Starting to get Frustrated - Please Help!
Discussion
Over the last 10-15 years I have been typical yo-yo dieter. In the extreme I would be 4 stone over ideal weight and I have struggled to get within 1 stone of ideal. I tend to find will power very good at my heaviest point and then it twindles nearer the target weight, anyway I digress.
Historically when I diet I would lose 2-3 lbs per week for the first two months. Then the weight loss rate would plateau and reduce to 1-2 lbs per week.
On my current regime, which is both healthy and intense, my weight loss per week has dropped to 1-2 lbs per week afer only three weeks of my diet. I still feel bloated after most main meals, although in general feeling much healthier but just want the loss rate to increase to 2-3 lbs per week.
Diet is aimed at 1000 calories per day. Typical day is as follows:
- Little or no breakfast. Maybe small bowl of all-bran and skimmed milk. I'm never hungry in the morning and if do eat brakfast get hungry well before lunch!
- Lunch : Chicken / Tuna Mayo Salad. Salad will consist some small coleslaw, beetroot, mayo and usual fayre. I estimate 300-400 calories.
- Dinner:Chilli with small amount of wholemeal rice. Pasta and salmon, Chicken joint with Veg. I try not to eat carbs. 300-400 calories
- Drinks : 3-4 coffee's / teas per day with sweetner. 1 unit of wine per night during week and 3-4 units of wine per day at weekend. (1 unit being 150 calaories).
Fitness - Four Cardio sessions per week. 2 x spinning for 45 minutes & 2 x jog on treadmill for 30 minutes covering 5-6km. 2 x weight session for 20 min each.
I know there are some very informed people on this forum, please help me understand the wrongdoings of this regime. It worked in the past!
Thanks you.
Historically when I diet I would lose 2-3 lbs per week for the first two months. Then the weight loss rate would plateau and reduce to 1-2 lbs per week.
On my current regime, which is both healthy and intense, my weight loss per week has dropped to 1-2 lbs per week afer only three weeks of my diet. I still feel bloated after most main meals, although in general feeling much healthier but just want the loss rate to increase to 2-3 lbs per week.
Diet is aimed at 1000 calories per day. Typical day is as follows:
- Little or no breakfast. Maybe small bowl of all-bran and skimmed milk. I'm never hungry in the morning and if do eat brakfast get hungry well before lunch!
- Lunch : Chicken / Tuna Mayo Salad. Salad will consist some small coleslaw, beetroot, mayo and usual fayre. I estimate 300-400 calories.
- Dinner:Chilli with small amount of wholemeal rice. Pasta and salmon, Chicken joint with Veg. I try not to eat carbs. 300-400 calories
- Drinks : 3-4 coffee's / teas per day with sweetner. 1 unit of wine per night during week and 3-4 units of wine per day at weekend. (1 unit being 150 calaories).
Fitness - Four Cardio sessions per week. 2 x spinning for 45 minutes & 2 x jog on treadmill for 30 minutes covering 5-6km. 2 x weight session for 20 min each.
I know there are some very informed people on this forum, please help me understand the wrongdoings of this regime. It worked in the past!
Thanks you.
My estimates were based on a little knowledge but I've generally made assumiotns on ready packed salads and meaks (circa 300-500 cal's) against my own preparation. I only eat two main meals a day so if I was 20% out this woule be 160 ish calories per day extra??
I will check anyway, cheers.
I will check anyway, cheers.
drivin_me_nuts said:
Turn your meals upside down. Eat more in the morning and less in the evening.
Aye that was in essence what I was going to suggest. On a practical note get a heart rate monitor and if not already an mp3 player for the cardio sessions as when you start to lose motivation (for an extended period of time) the music keeps you going! I aim to burn at least 1000cals each session. My Polar F11 has a rough calories burnt feature which gives a rough baseline for my diet if you see what I mean. Try some rowing and x trainer to mix up the cardio?Edit. What's your height and current weight? What is your target weight? Aim for a healthier 1-2lbs per week of weight loss. This is more the norm and a realistic target. This is no doubt why you are becoming frustrated. Remain patient and the results will come. Don't be too hard on yourself etc etc.
Edited by Digger on Friday 9th October 12:47
Thanks for replies guys, very interesting comments.
I'm 6 2" and currently 18 stonne. (Was 19 stone five weeks ago!) Target weight is 15 stone.
The eating in the morning makes sense but need to find time and interest! Wife cooks for family and try to eat together but certainly worth a try.
To burn 1000 calories off in one session is very high. I think I'm on 300-450 calories for Cardio session and they last 30-45 minutes. I would strugle to find time currently to extend to an 60-90 minutes per session.
The comment of the body storing energy due to high levels of exercise is very interesting. I enjoy the current fitness levels as it mentally keeps me positive. How can I mix the fitness and diet to ensure body burns food?
