Is my diet going to work?

[Cookievts]

Evening all

Im attempting to lose weight and increase my fitness and now I have finished uni I have no excuses not to.

The exercise part im fine with, having planned cycling and jogging routes around my local area. My main issue is the diet that is needed to really get good 'results', I have planned a menu for myself as im a fussy eater and was hoping some of the more powerfully built PHers could give some pointers on improvements etc.

Breakfast - 2 egg omelette or weetabix and raisins with cup of tea

Snack - Apple and can of diet red bull

Lunch - Chicken/ Ham and salad wrap with tomato sauce X 2
- Raisins
- Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water

Snack - Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water
- Go-ahead bar

Dinner - Wholemeal pasta/ rice or egg noodles
- Plain meat or fish
- Carrots
- Spicey sause

If I get hungry I chew gum and drink water if its not meal or snack time.


I really want to loose the flab so all pointers welcome.

Cheers

Cookie

[rog007]

Ditch the red bull (not good for you and full of useless calories), fruit juice (also high in calories) and go-ahead bars (also .....) and just make sure you don't skip on the exercise otherwise there's still a lot of calories there that will convert to adipose tissue if not burnt up. Good luck!

[GranderTransit]

Cookievts said:

Breakfast - 2 egg omelette or weetabix and raisins with cup of tea

Snack - Apple and can of diet red bull

Lunch - Chicken/ Ham and salad wrap with tomato sauce X 2
- RaisinsGO for real fruit instead
- Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water

Snack - Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water
- Go-ahead bar

Dinner - Wholemeal pasta/white rice or egg noodles
- Plain meat or fish
- Carrots
- Spicy sauce

That's how I would alter your diet. Still not great but better. You need far more vegetables, as brightly coloured as possible.

It needs to be more specific also. Based around how many calories you are using by jogging and cycling and also timings.

[AndyAudi]

After reading some stuff on the net
I did one purely calories in v calories required.
Didn't really restrict myself on any food as long as I had a defficiency.
I understood that roughtly +/- 3500calories was equivalent to approx +/-1lb weight

Looked up a site that made an estimate of how many calories would be required for my height & weight and level of physical activity (2,400 for me). then decided to try & aim for 1600 - 1800 calories per day input. On days I ate more I tried increasing physical activity to compensate by look up how many calories were burned undertaking certain activities such as swimming, walking, dancing etc.

Both calorie content of some healty foods & low level of burn for some activites (basic swimming) surprised me.

A basic spreadsheet was all I used to record everything (& I mean everthing) and once I'd entered a figure it was there for use the next time so it got easier.

I read a breakfast was important so I generally had a skinny latte & bacon roll every day. & My evening treat was a small whisky with a wee bit of dark chocolate.

I lost weight every week for the 1st 3mths of this year, always around 1 lb or so.
I'm no longer over weight!

[Hoofy]

Sod it. Here's the short cut.

1) Sign up to MyFitnessPal.com.
2) Log all food and exercise.
3) Divide quoted calories burnt from exercise by 3.
4) Aim to reduce your intake to 1800 a day including exercise calories burnt. Eat anything. Eat kebabs and drink melted lard if you want.
5) Do not divert from the above plan for 6 months.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.d...

[didelydoo]

GranderTransit said:

Cookievts said:

Breakfast - 2 egg omelette or weetabix and raisins with cup of tea

Snack - Apple and can of diet red bull

Lunch - Chicken/ Ham and salad wrap with tomato sauce X 2
- RaisinsGO for real fruit instead
- Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water

Snack - Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water
- Go-ahead bar

Dinner - Wholemeal pasta/white rice or egg noodles
- Plain meat or fish
- Carrots
- Spicy sauce

That's how I would alter your diet. Still not great but better. You need far more vegetables, as brightly coloured as possible.

It needs to be more specific also. Based around how many calories you are using by jogging and cycling and also timings.

Diet red Bull is more or less zero calories so why take it out? Also, what's wrong with raisins, I though they were real- I'm sure they are in fact, I even once saw a cartoon about these ones from California.....

[GBDG]

Cookievts said:

Evening all
The exercise part im fine with, having planned cycling and jogging routes around my local area. My main issue is the diet that is needed to really get good 'results', I have planned a menu for myself as im a fussy eater and was hoping some of the more powerfully built PHers could give some pointers on improvements etc.

Breakfast - 2 egg omelette or weetabix and raisins with cup of tea

Snack - Apple and can of diet red bull

Lunch - Chicken/ Ham and salad wrap with tomato sauce X 2
- Raisins
- Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water

Snack - Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water
- Go-ahead bar

Dinner - Wholemeal pasta/ rice or egg noodles
- Plain meat or fish
- Carrots
- Spicey sause

All looks fine to be honest. A couple of things in there aren't ideal, but if you like egg noodles, they are not the end of the world. Wholewheat pasta are great carbs, perfect if you're active so there is no reason to exclude them. Just monitor your intake with my fitness pal, and get some weight loss under your belt. In the future you may decide you want to speed up your progress or get really lean, in which case you can make a couple of adjustments. But to start out with, you might as well have a few things you enjoy in to keep you sane.

