Turning my life around... finding it a bit difficult!

Jonathanpbk

Hi, (long post warning!)

So my story is this:

I'm 27, male, 5'8", and approx 200lbs (don't have access to a scales at the moment... I'm working on it!). I've always been a bit overweight, but due to losing my mother 3 years ago, I spiralled and gained a fair bit more weight. I've never really been too bothered about what I put in my mouth, and lately it just got WAY too bad. I was eating various types of take-away every night and sometimes I'd have some for lunch too. I also was not eating regularly at all, sometimes skipping meals all day and just getting take-away for dinner. Also pretty much only drinking coke. I found myself very addicted to it. Far more than smoking which I quit a couple of years ago after around 9 years.

It had to stop!!

Considering I pretty much did little to no moving around, daily, I could have been a LOT worse, which gives me hope that if I start to eat healthy and regularly, and exercising, I might have some luck at losing weight easier than others (i dunno!! fingers crossed!)

I've been doing a lot of research into stuff that I honestly never gave the time of day before, and I am learning a lot! I've decided to try the Power90 exercise program after seeing a friend get amazing results from it. I've cut out everything junkey and am only drinking water. I've been trying to figure out a nutrition plan but that's where I'm struggling.

For the moment, I've come up with a very basic plan, with simple healthy options, made up of bits of info from various sources. But I'm a bit overwhelmed at some of the finer details.

According to the method in the stickies I worked out my daily caloric needs

RMR= ~2056 x 1.4 = 2878 x 0.85 = 2446

(This is not including the exercise needs as I'm not starting that until I get my head around all this first!)

My issues arise when I try to consider macronutrient ratios etc. And also how to get enough calories into me! haha

Here's what I ate yesterday. I worked it out as close as I could:

BREAKFAST

Cereal:

All bran - bran flakes....................................................120 calories
Full fat avonmore milk....................................................83

Protein: 8g
Carbs: 38g
Fat: 6g

Total calories: 203

---

SNACK 1

Apple:......................................................................... 80

P: 1g
C: 16g
F: 0g

Total calories: 80

---

LUNCH

Sandwich:

Wholemeal Brennnan's...................................................140
Heinz tangy sandwich pickle (lightly spread)........................13
Dunnes light mayo (lightly spread).....................................12
2 Slices dunnes roast turkey............................................70
Handful dunnes simply best mixed leaf salad.........................2

P: 16g
C: 33g
F: 4g

Total calories: 237

---

SNACK 2

Apple:..........................................................................80

P: 1g
C: 16g
F: 0g

Total calories: 80

---

DINNER

Roma fusilli pasta (1 cup)...............................................345
Tin dunnes whole peeled tomatoes....................................64
1/2 a medium onion........................................................23
Small bunch of fresg basil.................................................2
3 cloves of garlic...........................................................13
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil........................................................179
Chicken breast (fried in 3 sprays light cooking spray)...........142


P: 19g
C: 92g
F: 21g

Total calories: 768

---

Overall calories: 1368

45g Protein...17%
195g Carbs....72%
31g Fat.........11%

Rounded:
P: 20%
C: 70%
F: 10%

If my requirements are 2446 calories and I only ate 1368, that leaves me with a huge deficit of 1078! That can't be right.

Also, from what I've read online, that macro ratio seems way off! I believe I need more protein to help my metabolism so would the best idea be to get a good protein powder to fix that ratio and deficit?

Obviously when I start the P90 (NOT P90x) this will change, but I hope to understand it more by then! (Put it this way, I won't start it till I am a lot more clued in!) I have been more active, doing a bit of weights daily and taking the dogs on longer walks etc. (already a lot better than what I was doing! haha)

Anyway, apologies for the massive post, and thanks to everyone that made it this far!

Can anyone give me some advice on all this? It's hard to find straight-forward info since everywhere seems to have a different opinion on what's best!!

