Losing weight and the bad habbits

Dublinstiofán

Right here’s the story guys I am an unfit fecker and I have realized that its time to change before its irreversible (more you put on harder it is to get off apparently). Aim of the game is to get down to the original jean size 32” and loose the beer belly & love handles, not necessarily in that order :rolleyes:

Parents are away this week and can’t cook so have gotten take away’s nearly every night. Just so as you know it’s not a case of ‘can’t cook won’t cook’, I have tried but suck at it. Was the only one that managed to set the home Ec room on fire baking a Swiss Roll in the history of the school while first year.it was halarious
I can put things in the oven (not cooking really) like pizza and chicken fillets on the George but that’s the height of it. And when I do cook it’s usually accompanied with Koka noodles or some ****e like that with no nutritional value.
Anyway as soon as the parents are back it’s all going to change. I’m going to explain the problems by one and if you could help with advice to deal with them I would be most grateful. No piss takers please looking for advice, not smartasses. “Stop eating Chinese & go out walking fatty” won’t really help no matter how right you are

But first I’ll give you a bit of background. I’m 20 and have been between 13 and 14.5 stone over the last year or so. But I have big shoulders and am tall enough around 5ft 10 or so the bit of extra weight isn’t really that noticeable. Have noticed a bit of extra weight on my neck and face has filled out a bit in recent months and want to get back to my old self.

Problems:
1) Asthma.
My lungs aren’t great making any kind of physical exercise a good bit more different than for the average Jo. I love cycling and my legs are in good shape. Figure I could do about 5 miles an normal-fast pace without stopping. But it’s the beer belly and neck and face I want to lose the weight on so cycling’s no good. Don’t mind walking but it’s just getting time to do it. I’m in the college “gym” (room with weights) but the damn thing is never open so that’s out. And I’m a poor student so don’t exactly have €500 around for a yearly gym membership. So what I need is: a method of loosing weight or cheap programme to loose what extra I have. Any suggestions would be nice. Was thinking about jogging but I think this would be difficult on the owl lungs. Maybe it would be easier if you have jogged for a week or two. Does it get any easier?
2) Family.
Everybody in the family are unfit. I’m the thinnest. Food is nourishing when it is cooked but since I was born we were always encouraged to try different foods like Chinese, Italian and Indian etc so we all acquired a taste for them over time. Both parents can cook and cook well. Problem being they both work odd hours. When mam gets home she’s tired and doesn’t feel like cooking, so takeaway is only option. When dad comes home (one shift ends at like 22:00) brings some form of take away home with him. So in a worst case scenario I had a chipper at 6 and a Chinese at 10 which is ridiculous. I have willpower and sometimes say no, but it’s so very difficult to say no when its my dinner and I can’t cook for ****e. How the hell do I get out of this trap? Anything I would cook is just as bad as the Chinese that has been put in front of me, hot, sweet smelling, Chinese, mmmmmmmmm, hungry?

I'm not that heavy a drinker on an average night i would have 3 pints or so. But go mad on occation and drink anything thats put in front of me.
I generally go drink free to give the owl liver a break for about 1 month in every three and at exam time. So i have no problem going off the drink if it helps this for any amount of time. Except for the owl summer holidays for 2 weeks in Aug
The beer belly may not be from beer at all, probably from chips and burgers.

Starting to think I’m not going to shake this problem until I move out but by then It will be much more difficult as I will be too heavy.

Bit long winded sorry guys. Advice appreciated
Thanks

Cadrach

Dublinstiof&#225 wrote: »

I love cycling and my legs are in good shape. Figure I could do about 5 miles an normal-fast pace without stopping. But it’s the beer belly and neck and face I want to lose the weight on so cycling’s no good.

Just to note - cycling will actually be perfect. It will help you to lose fat on your body and your neck, as well as everywhere else. If you are cycling every day, and you have a good diet to focus on fat loss, then you will lose weight.

