My Story

pocketac3s

Hi all, just posting here to get a bit of feedback from my plan and hopefully have a few questions answered.

Me Now:
Height:5' 10"
Weight: 14 stone
Goal: Get weight to 12 or 12.5 stone

Background:

2 years ago I was 12 stone(12.5 stone at my peak fitness level due to muscle) and was an avid Gym user, I was there 4 or 5 times a week; not really eating healthly or drinking to moderation; but I was fairly fit - cardio not so much but I was well toned and had good muscle mass. Anyway I had my leaving cert that summer, lots of work to save up for my summer holidays, new college course, excuses excuses etc.. and eventually I only ended up going to the Gym once a month, as a token gesture.

Left my course and got a job in a bookies, then in an office. Basically sitting on my ass all day and then had a long commute home so couldn't find time to work out. My eating increased aswell, eating larger portions of ****e - deep fat fried, takeway pizzas - if it tasted good, I ate it. Over the past 24months I've put on 2 stone. I'm determined to lose it so I've started a plan as of last week.

Diet:

Breakfeast: 3 slices of brown toast, no butter and some beans. Going to switch to porridge from Monday.

Lunch: Vegtable dish at work, usually consisting of a lot of mixed vegetables and rice.

Dinner: Depending on whats there when I get home, chicken or maybe pasta cabonara etc..

I also have around 2 cup of soups, an apple and a banana throw in over the day. I try to drink as much water as possible, also some cranberry juice. I've cut out all sweets and crisps too.

Fitness:

Its appalling. I began running yesterday, I was never this unfit in my life. Ran 1.1 miles(according to google earth) and was f*cked. Purposely set out a small course because I can loose my breath running up the stairs. Got home and collapsed for around 45 minutes, damp towel on my head to cool me off and constantly spitting, I looked like a fat bastard. Felt great for the rest of the day though.

Plan:

Do my 1.1 mile in the morning before work

Work upper body muscles using free weights for an hour/hour and a half 3 times a week.

On the days I don't do my weights work out, I plan on doing the same run in the evenings.

Questions:

Am I eating the right amount/type of food for the amount of excercise I'm doing?

Would I benefit from eating 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day, and if so how could I fit them in given that I work in an office - always on the phone etc..?

I've gone off the gargle for this month; really enjoying it because I feel so refreshed but I know I'll be back on it come December; I'm not going out tonight because my mates are going to the other side of the city and don't wanna be stuck out there all night not drinking - I like my pints of miller but I know its full of cals, when I'm back on the sauce what would be the lesser of all the evils I could be drinking?

Should I bother rejoining a Gym or would the above program be sufficent enough to acheive my goals?

Is there anything I should change, add or remove to help me achieve my goal?

Thanks for any help; and sorry for the long post.

juanveron45

First thing is first your diet isnt great man you need to start having a more structured plan,you need to get more protein into your diet and more fruit and veg and good fats and begin eating more frequent meals, I also think you need to start lifting weights.Lifting weights is not just for building muscle its crucial when trying to lose fat also.

A good book is bodyforlife by bill phillips its only 10-20 euro in easons

www.bodyforlife.com

Khannie

pocketac3s wrote: »

then in an office. Basically sitting on my ass all day and then had a long commute home so couldn't find time to work out. My eating increased aswell, eating larger portions of ****e - deep fat fried, takeway pizzas - if it tasted good, I ate it. Over the past 24months I've put on 2 stone.

You sound like me 2 years ago. Going through the daily grind...in the car....sit in chair....eat crap.....in the car...sit in front of tv. Rinse. Repeat.

I've dropped 2 stone in the last 13 months through diet and exercise changes. The thing that worked for me was finding a sport that I liked and sticking with it. It's really hard to motivate yourself to go to the gym on a Friday when you're tired and fancy a few drinks...having a sport that you enjoy gets you over that hump (or at least, it did for me).

For weight loss through calorie deficit, the 6 times a day eating thing does help for sure. Porridge is a great filler in the morning and keeps you going. As for how to do it in the office? I find a tin of tuna (or a chicken breast with some seasoning on it that you cooked at home) and some nuts are easy to have at your desk in between regular break times and healthy too. Fruit's an easy one there as well.

Others on here are better able to advise than I am. Or you might want to check out the nutrition and diet forum. Some great advice in the stickies there.

Oh, on the booze front.....bulmers light is pretty decent for calories (around 125 per can) if you like cider. Not the tastiest stuff in the world, but it's not the worst either. Alternatively, shorts + diet drinks are worth looking into. I'm not sure what the calorie content of light beer is like. Not a beer man myself (prefer a stout).

aminahb

i recently joined a gym,and grabbed a friend in the office and made ourselves agree to meet each morning before work.
It sucks the first few times BUT it means i feel great all day, i am more aware of the hard work i put in when tempted to eat crap, and most of all.....i have my evenings free.

And when i walk out of the gym into DAYLIGHT as opposed to 8pm-freezing-ness, i feel a WHOLE lot better.

Transform

Join the gym and just start by going for a 45-60min walk most days - running sounds like too big a leap.

Diet is quite poor and zero planning. We are all busy so keep the gargle to one day a week and take small steps every week.

Roper

I agree with Khannie, find a sport. Too many people joining gyms and not going, not enough people in Irish sport. Team-mates, camraderie and atmosphere, coupled with learning to do something new will help you far more than any diet plan or goals will in my opinion.