Diet

[Backcountry_IDN]

Lets talk diets and which/how you all diet to prepare for season.

We all know that we run, ruck, weight training, intervals, ECT. But I never see anyone talk about diet.

Myself, I'm not a master genius by anymeans. In my family genes, we gain fast but can lose 20lbs in a month by just running. So that part is nice.

I go through a yearly (really a monthly) weight change. During the summer months when I'm playing semi professional baseball I'll get myself down to the 190lb mark which is a good weight for me. I'm 5'11" and have a stocky build. I have to sometimes get XXL just so it'll fit my shoulders right.

But during the hunting season I'll get clear up to 220lbs (not even joking) entered January 1st at 228. When I'm hunting I'm eating a ton of food. Mountain Houses mainly for meals but also around the elk camp I'm drinking beer. Even though I'm doing 10 miles sometimes per day I still gain the weight.

Now with diets ive tried everything. Keto, Atkins, caveman, supplements ect ect.

Trying to see if there's one I havent tried that will help KEEP the weight off. Definitely tired of doing the same diets only to gain it back lol. And I'm also hitting the gym atleast 4 times a week. I try to do 6 but ends up being no less than 4.

 

[just country]

morning, push away from the table and BEER.
justme gbot tum

 

[dfanonymous]

Lets talk diets and which/how you all diet to prepare for season.

We all know that we run, ruck, weight training, intervals, ECT. But I never see anyone talk about diet.

Myself, I'm not a master genius by anymeans. In my family genes, we gain fast but can lose 20lbs in a month by just running. So that part is nice.

I go through a yearly (really a monthly) weight change. During the summer months when I'm playing semi professional baseball I'll get myself down to the 190lb mark which is a good weight for me. I'm 5'11" and have a stocky build. I have to sometimes get XXL just so it'll fit my shoulders right.

But during the hunting season I'll get clear up to 220lbs (not even joking) entered January 1st at 228. When I'm hunting I'm eating a ton of food. Mountain Houses mainly for meals but also around the elk camp I'm drinking beer. Even though I'm doing 10 miles sometimes per day I still gain the weight.

Now with diets ive tried everything. Keto, Atkins, caveman, supplements ect ect.

Trying to see if there's one I havent tried that will help KEEP the weight off. Definitely tired of doing the same diets only to gain it back lol. And I'm also hitting the gym atleast 4 times a week. I try to do 6 but ends up being no less than 4.

There's no diet plan that works besides maybe paleo. Modified paleo really.

Diet for muscle:

Add 400 calories to your diet on top of rep and sets meant for muscle development. None of the powerlifting ****.
Remember protein intake needs, needs to be 1 gram for every lb of muscle. Not your total weight. Your total weight minus fat.



Diet for weight loss: eat less calories. About 400 less the what your calculator tells you your daily intake should be. Probably more than 400 if you aren't working out.

Micro and macro nutrient help.




It's that simple. You obviously have to stick with it to see results, but limit calorie intake and do about 30 minutes of some high intensity training and your straight. Then when you lose the weight, people forget to recalculate their new calorie intake so that's important.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

morning, push away from the table and BEER.
justme gbot tum

Yeah it's really that simple. I'm 30 now. In my 20s I would think about running and lose 5lbs. Lol.

I'm 6'2" and 200lbs right now. I'm not a fan of this weight. I feel sharper and faster at about 185lbs. Also shredded

But in all seriousness calories in have to be less than calories out to lose weight. It's that simple. Eat a ton of vegetables and lean meat and only drink water. You drink a lot of calories in Gatorade, sodas, beer, etc...

Transition from heavy weight lifting to more body weight type exercises and run a lot. Like 20-25 mile weeks and the weight will melt off. I use to box in the army so I know how to lose weight quick!

 

[ofbandg]

My wife taught nutrition for 35 years but loves good food and cooking so she is always on the lookout for a balanced intake. Her rule is, establish a pattern of good nutrition for year round use and stick with it, only adjusting portion size to match your activity level. Constantly changing they type of food you eat messes with your metabolism and your body tries to compensate and fights the change. It took me awhile to get used to eating great quantities of fruits and vegetables and only lean meat but when it is prepared well it becomes no sacrifice at all. I never did give up my beer though but I have managed to stick with just two a day.

 

[JMB 1911]

mostly paleo I am 52 and it sucks that I can't eat what ever I want whenever I want. Any refined white carbohydrate is bad. I don't count fruit in a reasonable amount as a carb.

