Please critique my diet and exercise routine

Supercell

Would appreciate any pointers on the below please.

Bearing I'm still about three stone off (have lost about 1.5 stones in last three months) target.
I've currently slowed to loosing about 1lb per week doing this.

Mon - Fri

Breakfast :- Alternates between two Wheatabix or a bowl of Hi-8 Muesli, both taken with regular milk.

Mid Morning Snack - Probably two or more pieces of fruit - mandarins, grapes, plums, nectarines etc..what ever's on special in Tesco when doing my shop.

Sometimes snack on jerky

Lunch - I usually nuke a meal I cooked earlier (I try to keep this to GI principles but not always if the recipe is really nice)

Afternoon - More pieces of fruit (I'd eat about 6 portions of fruit a day typically) and a Glenisk natural Yogurt

Afternoons - usually chew on some jerky

Evenings - 30 mins cardio - Treadmill/Bicycle (done 6 days a week)
After cardio it depends on how hard I've pushed myself to what I eat.
Sometimes its just a tin of tuna and a few tomatoes.
Otherwise its a bed of baby spinage leaves, couple of grated carrots, tin of tuna, a little cottage cheese on the side, couple of chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber and balsamic vinager drizzled over (nummy!).

I have a weights room set upstairs and know I should be using it - but tbh I really really like the extra energy that cardio gives me during the day( I no longer feel sleep after eating lunch for example), not sure weights at this stage will help me bound up the stairs without getting out of breath.

Weekends it all falls to pieces.

Saturday -

Breakfast...not done

Afternoon- Probably 40 mins cardio.
Georgeforeman some meat from the freezer

Evening - too much alcohol followed by pizza or some other crap

Sunday

Breakfast - not done

Cardio day off

Lunch - rarely done

Dinner - I do my weekly cook on a sunday and freeze 5 workdays food (it has 5 weeks supply at any one time) and eat a sixth fresh.

Evening - veg out in front of the telly, look forward to work....

My goal is eventually aimed more at cardio fitness than muscle building though of course i'd like a six pack. I hope in the new year to take up mountain running which need pretty high levels of fitness, hence th major focus on it.
I'm only doing 30 mins a night most nights as I reckon I'm still too heavy to do more without causing myself injury.

Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Cadrach

Sounds pretty good, and if you're losing 1lb a week then you're doing well, means you're going in the right direction (you're in no hurry, right?). I would recommend giving the weights a go in addition to the cardio - you're feeling the benefits of the cardio when you bound up the stairs, well there are similar benefits to weight training that you might be missing out on. There will probably come a time when you stop losing the 1lb a week, and when that time comes you'll either have to step up the training or improve the weekends. Even now, it's worth making the extra effort on the Sunday - get up that bit earlier, or get some form of breakfast/lunch into you.

Supercell

Cadrach wrote: »

Sounds pretty good, and if you're losing 1lb a week then you're doing well, means you're going in the right direction (you're in no hurry, right?). There will probably come a time when you stop losing the 1lb a week, and when that time comes you'll either have to step up the training or improve the weekends. Even now, it's worth making the extra effort on the Sunday - get up that bit earlier, or get some form of breakfast/lunch into you.

Thanks Cadrach,

As regards hurry, well to be honest I'd far rather sooner than later to be rid of the extra weight

My big concern is that this regime used to loose me 3lbs a week, then 2 and now just over 1lb and theres a long way to go yet.

I dont think my regime is too terrible, but then maybe I need a kick up the árse to see sense.
I really like the weekly release of a Saturday evening tbh..am wondering though if its possible to go out on the lash on a Saturday and get towards target with it or can i just toughen up other areas of my regime to take it into account?

AlphaMale 3OO

ignore what cadrach said. your diet sucks. sorry just being honest! why not try and include protein at every meal, drop the dairy, include olive oil, peanut butter and fish in your diet, eat a little more at night but keep it to healthy fats and proteins. also drop the muesli and weetabix and have oatmeal/porridge instead. maybe introduce protein/recovery shakes post workout and dont base your diet on Tescos specials, if in doubt, buy almonds, walnuts etc. also eat more meat like chicken and steak. remember carbs in the morning and in and around training, otherwise fats and predominantly proteins. you'll make progress.

g'em

Longfield wrote: »

My big concern is that this regime used to loose me 3lbs a week, then 2 and now just over 1lb and theres a long way to go yet.

yup, your body is adapting, and you're beginning to plateau. A kick up the arse is *exactly* what you need, or more appropriately it's your metabolism that needs the kick.

Your diet does not suck, it's just not optimal. As suggested, you're severly lacking in protein and also good fats, and both of these food groups tend to be *much* more satiating than carbs are. If I eat scrambled eggs in the morning I genuinely don't even thin k about food til 12 or so, but if I eat porridge I'm hungry again in an hour. It's the same with good fats - a bowl of salad very liberally drizzled with avocado oil or walnut oil will keep me full for aaages. Likwise a hefty slab of meat with my dinner tides me over brilliantly til bed.

When you start out with a lot of weight to lose, something as simple as a calorie reduction is enough to make the weight just disappear off you. But as you get fitter and your body gets better at utilising fuel (food) you'll lose the weight slower and slower. Changing your diet (adding protein/ fats) and changing your exercise routine (adding weights, doing intervals) literally shocks your body and makes it more efficient again.

If nothing else the one big thing I'd recommend is to get protein at each and every meal: eggs, lean meats, unsalted nuts, cottage cheese. It seems a bit daunting at first but it's relatively easy when you get used to it.

