Weight loss accountability/support 2024 edition

Food doesn’t look bad at all for weight loss, but it’s very far from keto.
I’d forget about being keto, real keto feels very different.

The weight different might just be salt and carb fluctuations. Jerky has loads of salt.

I’d increase veg/fibre volume if possible, and not snack if possible and for a morning yoghurt I’d go for skyr (higher protein) for example one of the Arla protein yoghurt pots. Less sugar and more protein for better satiety.

A glass of wine (not with a meal) to unwind I think is absolutely fine, especially if it keeps you consistent on the diet.

I’ll type up the recipe and post in a bit. It’s very cheap to make, it’s about 150 calories for 300g of coleslaw, which feels like a massive quantity of food.

Yesterday’s food:

Breakfast - 3 whole eggs, 10g butter, sliced tomatoes, schiracha - approx 320 calories

Lunch - huel chicken and mushroom pasta + 2 slices honey roast ham - approx 460 calories

Dinner - ikea trip - 8 meatballs, mash, peas etc - 637 calories

Snack - lindahl pro blueberry muffin yoghurt - 90 calories

1.2kg down on first day

Korean slaw:

1 large white cabbage (or 1 white and 1 red)
2 large carrots
2 red onions
5ish spring onions
5 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoon vinegar (I use rice or apple)
2-3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons of gochugaru (Korean chilli powder)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Salt

Shred all the veg as fine as you like, put in a massive container.
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of fine salt and mix around so that the veg starts softening and losing some water for about 10 - 15 mins

Mix the sauce, crushed garlic, soy, sugar, etc until it resembles a paste. Add to the slaw, put a glove on and massage it through the slaw so it gets evenly spread throughout.

You can adjust the sauce quantities to taste. The tablespoons of sesame oil and sugar aren’t really to be worried about, because it’s 30g of oil and 40g of sugar spread over 15-20 servings.

Tasty immediately, even better after a day or two. Keeps for about a week I would say, starts getting a little fizzy at that point, still ok to eat like sauerkraut, but frankly, it’s finished way quicker than that.

the key to nuts and dried fruit is i. making sure you weigh them and ii. being disciplined

I am a bit surprised at some of the food listed here, overall the lists looks sensible but then there
is some grenade thrown in like diet coke, alcohol or protein yoghurts.
Isn't the latest advice that UPF stuff damages you body's natural regulators to deal with food and causes cravings and other issues?
I have a massive sweet tooth so had to switch my snacking to dates and nuts, I don't limit it in any way.

Dates and nuts are bigger grenades for me than Diet Coke, glass of red wine or 90 calorie low sugar protein yoghurts.

In my opinion, if you have the discipline to not over eat nuts and dried fruit, you might as well not eat them in the first place, save the calories and get to your weight loss goal faster.

High protein snacks like articially sweetened skyr/quark based yoghurts are very satiating, and don’t bump up your blood sugar like dates and dried fruit.
It may work for you of course, but 2 dates has 32g of sugar and has more calories than some skyr yoghurts.

30g of nuts is like 200cals as long as you weigh it fine but if you just eyeball a handfull it could be 30-50g.

If I'm trying just specifically to lose weight then I think of foods which are high volume (skyr, leafy greens, cucumber, slaw etc) or lots of bites which help to feel full and increase protein for satiety. One of the reasons I like to eat with chopsticks is it means it takes longer to eat!

Also potatoes get a rough deal but are super filling, decently nutritious and more filling than bread/pasta for the calories.

I don't drink any soft drinks but people who love diet coke if thats a vice that you pick up to soften the blow of a larger vice then fair enough in my opinion.

Alcohol, like anything in moderation is fine.

I tend to avoid the pre-made protein yoghurts as I find they have quite a lot of ingredients - but if you're in a pinch and want something low calorie to hit that sweet treat craving then they are fine.

Skyr itself is like 1 or 2 ingredients and for weightloss is great.

