Will my diet hold me back much?

discombobulate

Typical day for me is:
Breakfast - Smoothie
Lunch - Roll with just a chicken fillet roll and maybe little bit of cheese
Dinner - Oven chips or boiled potatoes and a grilled burger or chicken fillet or frozen pizza

Ok so I don't have the best diet in the world. Far from it although I don't eat all that much. I've started going to the gym 3 days a week to lose body fat and gain some definition.

Will my diet hold me back much considering its not a huge amount of calories, I don't eat chocolate or biscuits and maybe just a couple of bags of crisps a week?

Also if anyone has any ideas of any supplements or anything I could take for lack of veg.

Vamoose Killers

Yes it will and you know right well it will. Read the stickies.

Khannie

Jesus. That's a terrible diet.

discombobulate wrote: »

Also if anyone has any ideas of any supplements or anything I could take for lack of veg.

Honestly, why not just eat more veg?

floggg

When it comes to cals its often quality not quantity thats key. Plus there is a **** load of cals in frozen pizzas.

also, i think you know the answer already if you felt the need to post the question

Penn

Khannie wrote: »

Jesus. That's a terrible diet.



Honestly, why not just eat more veg?

I'd be the same. I hate veg. Since I've started exercising and dieting, I'm slowly trying to introduce veg into it, but for the most part I just avoid it.

That being said, my diet is better than that. Usually

Breakfast: porridge
Lunch: Rocket leaves with chicken pieces and maybe some hard boiled egg pieces
Dinner: Small portion of potatoes with usually chicken or fish
Snacks: Cashew nuts probably


OP, you might be better having breakfast such as porridge or weetabix in the mornings. It'll make you less hungry during the day

discombobulate

Ok right i'm ready for the just eat it it blah blah blah stuff as i've heard it all my life but I physically can't swallow most vegetables or food thats a different texture than i'm used to, spicy etc. Yes I know its a mental thing and i've tried to get over it but just won't happen.

Fair enough I know it will hold me back a bit but what I mean is with the gym 3 times a week - about 30 mins cardio 50 mins weights and mins walk to and from work am I doing enough to lose a bit of weight while building muscleor am I pissing in the wind?

discombobulate

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

OP, you might be better having breakfast such as porridge or weetabix in the mornings. It'll make you less hungry during the day

I find the smoothie get me through nicely. Never have trouble with wanting to snack or anything like that. Would like to get into a rythm of getting up earlier in the morning but just tend to grab a smoothie on the way to work at the moment.

discombobulate

Also if anyone has any ideas on how I could vary my diet based on mainly
Meat
Spuds
Brown bread
Eggs
Beans
Cereal
Fruit
Dairy

Looks even worse when I put it like that as their seriously about the only foods I can get down me!

Vamoose Killers

Well if you're not willing to really change then we're hardly going to make much of a difference, are we?

discombobulate

Vamoose Killers wrote: »

Well if you're not willing to really change then we're hardly going to make much of a difference, are we?

Is going from no exercise to 40 minutes walk a day and 4.5 hours in the gym and a game of squash a week not change!!

I didn't say i'm not willing to change the diet. I've tried and tried to get over the eating thing but can't so if you've nothing constructive to say just piss off!

Pro-Nutrition

discombobulate wrote: »

Also if anyone has any ideas on how I could vary my diet based on mainly
Meat
Spuds
Brown bread
Eggs
Beans
Cereal
Fruit
Dairy

Looks even worse when I put it like that as their seriously about the only foods I can get down me!

Hey man, your diet is key to making gains, whether its to build muscle or lose fat. It would be like trying to start your engine without fuel, its just not going to happen.

You say that your looking to drop the weight and bring out more defin muscle. With the way your diet is at the moment, its not going to work. Sorry for been so straight but hey.

I agree with the rest of the lads and I know you dont like veg, who really does? Not me but I eat veg with the majority of my meals throughout the day. Firstly regarding what you mentioned above I would drop out the spuds, dairy, cereal and depending on how much fruit your eating??? When it comes to meat, you should be looking at meats that are easy to break down like Turkey, chicken and fish. Steak and red meat are good but I would not eat alot as its not the easiest to break down.

