Diet overhaul

ja1986

Wondering if anyone can give me advice about what to do to shake up my diet. I am 8 months pregnant and obviously not doing anything now. But looking forward to getting fit after the baby. So I am trying to figure out what sort of food plan I'm going to go to. I have followed slimming world previously and obviously it's a good plan for a lot of People but I'm looking for something different.

I won't be able to go heavy into the exercise after the baby straight away so il use this time to get my diet under control.

I have a lot of interest in weights and would like to form some definition so I'm wondering what kinds of foods I should be after. I will be doing cardio aswell but what kind of foods would fuel me for energy for the gym. Should I look into a shake beforehand,or stick with protein from food.

Should I be looking at calorie deficit , also iv heard macros been mentioned a lot. I don't really understand it but is it something I should incorporate ? Also TDEE? what is that?

I know all this is on Google but I'd like to speak to real people here to get a better understanding.

I hope this post isn't confusing,I'm sorry if it is.

Blacktie.

ja1986 wrote:

Should I be looking at calorie deficit , also iv heard macros been mentioned a lot. I don't really understand it but is it something I should incorporate ? Also TDEE? what is that?

If you want to lose weight you'll have to be in a caloric deficit. This basically means you eat less calories than you use so your body has to find fuel from somewhere and will get the majority of it from your fat stores.

TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. This is what you have to eat less than. It's all the energy you use throughout the day functioning and doing daily tasks and exercises.

Macros is breaking it down TDEE a bit more. Basically all calories are fuel for your body but depending on the source they can do different thing. Macros are broken down into protein, carbohydrates and fats. Also alcohol but we'll ignore that one. Carbs fuel your body and brain. Fats regulate your hormones and proteins fuel cell growth and repair. Mostly muscle which is why people working out require more protein than sedentary people. You can get a good bit more in depth than that but it's enough info to start you off.

As a weight loss protocol I would recommend a good balanced diet with a minimal amount of processed foods. Meat, fruit, veg, nuts are all good foods to have. Corn flakes, pizza and pop tarts not so much. But keep in mind this doesn't mean if you have a pizza one night you've ruined your diet. Just get right back on the bandwagon afterwards. What's done is done and all that. And if you count calories and actually factor in the pizza it won't even affect your fat loss. Might gain a pound or two in water weight but that will disappear in a couple of days.

JakeArmitage

Blacktie. wrote: »

If you want to lose weight you'll have to be in a caloric deficit. This basically means you eat less calories than you use so your body has to find fuel from somewhere and will get the majority of it from your fat stores.

TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. This is what you have to eat less than. It's all the energy you use throughout the day functioning and doing daily tasks and exercises.

Macros is breaking it down TDEE a bit more. Basically all calories are fuel for your body but depending on the source they can do different thing. Macros are broken down into protein, carbohydrates and fats. Also alcohol but we'll ignore that one. Carbs fuel your body and brain. Fats regulate your hormones and proteins fuel cell growth and repair. Mostly muscle which is why people working out require more protein than sedentary people. You can get a good bit more in depth than that but it's enough info to start you off.

As a weight loss protocol I would recommend a good balanced diet with a minimal amount of processed foods. Meat, fruit, veg, nuts are all good foods to have. Corn flakes, pizza and pop tarts not so much. But keep in mind this doesn't mean if you have a pizza one night you've ruined your diet. Just get right back on the bandwagon afterwards. What's done is done and all that. And if you count calories and actually factor in the pizza it won't even affect your fat loss. Might gain a pound or two in water weight but that will disappear in a couple of days.

I see that Nuts get mentioned a lot around here and I think they are a bad idea for people trying to lose fat, Nuts are high in fat so they are quite high in calories. One may argue yea but there healthy fats, this is true but the most important thing for fatloss is calorie restriction. Just a handful of nuts has 400 calories and they are a type of food that can be abused by picking/snacking on throughout the day. I see a lot of people self sabatosh themselves by eating healthy but not losing any weight because they are still eating way too much

hairyprincess

Are you going to be breastfeeding? It's not a good idea to be restricting calories if so.

Chickarooney

JakeArmitage wrote: »

I see that Nuts get mentioned a lot around here and I think they are a bad idea for people trying to lose fat, Nuts are high in fat so they are quite high in calories. One may argue yea but there healthy fats, this is true but the most important thing for fatloss is calorie restriction. Just a handful of nuts has 400 calories and they are a type of food that can be abused by picking/snacking on throughout the day. I see a lot of people self sabatosh themselves by eating healthy but not losing any weight because they are still eating way too much

I'm a new poster so I can't post images, but google image "100 calorie nut chart"

IMO you'd be mad not to include nuts in your diet. You just need to ensure that you are aware of the calories you are eating. Much like any other food. I recommend having portions of nuts made up, and not leaving the full bag visible. I bring 10 cashew nuts to work, because if I brought the bag I would eat more.

OP as has been mentioned, losing weight is mainly about eating less calories than you are using.

Again I can't link, but you can google calorie calculator to see what you need. Track food using the my fitness pal app to see what calories are in the food you're eating/drinking.

There's no reason for you not be eating as healthily as possible at 8 months pregnant. This does *not* mean you should be restricting calories. Just feeding your body with the best possible food to prepare you for the tiredness that will inevitably come.

One big thing I recommend is making meals now and freezing them for when baby is here. Any dinners you're preparing now, stick the leftovers in individual lunch boxes in the freezer to be reheating when you're too tired to cook. Do big batches while you're on maternity leave to have on hand when you just can't be arsed!

Best of luck with everything, and remember that while you should be eating as healthily as possible to fuel your body for sleepless nights, you need to remember that having a baby is an amazing thing that takes a toll on your body. Don't give yourself a hard time for not having a perfect body immediately after giving birth. You'll get there with small steps for now

Alf Veedersane

JakeArmitage wrote: »

I see that Nuts get mentioned a lot around here and I think they are a bad idea for people trying to lose fat, Nuts are high in fat so they are quite high in calories. One may argue yea but there healthy fats, this is true but the most important thing for fatloss is calorie restriction. Just a handful of nuts has 400 calories and they are a type of food that can be abused by picking/snacking on throughout the day. I see a lot of people self sabatosh themselves by eating healthy but not losing any weight because they are still eating way too much

If they fit into your diet then there isn't a problem. You don't avoid a food solely because it is calorie dense.

ja1986

Hi guys thanks for all the info. Ya I will be breastfeeding, and there will be no fear of me going hungry! I was just wondering what stuff to fill up on . To be honest I have been cooking from scratch for dinners and breakfast already it's just the munchies at the moment that's killing me. I have put on just over a stone so far compared to the four on my first pregnancy so I must be somewhat watching what I'm eating.

I'm not putting myself under pressure to lose weight I actually don't care what my weight is I'm more interested this time in getting healthy and toned,so I'm looking to do some weights program but will sort that with a Pt in a few months.

I have another month before baby so wanted to make a plan of action with my food so I'm prepared and ready to go.

So I'm going to download my fitness pal and go on calorie deficit and log everything and maybe worry about the macros and stuff like that when I get into the gym? Does that sound right?

I don't like nuts to be honest but may do a bit of research,I like pistachios but I think they're on the higher scale of fats.they must be because they're so nice !

Mars Bar

It might be no harm figuring out meals you can make that you can freeze for having after the baby is born. Plans are great until the tiredness and business kicks in!

For snacks, maybe some raw veggies? Carrot sticks and the like.