1 month in and only 1bs less!

googlehead

well I am a month into my new regime. for the last month I have bascially built up to running 6km in 30mins and cycling 4-5 kms in 20mins (all gym) 3 times a week, and doing weights 2 times a week.

Since the start of last month I have lost just over 1lbs I am 30 male 5' 9" and over 12.5 stone. I want to lose maybe a stone and tone up also,, but i do not want to put on more weight and become bulky threw weights.

over the last month I have been altering my diet, so this is what I have at the moment;



breakfast: good bowl of porridge(skimed milk) with a banana threw it

lunch: usually a salad mix container, half fill cous cous, bit of salad, small bit of pasta and chicken and small bit of noodles.

dinner: smaller portions than before usually lasagna with salad /spagetti bolognese/ chicken curry with nan bread no rice. sometimes potatoes meat and veg.

i usually eat an apple and pear, couple handlefuls of bombay mix, and have 2 cups of coffee also during the day.

I usually have 1 treat during the week, a chocolate bar or choclate ice pop and maybe a packet of low fat rice crisps

I drink very little beer or no beer

I also drink maybe a cup of apple or cranberrie juice a day also I drink about 4cups of water a day


this month I am upping my efforts, I plan on doing weights twice a week and running 30km(2.5hours/per week)
and cycling for 15km(1 hour/per week)

I also am using an Ab roller for 10 mins everyday.

What do people think of my regime.I would really like to lose maybe 4lbs a month from june on.

I am a newbie with weights so would really appreciate some advice with that..

although my efforts last month have not given me the reduction I wanted I am starting to really enjoy getting fit.

sorry for the long post

thanks....

Dudess

Forget about the scales for a minute, have you noticed a difference on the measuring tape? Do clothes feel looser?

Pen1987

Are you male or female?

googlehead

Dudess wrote: »

Forget about the scales for a minute, have you noticed a difference on the measuring tape? Do clothes feel looser?

I have not measured myself, but just realised that a pair of trousers that were very tight on me are not as tight anymore!!!

I am Male

Dudess

Yeah, the scales don't always register changes, but it seems like you're doing excellently on the exercise front. As for the diet, well I can't comment on it like g'em and others here can, but there doesn't seem to be anything untoward about it.
I'd say the slow pace of weight loss is probably due to the fact that you don't have a massive amount of weight to lose. What height are you?

Plus, weight loss is one thing, fat loss is another.

gabgab

IGNORE THE SCALES!!!!!

It will tell you LIES :D

If clothes feel looser then your making great progress, seriously,

Dudess

If you drink a lot of water, that can come up as excess weight on the scales. There can even be a small yet significant difference on the scales between morning and night time.
Also, muscle weighs more than fat.

Personally, I think the scales is only of use for those with massive amounts of weight to lose, and they're the only ones who'll really see a big difference at the initial stages of their weight loss regime.

googlehead

I am 5'9"

thanks for the replies , feel better already

Dudess

5 ft 9, male and over 12.5 stone - doesn't seem like you have a lot of weight to lose. If I were you I'd concentrate on the getting fit, firming up wobbles and losing inches rather than whatever the scales says.
But there may be some tweaking needed in your diet and Dragan, g'em etc here can give you advice on that front.
Best of luck!

vibrant

I'm in the same boat as the OP - I am working out a lot, eating fresh, natural foods, drinking lots of water, etc etc etc - but the scales aren't budging!

However I have noticed I am stronger, my muscles (particularly in my legs) are firmer and my clothes are looser. I can see a bit of definition coming in around my shoulders and upper arms.

This is what I'd like to learn more about though:

Dudess wrote: »

Also, muscle weighs more than fat.

Do you mean that if you put, for example 1 kilo of fat next to 1 kilo of muscle, that the fat would take up more space than the muscle of vice versa?

Also, I'll second the notion that your body can differ from morning to night. I weighed myself one night, and was in the horrors! Next morning, I was down a couple of pounds... so weighing in is strictly a pre-shower regime now

celestial

vibrant wrote: »

I'm in the same boat as the OP - I am working out a lot, eating fresh, natural foods, drinking lots of water, etc etc etc - but the scales aren't budging!

However I have noticed I am stronger, my muscles (particularly in my legs) are firmer and my clothes are looser. I can see a bit of definition coming in around my shoulders and upper arms.

This is what I'd like to learn more about though:



Do you mean that if you put, for example 1 kilo of fat next to 1 kilo of muscle, that the fat would take up more space than the muscle of vice versa?