To give you an idea of what I eat, take today for example

6.30am Pre-Training

• Cooked Oats with Honey
• 4 egg whites
• Black coffee
• Mutli Vits

7.30am - 9.00am Train

9am

• 2 Scoops of Whey Isolate
• 5 Grams of Glutamine

11am

• 200 Grams of Turkey with green beans
• 50 Grams of Cashew Nuts or Almonds

2pm

• 200 Grams of Turkey with Brocili
• 50 Grams of Cashew Nuts or Almonds

4pm

• 2 Scoops of Whey Isolate
• Flaxseed oil

5pm

• 200 Grams of Turkey with green beans
• 50 Grams of Cashew Nuts

8pm

• Fish or steak with veg stir fry

10pm

• Turkey or Chicken fillet with salad
• Flaxseed Oil

Just before I go to bed I have 2 scoops of Whey or Isolate with 5 grams of Glutamine. At the weekend of course I have cheap meals one on the sat and one on the Sunday. During the winter my diet has alot more calories in it.

I train 5 days per week so for me my diet is key.

Canis Lupus

You can't outtrain a bad diet unless you're Phelps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbuzsY_34Q

EDIT: I couldn't eat veg as well but you force yourself with small bit over time and you learn to like em. Weird but true. You have just gotta keep at it.

FURTHER EDIT: It's not about sitting down with a bunch of carrots and forcing yourself to eat them. Get a small amount of carrots and parsnip and mash into into mashed potato etc. Small steps.

MagicMarker

OP, people are just trying to help you, there's no need to get snappy.

Your diet is shoite, your excuse about vegetables doesn't apply when it comes to eating pizzas and chips.

Yes, exercise and crap food is better than crap food alone, but you know the answer already to the question you're asking. You're not going to get very far with what you're doing.

discombobulate

Thanks for the reply Pro-Nutrition

The evening meal i'm definitely willing to cut down on and go for things like brown bread with scrambled or boiled eggs and beans and avoid the processed stuff.

I know theres good calories and bad calories etc. but the main thing I see is that calories out should be greater than calories in which would be the case for me most of the time so will I not still lose some weight. Apologies if i'm missing the point.

I'm only 4 weeks into the gym now and have dropped 0.5kg but that could be debatable based on when i'm weighing myself. Is it better to weigh before or after a work-out. I've been doing it after my last work out of the week.

Also would the likes of the Glatamine and Whey Isolate be of use to me and what exactly are they? I'm presuming shakes of some sort.

discombobulate

MagicMarker wrote: »

OP, people are just trying to help you, there's no need to get snappy.

I appreciate that but constructive criticism rather than just basically telling me i'm at nothing is what I was looking for.

mloc

First of all, forget totally about supplements for the moment. They are a distraction you don't need.

Put the training aside for a moment too, that's a seperate issue. This is just about diet.

You need to start thinking about nutrition, rather than simply "dieting". Think about what your body needs to start growing in the right places and shrinking in the right places. Think about what kinds of food you need to get your body working for you.

Do what you always do and you'll get what you always get. It's a simple fact that if you want big changes, you need to make big changes. First of all, try and cut out as much processed stuff as possible. Do it gradually, give yourself a month to get used to the change.

Firstly, work on getting decent amounts of protein into you. That means chicken breasts, turkey, lean beef, nuts, cheese (in moderation), milk (if you're losing weight, in moderation) peanut butter (in moderation) etc. Plenty of fish, steamed or baked (buy frozen fillets, can't be simpler to cook) too.

Now think about getting some good fat into you. Fish again and nuts here are your main sources.

For your carbs, this is where your big changes are going to be. Try wraps instead of rolls, ditch the spuds and maybe try sweet potato instead. I realise the vegetable thing is a stumbling block, I used to hate them too so get creative. Start by trying a few easy ones and get used to them before trying stronger tasting things. Carrots and peas are a good place to start. The way you cook them can really affect how they taste so take that into account.

Big changes in small steps and you'll be grand.

floggg

Vamoose Killers wrote: »

Well if you're not willing to really change then we're hardly going to make much of a difference, are we?

+ 1.

sorry, but i don't believe in the i dont like vegetables thing. There are so many different ways of cooking them that you can't say you don't like them.

And if you can eat fruit, i don't see the problem. I think the texture of a lot of fruit would be way more off putting than veg.

also you don't need to worry about protein shakes and glutamine. You would need to be training pretty hard and have an otherwise sorted diet before supplements become necessary.