Thanks,
Jonathan

CL7

Hey Jonathon, fair play for trying to shift the weight. Below is what has worked for me. I'm sure it can work for you also:


1. Read this and put it into practice: Fundamentals of Fat Loss - Lyle Mc Donald

A guide to flexible dieting by Lyle Mcdonald is well worth reading as well, best dieting book I've ever read.

2. Sign up for My Fitness Pal and record everything.

3. Change to a mostly primal diet: Definitive guide to the Primal eating plan

4. Training Program: Convict Conditioning thread

5. Walk/Jog outside for about 30 mins 3-4 times a week.

Optional: Join a gym and start a compound exercise program: This program isn't bad Three day Split Routine You don't need this mind but it helps.

That's all you need. My advice is to stay away from intensive cardio programs because it will be too hard to maintain after the program is over.


Edit: Forgot about this thread, probably better than the Mark's Daily Apple article (although Mark's Daily Apple site is well worth visiting as well):

How to go primal (without really trying) - join me?

Chancer3001

Best of luck.

Simple, simple advice.

Eat more protein.

Ditch as much bread, pasta, cereals as possible. Ditch it all if you can.

You'd be surprised how full you'd be after a big steak (or two!!) whereas we could all eat chips for hours! Protein fills you.

Add veg to that as much and as often as you can.

Stick with that and move a lot more. Winning.

Also, well done on the water. At time you get pecking, drink a pile of water!

Ignore supplementation at the beginning. That is for acute changes.

Get your nutrients from whole foods.

Eat things you make yourself. All Bran was not made by you, nor was Brennan's Bread nor the pasta.

Eat things that don't have ingredients, but are ingredients.

Eat Spinach and Brocolli and Kale and Cauliflower and anything green in abundance.

Eat meats that are not proccessed. Cook things yourself.

Aim to eat as often as you need to eat - entering a massive deficit will not be sustainable. There is a psychological effort required here, make the toll smaller!

Do not try to overdo it on week 1. You will fail. Make small changes that you can cope with easily.

Meals should look like this.
Breakfast - Eggs with meat / veg. Or Meat with Veg.
Lunch - Meat with loads and loads of vegetables.
Dinner - Meat with loads and loads of vegetables.
Snacks - Have some vegetables, or have some meat, or have some nuts, have some fruit every so often, cheese is good.

Keep it simple, keep yourself satisfied, and keep on track.

GorillaRising

Chancer3001 wrote: »

You'd be surprised how full you'd be after a big steak (or two!!) whereas we could all eat chips for hours! Protein fills you.
!

Never got this.

I could easily eat a few steaks and not feel full, but if I supplement with a few carbs I'm satisfied.

Good on you for making the change OP, my advice would be not to make too drastic a change to your diet too quickly by cutting out bread, pasta etc.

Just pick 'better quality' versions and eat a lot less of them.

This has to be a lifestyle change that will always be sustainable for you.

Best of luck.

thegreatiam

GorillaRising wrote: »

Never got this.

I could easily eat a few steaks and not feel full, but if I supplement with a few carbs I'm satisfied.

[ ] Has the appetite of a Gorilla
[x] Eats small steaks

Jonathanpbk

Thanks for all the replies!

The worst part about all this is that everywhere seems to have a different opinion on what's right or wrong!

One thing that seems to be unified is that I need to cut back on the carbs and get more protein. So I'll probably change my breakfast to an egg-white and mushroom omelette and maybe some grilled turkey rashers instead of the all bran. At least then I can have a sandwich for lunch without worrying too much.

I have to admit, though, the idea of only having grilled meat and steamed veg for my main meals really puts me off. I mean, I like a lot of veg when it's in a sauce or something but I really wouldn't enjoy steamed/raw veg all the time. I fear it will put me off the whole thing... As you say, It needs to be a sustainable lifestyle change.


