Some Basics

I do not subscribe to any particular diet as I think there is probably a percentage of each that can prove beneficial to any person.  What works for me may not work for someone else.  As a matter of fact, what worked for me 10 years ago, may not work for me today. 

This is why I want to view the diet as a holistic concept and stick to some basic truths.

Quality and Quantity

Well, that seems like a no-brainer but I have always said that if I were to write a book on eating healthier it would be basically two stages:

1. Get your appetite to a controllable level
2. Then improve quality.

I take that approach - in a general sense - because I always felt really challenges when, not only am I eating carrot sticks, I am now eating less.   I have never felt that the body likes too much change too quickly and when you drop those two on yourself, it can be challenging.

I don't truly feel this is as big an issue for me anymore as I think that my Carb-control sidesteps a few of the triggers that made dieting difficult.

Timing is Everything

For many years, and during my heavy weight lifting years, I had always known that I could easily drop weight merely by not eating after 7 pm.   

I think this has to do with the fact that as your body prepares for rest, many systems start to power-down and prepares to shift resources.  Any energy source received after the shutdown sequence starts is mostly packaged and stored for later.

There is more to this and I have found that, for me, WHEN I eat is as important as WHAT I eat.  I'll expand on the concepts of intermittent fasting at another time - its probably my favorite technique so I will revisit many times in the coming weeks.

Substitution is Bullshit - Try Replacing

I know the first thing I started to do was listen to people who said: "Pigs ears make great Nachos" or "Pork Rinds are great instead of chips".

No.

Nachos are just gone. Finito. Done. 

If I am going to change my diet, I merely find OTHER things that I like in the low-carb world.  One of my favorites is Genoa Salami and Cheese.  If you know me well, then you also know that I love hot sauces, so the right hot sauces, mustards, or spices become a fun adventure.

Note:  After a long phase of low carb, then moving to maintenance and keeping carb intake to under 100-150g per day (keeping in mind timing) can allow some of that back but the concept of portion should be remembered.

There are no Cheat Days for me.

Achieving a pattern of weight loss requires I can't derail that momentum. It's hard to pick up speed when you fall off.  While some can, and perhaps it works for them (or so they may think) it does not work for me.  Perhaps it's more a psychological thing in which some people want to feel comforted - but if you do this right, there is no reason you cannot find the right food that works for you and you enjoy.

Find Your Favorites

After some time you will discover you have a few go-to snacks and meals you like.  For me, I have a couple of Go-to that are easy to make and simple to have.

One example, for me, is cooking taco meat and then freezing it in Ziploc snack bags.  I can then just take it out - nuke it - and drop it on a salad with some salsa (being mindful of amount and carb content) with sour cream and plenty of heat like Franks and some Dijon mustard.   You could also just add that meat or even chicken strips to a general salad to jack up the protein and good fat intake.

Track Everything

Whether you use Fitbit or another app/resource try and log everything so you can get comfortable thinking of options for the future and to find what works over time.  

Cardio Health

It goes without saying that, while exercise is probably only 20% of weight loss, its a good opportunity to take advantage of being lighter and using bigger muscles to burn more energy.  As your weight drops, so will some of the supportive muscles (legs come to mind) so there is a wave front that you can ride in which you are using bigger and more energy-hungry muscles before the reduce size as they are not needed to do as much over time.

If you look after your heart - everything else will follow.

Reading Labels

I think one of the greatest challenges is just understanding how to read nutritional labels.  Personally, I look every time, and then I can have an idea of what I am eating.

What is interesting is that the Typical Salad has some carb in it, and when you look at the label you should understand where the carbs come from. 

In this case, the 9 grams of carbs is actually 7 grams as two of it is dietary fiber and not digested (mostly).  But if you look at the contents, there are little tostido strips in there, so just don't add those.

Finally, I add some chicken strips that have been tossed in some oil and cayenne pepper (but even taco seasoning works well).

Later, I also add some jalapeno and Franks Hot sauce.

When I do that, I have a very low carb meal that I really enjoy. 

 You can even cook taco beef with ground beef and just place it in Ziploc bags (as mentioned earlier) and freeze them for later use.

This chicken method is super easy and lots of flavor.