Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

This week has been an utter and abject failure. I wont even bother weighing in. I am torn between wanting to to lose weight (about 15lbs) and wanting to eat, eat, eat, and drink. So far the eating side has been stronger in this tug of war. The tough thing about this Thursday weigh in is that the weekend comes right on it's heels, so, any motivation, either positive from success or negative from missing the mark, is quickly challenged by time off and the opportunity to cook, to stay up late eating and opening bottles of wine. Oh well. *Sigh*. Time to hop back on that wagon.

Hooray, Ed! Smart move, using flavor intensifiers. Citrus is handy to keep around, too.

Swap out that bialy for a bowl of oatmeal and the wrap for some greens and you'll be set...

pickles pickles pickles

Fresh chilies! Jalapeños, habaneros, and anything else you can withstand will jolt your palate and warm your tummy.

I find that asian foods use a lot of intensifiers like wasabi that can be used on sandwiches as well as rice dishes: Japanese pickles... they come in many forms and flavors, sriracha, korean red pepper paste + garlic + beef stock + sugar is good on everything, thai curry pastes for veg or chicken and egg salads, etc.

Swap a bialy for oatmeal? Only if Kossar's is making the oatmeal, thanks!

I don't know, but I find this whole thing a little disconcerting. I haven't seen you, Ed, so it's hard for me to know just how overweight you are. Also, food is your livelihood, so you're in a difficult position.

But, all that said, for many people, exercising vigorously 30-45 minutes for 3-4 times a week and practicing portion control can lead to significant weight loss over time. Shredded cheese and bacon in a bag, in my opinion, ain't gonna do it.

What has worked very well for me - lost 40 lbs over 2.5 years - and for many other people, is finding a few consistently good things to eat for breakfast and lunch (in my case, wheat toast with a little peanut butter and honey, yogurt with LOTS of fruit and granola, veggie burgers topped with spicy mustard on ONE slice of wheat bread, egg burritos with serious flavor intensifiers like cilantro, hot sauce, etc.), and then having pretty darn good dinners that emphasize good fats and modest (not tiny) portions. Little snacks throughout the day, primarily fruit, has also been very helpful.

And, of course, exercise. For the first year, it was almost strictly cardio. Over the last 1.5 years, I've been doing a lot more weight training (muscle burns calories far more efficiently than fat). Regular exercise is just so important, and really makes losing weight far easier. And I don't want to hear the "time" argument, because my wife and I both work and we have 2 young kids and we both exercise at least 3x/week. Either your health is a priority or it isn't. You have to decide.

I guess what I'm saying is that you need to establish a good diet, instead of going on a diet, and make exercise part of your everyday lifestyle.

Easier said than done, but if you can do it, you can still eat (and drink, alcohol, not soda!) a lot of things you love, just not as often and not as much.

I agree....pickles. I am not sure about calorie content, because I know some pickled condiments contain oil. But I love indian style chutneys, preserved lemons, all kinds of pickled veggies.... great flavor.

i would seriously try to add a lot more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet. instead of that breakfast bialy, try eating a hard boiled egg with a few pieces of fruit, and some plain yogurt sprinkled with walnuts and freeze dried mango. i'd melt that cheese over some roasted cauliflower or broccoli instead of a grilled cheese sandwich.

steel cut oats are just delicious and will cook while you take your shower and shave -- use a flame tamer and your best heavy saucepan, and you won't even have to stir.

small changes that become habits... then a few more... a little at a time... start with reducing your intake of simple carbs, especially when you are not eating for work.

and if you can run on the treadmill, there is no better calorie scorcher than that.

My secret boosters are usually Asian ingredients that add "umami" especially Thai fish sauce or kombu cha powder.

My latest favorite boost is yuzukosho which comes in a jar or tube like wasabi. A combination of citrus (yuzu) and pepper (kosho), it adds a flavorful not too spicy, citrus zing.

