Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Need help with this healthy lifestyle vs. diet
Options
-
24-05-2012 5:17pm#1Hi all,
I'm going on holidays in 17 weeks time. I am curently 226 pounds (approx 16 stone). I would like to be 14 stone before my holiday. This means getting down to 196.
So I need to lose 30 pounds in 17 weeks. Is it possible?
I'm male, 5'11". I have some muscle, but I'm confident that I definitley have over 2 stone of fat - hence the target weight. I'm trying healthy eating, but its tricky. Sugary foods, pastries, chocolate are my downfall.
I exercise 5 days a week (not weekends) - running on threadmill some days. Astroturf other days. At the moment, this is my diet, and accoring to the scales I am losing one pound a week
Breakfast: 2 Shredded Wheat biscuits
Lunch: Brown breand tuna sandwich
Snack: 2 apples
Dinner: Readymade microwave dinner (not 'wholesome' - but it helps me keep my portions down).
However I seem to be generally hungry all day and it's starting to annoy me! Some nights I have a MASSIVE bowl of cornflakes just before I go to bed because I don't want to go to sleep hungry!
I am reluctant to add more calories because I will lose less weight. I am thinking of trying atkins again, but I only lasted a week on that before, and I hated it.
So my question is: How can I reach my target weight on time - yet not feel hungry all day?
Help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.Tagged:0
Comments
-
-
boomtown84 wrote: »They must be some nasty potions if you can keep them down with a horrible microwave dinner!
Corrected! I'll admit "microwave dinners" sounds bad. I should call them "ready-made meals". Most of the ones I get are actually very nice! 0 -
Corrected! I'll admit "microwave dinners" sounds bad. I should call them "ready-made meals". Most of the ones I get are actually very nice!
Replace nice, with bad.
Seriously though, you're not getting near enough protein by the looks of it! You'll have to be much more specific with regard to this meal and potions thing.0 -
-
-
Advertisement
-
Replace nice, with bad.
Seriously though, you're not getting near enough protein by the looks of it! You'll have to be much more specific with regard to this meal and potions thing.
There a loads of different readymade meals you can get nowadays. I prefer these because I know exactly how many calories I'm eating. Also, if I make dinner from scratch, I tend to make way too much - so the readymade meals help keep me to keep the portion size respectable. Hope that makes sense. I suppose I could work on making my dinners the correct sizes - but of course I tried to take the easy way out
0 -
-
There a loads of different readymade meals you can get nowadays. I prefer these because I know exactly how many calories I'm eating. Also, if I make dinner from scratch, I tend to make way too much - so the readymade meals help keep me to keep the portion size respectable. Hope that makes sense. I suppose I could work on making my dinners the correct sizes - but of course I tried to take the easy way out
I'd be more concerned with the ingredients of the readymade meals, though, than the calories. Especially if, as you say, you're aiming for a healthy lifestyle versus a diet.
For dinner, it's easier than you'd think to control portion sizes. Buy meat in bulk, and weigh out and freeze in advance, so that you just need to thaw one pre-measured portion the night before. Most veg is very filling but low in calories, so you don't need to worry much at all about portion sizes (spinach is fantastic in any dinner, in my opinion!) And that's all you need really, meat and veg, then throw in whatever spices and herbs you fancy. If you like tomatos, passata is a fantastic base for any sauce.
Also, if you make too much dinner, just get in the habit of freezing/refrigerating portions - don't feel like you have to eat it all there and then!0 -
There a loads of different readymade meals you can get nowadays. I prefer these because I know exactly how many calories I'm eating. Also, if I make dinner from scratch, I tend to make way too much - so the readymade meals help keep me to keep the portion size respectable. Hope that makes sense. I suppose I could work on making my dinners the correct sizes - but of course I tried to take the easy way out
In fairness I know exactly where you come from, I still tend to use them from time to time.
