weight loss

[JJonas]

You cant reliably lose weight by dieting alone the body will go into starvation mode and start to burn muscle. You need to persuade it to burn fat instead the best way to do this is to increase you exercise level as well as dieting. By exercising you work your muscles and the body is forced to switch to another energy source - fat. Also as you tone/build muscle this needs more energy so the weight loss should start to accelerate. Do keep in mind that muscle weighs more then fat so dont depend on your scales to tell you about results.

 

Other tips I have heard as well are if you feel hungry drink a glass of water if you still feel hungry fifteen minutes later eat something.

 

Take your time with meals there is a delay between being full and feeling full this can easily lead to overeating if you dont take your time.

Edited October 31, 2010 by JJonas

[witch]

FYI I am fine with distances in km, and small weights in kg, just not large weights!

Your diet looks a bit lacking in complex carbs to me, and in fact a bit light all together. There are plenty of diet plans on the web, here is one:

Diet Plan For Men

which should give you an idea of the sorts of things you should be eating.

You might want to consider frozen meals for one - they are usually highish in fat and salt but certainly better for you than takeaways anyway.

[RabbieBurns]

Wasnt being mean, sorry just a joke should have put a smiley!

 

Cheers for the link will check it out..

 

Theres a personal trainer place up the road and just found a 'first consultation free' flyer, so might give them a visit tomorrow see what they say..

[RabbieBurns]

Intersting point on that page re alcohol:

 

(4) Guide To Alcohol

 

For many obese men, eliminating alcohol from their diet is a total No-No. So here are the facts. Read them and choose accordingly.

 

To begin with, alcohol contains zero nutrition. In addition, its calorie content is quite high - about 7 calories per gram. Drinking two regular Martinis a day adds up to about 117,000 calories per year - the equivalent of about 33 pounds of body fat. Two glasses of beer a day amounts to nearly as much. Another problem to consider if you are male, is the contribution that alcohol makes to your fat belly. In my experience, overweight males who give up alcohol experience an immediate reduction in their stomach size, which is very good news for their heart and overall metabolism.

 

Is this true, or is that a bit of a generalisation?

 

Surely beer is different from whisky / spirits etc? I dont think theres any way I could give up alcohol!!

[clareq]

Unfortunately, all alcohol, be it beer or whisky, are empty calories - all calories, no nutrition.

[featured_spectre]

Rabbie I limit myself to 1 shot of whiskey a night, and I split it over 3 Whiskey and cokes to make it go further...that way you *think* you are having more than you actually are

[RabbieBurns]

Rabbie I limit myself to 1 shot of whiskey a night, and I split it over 3 Whiskey and cokes to make it go further...that way you *think* you are having more than you actually are

 

Surely the coke is a lot worse than any alcohol ?

 

Id rather not have anything than just have 1! Im fine during the week, can not drink quite easily.. but the weekends is a whole different story.. giving up smoking was easy as its pretty much socially unacceptable nowadays, but I cant give up the drink..

 

But can anyone clarify if having a few straight whiskys is better than having a few beers...

[bodminman]

I went on a weight loss binge after seeing photos of myself on holiday nearly 2 years ago. I just looked like a complete fat knacker!

 

I got on the scales and they peaked 16.5 stone and I was shocked, really shocked. For my height I should be looking at no more than 14 stone so I knew I must do something about it and quickly.

 

I had a chat with the missus and although 9 out of 10 of our meals are cooked from fresh and are nutritionally balanced, my issue was quantity. I'd eat what was on my plate and then finish what was left in any of the pans etc. Just being greedy really as I have issues with seeing food going to waste. For lunch I've always just had a simple ham, cheese, chicken or beef salad sandwich with a piece of fruit and a packet of crisps.

 

On the exercise front I also went from playing footy twice a week to nothing. The most exercise I would do would be to carry a printer across the school once in a while or something similar.

 

So on the food front I now have slightly less on the plate than I used to and any leftovers are scraped into the compost bin immediately after serving to remove temptation. If I do feel hungry still after eating I just tend to go and have a glass of water as this tends to fill the gap but this is now very rare. We still have the odd take away etc but where we once would have had a meal each, we now just get the one meal and share it.