[Cookievts]

Thanks for the input guys, I eat pretty healthy food most of the time anyway and I rarely eat takeaways etc. Uni got in the way of any physical activity so Im just trying to get back to how I was before uni by dieting alongside exercise!

Im wanting to loose 2 stone in a month so I better crack on I suppose!


Cheers

[okie592]

join slimming world, i lost 2 stone in 3 months with them, and if your eating healthy already its a bonus

a wrap is even worse than bread you know

[Gwagon111]

Knock off the red bull, any sugary salty sauces (tomato ketchup and the like), and it looks better.

[Stu R]

As mentioned, there's ultra-low calorie / carb versions of most premium energy drinks. If you want to drink them, go ahead. Certainly not detrimental to the diet in calorie terms - significantly less than fruit juice in reality, which is full of sugar - you'd be better off with a bit of fruit, which will at least provide some fibre too.

Spicy sauces are perfectly fine in moderation - anything with chillies in is ace too. Just keep an eye on the ingredients if you're going to be super anal about it, but a bit of sauce isn't exactly going to undo all of the hard work if the rest of your diet is good.

Honestly, any changes anyone's made to that diet are purely for making changes sake - it's such a sparse diet plan to start with.

Your biggest problem is going to be achieving your target of 2 stone off in a month. It's possible, but how much of it will stay off and for how long is anyone's guess. I'd take a more controlled approach and stick to a stone a month max personally, but do what you want. Personally I'd have a huge problem with your diet as it sounds incredibly bland and I'd tire of it after 1 day, but if that works for you knock yourself out. I'd also be cautious that you don't reduce your calorie intake too heavily and overtrain.

Myfitenesspal is great, but some of the calorie counts are way off - just make sure you pick the right stuff when you're logging meals etc.

[parapaul]

Cookievts said:

Im wanting to loose 2 stone in a month so I better crack on I suppose!

2 stone in 1 month? 7lb a week for 4 weeks? Can I recommend to Sir a healthy dose of E.Coli or Botulism?

That's WAY, WAY beyond a safe weight loss. Even if you're seriously overweight (like the fatties on The Biggest Loser, for example), then it's still pushing it. 2-3lb a week is generally quoted as a sensible (and sustainable) target. I'd be aiming for 1 stone in a month, and even that's probably a little bit optimistic.

Not trying to piss on your parade but I think it's important to be realistic - otherwise you'll be back here in a month's time with a 'Why can't I lose weight?' thread.

Good luck though, in the last 15 months I've gone from a 38" waist down to 32" waist, and it feels great. I'd recommend it to anyone

[Ordinary_Chap]

parapaul said:

Cookievts said:

Im wanting to loose 2 stone in a month so I better crack on I suppose!

2 stone in 1 month? 7lb a week for 4 weeks? Can I recommend to Sir a healthy dose of E.Coli or Botulism?

That's WAY, WAY beyond a safe weight loss. Even if you're seriously overweight (like the fatties on The Biggest Loser, for example), then it's still pushing it. 2-3lb a week is generally quoted as a sensible (and sustainable) target. I'd be aiming for 1 stone in a month, and even that's probably a little bit optimistic.

Not trying to piss on your parade but I think it's important to be realistic - otherwise you'll be back here in a month's time with a 'Why can't I lose weight?' thread.

Good luck though, in the last 15 months I've gone from a 38" waist down to 32" waist, and it feels great. I'd recommend it to anyone

The 2-3lbs a week thing is a complete misnomer. If a man is at 30%+ bodyfat of course he will lose weight faster than a man at 12% or less. His body has it to lose. 2-3lbs is nothing more than a guide from a government body and isn't what EVERYBODY needs to follow.

Afterall in the show you mentioned 'Biggest Loser' you don't see the medical experts and trainers try to slow down weight loss when someone exceeds that figure do you?

Although I do agree slow and steady is the most effective way to go because people generally burn themselves out in the early days of weight loss trying to go crazy with it.

I also agree that losing 2 stone in a month isn't a good idea even if it maybe possible.

[Tiggsy]

Cookievts said:

Evening all

Im attempting to lose weight and increase my fitness and now I have finished uni I have no excuses not to.

The exercise part im fine with, having planned cycling and jogging routes around my local area. My main issue is the diet that is needed to really get good 'results', I have planned a menu for myself as im a fussy eater and was hoping some of the more powerfully built PHers could give some pointers on improvements etc.

Breakfast - 2 egg omelette or weetabix and raisins with cup of tea

Snack - Apple and can of diet red bull

Lunch - Chicken/ Ham and salad wrap with tomato sauce X 2
- Raisins
- Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water

Snack - Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water
- Go-ahead bar

Dinner - Wholemeal pasta/ rice or egg noodles
- Plain meat or fish
- Carrots
- Spicey sause

If I get hungry I chew gum and drink water if its not meal or snack time.


