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Stuck with what to eat..

Old 01-05-2011, 12:35 PM
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Default Stuck with what to eat..

Okay I'm certain on how to lose weight.. only the exercise part though. I plan to jog (on the spot) for 30 minutes a day, 3 sets of 30 jumping jacks, 2 sets of 12 side lunges, 3 sets of 12 wrist curls, 2 sets of 10 sit ups and push ups.

It's just the food part. I'm all confused with the "if you don't have 1200 calories or above you wont lose weight" so I'm pretty stuck, seeing as I don't feel any need to have that many calories. Would I still lose weight if I only had like 800? It's not my fault really.

Morning - Kelloggs corn flakes with milk and some sugar.
Afternoon - Lentil soup with 2 pieces of white bread
Dinner - Boiled chicken with red pepper, onion and curry sauce, boiled chicken with carrots, peas and gravy.

That's all I really like to eat.. the other things I have in my freezer are chicken with breadcrumbs which you oven cook (which I'm not sure are healthy btw, could someone tell me?) and pizzas.

I guess this could be better..?

Morning - The same, Kelloggs
Afternoon 3pm - Chicken with chips, red pepper and onion sauce dip
Late afternoon 5/half 5pm - Lentil soup with 2 pieces of white bread
Dinner - Chicken with carrots, peas, potatoes and gravy.

Does the 2nd food plan sound like I'll be eating healthily more and lose weight easier?

Thanks.
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Old 01-05-2011, 02:14 PM
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Hi Suzay...going to take the questions one at a time.

With exercise, if what you're doing works, stick with it. If you are looking to change anything, or if you eventually feel things are moving in the right direction, I would definitely suggest beefing up the strength training work. In particular, adding moves that use big muscle groups, like squats and lunges with weights. Those are the ones that burn the calories and develop muscle tissue, which in itself burns calories. When you use the weights, I would also suggest using ones as heavy as you can handle, if you aren't doing so already. The 3-pound ones are pretty, but challenge yourself if you can, and keep increasing as you go.

The idea behind the 1200 calorie issue is the thought that if your body has too few calories, it slows your metabolism down in order to conserve its resources. Thus, you are essentially training your body to survive on fewer and fewer calories as time goes on, and when you eat more than that, weight comes back on quickly. This is the explanation, though there are folks on both sides of the issue...some believe it, some don't. It is true for me personally. I could lose nothing on 800-1000 calories a day; when I bumped up to 1300, I lost weight steadily. But everyone is different. You don't say your height and weight now, so I'm not sure how much of a calorie deficit you have going on. And I'm not sure what you mean when you say it's not your fault; do you have a medical condition that prevents you from eating a lot of calories?

Okay, my two cents on the food, and I hope that others chime in, because we are all different and everyone has good suggestions. As with anything, take or leave my opinions, as your mileage may vary!

Take a look at your pie chart on your Foods tab, where it lists the percentage of protein, carbs, and fat. It looks like your sample menu has a lot of carbs in it (cornflakes, sugar, white bread, chips, potatoes). Would you be open to eliminating some of them, or exchanging some of those things for fruit or more veggies, or whole grains like oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole grain crackers, brown rice, quinoa? Another thing might be to add more protein to your diet, and even to replace some of your carbs with protein. Cornflakes, for example, have a lot of sugar, not a lot of nutrition, really, and no protein, but eggs, cheese, breakfast meats, Greek yogurt or even peanut butter would be great at breakfast. Fish is also a great source of protein. The last suggestion that comes to my mind would be to increase your intake of healthy fats. Nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil...after years of being conditioned to avoid fat, research is finally showing that intake of some fat is beneficial, and even that saturated fat isn't as bad as it was once considered to be. I guess overall what I am suggesting is to try to balance out your pie chart and you may see your weight loss happen more quickly and steadily.

I hope this answered your questions. Again, it's just suggestions and ultimately we all need to find our own different way through here. Good luck!

Last edited by cjohnson728; 01-05-2011 at 02:18 PM.
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Old 01-05-2011, 08:35 PM
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Have you logged your food to see exactly how many calories you are eating? And what your macros are for those foods you listed?

It sounds like you are eating a diet high in carbs and sugar.

I suggest that you measure and weigh everything you eat, each day, for a few days, and log it. Don't forget to log anything you drink and what, if anything, you add to your coffee/tea/etc.

Also calculate your basic caloric needs, based on your height, weight and age.

If you post that info we could probably offer useful advice that pertains more specifically to your diet needs.

I am also curious as to why you say it is not your fault?
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Old 01-05-2011, 08:40 PM
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Suzy, I'm one who can lose on lower cals--I did 1000 cals for close to a year (in the past) and dropped weight (really) fast and pretty consistantly. Now, being male and very heavy I'll acknowledge YMMV.

If this is where you're comfortable at, I can't see where it's a big problem.