 

On the exercise front I got into playing 5 a side once a week at work but the best decision I make was to buy a bike and use it. Work is 6 miles from home and I now cycle to work and back at least 3 times a week. I now get to work and feel awake, sharp and ready to go. But best of all I'm more toned and this I feel has been the key to my weight loss. I even get compliments from the wife now which hasn't happened for years!

 

Anyway, from my point of view a slight change in eating habit and back on the exercise trail done the trick for me.

 

Good luck!

[bodminman]

Surely the coke is a lot worse than any alcohol ?

 

Id rather not have anything than just have 1! Im fine during the week, can not drink quite easily.. but the weekends is a whole different story.. giving up smoking was easy as its pretty much socially unacceptable nowadays, but I cant give up the drink..

 

But can anyone clarify if having a few straight whiskys is better than having a few beers...

 

Diet coke should be ok though. I believe slimming world advocate diet coke and say that you can drink as much as you like.

[clareq]

Just looked it up - there are ~170 calories in a pint of lager and ~60 calories in a single measure (25ml) of scotch. As a typical bottle of spirits contains 22 measures, a bottle of scotch is 1320 calories.

[witch]

Surely the coke is a lot worse than any alcohol ?

 

Id rather not have anything than just have 1! Im fine during the week, can not drink quite easily.. but the weekends is a whole different story.. giving up smoking was easy as its pretty much socially unacceptable nowadays, but I cant give up the drink..

 

But can anyone clarify if having a few straight whiskys is better than having a few beers...

 

From a calorie point of view, yes. There are about 70 calories in a whisky and about 140 in a pint of beer. But there is little or no nutrition

[featured_spectre]

Rabbie, I meant I have either Coke Zero or Pepsi Max....either are fine with Slimming world (same as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi are fine)...

 

Believe me it was hard for me at first as I used to have a full measure and then some in my coke, but reducing it means I can still have the taste, but it lasts longer as well.

[RabbieBurns]

I dont really drink any fizzy drinks, but I wouldnt touch a diet fizzy anything to be honest.. All that nutrasweet chemical stuff is so bad for you. (imo)

 

Thnk Im gonna go buy a bike tomorrow.. saw someone selling one second hand nearby today so Ill grab that if its still available.

[timbo343]

Rabbie...

 

Have a look at the calorie counter Calorie Counter Database - Free Online Diet Program.

 

Me and a mate are currently going to the gym about 4 times a week. I started in April when i was starting to get a gut and now it is non-existant, unless i sit down lol. I am wanting to build myself up and trying to consume about 3000 calories a day but it needs to be healthy calories and my mate is wanting to lose weight which he is doing and very well too. The best way IMO is to do it slowly, dont think by not eating you are going to lose weight, your body will just use your muscle as food, so you will end up with saggy skin and as soon as you start eating again, you will just put the weight back on. Just try and eat healthy. My mate is down to consuming about 1500 calories. Also, i have heard that eating protien instead of carbs can reduce fat and eat carbs on a morning so your body burns them off during the day and at night eat mainly protien, that way the protien isnt converted into Fat, you will just get rid of it in the morning. As for drinking, ok, a couple of beers a week but nothing excessive. Drinking anything fizzy can not ba good for you and there is as much sugar in diet coke as there is in full fat coke.

 

When you go shopping, just make a note of how much caleroies things have. I found that fruit juice (which is supposed to be good for you) is full of sugars... if you can just drink water.

 

Hope this helps.

[witch]

Some very good points there. Always 'eat' - don't 'eat and work' or 'eat and read'. You should concentrate on the act of eating - not easy to do in our busy lives, I know

[garethEds]

I can recommend dysentery as an excellent means of losing weight - I spent five months in Asia in 1988 and contracted both types (amoebic and bacilliary) twice. Was 12 stone to begin with and came back to the UK weighing 9. Ah, the things you do when you're young....

