Dieting and BBQ....dare I ask

Weight Games. I did not focus so much on pounds as I did a percentage of body weight. What I did find out about myself is I am extremely salt sensitive. Eat a bowl of broccoli beef at Chyo's and I was +3 pounds for 2-3 days. Sugar and it's substitutes are hidden everywhere. Bleached flour/sugar and worse are in nearly every processed prepackaged "food" When you control the cook, you control the ingredients. Family and friends-IF NOT SUPPORTIVE-should be avoided. They're not the ones paying for your future prescriptions, or in the hot seat when the doctor says," sit down we need to talk"
 
Meat isn't really the problem with dieting. It's all the sugars and starches people eat. Maybe you won't be able to eat the mac-n-cheese with the 2 gallons of cream in it. Or eat potatoes, bread, and pasta on the side.

But a nice smoked meat could be used in a number of healthy dishes.

Now if you're a brewer, that would be hard to do and diet, I'd think :(
 
I am constantly Queing and I am in the process of losing weight. My goal is to get from 215 down to 170-175. Since Thanksgiving I have lost 15lbs. I cut out fast food, watch my portions, portion control the starchy sides, and eat more fruits and veggies, haven't started doing physical activity other than walking my dog.

I have yet to feel hungry, eat the foods that I love, and don't feel like I have missed out on anything. If I want pizza, pie, or any "guilty" food I still eat it, I just make up for the calories in other ways such as taking a longer walk, eat a huge salad w/ grilled chicken breast etc.
 
As what the others said here, BBQ and dieting are not incompatible. Smoking does not add any appreciable calories that I can tell. If you stick to the leaner meats such as chicken, turkey, and fish, you will be fine. Of course, that would depend on the regimen you choose to follow. The two things you need to watch out for is sodium (introduced mainly through rubs) which can cause water retention and sugars (sauces and glazes) that will increase the number of calories.
 
NickTheGreat said:
Meat isn't really the problem with dieting. It's all the sugars and starches people eat. Maybe you won't be able to eat the mac-n-cheese with the 2 gallons of cream in it. Or eat potatoes, bread, and pasta on the side.

But a nice smoked meat could be used in a number of healthy dishes.

Now if you're a brewer, that would be hard to do and diet, I'd think :(
Click to expand...

Right on with this one!!! Just like everyone else says, sugars, flour, and processed crap food is what is hurting us. I am in the same boat as you are, and am going to be more in tune with what I am going to be eating. Real meat, fruits and veggies, no sugar, and no flour. For sweeteners I might be ok with real maple syrup, or honey. Only processed stuff is if I process it myself. If anything I will be BBQing more I think.

Chris
 
I'm amazed at how much weight I can lose eating meat and vegetables.

There isn't a cure-all magic bullet, though, which is why the folks on this thread who have lost a bunch of weight all seemingly did something different. For me, cheat days were an exercise in anxiety because I held off eating things that I liked all week and went berserk on Saturdays. After my furlough, I went back to torturing myself. Instead, I found that not sweating small stuff- like using a small amount of honey in a BBQ sauce once or twice a week or not agonizing over the peanut oil used to fry naked chicken wings was the easier route.

I've found that sticking to a meat, fruit, vegetable, and dairy diet wasn't too hard. I limited sugar, but didn't cut it out 100%. Turns out, I need a sweetener once a week, if that. At that usage rate, it wasn't a thing. So, ribs with a salad and a side of vegetables (like brussel sprouts with bacon and butter) was inline with my weight loss plan. At least, I kept losing weight.
 
One of my favorite tools that I use to count calories is the app MyFitnessPal on my smartphone. It is also available on the web. It has a huge database on the calorie counts on foods. If it is store bought with a UPC you can scan it with your smartphone and it will come up with the nutritional information. If it is a homemade item (such a mashed potatoes, salads etc) you can plug in all the ingredients and how many servings it makes and it will come up with the nutritional information for it.

I also used the food scale I have for kitchen use to really get a feel for portion sizes. I wasn't sure what 6oz's of pulled pork really looked like. So before I was guessing at how much I was eating. After a couple of times of weighing out portions, I can now get very close to a correct portion size so I can accurately keep track of calories.
 
Took my Type 2 diabetic mother to Furrs Cafeteria

'
Me: grilled tilapia, cucumber in vinegar salad, steamed broccoli, navy beans, spinach

Her: fried catfish, fried okra, Mac n cheese, jalapeño cornbread and red velvet cake

For my family tree-and they all branch differently , choices are more important than portion control.