Lastly, its not as simple as less cals equals weight loss. Its about quality, frequency, balance, and ensuring you strike a balance between calorie deficiet and starvation.

read the stickie. They have all you need to know no nutrition.

MagicMarker

discombobulate wrote: »

I appreciate that but constructive criticism rather than just basically telling me i'm at nothing is what I was looking for.

Telling you the truth is constructive critisism. If you've come here for people to tell you what you're doing is grand then you've come to the wrong place. Telling people to piss off because you're not hearing what you want to here is not exactly helping yourself.

Also, 0.5kg loss in a month is not great and probably was influenced by external factors such as water/food intake, time of day. You may have even gained weight.

Read the stickies.

discombobulate

Right thanks for the info guys. I'll try use some of the suggestions. The vegetable gag thing I know is a mental thing and I just can't seem to get away from it and its not just the healthy stuff either same with chinese, indian etc. I can eat carrots, peas etc. when their in Shephards pie but don't think thats the best thing for the diet either.

What i'm thinking of doing is liquidising the vegetables with fruit and see how that goes as i've never had any trouble drinking anything.

And sorry for getting a bit ratty but it gets to me as its easy for people to just say get over it but I can't. Think it must be the same as other people with heights etc. when I think their just being stupid.


Oh and if you think i'm bad i've got a vegetarian cousin that doesn't eat vegetables. His diet consists of chips, cornflakes and toast and thats not even an exaggeration.

Khannie

discombobulate wrote: »

if you've nothing constructive to say just piss off!

No need for that.

What about vegetable soup? You could liquidise it at the start, then move on to making it more chunky over time. People are pushing you to eat veg for a good reason. Vegetables are really really good for you.

Smoothie's not the worst way to start the day. Maybe add some fibre to it (psyllium husks, oat bran, that kind of thing) to cover the lack of fibre in the rest of your diet.

Nuts are worth looking at too.

The stickies are loaded with useful information so have a look in there.

edit: One of the ways I get extra veg in (which sounds like it might suit you from your last post) is throwing stuff in with meat sauce (spaghetti bolognaise type sauce). Lots of chopped up onions, mushrooms, peas, sweetcorn, anything you can think of. It's all veg and if that's how you'd like to eat it, then that's fine. I wouldn't add veg to a smoothie myself. Sounds rank.

billyhead

OP,
Your diet is a joke tbh. This is what I had yesterday. Stats are 6ft, 12 strone, 8% body fat. Goal is to bulk to 13 stone with the lowest bodyfat gain I can get i.e I would be happy with 10% bodyfat levels.

9am- 100grams of oats, one scoop of protein, pint of milk and 3 eggs scambeled

11am, 150Grams of chicken and apple.

12.30am-Workout

1.45pm-Post workout shake consisting of 2 scoops of protein and approx 400mils of milk

2.20pm- 2 Slices of McCambridge with 150grams of Ham, cheese and side salad.

4pm-100Grams of Chicken, some salad and apple.

6.30pm-200Grams of steak, 2 Potatoes, and approx 150grams of veg.

8.30pm-2 slices of McCambridge and peanut butter

10.30pm- 2 scoops of casein and 400mils of milk.

I drink 4-4.5 litres of water a day, about 2 cups of coffe and tea, Take a Centrum Multivitamin and also take a tablespoons of Flax oil before bed. I also go for a 45 mins walk every evening after dinner

Jimmy Bottlehead

OP, cop on to youself.

Nobody loves all veg, but find ones that work... I hate turnips and broccali, but put broccali into a chicken and broccali bake, or mix turnip with carrot, and they're grand. Also, have them with potato. Gravy also rocks, or different sauces.

You have no need for shakes or suplements of any kind... not until you're settled into a good diet.

I'll be blunt - either man the fook up, or accept an average or crap body. Don't come here expecting to be patted on the back cos you lift weight in between eating pizza and smoothies.

discombobulate

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

OP, cop on to youself.

Nobody loves all veg, but find ones that work... I hate turnips and broccali, but put broccali into a chicken and broccali bake, or mix turnip with carrot, and they're grand. Also, have them with potato. Gravy also rocks, or different sauces.

You have no need for shakes or suplements of any kind... not until you're settled into a good diet.