I try to stick with sweet potatoes, quinoa or long grain brown rice for the few carbs I do eat.

 

[scottpt]

Oh gosh ... weight loss - what a topic. I'm a physiotherapist and get these kinds of questions daily. Guys 300 whisper got it right for most people. Burn more fuel than you take in and you lose weight. It is a simple formula and as I said for "most" people but not all. Most people failing diets and weight loss is because they can't walk past the box of tim bits at the office or some other such "snack" that is full of calories. You really do need to pay attention to not only how much you are eating but what makes it up? Instead of that creamy rich salad dressing use a bit of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and some dijon mustard. These kinds of things make a difference. Quinoa is very healthy for you but is what we call "calorically dense". There is alot of food energy in that cup of quinoa so losing weight might be more difficult. You also need to exercise! Cardio for sure - not intense but regular. High intensity activity burns carbohydrates sugars), low intensity long duration burns fat as a fuel. The trick is to train and get your cardiovascular efficiency elevated enough you can do more intense activity and still use fat as the fuel source. Most people don't understand that walking up 10 flights of stairs takes the same amount of fuel (calories) as running them. The difference is the time it takes and the fuel your body uses. Walking uses fat ... running uses carbs. Both burn calories. For the time it takes you certainly if the running guy kept going he'd burn more than the walking guy. If you want to selectively burn fat choose lower intensity of exercise for a longer duration.
Also helps to lift weights and build a bit of muscle mass ... after all that is the tissue that burns the fuel! So restrict your diet, eat lots of veggies (it's hard to take in alot of calories as veggies) and still eat some lean meat so you can build muscle. Deer, Elk, sushi, top sirloin all good options. I think people on this forum might have shot a couple? Don't forget ... good sleep habits up to 7hrs minimum.
Cheers,
Scott

 

[COmtnman1]

A little over a year ago i did a diet that my sister had tried because i wanted to lose some weight before i went elk hunting in CO. I started exercising & working out feb/mar in 2018 along with the diet. I started at 207 lbs. & did the diet twice before oct. 2018. I started my hunt at 185 lbs., so i lost 22 lbs. The diet is called "Whole 30" & it's not like most diets that i'd heard about, but it worked very well for me.

 

[CMDR Kibo]

Here are some basic solid steps to help stop the dieting and make everyday dietary changes to help accomplish your goal.

1. Limit portion size and limit your daily food intake to the demands of your body.

Leave the table before you are full. Not only does this help limit the calories you ingest, but it will help your brain to continue to recognize the leptin hormone that signals satiety (fullness) and not develop decreased sensitivity to it, which leads to overeating.

Limiting the size of your meals also helps to keep the stomach from getting overly stretched. Once your stomach adjusts and gets used to smaller size meals you'll feel fuller sooner and won't feel the need to eat more at any one sitting.

2. Cut out fried, high fat and greasy foods that put a strain on your liver and cardiovascular system. Go lean with the meats you eat, eat fish (not fried) and increase your vegetable (fiber) intake.

This is important all year round but especially for hunting at altitude. Fried, fatty and greasy foods will thicken your blood like no tomorrow and anyone who has ever done or seen a pherisis procedure on someone who has eaten these foods can attest to the problems it causes for your blood to flow. The machine will struggle to process the blood.

3. Cut out the regular consumption of sugary food and drinks. Absolutely no soda. Limit juices, sports drinks, etc. Quit the beer! Ethanol (alcohol) = sugar to your liver. Replace these drinks with water.

Over consumption of sugary foods and drinks over time leads to metabolic distress and is the number one contributor to obesity (along with not enough fiber) according to Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology. Here is a link to his excellent video where he gives a presentation on this. He does dive in to some biochemistry but one should be able to get the gist of it even if you don't get the underlying cellular biochemistry. It is 1.5 hours long but well worth watching.


4. Drink more water! …if you are not drinking enough now. Often times what you think is hunger is really thirst. Stay hydrated.

5. Regular exercise all year.

You indicate that your family genetics predispose you to a stocky build and putting on weight. If that is the case then it would seem that cardio should be emphasized more in your exercise regimen. Why not do some hiking that will give you a good slow burn cardio pace and not put as much impact on your joints as running does? You can control your route and elevation gain to tailor your workout to your needs while you also enjoy the outdoors, recon hunting areas and scout wildlife for your future hunts.