I really want to loose the flab so all pointers welcome.

Cheers

Cookie

For what you want, it's fine.

Anyone saying take diet redbull out is nuts. It's 3 cal per 100ml and you like it - same with a goahead bar. I eat loads of those sort of things/weight watchers cakes, etc - if they fit in your calorie allowance and help make your eating more fun then crack on. (some more veg may be good though)

[alfa pint]

Cookievts said:

Thanks for the input guys, I eat pretty healthy food most of the time anyway and I rarely eat takeaways etc. Uni got in the way of any physical activity so Im just trying to get back to how I was before uni by dieting alongside exercise!

Im wanting to loose 2 stone in a month so I better crack on I suppose!


Cheers

As echoed above, 2 stone in a month is a fking stupid, irresponsible, unsafe and nigh on impossible goal, short of a bout of month long food poisoning or pure starvation. Get fking real with yourself. You might see some big weight drop on Biggest Losers, but that's because they're 30+ stone units.

A kg a week is perfectly feasible, is a long term sort of diet and therefore sustainable. Any dramatic weight loss like you're proposing will not last and you will quickly revert to your ways. Slow and steady is the key.

My missus is having great success with the weight watchers app on her phone. She doesn't have to do weigh ins, or go to the £3 per session fat club or radically change her diet - she eats the same sort of stuff that she's always eaten, just the portion sizes have changed and she's learned that she can have cake, but will have to make a sacrifice somewhere else. She's lost 2 stone since January.

[chrisobrien54]

Might I add you should lift some weights also?

I excluded weights and nailed the cardio (most of my calories came from gains, also) and I became a skinny fat person.

Skinny arms, shoulders, chest. Big fat gut.

Cut the grains, ate more (good) fat, lift... Big arms, shoulders - nee more gut. Hurah! : )

[chrisobrien54]

Cookievts said:

Evening all

Im attempting to lose weight and increase my fitness and now I have finished uni I have no excuses not to.

The exercise part im fine with, having planned cycling and jogging routes around my local area. My main issue is the diet that is needed to really get good 'results', I have planned a menu for myself as im a fussy eater and was hoping some of the more powerfully built PHers could give some pointers on improvements etc.

Breakfast - 2 egg omelette or weetabix and raisins with cup of tea

I'd fk off the weetabix, and raisins.

Snack - Apple and can of diet red bull

Absolutely never see the point in Red Bull.

Lunch - Chicken/ Ham and salad wrap with tomato sauce X 2
- Raisins
- Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water

Sack off the fruit juice, and raisins.

Snack - Cup of tea/ fruit juice/ water
- Go-ahead bar

No need for the Go-Ahead, or juice.

Dinner - Wholemeal pasta/ rice or egg noodles
- Plain meat or fish
- Carrots
- Spicey sause

I never touch pasta, or noodles - done me the world of good.

If I get hungry I chew gum and drink water if its not meal or snack time.


I really want to loose the flab so all pointers welcome.

Cheers

Cookie

Above is how I'd attack your / my weight loss. Just me, I'm no expert but have seen results in myself so...

[GranderTransit]

didelydoo said:

Diet red Bull is more or less zero calories so why take it out? Also, what's wrong with raisins, I though they were real- I'm sure they are in fact, I even once saw a cartoon about these ones from California.....

I have commented on the Redbull because I think it is full of crap. I think that (fresh ground from a bean) coffee is good for you up to the point that the caffeine starts to cause you a problem because it is full of antioxidants. Redbull is a poor substitute. Caffeine before a training session is great, but I see no details of this on the OP.

I have just checked out the ingredients for sultanas (I don't have any raisins in house). They also contain cotton seed oil. It must be put on to make them glossy I suppose.

____

I think too much emphasis is placed upon creating a calorie deficit when trying to lose weight. When you get down to the bottom of why people actually want to be less fat it is because they want the health benefits which come with it.

Eating a 100% clean diet but a little bit too much of it and being slightly overweight (I am talking a few %age BF not a few stone) is healthier than having a perfect BF% but eating crap but less of it.

IMHO the health / fitness / weightloss / big pharma / food industry has twisted what we regard as healthy and good for us. I try to persuade people to eat food which has been fettled with as little as possible. I am also of the opinion that what we do to become good at a sport is not always conducive to good health. Which is fine if you are a sports person, but not if you are trying to "only" be healthy.

I suppose based on the question the OP asked of "is my diet going to work" then I didn't need to answer. I answer was yes, just cut you portion size of whatever food you are eating so that you create the calorie deficit.

[Tiggsy]

GranderTransit said:

didelydoo said:

When you get down to the bottom of why people actually want to be less fat it is because they want the health benefits which come with it.

Really? I'd have thought appearance was by far the more common reason for anyone under 50 or under obese.

[Hoofy]

chrisobrien54 said:

Cut the grains, ate more (good) fat, lift

So which one contributed to the loss of gut?