My thinking is kind of the opposite, make all the calories count so I am trying to get them from
an actual food because you get all the other nutrients. I don't think you can just look at the
sugar content, it's not the same as eating 32g of granulated sugar, you get a lot of fibre, minerals and vitamins which affects blood sugar levels and how it's digested.
I even saw some articles recommending dates and nuts for people with diabetes.

I agree with the yoghurts being satiating but the one you listed isn't really one,
it's a product based on skimmed milk with added whey protein, modified starch, flavourings and 2 types of sweeteners. I would just eat a real yoghurt and add dates and nuts (haha).

I am trying to avoid anything that requires discipline with food because I couldn't sustain that in the long term.

Also huel? WTF? Do you live in a war zone?

I think whole nuts are not as bad as the numbers make them look because they are not digested completely, unlike nut spreads.

Thanks for the recipe and tips y’alls. Gonna cut out the fruit and nuts and see how I go. I know it’s not proper keto. That was just loose language on my part, it’s just broadly low carb.

What’s with Diet Coke being a grenade btw? From a calorie point of view I mean?

What’s with Diet Coke being a grenade btw? From a calorie point of view I mean?

More from the knock on effects it has on your body when you pretend sugar is coming in
and then it doesn't. Similar with alcohol, if you have a watch that tracks your heart rate
long term you can see how even a small amount fucks you up the next day but the long term effects from worse sleep etc also have some effect.
We are probably all getting to that age were the body can't recover as easily as it did at a younger age so I try to avoid hitting it with crap.

Yes, replacing other sugars with dates, for example energy gels, sports nutrition I think is a great idea (as long as you can stomach them)

On a calorie point of view, 32g of sugar from dates is essentially the same as 32g from granulated sugar. The glycemic index of dates are lower, so doesn’t spike your sugar as much, so satiates a little better.

The yoghurt is processed for sure, it’s quark with added whey protein, sweeteners and very importantly for me, lactase enzyme.
For me on a weight loss perspective, I would take the -100 calories and high protein, which hits the similar feeling of eating normal yoghurt with real fruits, compote, nuts etc. Sure that would be ‘healthier’ but my focus would be saving the 150-200 calories per yoghurt.

Frankly, if having a Muller fruit corner (which is far more processed) as a snack everyday meant I stayed consistent in my calorie deficit, then I’d be fine with that.

The huel doesn’t taste great, but I bought some previously and in terms of macros it’s pretty good. Also surprisingly filling, and super quick, without having to think about it. I think it is ok to have a short notice, not terrible backup meal when myself or my wife have no time.

There is 0 issue with Diet Coke on a calorie point of view.
On a health and wellbeing perspective, it’s worse than water, but far better than the fizzy drinks containing actual sugar.

A bit like how vaping is not good for you. But vaping is healthier than smoking.

Some of the concerns of increased Diet Coke intake relates to the increased caffeine.

If a Diet Coke helps you avoid reaching for that chocolate bar or biscuit, it’s better than the alternative.
I would recommend getting the caffeine free version, as the caffeine does add up. I think the caffeine free version won’t increase your heart rate or disrupt your sleep.

Alcohol, like anything in moderation is fine.

That's how you build an unhealthy diet, a few ready meals, a bit of chocolate, a few biscuits, a bit of ice cream, a fizzy drink here and there, a glass of wine, a sandwich with crisps and you
have all the calories without having eaten anything.
I do discipline really badly so I have to stick to stuff that is healthy even if I eat too much of it.
Can't do this anymore.

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, a few ready meals, a bit of chocolate, a few biscuits, a bit of ice cream, a fizzy drink here and there, a glass of wine, a sandwich with crisps

Have you hacked my nutracheck?

Right but in your example where is the moderation?

This week I had a glass of wine, a few chocolate biscuits, some halo top ice cream etc - I still ate 8-9 fruit and veg a day, stayed under my calorie target and lost 1lb.

I think a healthy diet is one which works for you and what you are trying to achieve.

I got on the Diet Coke to get off the AF beer (because less carbs, low carb AF beer is SUPER spendy and not that low carb) but it's temporary and I'm already planning what my the healthy soft drink jag will be.

