Healthy weight loss

Attol

I started the whole being healthy thing and was exercising regularly and watching what I ate. A friend of mine came over for a few days and I tried to be healthy. A week later it was my birthday and I had a bunch of friends over for a few more days. I got the flu and never got back into the exercising afterwards.

I'm one of those people who needs something very structured to keep at it. I'm about 5"6 and weigh just under 10 and a half stone. I need to lose weight as my boyfriend has just told me he doesn't find me as attractive anymore because I've been gaining weight for the past while.

My plan so far is:

Aerobics for 1 hour, at least 3 times a week
Drinking nothing but water
Cutting out cheese and butter
Cutting out takeaways and fast food
Cutting out sweets etc.
Cutting out white bread and pasta
Changing everything from full fat to a healthier alternative

I've already stopped eating meat recently. I go for quorn and soya instead. I also eat fish. Would there be anyone able to help me with a doable menu for me? The lack of variety is what usually kills my motivation. I'm not a very imaginative cook and tend to just put Quorn mince into tomatoes and leave it at that.

I go to college 5 days a week. I spend most of my weekends not doing much as I live away from all my friends. I have a lot of little breaks during the day when I'm at college which would make it possible to have lots of little meals rather than 3 big ones. I'm not big on breakfast and am always running late in the mornings so usually grab one of those funsize boxes of corn flakes or whatever is lying around as I'm rushing out of the house unless I have a late start for college as I do on Friday. I would try have boiled egg whites(can't stand yokes) or scrambled eggs with chopped tomatoes when I have the time.

I very rarely drink. The only times I drink are when I go back to Dublin for visits or have friends from Dublin back over to mine.

So if anyone could help me organise a structured way of eating that'd be greatly appreciated! I need to lose about a stone or 2 and don't mind if it takes a while to get to that goal, as long as I get there. Thanks!

20 Times 20 Times

im sorry but sounds to me as if you need a new boyfriend , saying things like that too you can be a blow for your self esteem and he knows this. If you want to lose wieght do it for you and no one else.

The Sweeper

LadyLotts, you're within the healthy weight range for your height. Your BMI is also fine.

I think diets are a dismal failure. You have to find something that fits in with your lifestyle, so your weight maintenance becomes effortless. You should never be ravenous during your day. It is possible to feel full without having consumed thousands of calories, you just need to choose the right food.

Eat what you want to eat, but eat less of it. Restrict your takeaways to once a week. If you want bread, have bread. Just don't have bread, and butter, and ham, and cheese, and four slices in total to make two rounds of sandwiches... If you do have takeaway, go for the healthier option and don't order seven dishes on the side. For every 500 calories you consume more than you use, you will gain one pound in weight. If you use 500 calores more than you consume, you will lose one pound in weight.

Eat less. Do more. If you have to calorie count, do it, but more to be aware what you're eating than to bore yourself to tears. Do not eat when you are not hungry. Do not eat when you're bored. You need to be doing this for yourself, or you'll find it twice as difficult to be motivated about it.

Finally, build your muscle tone. Muscle uses more calories than fat.

(And frankly, if you're buff, you can smack the f*ck out of your boyfriend next time he decides that his girlfriend with the healthy weight that is within recommended guidelines isn't skinny enough for him.)

Roddy23

Sarge got it in one.
Nobody has the right to tell ye that ye need to lose weight( except maybe a doctor). The reason been, If its yourself that wants to lose the weight, then you'll be a lot more motivated, as the benfits will be there for you to reap.
As regards, cutting out everything which you deem unhealthy, I'd say thats too strict. Allow yourself the odd snack, but keep drinking the water, as I find that by doing this myself, it tends to keep the munchies away. Also reach for the fruit, as it is a great snack...
Finally its you who should decide what you want to do, so if you feel you could lose a few extra pounds, just watch what ye eat, but dont go overboard, all at once.

dudara

Sarge wrote:

im sorry but sounds to me as if you need a new boyfriend , saying things like that too you can be a blow for your self esteem and he knows this. If you want to lose wieght do it for you and no one else.

ditto. Your weight is absolutely fine for your height, and if you do want to lose weight, your only motivation should be to do it for yourself! I'd dump the bf first before trying to lose the weight.

My pointers would be to cut out sugary foods, processed foods and white flour products. Drink lots of water. Eat lean meat and fish. Think natural. And don't buy any product labelled "low-fat". They've usually got tonnes of sugar in them.