You definitely need more protein though, particularly in your early part of the day.0 -
-
Advertisement
-
Breakfast: 2 Shredded Wheat biscuits
Lunch: Brown breand tuna sandwich
Snack: 2 apples
Dinner: Readymade microwave dinner (not 'wholesome' - but it helps me keep my portions down).
However I seem to be generally hungry all day and it's starting to annoy me! Some nights I have a MASSIVE bowl of cornflakes just before I go to bed because I don't want to go to sleep hungry!
I'd be very grumpy and faint if I ate as little as you do...and I'm a 10st 4lb, 5' 4" female! (Granted, I'm a bit of a chubster, but still.)
Losing a pound a week is a good steady way to keep off the weight, but if you're eating in a manner that you don't consider a permanent change, the weight will creep back on as soon as you revert back to your "normal" way of eating. Better to overhaul your eating properly and be in it for the long haul, I think.
I don't think you mentioned whether you drank alcohol? That's a big source of my calorie woes...about 200cals in a pint of beer, 160 in a regular glass of wine (approx) is worth remembering and taking into account.
I'm not a nutritionist or any kind of expert (though I did successfully lose five stone a few years ago and have kept it off), but I would recommend little and often. If you're hungry, try supplementing meals with fruit, a handful of unsalted raw nuts and seeds (careful not to buy those coated in flavourings or cooked in oil), low fat yoghurt with a little honey or berries, dried fruit (go easy on them - your bowels will thank you for it). Slice a banana onto your Shredded Wheat - it's an extra 100-130 calories but you'll feel fuller.
The occasional ready meal won't hurt (though the salt content is usually monstrous), but try and cook for yourself if you can a few night a week. Try a two-egg omelette or scrambled eggs with plenty of your favourite salads/veggies, stir fries with lean chicken or pork, even something like tinned mackerel on toast if you can stomach it (I can't bear oily fish - but it is good for you!). Another poster said about cooking in batches and freezing portions - I wholeheartedly agree. I usually make a massive portion of chili (simply onions, peppers, chilies, and garlic softened in a drop of olive oil, add tinned tomatoes, season, let it bubble for 30 mins, then drain two tins of whatever beans you like - I use butter beans and chickpeas - throw them into the mix with a pinch of coriander, cook for another 10 minutes and voila) and I freeze six or seven portions in tupperware boxes. I have it for lunch or dinner with all sorts of things - rice, pitta, a wrap etc. I also add cooked meat to the chili when it's warmed through if I'm really hungry.
The other thing I'd recommend is variation. Do you eat a tuna sandwich for lunch every day? Are you happy with that? A bit of variety means you're more likely to enjoy your food and feel better about what you're eating. Egg or ham salad (without the mayo), leftover cooked meat from the night before etc.
Finally, consider making additional, small changes to your routines to incorporate more "incidental" exercise. Walk to work or get off the bus a few stops early. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Go for a stroll at lunchtime. It sounds silly, but these little things really do make a difference.
Best of luck! 0 -
So now the new plan is:
8:00 - 9:00am: Go to the gym (run/jog 5K)
10:00am Breakfast (Scrambled egg)
2:00pm Brown bread tuna sandwich
5:00pm 2 Apples
7:00pm Dinner (Ready meall or try smaller portions).
10:00pm Protein shake (protein powder, banana, milk, strawberries)
I thought I might add the shake near bed time so I'm not hungry going to bed. (I don't go to sleep until 12 so I would be reall hungry if I hadn't eaten since 7). Is the shake too much? If I follow this, will I reach my target weight in time?
Any help appreciated! 0 -
-
-
Hi All,
Thanks for all the replies. I'm sick of the fad diets at this point - I reckon i'm going to stick with basic calorie counting.
I'm a 33 year old male who weighs 103kg and sits at a computer all day - so according to this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=50914107
I require ( (103 * 11.6) + 879 ) * 1.4 = 2903 calories just to get by, regardless of exercise.
Have I got that right? It sounds a lot...
Some websites say that to lose 1 pound of fat you need a calorific deficit of approx 3500 calories. Is this correct? I realise it would depend on a lot of factors, but is it a good enough guide?
