I just want to eat pizza and look good naked

chris04

New member
That’s what my friend said when the instructor asked him what his goals were. It’s one of the most intense and competitive Crossfit gyms in the nation. I’m sure that the instructor had a puzzled look on his face while simultaneously thinking, “What are you doing here?"

My friend didn’t care. He wants to get a good workout in and look good without a shirt on. And be able to eat pizza.

The instructor shouldn’t care either. Let’s face it, if you’re most guys you aren’t trying to be the next “fittest guy on earth”, or even super ripped. Most guys want to eat beer and wings with their friends. If they have to take their shirt off at the beach the bar is set at, “whatever hot chicks will notice”.

I’m not saying that Dad bods are cool, just that you don’t have a have an absurd six pack to be healthy. But also not saying that it’s bad to want a six pack.

It’s just that when it comes to most health advice, you can’t eat beer, wings, or pizza when you’re eating healthy. And you have to be ripped.

Sometimes I want like a couple of slices of extra cheese. Maybe sprinkled in with a little pepperoni and sausage. Maybe I was drunk at the time. Is that so bad?

According to most health advice, yea, it kind of is.

You can work out all you want but abs are made in the kitchen. So you have to watch your diet. Which is true. Now whether you want abs, a flat stomach, or just want to lose weight, you can still get away with eating food you want.

But most diets don’t prescribe to that type of thinking. The common perception of healthy eating and diets is that:
  • You have to count every single calorie.
  • You have to exclude certain types of food.
Like pizza.

I won’t accept it. Neither should my friend. And, neither should you.

Is counting calories and excluding certain food groups bad?

Depends on your goals. If you want to get ripped, you’ll probably have to incorporate some type of calorie counting. Getting in the single digits of body fat is a different game than just eating healthy.

But, most guys don’t track their food or calories because it’s an extra step. I’m not against it, just think that there are other principles that are easier to adhere to first and foremost.

Working out is all a part of this too, but that’s a topic for another day.

So anyway, what’s the best approach for a dude who works a busy job and wants to eat right? Well it’s a little bit counter intuitive of an approach but it goes something like this …
  • Learn what to eat, like good, unprocessed food
  • Systemize your eating and food choices
  • Eat food you enjoy (like pizza)
Healthy eating can be complex. But learning what to eat that is healthy is simpler.

Learning What to Eat

Everybody talks about eating good food. That’s about the best advice guys get when it comes to eating healthy.

But what is good food?

And what about food that everyone thinks is healthy, and actually isn’t. Like that protein bar loaded with sugar. That “healthy” whole grain pasta. Those fruit juices/teas that have just as much sugar as a can of soda.

There’s a lot of nutritional advice out there that’s simply not true. A lot of it you can blame on marketing by food companies, or just longstanding myths. All in all, learning how to eat healthy doesn’t require a PhD in nutrition. It can require much less than that, like no effort at all, you just have to do some groundwork first.

When it comes to eating right, all you need to worry about are two things:
  • Unprocessed
  • Plant friendly
People worry about over eating. But when you’re eating foods that are nutritionally dense and full of fiber, you won’t.

The key here is knowing where to find unprocessed foods. Best rule of thumb is shop at the ends of grocery stores. Think produce, meat, dairy.

And what about foods not in those sections, are they unprocessed?

Well, read the ingredients 😃

If there’s a ton ingredients that sound like they come from a lab, or you can’t pronounce - put it down. A good example is something like peanut butter. Unless it’s only ingredient is peanuts, it’s processed. And look, keep it within reason, I love Cholula sauce for example. It’s got xanthin gum in it, but I’m not going to freak out. The point of the exercise is to look at your diet holistically instead of calorically.

Know what else isn’t processed? Plants. Veggies and fruits. Eat them. A lot of them. They’re good for you. Always include them with a meal or snack.

No doctor, no nutritionist, and no health professional ever, in the history of humans will tell you that plants are bad for your health. It’s the one thing that everyone universally agrees upon when it comes to eating and being healthy.

You might be thinking that you’ll have to count macros to control intake. You can if you want, but focusing on the basics is a much bigger win. Focusing on eating unprocessed food and plants will make you much more successful in the long term than counting calories. It’s something you can always fall back on without an app or food journal.

Now once you learn to eat right, you have to actually do it. Yet another problem. A lot of people think that they don’t have the motivation or will power. Not true.

Willpower

But it’s tough to say that you don’t have the motivation or will power because when you get home after a long day of work your evening goes something like this: You’re exhausted. Cooking anything, all be it healthy, is the last thing on your mind. There’s a slice of pizza, or two, and boom - pizza for dinner!

Is eating pizza bad? No. Is eating pizza all the time bad? Yes. Cheese, bread and tomato sauce are not part of a healthy diet.

Everyone has been talking about willpower since like 2010. I won’t beat a dead horse here. But the bottom line is that we all have limited decision making abilities, or will power, in a given day. And though most people know about it, they don’t know how to manage it.