Attol

I know. I'm mad as hell with him and don't know why I'm considering doing this for him. Somehow he's managed to twist it around and now I'm just wondering how the hell this happened... So basically fcuk him and I'm going to do this for me.

I've been trying to switch to wholemeal alternatives with pasta and bread for a while now. I don't eat white pasta at all. Most of the things that I wrote down are things I've already been trying at different rates of success. I guess I wouldn't mind losing a bit as I know I have gained some weight since I moved and just ended up boredom eating.

I need to be strict or else I just end up being a pig. Like I adore cheese and I used to eat it on everything. I feel a lot healthier without it tbh.

joejoem

Sarge wrote:

im sorry but sounds to me as if you need a new boyfriend , saying things like that too you can be a blow for your self esteem and he knows this. If you want to lose wieght do it for you and no one else.

I know I might sound like a bastard here but I disagree. Anyone Ive ever gone out with that has obviously been putting on the pounds I have said it. Better it said than to find out later that they were thinking it all along. I would expect the same if the roles were reversed.

I see it like the snot rule. If someone has a snot rolling from there nose, tell them, dont let them walk around without knowing while everyone else looks on and winces.

By reading her post she now wants to make a change (for the better) to her lifestyle. She is cutting the crap out of her diet and getting excersise. This will undoubtably have a knock on effect to the rest of her life. Better the boyfriend said it was a problem now than let it fester into a break up issue.

Finally, you go girl! Do it for yourself more than anything.

g'em

You are totally a healthy weight for your size. if you try and change for someone else, it won't work, trust me. change for you and you alone. and won't worry about losing weight, jsut keep up the excercise and tone up.

and one say, when dear bf turns to you and says (and he inevitably will) 'wow, you look fantastic babe' you turn to him, say thanks, but you know what, i can do so much better than you, dump his ass and upgrade.

Imposter

Look at it from the boyfriends perspective

Don't think i'm taking sides or anything but if he has a problem with your weight then what's better: saying nothing or breaking-up over it?

Tiriel

Imposter wrote:

Look at it from the boyfriends perspective

Don't think i'm taking sides or anything but if he has a problem with your weight then what's better: saying nothing or breaking-up over it?

That's a good post Imposter, fair play. It is a tough situation to be in.. but like anything.. eating can be a habit and can go beyond simple nutrition. Maybe it's a girl thing, we comfort eat even though it depresses us more in the long run!! I think that a good routine and interesting diet is what you need, but it has to be practical too. Especially when you're in college, you don't really have the time to go making fancy meals or even shop for them. Wish you the best of luck, and make sure that it is for yourself first and foremost that you are doing this.. but I think it already is really. What your boyfriend said is probably just the final kick you needed to face up to losing a few pounds. Don't go too far.. maybe exercise as opposed to food?? Tone up and it might be all you need. Good luck!!

Attol

I know and in a way it's good that he pointed it out to me but like he's been my best friend since 1st year of secondary school and it's just weird to hear him say it. I never realised my weight bothered him before so I just got a bit mad. Also the way in which he told me was a bit retarded. Basically I've just been steadily gaining weight since I moved to England because I never go out anymore. I just got a part time job which means I will be out of the house more at weekends and during holidays which is good. I'm one of those people who boredom eats. I'll just try avoid the Krispy Kremes on the way to work.

I do appreciate him being honest but he could have approached it in a better way than he did.

I guess I would be happier to get rid of some of my weight too as I was a size 10 in 4th year, size 12 in 5th and now I'm in 6th year I'm a size 12 on top and just slightly smaller than a size 14 on bottom. I was 9-9.5 stone a year and a half ago. It'd be nice to be like a size 10 or something when I move back to Dublin in a few months time.

EDIT: This confuses all the Irish people I talk to so just to make it clear. It's a 6th form college. You can choose to do your A Levels(leaving cert type thing) in a school or college and I decided on a college for the freedom thing. College in the Irish sense of the word in university over here.

rainglow

It must have been really hard to hear that from your boyfriend, so I really hope that you're feeling ok, and I hope you're only aiming to lose weight because you've decided to, not just because of what he said.