I hope these suggestions don't sound preachy, dictatorial or know it all. It's just what I have discovered as a solid foundation to good general health and weight control. And don't get me wrong - I love good down-home cooking (i.e. fatty and fried foods), sweet desserts and an occasional adult beverage as much as the next guy. I just had to make the effort to limit those in my daily diet and indulge in them only as occasional treats, not as every day indulgences, to get the results I desired.

In the end it's your body. You know it best. Listen to it and implement what works for you. I hope this helps.

 

[Wild Monkey]

Lets talk diets and which/how you all diet to prepare for season.
Even though I'm doing 10 miles sometimes per day I still gain the weight.
I'm also hitting the gym atleast 4 times a week. I try to do 6 but ends up being no less than 4.

I have come to the conclusion some of us are Genetically Predisposed to store Certain Energy. Things like Breads, Pasta, Dairy our bodies will store ALL of that Energy. It's the hardest thing to Eliminate and we Love Eating it. It's like we were Never Meant to Eat it as we never did for Thousands of Years, it's our Kryptonite! Eliminate these Sugars and Double your Cardio Workout and maintain Weights. Youth is Fleeting and the older you get the more impossible it will be. "Temple"

 

[tony d willIiams]

I attempt to stay busy, having arthritis definitely keeps me from running or doing the hiking I used to do without a thought, and my weight shows it 200 ±5, down from 250. Being retired it is too easy to relax and kick back. I am a simple guy but the following helps me.
Usually when I believe that I am hungry I am actually thirsty I just interpret the message wrong. Drinking more water or diet tonic water helps a lot. Drinking the tonic water helps to keep the malaria at bay.
We have reduced our sweet intake so that sugar actually keeps us from enjoying the food. Imagine sugar free barbecue, that includes no ketchup, it is actually quite good. Fruits and veggies cooked in their own juices with spices or herbs added, less sugar more imagination, (tastimation).
We live a mile high so exercising up here requires more energy from the get go.
I reload and I am trying to be accurate out to a mile. I will shoot three shots, walk to the target, mark it, take pictures and walk back, repeat for the weekend.
Scouting for deer, or bear uses a bunch of calories year round. It also makes it easier to know where they are during all points of the seasons.
During hunting season I will not eat meat, bird or fish for a few weeks. As they say a bear can smell what you had for breakfast yesterday from a mile away.

 

[Mike 338]

Buy a scale. Count calories. It's pretty easy to ditch useless calories.

 

[BoatsForFishies]

You got some interesting genes there, mate. My dad can eat a ton and not gain any weight. It's actually quite weird. We are all just pretty thin and eat a lot. The only difference is that my dad is tall and I am not so tall.

 

[Frog4aday]

You are looking for 'new' ideas, so here goes: 16-8 diet.
You only get to eat during an 8 hour window each day. You pick what that 'window' will be. Once you chose, you stick with that. You don't get to change it everyday. As an example, you can eat from 11am to 7pm each day. Some people chose 10am to 6pm. Whatever you pick, you stick with that.

For the other 16 hours (7:01pm to 10:59am), you fast. No calories. You can have water. You can have black coffee. But no calories.

And you walk. Or whatever you normally do for exercise. Wife got a great dane and he makes SURE we walk him everyday! Best 'motivator' ever. Plus, he's an amazing dog.

The thing is this - you won't lose the weight fast. Maybe 2 lbs a month. So 24 lbs in a year. But it is SUSTAINABLE. There is no 'denial' of foods involved. During your 8 hour window of eating, you eat/drink what you'd like. It is the denial of foods we like that makes other diets unsustainable.

I've been doing this since October. I've lost 12 lbs so far. The 'hardest' time for me is around 9:30 in the AM, when I'm hungry but still have 90 minutes to go until 'food time.' But EVERY thing good in life takes SOME self-discipline. Really, this 'diet' (I hate to even call it that) is pretty sustainable. You don't 'get on it' then 'quit'. This is it. For the rest of your days you do this. And it's not that hard.

What I've found is that I really end up eating about twice a day. Once at 11am and then again around 5:30 to 6pm (finishing before 7pm) and that's satisfying my needs. I don't feel starved or deprived. Sometimes I'll have a small snack between my two meal periods, sometimes not. And I still get my coffee in the morning (can't live without it!) It just has to be black. Totally do-able!