Weight loss advice

hooch-85

I am a 25 year old professional male, i work in an office every day for the last 4 years or so, i've always been thin but in the last year or two i have put on weight.

Basically im 5' 9" and i am 12.25 stone, i have a belly that i need to loose, i am slim everywhere else really.

I try to eat healthy and not over indulge but at times like everyone i do eat unhealthy foods and have one or two pints too many.

Currently a typical day for me would be the following:

Breakfast
2 weetabix with a cup of tea

Snack
Banana/yogurt or sometimes a scone

Lunch
Sandwich-Chicken/Ham Salad with mayo
Sometimes a Hot Chicken Roll (need to cut these out i reckon)

Dinner
Meat (Bacon, Chicken or Beef), Potatoes, Gravy & Veg

Supper
Tea and Toast

I snack on crisps as well which i know are probably the worst thing i could be snacking on.

I play soccer once a week to try keep some bit fit, I also walk about 20mins a day, but if i'm being honest I'd like to be a lot fitter.

Where would you recommend i start?

Ideally id like to loose a stone or so. Id also like to build some muscle. I know my diet needs to change. Ive considered joining Educogym or Motivation Weight Loss but they seem extremely expensive and a lot of people say they are just a scam.

daenerysstormborn3

Just on the topic of Educogym, I know a girl who got a 12 day trial special offer with them and she lost 7lbs over the 12 days. Their diet sheet they give you is fairly restricted and I think it would be very difficult for the vast majority of people to stick to it. They are pretty expensive but if you stick to exactly what they're telling you you will lose weight and tone up.

hooch-85

pixiebean22 wrote: »

Just on the topic of Educogym, I know a girl who got a 12 day trial special offer with them and she lost 7lbs over the 12 days. Their diet sheet they give you is fairly restricted and I think it would be very difficult for the vast majority of people to stick to it. They are pretty expensive but if you stick to exactly what they're telling you you will lose weight and tone up.

I emailed them and they want 350 for the first month and 200 a month after that, id find it hard to stump up that amount of cash at the minute!!
Ive no doubt it works but id probably put the weight all back on again if i didnt stick to their strict regime, id like to loose the weight more 'naturally'

daenerysstormborn3

hooch-85 wrote: »

I emailed them and they want 350 for the first month and 200 a month after that, id find it hard to stump up that amount of cash at the minute!!
Ive no doubt it works but id probably put the weight all back on again if i didnt stick to their strict regime, id like to loose the weight more 'naturally'

That's what I meant, it'd be very difficult to stick to their regime 365 days a year and as far as I know there is no "cheat" days with them.

Anyway, I can't help you on the rest, as I'm only starting out myself.

Good luck!

Frogdog

Don't go near Educogym!!! :eek: Search for threads on Educogym here on Boards and you'll see why!

Get your diet in order first OP. You could easily join a cheap Ben Dunne gym for something between 150-200 a year. It's crazy to be paying 150-200 a month!

Ok, your diet is very typical of an average Irish person I would say, ie. way too many carbs, not enough protein and definitely way too little fat. You need to reverse all that.

Breakfast
2 weetabix with a cup of tea - Change to having some form of eggs (boiled, scrambled, poached, omelette etc). Start your day off with some form of protein basically. All you're having there is carbs.

Snack
Banana/yogurt or sometimes a scone - Again, all carbs, the worst of which would be the scone, or the yoghurt if it's low fat.

Lunch
Sandwich-Chicken/Ham Salad with mayo
Sometimes a Hot Chicken Roll (need to cut these out i reckon) - You guessed right. The first thing that needs to go from your diet is bread. I would say it's the worst thing in your diet. Try having a salad packed full of meat/fish and veg. Again, you're having mainly carbs.

Dinner
Meat (Bacon, Chicken or Beef), Potatoes, Gravy & Veg - Cut the gravy, limit the spuds, fill up on meat and veg and you should be ok here. A fair few carbs here again.

Supper
Tea and Toast - Bread/carbs again. Cut it out completely.

I snack on crisps as well which i know are probably the worst thing i could be snacking on. - Correct again. Cut them out too.

Ok, so basically above I've told you what's bad and what needs to go. As for what you need to include, have a look at the stickies here and on the Health & Fitness forum. You need to educate yourself. Google the likes of Paleo or Primal diets and try and follow them.

Best of luck from a 28 year old fellow professional office-bound Boardsie!

hooch-85

Frogdog wrote: »

Don't go near Educogym!!! :eek: Search for threads on Educogym here on Boards and you'll see why!

Get your diet in order first OP. You could easily join a cheap Ben Dunne gym for something between 150-200 a year. It's crazy to be paying 150-200 a month!

Ok, your diet is very typical of an average Irish person I would say, ie. way too many carbs, not enough protein and definitely way too little fat. You need to reverse all that.

