Want to change my diet for the next 8 weeks and beyond.

gazzer

Folks.

Yet another diet query here but I am looking for some help to kick start a new eating routine.

I am 41 years old, 5ft10, weigh 82Kg. I'm not sure of my body fat% but I imagine it is in the high teens.

I train 5 times a week in the gym at lunchtimes Monday to Friday. 2 days are spent doing Cardio and the other 3 are spent doing full body workouts. I have been training this way for the last 6 months(have been training in the gym for years) and whilst I can definately see changes in my physique I still need to lose body fat.

When I look in the mirror at a sidways profile my belly is bigger than my chest. I want to reverse that

I am going on holidays in 8 weeks time so want to lose as much body fat as I can in that amount of time. I'm not looking for a six pack (yet) as I have to realistic and know that I cant get that in 8 weeks but if I get my diet in check hopefully sometime in the future that goal may be realised.

Anyway my diet at the moment is as follows


8.00 am: Wake up
8.15 am: Porridge*

11.30 am: Scrambled Eggs (2 full eggs and 4 egg whites)
Half pint of low fat milk

12.45 pm: Gym (for 45 minutes)

2.00 pm Wholegrain sandwich with turkey breast and low fat cheese.
Half pint of low fat milk

**

7.00pm 1 of the following
Brown Rice with 1 grilled chicken breast and brocolli
Cod (cooked in the over along with veg) and brown rice
Bolognese with wholegrain pasta
Stir fried turkey breast with veg and brown Rice

***

I always have a half pint of low fat milk with my dinner

10.30am Half pint of low fat milk


* I am never hungry first thing in the morning so that is why I only have porridge and nothing else. I have no problem increasing my intake at this time of the morning but I would probably need to do it gradually

** I realise I should be eating something between 2 and 7 but the nature of my work between after my lunch and when it it time to go home (6pm) means that I never get to sit down to eat. I was thinking of carrying a bag of almonds in my pocket so that I could eat them throughout this 5 hour period

*** On Friday I have a 'cheat' meal. I usually have half a pizza with wedges. Its the only time I dont have a 'healthy' meal for dinner.

I also drink 2 bottles of white wine a week. This would be spread out over a Friday and Saturday night.

Anyway I am looking for advice on what I can take out and add in to my meal plan. I will eat anything that is suggested but I draw the line at salmon, mackrel and cottage cheese. I hate the taste of those 3 things

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to all of your suggestions.

G

Stench Blossoms

Have you worked out how many calories you require and how many you are eating?

You haven't indicated portion sizes there so it's hard to tell.

Personally I would ditch the bread, pasta and a low fat products.

I would also change around your routine in the gym as you've been doing it for quite awhile now.

gazzer

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Have you worked out how many calories you require and how many you are eating?

You haven't indicated portion sizes there so it's hard to tell.

Personally I would ditch the bread, pasta and a low fat products.

I would also change around your routine in the gym as you've been doing it for quite awhile now.

Sorry. I meant to mention about daily calorie amounts.

Using one of the threads here I calulated that my Daily Maintenance calorie needs are 2562. I have been the same weight for roughly 2 years now (give or take a couple of KG's) I dont have a clue how many calories I eat per meal though. I imagine I eat too much for dinner to compensate for the fact that I dont eat anything between 2 and 7 but I have never calorie counted. Could you recomend a website that is best for putting in details of what you eat and working out a balanced meal plan?

Stench Blossoms

myfitnesspal.com is a great one.

Just don't use their guidance on how many calories you should be eating when you input your height and weight. Go with what the stickies reccomend and manual configure mfp accordingly.

aaabbbb

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

myfitnesspal.com is a great one.

Just don't use their guidance on how many calories you should be eating when you input your height and weight. Go with what the stickies reccomend and manual configure mfp accordingly.

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit but how do you manually configure mfp ? I can't find the option anywhere in the settings....

Stench Blossoms

My Home -> Goals -> Change goals -> custom

aaabbbb

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

My Home -> Goals -> Change goals -> custom

Cheers !

letsdothis

gazzer wrote: »

Sorry. I meant to mention about daily calorie amounts.

Using one of the threads here I calulated that my Daily Maintenance calorie needs are 2562. I have been the same weight for roughly 2 years now (give or take a couple of KG's) I dont have a clue how many calories I eat per meal though. I imagine I eat too much for dinner to compensate for the fact that I dont eat anything between 2 and 7 but I have never calorie counted. Could you recomend a website that is best for putting in details of what you eat and working out a balanced meal plan?

