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Dietary cheating?

Old 08-01-22, 10:30 AM
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Daniel4
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Dietary cheating?

I'm 61 y.o. fluctuating between 142 and 138lb, 5'7".

I cycle to the gym two to three times a week and on non-gym days, I take long 3 hour bike rides.

At the gym, I weight train with barbell squats and deadlift from body weight to 120% body weight (DL). Most other exercises are dumbbells (presses, back rows, delts). I'm not exercising at the strength-training range. I exercise at the hypertrophy range from 8 to 15 reps to failure. So weight lifting standards, although I compare them to my own performance don't really mean that much.

So I consider myself active. I'm a hard-gainer. I don't have an over-weight problem. I have an inability to gain weight. I recognize I don't eat as much as I should. So after a gym session or in the middle of a long ride, I'm tempted to, instead of snacking on a coffee and muffin, get a hamburger or fried chicken at KFC. Needless to say, I haven't made either a part of my routine.

I know these junk foods are real bad if they become part of a regular diet. But I feel the fried chicken or hamburger would contain better nutrition than the muffin. And with my active life-style, I should be able to burn off the calories and the colesterol.

Would I be taking a huge risk or do you think that in moderation, I'm ok? Yeah, I know I'm looking for confirmation that dietary cheating is ok in my case. I won't hold any of you liable. I still get regular annual physicals and bloodwork from my doctor.
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Old 08-01-22, 11:36 AM
  #2  
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Originally Posted by Daniel4
I'm 61 y.o. fluctuating between 142 and 138lb, 5'7".

I cycle to the gym two to three times a week and on non-gym days, I take long 3 hour bike rides.

At the gym, I weight train with barbell squats and deadlift from body weight to 120% body weight (DL). Most other exercises are dumbbells (presses, back rows, delts). I'm not exercising at the strength-training range. I exercise at the hypertrophy range from 8 to 15 reps to failure. So weight lifting standards, although I compare them to my own performance don't really mean that much.

So I consider myself active. I'm a hard-gainer. I don't have an over-weight problem. I have an inability to gain weight. I recognize I don't eat as much as I should. So after a gym session or in the middle of a long ride, I'm tempted to, instead of snacking on a coffee and muffin, get a hamburger or fried chicken at KFC. Needless to say, I haven't made either a part of my routine.

I know these junk foods are real bad if they become part of a regular diet. But I feel the fried chicken or hamburger would contain better nutrition than the muffin. And with my active life-style, I should be able to burn off the calories and the colesterol.

Would I be taking a huge risk or do you think that in moderation, I'm ok? Yeah, I know I'm looking for confirmation that dietary cheating is ok in my case. I won't hold any of you liable. I still get regular annual physicals and bloodwork from my doctor.
Just eat whatever you want but some things in moderation. No need to feel guilty or worry about eating a little bit of junk food. I am really sick and tired of the entire health food fad diets and clean eating BS that`s out there.
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Old 08-01-22, 12:50 PM
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Both the burger and the chicken are going to have a lot more protein and a lot less sugar than a muffin.
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Old 08-01-22, 12:53 PM
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mmm ... fried chicken ...
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Old 08-01-22, 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
Both the burger and the chicken are going to have a lot more protein and a lot less sugar than a muffin.
Definitely true, but coming from a fast food restaurant they'll maybe but be the best protein source around.
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Old 08-01-22, 01:38 PM
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You can find something healthy and fast just as easy if you put your mind to it. Stop at a grocery store rather than a fast-food place. The best way to cheat is to have one specific day or one specific meal. Otherwise, it's easy for me to start cheating too much.
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Old 08-01-22, 01:40 PM
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Daniel4
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Thanks, folks. Last thing I need is to be skinny-fat (visceral fat).
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Old 08-01-22, 03:00 PM
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The nice thing about fried chicken, hamburgers and the like: it's simple enough to simply quarter it and have a much-reduced portion size.

Myself, I tend to cook up most dishes in batches, then freeze the rest. For stuff like you've mentioned, I'll cut it into smaller portion (or even bite-sized chunks), for having a small amount of it later. Can even do this with, say, doughnuts (as an extreme example of pointless "junk food" intake) ... just chop two or three of them into little 1" long sections, freeze them, then when you get the urge eat one of the little pieces. With a decent, varied dietary intake, the occasional puny portion of a "comfort" food like this shouldn't blow a hole in one's approach.