The problem with the family 'trap', unfortunately there is only one good way out of it (as you mention, it is much better not to wait until you move out). That is to tell them you are going on a diet for 8 weeks, and you will only eat X, Y, Z. I don't know your parents, but chances are they'll think its a good idea and might tag along with you on it, and if they're good cooks then they'll probably be able to make some delicious meals that meet the restrictions of your diet.

Dublinstiofán

Cadrach wrote:

have a good diet to focus on fat loss,

Any chance you could give me a detailed idea of what you could eat on an average day of a fat loss diet. Chinese and take away out obviously. I wouldn't have a clue to be honest.

Cadrach wrote:

The problem with the family 'trap', unfortunately there is only one good way out of it (as you mention, it is much better not to wait until you move out). That is to tell them you are going on a diet for 8 weeks, and you will only eat X, Y, Z.

They will probably do what ya said.

Thanks for the advice anyway, some good stuff there. Keep it coming

blah

Ok so you can't cook, but how's about things that don't involve the cooker, like salads?

I've been looking at this thread for ideas on what to eat for lunch. everyone here recommends 6 meals a day, I only eat 3, but I'm going to start making 2 healthy lunches at home and bringing them in. (This doesn't mean eat more, just eat 2 small portions)

The cycling sounds good, it's the overall workout(cardio) you want to lose weight, it's not like you'll end up with muscley legs and a fat neck.

Also, read the stickies on this forum, I read them a couple of months ago and i've lost a few pounds, but I've probably put on muscle too.

Do you know if anything can be done about your asthma, like cutting out dairy might help(disclaimer: I am not a doctor)

Ok, basically, read the stickies, eat a healthy diet, exercise and stick with it! Good man.

Sleepy

Increase your cycling, learn to cook for yourself and do bodyweight exercises like press ups, crunches, lunges, body-weight squats etc. and you'll shift the few extra pounds pretty quickly.

Beelzebub

As mentioned, you need to learn to cook!
It's a basic life skill!
If you're serious about your health you need to be able to cook healthy meals for yourself.

davyjose

Learn to cook - keep doing it until you get it right. Sounds like an excuse really, because it's not the most difficult of things to do. It doesn't take masses of skill, nor does it take masses of effort. Billions of people can do it - If you have the ability to work your computer, you can cook. And the more you cook, the better you will get.
Take-aways are not good enough - simple as.

Beelzebub

I don't have asthma but I used to get bronchitis every year without fail when I was a teenager, and so my lungs aren't the best.
I found however since starting to lift weights they have improved immensely, could be coincidence but I believe it has helped me.

Get yourself a couple of dumbells in Argos.
Better than nothing.

rubadub

You sound fairly similar to where I was a year or 2 ago.

we were always encouraged to try different foods like Chinese, Italian and Indian etc so we all acquired a taste for them over time

Anything I would cook is just as bad as the Chinese

Sounds like you were encouraged to try takeaways, rather than homecooked stuff. You seem to be under the notion that it is all bad. Very wrong, in a takeaway they load it with oil & MSG, a cheap way to make it taste nice and bring you back again. Chinese takeaways give ridiculous portions too.

I love chinese food, cook it all the time, but what I cook is very healthy. You really have to learn to cook, and understand portion size and calorific values of food. You talk of noodles, I see guys in work thinking they are being healthy eating them, a single pack is around 500kcal (a chicken fillet is 100-150kcal).

I cycle to work, and everywhere else. Cycling with a reason is better than just doing it for the sake of exercise. I cycle to shops, walk to the pub etc, it all adds up. A 50kg cast iron dumbell set is about €80 in argos and you can get a full body workout using it and doing pushups to begin with, a chinning bar is also recommended. You can buy additional weights when you get stronger. Weights are always going cheap in www.buyandsell.ie

I was almost 15stone, went down to about 13 from cycling and eating better, now am down around 12 after taking up weights. I am stable at that level now, 12 stone and take a 32" jeans like your goal. I do not do much weights now, 3 times a week but only about 20mins each time, 45mins cycling each day. I am not interested in getting much bigger. Good diet mon-friday evening, drink a fair bit at the weekends.

