Healthy weight loss?
Discussion
I'm 13'8 and 5 foot 7, got a bit of a podge going. I'd like to lose it by April, would 2lbs lost per week be a healthy and more likely way of keeping it off? What cardio and for how long should I do at the gym? And is eating 3 meals a day ok? I don't have time for 6 small meals. In addition to this is a brisk 2 mile walk per day worth while?
Edited by sparks_E39 on Tuesday 14th December 13:41
Cut your calorie intake, thats the best way to lose weight. Keeping it off means not going back to your old ways of eating too much crap. Go to the gym/ exercise as much as you can.
Take up a sport, going to the gym just to lose weight is dull as hell and nobody sticks it. A sport gives you an incentive to go.
Take up a sport, going to the gym just to lose weight is dull as hell and nobody sticks it. A sport gives you an incentive to go.
By way of reference if you run a 10k you will burn roughly between 700 and 1000 calories, there's 280 calories in a single mars bar.
How's this for a typical days eating? I really don't have the time to eat 6 meals a day.
Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
Sounds pretty good; I like milk and banana for breakfast, though I drink full fat as I've read you need the saturated fats to absorb the calcium (it's not much anyway at 4%).
4-5 pints a week won't be your problem, thats probably only about 1000 calories a week.
Just how big are your portion sizes? Are you eating very late?
4-5 pints a week won't be your problem, thats probably only about 1000 calories a week.
Just how big are your portion sizes? Are you eating very late?
grumbledoak said:
Sounds pretty good; I like milk and banana for breakfast, though I drink full fat as I've read you need the saturated fats to absorb the calcium (it's not much anyway at 4%).
4-5 pints a week won't be your problem, thats probably only about 1000 calories a week.
Just how big are your portion sizes? Are you eating very late?
Well at tea normally eat the whole lot (big plate full) I intend to stop eating when I'm not hungry, probably slash a third off my portion sizes. Tea is around half 6 7 usually4-5 pints a week won't be your problem, thats probably only about 1000 calories a week.
Just how big are your portion sizes? Are you eating very late?
Edited by sparks_E39 on Tuesday 14th December 16:58
I would switch your lunch and evening meal, for starters. Killing the pasta dinners was the only significant change I made to my diet, as well as starting exercise. Low carbohydrates in the evenings coupled with 3 30 minute cardio sessions and 3 30 minute weights sessions a week lost me 2 stone in 8 weeks, and it has stayed off for 2 years, despite me not being particularly careful with my diet. Abouyt the only thing I really stick to is drinking lightly during the week (except for the occasional blowout) and not eating big, carbohydrate-rich evening meals.
Everyone's different - but I think that making your evening meals leaner will definitely help. You won't even miss the heavy dinner after a while.
Everyone's different - but I think that making your evening meals leaner will definitely help. You won't even miss the heavy dinner after a while.
sparks_E39 said:
How's this for a typical days eating? I really don't have the time to eat 6 meals a day.
Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
Not sure on portion size but that looks high in carbs. lower the carbs and up the protein and fat.Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
Morba said:
sparks_E39 said:
How's this for a typical days eating? I really don't have the time to eat 6 meals a day.
Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
Not sure on portion size but that looks high in carbs. lower the carbs and up the protein and fat.Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
sparks_E39 said:
Morba said:
sparks_E39 said:
How's this for a typical days eating? I really don't have the time to eat 6 meals a day.
Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
Not sure on portion size but that looks high in carbs. lower the carbs and up the protein and fat.Breakfast: 2 wheatabix and banana, with semi skimmed milk.
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Apple and Orange
Tea: Spag bog
Is it alright? No snacks, just water for drinks. Usually have 4 or 5 pints of cider every Saturday night, is that too much? How much water should I drink per day?
Rice instead of pasta may also be better.
sparks_E39 said:
Morba said:
Not sure on portion size but that looks high in carbs. lower the carbs and up the protein and fat.
What sort of foods do you suggest? Many folk also count calories in what they *eat*, but forget about what they *drink*.
I used these simple tips:-
1) Cut out as much dairy as possible, especially cheese.
2) Like coffee? Have it Black!
3) MUCH less processed sugar in your diet; esp fizzy drinks, sugar in tea/coffee, etc - sweeteners?
4) Eat SLOWER, with plenty of WATER and have smaller portions.
5) Get off the train a stop early to squeeze some exercise into your life.
6) Swap red meat for fish/chicken.