I do this sort of thing with wine. I don't drink much. I find I'm okay with just sipping, and ending with an amount that totals about 1-2 ounces. I find that I can get as much pleasure from sipping that amount over some time, instead of horking it down. Small portions work well, with this.
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Old 08-01-22, 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
I am really sick and tired of the entire health food fad diets and clean eating BS that`s out there.
It's a form of elitism, status symbol messed up F.

I eat burger patties all the time with the cheapest veggies I can afford and far from overweight. I burn most of the calories on a cheap stationary bike.
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Old 08-02-22, 06:51 AM
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Originally Posted by koala logs
It's a form of elitism, status symbol messed up F.

I eat burger patties all the time with the cheapest veggies I can afford and far from overweight. I burn most of the calories on a cheap stationary bike.
No elitism on my part. I simply made the mistake of educating myself of how unhealthy processed foods are. It's not the calories I am concerned about.
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Old 08-02-22, 01:52 PM
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IMHO, if you don't have a problem with your weight, then by all means, treat yourself now and again.

Of course, it depends on frequency. Most any of these things are OK if they are rare. On my one to two real vacations each year, I allow myself to eat all kinds of things that are excluded from my regular diet (especially sausage, salami, prosciutto- things that I absolutely love).

On the other hand, there are so many high-calorie things that aren't quite as bad as fast food.

It's not a matter of calories, per se. The salt could be an issue if you have high blood pressure. The saturated fats could be an issue if you have high cholesterol.

Or not.
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Old 08-15-22, 07:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Araasht
Everyone should treat themselves sometimes. Because health is not only healthy body but also healthy mind. That's why treats exist. They cheer us up.
Treats do exist to cheer you up. In that manner they are just like alcohol or Cocaine. Sugar is 8 times more addictive than Cocaine and stimulates the same pleasure centers in the brain. The food industry has highly paid scientists working on more and more addictive chemical combinations of sweet, salty and, savory so you really can't eat just one. They don't care about your health any more than the drug cartels in Mexico. Sugar is the most addictive and detrimental drug in the US and also the most socially acceptable. Anytime you need anything to make you feel better, you know it has you by your dangly parts.
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Old 08-15-22, 08:10 AM
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Chicken is cheating but a muffin is ok?

No wonder you can't put muscle on.

Eat some meat.
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Old 08-15-22, 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
Chicken is cheating but a muffin is ok?

No wonder you can't put muscle on.

Eat some meat.
I agree but I wouldn't eat breaded and fried if I wanted something healthy. Even most rotisserie chickens have 20% to even more than 30% added ingredient. I would guess artificial flavorings and preventives in the form of added water seasonings. Last time I checked Taco Bell was over 30% anti caking agent in their ground beef. Meat yes, but try to be as smart as possible about it and get the best quality meats possible. For cheap,healthy,and easy to source, it's hard to beat Sardines packed in water. Personally, I'm lucky enough to have easy access to hundreds of pounds of wild game every year.
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Old 08-15-22, 10:17 AM
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Originally Posted by RH Clark
I agree but I wouldn't eat breaded and fried if I wanted something healthy. Even most rotisserie chickens have 20% to even more than 30% added ingredient. I would guess artificial flavorings and preventives in the form of added water seasonings. Last time I checked Taco Bell was over 30% anti caking agent in their ground beef. Meat yes, but try to be as smart as possible about it and get the best quality meats possible. For cheap,healthy,and easy to source, it's hard to beat Sardines packed in water. Personally, I'm lucky enough to have easy access to hundreds of pounds of wild game every year.
Lucky you. I lack the strength to do the heavy lifting or dragging. I'd love to go elk hunting once again
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Old 08-15-22, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
Lucky you. I lack the strength to do the heavy lifting or dragging. I'd love to go elk hunting once again
I'm probably a little preachy about this stuff because I didn't eat so healthy the first 50 years of my life. I lost 160 lbs over 2 years when I started doing everything I could to gain my health back. A huge part of that process was educating myself about food. You can eat a reasonably healthy diet without a huge budget if you learn to cook for yourself and stay away from all premade or processed foods.
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Old 08-24-22, 03:08 AM
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Originally Posted by caloso
Both the burger and the chicken are going to have a lot more protein and a lot less sugar than a muffin.
I agree with it
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