How do you guys get your calories in, in a healthy way?

Flagpole wrote:

Jogger262 wrote:

Cheesburger, no fries

Steak

Tuna or Salmon (usually sushi with rice)

Steak or Chicken tacos

Salad or fresh veggies with dinner

Protein bars between meals

Large glass of milk before bed.

Pretty much common sense. No alcohol. No sugary drinks except a Red Bull before a tough workout.

I’m down 15 pounds on this diet, mainly due to increased mileage ~40 mpw and cutting out a lot of alcohol calories.

Pretty solid.

To have it be even BETTER:

1) Cook rice ahead of time and then reheat it when it's time to eat it. Helps increase your resistant starch intake. Same thing with pasta if you eat that.

2) Get rid of the taco shells, and no bun for the cheeseburger.

3) Make sure the protein bars have as little sugar as possible...this includes grain.

4) Milk (all grades of milk) is higher in sugar than most people realize. 12 to 13 grams of sugar per cup depending on the milk (we're talking cow's milk here). Maybe a handful of walnuts along with a glass of water would be better. Sugar is poison...the worst common thing in our diets. Main culprit not only in weight gain, but in heart disease. Yes, SUGAR, not fats.

Now, if you just want to live a little, then ok, I get that. If health is your ONLY goal though, then my suggestions make your diet better.

Jogger262 wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

Pretty solid.

To have it be even BETTER:

1) Cook rice ahead of time and then reheat it when it's time to eat it. Helps increase your resistant starch intake. Same thing with pasta if you eat that.

2) Get rid of the taco shells, and no bun for the cheeseburger.

3) Make sure the protein bars have as little sugar as possible...this includes grain.

4) Milk (all grades of milk) is higher in sugar than most people realize. 12 to 13 grams of sugar per cup depending on the milk (we're talking cow's milk here). Maybe a handful of walnuts along with a glass of water would be better. Sugar is poison...the worst common thing in our diets. Main culprit not only in weight gain, but in heart disease. Yes, SUGAR, not fats.

Now, if you just want to live a little, then ok, I get that. If health is your ONLY goal though, then my suggestions make your diet better.

Thanks.

I’m training for a marathon, I need a little bit of sugar. I use corn tortillas instead of flower.

Cheeseburger with bun is a must and a treat reserved for post hard workout or long run.

I’m down to 146-147 at 6’0” so I can’t afford to lose more than another 5 lbs or so.

I was on lower carb early in my training, and it might be placebo, but the extra carbs have made my training runs feel much better the following day. I think I’m also just getting fitter and eating more, so I could be a combination of all 3.

I’m 44 and never felt better, but it’s mostly attributed to the increased mileage and cutting 3-4K in alcohol calories per week.

coca wrote:

BigMacsAreHealthy wrote:

What is your prejudice against Big Macs? Big Mac's are healthy, they are just burgers consisting of beef, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and carbohydrates from the buns, all of which you need to live and train. It sounds too me like you just want to waste money on hippy foods you can post photos of to Instagram and virtue signal about how much healthier you eat than everyone around you. And I seriously doubt you need 3000 calories a day running low mileage.

Agree, burgers and fries are about as healthy as anything else for macros. Also agree OP probably doesn’t need 3000C. At 6’1”, I run nearly 20 mpw over two days, weight train four days a week for well over an hour, and do a few short HIIT workouts and am at a roughly 200C/day caloric surplus (going by my monthly muscle mass gain) even at barely 2500C/day.

Flagpole wrote:

seattle prattle wrote:

I looked into this more. Oatmeal causes insulin spikes only in so far as instant oatmeal is concerned. Steel cut and old fashioned oats are significantly lower in this regard, and there is no need to avoid them unless someone has some unusual health profile, which could be said for any food, for that matter. Oats are a healthy food and while what you said may apply to the processed version of oats, it is easily avoided by steering towards the healthier versions, though you are spot on about adding other things to it like fats or protein to slow insulin uptake even more.

But don't take our word for it. From Livestrong.com:

"Although most oatmeal varieties, such as steel cut or old-fashioned oats, do not significantly elevate blood-glucose levels, the ingredients found in instant oatmeal may cause insulin levels to spike. Instant oatmeal sometimes contains sugar or sweetened dried fruits that may impact the rate at which insulin is released. The glycemic index rating of instant oatmeal is between 69 and 83, more than 10 glycemic points higher than old-fashioned oats. Incorporating protein, such as soy milk or almond butter, to the oatmeal may help to reduce its glycemic index and regulate insulin levels."

Link:www.livestrong.com/article/534785-does...

You will find that what I am saying about oatmeal other than instant oatmeal will become accepted knowledge eventually. Steel cut oats are just marginally better than instant oats. I know it's hard to break away from traditional accepted health info, but it's true. It is not the added sugar or the sugar in added dried fruit that is the main culprit in spiked blood sugar, it is the grain itself.

I was once a vegetarian, so I'm not above being snookered by once prevailing nutritional information.

In order of importance to a healthy diet:

1) MEAT. A variety is good, but it is not necessary to have lean cuts of meat. Fish is a good source, but you do have to be wary of heavy metals in some fish, so choose carefully. The less processed the meat is, the better. One inch thick cut of meat the size of your palm three times a day is ideal.

2) Vegetables. Especially green ones.

3) Fruit. Vegetables are way more important than fruit, but we do need Vitamin C, so most fruit is a good source of that, especially citrus fruit of course. Should only eat whole fruit, no juice on any regular basis.

4) Grain. Grain, even whole grain (ESPECIALLY wheat) is mostly crap. If you cut grain out of your diet, you would have a much lower risk of cardiac disease. The target is on refined grains, but that noise isn't accurate. Whole grains are just about as bad, raising triglyceride levels.

WebMD won't even commit to any health benefits of oatmeal:

"Oats might reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and help control appetite by making you feel full. Oat bran might work by keeping the gut from absorbing substances that can lead to heart disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Oats seem to reduce swelling when applied to the skin.
Oat bran and whole oats are used for heart disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes. They are also used for high blood pressure, cancer, dry skin, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these other uses."

Snake oil to think that oatmeal in any form is good for you.