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Looking to lose weight, need help!

  • 21-05-2014 9:50pm
    #1
    BatterUp
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭


    Ok, so I'm overweight and I'm looking to lose about a stone over the next couple of months. I'm 6ft and weight just over 16 stone, ideal weight is 15 stone. For the past year I've been in denial that my diet is the problem but I've finally decided to sort this out. I'm very active, cycle to work most days (30k round trip), play football 3 times a week and I do the odd bit of road running. I also go cycling at the weekend and I've signed up for a 100 mile cycle in sept which I'll be training for, so exercise isn't the problem.

    I've always ate processed foods like chicken kievs, pizza, wedges etc. This is mainly due to the fact that I'm a picky eater, I dont like the main salad ingredients like tomato, lettuce etc. or any of the sauces like mayo, coleslaw etc.

    I've downloaded the my fitness pal app and cleaned up my diet for this week however now I have the problem that I don't know how to quantify the calories I'm taking in plus I'm thinking the calorie burn for my exercise is a bit OTT. So basically I'm looking for some advice on how to measure my calorie in take so that I can keep track of my calorie deficit and have some fate that it's accurate.

    So here's the my fitness pal stats for today, do they look realistic?

    Goal: 1,820
    Exercise: 2,137 (15 k cycle burning 789, 40 min football 553, 16k cycle burning 795)
    Food intake: 2,084
    Remaining cals: 1,873

    My food intake was

    Brekkie: Fruit Salad (homemade) with natural yoghurt ( about 100g) - app give 244 cals
    Lunch: Ham cheese sandwhich on multi grain (home made) - 499cals
    Dinner: 10oz fillet steak (486 cals) Mushrooms (67 cals), mixed bean salad 200g (195 cals)
    Snacks: coffee with milk 5 cals, mixed nuts 100g 588 cals

    Sorry for the long message, I wanted to give as much detail as possible. I'm commited to cleaning up my diet and the app is great, I just want to be honest with myself.


Comments

  • #2
    homemadecider
    Registered Users Posts: 1,858 ✭✭✭homemadecider


    Get a digital weighing scales for your kitchen and weigh your food. It's the only way to count it accurately.


  • #3
    Loughc
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,710 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    Coffee with milk looks a bit off too.


  • #4
    BatterUp
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭BatterUp


    homemadecider wrote: »
    Get a digital weighing scales for your kitchen and weigh your food. It's the only way to count it accurately.

    Thanks - this is on my shopping list for the weekend alright.
    Loughc wrote:
    Coffee with milk looks a bit off too..

    any suggestions what I should be allocating for this? I've absolutely no idea how to estimate calorie intake, any tips welcome. I'm trusting the app to suggest the calorie intake per food tbh and that's what I want to move away from


  • #5
    Konata
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,164 ✭✭✭Konata


    BatterUp wrote: »
    any suggestions what I should be allocating for this? I've absolutely no idea how to estimate calorie intake, any tips welcome. I'm trusting the app to suggest the calorie intake per food tbh and that's what I want to move away from

    Weighing things out is the whole way to know for sure how much you're eating. Do you have a measuring jug? (If not, buy one!) Pour in the amount of milk you normally take in a coffee then hit up myfitnesspal and input that amount to get your calories. Then reduce the amount you're taking if necessary! Basically, unless you take literally a drop in your coffee then you're most likely consuming more than 5 cals there. Alternatively you can use the back of the packet of milk - so, you measure out say 20ml of milk. Well the back of the carton will usually give you the amount of cals for 100ml. So divide those cals by 100 (to get the amount of cals per 1ml of milk), multiply by 20 and bam there's your calorie count.

    When you're starting out there's no way to be sure of calories in your portions unless you weight it out. Over time though you'll get used to gauging the amounts you should be eating but for now - get that scale and measuring jug in!


  • #6
    Pat Mustard
    Registered Users Posts: 9,554 ✭✭✭Pat Mustard


    BatterUp wrote: »

    So here's the my fitness pal stats for today, do they look realistic?

    Goal: 1,820
    Exercise: 2,137 (15 k cycle burning 789, 40 min football 553, 16k cycle burning 795)
    Food intake: 2,084
    Remaining cals: 1,873

    My food intake was

    Brekkie: Fruit Salad (homemade) with natural yoghurt ( about 100g) - app give 244 cals
    Lunch: Ham cheese sandwhich on multi grain (home made) - 499cals
    Dinner: 10oz fillet steak (486 cals) Mushrooms (67 cals), mixed bean salad 200g (195 cals)
    Snacks: coffee with milk 5 cals, mixed nuts 100g 588 cals

    Not sure if your numbers add up.

    Take a look at something like this calorie calculator.

    I plugged in some details for you. You can make the necessary changes.

    You need to figure out what your calorific requirements are, and ensure that you have a calorie deficit to the extent that you will lose the weight that you need to lose.


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  • #7
    couerdelion
    Registered Users Posts: 2,910 ✭✭✭couerdelion


    BatterUp wrote: »
    (15 k cycle burning 789, 40 min football 553, 16k cycle burning 795)

    I think those cycling figures are pretty high. If I race for 45km then based on power/hr figures I only burn 1200 cals. I'd say on a commute you would probably be looking at half those figures you have down.


