Any of You Fine People Up for a Little Challenge?

Question by : Any of you fine people up for a little challenge?
Ive only been using this site for a few days and it amazes me how many people are out there, trying to diet.
The psychological effects of that one tiny, simple word are astounding. You say ‘Im going on a diet’ and automatically, food takes over your entire waking life. You immediately start to worry about calories, fat, sugar, carbohydrate content, salt levels… that horrific little word causes HUGE problems. We should all sign a petition to have it struck from the dictionary!

So, first things first. You gorgeous people are no longer going on ‘diets’ its now considered a swear word :p
Second rule: DUMP THE SCALES AND CALCULATORS! Every bit of info you need to eat healthily is already on your body. So:

Protein portions of meat, fish and alternatives for veggies should fit the palm of your own hand. 1 egg. (NO! burgers, sausages and processed nasties do not count as protein :p)

Carbohydrates like cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta are a fist sized portion. Bread portions are 2 slices of a thin cut 800g loaf.

Dairy, cheese portions should be a block no longer or wider than your thumbs (hold your hands out in front of you, thumbs together, turn that space into a block of cheese) If you love cheese, grate it, it goes SO much further :p And yoghurts are easy, just a normal sized pot is fine.

Fat portions, cooking oils, salad dressings, vinaigrettes, mayonnaises, ketchups, all of that stuff are a tablespoon (I know, no tablespoons in or on the human body but I could find no alternative)

Fruits and veg are MINIMUM daily amounts of 5 different varieties.

Now for the challenge 😉
For the next week I want you to ditch the diets *shock horror*
Intakes for daily consumption are your choice of:
3 x carbs
2 x protein
1 x dairy
1 x fat
And then 2 pieces of fruit for snacking on and at least 3 different vegetables to build up your meals.
At least 1.5 litres of fluids (if you have a bladder the size of a pea… like me, this bit sucks, but stick to it!)

Id like ANYONE who wants to try this to use this thread as a diary, I have a genuine interest in seeing how people view dieting, eating disorder prevention & treatment and general views on healthy eating. Im considering writing a research paper on my findings so if you could, let me know how you are getting on and how easy or difficult you are finding it, if you lose any weight or feel healthier. If you’d rather keep your experience private, feel free to email me.
Desecrator, thank you for your input.
I made a mistake and omitted the milk, 1 pint of skimmed milk per day.
I feel I need to add that this diet was designed by a nutritionist, not myself. It is specifically for people who want to lose weight. I did not at any time state that this is all you can eat, forever. Its an eating plan that will help you achieve weight loss. This diet has been analyzed (again not by myself, dont shoot the messenger) and contains 1200 calories per day which is roughly what dieters choose. It is far from anorexic and I am insulted by the insinuation. By your comment ‘I get paid to get people in shape’ Im guessing that you are a personal trainer? Good for you. Along with other issues I get paid to deal with the fallout of obsessive exercise so I guess our professions are at opposite ends of the scale.
Rotor Dan
Sorry, I should have made my point clearer. You are, of course, right in saying that cardio exercise is important. What I am trying to get across, albeit poorly, is that attitudes toward dieting and food have got to change first. Have you never noticed the bare skimmed milk cabinets on January 1st? People go hell for leather with New Years resolutions, do everything at once and then by February they are burned out and cant be bothered anymore.
Changing the way you eat to lose weight is more than a diet, it has GOT to be a complete lifestyle change that eventually includes regular exercise. In my experience, people who need to lose weight need to battle their demons with food. They need to approach comfort eating and its causes. Once you have that under control, adding the exercise is so much easier.

Best answer:

Answer by desecrator
More protein….

people are only going to be getting 58g protein. 2 servings of meat at most 25g P a pop, and the dairy ill be generous and assume 1c skim milk at 8g P, which is lower than the govt rec, and WAYY lower than any nutritionist would rec to anyone active.

I like how you say something about “eating disorder prevention” while recommending an anorexic diet of roughly 1000 Cal a day. I can show my work.

edit- You are correct about my job. I prepare meal plans and exercise routines for boxers, wrestlers, and mma competitors. Here is the macronutrient breakdown of what you listed, in case you were wondering:

First I will add the pint of milk
16g P, 0g F, 26g C, 220 cal

3x carbs=6 slices whole wheat bread
18g P, 6g F, 60g C, 360 cal

2x protein= 8oz chicken breast
48g P, 5g F, 0g C, 450 cal

1x dairy=8 oz (1/2 pint) milk
8g P, 0g F, 13g C, 110 cal

1x fat= 1oz almonds
6g P, 15g F, 6g C, 170 cal

2x fruit=2 bananas
0g P, 0g F, 40g C, 200 cal

3x vegetables=
2 cups spinach
2g P, 0g F,3g C, 20 cal

1 cup carrots
0g P, 0g F,8g C, 35 cal

Totals:
98g Protein, 26g Fat, 156 Carbs, 1565 cal

I will admit, I was off on the calorie count. Something to consider is that I prefer a 1:1 protein/carb ratio for my clients, regardless of activity level. The carbs are right, the protein is still low.

Cheers, not many can get me to admit I was wrong!

Answer by rotor dan
agreed that diets don’t work, but then you go on to recommend one anyway.
Maybe that system works for those who choose to not exercise, but improving health should involve at least some cardio and/or resistance training that would allow for more generous portions of protein and essential carbs boosting overall health and wellbeing

edit – ok, also I meant to say complex carbs

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