Many thanks.
I'm 6 2" and currently 18 stonne. (Was 19 stone five weeks ago!) Target weight is 15 stone.
The eating in the morning makes sense but need to find time and interest! Wife cooks for family and try to eat together but certainly worth a try.
To burn 1000 calories off in one session is very high. I think I'm on 300-450 calories for Cardio session and they last 30-45 minutes. I would strugle to find time currently to extend to an 60-90 minutes per session.
The comment of the body storing energy due to high levels of exercise is very interesting. I enjoy the current fitness levels as it mentally keeps me positive. How can I mix the fitness and diet to ensure body burns food?
Many thanks.
SagMan said:
Thanks for replies guys, very interesting comments.
I'm 6 2" and currently 18 stonne. (Was 19 stone five weeks ago!) Target weight is 15 stone.
The eating in the morning makes sense but need to find time and interest! Wife cooks for family and try to eat together but certainly worth a try.
To burn 1000 calories off in one session is very high. I think I'm on 300-450 calories for Cardio session and they last 30-45 minutes. I would strugle to find time currently to extend to an 60-90 minutes per session.
The comment of the body storing energy due to high levels of exercise is very interesting. I enjoy the current fitness levels as it mentally keeps me positive. How can I mix the fitness and diet to ensure body burns food?
Many thanks.
It does sound like you're starving yourself, given your body size. You don't need a massive calorie deficit in order to lose weight at a sensible rate. I'm 6 2" and currently 18 stonne. (Was 19 stone five weeks ago!) Target weight is 15 stone.
The eating in the morning makes sense but need to find time and interest! Wife cooks for family and try to eat together but certainly worth a try.
To burn 1000 calories off in one session is very high. I think I'm on 300-450 calories for Cardio session and they last 30-45 minutes. I would strugle to find time currently to extend to an 60-90 minutes per session.
The comment of the body storing energy due to high levels of exercise is very interesting. I enjoy the current fitness levels as it mentally keeps me positive. How can I mix the fitness and diet to ensure body burns food?
Many thanks.
I'd suggest you start eating breakfast - it'll set you up for the day. Oats are a good way of getting slow release energy - I have mine with a banana.
You also need to find some healthy snacks, and eat more frequently just to keep your hunger down (which will mean you won't be tempted to eat too quickly subsequently).
Also, as has been suggested, cutting carbs in the evening is also a good idea - consume them at lunch if you can.
I'd also agree that some of your calorie calculations are off, especially lunch with coleslaw.
_DeeJay_ said:
I'd suggest you start eating breakfast - it'll set you up for the day. Oats are a good way of getting slow release energy - I have mine with a banana.
I'd echo that. I have Scotts Oats each morning with a banana mixed in. They are slow release carbs, low fat, and will keep you going until lunchtime. Two minutes in the microwave, and if you're rushing around getting ready for work, just leave it on the side and take a spoonful when you pass.Echo the above really. Better breakfast, lunch is ok but lose the mayo and 'slaw (that alone is probably 300+ calories). Instead of carbs at dinner substitute for lots of steamed veg. Look for snacks that are low cal, WW stuff is ok, salt and vinegar snackajacks are paletable too 
Try and avoid cooking with oils and others fats. A tablespoon of olive oil is about 120 calories IIRC.
Try and avoid cooking with oils and others fats. A tablespoon of olive oil is about 120 calories IIRC.
Thanks for Info.
Still would prefer a target calorie intake as it suits my motivation. I may not be eating 1000 a day now but what should I consume. Isn't their a calculation as to what calories equal in terms of body fat?? Therefore what the reduction would need to be per lb of weight?
I will try ideas for the next week and see what happens.
Cheers.
Still would prefer a target calorie intake as it suits my motivation. I may not be eating 1000 a day now but what should I consume. Isn't their a calculation as to what calories equal in terms of body fat?? Therefore what the reduction would need to be per lb of weight?
I will try ideas for the next week and see what happens.
Cheers.
no mention of fruit or water? I sip water all day and have a variety of fruit on my desk, usually apples and bananas if i get hungry
Agreee with the above, your starving yourself. My missus was stuck before our wedding and i kept telling her "eat smaller meals throughout the day", she finally took my advise and started to loose weight. Kick off breakfast in a bigger way, high fibre cereal/oats, banana. Also get some meat or protein shakes down your neck, low fat and high protein which takes longer to digest and keeps hunger at bay and GI suger levels stable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index)
On a side note, I have actually just realised how wierd i feel in the morning when i have a load of high GI foods eg pizza, processed food, booze, or sweets the night before. I feel hungry and lethargic. Normally have a good serving of protein, veg and a few carbs for dinner plus fruit/protein shake
Agreee with the above, your starving yourself. My missus was stuck before our wedding and i kept telling her "eat smaller meals throughout the day", she finally took my advise and started to loose weight. Kick off breakfast in a bigger way, high fibre cereal/oats, banana. Also get some meat or protein shakes down your neck, low fat and high protein which takes longer to digest and keeps hunger at bay and GI suger levels stable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index)
On a side note, I have actually just realised how wierd i feel in the morning when i have a load of high GI foods eg pizza, processed food, booze, or sweets the night before. I feel hungry and lethargic. Normally have a good serving of protein, veg and a few carbs for dinner plus fruit/protein shake
SagMan said:
Thanks for Info.