Breakfast
2 weetabix with a cup of tea - Change to having some form of eggs (boiled, scrambled, poached, omelette etc). Start your day off with some form of protein basically. All you're having there is carbs.

Snack
Banana/yogurt or sometimes a scone - Again, all carbs, the worst of which would be the scone, or the yoghurt if it's low fat.

Lunch
Sandwich-Chicken/Ham Salad with mayo
Sometimes a Hot Chicken Roll (need to cut these out i reckon) - You guessed right. The first thing that needs to go from your diet is bread. I would say it's the worst thing in your diet. Try having a salad packed full of meat/fish and veg. Again, you're having mainly carbs.

Dinner
Meat (Bacon, Chicken or Beef), Potatoes, Gravy & Veg - Cut the gravy, limit the spuds, fill up on meat and veg and you should be ok here. A fair few carbs here again.

Supper
Tea and Toast - Bread/carbs again. Cut it out completely.

I snack on crisps as well which i know are probably the worst thing i could be snacking on. - Correct again. Cut them out too.

Ok, so basically above I've told you what's bad and what needs to go. As for what you need to include, have a look at the stickies here and on the Health & Fitness forum. You need to educate yourself. Google the likes of Paleo or Primal diets and try and follow them.

Best of luck from a 28 year old fellow professional office-bound Boardsie!

That's great thanks for your help. I know diet is only one half of the battle, i need to bite the bullet and start going to a gym. Being totally honest i wouldnt know where to start if i went to a gym in the morning, Im guessing weights, running etc.

Frogdog

hooch-85 wrote: »

That's great thanks for your help. I know diet is only one half of the battle, i need to bite the bullet and start going to a gym. Being totally honest i wouldnt know where to start if i went to a gym in the morning, Im guessing weights, running etc.

Diet is 80-90% of the battle. If you don't fix that first, you're only fooling yourself. There's a saying; "You can't out-train a bad diet". You can do all the exercise in the world, but if you're still eating bread and other junk food then you're getting nowhere fast.

First and foremost, sort out your diet. Then, and only then, start looking into a proper weights routine for a beginner.

Did you read the stickies here and on the Health & Fitness forum?

Keef77

There are a lot of 'Educogym bashers' here. As a current member I believe I'm well placed to give an accurate perspective.

First off it works, I'm 34 5'10" I wasn't massive but was overweight. In less than 3 months I've lost 2 stones and am now at the ideal weight for my height and build.

I've not been in better shape in about 12 years, if ever. Lean and toned in all the right places.

The 12 day kick start plan has a fairly strict diet (high fat / high protein) but when you see results rapidly it motivates you to stick to it.

The trainers are very good in the main and there's never more than six people to a trainer in a session.

Sessions are in 20 minute slots, but once you have your routine familiarised you can do it in more like 10 / 15 mins.

Once you're past the initial 12 days the diet is much more manageable (low fat / high protein). Frequency of visits also drops from everyday to 3 / 4 times a week. I have a VERY demanding job and I find the overall regime very manageable.

It's not a 'cult' as some people claim, they don't push supplements on you that's all bs. They make you aware of them bug they're not pushy in selling them. I did not use any and still got very good results by their standards and mine.

Yes it's expensive, but you get what you pay for. I've joined gyms before and paid x hundred for the year, gone infrequently and had no benefit - not dissimilar to lots of people - where's the return in that?

Do three months or so in Educogym, get the results you want then take the principles they instill and join another gym and follow those same principles.

In addition to being in much better shape physically the combination of training and diet has resulted in much better and more consistent energy levels, better concentration, improved mood and an all round more positive outlook.

I have no other connection with Educogym other than being a happy and satisfied customer.

Gally05

hi hooch-85 ,


i was in a very similar position , well i still am , im 5'11 and hit 15 stone a few months back , to be honest it scared the hell outta me ... any way too cut a long story short , i joined weigh watchers.. and ive found it brillant

in 5 weeks ive lost over a stone weight , but ive been very strict on myself .. i ve stuck to my diet religiously and been training very hard ,

now i much admit that ive had a lot of help from 2 very good friends , one has helped me massively with the diet and the other has been out running cycling hill climbing with me ( were training for Sea2summit on the 12th november)

Wheely GR8

I've lost 3 stone by cutting out bread,potatoes and junk.
I find locating weight watchers products very handy to manage calories.
They sell 6 packs of brown pitta breads ,which are 100 calories each. I stick a slice of turkey in them for lunch at work and they,re great ,usually stick in some tomatoes aswell.
Weight watchers pasta sauces are pretty tasty aswell ,takes the pressure off calculating calories.

alexsmith

weight watchers is for people that have never excercised or dieted in their life,thats why they inititially lose a lot of weight when they start,then plateau after 2 or 3 months then pile it all back on

if you want to lose fat......low to medium carb and high protein,do cardio on an empty stomach in the morning for half an hour 3/4 times a week + weights (if your serious)

and please stop this "toning" business.there is no such thing as toning.your either fat with no muscle,have muscle and fat,a skinny runt or a massive and ripped/shredded

stop eating starchy carbs - they spike insulin the most. - people just look at calories calories calories - insulin spikes will make or break you.sort out your diet,you can pm me and il give you one

SteelyDanJalapeno

Diet is a lot more than half the battle! it can potentially be up to 90% if correct.

