Reducing Calorie Intake - Banging Headaches!
Discussion
Evening all,
Looking for a bit of help/advice with regard to loosing a bit of weight.
I am 6ft 3in tall and weigh in at 16 stone, wouldn't say I am overly fat and not particularly unhappy with any aspect of my body apart from perhaps my midriff.
Over the years my exercise/diet has been quite 'yo yoey' and the only real positive period of time was when I completed the T25 workout schedule. Coupled with meal replacement shakes, overall healthier eating and this daily exercise I saw a change and felt good.
Like anything this was short lived and slipped backwards, not helped massively by working shifts which in terms of eating and excercising makes it quite chaotic!
So I am wanting to lose a stone and drop to 15 stone at which point I want to start toning and building muscular to get in general better shape - I do not want to be cover of Men's Health just confident again.
Every time to try and alter my diet to what I remember worked (bran type breakfast, meal replacement shake for lunch and a chicken/veg dinner) after a day or so I get banging headaches and it stops me dead in my tracks.
I don't know if it's the cold turkey aspect of it, not enough water, wrong meal replacements but it's horrendous! I just want to get through those first few days and get back on it.
I run 3-4 times a week and have TRX straps in garage plus cycle to work 3-4 times a week (20 miles a day) so in theory a stone shouldn't be too difficult.
Can anyone help/advise/direct me in relation to this, am I doing something wrong??
Any help would be great feel free to PM if you would prefer.
Cheers
Si
Looking for a bit of help/advice with regard to loosing a bit of weight.
I am 6ft 3in tall and weigh in at 16 stone, wouldn't say I am overly fat and not particularly unhappy with any aspect of my body apart from perhaps my midriff.
Over the years my exercise/diet has been quite 'yo yoey' and the only real positive period of time was when I completed the T25 workout schedule. Coupled with meal replacement shakes, overall healthier eating and this daily exercise I saw a change and felt good.
Like anything this was short lived and slipped backwards, not helped massively by working shifts which in terms of eating and excercising makes it quite chaotic!
So I am wanting to lose a stone and drop to 15 stone at which point I want to start toning and building muscular to get in general better shape - I do not want to be cover of Men's Health just confident again.
Every time to try and alter my diet to what I remember worked (bran type breakfast, meal replacement shake for lunch and a chicken/veg dinner) after a day or so I get banging headaches and it stops me dead in my tracks.
I don't know if it's the cold turkey aspect of it, not enough water, wrong meal replacements but it's horrendous! I just want to get through those first few days and get back on it.
I run 3-4 times a week and have TRX straps in garage plus cycle to work 3-4 times a week (20 miles a day) so in theory a stone shouldn't be too difficult.
Can anyone help/advise/direct me in relation to this, am I doing something wrong??
Any help would be great feel free to PM if you would prefer.
Cheers
Si
I hadn't considered that - now you put it like that perhaps that would make sense.
Will take a look a look at that and see what it suggests, like I say I am not looking to be some sort of superhero but would just like to feel a bit more body confident.
Have a 6 year old girl who loves swimming and I love taking her but would like to feel a bit more confident, and also on holiday etc. I am not out to impress anyone, I have a beautiful wife and am very happy but just feel I could be in better shape.
Si
Will take a look a look at that and see what it suggests, like I say I am not looking to be some sort of superhero but would just like to feel a bit more body confident.
Have a 6 year old girl who loves swimming and I love taking her but would like to feel a bit more confident, and also on holiday etc. I am not out to impress anyone, I have a beautiful wife and am very happy but just feel I could be in better shape.
Si
Your maintenance calorie intake is around 3100 per day. That's what you need to maintain your 16 stone, Drop that by 500 a day to 2600, try and consume around a gram of protein for every pound you weigh (so between 200 and 220g a day) and keep your carb intake to less than 175 grams a day and you'l lose somewhere in the region of 1 to 1.5lbs a week.
Providing you keep track of what you eat and be honest with yourself you'll lose that stone in around 12 to 16 weeks, you'll be able to stick to it, you'll be able to exercise and you shouldn't get banging headaches.
