Though exercise and fitness training play a big part when it comes to getting in shape and looking good, proper nutrition is the key factor to achieving and maintaining results. Without getting into too many details, the basic idea is to burn what you consume. Extra consumption will generally lead to weight gain, and under consumption will lead to weight loss.
Artificial diet pills and other "magic" products most often yield temporary results if any at all, and are simply a colossal waste of money. They have been designed and marketed by companies preying on on people that lack the willpower/motivation to lose weight, and that are unable or unwilling to put in their time exercising. As human nature is often to find the "easy way out", new miracle weight loss supplements pop up every day, ready to fleece the next unfortunate victim by selling the some snake oil.
Various calculators exist to determine a ballpark figure of daily energy / calorie consumption required to survive. These calorie calculations are generally based on height, weight, age and gender. A Google search should yield many results to help you determine your "break even point". Any additional exercise will burn extra energy, so normally would require extra calorie consumption, unless you are trying to lose weight.
Using my self as an example, as a 5.6 feet tall, 150 lbs, and 42 year old male, I'll lose a few pounds per week limiting my intake to 1500 calories a day with 4-5 hours of exercise. If I increase my intake to 2000 calories per day, I'll likely put on about 1 lb per week until I hit a higher weight, at which point it would likely level itself out.
Limiting my self to 1500 calories a day isn't too hard, but if I want to feel energized and have enough stamina and power when I work out, I must not only consume the most efficient foods, but also consume the different food groups at different time of the day. I not strict to the point of monitoring all dietary nutrition, simply a general calorie count a healthy mix of anything I feel like eating.
A kitchen scale is extremely useful in determining a given food's calorie value. One you have the weight, you can research the calorie value either on the label, or online when it come to unlabelled foods like fruits, vegetables, fish and meat.
As I like to work out before lunch, I start off with an early breakfast of roughly 60 to 70 percent carbohydrates, and the rest protein/fat. If opting to eat bread, I try to stick with whole wheat bread, proteins are usually cheese, milk, eggs. Breakfast cereals containing extra protein are a decent choice as well. I stay away from sugar, and very rarely drink any coffee. I typically drink a cup of unsweetened black or green tea flavored with mint of ginger in the morning. I aim for a total consumption of 400-500 calories for breakfast.
A good time for lunch, is immediately of exercising. Recovering muscle need protein, so this is typically where most of my fish and meat consumption happens. I like to catch most of my fish, but that isn't always possible. When I can, I stick with wild caught walleye or Northern pike fillets, either baked or sauteed with a touch of butter and breading, or fresh caught trout(rainbow, speckled or brown), either baked or pan fried. Store bought steelhead or salmon is good too.
If I opt to eat meat, most often it will be grilled or roasted chicken or turkey breast. Calorie count is way less than read meat. Also contains less cholesterol and saturated fats. Way better on my wallet too. I will usually top off the lunch with a vitamin packed fruit, grapefruit, apple or bananas are my staple choices. Again, I'll aim for about 400-500 calories consumed.
I always try to eat supper early, try to not eat much after 6:00 PM. Supper is usually when I get my fiber, most often a large salad with spinach, carrot, celery, tomato, cucumber, and some sort of beans or corn. I not a fan of dressing, maybe a teaspoon of olive oil, or half and avocado to help my body absorb the raw nutrients. Some lemon juice, very little if any salt, and lots of black or cayenne pepper for flavor. Will typically top off the salad with some seeds and nuts, such as sunflower or pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachio kernels, or brazil buts. The nuts I consume are either raw or dry roasted, with nothing added. Very important not to over consume nuts if trying to lose weight, as they are packed with fat and are very high in calories. Again, here is where a scale comes in very handy, as a handful of nuts may pack close to 100 calories.
Fluid consumption is important as well. I don't touch any soda, diet or otherwise. Ever. I stay away from fruit juices, except a half a cup of pomegranate juice after dinner, extremely good for blood circulation and cardio vascular system. I won't touch alcohol either, at least not on any weekdays, limiting my self to water and unsweetened herbal tea.
Lastly, NO junk food such as chips, chocolate bars, cookies, cake, etc.
I don't find my diet to be drastic at all, as I indulge in most of the foods I like, simply limiting my consumption to normal portions. That being said, constantly watching what you eat requires a lot of self control, especially when my wife is cooking all sort of tastier food for the rest of the family. Over time, it would likely be impossible to stick with this sort of diet every day, at least for me.
This is where Shabbat comes in. As an observant Jew, part of keeping Shabbat is enjoying certain traditional meals. For me, it is the time to let loose once a week and treat myself to whatever I skip on the other 6 days. I can go through hefty amounts of beer, wine, scotch, tequila, meat, and a few pastries over a period of about 25-26 hours,. Of course, I pay the price when it's all said and done. I typically put on 4-6 lbs in that period, though they come off rather easily, typically in about 2-3 days when I'm back to my regular nutrition.
I'm not advocating anyone to emulate my bad eating / drinking habits once a week, but I do believe that everyone should take a few days off a month to reward themselves for the self discipline they put in on a daily basis. Whether you prefer a sizzling steak with a tall glass of cold beer, and nice bowl of pasta with wine, or possible a large slice of cake for those of you with a sweet tooth, give yourself something to look forward to every once in a while.
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