Just cut out the processed crap, I tend to have a thought in the back of my head while shopping,

I'll usually buy and eat something if :

It's grown from the earth(preferably Ireland or else the nearest country),
If its had a face at some stage, or come from something thats had a face,
If its NOT wrapped in plastic and you dont understand the ingredients.

Basically what i'm getting at is a diet of actual food! fresh fruit, Veg, meat and water. maintain a slight deficit of what you require of calories per day and should lose weight.

P.S.
added bonuses that you dont realize :

Improved immune system, better skin, improved digestive, improved toilet breaks! better sleep, more energy, etc etc

The list goes on,

good luck op,

SteelyDanJalapeno

Re, the educogym stuff, the rapid weightloss you see over the 1st 7 - 10 days is your body adjusting to its new higher protein less starchy diet, and the majority of this is your cells losing water, can be seen on any higher protein diet.

It's nice marketing scheme thou , kinda like heroine, here have some free; see how good it is

bbam

hooch-85 wrote: »

I am a 25 year old professional male, i work in an office every day for the last 4 years or so, i've always been thin but in the last year or two i have put on weight.

Basically im 5' 9" and i am 12.25 stone, i have a belly that i need to loose, i am slim everywhere else really.

I try to eat healthy and not over indulge but at times like everyone i do eat unhealthy foods and have one or two pints too many.

Currently a typical day for me would be the following:

Breakfast
2 weetabix with a cup of tea

Snack
Banana/yogurt or sometimes a scone

Lunch
Sandwich-Chicken/Ham Salad with mayo
Sometimes a Hot Chicken Roll (need to cut these out i reckon)

Dinner
Meat (Bacon, Chicken or Beef), Potatoes, Gravy & Veg

Supper
Tea and Toast

I snack on crisps as well which i know are probably the worst thing i could be snacking on.

I play soccer once a week to try keep some bit fit, I also walk about 20mins a day, but if i'm being honest I'd like to be a lot fitter.

Where would you recommend i start?

Ideally id like to loose a stone or so. Id also like to build some muscle. I know my diet needs to change. Ive considered joining Educogym or Motivation Weight Loss but they seem extremely expensive and a lot of people say they are just a scam.

Ditch the crisps, beer and sweet/sugary snacks... Have some fruit if you feel like a snack...
Up the 20 mins walking to 30-40 minutes and work it up to a jog if it's convenient, faster walk at least...

It always comes back to the basics...
Consume less calories & burn more off = weight loss, the more you change these the more weight loss.

If it helps to pay someone to help you do this, no problem, but that's all they'll be telling you in the end.

Building muscle tone isn't something I'd comment on.

hooch-85

Thanks for all the advice.

I've changed the diet substantially, tried to cut out bread completely but that is almost impossible. I'm only eating brown bread when i do have to eat it.

Is soup a good lunchtime substitute to a sandwich, I find I am having more soup lately as it helps with getting in the 5 a day. Would your typical soup portion be fattening?

I'm not eating any more crisps and trying to have more meat with less potatoes.

Ive lost a couple of pounds already from just changing some small things. The weight loss may only be a couple of pounds but already my 32" waist jeans are fitting me again whereas before i had gone up to a 34" waist.

Starting walking more as well with a bit of jogging in between, hope to do more jogging and less walking starting from this weekend.

My goal is 11.5 stone by Christmas, hopefully it will be achievable!

nice_guy80

for a 5 ft 9' lad, i'd say you are underweight!!
you should not aim for a 'weight' loss

it's body fat you need to ditch to get rid of the belly
an improvement in your diet will get you a lot of the way
you should also consider doing some body weight exercises every day (if you are not in a gym) - puss ups, pull ups, squats, horizontal chins,

use a measureing tape and measure the vital areas - under arms, chest, waist and see the change

hooch-85

nice_guy80 wrote: »

for a 5 ft 9' lad, i'd say you are underweight!!
you should not aim for a 'weight' loss

it's body fat you need to ditch to get rid of the belly
an improvement in your diet will get you a lot of the way
you should also consider doing some body weight exercises every day (if you are not in a gym) - puss ups, pull ups, squats, horizontal chins,

use a measureing tape and measure the vital areas - under arms, chest, waist and see the change

Ive got myself down to 11.5 stone already just from eating right and doing a bit more exercise. I havent seen a noticable change in my body shape though, im going to start doing some more body weight exercises now to try loose the spare tyre!