Btw, I have to agree with GorillaRising on the steak v. carbs thing. I could eat a lot of steak, but the carbs are what make me feel full!

thegreatiam

Jonathanpbk wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies!

The worst part about all this is that everywhere seems to have a different opinion on what's right or wrong!

One thing that seems to be unified is that I need to cut back on the carbs and get more protein. So I'll probably change my breakfast to an egg-white and mushroom omelette and maybe some grilled turkey rashers instead of the all bran. At least then I can have a sandwich for lunch without worrying too much.

I have to admit, though, the idea of only having grilled meat and steamed veg for my main meals really puts me off. I mean, I like a lot of veg when it's in a sauce or something but I really wouldn't enjoy steamed/raw veg all the time. I fear it will put me off the whole thing... As you say, It needs to be a sustainable lifestyle change.


Btw, I have to agree with GorillaRising on the steak v. carbs thing. I could eat a lot of steak, but the carbs are what make me feel full!

who said anything about only grilled meats and steamed veg?

meat is meat, doesn't matter if you roast it fry it, bake it or choke it down raw. same goes for veg, grill, steam, boil, saute, bake, roast that veg up.
use a decent oil like olive or coconut or grass fed irish butter for cooking and its fine.

and if you are eating eggs, eat the yolk too, it where all the good stuff is.

eat all the eggs, no whites only.

Add butter salubriously to your vegetables.

Eat Good lumps of steak and lamb as well as pork and chicken.

Fat in foods (lipids) is not BodyFat. They are different.

You need to eat lipids to lose BodyFat.

Anything that says "Low Fat", or "Reduced Fat" is taking things that you need out of food!

Alf Veedersane

Low-fat oftne might as well say 'some extra sugar to compensate for the loss in taste for lower fat'

Chancer3001

If a little bit of sauce is the difference maker then use the damn sauce!!

Jonathanpbk

thegreatiam wrote: »

who said anything about only grilled meats and steamed veg?

meat is meat, doesn't matter if you roast it fry it, bake it or choke it down raw. same goes for veg, grill, steam, boil, saute, bake, roast that veg up.
use a decent oil like olive or coconut or grass fed irish butter for cooking and its fine.

and if you are eating eggs, eat the yolk too, it where all the good stuff is.

Oh, I know it's not specifically "grilled" meat and "steamed" veg. I really just mean having "meat and veg" for a meal, as opposed to having chicken in tomato sauce with pasta, or a stir fry with rice etc.

And I have to say, everything else I've read says to stay away from egg yolks for weight loss... Such is my issue with conflicting info on this subject! It's a bit frustrating, to say the least!

thegreatiam

Jonathanpbk wrote: »

Oh, I know it's not specifically "grilled" meat and "steamed" veg. I really just mean having "meat and veg" for a meal, as opposed to having chicken in tomato sauce with pasta, or a stir fry with rice etc.

And I have to say, everything else I've read says to stay away from egg yolks for weight loss... Such is my issue with conflicting info on this subject! It's a bit frustrating, to say the least!

you need to update your sources. the egg issue has been debunked years ago.
eggs are fine.

and I think you are getting mixed up as to what meat and veg entails.
A stir fry is meat and veg.
sure you should be limiting the pasta and rice you can eat but that doesn't mean you cant eat it. you just need to be aware of what your body does with it. calculate it as part of your whole diet.

Eat fresh, eat natural and dont overdo one type of food in favour of another and you really cannot go wrong.

dont over think it. its food, not rocket science.
even cavemen could figure it out.

Jonathanpbk

thegreatiam wrote: »

dont over think it. its food, not rocket science.
even cavemen could figure it out.

Haha, well cavemen didn't really have quite as many options!

I'm glad about the egg thing. I wasn't really thrilled about the idea of trying to separate yolks and whites in the morning!

Chancer3001

Stir frys are he best hing ever.

Meat and veg made so easy

Jonathanpbk

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Stir frys are he best hing ever.

