Stopping the YoYoing weight cycle

[lonestar777]

All this became pretty trivial for me when 1) I started tracking my food daily, and 2) I had to report daily to an online nutrition coach on whether I met my goals or not. Since I got my goals in macros, I switched from MyFitnessPal to MyMacros+. Just make sure you log everything, even if you cheat. The actual questions of what to snack on become much less important when you know you are getting the right number calories and the right macro split. In my particular diet I eat everything: pizza, beer, potato chips, ice cream. It just may be a smaller quantity of that stuff than I used to. I'm sure if I got super lean I'd have to be more strict. I am the one who recently posted a thread about being frustrated for being skinny fat, so take this for what it's worth! But I can easily manipulate my weight up, down, or steady at will now.

[dw]

All this became pretty trivial for me when 1) I started tracking my food daily, and 2) I had to report daily to an online nutrition coach on whether I met my goals or not. Since I got my goals in macros, I switched from MyFitnessPal to MyMacros+. Just make sure you log everything, even if you cheat. The actual questions of what to snack on become much less important when you know you are getting the right number calories and the right macro split. In my particular diet I eat everything: pizza, beer, potato chips, ice cream. It just may be a smaller quantity of that stuff than I used to. I'm sure if I got super lean I'd have to be more strict. I am the one who recently posted a thread about being frustrated for being skinny fat, so take this for what it's worth! But I can easily manipulate my weight up, down, or steady at will now.

What's the difference between the two apps?

[mettkeks]

All this became pretty trivial for me when 1) I started tracking my food daily, and 2) I had to report daily to an online nutrition coach on whether I met my goals or not. Since I got my goals in macros, I switched from MyFitnessPal to MyMacros+. Just make sure you log everything, even if you cheat. The actual questions of what to snack on become much less important when you know you are getting the right number calories and the right macro split. In my particular diet I eat everything: pizza, beer, potato chips, ice cream. It just may be a smaller quantity of that stuff than I used to. I'm sure if I got super lean I'd have to be more strict. I am the one who recently posted a thread about being frustrated for being skinny fat, so take this for what it's worth! But I can easily manipulate my weight up, down, or steady at will now.

Right. Once you understand energy balance and macro nutrients, weight manipulation becomes very easy. Every food item comes with energy and macros listed on the box, a calculator and pen'n'paper (or tracking app) makes life easier. After tracking for a couple of months, you understand that certain foods are made out of certain ingredients, and at that point you can estimate energy and macros relatively precise just by looking at food.

Forming good habits is another. I hated Carrots when I grew up. I love snacking on them now, even when bulking. However, I don't really like gummy bears/candy anymore and only eat small amounts of chocolate or cookies (which tend to be very energy dense) so the occasional Pizza doesn't have such an impact anymore.

[lonestar777]

What's the difference between the two apps?

MyFitnessPal is much easier to use. It's the standard, so it has the biggest food database (i.e. if you scan a barcode or search for the food you are eating, it has a better chance of already being in the database so you don't have to manually enter it). The problem is, for the free version you can't specify the exact macros you want to eat in grams. You can only specify the percent split between protein, carbs, and fat in 5% increments. This wasn't accurate enough for me, but if you are better at keeping your goals in your head it may not be an issue for you. To change this you have to pay a recurring subscription cost.

MyMacros+ is either free or a one time cost. You can specify exactly the macro goals. You can specify multiple goals for different days (in Barbell Medicine coaching they tend to use a Low day and a High day). The user interface isn't as nice, and the food database isn't as big. It's taken a while to get all my food in there, but I eat the same things over and over so it's gotten easier to track.

[lonestar777]

All this became pretty trivial for me when 1) I started tracking my food daily, and 2) I had to report daily to an online nutrition coach on whether I met my goals or not. Since I got my goals in macros, I switched from MyFitnessPal to MyMacros+. Just make sure you log everything, even if you cheat. The actual questions of what to snack on become much less important when you know you are getting the right number calories and the right macro split. In my particular diet I eat everything: pizza, beer, potato chips, ice cream. It just may be a smaller quantity of that stuff than I used to. I'm sure if I got super lean I'd have to be more strict. I am the one who recently posted a thread about being frustrated for being skinny fat, so take this for what it's worth! But I can easily manipulate my weight up, down, or steady at will now.