So..... If (after taking exercise into account) I reduced my calorific intake to 1900 a day - saving me 1000 cals/day = 7000 cals/week. I should lose 2 pounds in a week?
I could probably keep track of what I ate - but keeping track of the cals I burn from exercise might be tricky. I do boxing training twice a week, and I do spinning classes. Can somone recommed a site that would help me figure out the calories burned? Or would a heartrate monitor be more accurate?
Thanks a million - its a tough road and its great to get valuable advice.. 0 -
-
Hi All,
Thanks for all the replies. I'm sick of the fad diets at this point - I reckon i'm going to stick with basic calorie counting.
I'm a 33 year old male who weighs 103kg and sits at a computer all day - so according to this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=50914107
I require ( (103 * 11.6) + 879 ) * 1.4 = 2903 calories just to get by, regardless of exercise.
Have I got that right? It sounds a lot...
Some websites say that to lose 1 pound of fat you need a calorific deficit of approx 3500 calories. Is this correct? I realise it would depend on a lot of factors, but is it a good enough guide?
So..... If (after taking exercise into account) I reduced my calorific intake to 1900 a day - saving me 1000 cals/day = 7000 cals/week. I should lose 2 pounds in a week?
I could probably keep track of what I ate - but keeping track of the cals I burn from exercise might be tricky. I do boxing training twice a week, and I do spinning classes. Can somone recommed a site that would help me figure out the calories burned? Or would a heartrate monitor be more accurate?
Thanks a million - its a tough road and its great to get valuable advice..
Ok, I hope I don't get ripped apart here for giving bad advice, but i'll just tell you what i've been doing!
You sound like me 7 weeks ago. I saw a picture of myself at a friend's party and thought "F*ck this, I gotta do something".
My diet IS terrible. it's aweful! And I knew that if I just changed it radically I would not stick to it. If it felt like too much hard work then I wouldn't stick to it!
So, I decided to make 1 change a week to my diet and bring each change forward. Just small simple things. I'd count my calories and create a deficit.
I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app. My intention was to lose 1lb per week. The app calculated my BMR (my daily calorie needs) and gave me an allowance for each day. Since then, i've entered every single calorie i've consumed into that app. If not, i'm just lying to myself and letting myself down. You can calculate your exercise calories burned wit this app (however, i've heard on this forum that they can be over-estimated so beware).
The changes were simple. First, no fizzy drinks, week 2, add more meat to my diet, week 3, Low Fat Milk and cut down on bread etc.
It's now July and this week my change is add Whey Protein shakes to my diet due to the exercise, i'll get into that now.
Exercise wise, for me it's simple again, walking and lots of it! I stick the iPod on, listen to a podcast and walk and walk! My local Tesco is a 10-15 min walk away. When I need to buy something i'll go to Tesco, but first i'll walk in the opposite direction and take a stupidly long route. Sometimes the whole trip takes me 90-120 mins. it all adds up! I use the MapMyWalk app to track the walks PLUS calories!
I also do BJJ and I started Couch to 5K, but I injured my knee about 5 weeks ago so I haven't done either of these things in the last few weeks (re-started Couch to 5K this week)
So I don't waste away, I started Convict Conditioning (Google it) and I love it so far, even though i'm on the early stages. The increased Protein in my diet from the shakes will hopefully help me gain strength while i'm at a calorie deficit, or hopefully ensure I don't become weak.
Anyway man, my first week I stepped on the scale and i'd lost 1.5lb. I felt like a new man! I was on top of the world! And I knew if I stuck to it (there wasn't much sticking because the changes were so small) that i'd have that feeling the following week!
And I did, and have continued to do so each week since! I started approx 7 weeks ago and i'm already down 12lbs (and hopefully 1 more when I weigh in on Friday
).
It's amazing! The increased exercise makes me feel fresh! The better foods make me feel super! When people say "Jesus Stuffins, you've lost weight" I feel top of the world! And what makes it better is that I know I can stick to it because i'm trying to do it long term rather than losing all the weight at once.