7) Change what you drink, if you must go out of an evening. Guinness typically has much less calories than lager/cider and a diet mixer & spirit might save you 100-150 calories per round! Vodka/Gin & slimline tonic has something like 100 calories
8) I used to live on celery soup! Celery actually has negative calories in it; i.e. your body will use more to digest a celery stick, that can be extracted by eating it...
9) Out on the p*ss? Go straight home - no takeaway!
Edited by FamilyDub on Wednesday 15th December 14:41
2-3lbs a week is fine for weight loss
I wouldn't focus on a particular sort of cardio work - you just need to do something that will get your heart rate up for a sustained period of time.
Be that walking, running, rowing, cycling, swimming, whatever - the ultimate goal with cardio is to burn calories by moving.
Your diet isn't too bad but ditch the pasta (high carb)
Rules my OH (3 years Weight Watchers veteran) goes by:
Dairy is, generally, bad. That means you're on skimmed milk, and all other dairy including cheese as a treat.
Bread, generally, is bad. There are good types but forget the thick sliced white loaf and start thinking wraps and small wholemeal.
Vegetables - eat as much as you like. Bulk your meals up with all the veg you want to fight hunger
Oil is a no-no. Spray oil is your friend.
When eating out, look for healthy options. This can be done - my OH lost nearly 4 stone and still had a Chinese takeaway every week...
Alcohol is calories in a glass. Beer is bad but so is wine. Spirits are, surprisingly low in calories due to the smaller volume you drink them in but make sure you're on single pub measures and mixing with a diet drink.
Grill or oven cook everything. Deep fry nothing.
Cook yourself, from scratch. The only thing we buy from the frozen food section of the supermarket for example is peas and fish fillets.
I wouldn't focus on a particular sort of cardio work - you just need to do something that will get your heart rate up for a sustained period of time.
Be that walking, running, rowing, cycling, swimming, whatever - the ultimate goal with cardio is to burn calories by moving.
Your diet isn't too bad but ditch the pasta (high carb)
Rules my OH (3 years Weight Watchers veteran) goes by:
Dairy is, generally, bad. That means you're on skimmed milk, and all other dairy including cheese as a treat.
Bread, generally, is bad. There are good types but forget the thick sliced white loaf and start thinking wraps and small wholemeal.
Vegetables - eat as much as you like. Bulk your meals up with all the veg you want to fight hunger
Oil is a no-no. Spray oil is your friend.
When eating out, look for healthy options. This can be done - my OH lost nearly 4 stone and still had a Chinese takeaway every week...
Alcohol is calories in a glass. Beer is bad but so is wine. Spirits are, surprisingly low in calories due to the smaller volume you drink them in but make sure you're on single pub measures and mixing with a diet drink.
Grill or oven cook everything. Deep fry nothing.
Cook yourself, from scratch. The only thing we buy from the frozen food section of the supermarket for example is peas and fish fillets.
Muzzer said:
Good advice given!
What he said - I have been basically doing this for the past 6 weeks - cut out bread and most other crap. I eat mostly chicken, vegetables and salad.Have gone down from 17.2 stone to 15.10stone as of yesterday
And I feel reaally good for it.
People underestimate how calorific bread and pasta is. I used to eat a large pizza by myself. Couldn't do it now...
Drinking:
- pint of cider is ~245 calories (bulmers)
- pint of lager is ~220 calories (stella)
Exercise:
- walking at 3.5mph is 5.2 calories a minute
Food:
- 1lb of fat = 3500 calories so you could eat 500 calories a day less to lose 1lb a week with no additional exercise but this wont build fitness or muscle obviously
- pint of cider is ~245 calories (bulmers)
- pint of lager is ~220 calories (stella)
Exercise:
- walking at 3.5mph is 5.2 calories a minute
Food:
- 1lb of fat = 3500 calories so you could eat 500 calories a day less to lose 1lb a week with no additional exercise but this wont build fitness or muscle obviously
been doing cardio at the gym 3 times a week and have stuck to the diet, but added a bit more, as it wasn't enough. Currently have an intake of 1600-2000 calories a day, compared to over 2500 before.Sounding like a quite slow rate of loss. But that's not all bad, especially if you've upped the exercise that much (muscle is heavy). Stick with it:
Less calories = weight loss
More exercise = getting heavier, but fitter and healthier.
If you do both at once there is a compromise going on. You seem to be on the right track.
Big
Less calories = weight loss
More exercise = getting heavier, but fitter and healthier.
If you do both at once there is a compromise going on. You seem to be on the right track.
Big
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