Oooh, I love this thread. And you're definitely onto something.
OK--poorer countries have fewer obese people, not just because they are poor. Look at the poor in the US, higher rate of obesity because bad/processed food is cheaper...sorry, I digress.
Asian cuisines have a ton of flavor intesifiers--why? Historically agrarian communities, livestock used mainly for labor, main protein sources come from soy and fish, lots of vegetables (both foraged and cultivated), plain unsalted, unbutterred, undirtied, unpilafed, ungravied rice IS the main dish/entree. So, to make the bland rice go further, use highly spiced and seasoned side dishes. Oh and go work in the fields. :o)

Pickled or fermented or aged, all add super strong flavors. Sodium content can get a little high, so remember a little is intended to go a long way.
Dried nori flakes (shredded, seasoned seaweed)--sprinkle onto anything to add "umami"
Sesame oil & toasted sesame seeds or sesame salt--intense in flavor, use judiciously on steamed vegs. Don't use the oil for cooking, just flavoring or in marinades.
On sandwiches, use a good dijon or spicy mustard, do like Subways does and load it with vegetables: lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepper, cukes, olives, hot banana pepper rings and carrot(use a veg peeler or your handy grater).

Best wishes and I hope happy eating healthy.

Ed, you're doing great! Keep up the good work. While others' suggestions to add more veg/fruit, exercise, etc. are perfectly valid and would be fine to implement when you feel like it, you're still doing a very smart thing -- you're figuring out foods that satisfy you and don't leave you feeling deprived. A sense of deprivation is the warning sign that one is about to jump ship from healthy eating. You're going about this in a VERY smart way.

Best flavor intensifier ever -- garlic! If you're in a hurry, pre-peeled garlic is okay, and even high-quality organic garlic powder makes things delicious (cheap garlic powder has a dreadful, acrid taste). I also am crazy for asian-style red chili-garlic sauce or paste.

Fresh herbs are also amazing flavor-intensifiers. I make fresh herb pastes/pestos with a little oil in a chopper or food processor, and keep them in the freezer. Swirled into plain yogurt, you have instant dip or a great dipping sauce or spread for sandwiches, low-fat burgers, veg sticks, etc. An Indian/Southeast Asian-style pesto of cilantro, mint and garlic is wonderful.

Another great yogurt dipping sauce: Yogurt, cumin, grated lemon zest, garlic, salt. Taste it until the proportions are just right. Good with many, many things, especially turkey burgers/meatballs. Or if you can't be bothered, yogurt with curry powder and a dash of salt is almost as good.

I also really love things already mentioned -- Parmigiano Reggiano, olives, good soy/tamari sauce, fish sauce, all those strong umami flavors.

My diet strategies have been similar to yours and Blue Diamond BOLD flavor roasted almonds have done more to keep me on track than almost anything else. I love the Wasabi & Soy Sauce, Lime n' Chili, and Jalapeno Smokehouse flavors. Even more intense are the Maui Onion and Garlic almonds. Not great as a snack before you enter a close-talking situation, of course.

I gained a lot of weight from eating out and from learning to cook well, but snacking was a major factor in my weight gain too. Knowing that, I keep jars of almonds all over the place because I never know when hunger pangs will strike. Seriously, these almonds are so flavor intense that you don't even need to eat a full serving to satisfy your fat and umami flavor cravings. I'm not great about self-control, but with these, I've learned to eat only half a serving (14 almonds out of 28) whenever I have any. At 170 calories per 28 almond serving, I even end up feeling more satisfied than when I eat those 100-calorie snack packs while consuming fewer calories. Plus, they're also really good for you. They provide more nutrition than most other snacks; Manganese? Check. Calcium? Check. Vitamin E? Check. They are also surprisingly low-sodium although coated in what I thought was salt/flavor crystals. I checked this morning, knowing I was going to recommend them to you, and I saw that they've got 7% RDV sodium per serving. Not bad, even if you're watching your salt intake.

Anyhow, good luck. You're doing all the right things. I've lost 13 lbs tracking my calories religiously since the beginning of the year and plan to lose another 15 or so, all without sacrificing my propensity toward serious eats!