Is my diet totally wrong? Any advice would be appreciated!

Happy25

This is a typical day, I'm about 8pounds over my ideal weight. (BMI currently 22.5 , would prefer 21)

Any advice would be great!

Breakfast:
Medium Latte (Skinny Milk)
Apple

Water - 1 Litre

Lunch
Soup(usually different vegetable soups depending on the day)
Plus 1-2 Slice of Brown Bread

Water - 500ml

Dinner
Pitta Pocket filled with slice of meat, salad, tiny bit of mayo.

Snacks
Apple (sometimes 2)
2 pieces of 70% chocolate

Exercise
40minutes Gym x 4 times a week.

corkcomp

Happy25 wrote: »

This is a typical day, I'm about 8pounds over my ideal weight. (BMI currently 22.5 , would prefer 21)

Any advice would be great!

Breakfast:
Medium Latte (Skinny Milk)
Apple

Water - 1 Litre

Lunch
Soup(usually different vegetable soups depending on the day)
Plus 1-2 Slice of Brown Bread

Water - 500ml

Dinner
Pitta Pocket filled with slice of meat, salad, tiny bit of mayo.

Snacks
Apple (sometimes 2)
2 pieces of 70% chocolate

Exercise
40minutes Gym x 4 times a week.

there is nothing very bad in there but not enough protein and vegetables and you may not be eating enough of the right foods .. can you post your stats and exercise program?

Happy25

Thanks for the reply

Height: 5ft6inch
Weight: 142 Pounds

I don't have a my fat percentage but I know I'm a bit tubby so I suspect its aprox 30%.

Exercise:Four times a week
30minutes Cardio (Treadmill at jogging speed or crosstrainer low resistance)
10minutes (Weights - arms machine, Tricep dips & curls)

Mellor

I'd try to eat a bigger breakfast and less later on.
Also, it would depend on your exact weight, 8 pounds over means nothing,
I would try and cut down on the apples, based on your diet i'd say that your daily maintenance calories are quite low, 3 apples a day is c.300 cals. If you are trying to maintain a deficit then 300 cals can be alot.

Happy25

Thanks thats great. I just love apples - could eat them all day long!

Over a number of years I've realised that I can't eat much more than the above without piling on the pounds.

I'll start off by cutting out the "snacks" apples and see how I go! Any other suggestions for amendments to my diet long term health. As well as losing the extra poundage I would like a bit more energy.

Thanks

corkcomp

Happy25 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply

Height: 5ft6inch
Weight: 142 Pounds

I don't have a my fat percentage but I know I'm a bit tubby so I suspect its aprox 30%.

Exercise:Four times a week
30minutes Cardio (Treadmill at jogging speed or crosstrainer low resistance)
10minutes (Weights - arms machine, Tricep dips & curls)

when your (well!) within the healthy BMI range then a body fat test would be critical IMO .. fair enough you may have some body fat to lose but maybe not as much as you think? I would have salad and tuna / chicken for lunch, eat more at breakfast and have a proper dinner e.g. lots of veg and meat or fish rather than the pitta ...

Happy25

Good point, I'll get a body fat % test done. I have a body fat scales but it is highly inaccurate ranging between 25-31% depending on its mood!

I don't think the traditional meat & two veg works too well for me. I experimented a couple of weeks ago with salmon/chicken(fist size) and plate of veg for dinner each night. I gained two pounds over the week.

I will try to incorporate the salad every second day this week. I'm willing to change I just love soup on these wintery days!!

Thanks for your help!!

Gummy Panda

Do you not be starving just having coffee and an apple for breakfast?

corkcomp

Happy25 wrote: »

Good point, I'll get a body fat % test done. I have a body fat scales but it is highly inaccurate ranging between 25-31% depending on its mood!

I don't think the traditional meat & two veg works too well for me. I experimented a couple of weeks ago with salmon/chicken(fist size) and plate of veg for dinner each night. I gained two pounds over the week.

I will try to incorporate the salad every second day this week. I'm willing to change I just love soup on these wintery days!!

Thanks for your help!!

i dont think you would have gained any fat from a small piece of lean meat / fish and a plate of veg (unless you mean potatoes) - maybe you need to step away from the sales for a while and focus on body fat measurements? 2 lb on the scales doesnt mean a lot TBH, it could be down to hydration or food eaten beforehand etc

Happy25

No, I find it difficult enough to stomach food first thing in the morning.

I do adore my morning latte though. Latte (about 180cals & apple80cals) is enough to keep me going til lunch without any hunger!

Although perhaps a daily filled start to my day is keeping the extra pounds intact!