I don't avoid carbohydrates, only those found in processed foods.
 
Grilling is healthy and low fat Stay away from Commercial rubs & sauces oh I love the Q 2 and round is a shape:grin:
 
16Adams said:
Took my Type 2 diabetic mother to Furrs Cafeteria

'
Me: grilled tilapia, cucumber in vinegar salad, steamed broccoli, navy beans, spinach

Her: fried catfish, fried okra, Mac n cheese, jalapeño cornbread and red velvet cake

For my family tree-and they all branch differently , choices are more important than portion control.
Click to expand...

I would have the grilled tilapia, steamed broccoli, cucumber salad, and mac and cheese.

I'm a sucker for mac and cheese, corn bread and red velvet cake. I would allow myself to have 1 small portion of what I love vs going without. I like to enjoy my food and not resent the fact that I did not choose at least 1 thing that I absolutely love because it isn't good for you.
 
I must confess, I am an above average beer drinker :decision:
 
16Adams said:
I must confess, I am an above average beer drinker :decision:
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Ahh so that is what your "guilty food" is :p

I don't drink very often, so I like to partake in my "guilty" foods over having several beers. Different strokes for different folks!:laugh:
 
I too and trying to get in shape this year. I've been exercising -- eliptical in the morning (most mornings:oops:) and walking stairs at work (I work on the 16th floor). That helps, but more than anything, I've been tracking what I eat and using portion control. That has been very effective so far. Turns out I may be a pig that likes to eat too much. When I do even a little bit of exercise, I am more focused on what I eat so that I have a "good" diet day.

I still BBQ and make the other stuff I like, the way I like to make it. I just have smaller portions and no seconds. I also have a hard rule not to eat after 8pm each night. That cut out my late night desserts. I've also established Sunday as a "cheat" day if I've had a good week. I still exercise on Sunday, but that is my day to have whatever I want (e.g., mac n cheese, beer, etc.). I typically smoke on Sunday too, so that works well for me. It's a red meat, cheese and beer day for me. I really enjoy the positive results from the exercise and dieting, but I do need to "blow off some steam" every once in a while. I already feel much better, have lost 7#s and have only been at this for a couple of weeks.:clap2:
 
aawa said:
One of my favorite tools that I use to count calories is the app MyFitnessPal on my smartphone.
Click to expand...

I second this app. It has really helped me too. It has a huge data base of dishes when eating out or from the grocery store. You can scan the barcode of what you eat and it enters it for you or you can create receipes of food that you make at home and it will calculate the calories, etc.
 
I'm no expert on losing weight by any means, but ten years ago I lost just over 100 pounds in a year by changing three different things. I cut out all sugars including fruit, sodas, juices, candy, etc and only drank water. I also cut back on portion sizes and started walking 3-4 miles a day. People at work thought I was sick as I went from a 48 inch waist to a 32. Sadly though I've been unemployed for a couple years now and am back to we'll over 300 pounds again with half a dozen health issues. I would like to point out again though that I didn't avoid any foods at all except for sugar and I simply ate less. Now if only the me of 2014 could get that through his head again. :roll:
 
Paleo eating is very compatible with the BBQ "lifestyle". Cutting out processed foods and exercising goes a long way.
 
Tonight my least favorite but gonna try to make it past my lips. Blackened bbq cedar planked fresh salmon, grilled asparagus wrapped in pruscetta, Greek Salad with extra calamato olives and half a large grilled sweet potato. It really is a cool way to eat, no counting of calories or carbs.

Beautiful in Amarillo today. Walked five miles
 
This is a great thread. I'm in the same boat as some others. I quit smoking cigarettes last April 2 after 25 years. When my taste buds came back to life I was in awe of how awesome food tasted and gave myself the remainder of 2013 to enjoy what I had been missing out on.

I put on 25 guilt-free pounds, but when Jan 1 came along I knew that the other shoe had fallen and had to follow through on my commitment to myself, which was to get back into shape and get back to a better weight.

It's only been a week or so for me so I'm still fumbling through this. I've cut out butter, margarine, cream, and soda and am using MyFitnessPal to help with portion control and counting calories. Also incorporated some exercise but am starting out slow with that. It's been so long that burning 250 measly calories just about knocks me on my butt!

Anyways thanks to everyone who have shared their secrets and their success stories. I'll be following this thread intently!
 
Spedly please obtain a copy of the book Eat To Live by Dr Joel Furhman. Give it 30 days. You won't go back. I didn't smoke, my vice was Copenhagen. Lots of folks in our shoes. Lots
 
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