  • #8
    ford2600
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,457 ✭✭✭ford2600


    couerdelion wrote: »
    I think those cycling figures are pretty high. If I race for 45km then based on power/hr figures I only burn 1200 cals. I'd say on a commute you would probably be looking at half those figures you have down.

    If op figures are right I burned 23000 calories Good Friday!
    500ish an hour is my rough guide


  • #9
    Bruno26
    Registered Users Posts: 979 ✭✭✭Bruno26


    Goal: 1,820
    Exercise: 2,137 (15 k cycle burning 789, 40 min football 553, 16k cycle burning 795)
    Food intake: 2,084
    Remaining cals: 1,873

    My food intake was

    Brekkie: Fruit Salad (homemade) with natural yoghurt ( about 100g) - app give 244 cals
    Lunch: Ham cheese sandwhich on multi grain (home made) - 499cals
    Dinner: 10oz fillet steak (486 cals) Mushrooms (67 cals), mixed bean salad 200g (195 cals)
    Snacks: coffee with milk 5 cals, mixed nuts 100g 588 cals

    For breakfast if you are having fruit only eat berries- try Greek yogurt if you can get it. Or if you have time for some eggs and bacon. Increase the protein and fat in your breakfast


    For lunch ditch the bread- quality cheese is fine- is the ham processed- if so ditch it.

    Put cream in your coffee instead.


    Your dinner is good but I wouldn't be a fan of beans. There is quite a debate in paleo world about legumes . Throw in lots of green veg. Cook your steak in butter and flavour your veg with butter.

    Instead of having a sandwich for lunch have the leftovers from last nights dinner.




    You do a lot of cardio- if you need to sacrifice it to make time to prepare your food do it. You can't out run or cycle poor nutrition . You'd be far better served doing weights and sprints.

    I would abandon counting calories- instead use the app for counting macros.


  • #10
    metamorphosis
    Registered Users Posts: 4,991 ✭✭✭metamorphosis


    Your exercise cals are way overestimated IMHO.

    I wouldn't worry about the milk in your coffee ... its rather pedantic to do so. Unless your coffee is more milk than coffee, the effect will be negligible. Out of everything - I would focus on changing your lunch as a main priority. Break from the sandwich mold if you can - diversify what you eat here instead of a ham sandwich where the only real substantial (if that, depends on if ham is from a **** deli or pre packed) nutrition will come from the ham and cheese. Diversify your fats - dont just depend on a little cheese at lunch and nuts. Wider variety of fats (they are essential to our hormonal system afterall) and a little more protein and change the lunch as priority number

    Remember, the biggest changes will in fat loss will be attained with a solid diet and dont get to anal about the exercise numbers above unless you can refine them to be more realistic.


  • #11
    Macy0161
    Registered Users Posts: 9,262 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    BatterUp wrote: »
    So here's the my fitness pal stats for today, do they look realistic?

    Goal: 1,820
    Exercise: 2,137 (15 k cycle burning 789, 40 min football 553, 16k cycle burning 795)
    Food intake: 2,084
    Remaining cals: 1,873
    I don't have much (any?) expertise to add, but my fitness pal gave me a way lower calorie target than the calculation in the sticky at the top of the forum (even when I upped my activity level on the app).

    On the android version, it will let you overwrite the calorie goal, so now I work out my target based on the calculation in the sticky based on my last weigh in and work to that.

    I use the mapmyride/ run/ walk with GPS to try and calculate calories used - the figures above would be ball park to to what I get for my cycle commute (I do try to push as it's part of my exercise rather than just to get to work). Are they completely off the wall?


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  • #12
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,499 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    Work out your daily calorie requires to stay at the same weight and drop that by 10-20%. Do not use a calc that just multiples pounds_you_want_to_lose_a_week by 500 a day, dropping weight too fast will probably result in a lot of muscle as well as fat being lost.

    Do strength training over cardio for fat loss.


  • #13
    Reputable Rog
    Registered Users Posts: 2,081 ✭✭✭Reputable Rog


    Try the 5:2 diet. Its tough but it works. The 17 day diet less strenuous but works also.


  • #14
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,499 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    Reputable Rog wrote: »
    Try the 5:2 diet. Its tough but it works. The 17 day diet less strenuous but works also.

    5:2 "works" because you eat less than maintenance. As long as you are at a deficient you can do whatever diet you choose, within reason, and lose weight. Ideally though you want to lose fat and not muscle.


  • #15
    Reputable Rog
    Registered Users Posts: 2,081 ✭✭✭Reputable Rog


    You will initially lose some muscle as well as fat but will regain the muscle if you exercise.
    Watch the documentary, it is very effective for losing fat as well reducing blood pressure, glucose levels and cholesterol.


  • #16
    Pat Mustard
    Registered Users Posts: 9,554 ✭✭✭Pat Mustard


    Reputable Rog wrote: »
    Try the 5:2 diet. Its tough but it works. The 17 day diet less strenuous but works also.

    The cabbage soup diet is another fad diet without any attempt to make long term, sustainable lifestyle changes.

    Link
    The 5:2 diet involves two days of fasting each week. It is being promoted as the key to sustained weight loss, as well as wider health benefits, despite the lack of evidence on the long-term effects.


    Link
    Low carb, the 5:2 diet, detox, cabbage soup ... there is no shortage of novelty diet programmes promising to help you lose weight fast.The big question is do they work? Most do lead to fast – sometimes dramatic – weight loss, but only for the pounds to creep back on again at the end of the diet.


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