Right. Once you understand energy balance and macro nutrients, weight manipulation becomes very easy. Every food item comes with energy and macros listed on the box, a calculator and pen'n'paper (or tracking app) makes life easier. After tracking for a couple of months, you understand that certain foods are made out of certain ingredients, and at that point you can estimate energy and macros relatively precise just by looking at food.

Forming good habits is another. I hated Carrots when I grew up. I love snacking on them now, even when bulking. However, I don't really like gummy bears/candy anymore and only eat small amounts of chocolate or cookies (which tend to be very energy dense) so the occasional Pizza doesn't have such an impact anymore.

Exactly! I definitely have my little "go to" tricks. For breakfast, lunch, snacks (protein shakes, etc.) I eat pretty much the same thing every day. Then dinner is the wild card, where I have whatever the rest of the family is having. Usually I'm off a bit so I need to add a few carbs (gummi bears) or fat (peanut butter).

[mgil]

Are protein Bars and Protein candies the same thing?

Can you cite an example?

[Inverstone]

Part of my satiety at dinner time comes from a large fresh salad. Micronutrients to go with my macros.

People who "think" they don't like veggies are often people who only have grocery store veggies, carrots in particular which are often very bitter, only have had canned or frozen spinach, etc. (bitter and mushy). These are of less quality and taste to a lot of farm stand produce or produce home delivery, organic sources.

Growing up, I thought there was only one kind of carrot. Our (local) delivery outfit sends many many varieties and they are candy sweet or have subtle background flavors ("nut like", etc.)

I was amazed how quickly I went from an "eat the veggies, cause I should guy" to looking forward to a large mixed salad every night. We get purple carrots with white centers, and a few other "psychedelic" looking varieties that most of us never get exposed to at all.

Even Kale! A Russian Kale or a Blue variety is actually sweet. I think a lot more kids would actually like their veggies if they were of a decent or more delicious variety than the standard easy to grow, standard ones in the grocery chains and weren't overcooked at home. Nobody could boil carrots and spinach, etc. into submission better than my mom!

[Inverstone]

Back to Yo Yo Dieting. To eliminate it, basically do what bodybuilders do.
This has worked for me over the last 5 years. I have yo yoed and done every freakin' diet there is over the years. Lost the 70lbs. over the lst 3. Most importantly I have stayed "there". It has to become habit and a permanent one overall.
l. Eat the same things everyday/every meal more or less. (variety over several meals). If this suits you the advantage is that you don't have to figure/track, think, etc.

2.PACK your food and take it along with you with pre worked out macros. This has been the main thing
that made the lifestyle change permanent. You're not gonna pull into Burger King very often if you have
a cooler with something you like in it sitting in the car.

3. Bulk cook things you'll need and keep 'em in the freezer so you don't have to think or wait or...cheat.

4. Track every single gram of everything every day. (You don't need an app. I just use pen and paper).

5. Once you meet your weight loss/cut goal, hold at maintenance or thereabouts and add calories back in gradually and keep tracking it making adjustments. I'm an endomorph so I limit carbs as low as I can and still recover or get in good training session. Others might prefer or need more fats and less carbs for weight loss. What works for me is the '70s bodybuilding diet of high protein, medium carbs, low fat.

6. There is NO END to a diet for a lot of us. It HAS to be life long/lifestyle, habit whatever monickers you want to apply to it.

7. All of this is a million times easier if your spouse supports your doing this or even better does the same.

8. The "wrinkle" comes when you hit a plateau with dieting and have to figure our "which" labyrinth
of tactics will work for YOUR body. Add more cardio/reduce calories further, etc,

9. Be willing to accept some strength reduction for awhile and maybe forever but I've been finding that if
protein is kept to l lb. per pound of my total (not lean) bodyweight + 50 grams of Isolate I keep most of the muscle while lifting as heavy or intensely as possible.
If it fits your macros doesn't work for me because I can feel the difference in performance and general well being/energy/amount of inflammation if I fit in junk. I still can do an occasional meal out or have pizza etc. but it has to be infrequent (once a month or so maybe) and get right back "on the wagon".

I'm at my usual sticking point/fat loss plateau so making adjustments now which is the most frustrating bit because the right mix of cardio and weight training and calorie reduction is a moving target as my metabolism slows from calorie reduction.

I know most of us here know most of this stuff, but as Yoda might say: "There is no diet there is only consistency".