Now, I don't see ANY fruits in your diet--that might be a good, healthy way to bump your cals a bit while increasing your fiber and vitamin intake. Just a thought.

Regards,
Michael
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Old 01-06-2011, 03:10 AM
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I agree with everthing Cassie (cjohnson728) said. (You are so smart Cassie!).

How many calories you consume is only part of the equation when it comes to weight loss. Base Metabolic Rate (BMR), Exercise/Activity and the Calories Eaten are all used to determine your Caloric deficit or surplus. The equation is:
BMR + Exercise/Activity - Calories Eaten = Caloric deficit.

Since 1 pound of body weight equates to apprx. 3500 calories then if you maintain a 500 calorie deficit daily you would lose about 1 pound per week. (500calories X 7days = 3500)

On the surface it would appear that the greater the deficit the greater the weight loss. However the body has a built in preservation mode that actually reduces BMR once it feels it is being starved (this is referred to as starvation mode). Your optimal calorie deficit may take some experimentation to find. Michael (mecompco) and Cassie are a great example of the individual differences. Michael can eat 1000 calories a day and lose weight but Cassie (who is much smaller) needs to eat 1300 to avoid going into starvation mode.

Use the Fitday tools to find your BMR then try to acheive a deficit to match your goals. If your deficit is high and you aren't seeing results in two weeks adjust.
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Old 01-06-2011, 07:12 AM
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Ron, Mike and Cassie have pretty much covered the basics as far as food goes.

Can I make an exercise suggestion? I know you haven't mentioned anything about your weight or body type, but in general, wrist curls have very low utility unless you're a bodybuilder looking to put on forearm size (and even then, there are much better ways to do it). If you swap them for preacher curls or hammer curls you'll get much more bang for your buck in terms of muscle building ("toning" if you will) and, in turn, a boost to your metabolism. I also agree with Cassie that over time you will want to switch to heavier weight squats and lunges which will also boost your metabolism by working your "engine" muscles (legs and back).

Good luck!
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Old 01-06-2011, 07:18 AM
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I appreciate that, Ron, but actually what it is, is Learning From My Own Mistakes! Through the posters on this site and their information, reading and researching some of their suggestions and trying them out, and keeping what worked for me and throwing out what doesn't, I think I finally figured out what my body needs. There is a world of information here and I am really thankful for everyone who has posted thoughts, because it truly made the difference this time for me in showing different perspectives that I had not even considered.

But I had another thought for Suzay that I wanted to jump back on here and say. One basic truth is that no way of eating and exercising will work for you if you can't sustain it. So if my suggestions are something you could never see yourself doing or incorporating, even after trying, then they won't work. What you do has to be something you can live with. I think that most of us here would agree that a lifestyle change is what's needed, because going on and off a diet leaves you, in the end, with the same problems that you had when you started. Trial and error and small changes over time will give you a blend of making choices that keep you happy and doing what is good for you and your body, and it looks different for everyone.
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Old 01-06-2011, 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by cjohnson728
One basic truth is that no way of eating and exercising will work for you if you can't sustain it. So if my suggestions are something you could never see yourself doing or incorporating, even after trying, then they won't work. What you do has to be something you can live with. I think that most of us here would agree that a lifestyle change is what's needed, because going on and off a diet leaves you, in the end, with the same problems that you had when you started. Trial and error and small changes over time will give you a blend of making choices that keep you happy and doing what is good for you and your body, and it looks different for everyone.
Exactly! I think that is the "light bulb" moment many realize they will succeed in their quest for a healthy and fit lifestyle.
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Old 01-06-2011, 11:09 AM
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Thanks all for your replies and being helpful.

I'm 5'1 and 17 years old if it gives you an idea on how easy it'll be for me to lose weight.

I'm struggling now with jogging.. lastnight I did 30 minutes on the spot and my muscles are killing me at the bottom and back of my legs. It's too sore to run today.. I did 10 minutes earlier which of course wont help me in any way... any ideas?

I'm also wondering if anyones used the "Twist Board" or maybe you call it the "Balance Board" - stand on it and twist yourself left to right. Does this work..? I purchased one today from Asda. I was twisting on it for 10 minutes tonight and used my 5lb weights doing arm curls.

I'm going to start having a yogurt drink + apple for breakfast. I have chicken near enough everyday so I'm good for protein. Most days I have either carrots and peas or red pepper and onion. Going to start buying some healthy ready meals aswell. I also drink water everyday, no fizzy drinks.

I feel so stuck with losing weight, I feel like nothings working..
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Old 01-06-2011, 12:04 PM
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Originally Posted by SuzayLogan
I feel so stuck with losing weight, I feel like nothings working..

I can tell how frustrated you are. If you want, we can help. Can't tell if you're just venting or actually wanting some more suggestions; I know that was a lot to absorb the first time around.
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