Advice on Diet & Exercise????

Lmnover

Hi

I generally need advice on where i am going wrong in my lifestyle regime....any help would be greatly appreciated.

My usual Diet during the week would be:
Breakfast - Large Bowl of special K with skimmed milk
Lunch - Tuna sandwich on brown with mayo
Dinner - Weight watchers meal with loads of mixed (usually) frozen veg
Snacks - apples and sometimes a ryvita with low fat spread at 10.00am
Drinks - water and several cups of coffee
I would generally go out for meals (main course only) at the weekends and drink wine and beer

I do a brisk walk of 40mins to 1hr 4 times a week and wear a stomach and legs slender tone 30 every day.

I am 5'2 30 year old woman and my weight before holidays was 8' 5 ( i would be very petite so any bit of excess weight is highly visible) I dont know my fat percentage.

I recently went on holidays for two weeks and ate normally and managed to put on 7lb during this period!! which is totally dis heartening!

First so that my clothes will fit me again (and have wedding in two weeks!) i need a plan to lose the pounds pretty quickly (not afraid of hard work)

Also i am wondering whether i should make changes to my diet as i recently went for consultation with Educo gym representative and they said my diet was criminal and far too processed and high in sugars - i thought i was doing good. Dont think Educo gym is for me anyway

Also for the winter as the weather gets worse i need to figure out what type of exercise i should do - not really a fan of gyms but am having problems with fat in my arms and places that i never had a problem before.

I have blattered on a bit i know but would really appreciate some genuine advice.....

jethrodublin

educo as far as i know is tony quinn. and we all have our opinions on that.

first off i would say your eating too little. you need to be more regular with your meals. its very hard to judge someone from the message.

the fat under your arms is from the sugars, your bodyfat is rising and its prone to stick their with girls. if yiu zero carb for a week with high intensity walking you'd drop it nearly straight away.

you say your not afraid of hard work, then join the gym. you can walk till your blue in the face, and you don't realise what pace your going at. you speed up, burn out, slow back down to recovery and so on. this is uncontrolled. a treadmill has a set pace and incline, so you do it, or you fall off.

alot of changes are needed, but nothing drastic.

and why the weight watcher meals, whats wrong with a chicken breast on a george foreman???

not sure if you can send private mail on this, but if you can contact me and i will break it down easier.

chillywilly

just a small tip from me:

stop eating Special K, alot of people thinks its one of the healthiest cereals but in fact is the opposite, high in salt etc.

eat muesli/alpen, porridge or weetabix in the morning.

Hope that helps you somewhat

hot fuss

I am no expert compared to practically everyone on this forum but I would have to second that porridge would be way better than special k and I would never let a weight watchers meal past my lips. Try fresh meat and vegetables instead.. It's not hard to cook nice, healthy and nutritious meals. Stay away from the processed crap.

shels08

chillywilly wrote: »

just a small tip from me:

stop eating Special K, alot of people thinks its one of the healthiest cereals but in fact is the opposite, high in salt etc.

yep defo stop with the special K, it aint doin ya any good!!

irish-anabel

Also, don't let the weight gain get you down. You are clearly being almost perfectly healthy and if you get any more "healthy" it would become obsessive! The fat cells in you body don't change after you hit about 20 which is why people over that age find it hard to lose/gain weight so your body is probably just wanting to go back to the weight it naturally is.
Listen to how your body feels not the number on the scales and you will be perfect.
hope this helped!

Theresalwaysone

wat

chillywilly

Theresalwaysone wrote: »

wat

well said

kevpants

I'm sorry but once again an OP is getting innacurate advice.

Look your diet isn't bad. People on this board will pick holes in any diet unless it consists entirely of nuts, grass and lean chicken.

Special K isn't your problem. God.

Now that you are in your thirties to keep in shape you'll need to be doing some weight bearing exercise. This probably means a gym unfortunately . Your muscles burn calories and keep you strong and firm and they'll wilt over time if you don't build them. Please note you will not bulk up like and olympic shotputter or end up looking like Madonna so don't worry!

You clearly have the will to spend time at it if you're doing all those walks. I'd recommend learning to squat. It's the daddy of exercises and they alone will make a big difference.

There's a few people on this board who are involved with something called Crossfit. I'd highly recommend it for someone like you who seems to have the will but needs to be shown the way.:) Colm OReilly is one that springs to mind.

Oh and throw away the Slendertone and the Educogym application forms, trust me.

chillywilly

kevpants wrote: »

I'm sorry but once again an OP is getting innacurate advice.

Look your diet isn't bad. People on this board will pick holes in any diet unless it consists entirely of nuts, grass and lean chicken.

Special K isn't your problem. God.

Now that you are in your thirties to keep in shape you'll need to be doing some weight bearing exercise. This probably means a gym unfortunately . Your muscles burn calories and keep you strong and firm and they'll wilt over time if you don't build them. Please note you will not bulk up like and olympic shotputter or end up looking like Madonna so don't worry!

You clearly have the will to spend time at it if you're doing all those walks. I'd recommend learning to squat. It's the daddy of exercises and they alone will make a big difference.

There's a few people on this board who are involved with something called Crossfit. I'd highly recommend it for someone like you who seems to have the will but needs to be shown the way.:) Colm OReilly is one that springs to mind.