Also, I'll second the notion that your body can differ from morning to night. I weighed myself one night, and was in the horrors! Next morning, I was down a couple of pounds... so weighing in is strictly a pre-shower regime now

Yes! Correct. Muscle cells take up less space than fat cells. Check it out in this pic. It explains why when you add muscle and lose fat you WEIGH the same but you LOOK smaller, more compact, leaner. http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.leanandstrong.org/PHP-Nuke-7.4/html/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10252/thumb_fat%2520vs%2520muscle.jpg&imgrefurl=http://gator-mama.blogspot.com/&h=100&w=167&sz=5&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=8-aSZGvUSK1D-M:&tbnh=59&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmuscle%2Bvs%2Bfat%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Quite simply if you are working out, esp if you are doing bodyweight exercises or working with weights, the ideal scenario is that the scales aren't moving, but your waist is getting tighter and overall your clothes are looser. If you have lost weight on the scales it most likely will be partly water or muscle lost along with fat.

googlehead

I have taken out the bombay mix out of my diet for snacks as they are not meant to be good and replaced it with unsalted cashew nuts, also for lunch i will eat just cous cous(different flavours thai,spicy etc.) and a slice of brown soda bread with low fat butter

Dudess

googlehead wrote: »

breakfast: good bowl of porridge(skimed milk)

When you say "good bowl" is it a very big one? Could you stand to maybe reduce the amount a little?

lunch: usually a salad mix container, half fill cous cous, bit of salad, small bit of pasta and chicken and small bit of noodles.

Check this with those who are more expert, but I'd say noodles aren't the best. Could be wrong though. I know those packet ones are right crap but I'm presuming you're eating fresher ones, however I'm not sure how healthy they are.

dinner: smaller portions than before usually lasagna with salad /spagetti bolognese/ chicken curry with nan bread no rice. sometimes potatoes meat and veg.

Try to stick with brown spaghetti, don't know if you can get brown lasagne sheets - don't think you can. Brown rice with the curry would be better for you than naan bread.

2 cups of coffee also during the day.

One is enough - artificial stimulants aren't great.

I also drink maybe a cup of apple or cranberrie juice

Those carton juices are very processed and full of sugar, what about squeezing an orange?

I drink about 4cups of water a day

You could do with drinking WAY more water - water is a fantastic aid for weight loss. Don't ask me how, but it is - definitely! Just ask *whisper his name with awe* Dragan!

googlehead

Dudess wrote: »

When you say "good bowl" is it a very big one? Could you stand to maybe reduce the amount a little?

no it's not a very big one, just not small

Check this with those who are more expert, but I'd say noodles aren't the best. Could be wrong though. I know those packet ones are right crap but I'm presuming you're eating fresher ones, however I'm not sure how healthy they are.

noodles gone.:)

Try to stick with brown spaghetti, don't know if you can get brown lasagne sheets - don't think you can. Brown rice with the curry would be better for you than naan bread.

the others don't like brown, so i'll have to leave this one.

One is enough - artificial stimulants aren't great.

1 coffee a day it is

Those carton juices are very processed and full of sugar, what about squeezing an orange?

carton juices are gone too.:)

You could do with drinking WAY more water - water is a fantastic aid for weight loss. Don't ask me how, but it is - definitely! Just ask *whisper his name with awe* Dragan!

4 cups to 2l now.:)

so much tweaking to get it right, but I think I am getting there. thanks...

I was at the gym yesterday , and I am starting to see a small bit of definition in my body, my tire around my waist is slowly going.

I feel fantastic, and I feel this month I am going to kill it. at the start I was going to the gym and to burn 300 calories was hard, now 500 is easy and trying for 700 when I am not doing weights. I am constantly pushing myself.

also I am getting better at weights, I am pushing myself harder, and not feeling any pain or stress the following day.

June will see a real difference in me i know it!!:D:D:D

Dudess

Aw that's fantastic. Well done and best wishes with keeping it up!

BraziliaNZ

wouldn't drinking more coffee help him lose weight?

Transform

Why would coffee help him lose weight??

as would not eating at all!!!

He is a man looking to drop a few pounds of fat not a dolly bird looking to fit in with friends and a dress and taking up drinking excessive coffee, a few fags and a sex in the city diet.

Dudess

I have read (here in fact) that a little bit of caffeine actually gives the metabolism something of a kick-start, but too much caffeine messes up your system. One cup or small mug of coffee a day seems reasonable.

Hanley

Dudess wrote: »

I have read (here in fact) that a little bit of caffeine actually gives the metabolism something of a kick-start, but too much caffeine messes up your system. One cup or small mug of coffee a day seems reasonable.

C'mon now... does it REALLY matter. How much of an effect is it gonna have? 1%? 2... maybe?

It's a cup of coffee. If someone is looking to that as the key or blockade to their weight loss something is definitely wrong.