Another tip would be to take the meal replacement shakes and throw them in the bin. The right amount of real food is the answer.
Also remember that you weren't in a hurry to put the weight on so don't be in a hurry to lose it. Do it steady and you'll feel much better.
I lost 9kg from Christmas to April. Thats 19lbs in around 16 weeks, just over a lb a week. I've put a couple of pounds back on so I might have another push over the summer.
Providing you keep track of what you eat and be honest with yourself you'll lose that stone in around 12 to 16 weeks, you'll be able to stick to it, you'll be able to exercise and you shouldn't get banging headaches.
Another tip would be to take the meal replacement shakes and throw them in the bin. The right amount of real food is the answer.
Also remember that you weren't in a hurry to put the weight on so don't be in a hurry to lose it. Do it steady and you'll feel much better.
I lost 9kg from Christmas to April. Thats 19lbs in around 16 weeks, just over a lb a week. I've put a couple of pounds back on so I might have another push over the summer.
Thanks chaps, apologies for the massive delay - for some reason my notifications aren't coming through?!?!
Kawasicki - this might sound silly but did you just eat salt rich food to improve that or is there a 'salt' type supplement I can look for?
J4CKO - thanks for that, I truly hope it is - don't have unrealistic expectations but when I have cut down my intake before I haven't been able to cope with the savage headaches!
RTB - thank you so much for your response, thats really helpful and clearly very effective given your loss - fair play! I will use that as the basis for my intakes from hear on in then, found My Fitness Pal which seems to be a food tracker so will use that to keep track of intake. I have FitBit and FitBit scales so able to keep an eye on things from that perspective.
WIll also take your advice and bin the meal replacements, all they have done is made me feel ill!
Si
Kawasicki - this might sound silly but did you just eat salt rich food to improve that or is there a 'salt' type supplement I can look for?
J4CKO - thanks for that, I truly hope it is - don't have unrealistic expectations but when I have cut down my intake before I haven't been able to cope with the savage headaches!
RTB - thank you so much for your response, thats really helpful and clearly very effective given your loss - fair play! I will use that as the basis for my intakes from hear on in then, found My Fitness Pal which seems to be a food tracker so will use that to keep track of intake. I have FitBit and FitBit scales so able to keep an eye on things from that perspective.
WIll also take your advice and bin the meal replacements, all they have done is made me feel ill!
Si
SiT said:
Thanks chaps, apologies for the massive delay - for some reason my notifications aren't coming through?!?!
Kawasicki - this might sound silly but did you just eat salt rich food to improve that or is there a 'salt' type supplement I can look for?
J4CKO - thanks for that, I truly hope it is - don't have unrealistic expectations but when I have cut down my intake before I haven't been able to cope with the savage headaches!
RTB - thank you so much for your response, thats really helpful and clearly very effective given your loss - fair play! I will use that as the basis for my intakes from hear on in then, found My Fitness Pal which seems to be a food tracker so will use that to keep track of intake. I have FitBit and FitBit scales so able to keep an eye on things from that perspective.
WIll also take your advice and bin the meal replacements, all they have done is made me feel ill!
Si
No problem.Kawasicki - this might sound silly but did you just eat salt rich food to improve that or is there a 'salt' type supplement I can look for?
J4CKO - thanks for that, I truly hope it is - don't have unrealistic expectations but when I have cut down my intake before I haven't been able to cope with the savage headaches!
RTB - thank you so much for your response, thats really helpful and clearly very effective given your loss - fair play! I will use that as the basis for my intakes from hear on in then, found My Fitness Pal which seems to be a food tracker so will use that to keep track of intake. I have FitBit and FitBit scales so able to keep an eye on things from that perspective.
WIll also take your advice and bin the meal replacements, all they have done is made me feel ill!
Si
Just treat it like an accounting problem.
I messed about with all sorts of 5:2 low carb ketogenic sort of diets and they all just made me feel rough or stopped me sleeping properly or destroyed what little strength I'd gained in the gym. The trick is the monitoring; basically 3500 calories is about a pound of fat, if you can be in deficit to that amount every week you'll lose about a pound (some muscle might go with it if you don't do resistance training).
