.
Seriously? I doubt you can even name reasons for your statements, but lets at least clarify a bit.
1. 4-6 meals / day
It will help you burn energy and raise your daily amount of kcal spent because it speeds up your metabolism. On the other hand it will also increase your hunger. Overall its good to have 4-6 meals / day (keep them healthy and small)
2. eat a meal every 3-4 hours
You should do the math, 6x4 = 24 hours. Its not possible. There are different kind of diets and if you want to diet with heaving 3-4 hour breaks in between, you should have 3 meals. Its about insuline , but I cannot describe it in English as well as I could in German.
3. Stinging Nettle tea in the morning (max. 1litre) and water for the rest of the day. You can also drink coke zero and basically everything without sugar. Some people say things like "aspartam" (coke light is sweet due to that) raises the insulin in your body, but its not true.
All around drinking water around 3L is good on a normal day. If you do sports or its really hot you can drink 3,5-4L depending on how much you lose. It will also help you increase the kcal you burn.
4. Obviously? Fruit contains a lot of sugar and you can't just eat what fruit you want and how much you want. Fruit also contains sugar in a worse for (speaking body wise) from coke, cake or whatever. Fructose is harder for the body to use.
5. Sugar is important, but what is correct is that you shouldn't add extra sugar to life. No sweets, no sugar with your tea etc. All the sugar you need is partly in the things you eat. Fruit & other things. If you want to go hardcore you can basically reduce your sugar to nothing.
6. If it should contain something, then it should be carbon hydrates. Protein is used to build up muscle. If you want to gain muscle mass you need protein heavy stuff. If you want to have a lot of energy you should eat something containing carbon hydras. (bread + chicken breast, tea and 2 eggs would be a good start in the day)
7. Eat a light meal
What is a light meal for you? If you mean no carbon hydrates, its a good option. Its also outdated but I personally would support you with a low-carb(on) hydrates meal in the evening or actually I would support if you try to cut as much carbon hydrates as possible and add 1 day / week where you decide what you want to eat and just eat it. (its called refeeding in bodybuilding)
8. Well, don't do it. You can but only certain things...
9. 2L is not enough. It should be at least 2,5 .. better 3 or 3,5 depending on what he does during the day.
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Good luck with the new habits, I've been watching what I eat for a while now with good results, there are so many camps that will tell you what's good and what's not,best to shop around, the best 'diet' is one you'll stick to
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EPT