On the whole, what you've decided to do sounds very reasonable but I'm a seasoned dieter so here are some more tips:

Don't cut ANYTHING out. Now admittedly if I have one square of chocolate I'm liable to have 70, so I try to avoid chocolate. Same goes for biscuits- sweet Lord, biscuits were put on this earth just to tempt me!! :mad: In the case of good, solid food like bread and pasta I really don't advocate this. Just exercise restraint. Switch to wholegrain bread and wholewheat pasta, but don't use this healthy choice as an excuse to eat enormous portions. It is ALL about portion control. If you eat 5,000 calories worth of vegetables a day, you'll gain weight.

On the same note, don't cut out meat. Use lean beef mince, turkey mince, chicken breasts etc. Your body is a very finely tuned machine and was built for survival. It will get used to anything you throw at it - that's why when you decrease your calorie intake, it clings on to the small amount of food you give it and you stop losing weight. If you vary your food intake, your body is "kept guessing" to a certain extent. Also, soya and fish must be immensely boring to eat constantly - you need an eating regime that you can stick with and this will be one that will keep your palate interested.

Drink water. Or if you can't abide water, drink water with sugar-free squash in it. Try to drink a few pint glasses a day, or carry a bottle around school with you. You honestly won't even notice you're drinking so much if you do it in sips throughout the day. If your metabolism is a fire, then water is the fuel that keeps it going.

Bulk your meals out with fruit and veg. Aim to eat fruit and veg throughout the day with every single meal. By bulking your meals out, you won't feel deprived and will be less inclined to snack. Snacking is my major downfall and this really does help.

Apologies if this is too long winded!

Edited to add: I just saw in another thread that you eat mayo with everything - are you kidding? Mayo is practically as fattening as lard! Even the "light" version is ludicrously fattening, and these are BAD fats. Lose the mayo and mayo based products like coleslaw. Stick to good fats like olive oil, and once again, exercise portion control - a sprinkling of oil, not dipping every hunk of baguette into oil.

Attol

Lol, don't worry, the mayo is no longer a part of my everyday meals. I've been weaning myself off it for the past while and now only have it once or twice a week. The only one I have is the Hellman's extra light. Mayo really is addictive! I use a George Foreman grill and don't fry anything. I try not to add fat to anything.

I honestly don't particularly enjoy eating meat. I'd rather have soya and Quorn. I just need to learn how to cook them in interesting ways. Speaking of which must grab a few cookbooks this weekend.

I drink water like mad. I honestly can't go to college without it. I bring a 1 litre bottle with me and I don't drink anything else really, other than the occasional can of Pepsi Max.

rainglow

Well you're definitely on the right track then! But like I said...think about portion control. I've kidded myself that I'm eating "healthily", but I'm eating waaaay too much healthy food- all food contains calories unfortunately! It's a delicate balance - you need to eat the right amount to lose weight. Too little and your body clings on for dear life to what you are giving it, and too much and you'll gain weight. How much your body needs is based on your height, weight, age, activity level and metabolism.

Re the water - 1l a day isn't enough, keep refilling the bottle! 2L a day, more if you're exercising. Even more if you eat a salt-rich diet as your body will cling on to water to dillute the salt.

Don't go too mental on the fat-free thing - fat is essential to your body, and once again, if you deny your body anything it will cling to what little it gets. Like I said, use small amounts of olive oil in cooking. Use low-fat dairy if possible; calcium is essential for fat metabolism and things like low fat cheese and yoghurt are also good sources of protein for little snacks.

Good luck!!

Attol

Oh, I drink more than the one bottle. When I come home I bring my trusty Brita filter thingy upstairs with me.

Portions I do need to work on. I tend to have big meals and not really have any healthy snacks in between the meals. I may give the 6 meal thing a shot, or even split my meals into parts like have half my dinner at 4 and the other at 6.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement!

Tuesday_Girl

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

For every 500 calories you consume more than you use, you will gain one pound in weight. If you use 500 calores more than you consume, you will lose one pound in weight.

It's actually 3500 calories, so you would need to use 500 calores more than you consume every day to lose one pound per week.

AARRRGH

Sarge wrote:

im sorry but sounds to me as if you need a new boyfriend

I think her boyfriend is entitled to not find her attractive anymore. Maybe she was skinny when they met and he has a thing for skinny girls? However, when someone says something like that it is normally the beginning to the end...

I agree with Minesajackdaniels - strict diets like this don't work. It has to fit into your lifestyle. Moderation is best, with more exercise. Basically, you only put on weight if you consume more calories than you burn. So just more walking/light jogging and less food. It'll get slow but consistant results...