I think weights helped shift more than the cycling, do not just look at the weight, look at measurements. I have been 12 stone for ages but thinner, i.e. losing fat and gaining muscle at the same rate.

Dublinstiofán

Thanks a million for all the help guys!

Right so eat salads and no takeaway. What else could i eat?

Could anybody do up a quick typical day menu of what i should or should not be eating?

Heres what i have at the moment, its bad:

Breakfast- no time for breakfast at home so i have a bowl of porridge in work around 11, used to have a sausage roll every morning but cut it out

Lunch- Whatevers on the menu today was lasange but i was bold and had wedges too. I usually have a sambo though

Dinner- Last night had 2 chicken fillets with baby potatoes and fried mushrooms and onions and gravy

During Die hard 1 (Boxset of 1,2 and 3 available for €14.99 in HMV;) ) had a slice of strawberry cheesecake

So what i gotta do:
1 Get a few weights in argos.
2 Start cycling to work again or for 45 minutes a day
Should do it over the course of a couple of months?
3 learn how to cook.

Glowing

Hi there, here are a few suggestions - its all to do wtih making the right choices but not cutting out EVERYTHING you like, thats no fun! Choose boiled potatoes over roasted ones, choose low fat milk in place of full fat, choose salad instead of coleslaw ... get my drift? All of these changes will add up quickly and you should find the weight will drop off quickly enough.

-Right keep the porridge in, thats very good for you. Make it with low fat milk and use honey instead of sugar!

-Bring in fruit to work - i find that having an apple and banana at my desk stops me from raiding the chocolate machines.

-Aim for the unfried options for lunch. If you have to have lasagne, have it with a salad and no bread. Use brown bread over white for your sambos. Cut down on mayo and butter.

- For dinner, do you eat eggs? I find an omlette is a good start, easy and healthy. Great for using left over vegs. Heat a pan gently, and fry some sliced mushrooms in a small drop of olive oil for 2 mins. While thats cooking, beat 2 eggs in a bowl, add salt and pepper, and some sliced chives or scallions. Add a drop of water. Pour on top of the mushrooms, slice some tomatoes and lay over the top and cover with a lid until the top is mostly cooked. You could also add peppers or what ever veg you have handy. Then you can fold over the omlette for another minute and Voila!

Good luck!

Cadrach

Dublinstiof&#225 wrote: »

Thanks a million for all the help guys!

Right so eat salads and no takeaway. What else could i eat?

Could anybody do up a quick typical day menu of what i should or should not be eating?

Heres what i have at the moment, its bad:

Breakfast- no time for breakfast at home so i have a bowl of porridge in work around 11, used to have a sausage roll every morning but cut it out

Lunch- Whatevers on the menu today was lasange but i was bold and had wedges too. I usually have a sambo though

Dinner- Last night had 2 chicken fillets with baby potatoes and fried mushrooms and onions and gravy

During Die hard 1 (Boxset of 1,2 and 3 available for €14.99 in HMV;) ) had a slice of strawberry cheesecake

So what i gotta do:
1 Get a few weights in argos.
2 Start cycling to work again or for 45 minutes a day
Should do it over the course of a couple of months?
3 learn how to cook.

Search back through the threads for specific diet advice, because there is a lot, but basically:
Breakfast - it is important that you eat breakfast early in the day. It is also a habit that you should maintain for the future. Its good that you like porridge, since that is probably the best breakfast you could have. Get up 15mins earlier and have a bowl of porridge before you leave the house.

Lunch - Regardless of the wedges, you can't do lasagne either unfortunately. In fact, you should cut out cheese (~40% fat) and other foods that are high in saturated fight while you're trying to lose weight, and reduce the amount of pasta/bread/rice/potatoes. For that reason, a sambo is quite bad also, especially white bread. If you could stick to a salad for lunch that would be ideal, but if not then you could settle for a wrap or an open sandwich with some wholegrain brown bread like McCambridge's.

