<p>Actually low carb diets are healthy for you. The problem is that most of the people on them use it as an excuse to grab a handful of bacon at every meal. Just like any other diet, moderation on a low carb diet is key. People trying to lower their body-fat percentage into the optimal range (5-8%) have to use low carb diets to get rid of that last amount of fat. It is a scientific fact that fat is burned more efficiently when insulin levels kept low.</p>
<p>There are some guidelines that I follow throughout the day:
Have 5-6 meals per day that include the following:
1. Eat five servings of vegetables and at least one serving of fruit.
2. Eat 2-3 servings of lean meat (over 97%).
3. Get 2-3 servings each of nuts and cheese.
4. Have 1-2 servings of a carbohydrate rich food (whole wheat bread, rice, oatmeal etc.) per day, but only at one meal.</p>
<p>That is a basic overview of my day, and here is a typical day's meal plan:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of egg whites & 2 TBSP of natural peanut butter.
Mid-Morning Snack: 1/3 cup of almonds & a serving of fruit
Lunch: 4 oz. turkey on whole wheat & 2 servings of vegetables
Mid-Afternoon snack: 2 oz. mozzarella cheese & 2 hard boiled eggs
Dinner: 5 oz tuna & 2 servings of vegetables
Night snack: cup of cottage cheese & a protein shake</p>
<p>Of course I'm on a really strict diet that is not feasible for most people, but those with high percentages of body fat could deviate from this plan and still expect to a substantial amount of weight. Keep in mind that I also do weight training 6 days a week and cardio 5-6 days a week. If any of you want me to help you setup a plan or review a previously existing one then I would be glad to help.</p>
<p>uc_benz, the diet you're on sounds a lot like the diet my endocrinologist gave me ... I was 'diagnosed' with hyperinsulinemia. I find it way too strict, though, and haven't really been following it. It doesn't help that the only meat I eat is chicken.</p>
<p>Eating before bed is really a myth. Your daily caloric expenditure depends on the entire day not just what you eat before bed. So (in general) if you burn 2500 calories throughout the day and consume 2000, it does not matter whether you took them in throughout the day or right before bedtime; it's the overall calorie deficit that matters. It is beneficial to eat a source of protein (cottage cheese) right before bed so your body depletes your storage of glycogen first instead of catabolizing your muscles.</p>
<p>You gotta do what you gotta do. Most people view "diets" (the weight loss kind) as a quick fix to their weight problems, but you have to view it as a lifestyle. We were meant to be healthy human beings, not chip-munching couch potatoes who sit and watch TV the whole day. College will definitely test my will, but I always refer back to this quote "To look like most men don't, you have to do stuff that most men don't."</p>
<p>i dont want to just say this to be the contrarian, but i think its been proven that drinking more water does exactly nothing for ones overall health and wellbeing.</p>
<p>Are you serious? I have never seen a study like that. Water is THE most important thing in the world to human beings. Your brain is 95% water yet you don't need to drink a lot of water? You must not have ever experienced dehydration; it reduces memory, focus, and basic math skills. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day also reduces cancer risks by up to 50%. It has also been shown to reduce joint pain. The moral of the story: you NEED to drink a lot of water.</p>
<p>I think the study said more specifically that 8 glasses a day was overdoing it. It can't hurt you, of course, but 4 or 5 will do just as well. It depends on your level of activity, ambient temperature, etc. I mean yeah, if you're in 95 degree heat with 50% humidity (like I am right now in Dallas, heh) you need to drink those 8 glasses.</p>
<p>all food is good for you in moderation. yes, even mcdonalds. fad diets are not good for you. carbs do not make you fat! the weight you actually lose on the atkins diet is mostly water weight and the long term risks of the atkins diet are ridiculously horrifying. </p>
<p>also, there is no certain amount of water you need a day. you drink when your body tells you to drink (when you are thirsty). </p>
<p>vitamin supplements are good for you and i recommend taking them, but do not provide the same nutrients as you would find in food. </p>
<p>The thing with the eight glasses of water is that they should say eight glasses of liquids a day, not water. A lot of people get their water intake through milk, juice, tea, hopefully not soda but even that is essentially water with chemicals added to it. Also, people who eat a lot of fruits and veggies don't have to drink as much water because fruits and vegetables are mostly water anyways.</p>
<p>5-8% is indeed the optimal range. However, the average is 12%-20% and that is the recommended range because it is nearly impossible to get any lower without a strict regimen. Once you get into the upper 20's and beyond then it is unhealthy.</p>
<p>*Let me clarify when I say optimal. 5-8% is the optimal range in CONJUCTION with having a sufficient amount of lean mass. I am not talking about extremely skinny people that have 5-8%, but they are 6' and weigh 140. That's not healthy at all.</p>
<p>"Eating before bed is really a myth. Your daily caloric expenditure depends on the entire day not just what you eat before bed. So (in general) if you burn 2500 calories throughout the day and consume 2000, it does not matter whether you took them in throughout the day or right before bedtime; it's the overall calorie deficit that matters."</p>
<p>Do you have anything to back this up? Not saying i don't believe you but im just curious about your sources.</p>
<p>First of all, I work at a fitness club that employs very well-qualified individuals. They have taught me quite a bit about fitness and diet. But besides that, yes:</p>
<p>Feel free to look at all of those sources, but I prefer a common sense approach to it: </p>
<p>Scenario 1: You go throughout the day not eating anything. You burn 3000 calories. However, right before you go to bed you eat 3000 calories. Those calories replace the ones you burned during the day. How would you gain weight? You HAVE to consume more calories than you burn to gain weight. </p>
<p>Scenario 2: You go through the day eating 5-6 meals that total around 3000 calories. Your total calorie expenditure was also 3000 so you burned your meals off approximately as you consumed them. You don't gain any weight because you didn't consume more calories than you expended.</p>
<p>Well uc, the problem is that the majority of your caloric needs are spent through internal processes such as digestion etc. Also your body is not on a "day clock", so if you don't consume calories your body has no calories to process and use for metabolic purposes. So you are not going to burn the calories that you would have otherwise during the day. And then at night when your metabolic rate slows down(sleeping) your body is not going to need those 3000 calories. It will burn some calories and retain others. This is logical to me but whatever you say...</p>
<p>Exactly! I don't know about your internal processes, but mine keep going whether I eat or not; however, digestion is not really one of them (it doesn't even make up 1%). Digesting a serving of food only consumes about 5 calories. I'm referring to the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is a measure of the calories you burn in order to maintain your body. It varies for each person, but mine is 3000 calories a day. It will burn those 3000 calories a day whether I eat food or not. </p>
<p>You say that if you don't eat then your body won't need to burn calories. WHAT are you talking about!? Ever heard of glycogen or fat? Those are calories my friend. The whole premise of losing weight is that someone is in a calorie deficit for the day thus their body must burn calories from their fat reserves. You would be dead if you were not burning calories.</p>