 

Whilst that isn't funny really - I lost a stone the other year when I suffered from a urinary tract infection - which apparently is quite rare in men. I was in so much pain I couldn't eat without being sick. Water was the only intake for 3 days - so much water. I still drink water over anything else now.

 

Gareth

[kevbaz]

Carbs are the enemy, nearly 3 stone lighter after going onto a low carb diet, feel great, loads more energy and happier

[browolf]

Gaining weight is usually a gradual upward slope. What you want to do is turn it into a gradual downward slope that levels off at some point. To do that a "diet" is bad. You need a permanent lifestyle change. It's really quite easy in theory: Change what/how you eat + do more regular exercise. Sticking to it is another matter though and there's probably reasons why you aren't doing those things in the first place. I have the food bit right but exercise beyond walking to work (35mins) is problematic. I loose the will to do it in the winter and in holidays :-S

[Hightower]

I lost 3 stone in as many weeks back in February. What did I do? Buy a house that I hate.

[synaesthesia]

Avoid pasty shops Oliver's Bakery made me 21st. Well, slight correction, I made myself 21st because of their delicious Cornish Pasties and Steak Bakes.

At least I've lost some - 20 stone now! Can't shift an ounce of it though :/ I get away with it slightly being 6'4" but still would also like to shift the gut. Exercise doesn't work for me, working 10 hour days in a warehouse did nothing for my weight. Trouble is, I refuse to believe some of the rubbish that my doctor and most dietitians come out with - things like "avoid bread and pasta". Add meat to those two, and that's my entire diet.

[GeeHubb]

It's not so much the bread and the pasta that's the problem, it's what you put with them that does the damage. Change the bread to anything wholegrain and 'seedy' and use wholemeal pasta. Change the spread to one of the low fat varieties and use it sparingly on the bread, and use tomato based pasta sauces, preferably home made (or low fat bought varieties if you must).

 

There's some really good advice in this thread, but basically it's a change in lifestyle to a more healthy 'diet' plus exercise that is needed, rather than a 'crash' or 'fad' diet. Trouble is that knowing this, and carrying it through, are two different things!

[witch]

Can't shift an ounce of it though :/ I get away with it slightly being 6'4" but still would also like to shift the gut. Exercise doesn't work for me, working 10 hour days in a warehouse did nothing for my weight. .

 

Bit odd that you dont believe your doctor when you are definitely having trouble losing weight now!

I would suggest that you are eating TOO MUCH bread and pasta. We do need carbs, but nowhere near as many as we actually eat. Pay attention to portion size and you will lose weight. Less in means less on!

[synaesthesia]

I don't actually eat that much. Portions are reasonable - it's typically lasagne, bolognese, pasta salads, tuna, steak, chicken and turkey. I didn't mean that I don't believe what the doctor is saying, I'm fairly sure it's correct. It's that I don't subscribe to all the rubbish that is fed to us via the media about what's good and what's bad for you. Just like some of the utter TRIPE along the lines of "eating peanuts when pregnant will mean an allergy for your child" if anyone tells me that staple foods are bad for you will be instantly ignored

 

Worked out a couple of weeks ago that my average daily calorific intake is around 2200, less at weekends. Easily burn that off per day. Everyone is different - for instance there won't be many people here faster than me over a 100m sprint

[russdev]

Good site I use to monitor my weight loss is Burn Fat, Lose Weight, and Gain Muscle - DailyBurn I seemed to have fallen completly off the wagon this last month. Think a good reboot is required and try and get back on the plan etc.

 

Russ

[witch]

 

Worked out a couple of weeks ago that my average daily calorific intake is around 2200, less at weekends. Easily burn that off per day. Everyone is different - for instance there won't be many people here faster than me over a 100m sprint

 

Ah, I see

Your calorie intake is quite low for a man, especially one as tall as you so it may be that your body is turning every calorie into fat because it is afraid of starving.

This site might be of interest

Caloric Needs - How to Calculate Your Caloric Needs

 

You may need to actually eat more - but not carbs!!