In light of Hogan’s post “Have we gone too far?” I have a simular situation. I have (seemingly) been “dieting” endlessly with ZERO results. I know the majority is my own fault. I can not stick with a diet to save my life! I feel like I am eating chicken and broccoli for every meal. But I will spare the weeping… my question is this: Due to the fact that I have a hard time getting away from my desk at work during the day, but end up binging at night because my hunger is going “caveman”… would it be realistic to consume 2/3’s of my meals through MRPs ad save 2 meals for solid (clean) food? I know this will (supposedly) give me constant and better nutrition throughout the day. What would I be up against if my goal is to drop my bf by 20lbs in approximately 10-12 weeks? T-mag is so packed with info…it’s hard to decide what to do!?! Any insight would be a great help!
That would absolutley be a very good idea for your situation, thats what alot of the office workers in here do…See the MRP diet inside the FAQ and it has a complete outline of exactly what your talking about, I think it would be of great help to you.
Pugs
Or you could suck it up and pack food to bring to the office! Is there a “community” fridge you are able to use??? Read the article, “Foods that make you look good nekid”. VERY good read and it will give you some insight as to which food choices are intelligent ones.
It is possible to eat whole foods even while at the desk if you prepare yourself properly. Nuts and beef jerky are excellent food choices for someone who is stuck at the desk all day. If your office allows it, it’s probably good to have a few cans of tuna and a can opener at your desk.
I consume at least 3 MRP meals per day and it has been working for me. I usually bring my food in one of those soft lunch boxes (usually a chicken salad and a couple waters). The zip pouch on the side carries my bars or powder (the powder MRPs are a bit impractical for me sometimes).
I’d say a majority of my success has been because of the planning. We cook all our chicken for the week on Sunday night. I go on auto-pilot through out the week. My wife cooks her oatmeal the previous night and stores it in those cheap-o Gladware containers for the next day. It is a pain in the ass, but I feel better about it when I see one of my coworkers trying to figure out what’s for lunch.
These all are good ideas. I do generally pack food, I think my biggest challenge is pulling myself away from my desk. Also, when I get home at night (from work, I hit the gym) The last thing I can choke down is something I have been eating religeously all day. My logic is if I haven’t been eating it all day (due to the MRPs) I will look forward to the chicken salad. Thanks so much for the quick response!
I also sit at a desk, M-F from 8 to 5. Sometimes I can leave for lunch, but the majority of the time, I pack all my food.
Luckily Ko puts my lunch together for me. I get oatmeal at the university cafeteria. There is also beef jerky that I get at the student market. And in a desk drawer, I have a nice big container of GROW!. Close by to the university is a grocery store. If I ever need anything, I can just walk there during my lunch hour. I’ll get some potatoes, fruit, water, etc.
You do what you have to do to make your goals. It’s actually NOT hard to decide on what to do. You’ve already got your goal down, now it’s time to just plan on how you’re going to accomplish it. If that means to prepare all your meals for the week on a Sunday night and to bring MRPs’ with you to work, then just do it.
It also sounds like you need to educate yourself on the different cuts of red meat that is available. To provide you with some options besides chicken. We eat alot of red meat. Hell, I’ve got spaghetti with meat sauce (cooked by Ko) with me today. And some sliced mango and orange slices. Spices and sauces are another way to add “zing” to your food. Some other things to think about: cottage cheese and natural peanut butter.
ALOT of people eat due to boredom. If you find yourself getting into another “binge” mode, stop before you EAT anything and pick up a jump rope and jump. Or get onto the floor and stretch. The point is, do something first. Drink water. Turn off the TV and go for a walk. Read a book. Read “Testosterone”. Alot of times, you may not be hungry. If you are, make sure you have a meal premade and sitting in your fridge at home. All ready for you to eat after work.
Kudos Patricia,
Well stated! Oh yeah…you stated you eat tons of read meat. Do you buy very lean beef or just buy whatever your heart desires? I tend to stick to the very lean kind. Any comments? Thanks…Tony G
Pat is absolutely right. And if I had someone like Ko to cook for me, I’d never go out for lunch. 
Just eat something portable (beef jerky, cottage cheese, canned tuna, nuts, etc).