But you shouldn’t manage your eating, you should systematize your eating. Systems help you think less and do more. Instead of thinking about what to eat that’s healthy, set up a system that allows you to select only heathy food.

Here’s how to set up your system:
  • Pick 3 places that you can go grab lunch, or even dinner, around your office or at home. For dinner, this is if you haven’t done your grocery shopping.
  • Here’s places near my office that I go to eat healthy:
    • Sunac
    • Just Salad
    • Chipotle
    • Whole Foods
  • Pick 2 “go to” dishes/plates at each place
    • I normally just get greens and protein. Since some places are pay by pound, load up on leafy greens & plop on the protein.
    • At Chipotle, I sometimes leave out rice. I always ask for a little bit of beans & brown rice (if I feel like it), and load on the fajitas.
That’ll take care of variability in case you get bored. Sometimes it can be boring, but you’re saving the good stuff for the weekend. Like pizza.

It’s also a system I follow myself. Been eating healthy and not thinking about since 2010. What up.

Eat foods you enjoy:

There’s not point in eating healthy if you can’t live a little. And by living, I mean eating pizza.

Obviously.

Because what’s the point of eating right when you can’t enjoy the little things in life. Like a slice of heaven right out of the oven. Maybe a couple of slices? Extra cheese? If it sounds like I’m obsessed with pizza, or I have a problem - it’s because I do.

You understand though right? I know there’s some type of “unhealthy” food that gets you every single freaking time. For me, it’s pizza. For you it might be something else, like chips and salsa … that actually gets me too.

Thing is, people get REALLY obsessive when approaching healthy eating. Obsessively counting calories, staying away from certain foods, even the ones that they enjoy!

There’s no need to do that. You should eat the foods you enjoy. Just not all the time.

All you need to do is stick with the 80/20 rule.
  • Eat 80% or more with unprocessed foods, fruits, & veggies.
  • Eat 20% or less with foods you enjoy (i.e pizza, wings, chips & salsa
  • Don’t binge
Say that you eat 21 meals in a given week. If you follow the 80% rule, you’d eat about 17 meals w/ unprocessed, fruits, and veggies. Then you’d eat 4 meals with whatever you please. I’d suggest that you use those 4 for the weekend though!

Now you’re probably going to over do it sometimes, and that’s okay. Just don’t purposely go into a meal where the goal is to feel like you’re going to explode after.

Everyone gets sucked into bad health and diet advice. You need “x” amount of protein. No carbs! Don’t eat any junk food or sugar. But no one pays attention until it matters. Like summer and the holidays. All of a sudden it’s May and you got to go on a low carb shred diet for MDW. All the while being fucking miserable during the process. Then you gain the weight back quickly after that weekend.

Not cool.

When it comes to eating healthy, you shouldn’t be concerned about every calorie, if a certain food is good or bad, or feel guilty after eating an indulging meal. Enjoy the wings, beer, and pizza. Indulge during the holidays and weekends. Don’t feel guilty.

Instead, worry about learning the right foods to eat. Set systems up so its not a tedious or too much effort for you to eat healthy. And most importantly, include foods you enjoy.

What I’m telling you isn’t new either. Like I said before, people say “eat clean”. Which is true, but there’s a lot of other factors that go into it. A lot of people know to eat clean, but don’t know what that means or how to execute it successfully. They just chase tactics instead of setting up a strategy for success.

So while everyone is cramming like crazy to get lean muscle with quick schemes for MDW - you’ll be relaxing knowing you can look the way you want to look and eat the foods you enjoy too.

As for my buddy … this slice is for you.
 
@abrother I do not think this is what anyone needs to hear. It doesn't seem based in reality.

I commented below which I will let you read if you choose.
 
@cadie Not to argue, because, yes, you do make many good points, but at the same time, so does OP. I have tried counting calories multiple times. I have tried cutting out sweets. I have tried paleo/keto/anything that makes the least rationale sense (i.e., not a crash diet like juice only or the banana diet... I don't want to eat so much potassium I glow. XP).

I work in a highly stressful job (one more semester of school and I can leave it, though! WOO!) and have a stressful family life. My husband, bless him, isn't interested in helping me stick to my diet the way I need him to be. I load up MFP, add that first DP I drink like coffee to calm my nerves for the day, and it's already fussing at me because I'm over my sugars. "Well... today's shot for the diet," is all that echoes through my mind all day. Try to quit and I have a helluva day plus the withdrawal headaches and guess what.... Back to DP or I practically can't function. And yeah, I'm aware a lot of that is excuses. But when you're trying to shock your system into a whole different style of eating and thinking.... excuses get mighty powerful.

So counting calories and diets don't work for me. I'm out of my house 12 hours a day. I have a 20 minute lunch. I get home and scarf something before going to bed to start the hell all over again.