We've got a Sodastream, thinking about some kind of fresh ginger and lemon concoction.

Edit: Caffeine Free Diet Coke. I've been off caffeine for 31 years!!

Last time I went on a detox it took me a few weeks to go Beer -> 0% Beer -> lime & soda -> lemon squash -> water

95% of the time it's water, and if I want something refreshing it's some no-added-sugar lemon squash.

Back from holiday so I'm starting again (again). Heaviest I've ever been, haven't run for 6 weeks, am back in the pool this week and then will be back on the Wattbike at the gym in a couple of weeks when I'm back from an upcoming work trip.

my ‘hacks’ are i. treat sparkling water like a treat, ii. eat with chopsticks to encourage slower eating, and iii. multiple small dishes (korean banchan style) can help maintain interest in simpler meals

Where's your 10g butter going with that breakfast?

I would argue that a healthy, sustainable diet could absolutely include a glass of wine, a bit of chocolate, a few biscuits, bit of crisps, and is probably what a maintenance diet should look like.
Mostly clean, with 'unhealthy' items in moderation.

If you're trying to lose 10kg for example, you have to plan to eat less, and cut out everything that you can get away with, and replace things you can't do without with lower calorie options. If you were drinking 10 pints of beer a week and a litre or two of fruit juice, but can get away with replacing them with diet coke, thats maybe 3500 calories saved, and potentially a lb of extra weight loss.

Fruit and nuts are amazing and great on a healthy balanced diet, but they are not foods that you can eat until your satisfied while aiming to have a calorie deficit. Weighed and portioned, maybe, but I can't see how I could eyeball the correct amount of nuts to eat to make sure I'm losing weight. As I can absentmindedly demolish a 300g bag of pistachios (maybe 1200 calories) and still be fully hungry for dinner, its definitely something I cut out completely, rather than adding in.

'Domino' foods for me include:

Cheese, sauces (like mayo, BBQ), nuts, bread, dips (like hummus, guac), peanut butter, along with all the normal culprits like chocolate, biscuits, crisps.

I think people get a bit overwhelmed by trying to do all the healthy habits at exactly the same time. Lose weight, calorie deficit, clean whole foods, cook at home, workout more, do more steps, cut out all drinking. Its a lot of mental load and a lot of failure points, while at the same time cutting out lots of fun delicious things, and the rewards that you have previously given yourself. So any tactics that you can use to make any of those things easier, and needing less willpower the better.

Mine is meal prep, fridge full of diet and caffeine free diet coke (specifcally cans, not plastic bottles), not having sweet treats in the house, loads of protein, and not buying or having the above list in the house)

The diet coke can thing is pretty odd, I think the cold can with condensation on it, and the sound and action of the ring pull is just mentally really satisfying. Very much like opening an ice cold can of beer on a hot BBQ day. Also extra hydration.

Chopstick hack is great, if you're not already unusually quick and agile with them. Unfortunately I can deliver an unhealthy amount of food into my mouth using chopsticks.

When you learn to neatly stack food on top of each other, so you can put more food on your plate or in your mouth, its game over. Fighting for delicious banchan with your siblings is a brutal training ground.

oh yeah good point - I’m OK with them but some way off ‘agile’…

In the pan when scrambling the eggs, or making the omelette.
Eggs taste best with butter, and more satisfying, and makes it a breakfast I don't get bored with and also look forward to.
I use whole good quality eggs, shame to waste the delicious and nutritious yolk.

Had the same thing this morning with an added slice of ham. 365 calories, 30g protein, 5g carbs, 26g of fat.

Not hungry at all until now, but its close to 1pm.

Other typical 'healthy' breakfast options like oats, cereals, yoghurt, wholemeal bread etc, gets me starving by mid morning and thinking about food for the next couple of hours which is exactly what I want to avoid.

It does mean buying about 60 eggs a week at the moment, because my wife is also dieting with me, and my 8 year old is currently going through a phase of loving eggs for breakfast, which I prefer than her previous breakfast addiction to Krave.