This may be obvious, but I bring an apple or orange to work everyday to kill that late afternoon hunger; otherwise I ended stopping on the way home to buy soda or potato chips which really makes me hate myself later.
Also lipton cup of soup helps, but you need to read the label cause some types have a lot of fat.
Like Brent, I say planning is [i]key[/]. I spend one weekend day making three “dinners” and pack each in the cheap washable/disposable tupperware stuff. Last week was Spicy Peanut Satay with steamed veggies (41P/17C/4F), Chicken Fajitas (35P/10C/22F), and Fish Tacos (30P/15C/4F). I have an MRP in the morning, some cottage cheese for a snack, one of the above for lunch, either another of the above for a snack or a protein bar (depending on time and hunger level) and then throw something together for dinner (MRP snack if I’m up late). I’ve found that by doing meal planning and shopping only for those specific ingredients, I keep my grocery bill under $60/wk, eat damn good tasting and healthy food, avoid guilt/cravings/binges, and teach my kid proper nutrition. All it takes is a firm decision and a good cookbook (provides nutrient breakdowns)!
A lot of good info flying your way, bud. I think that Patricia hit the nail on the head with her point about eating due to boredom and doing something else to head it off. Also, if you exercise before/after your meal, you can perhaps alleviate a bit of the negative impact. (But realistically speaking, only a bit.)
Karma also gave an excellent real-world example of being prepared. Take it to heart.
Finally, are you keeping a food log? It doesn’t sound like it. If not, that’s your problem, as you are likely eating more and worse than you think you are. If you’re not losing weight, it means exactly one thing: you are taking in too many calories for your weight/metabolism/level of activity.
All of you have gotten me “fired up” to take a deep breath and start over from the beginning. My plan of action for when I get home tonight from work is to: 1) Stock up on some MRPs 2) Hit up the Barnes & Noble bookstore for a good cookbook (as described by Karma) to give my diet some variety and quality. Needless to say, come Sunday, you will know that a certain T-man will be cooking for the week, turnig over a new leaf. Thank you so much for the responses. Although they are very obvious thigs, I believe it was said with clarity!
Can anybody (Karma?) reccommend a great cookbook?
Oops. Sorry for not closing that tag. The cookbook I have is something like “1000 Classic Recipes”. Kinda hard to remember the full title. I’ll get more info when I dig out of this snow and get home later today. Like most cookbooks, it’s broken down into types of foods (appetizers, soups, meats, etc), but it also has macro breakdowns. I leafed through, marking the pages that sounded yummy AND fit the macro ratio I’m maintaining with yellow sticky notes. Then, when I go to cook for the week ahead, I just flip to three of the yellow tags, write the ingredients down, shop and cook. If it turns out to be a keeper, I mark it with a green sticky note (making any changes to the ingredients or directions to better it next time around). I try to get one Asian style dish, one Italian and one Mexican each week (or any other three dissimilar styles). That way, even if I’m using chicken in each, I won’t get bored with the same style/flavors.
SInce Ko’s a chef, you can bet we have quite a collection of cookbooks. There is no “best” one. We have two of the “low-fat, healthy” type of cookbooks; however if time is of the essence, they’re not the best ones to get. And honestly, we haven’t used those cookbooks in a loooong time. I do have a Martha Stewart cookbook that is actually pretty decent. If it’s low-fat but tasty foods you’re looking for, I’d go for something that is Asian based. That way, you’ll get good recipes for meats, pasta (noodles), rice, vegetables.
Tony G: Ko’s the expert on the cuts of red meats. I’ll let him know that you asked this and have him respond. As well as this question on cookbooks, too.
I buy a lot of top sirloin steaks for grilling, and top round or eye of round for stewing.
There is only about a 2 g difference in fat content per 3 oz between top sirloin, and cuts from the round. As eye of round tends to be tough when grilled, I think the sirloin is worth the extra fat.
As far as cookbooks go, the one I recommend is " The Profeesional Chefs: Techniques of Healthy Cooking ", by the Culinary Institute of Amercia. There are quite a few recipes with macro breakdowns, but more importantly it will teach you techniques that you use too tailor dishes to meet you dietary needs.
For macro breakdowns, I always keep the “Nutribase: Nutrition Facts Desk Reference” by Dr Art Ulene. It pretty much has the macro breakdown of any food or ingredient you can think of.