Prosebox
So, I am going to officially “cross-post” onto Prosebox from now on. To be honest, given the stability of OD, odds are that eventually I’ll just be exclusively writing on Prosebox, because I don’t imagine I’ll bother to constantly post entries on both sites if Open Diary is being the dredge to use that it so often is. That said, it’s a bit painful to leave this place, having met so many wonderful people here, including my current fiancé. However, this pain is soothed by the fact that the primary inspiration for my move, other than the fact that OD is a chore to use, is that quite a few of you lovelies now also at least “cross-post” on Prosebox and thus I can follow you all there as well. Plus, it’s made easier by the fact that Prosebox is easier to use than OD and that’s without me shelling out money for a “Plus” subscription.
Anyway, what I ventured over to write about today isn’t only my switch to Prosebox, but also a new and exciting change in my life: I am soon going to be an incredibly sexy man. Because I am starting a diet.
Or I’ve already started a diet I suppose, although I’m sorta still in the process of figuring out how this diet is going to work. I’m not currently following any particular diet book per se, but my change in eating habits is inspired by Gary Taubes Why We Get Fat book, which I found to be wonderfully convincing. Given that it’s the first book on the subject that I’ve ever read and I really know nothing of it, I’m probably not one to judge if it’s actually hogwash or not, but it was convincing enough for me to want to change the way that I eat.
The other inspiration behind my diet is the fact that I have slowly developed a rather large gut that tends to lurch over pants and I rather despise it. To be honest, I’m not completely unhappy with my weight (about 180 pounds), but rather my muscle to fat composition. Ideally, I’d like to maintain the size I’m at, but lose the hanging gut. I’m not sure if I will manage that, but hopefully the diet helps me lose the gut at least, even if I lose a bit more with it.
The diet that Taubes spouts is basically the Atkins diet, which is obviously nothing new, but clinical trials have shown that the atkins diet is reasonably successful, which is more than most diets can claim. Currently, I’m really just trying to cut out all SUPER SUGARY things from my diet (candy, fruit juice, sodas, syrup, etc) and just limit carbs and see if that can help erase the gut. If the gut doesn’t go away, then I’ll try to cut carbs even more, although a life completely void of potatoes and rice and bread is hard for me to imagine.
Anyway, given that my readership is primarily female, I’m sure that there are some of you who have tried similar diets over the years. Any advice? Warnings? Am I making a huge mistake?
Lift heavy things & eat a cleanish diet! Don’t go cardio crazy, & don’t eat under your TDEE (google a calculator). If you build the muscle, it will burn the fat for you. Cardio is short term loss, putting on muscle is better in the long run . You’ll change your metabolism for the better with lifting. & you’re a bro, so you’ll have an easy time putting on the gainz! Reddit r/fitness is your BFF.
Warning Comment
I actually worked at Atkins Nutritionals for a short time in the 90s. It is actually a healthy way to lose weight. There is scientific evidence to back this. However, it is not so much a diet, as a lifestyle change. The low carb thing absolutely does not work if you cheat. You will actually end up gaining weight. But it does burn fat, so if you were to stick to the low carb thing for a while and burn off your fat, then switch it up to a more carb heavy plan and work out like crazy, you’d probably build more muscle and not gain back the fat that you lost.
Warning Comment
I was about to say, “Hey, I just saw something about this book!” and then I realized it was because you posted it on Goodreads and it came up on my feed haha. My experience with dieting hasn’t been great. I’ve done some stupid things (like only eating once a day) and some ineffective things (like trying to eat a small, healthy meal and then stuffing my face with potato chips two hours later). I think your approach is more realistic and smarter. Coupled with some form of exercise that you don’t hate, it should help you get to where you want to be. RYN: You are completely right about the men vs. women thing. I probably wouldn’t have been so upset, and she probably wouldn’t have said it in the first place, if we weren’t both women. And my husband’s way to “solve” the situation comes from a totally male perspective. I think it’s a perfect example of why the world needs both men and women!
Warning Comment
i try to keep paleo most of the time but i cheat a lot. Paleo sounds a lot like what you’re trying to do. No carbs, no artificial sugars, lean meats and animal fats are good. Also, no legumes … the means no beans or peanuts. Other nuts are fine. Tons of fruits, veg, nuts and meats. Its hard at first and I got a headache from not having carbs or sugars but after a bit, I felt amazing.
Warning Comment