Happy25

Hi Corkcomp:)

I agree, I think body fat is where my main problem is.

I'm not saying meat and veg is unhealthy, it just tends to sit in me. Maybe a week wasn't long enough to test it out. I just ended up feeling bloated for the rest of the evening. The food filled about 3 quarters of a standard dinner plate which is maybe alot to shovel into my stomach in the evening (I eat dinner at about 7pm).

lala stone

HI Happy.,,

U seem to eat barely anything at all!!!
do u blow out at the weekend.. what do you do in the gym..

katewinston

Need to add more proteins for sure

corkcomp

Happy25 wrote: »

Hi Corkcomp:)

I agree, I think body fat is where my main problem is.

I'm not saying meat and veg is unhealthy, it just tends to sit in me. Maybe a week wasn't long enough to test it out. I just ended up feeling bloated for the rest of the evening. The food filled about 3 quarters of a standard dinner plate which is maybe alot to shovel into my stomach in the evening (I eat dinner at about 7pm).

no, week defo is not long enough ... try swapping pitta and mayo for veg and meat and stay away from the scales for around 3 weeks - id be surprised it there wasnt some change by then ..

Happy25

This is the gym:

Exercise:Four times a week
30minutes Cardio (Treadmill at jogging speed or crosstrainer low resistance)
10minutes (Weights - arms machine, Tricep dips & curls)

More food

At the weekends I pretty much eat the same, I go out for dinner on average about once a week and have about 3 quarters of the meal served. (For example thai green curry). I'm not a big dessert person, i will take a nibble of my friends dessert if it looks tasty.

On a day that I eat more it usually involves half a bunch of grapes or an extra 1-2 apples. If there is haribo on offer I'll usually have 3-5 pieces.
I don't buy myself junk food, it doesn't agree with me.

Oh I didn't mention alcohol intake before, on average I have 2-3 glasses of wine a week.

I have had the same diet for about 3 years. I gain weight VERY quickly if I stray too far from the standard.

It may not seem like a lot to a guy but I'm female and getting older & apart from my gym I don't do a huge amount of exercise so I suppose that explains the extra pounds.

Happy25

corkcomp wrote: »

no, week defo is not long enough ... try swapping pitta and mayo for veg and meat and stay away from the scales for around 3 weeks - id be surprised it there wasnt some change by then ..

Ok Corkcomp I'll give it a whirl but I'm a bit skeptical (not of your advice) just of body's ability to process that food efficiently.

I will try it though, It would be great to shape up a bit!

Happy25

katewinston wrote: »

Need to add more proteins for sure

Where would you add in the extra protein? I do get protein in my milk (latte) in the morning and in my pita in the evening.

Any suggestions welcome

Ciaran500

Not really sure what to advise you to add, but you would only be getting a tiny amount of protein in the milk for a latte and a slice of meat.

Happyfeet

I have had friends over the years who have been on permanent diets and walking every day for miles and though I am not knocking it they tell me that until they started dancing they couldnt lose or control their weight.
It is the ONLY excercise I do with a smile on my face. Try it !!!!!!!
BY the way the most important meal of the day is breakfast but if you are like me and just want a half slice of toast and dont feel hungry remember your metabolism is like an engine and needs to get started so just included in your fluid intake one glass of boiled water allowed to cool to a bare-able temp. with the juice of a lemon in it and it will work magic. Or have half a grapefruit instead of the apple ....... bitter fruit is supposed to be better to get the metabolism started.
I became obsessed with drinking water when I gave up the cigs. washing out the pollution etc and was very careful about my diet as I was afraid I would use it as an excuse to go back on them ........ I blew up .... couldn't believe the scales and I was not kidding myself or in denial ...... This is just me right .... but I was major retaining the fluid ????????? Cut back on the water to a more normal level i.e. drank if I was thirsty and lost 8lbs in 2 weeks ...... went back dancing too.......... lol

Happy25

Okay well I'll be taking corkcomp's advice & will be having a lump of meat at dinner

On that note - does anyone have suggestions on how to 'jazz up' grilled chicken and veg - without adding to much to the calorie content?!

