Best diet plan for gamers.

[poser765]

I think we're talking about a permanent diet change here, rather than a "weight watchers' diet" or whatever (diet kinda has a dual meaning). And still that's not entirely true - to lose weight you need to eat less than you consume, to keep your weight where it's at you need to eat the same amount you consume. So once you stop your diet you can and should bounce back to eating a little more, just not in excess.

Anyway low carb diets seem to do the trick for a lot of people. Pasta, potatoes, breads, etc. are a pretty useless nutrient-wise but provide a lot of energy. I know my weight just plummets if I go on a meat & salad diet.

Just want to point out a misconception about Weight Watchers. I've been a member for about 6 months and my wife for about a year. WW is NOT a diet. There is no special Weight Watchers food that you have to eat...although they do make and sell their own food, buying it and eating is NOT a requirement. Weight Watchers basically teaches life changes...changes in what you eat and how you live your life. The vast bulk of the literature is about changing the way you approach food. That's what's so good about the program. At no point do they tell you you can't eat a banana split or fettuccine alfredo. Knock yourself out, just know you will have to budget points for those foods.

I think you are thinking more about something like Jenny Craig.

[Pitkanen]

You cant just lift weights. weight lifting works because it tears your muscle tissues which grow back bigger and stronger. For that to work, you need to consume lots of protein as well. Thats why muscluar guys are pounding protein shakes for breakfast.

You can just lift weights without upping your protein, but it wont do much.

If you aren't into protein shakes, Low fat milk actually has the same amount of protein per dollar compared to most protein shakes. Obviously, that depends on your lactose tolerance.

If you are losing weight and working out, shifting to slightly higher protein while dropping overall caloric intake should work.

mainly though: keep a journal. Use those online things where you'll see where you excercise, what you eat, where your calories are really coming from... and most of all, share that information with someone who will support you.

[Omega10]

Two comments:

One: MAKE SURE YOU GET OUT OF THE SEAT AT LEAST ONCE EVERY HALF AN HOUR OR SO.

Chronic back problems REALLY REALLY suck. Just standing up, taking three steps, stretching, then taking three steps back and sitting down would do a lot to help your back. Did I mention that this is very important and that chronic back problems REALLY REALLY SUCK?

My back issues are coming to an end, but it has taken a long time to correct years and years of ... well back abuse.

Two: This is in response to the following quote:

"Sure, you can lose weight by diet alone. But as soon as you've quit the diet the weight will find its way back."

That is 100 percent correct. Which means that, whatever diet you choose, the diet basically has to be a forever kind of thing. So pick one you can live with, and one that will nourish you for years and years to come. The "diet" is really a "new lifestyle", not a temporary fix that will lose you the weight, just to pick it back up again.

This issue is a problem regardless of whether you exercise or not (and I highly recommend at least light daily exercise in addition to the 2x an hour stretch breaks).

[Xihuitl]

play less, sport more ...

i use to go running 2 times a week ... when i started with that i was done for after about 30 minutes of running, ... so in addition to having a shower that took me only one hour.
now i run for about an hour or 1 1/2 ... with shower i need 2 hours of my day for that ...

also running gives me plenty of opportunity to ponder about my games. think of advanced builds and talents, tactics, what else i have to do and so on.
after that i really feel relaxed and it keeps my weigth in check.

I'm impressed, my running thoughts are generally a running bet with myself at what point my legs will actually fall off!
I quite enjoy running, but I seam to drop into the same mental state as when I ride my motorbike, not much thought going on at all, just involved in what I am doing.

[Chaozu]

Sure, you can lose weight by diet alone. But as soon as you've quit the diet the weight will find its way back.

Best way to lose weight is not by picking up some new diet for a short while, it's to change what you eat entirely. If you're overweight then you're already doing it wrong, picking up a diet just to then go back to eating wrong again will of course lead to you regaining the lost weight...

If your goal is to lose weight then changing what you eat to more healthy alternatives, and working out alongside that is definitely the best way to go about it, I was simply responding to your incorrect claim that you couldn't remain at the same weight you are currently at without ever exercising at all.

Diet is never the answer, and on a whole is only a temporary solution since its purpose is for you to temporarily change the way you eat to something drastic and more healthy, to then go from there back again to the way it was before... What you should do is to ignore all diets and just change your entire meal-plan altogether to something that fits your body and is healthy for you. Your body will adapt to it, and if you're overweight you will go down, if you're underweight you will go up. It's really that simple.

[SloveenEfsei]

The "best diet plan" is always incomplete without exercise.

THIS. also, make sure you have a balanced meal, home cooked if possible. stay away from Fast Food

[Lockstatus]

Losing weight is purely cals in/cals out.

Stay in a deficit and it doesn't matter what you eat, you'll lose weight. Eat cheeseburgers, milkshakes and candy 3 meals a day if you want, as long as your in a deficit pounds will fall off.

Body composition and long-term health rely on tracking what you eat and if either are your goals, you should do so.

[pkm]

Funny how everyone here has gone off course!

First off, 8-10 hours a day is quite a lot. If you are really bent on doing it though, you can. I find that hard with work and all.

One of the most important thing sitting on the pc is taking frequent breaks. Just by doing this you don't risk any harm to yourself.

If you are at your ideal weight and want to stay there you gotta maintain your weight by eating balanced meals with some exercise. Play around with your calorie intake and exercise times. Try to find the balance so that you can sit 8 hours a day on the pc and stay healthy.

Oh and take your vitamins. Sitting on the pc most of the time means you won't be getting much sun and losing out on vitamin D.

[Zeror]

Buy yourself an Xbox 360 with Kinect (if you haven''t one yet) and get one of the Kinect sport/party games. Play these actively for like a hour a day and your good. And you're still gaming, right!
And don't forget: Eat healthy every day and drink like 10-15 cups/glass of water each day.

[Sky High Shark]

eat low calorie/carb/fat foods and eat about 2-2.5 meals a day or string out through the day with light snakes like an apple or cheese and crackers. I've done that for the 2 months i wasn't in class and without a gym class and i lost a total of 15 pounds that way.

rule of thumb I go by is to no more then 1500 calories a day. or less if i can manage that. if you are eating 2000+ and don't exercise at all you will either maintain the weight you have or gain more.

[KaiotakiBun]

a friend of mine has been boxing for a year. he's looking better than before. he's also a hard core gamer, only attending boxing sessions twice a week. sessions usually just takes an hour so it's not that time consuming yet really effective.

[FatRastafarian]

I would cut down on the amount of playing and sitting. Go for a walk.
Obesity cant be hindered through diet alone. You need exercise.

You don't even need to exercise to lose weight. Of course you'd look out of shape at lower weights but calories vs calories out. Diet is at least 80% of achieving your goal physique

---------- Post added 2013-02-10 at 04:25 AM ----------

Losing weight is purely cals in/cals out.

Stay in a deficit and it doesn't matter what you eat, you'll lose weight. Eat cheeseburgers, milkshakes and candy 3 meals a day if you want, as long as your in a deficit pounds will fall off.

Body composition and long-term health rely on tracking what you eat and if either are your goals, you should do so.

Best answer here. "Healthy" foods ... A calorie is a calorie whether it comes from milkshakes or salads. If your TDEE is 2500 calories and you eat 3000 calories of healthy foods rich in micros, yeah you'll feel great, but you'll gain weight.
If you eat 2000 calories a day in Pizza, yeah you'll feel like shit but you'll lose weight.
Exercise is NOT needed to lose weight. Not saying you shouldn't, it has its health benefits and taking in adequate protein and lifting heavy in a deficit, you'll be looking shredded in a few months/years.