Meat and veg made so easy

Yeah they're so good! Any healthy tips on flavouring?

Usually I just throw in chicken, onion, carrot, broccoli etc, and a bit of soy sauce and oyster sauce but I the oyster sauce isn't so healthy so I'm lookin for other options!

April O Neill

Jonathanpbk wrote: »

One thing that seems to be unified is that I need to cut back on the carbs and get more protein. So I'll probably change my breakfast to an egg-white and mushroom omelette and maybe some grilled turkey rashers instead of the all bran.

Leave in the yolks! They're good for you and filling. And let's face it, are the best part of the egg.

April O Neill

GorillaRising wrote: »

Never got this.

I could easily eat a few steaks and not feel full, but if I supplement with a few carbs I'm satisfied.

Jonathanpbk wrote: »

Btw, I have to agree with GorillaRising on the steak v. carbs thing. I could eat a lot of steak, but the carbs are what make me feel full!

Agree with these. It doesn't have a large amount of carbs either. A small amount in combination with meat fills me up nicely. Protein on its own? Nah.

El_Dangeroso

Meat and veg is not no carbs. There are a tonne of vegetable carb sources. Potato, buttenut squash, parsnips to name a few and then add in fruit or things like buckwheat or beans and you're laughing.

The reason we recommend meat, eggs and veg so often round here is they are the densest sources of filling nutrition and are the least processed. This is what your body recognises as food and adjusts the appetite accordingly.

April O Neill

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Meat and veg is not no carbs. There are a tonne of vegetable carb sources. Potato, buttenut squash, parsnips to name a few and then add in fruit or things like buckwheat or beans and you're laughing.

I think maybe the OP, like many, puts potato with carbs rather veg as a category, even though it obviously IS veg.

Chancer3001

My tip for flavouring is cayenne pepper.

Unreal. And so so good for you.

thegreatiam

Chancer3001 wrote: »

My tip for flavouring is cayenne pepper.

Unreal. And so so good for you.

Cayenne pepper goes in almost everything i cook almost by reflex. It's salt, pepper, cayenne.

tumeric also and apparently it's very good for you.

well pretty much any spice, you can rarely go wrong even if you dont know what spices do what. just mix them in and see what happens.

Alf Veedersane

thegreatiam wrote: »

Cayenne pepper goes in almost everything i cook almost by reflex. It's salt, pepper, cayenne.

tumeric also and apparently it's very good for you.

well pretty much any spice, you can rarely go wrong even if you dont know what spices do what. just mix them in and see what happens.

Cayenne boosts your metabolism as well.

Turmeric is great stuff...an anti-oxidant, has anti-inflammatory benefits and they reckon it's not a friend of cancer either.

thegreatiam

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Cayenne boosts your metabolism as well.

Turmeric is great stuff...an anti-oxidant, has anti-inflammatory benefits and they reckon it's not a friend of cancer either.

apparently its the most researched spice. colourful too.

Alf Veedersane

thegreatiam wrote: »

apparently its the most researched spice. colourful too.

Yeah it makes everything orangey.

What's not to like?

thegreatiam

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Yeah it makes everything orangey.

What's not to like?

the washing up after.

edit (its the reason i bought orange plates)

Alf Veedersane

thegreatiam wrote: »

the washing up after.

edit (its the reason i bought orange plates)

If I've done the cooking, she's doing the washing so it's not my problem!

thegreatiam

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

If I've done the cooking, she's doing the washing so it's not my problem!

lol, we have the same deal at our house. Hence why I cook so much.

Brewdog

You could try this, it worked for me...
http://hubbyshome.com/486/how-to-lose-weight-fast-eating-one-meal-a-day/

runawaybishop

Eat one or eat 20 meals a day, if those meals consist of ****ty foods it wont matter. You need to get the type of foods you are eating under control first.

I wouldn't be a fan of dumping my entire days calories into me in one go, I'd not be able to move for the rest of the evening.