Dinner - again, it is important to cut down on the potatoes/pasta/rice but a few baby potatoes is OK. Sounds like a good dinner, but careful of the gravy - you should be wary of any thick sauce unless you know exactly whats in it.

Stuff like cheesecake I'm sure you know has to go.

Cutting out chocolate/cakes/sweets/crisps/fizzy drinks/cheese and other food high in saturated fat, cutting down on pasta/bread/rice/potatoes, drinking loads of water, weights, cycling, if you are remotely strict for 8 weeks you will see great results. To get more specific, you have to read the stickies and start working stuff out - remember that you should still eat plenty of food, just better kinds of food, in order to have a balanced diet. Some long term changes, like cutting out white bread permanently, will ensure that you won't regain the weight.

Dublinstiofán

Can: get up early for breakfast
: eat wholegrain brown i like it
: cut out cheesecake
: cut out chocolate/cakes/sweets/crisps/cheese
: drink loads of water
: cut out potatoes or use baby ones
: get a few weights and cycle


Cant: eat a dry dinner has to have some form of sauce any substitute?
not eat pasta and rice could be a problem, any substitute ya can think of?
Cut the fizzy drinks, would that make a huge difference? I always drink loads of water.

One vital question:
When i am hungry what can i eat for a snack? besides fruit which i eat a lot of anyway?

This is all a great help thanks Cadrach

Mr.Plough

if you cant lose the fizzy drinks, switch to diet coke/coke zero etc.

try get into sparkling water. you wont like it at first but when you get used to it its the nuts

ali.c

Dublinstiof&#225 wrote: »

Cant: eat a dry dinner has to have some form of sauce any substitute?
not eat pasta and rice could be a problem, any substitute ya can think of?

Green vegeatables are a great replacement for pasta and rice. If noting else thoug limit your portion size.

You can make your own homemade sauces, that way you know what is in it.
Or you can sprinkle some olive oil with herbs garlic or whatever on your food after cooking.

Dublinstiofán

Mr.Plough wrote:

if you cant lose the fizzy drinks, switch to diet coke/coke zero etc.

try get into sparkling water. you wont like it at first but when you get used to it its the nuts

I'll drink sparkling water for a while. Diet coke/coke zero don't appeal to me. I'll cut out the fizzy drinks for a while and see how i get on. Be difficult tonight at the cinema.

Dublinstiofán

ali.c wrote:

Green vegeatables are a great replacement for pasta and rice. If noting else thoug limit your portion size.

You can make your own homemade sauces, that way you know what is in it.
Or you can sprinkle some olive oil with herbs garlic or whatever on your food after cooking.

Can try the veg no problem and cut down the portion size.

Homemade sauces are a bad idea, if you read the first post you will know why. I'd probably poisen myself somehow trying to Concoct (not sure if thats spelt correctly) some mad sauce. Best leave it to the experts or have it dry. :eek:

Glowing

You can make a lovely healthy sauce with a tin of tomatoes, some onions, fresh basil, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer it for 20 mins. Goes with anything!

Cadrach

You can have rice/pasta/potatoes if you need to, but the less the better. The more you put in the more you get out, so it depends on how fast you want to lose the weight really.

Dublinstiofán

Glowing wrote:

You can make a lovely healthy sauce with a tin of tomatoes, some onions, fresh basil, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer it for 20 mins. Goes with anything!

Thanks for that i'll try it.

Thanks for the help cadrach and thank you all for your input. I'll let you all know in a few weeks how its going.

Regards,
Steve

davyjose

Dublinstiof&#225 wrote: »

coke zero don't appeal to me.

This is mans greatest invention - its so similar to Coke its unbelievable. I still regard it as a treat though.

Dudess

There are numerous cookbooks available for students/beginners/non-gourmet chefs that have excellent nutritious and delicious recipes. What's more, they're easy to cook and they're cheap. Fork out (yep, pun intended!) for one of those, OP.
I tried Coke Zero once - gave me a splitting headache and nausea. Probably too much preservatives and junk packed into it.