start of a new dawn!! general advice and tips would be great

EpiphoneSpecial

time to get in shape, the body isn't as young as it used to be!!

I'm 29, 5'11, 12.5st, 33w

I'm looking to loose the belly and increase general fitness. Play rugby too, so any tips towards that would be great.

General diet is:
Breakfast - ReadyBrek or Special K cereal (usually Low Fat Super Milk, the red carton!)

Lunch - Brown bread(wholemeal/grain) tuna or ham and cheese

Dinner - Fish in breadcrumbs or Bolognese or grilled chicken fillet usually with side of veg/corn of the cob.

Snacks - cereal bars, the odd yoghurt, have laid of biscuits/cakes recently. not much fruit.

Drinks - drink a good bit of water, maybe 2 or 3 pints a day. probably negated by the 7 or 8 cups of tea though.

Any tips on what I'm eating wrong would be most helpful, am starting in the gym next week so any pointers on certain cardio or weights to do would be deadly too.

Thanks forum!

EileenG

Definitely improve your breakfast. If you must eat cereal, go for real porridge, but something like eggs would be better. A mushroom and herb omlette is a great start to the day.

If you are trying to lose weight, limit bread and cut out the cereal bars and cake. Add more protein and more green veg. Cottage cheese or greek yogurt are great filling snacks. Don't obsess about low fat milk, fat is an essential nutrient and avoiding it will only lead to hunger and binges on junk.

Nothing wrong with tea or coffee as long as you are not pouring sugar and dunking in hobnobs.

In the gym, lift weights, and go for the heavy ones. Lots of light weights to "tone" will only waste your time. When you are doing cardio, forget anything you may have heart about exercising slowly in "the fat burning zone". The sort of intense exercise where you pant and sweat will give better results.

EpiphoneSpecial

thanks Eileen, porridge is very doable for me.

just one more quick question about food before and after gym visit.
because of work, i plan of doing morning sessions, so 7am to 8am.

whats the best things to eat before (if any) then after gym too?

EileenG

It really depends on what will stay down during an intense workout. Some people just go for black coffee. I often eat scrambled eggs. Oddly enough, if you are a chocoholic, before the gym might be the best time for a couple of squares.

If you are lifting weights, I would have a whey shake afterwards.

EpiphoneSpecial

well after 2 weeks, 5 gym sessions i'm down 2kg

feeling healthier and sleeping better (probably due to waking up early for gym)

pre gym: oat bran
post gym: fruit/smoothie/(considering starting withh protein shake)

snack: pear and yoghurt

lunch: tuna steak and salad wrap

snack: granola bar and fruit

dinner: pork chops, chicken, fish or more chicken

gavtron

well done keep it up!

El_Dangeroso

EpiphoneSpecial wrote: »

snack: granola bar and fruit

Just be aware that those commercial granola bars aren't really all that more healthy (or less energy dense) than what you want to replace them with.

Ideally you should train yourself out of the habit of needing an afternoon snack. If you're hungry, eat a bigger lunch.

Your body responds by getting hungry at the time you normally eat, the hormone ghrelin controls this. It takes about a week to retrain your eating times.

EpiphoneSpecial

cheers Dangeroso

its the Nature Valley ones i eat. just used to eating them with a cup of tea.

i'm moved from a tin of tuna chucks, to a tin of tuna steak for lunch.
i can feel myself not feeling as hungry as i normally did.

keane2097

EpiphoneSpecial wrote: »

cheers Dangeroso

its the Nature Valley ones i eat. just used to eating them with a cup of tea.

i'm moved from a tin of tuna chucks, to a tin of tuna steak for lunch.
i can feel myself not feeling as hungry as i normally did.

Pretty sure those Nature Valley bars are full of sugar...

EpiphoneSpecial

keane2097 wrote: »

Pretty sure those Nature Valley bars are full of sugar...

very well could be, they were a treat that i carried over from pre-healthy!!

if ya know any good alternatives, fire away.

El_Dangeroso

EpiphoneSpecial wrote: »

very well could be, they were a treat that i carried over from pre-healthy!!

if ya know any good alternatives, fire away.

Boiled egg, fruit, natural yoghurt, macadamia nuts.