As for your Saturday night release, go for it, but just temper it slightly. If you're drinking make it shorts and diet mixers. Heck, we all gotta live a little

Supercell

forbesii wrote: »

ignore what cadrach said. your diet sucks. sorry just being honest! why not try and include protein at every meal, drop the dairy, include olive oil, peanut butter and fish in your diet, eat a little more at night but keep it to healthy fats and proteins. also drop the muesli and weetabix and have oatmeal/porridge instead. maybe introduce protein/recovery shakes post workout and dont base your diet on Tescos specials, if in doubt, buy almonds, walnuts etc. also eat more meat like chicken and steak. remember carbs in the morning and in and around training, otherwise fats and predominantly proteins. you'll make progress.

Thanks Forbesii, appreciate the advice.
I'm pretty limited in my diet as have food allergies to fresh fish (can eat tuna fine though - seems the canning process takes out whatever I'm allergic to) and all nuts, which includes of course peanut butter. I'm trying to snak on jerky as its a good clean (I think) source of protein and have no meat allergies (thank God!!).
I'll try and use supermilk with my cereal in the morning instead. I suspected more protein was needed, I'll try and bring some chick or meat into work for mornings and afternoons also.

AlphaMale 3OO

Sorry I was probably a bit forthcoming, not realising you alergy history. You can cleverly work around this though, there is an alternative for everything. I think olive oil is body comp. dynamite. try it with salds, tuna etc. you wont be dissappointed. weights will burn fat for you by the way, programmes readily available across the net.

Supercell

g'em wrote: »

yup, your body is adapting, and you're beginning to plateau. A kick up the arse is *exactly* what you need, or more appropriately it's your metabolism that needs the kick.

When you start out with a lot of weight to lose, something as simple as a calorie reduction is enough to make the weight just disappear off you. But as you get fitter and your body gets better at utilising fuel (food) you'll lose the weight slower and slower. Changing your diet (adding protein/ fats) and changing your exercise routine (adding weights, doing intervals) literally shocks your body and makes it more efficient again.

Thanks g'em, I reckon that's it to a tee.

I am going to try and up my protein intake as suggested.

Maybe it is time to incorporate weights if it will help towards my goal (I'll read up on this a bit more).
By the way what do you mean by "adding weights, doing intervals" - I think it means changing the weights routine every once in a while?

seaner

forbesii wrote: »

dont base your diet on Tescos specials, .

I don't think you need to spend a fortune in order to have a successful weightloss routine so I have to disagree with what Forbesii is saying.

I think its good that you are choosing from items that are on special...you're more likely to keep doing this as its sustainable.

AlphaMale 3OO

i didnt say you had to spend a fortune. i spend €60 a week and thats equates to 4500 cals a day. i said dont base your diet on whatever is on special because, whatever is on special is quite often crap food 1 day from its useby date.

Colm_OReilly

Check out www.thepaleodiet.com for dietary advice. They've regular pdf's that you can read about without investing. I'd also advocate getting a copy of "Mastering The Zone" to see just how destructive the modern food pyramid really is.

I'd definitely advise taking up resistance training, spend some time on www.simplefit.org for basic bodyweight routines that will increase your cardio capacity or www.crossfit.com for video instructionals or major lifts (information dense site)

As for running, you haven't included how heavy you are but if you're very heavy (i.e. carrying a lot of surface fat) then running a lot isn't a great idea at the minute. Rowing will deliver a much better response, and won't have the impact. Cycling would also help.

Now the treadmill, this isn't running! Treadmills take the active part of running out of the cycle for you, so you only do the recovery phase. What's happening is your knees are getting a pounding without your muscles getting the work they deserve.

As for the weight loss slowing down, your body has largely adapted to the workout. Body's adapt very quickly to workouts, in fact the main benefit of any routine is abandoning it for a new one.

Colm

ali.c

Longfield wrote: »

I have a weights room set upstairs and know I should be using it - but tbh I really really like the extra energy that cardio gives me during the day( I no longer feel sleep after eating lunch for example), not sure weights at this stage will help me bound up the stairs without getting out of breath.

I never thought weights would be a great addition to my general fitness till i started doing them. After a short while it was weird but things just got lighter. It definately increased the ease with which i do daily tasks.

Longfield wrote: »

My goal is eventually aimed more at cardio fitness than muscle building though of course i'd like a six pack. I hope in the new year to take up mountain running which need pretty high levels of fitness, hence th major focus on it.
I'm only doing 30 mins a night most nights as I reckon I'm still too heavy to do more without causing myself injury.

Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Eh on the cardio aspect, well as colm has said there are a number of low impact options that might be better suited to you at the moment. Interval training is brillant for building up your cardiovascular endurance. Also have you thought about doing some hill walking, not anything major to start with but if mountain running is your end goal getting out into the hills may be a good starting point.

Incidentally when you say taking up mountain running, sounds interesting do you have any details on that?? I am no where near fit enough at the moment but it sounds interesting.

Supercell

Thanks Colm, I'll have a read of those sites you linked too.
I certainly agree re the treadmill and knees, only can mange a few days in a row on mine before my knees get a little sore, which is why I try to mix it up with the bike. That said I really enjoy the running even if it absolutely kills me (half the fun i suppose).

Ali.c I do try some hill walking at weekends, have to admit walking anywhere bores the pants off me - which is kinda why i'm trying to build up to a level of fitness where I can run all over the place which I quite enjoy even if its a bit Homer Simpson'esque atm.

If you're interested in mountain running yourself have a read of the Irish Mountain Running Association website as a starting point.