I'll be blunt - either man the fook up, or accept an average or crap body. Don't come here expecting to be patted on the back cos you lift weight in between eating pizza and smoothies.

ITS NOT THAT I DONT LIKE VEGETABLES ITS THAT THEY COME STRAIGHT BACK UP ONTO THE PLATE WHEN I TRY SWALLOW THEM

Theres things I don't like that I can swallow, theres things I probably would like that I can't

And why is it the pizza that everyone goes back to. Its probably like a Margherita once a week

I'm not looking for any pats on the bloody back. I had a simple query. Will I progress?
Answer - Yes but not near as much as with a balanced diet - I now understand as well that its not about eating less calories but eating good calories. I originally though that because I didn't eat much that that made up for some of it.

Lesson learnt - Won't ask anything in future unless I think you'll give me a pat on the back

Khannie

discombobulate wrote: »

I had a simple query. Will I progress?
Answer - Yes but not near as much as with a balanced diet

That's about it. I'd go further and say you'll probably make more gains that you'd expect, even with a crappy diet.

discombobulate wrote: »

Won't ask anything in future unless I think you'll give me a pat on the back

Ah don't be like that. People were a bit harsh, but you were a bit cranky yourself.

discombobulate

Khannie wrote: »

Ah don't be like that. People were a bit harsh, but you were a bit cranky yourself.

Sorry Khannie was just directed at the one person saying thats what I was looking for.

If anyone has any advice on liquidising vegetables / fruit would be appreciated i.e. what goes well together.

Also just thoughts on the following (definitely achievable for me ) as alternatives to what I listed.
Weetabix and banana in the morning
Scrambled / hardboiled eggs / toasted brown bread / beans in the evening
Boiled potatoes / fresh meat in evenings (I know potatoes not great and accept that - will take away butter and sauce on meat)

Also are the breaded chicken fillets in deli's good / bad?

And last one - Is the eating 6 times a day thing so you don't snack etc. or is it better to have your food split over the full day?

discombobulate

I'll try update this thread in a couple of weeks with what i've been eating etc. to see if its been an improvement and take anymore constructive criticism going.

If anything this thread has got me determined to change my diet and make at least the evening meal a lot healthier so thanks for pissing me off enough to give it a good go.

Vamoose Killers

My feelings are hurted

VanBosch

To answer your original question.I think it depends to if you were gaining weight before. If you had that diet and your weight was constant then I would assume keeping that diet and exercsing more would have an impact, so it is better than nothing and hopefully the first step.I was in a similar situation and I didnt change the diet, but exercised more. I lost marginal weight, then i kept the same exercise programme and altered diet. Tried to eat smarter and drink less and the weight fell off much quicker. I didnt have much to lose but the key is diet + exercise.I am not qualified in sports science or nutrition so this is just one guys opinion but I would say you will lose weight but if you get the diest improved the results will be considerably better, also make sure you drink plenty of water. I dont know why but for some reason everyone says that and it seems to work.Good Luck...

Jimmy Bottlehead

discombobulate wrote: »

I'll try update this thread in a couple of weeks with what i've been eating etc. to see if its been an improvement and take anymore constructive criticism going.

If anything this thread has got me determined to change my diet and make at least the evening meal a lot healthier so thanks for pissing me off enough to give it a good go.

Good good

Use the anger young jedi!!

Try to eat every 2-3 hours, good protein source at every meal, keep the food as simple as possible... it'll work itself out.

discombobulate

VanBosch wrote: »

To answer your original question.I think it depends to if you were gaining weight before. If you had that diet and your weight was constant then I would assume keeping that diet and exercsing more would have an impact, so it is better than nothing and hopefully the first step.I was in a similar situation and I didnt change the diet, but exercised more. I lost marginal weight, then i kept the same exercise programme and altered diet. Tried to eat smarter and drink less and the weight fell off much quicker. I didnt have much to lose but the key is diet + exercise.I am not qualified in sports science or nutrition so this is just one guys opinion but I would say you will lose weight but if you get the diest improved the results will be considerably better, also make sure you drink plenty of water. I dont know why but for some reason everyone says that and it seems to work.Good Luck...

Just finishing my 2nd litre of water of the day as I read this. About the only thing i'm good at dietwise.