However, moderation (which I found to be the point of OP's post) I can do. I can eat a little less, which is really all counting calories is, isn't it? Eat, just eat less. I can make better choices. But maybe I can't do it all at once. Maybe this is step one for me. And maybe there are others who experience the same issues. That's why I said this was what I needed to hear. Every other diet/fitness/healthy eating group/post has made me instantly feel like a failure. This actually gives me hope that I can achieve the first step. Then I'll try counting calories and dieting again. =)

*Edit: Words and formatting
 
@abrother Thanks, that was the point I was getting at :) And I work in an office too and see a lot of people who deal with a stressful office job that can't eat right. So I feel you!

Agreed, I think that if you focus on eating healthy first, counting calories just helps you get to the next level, but shouldn't be the foundation of how you approach eating.
 
@chris04 I work in public education, and am actually looking forward to getting an "office job". (At least, I'm assuming accounting qualifies as an office job.) I want to start eating better and losing weight now, and I think what you said makes sense. Besides, I don't want to track calories for the rest of my life. What's the point in living if you're so busy worrying about every scrap you eat you forget to enjoy life, right?
 
@abrother
I drink like coffee to calm my nerves for the day, and it's already fussing at me because I'm over my sugars

Why do you add the sugar to your coffee? I drink coffee and add heavy whipping cream and artificial sweetener if I want it.

You do not need to quit caffeine and get headaches. That isn't a good idea starting a diet.

I do not know what a DP is.

Diet Pepsi?

Oh. How does that get you over your sugars.

I am confused.

Diets work for you. You are on a diet.

Limiting calories (which you are doing, just lazily) is one way to do it for sure.

The problem is how do you know you are eating "less." How many calories in that snickers versus that "large" salad? What about that avocado you ate? Those are good right? You mention bananas! Those are health foods! (I haven't eaten a banana in years - no reason)....
 
@cadie
I don't drink coffee. Can't stand the stuff. I drink Dr. Pepper like other people drink coffee.

DP is Dr. Pepper. Sorry. When I log a single 20oz Dr. Pepper MFP gives me a warning that that is enough to put me over the sugar count for the day.

I limit calories by trying to make better choices. I don't always succeed, but I do try, yes. I know I'm eating less because I stop when I feel full, not when my plate is empty. I need about 1900 calories for maintaining a day, and when I stop when I'm full, I might eat just less than this. MFP tries to restrict me to 1200. I feel like I'm starving when I try to meet this, plus if I drink that Dr. Pepper, my breakfast (which I know it isn't a good choice to have that McMuffin, but I don't have time to even make an egg and eat it and clean up the mess) knocks out about 5-600 calories. Which is why I inevitably fail using MFP at the moment. I'm fighting a battle I feel I can't win.
 
@abrother Oh. I drank two DDP last night... Diet...

regular is 250 cals 66 carbs (sugar!)

Why not drink diet?

When I go to McD's I get two sausage patties. $3 done.

You can read what I eat at Chipotle.
For snacks I love beef bites from QT (old Wisconsin).
I assume you are a female since you mentioned your husband. If that isn't the case then I statistically apologize. The point is that 1900 is a lot of calories for a female unless you are 6'.

I am 40 6'2" and 190# and I eat 2300 to GAIN mass.. 2100 to maintain...

Of course I think Ketosis is the answer to losing fat (and little else), but drinking soda (regular) and eating McDs just proves my earlier point.

"people" are bad at this. Tracking calories helps those who can do it better.
 
@cadie I can't stand the taste of diet. Makes me wanna vomit. I'm not really into Chipotle type food, every time I try to eat a salad I gag on it.. Like I said, yes, this can be seen as excuses, but I'm not torturing myself to lose weight. The food I tend to like doesn't really cut it on most "healthy" food lists because it's Southern US, starchy, or fatty or something. And I'm not spending my life tracking calories. I know what I need to do, and what I need to do is exercise. This is why I liked OP's post. It allowed me to stop obsessing over the food and focus on getting myself moving.. which will lead to me eating better. Feeling like I have the energy to make a better meal at home vs the take-out which is easy is what I need. I know that sounds backward to most fitness/weight loss advice, but I'm an odd duck. Always have been. And everyone's different. Different things work for different people. And yes, I am female.
 
@abrother You have to do a lot of exercise to make up for all those calories...

You have to run 30 minutes to burn off that DP.... For someone stressed on time it seems like a weird choice.

I do not eat salad at Chipotle...

Eating salad makes you gag?

Sounds familiar:

I included the time to save you some.... You have a really busy schedule (yet seem to have a lot of time on reddit today)....
 
@cadie Suffice to say, counting calories works for you. It does not for me. Not everyone is the same. Stop trying to shame people into being like you. Doesn't work. That being said, my patience is worn thin. Bugger the hell off.
 
@abrother Wait. One month ago you told someone you haven't tried keto.. You tried it within the last month and it didn't work?

Naw..... excuses excuses..
 
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