Also don't weigh yourself too often, once a week is enough.
I need to get back on the wagon.
You cant lose weight and build muscle . You need to eat more if anything not less with all that cardio. I am your height but a 19st gym goer , so i know where your coming from. In your case it will be diet , fish/chicken and rice /pasta and veg. Don`t forget the pudding once a week for your sanity.
Definitions of a healthful diet vary. Widely. 
Reduce (or cut) meat, poultry, fish, eggs & dairy and especially the meal replacement/protein shakes. Same with alcohol.
Replace with plant based whole foods. Make starchy carbs the basis of every meal (potatoes, rice, etc) with fresh vegetables and fruit.
It's extremely difficult to over eat.
ETA added image above.
Reduce (or cut) meat, poultry, fish, eggs & dairy and especially the meal replacement/protein shakes. Same with alcohol.
Replace with plant based whole foods. Make starchy carbs the basis of every meal (potatoes, rice, etc) with fresh vegetables and fruit.
It's extremely difficult to over eat.
ETA added image above.
Edited by LordGrover on Thursday 15th June 12:45
LordGrover said:
Definitions of a healthful diet vary. Widely.
Reduce (or cut) meat, poultry, fish, eggs & dairy and especially the meal replacement/protein shakes. Same with alcohol.
Replace with plant based whole foods. Make starchy carbs the basis of every meal (potatoes, rice, etc) with fresh vegetables and fruit.
It's extremely difficult to over eat.
The most important thing is just to find some combination of foods where you are happy and satiated whilst eating below what your body needs to maintain itself. Reduce (or cut) meat, poultry, fish, eggs & dairy and especially the meal replacement/protein shakes. Same with alcohol.
Replace with plant based whole foods. Make starchy carbs the basis of every meal (potatoes, rice, etc) with fresh vegetables and fruit.
It's extremely difficult to over eat.
I'm no nutritionist but I have fiddled around with most diet ideas over the years and by far the most consistently doable and successful - FOR ME - personally was protein&fat heavy, low carb.
I find it keeps me fuller, don't get hunger pangs like I do when eating lots of carbs, and I get to eat stuff I genuinely really like, such as bacon & eggs every day for breakfast! Easiest to stick to and therefore easiest to get results. It's no good eating like a monk 5 days a week if you're going to go mental and binge eat all weekend from the depression of it all.
Get the myfitnesspal app and start logging EVERYTHING, including drinks if they're ones with calories in, you'll quickly start finding yourself paying attention to what's worth it and what's not. From there you'll start to tweak your diet so you're happy enough but also eating below maintenance.
Edited by Venturist on Wednesday 14th June 18:12
All the real experts will tell you it's a balanced diet thats healthy .
Upset the balance and you cause problems.
Everything needs the correct fuels or inputs to run properly our bodies are just the same .
Many years ago I used to get a headache every friday .
When we examined what I did on a friday it was pointed out that my problem was running on an empty fuel tank .Tea and toast for breakfast and then just fluids all day and doing physical work in frantic bursts every 40mins from 8 am until sometimes 10pm .
Changed to a full breakfast and healthy fruit and nuts and water for the rest of the day and suprise no more headaches and not feeling like death on a Saturday.
Balance is the key .
Upset the balance and you cause problems.
Everything needs the correct fuels or inputs to run properly our bodies are just the same .
Many years ago I used to get a headache every friday .
When we examined what I did on a friday it was pointed out that my problem was running on an empty fuel tank .Tea and toast for breakfast and then just fluids all day and doing physical work in frantic bursts every 40mins from 8 am until sometimes 10pm .
Changed to a full breakfast and healthy fruit and nuts and water for the rest of the day and suprise no more headaches and not feeling like death on a Saturday.
Balance is the key .
I trained for a marathon about 12 years ago. I found that after a long training run (i.e: c. 20 miles) I would come back and have an absolutely crippling headache. This woudl takes ages to go away, however, I later found that having a bottle of Lucozade straight after my run woudl prevent this.
For me the issue was blood sugar - sounds like yours may be similar?
For me the issue was blood sugar - sounds like yours may be similar?
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