Anyway, sorry for the long post. Hope anything I wrote above helps you out.0 -
MrStuffins wrote: »Ok, I hope I don't get ripped apart here for giving bad advice, but i'll just tell you what i've been doing!
You sound like me 7 weeks ago. I saw a picture of myself at a friend's party and thought "F*ck this, I gotta do something".
My diet IS terrible. it's aweful! And I knew that if I just changed it radically I would not stick to it. If it felt like too much hard work then I wouldn't stick to it!
So, I decided to make 1 change a week to my diet and bring each change forward. Just small simple things. I'd count my calories and create a deficit.
I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app. My intention was to lose 1lb per week. The app calculated my BMR (my daily calorie needs) and gave me an allowance for each day. Since then, i've entered every single calorie i've consumed into that app. If not, i'm just lying to myself and letting myself down. You can calculate your exercise calories burned wit this app (however, i've heard on this forum that they can be over-estimated so beware).
The changes were simple. First, no fizzy drinks, week 2, add more meat to my diet, week 3, Low Fat Milk and cut down on bread etc.
It's now July and this week my change is add Whey Protein shakes to my diet due to the exercise, i'll get into that now.
Exercise wise, for me it's simple again, walking and lots of it! I stick the iPod on, listen to a podcast and walk and walk! My local Tesco is a 10-15 min walk away. When I need to buy something i'll go to Tesco, but first i'll walk in the opposite direction and take a stupidly long route. Sometimes the whole trip takes me 90-120 mins. it all adds up! I use the MapMyWalk app to track the walks PLUS calories!
I also do BJJ and I started Couch to 5K, but I injured my knee about 5 weeks ago so I haven't done either of these things in the last few weeks (re-started Couch to 5K this week)
So I don't waste away, I started Convict Conditioning (Google it) and I love it so far, even though i'm on the early stages. The increased Protein in my diet from the shakes will hopefully help me gain strength while i'm at a calorie deficit, or hopefully ensure I don't become weak.
Anyway man, my first week I stepped on the scale and i'd lost 1.5lb. I felt like a new man! I was on top of the world! And I knew if I stuck to it (there wasn't much sticking because the changes were so small) that i'd have that feeling the following week!
And I did, and have continued to do so each week since! I started approx 7 weeks ago and i'm already down 12lbs (and hopefully 1 more when I weigh in on Friday ).
It's amazing! The increased exercise makes me feel fresh! The better foods make me feel super! When people say "Jesus Stuffins, you've lost weight" I feel top of the world! And what makes it better is that I know I can stick to it because i'm trying to do it long term rather than losing all the weight at once.
Anyway, sorry for the long post. Hope anything I wrote above helps you out.
Oh my God this is a freaky coincidence! Just two days ago I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app too! I have entered my height/weight and target loss - and it told me how much calories I can have every day.
This morning I have started entering every single thing I eat into the app. I've scanned the barcode of a few items and it seems to work too. Its great to see how many calories I have left for the day, and be confident that I will lose weight during the week if I stick to it.
The app is a real eye-opener. For fun I entered some sample foods I would eat usually - and the calorie count was huge! Playing around with it has made me realise just how little calories are in vegtables!
After my lunch I have approx 850 calories for the rest of the day. I will reduce the pasta in my spagetti bol tonight and pack the sauce with onions/peppers/mushrooms. Once I work it out exactly, I should be within my allowed amount. And I have training tonight - although like yourself - I don;t think I'll enter this in the app as I'm not sure how many cals I'll burn.
So far this app is a great help!
PS. Thanks for the inspiring post - it gives me hope!0 -
I should point out that the MyFitnessPal app told me I only needed 2500 cals per day. That takes into account my sedentary lifestyle (sitting in office all day
).
However the equation in one of my previous post (which also takes into account lifestyle) says 2900 - so I'm not sure which one is right 0 -
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
This discussion has been closed.
Advertisement