I'm basically about the weight I want to be 5'10 and 77kg just that the weight is distributed completely wrong i.e. beerbelly

I've been told that the only real way without juicing (and I get angry enough without that;)) is to get rid of the weight then build it back on so thats what i'm going for at them moment. I've definitely upped my fitness and strength since starting a month ago and don't expect instant viewable results just wanted to find out how much what I was eating was holding me back and now I know how bad it is will cut down.

My diet (when I change it now) probably won't allow me to get ripped or anything but if I can get a bit of a decent shape going i'll be satisfied.

Aykina

Hello OP,

I hear your pain: have had entirely unreasonable fear of vegetables since childhood, but Im trying to get over it. I figured enough already, you can get away with it when until you're about 8, then it starts to get silly. (I've been know to run screaming from the kitchen whilst being chased by a broccoli wielding sadist boyfriend, it's just not dignified )

Anyway my strategies:
1. Start slowly....
2. Technically salad is green, so I've been increasing that, and rocket/baby spinach leaves/cucumber etc are doable (if boring)
3. Juice: all green stuff seems to go well together: for example juice some cucumber and broccolli with a green apple. The apple and cucumber take the bitterness out of the broccolli taste
4. Keep it raw to start with; eg raw chopped up carrots are sweet and not too vegetably, sometimes I buy fresh snap peas and eat 'em raw. They taste kind of sweet too.
5. Chop up a sweet potato like big fat chips, sprinkle with olive oil and roast in the oven. Very doable.

Good luck

discombobulate

Aykina wrote: »

Hello OP,

I hear your pain: have had entirely unreasonable fear of vegetables since childhood, but Im trying to get over it. I figured enough already, you can get away with it when until you're about 8, then it starts to get silly. (I've been know to run screaming from the kitchen whilst being chased by a broccoli wielding sadist boyfriend, it's just not dignified )

Anyway my strategies:
1. Start slowly....
2. Technically salad is green, so I've been increasing that, and rocket/baby spinach leaves/cucumber etc are doable (if boring)
3. Juice: all green stuff seems to go well together: for example juice some cucumber and broccolli with a green apple. The apple and cucumber take the bitterness out of the broccolli taste
4. Keep it raw to start with; eg raw chopped up carrots are sweet and not too vegetably, sometimes I buy fresh snap peas and eat 'em raw. They taste kind of sweet too.
5. Chop up a sweet potato like big fat chips, sprinkle with olive oil and roast in the oven. Very doable.

Good luck

Thanks for the advice. Had just started another thread on juicing them. Think the way to go for me might be to get a big bag of all sorts of veg. Try them juiced up so I know I can swallow them and then go on to the hard stuff from there!

To be fair if it wasn't me i'd think this was all a bit weird.

Next week how to conquer your fears of Indian food..........

Penn

Like I said OP, you aren't alone. I've hated veg for years. but like Aykina said, ease yourself into it. I quite enjoy chciken, egg and rocket leave salads. I enjoy raw carrots. And I'm quite partial to a bit of corn on the cob every now and again.

Start slow or after a week you'll just hate veg again. Find something you kinda like, focus on it for a while, then eat another similar veg

discombobulate

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

Like I said OP, you aren't alone. I've hated veg for years. but like Aykina said, ease yourself into it. I quite enjoy chciken, egg and rocket leave salads. I enjoy raw carrots. And I'm quite partial to a bit of corn on the cob every now and again.

Start slow or after a week you'll just hate veg again. Find something you kinda like, focus on it for a while, then eat another similar veg

Yeah going to try it with the juice first anyway. Its weird but lettuce is the vegetable that makes me gag easier than anything even though i've been told its one of the plainest. Its that bloody crunch. Remember a kebab coming back up 2 seconds later a couple of years ago purely because of that damn crunch after I asked for no lettuce (i don't eat kebabs anymore by the way before I get attacked ).

Penn

discombobulate wrote: »

Yeah going to try it with the juice first anyway. Its weird but lettuce is the vegetable that makes me gag easier than anything even though i've been told its one of the plainest. Its that bloody crunch. Remember a kebab coming back up 2 seconds later a couple of years ago purely because of that damn crunch after I asked for no lettuce (i don't eat kebabs anymore by the way before I get attacked ).

haha, I know what you mean about the crunch. The leaves are alright, I just hate the thick white bit from the bottom

Try rocket with a bit of dressing. There's no real crunch cos they're just leaves and the dressing will soften it anyway