losing weight - food & excercise tips

wannaLoseSome

Hi,
since monday last i have just started a diet - this one i am very determined to make it work. I am a 26 year old male and need to lose some weight (about 19st currently). i have always been heavy but it never paticularly bothered me but now its got to the point where i am sick of it. My gf says it doesnt bother me but with so many health scares at the moment i think its about time i did something.

This is my current plan
breakfast : Fruit (apple,banna,grapes & some yogurt)
Lunch: Veg Soup, wholemeal roll
Dinner: Roast Chicken, backed potato/ piece of red meat (steak) boiled potato, peas and or carrots

Odd snack usually piece of fruit

Is this good enough - too bad etc?


Excercise - i play 5 aside football twice a week and i get around - despite being quite big - i will try my best and am not a lazy as some of the fitter guys :-).
I would like to get into jogging. However i find after running more than 0.5 miles/0.75 i have to rest - and continue until i finish the 1 mile circuit from my house

I have tried the gym and this is just too boring for me - just cannot motivate myself -

Thanks in advance for you help on this one - i really want to loose some weight for christmas ie 4 stone plus

Dan133269

firstly losing 4 stone before christmas is probably a bit too much to ask, but if you lost half of that I'm sure you'd still be happy and could continue your weight loss after christmas, with a slight blip for the festive season of course as we all do
Taking a rest while running is not a crime, the important thing is to start again once you've caught your breath, regular intervals of high intensity exercise in which you get your heart rate up are best for weight loss.
What about using an iPod or something to motivate you in the gym?

shamcfc

Yea as Dan said take your time with your target just take it week by week,and see how you get on

Your food i fine myself scramble egg to be very good in the morning and will keep you going till lunch.Soap is great for lunch

Try even to get out and go for a brisk walk every day for at least 15-20mins

The running will come in time just build it up the more you get out the fitter you will get and be able to run longer

weigh yourself one day a week only as well

so big effort so for this week

and try to get down a couple of pounds

let us know how you get on

wannaLoseSome

in reposnse to a few comments. 4 stone is kinda my overall traget - just to get as much down by xmas would be ideal. as for the high intenisty - i certainly wouldnt call it that - more slow enough but i guess if i keep it up i will build up my threshold. as for the ipod in the gym, have tried that - its not so much the gym itself - i enjoy it while there but actually the hassle of getting there (30 min walk each way) is very off putting. as a result i will use any excuse to get out of it

I also walk 20 min each way to work so that should improve things for me if i up the tempo there.

I dont have a scales, my weight was last time i was at the doc's about 2 months ago - dont think i have put anythign up. I actually find the scales can make me feel very self consice and i know i should use it as a motivation but can frustrate me and distract me in the past when trying to loose some weight.

I am going to "weigh" myself hopefully by seeing the effect on currently tight(ish) clothes etc.

I am in no rush at all to lose it, i would prefer to lose it gradually and slowly if possible rather than losing it all in a month and then gaining it all again

Thanks again,

all input welcome - i will keep ye all posted!!

rubadub

wannaLoseSome wrote:

I am going to "weigh" myself hopefully by seeing the effect on currently tight(ish) clothes etc.

I am in no rush at all to lose it, i would prefer to lose it gradually and slowly if possible rather than losing it all in a month and then gaining it all again!

Good ideas, a nice change from the lipotrim ideology! You should take some pics of yourself too. I was 12stone for ages but my belt kept getting new notches, was loosing fat and gaining muscle at the same pace. Now I am 12st5lb and still the same waist.
I would recommend lifting weights. I have a set and bench at home. I do them with the TV or music on to stop boredom. Even if I had a free gym membership I would not bother going. Lifting weights can retain and add muscle even if you are on a calorie deficit, esp. if you are already overweight. On your "off" days your body will still be burning calories while building the new muscle. Doing 1 hour of cardio or 1 hour of weight training burns around the same calories, but on the day off the weight trainings metabolism boost is much greater. So doing 3 hrs weights per week should result in a greater fat loss than 3hrs cardio per week. Better to do a mixture for best effect.

Seraphina

check the stickies on this forum - first few posts at the top, filled with excellent advice on diet and exercise.

i'm no expert but i'd be concerned you're actually undereating. your body needs a certain amount of calories every day, and seriously reducing your calorie intake will result in your body going into starvation mode, and not burning fat properly. again the stickies at the top will explain this more and help you discover your daily caloric requirements.

also, i think you need to be eating more protein. protein helps build and maintain muscle mass, which is extremely important for losing weight, as the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn just sitting around! ideally you should be eating some form of protein with every meal.

fruit is of course very healthy, but also contains sugar. i'd say try eating a bowl of porrige in the morning, and add fruit to it if you like. the porrige will fill you up and keep you going until lunchtime, reducing your urge to snack.

drink plenty of water, and if the gym is too awkward to get to, you could try getting your own set of weights perhaps? weight training is very important for weight loss, and was pointed out in the above post. if you went twice or three times a week, you'd be sorted, as the 30min walk there and back would be a great addition to your exercise, no need to sit on the bikes or get bored on the treadmill, your cardio is done! you could try timing yourself and as you get fitter, watch that 30min walk become shorter and shorter! it would be great motivation!

anyway i hope that was helpful, but i cant stress enough how important those stickies are. they were written by people who know alot more about this stuff than most!

t-ha

Dan133269 wrote:

Taking a rest while running is not a crime, the important thing is to start again once you've caught your breath, regular intervals of high intensity exercise in which you get your heart rate up are best for weight loss.

Just to clarify, the high inensity intervals you do for fat loss are NOTHING like running fairly quickly and then walking a bit and then running again - that's total poop for burning fat. High intensity intervals involve giving it ABSOLUTE SOCKS for 10 - 15 seconds (or maybe a few seconds longer if you're on creatine) and then going back to a moderate pace for X number of seconds before doing it again. During a sprinting interval it's got to be completely all out intensity - everything you've got, otherwise you're not doing anything like what I consider to be HIIT.

To the OP, don't worry about the above too much, good paced walking and light running are fine for now. Others have already said all that needs to be said basically - bump the thread when you've got a new diet & plan made out.