Thanks:)

Happy25

Happyfeet wrote: »

I have had friends over the years who have been on permanent diets and walking every day for miles and though I am not knocking it they tell me that until they started dancing they couldnt lose or control their weight.
It is the ONLY excercise I do with a smile on my face. Try it !!!!!!!
BY the way the most important meal of the day is breakfast but if you are like me and just want a half slice of toast and dont feel hungry remember your metabolism is like an engine and needs to get started so just included in your fluid intake one glass of boiled water allowed to cool to a bare-able temp. with the juice of a lemon in it and it will work magic. Or have half a grapefruit instead of the apple ....... bitter fruit is supposed to be better to get the metabolism started.
I became obsessed with drinking water when I gave up the cigs. washing out the pollution etc and was very careful about my diet as I was afraid I would use it as an excuse to go back on them ........ I blew up .... couldn't believe the scales and I was not kidding myself or in denial ...... This is just me right .... but I was major retaining the fluid ????????? Cut back on the water to a more normal level i.e. drank if I was thirsty and lost 8lbs in 2 weeks ...... went back dancing too.......... lol

Thanks Happyfeet!

I can definitely squeeze in the hot water & lemon before I go to work. Grapefuit might also be an idea to replace my apple - love apples though, maybe half of each!

I'm not sure about dancing - I have the co-ordination of a two-footed donkey on speed.

Frogdog

OP, in my opinion your diet is completely wrong. You should be eating smaller meals more often. These smaller meals should contain complex carbs, protein and healthy fats. You don't have a quarter enough protein in your daily diet. The protein from the milk in your latte and the slice of meat in your pitta is negligible.

Please read this sticky from the Nutrition forum:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055157091

And this sticky from the Fitness forum:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054876750

Once you read the two above, you should have a good grasp of what you should be eating and what you should be doing exercise-wise.

The reason people have been telling you to eat a bigger more substantial breakfast is because the more you eat in the morning the faster and harder your metabolism works. Eating in the morning kick starts your metabolism. Whereas you really don't eat until lunch time. So while everyone else's metabolism has been working at converting food into energy since 8am, yours doesn't work until 1pm.

An example of a great breakfast which contains complex carbs, protein and healthy fats would be a bowl of porridge made with milk and some scrambled/boiled/poached eggs. Drink at least 2 litres of water throughout the day. Have a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit/veg/oatcake/ryvita (carbs) and a natural youghurt/handful of mixed nuts/peanut butter (protein) in between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. Lunch should contain low GI, slow release carbs such as brown rice, brown pasta etc etc, a portion of lean meat or fresh fish and two servings of veg or salad. Dinner should be the same, however you may want to cut out the complex carbs for dinner as your body doesn't need the energy at that hour of the day (7pm) and will store it as fat if it is not burned.

Hope the above helps, but please, above all, read the stickies. They contain great advice from very knowledgable people.

BraziliaNZ

completely insane, she's living on nothing, read the stickies, you should be eating more and maybe doing weights if you want to look good, I can't see how someone could live on your current diet.

neuro-praxis

Hi there.

I looked at what you are eating on fitday (a site you should register an account at) and you are eating around a thousand calories a day.

3 apples (215)
Skimmed milk, half pint (102)
Home made vegetable soup (98)
2 small slices brown bread (138)
1 large pitta (234)
1 slice cooked ham (57)
Half tablespoon mayo (49)
Half cup of salad greens (5)
15g dark chocolate (76)

Total: 974

This seems extremely low to me. In my opinion you can ignore advice like "you are eating too many apples".

What you need is a hearty breakfast, like porridge and berries or scrambled eggs, some protein with your lunch, like a chicken breast (which you can have alongside salad, soup and some bread), and a better dinner, like salmon with lots of vegetables and a small amount of complex carbs, like brown rice. Snacks in between meals can be fruit or a small portion of nuts, or carrot sticks with a teaspoon of peanut butter - things like that.

But what you really need to do is find out how many calories your body burns at rest. You can do this on the website I have shown above. When you know this, you can subtract calories from this number in order to lose weight. Your weight is already fairly low. If you subtract 250 calories a day, you should lose half a pound a week. Not much, I know, but half a pound a week for 28 weeks is a stone, and weight loss is a lifetime thing after all.

Good luck.

Happy25

Hi all

Thanks a lot for all the great advice, much appreciated.

Frogdog, I've read the stickies, some superb advice I agree! I'm just trying to tailor the advice to make small amendments to my current diet as opposed to starting 100% from scratch.

Neuro-praxis - thats very sweet of you to check the calories for me & I will certainly create an account at fitday.

1000 calories does seem quite low but I am female & have a history of gaining weight quite dramatically when I move nearer the 1500 calorie mark.

You're totally right about slow loss - ideally I would like to shift 5-8pounds by next April!


My plan:
This week - Change my dinner to veg & meat. Drink my hot water and lemon to kick start my day.

Next week- Stick with the above & perhaps replace my latte & apple, with an espresso and a small bowl of porridge with half milk/half water.

I will report back to let you know how I get on.:)

Thanks