Oh and throw away the Slendertone and the Educogym application forms, trust me.

i didnt say Special K was his problem. God:rolleyes:.

i simply said people think its healthier than other cereals, and that porridge/muesli has more nutritional value. FACT.

i didnt pretend to analyse his situation....i simple said the latter is a healthier option. Clearly changing breakfast cereals isnt goin fix everything.

jojobrad

Do you snack late at night ? Because with a diet like that I reckon you're going to bed starving every night, I know I couldn't eat as little as that :rolleyes: You also need to increase the intensity of your walking or even try to walk/jog as your body needs to be challenged as you get used to the level/intensity of your exercise to burn calories and increase fitness levels. Hope this helps.

Lmnover

jojobrad wrote: »

Do you snack late at night ? Because with a diet like that I reckon you're going to bed starving every night, I know I couldn't eat as little as that :rolleyes: You also need to increase the intensity of your walking or even try to walk/jog as your body needs to be challenged as you get used to the level/intensity of your exercise to burn calories and increase fitness levels. Hope this helps.

Do the only time i would snack at night would be if i have been out drinking, then i will make it past the late night chippers but will snack on cheese processed meats etc at home - the Shame!!

Maybe i would have mentioned that i am 5'1 in height and have a very small frame so my calorie intake should be no where near a more average female. (current weight is 8'10 but i dont look slim or toned at this weight)

I took the advice of everyone and started a course of mixed aerobic and resistance training last night which i am signed up to do twice a week - I am also walking approx 35 minutes a few days a week. I wonder to see more noticable results should i do more or i am doing the right thing???

MagicMarker

Lmnover wrote: »

Do the only time i would snack at night would be if i have been out drinking, then i will make it past the late night chippers but will snack on cheese processed meats etc at home - the Shame!!

Maybe i would have mentioned that i am 5'1 in height and have a very small frame so my calorie intake should be no where near a more average female. (current weight is 8'10 but i dont look slim or toned at this weight)

I took the advice of everyone and started a course of mixed aerobic and resistance training last night which i am signed up to do twice a week - I am also walking approx 35 minutes a few days a week. I wonder to see more noticable results should i do more or i am doing the right thing???

That depends, have you changed your diet?

davyjose

chillywilly wrote: »

i didnt say Special K was his problem. God:rolleyes:.

i simply said people think its healthier than other cereals, and that porridge/muesli has more nutritional value. FACT.

i didnt pretend to analyse his situation....i simple said the latter is a healthier option. Clearly changing breakfast cereals isnt goin fix everything.

To be fair Special K was mentioned as the enemy in about 4 or 5 posts; If special K is the worst thing in her diet, then her diet is pretty good. Portion size would be the problem more than any particular food listed above IMO.

corkcomp

davyjose wrote: »

To be fair Special K was mentioned as the enemy in about 4 or 5 posts; If special K is the worst thing in her diet, then her diet is pretty good. Portion size would be the problem more than any particular food listed above IMO.

+1

another think to keep in mind is that if someones current breakfast was something like breakfast roll or choc muffin etc then moving to special K would be a major advantage ... Where as if someone had very specific goals like getting ribbed porridge / scambled egg might be better ... Your diet doesnt need to be perfect to achieve results - its its 80% + clean thats a good start

Dudess

Special K isn't gonna shorten your life or anything but yeah, it's highly processed and full of sugar and salt. You need something high in nutrients to start your day (and Special K doesn't have a whole lot to offer on that score) so go for the porridge or organic muesli. Or an egg and wholegrain bread.

jojobrad

Ok well you're the exact same height as me and your weight is normal for your height, I wouldn't recommend lots of cardio. Id say you just need some weights and body conditioning to tone up (get a fitness instructor at a gym to write you up a programme) You definately dont need to lose any weight though......... I know id kill be be the same weight as you

Lmnover

jojobrad wrote: »

Ok well you're the exact same height as me and your weight is normal for your height, I wouldn't recommend lots of cardio. Id say you just need some weights and body conditioning to tone up (get a fitness instructor at a gym to write you up a programme) You definately dont need to lose any weight though......... I know id kill be be the same weight as you

Yeah maybe i just need to tone up a lot as i would say my body fat percentage is very high (love handles, bingo wings - excess fat you name it and i have it!!) I shied away from any type of training before now (except walking & slendertones of various sorts) but feel alot more motivated from reading posts on this site and i guess the only person holding me back now - is me....thanks;)

brianon

corkcomp wrote: »

ribbed porridge

For extra pleasure ?

el27

Hi Op,
I'm 5'3 and maintaining weight at 8' 7, but a while back I was stuck at 9 st.

What works for me is having porridge/muesli/bran flakes with raisins for breakfast, homemade soup (tin of tomatoes, stock cube, herbs and it's done!) or tuna/chicken salad with dressing/mayo for lunch and pretty much what I want for dinner but in moderate amounts (except for veg). I also snack, as necessary, on fruit/nuts/...and occasional chocolate or crisps throughout the day. I never go for long without food!

Exercise: I run for 20 minutes 4/5 times a week and lift free weights about 3/4 times a week too. Weights make a HUGE difference to how you look, even if the numbers on the scale don't change that much.

So, I'd suggest that you start using free weights and confine bulky carbs to one meal a day. The bread at lunchtime is unnecessary if you have a big enough tuna salad, esp with the WW meal at dinner giving you another processed carb hit. Also, I'd cut out the WW entirely and just have nicer food like others have suggested!