Wow…I started this six-pack experiment just to see if I could get ripped in a month…but it seems A LOT of interest has been generated amongst my personal circle of friends (and others).
Generally when I start an experiment (such as the homeless experiment) I get a lot of negative or so-so feedback…until after it’s done, then everyone says it was cool. Not for this.
Without trying to influence anyone to do this, I’ve already got a ton of people starting to eat differently……apparently losing weight and getting in shape is a common goal many people have…who woulda thunk it!
I have a feeling once people see the END RESULTS even more people will try.
So one of the things Adam (my awesome virtual personal trainer) told me was 3,500 calories = one pound of fat.
This means if I stay in a 500 calorie deficiency for a week, I lose one pound. At that rate I’d lose 4 pounds during this experiment. However I’ve gone beyond that…every day I’ve been in a 500 to 1,300 calorie deficiency…on average about -1,000 per day.
This means in one month I’ll lose approximately EIGHT pounds…which is a lot considering I’m not fat to begin with. And here’s the common question EVERYONE asks:
“But aren’t you hungry ALL THE TIME?!?”
The answer is NO! Not at all! …..but how?
It’s simple. I used to eat a bunch of junk that had lots of calories but super-low nutritional value. Now I eat roughly the same amount of stuff, but more stuff that has HIGH nutrition and super-low calories. This is why I’m eating mainly raw foods such as fruits/vegetables/nuts….because they’re all GOOD for you (those old cliches are often right) and have very few calories. This means I get full, with LESS calories.
Have I given up meat? NO!
Have I given up processed foods? NO!
Have I given up alcohol? NO!
However I’m eating A LOT less of anything with high calories….so naturally I’m eating WAAAY LESS of the above.
My roommate who joined me in this experiment (without me asking) told me one thing:
“One thing I’ve noticed is that every time you eat something, it LOOKS really good….and I think it’s because you have a cool plate.”
I realized a long time ago when I learned how to make really cool-looking alcoholic drinks that you FIRST eat with your eyes. I would make a normal drink (such as pineapple juice and vodka), but put it in a funky martini glass rimmed with sugar and garnished with a wedge of pineapple….then drop a cherry in the bottom for added effect and call it a “Cherry Love Bomber” or some stupid made-up name. NONE of those additions changed the taste of the drink, but I got a reputation for “knowing how to make REALLY GOOD drinks” because I simply dressed them up in nice clothes.
Same goes for food.
Below are similar things, but one’s dressed better than the other (and by dressed, I mean in a cooler looking plate):
Ehhh…looks like boring-ass healthy food:
Now THAT looks sexy and delicious!:
Damn, just looking at that makes me want a piece:
Now doesn’t that look more fun and appetizing!? It seems completely stupid since it doesn’t change the taste one iota….but tell that to all the people who drank one-too-many of my dressed-up-drinks “because they looked so good!”
Would you rather have this for lunch:
Or THIS slick meal for lunch (which has only 250 calories):
And even if you don’t have a slick plate like me (which I bought at a local Asian market for $10) you can always try to sex up a regular plate:
….although that’s much harder. Plus regular plates are TOO BIG. It makes you feel like you’re not eating anything and encourages you to slop more on there.
I also recently bought this small bamboo serving tray from Whole Foods….it’s a TINY tray that barely holds much, but holds enough for a small snack. Ever sit on the couch with an entire bag of Cheetos?? I used to….and I wish I used this plate instead:
I can hardly fit a small bag of carrots or 2 clementines on there….PERFECT FOR SNACKING! You literally can’t get much on there, plus it looks cool:
Buy a cool serving dish….you’ll love it.
It’s just a tiny and painless start to eating a little better.