Still would prefer a target calorie intake as it suits my motivation. I may not be eating 1000 a day now but what should I consume. Isn't their a calculation as to what calories equal in terms of body fat?? Therefore what the reduction would need to be per lb of weight?
I will try ideas for the next week and see what happens.
Cheers.
Do the math (I'm assuming the site has the calculation right!) and aim for a sensible rate of loss (2 lb per week is a lot but just about sustainable IMHO)Still would prefer a target calorie intake as it suits my motivation. I may not be eating 1000 a day now but what should I consume. Isn't their a calculation as to what calories equal in terms of body fat?? Therefore what the reduction would need to be per lb of weight?
I will try ideas for the next week and see what happens.
Cheers.
http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/...
Ignoring the food side (although I agree with other posters)
Lets look at your fitness program.
Spin classes - excellent - good combination of high cardio, and plenty of mixing it up.
Running. You are a big chap, so I am guessing run a restrained pace - 5k in thirty mins suggests so. Try running 1k at 8, 1k at 10, 1k at 12, 1 k at 10, 1k at 8 on a incline of around 2% Take your time building up to this routine.
Ideally you should also add a longer run at the weekend of around 10k but slowly - around 1:10mins or even slower. Add distance to this run at no more than 5% per week, but don't increase the pace.
after a few weeks increase the pace of the treadmill runs so start at 9 then 11 then 13 etc
Also, try another cardio session such as rowing or a swim every other week.
slow and steady, mixed with explosive maximum efforts in your work out is needed to shock the body into A. Muscle growth B. Fat burn.
Good Luck
Lets look at your fitness program.
Spin classes - excellent - good combination of high cardio, and plenty of mixing it up.
Running. You are a big chap, so I am guessing run a restrained pace - 5k in thirty mins suggests so. Try running 1k at 8, 1k at 10, 1k at 12, 1 k at 10, 1k at 8 on a incline of around 2% Take your time building up to this routine.
Ideally you should also add a longer run at the weekend of around 10k but slowly - around 1:10mins or even slower. Add distance to this run at no more than 5% per week, but don't increase the pace.
after a few weeks increase the pace of the treadmill runs so start at 9 then 11 then 13 etc
Also, try another cardio session such as rowing or a swim every other week.
slow and steady, mixed with explosive maximum efforts in your work out is needed to shock the body into A. Muscle growth B. Fat burn.
Good Luck
Out of interest Sagman what tome are you eating dinner and when do you hit the sack? Common wisdom suggests at least 2 hours gap so there is less metabolism required whilst you are asleep. Have you considered knocking the booze on the head admittedly it's not a problem for you but will remove unheathyish calories from your diet. Maybe start up again at Xmas as a reward?
I thought I knew about weight loss, I've being doing it for 15 years+ until now!! Great advice.
A few points to build the picture.
- I drink 1 litre of water per day miniumum - forever going to the boys room!
- Little fruit, probably 1 appple per day.
- I eat dinner at 7.30 to 8.00pm.
- Alocohol - I really enjoy a glass of wine week nights and more at weekend. I calculate the 150 cal's per class as part of the limit. Would not want to give it up!
- Exercise re Spinning - love it. Bloody hard work but you KNOW you burnt calories after the session. Twice per week.
- Treadmill - Usual routine is 3 minute walk incline, 30 minute at 10.5 and then 3 min cool down. Twice per week.
A few points to build the picture.
- I drink 1 litre of water per day miniumum - forever going to the boys room!
- Little fruit, probably 1 appple per day.
- I eat dinner at 7.30 to 8.00pm.
- Alocohol - I really enjoy a glass of wine week nights and more at weekend. I calculate the 150 cal's per class as part of the limit. Would not want to give it up!
- Exercise re Spinning - love it. Bloody hard work but you KNOW you burnt calories after the session. Twice per week.
- Treadmill - Usual routine is 3 minute walk incline, 30 minute at 10.5 and then 3 min cool down. Twice per week.
Yep - you aren't putting enough effort in on the dreadmill.