If you're doing that amount of exercise and staying the same weight you need to cut your calorie intake to lose. 2562 calories sounds like too many calories for maintaining for your height and weight to me. I would guess 2300 is more accurate. You diet sounds very healthy so I'm guessing (as mentioned above) that your portion sizes are very large. If you don't want to count calories for 8 weeks, why not keep a food diary (or log with an app) and count calories consumed for 1 week just to see exactly how many you are taking in?

aaabbbb

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

My Home -> Goals -> Change goals -> custom

One last question , have manually configured it using the stickies and came out with 1.973 which seems to me a bit too many calories /too little of a calorie deficit ?

I usually work out 3 times a week for 1 hour doing mostly cardio , TRX or spinning classes and calculated that as the formula instructed.

I'm 5"4 weigh 66.6kg and am a 20 year old female , is there something I'm missing / doing wrong ? !

letsdothis

aaabbbb wrote: »

One last question , have manually configured it using the stickies and came out with 1.973 which seems to me a bit too many calories /too little of a calorie deficit ?

I usually work out 3 times a week for 1 hour doing mostly cardio , TRX or spinning classes and calculated that as the formula instructed.

I'm 5"4 weigh 66.6kg and am a 20 year old female , is there something I'm missing / doing wrong ? !

How much weight are you trying to lose per week?

aaabbbb

letsdothis wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose per week?

Between 1-2lbs a week ( I still can't decide which is the most healthy that won't take a decade to do either ! ) . I ultimately want to be between 54 and 58 kg

letsdothis

aaabbbb wrote: »

Between 1-2lbs a week ( I still can't decide which is the most healthy that won't take a decade to do either ! ) . I ultimately want to be between 54 and 58 kg

I think your maintenance calories (excluding exercise) is about 2100 so take 500 off per day for every pound you want to lose per week. Plus you can eat extra for exercise. Try eating 1600 and taking the exercise as bonus. Should give you and average of 1-2 per week that way.

aaabbbb

letsdothis wrote: »

I think your maintenance calories (excluding exercise) is about 2100 so take 500 off per day for every pound you want to lose per week. Plus you can eat extra for exercise. Try eating 1600 and taking the exercise as bonus. Should give you and average of 1-2 per week that way.

I should prob have said also aside from the exercise I generally spend most of my day if not all seated watching tv etc....

When you say the exercise as a bonus do you mean as an extra calorie deficit or take the calories burned from the exercise and add them to my total calorie goal for that day ?

Stench Blossoms

I'm not a major fan of eating back exercise calories.

Personally if it was me I'd go with body weight in lbs x 10-12 and see how you get on.

Make sure you are eating the right things. Configure you mfp to 40% protein, 40 carbs and 30 fat.

letsdothis

aaabbbb wrote: »

I should prob have said also aside from the exercise I generally spend most of my day if not all seated watching tv etc...

Yeah, 2100-ish calories should be about right for you. That, of course, includes everything from sneaky biscuits to fruit, salad, etc.!

aaabbbb wrote: »

When you say the exercise as a bonus do you mean as an extra calorie deficit or take the calories burned from the exercise and add them to my total calorie goal for that day ?

It's a bonus because it works either way

So if you wanted to lose 1lb a week, you could aim eat 1600+ whatever calories earned from the exercise you do (although cals earned from exercise can be difficult to estimate so best to err on the side of caution if doing this).

Or say if you want to lose 1-2lbs per week, you could eat the 1600 calories and then the exercise would be a bonus in terms of weight loss.

Stench Blossoms

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

I'm not a major fan of eating back exercise calories.

Personally if it was me I'd go with body weight in lbs x 10-12 and see how you get on.

Make sure you are eating the right things. Configure you mfp to 40% protein, 40 carbs and 30 fat.

110% calories? :pac:

I assume you mean 40/30/30 though.

@OP 1lb per week is an attainable and achievable goal. 2 is tough, you need to be scrutinous of everything you eat and be meticulously well planned. I'd aim for a 500kcal per day deficit (which puts you on track for 1lb per week loss) and train as hard as that intake would allow me.

Stench Blossoms

Dam you Emmet, I was tired when I wrote that

But yes I meant 40/30/30.