Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

This diet of mine...

Options
  • 19-02-2014 10:25pm
    #1
    Ah_Yeah
    Registered Users Posts: 3,020 ✭✭✭


    Hoping you can help me with my diet. I have made improvements with it, but am nowhere near where I want to be. I am eating better foods (not completely), but I'm finding I'm still hungry but not shifting weight, despite exercising 3-5 days a week - so I know I'm not eating the right foods. I was eating a lot of crap like takeaways and junk food with no exercise before, and didn't gain weight, so it's in the diet I know.

    Breakfast
    Sometimes I skip (slap on the wrist), but the days I do eat, it's either porridge or Weetabix with a Banana in there. If I've forgotten those I have Gluten Free bread (regular bread just doesn't agree with me) with Banana on top.

    Lunch
    This is probably where I fall down most. This could range from Soup and a Toasted Sandwich, to last night's leftovers, or if I'm being extremely lazy, I'll get a sandwich made up in the shop. This is usually brown bread with ham and egg salad.

    Lately I've taken to having Chicken and Avocado sandwiches - though I should be having a salad.

    Dinner
    I'm a big fan of basmati rice, I've tried the brown rice and just wasn't a fan, so I'm content for that to be the one thing in my diet that's not ideal.
    I'll usually cook up a mixture of veg like peppers, carrots, mushrooms etc, with a bit of seasoning and some meat. The meat is usually chicken or steak.
    Other times, I'll make up a roast of peppers, parsnips and sweet potato chips, and serve it with cod or salmon. The dinners are definitely getting better, but not all the way there yet.

    I try to be conscious of loading up on good carbs the days I go to the gym (evenings), and eating meals with plenty protein after the gym, however I think I'm misguided in my meal planning. I want to shift weight around my midriff, and lose it off my thighs, but I also don't want to be starving all day long. I know I'm just not eating the right foods.

    I also find myself hungry around 11.30am/noon after eating breakfast at 9am, even if it's porridge and banana.

    I get at least 2L of water, if not more, into me a day. My body would let me know if I didn't, I need loads of water.

    In terms of exercise, I do 1-2 sessions of cardio (Spin), and 2-3 strength training sessions (this is a mix of Body Pump classes, a weights session by myself, and I also ride my horse twice a week which is strengthening the muscles in my calves and arms).

    Any advice/guidance on meal planning would be great, as I don't want to shift much weight, I mostly want to change my shape, and drop down a dress size.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    ddarcy
    Registered Users Posts: 580 ✭✭✭ddarcy


    The one thing I notice is a complete lack of fat in the diet (aside from the occasional avocado at lunch). You should be getting your body weight (in pounds)/2 in grams of fat per day. You are hungry because you are lacking this. Think about adding flaxseed (milled linseed/ chia seed) or nuts to your porridge in the morning. This should help out. Maybe also look at a more high fibre fruit like apples or plums etc. instead of a banana.

    For lunch a salad is a good idea as it can be prepped the night before. You can easily make your own dressing with Olive Oil and lemon or lime juice. You can search for recipes out there to include avocados/nuts/cheese etc in the salad to get fat and add a source of protein as well.

    For dinner, you need to be careful with rice/ sweet potatoes as they would be calorie dense. This isn't too bad if you are using it as fuel for the gym, but be careful as you could easily add extra unwanted calories to the diet.

    The diet is the most important part to fix, but doing weights will definitely help you the most in trying to shape yourself. I would just make sure that you do complex lifts like squats, dead lifts, etc {obviously get a trainer to show you how to do these correctly so you don't hurt yourself}.


  • Options
    #3
    Ah_Yeah
    Registered Users Posts: 3,020 ✭✭✭Ah_Yeah


    ddarcy wrote: »
    The one thing I notice is a complete lack of fat in the diet (aside from the occasional avocado at lunch). You should be getting your body weight (in pounds)/2 in grams of fat per day. You are hungry because you are lacking this. Think about adding flaxseed (milled linseed/ chia seed) or nuts to your porridge in the morning. This should help out. Maybe also look at a more high fibre fruit like apples or plums etc. instead of a banana.

    For lunch a salad is a good idea as it can be prepped the night before. You can easily make your own dressing with Olive Oil and lemon or lime juice. You can search for recipes out there to include avocados/nuts/cheese etc in the salad to get fat and add a source of protein as well.

    For dinner, you need to be careful with rice/ sweet potatoes as they would be calorie dense. This isn't too bad if you are using it as fuel for the gym, but be careful as you could easily add extra unwanted calories to the diet.

    The diet is the most important part to fix, but doing weights will definitely help you the most in trying to shape yourself. I would just make sure that you do complex lifts like squats, dead lifts, etc {obviously get a trainer to show you how to do these correctly so you don't hurt yourself}.

    Thanks for this! Regarding the gym, I had a PT session when I first started and I have a programme, and I mostly do classes like Body Pump, as I was shocking at squats when I first started :o

    As I exercise before my dinner in the evenings, should I be reversing the order of my meals, i.e. have the sweet potatoe etc for lunch, and then the salads for dinner?

    Thanks for the tip on flaxseed, I'll look to get some this weekend - where would I be able to find that?


  • Options
    #4
    Oryx
    Subscribers Posts: 19,425 ✭✭✭✭Oryx


    Try having eggs for breakfast. Scrambled in the microwave takes the same time as porridge, so its not a big deal. They should fill you better than your porridge. I get the same thing as you, porridge does not fill me, but adding a scoop of ground seeds does help.

    Edit: Aldi do packs of ground seeds in the cereal aisle.


  • Options
    #5
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,500 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    Log your food intake on myfitnesspal or a similar site - you don't mention your total calories per day but its likely you are eating more than you think because you are not feeling full. There does seem to be a lack of fat in your diet alright.


  • Options
    #6
    ddarcy
    Registered Users Posts: 580 ✭✭✭ddarcy


    Oryx wrote: »
    Try having eggs for breakfast. Scrambled in the microwave takes the same time as porridge, so its not a big deal. They should fill you better than your porridge. I get the same thing as you, porridge does not fill me, but adding a scoop of ground seeds does help.

    Edit: Aldi do packs of ground seeds in the cereal aisle.

    this is a good idea as well. You could also look up a recipe called a one minute muffin. It uses flaxseed, cinnamon, stevia, egg, baking powder and oil (olive, coconut). As a warning it is not to everyone's taste and you will need butter. there are circa 8 carbs and 20 grams of fibre.

    All supermarkets will have flaxseed ( milled li nseed is the same thing) aldi and lidl have a cheaper variety near their cereals, the major supermarkets will have it in the health food section or by the nuts (ive seen it in loads of different areas, so may not hurt to ask in store)


  • Advertisement
Advertisement