30 mins at 10.5 is what about 300 calories. twice a week - equivalent of about four glasses of wine or a couple of mars bars.
Need to up the tempo a little I think, not just to burn calories, but also it will build thighs and glutes which are major muscle mass and therefore they consume a high number of calories even when not in use.
try a couple of runs with a faster middle section - don't go crazy though
or switch one treadmill session to a 10 mins on the dreadmill, Ten on the rower, ten on the bike. then make a note of your distances, and next week try to go further in the time.
30 mins at 10.5 is what about 300 calories. twice a week - equivalent of about four glasses of wine or a couple of mars bars.
Need to up the tempo a little I think, not just to burn calories, but also it will build thighs and glutes which are major muscle mass and therefore they consume a high number of calories even when not in use.
try a couple of runs with a faster middle section - don't go crazy though
or switch one treadmill session to a 10 mins on the dreadmill, Ten on the rower, ten on the bike. then make a note of your distances, and next week try to go further in the time.
Good job fella. The weight is coming off and that is half the battle. There are some good points above that I would agree with.
You are consuming a lot more calories than you think. See www.thedailyplate.com to give you a better idea.
Re breakfast. Get stuck in. I probably do 700-1000 calories at breakfast every day. Muesli, fruit all that sort of stuff. I'm 5' 11" and 11 stone 6 lbs.
The alcohol and tea and coffee will mount up to be quite a lot of calories. Keep an eye on them.
Your training is ok. Be careful with your running. You are a big fella so go steady or you'll end up getting injured. Remember that fat burn is highest at lower intensity -65% of max heart rate ish.Think about introducing some weights / circuits into your routine.
Most importantly of all.... YOU NEED TO THINK OF THESE THINGS AS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE NOT A DIET. Unless you change your lifestyle permanently the weight will just go back on as soon as you go back to your old ways.
Good luck.
You are consuming a lot more calories than you think. See www.thedailyplate.com to give you a better idea.
Re breakfast. Get stuck in. I probably do 700-1000 calories at breakfast every day. Muesli, fruit all that sort of stuff. I'm 5' 11" and 11 stone 6 lbs.
The alcohol and tea and coffee will mount up to be quite a lot of calories. Keep an eye on them.
Your training is ok. Be careful with your running. You are a big fella so go steady or you'll end up getting injured. Remember that fat burn is highest at lower intensity -65% of max heart rate ish.Think about introducing some weights / circuits into your routine.
Most importantly of all.... YOU NEED TO THINK OF THESE THINGS AS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE NOT A DIET. Unless you change your lifestyle permanently the weight will just go back on as soon as you go back to your old ways.
Good luck.
Well done for trying to lose the weight! First point of call is get one of the personal trainers/fitness staff to calculate your body-fat percentage, BMR and then work out your EAR values. These figures will give you an estimation as to how many calories your body needs each day A) to survive
and
B) to let you carry out all your daily activities
Once you have these, then you can work out your daily nutrition plan (not a diet, it is lifestyle change)......oh and it does not matter if you eat more calories late at night instead of early in the morning, if they still add up to the same TOTAL amount of calories for that day....
and
B) to let you carry out all your daily activities
Once you have these, then you can work out your daily nutrition plan (not a diet, it is lifestyle change)......oh and it does not matter if you eat more calories late at night instead of early in the morning, if they still add up to the same TOTAL amount of calories for that day....
Try this diet for a 2 weeks weeks and see how you get on. If it doesn't work, please come back to this thread and publicly slate me. 
Breakfast: 3 eggs boiled, poached, fried, scrambled or in an omelette.
Lunch: Tuna or chicken mayo on lettuce leaves (no tomatoes, beet root or anything else)
Dinner: Grilled or roasted chicken, fish, beef or lamb with steamed Broccoli, Spinach or any other dark green leafy veg.
Beverages. 3-4 litres of water a day, Diet Coke/Pepsi/Max/One etc. Black coffee and/or tea (tablet sweetners only, Hemesetas, Canderel etc). No wine, have vodka and diet cola if you need an alcohol fix.
Exercise: keep doing what you are doing now...or none at all, your choice.
Breakfast: 3 eggs boiled, poached, fried, scrambled or in an omelette.
Lunch: Tuna or chicken mayo on lettuce leaves (no tomatoes, beet root or anything else)
Dinner: Grilled or roasted chicken, fish, beef or lamb with steamed Broccoli, Spinach or any other dark green leafy veg.
Beverages. 3-4 litres of water a day, Diet Coke/Pepsi/Max/One etc. Black coffee and/or tea (tablet sweetners only, Hemesetas, Canderel etc). No wine, have vodka and diet cola if you need an alcohol fix.
Exercise: keep doing what you are doing now...or none at all, your choice.
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