Help me eat healthy please.

Kavalree

Kavalree

Kavalree

Soldato
Joined
21 May 2010
Posts
3,448
Location
Digbeth
OK, following on from my tiredness thread, I have decided to eat more healthily and lose a few stones.

First up, I know I should be eating more veg, but there loads I cannot stomach, its foul.

But, for a start, I have started to eat break-fast, consisting of a cup of cappuccino, 2 slices thick white toast with flora and jam, and a banana.

Major problem I can see is I always crave sweets/biscuits/chocolate, So I eat them, and a bag/pack at a time.

I had a nice steak stew last night for tea, my old man made it, portions he makes are quite big, about 4 decks of cards worth of steak, and 2 chip butties worth of chips.

What can I snack on when I am pecking between meals? What can I have for lunch that is healthy, bear in mind, I cannot leave work ideally, and we sell micro-wave ****, should I prepare sandwiches?

My aim is to lose about 3st, maybe about 1/2st a month or so. I cannot afford a gym membership, but I am buying some weights.


So, OCUK, help me lose weight and be healthy please.
 
Stay away from red meat. If you get cravings for sweet food fruit is a good and none fat yogurts. Mix up so you don't get bored e.g fruit one day yogurts the next ect. Stay away from cereal bars 9/10 times they are ripoff.

To lose weight you dont need a gym membership or weights. Cardio is your best bet for weight loss and if you are out of shape starting weights straight away will do more harm than good. Drink plenty of water/fruit juice. Keeping yourself hydrated will prevent snacking as much.


Also don't eat 3-4 hours before you goto bed. This causes your body to get hungry and call on your fat reserves when you sleep.

Sandwiches are good use wholemeal bread low fat butter (only small amount) better than any microwave junk. Tune is a great sandwich filler and very very very good for weight loss.

Also eat main meals at set times each day if possible.

Remember take your time or you will burn out when doing exercise. Also remember exercise is basicly pointless without the right diet.
 
Last edited:
Buy a food steamer and a big helping of will power buddy :D Get into the habit of having a nice long relaxing sleep everynight and keep coming back on here if you're looking for some motivation :D Try and keep yourself positive and start out nice and slowly. Good luck, although I'm sure you won't need it ;)
 
Well for a start your definition of healthy seems to be slightly off. White bread should be brown bread and jam has a lot of sugar in it. Steak is okay occasionally as long as it's lean cut, but for someone losing weight, not a good choice either way. Chips should be a major no for obvious reasons (fat).
You also need to look at your portion sizes and make sure they're not overly generous.

Good snacks between meals are nuts and fruit. Although dont load up on them. Also try things like celery with peanut butter on (tasty). Find vegetables you do like and perhaps make a small mix of steam vegetables for you to pack for your lunch. Take a packed lunch with a handful of mixed vegetables, a handful of nuts and prepare something savory like a chicken breast for you to take too.
 
Last edited:
I moved from beer to wine and spirits & started exercising a bit more. Dropped just over a stone so far this year. Aliboy's recommendation to sleep well is good, I find myself eating so much the day after rubbish sleep.

Also protein shakes are quite good for people that don't like/have time for proper breakfast. A little milk and a scoop of powder will keep you going till lunchtime, and it only takes maybe 20 seconds to knock up ;)

Some good sources of information that I have learnt a lot from: http://www.reddit.com/r/loseit http://www.reddit.com/r/fitness In particular the fitness FAQ (on the right hand side of the page) www.myfitnesspal.com
 
Last edited:
Portion control, just explain to them you're trying to lose weight.

And I love how you described chip portion as chip butties, surely thats a HUGE sign of how unhealthy your life style actually is.

Things like toast, one topping should be enough, but that may be due to my hatred of mixing flora/butter with other spreads.

I am also now trying to drink water or squash when I feel hungry, I am not sure if this is beneficial but staves the hunger for a bit, I am only 13.5stone but aim to lose about 2stone. I need to due to doctors orders and a bad liver.
 
Do what I'm doing PSMF - 1,500kcals max consisting of 20g max of carbs rest protein/fat ( roughly 120 of fat and rest protein )
Great for weight loss! I've gone from 23 stone 8 back down to 22 stone 4lbs in under 2 weeks and that's with 3 take aways (cheat meals!)

It's hard to start with once you're in the swing of things it's nice and easy.

Prior to this time I lost just over 5 stone in just over 6 weeks when I was doing cardio like a mad man.
 
cHk4 said:
Do what I'm doing PSMF - 1,500kcals max consisting of 20g max of carbs rest protein/fat ( roughly 120 of fat and rest protein )
Great for weight loss! I've gone from 23 stone 8 back down to 22 stone 4lbs in under 2 weeks and that's with 3 take aways (cheat meals!)

It's hard to start with once you're in the swing of things it's nice and easy.

Prior to this time I lost just over 5 stone in just over 6 weeks when I was doing cardio like a mad man.
Click to expand...

I would not find 1500 calories a day at 22 stone sustainable for more than a couple of weeks.
 
You need to cut out the coffee for starters and swap the white bread for wholemeal (which is much more full of flavour anyway).

Eating healthy and losing weight are two different things, which brings into the debate if you should use butter or marj. I eat healthy, but still use butter (just not loads) as it is a natural product and I feel more comfortable putting it in my body than processed marj.

Chips, no. Obvious.

Breakfast needs to be something bran or wheat based, Weetabix, bran flakes, fruit n fibre are all good, or if you have a bit of time then scrambled egg on wholemeal toast is a good one for once or twice a week. Natural yogurt (the low fat kind) on weetabix is nice and healthy and keeps you going a while. Porridge is also a good one, but not with sugar. You can get away with a SMALL dollop of REDUCED SUGAR jam on it to give some flavour.

Change to skimmed milk if you havent already.

As above dont have too much red meat - Once a week is probably OK. Protein is key, so plenty of chicken, but for variety you could have turkey which you can get in strips and diced, so you can vary your tastes through the week.

I use a lot of tinned tomatoes - Good anti-oxidant and you can make LOADS of stuff with them and they are obviosuly good for you. I make a lot of things with spinach and onions and play around with herbs and spices to make different flavours. Best thing to do with regard to specific dishes is just to google.

Make sure anything you do make with red meat is the extra lean stuff, which is usually less than 12% fat. If you can get below 5% then even better, but not sure how many places will sell this.

Snack wise - Ice cold water. When you feel hungry, you might not actually be hungry, its just the signals being sent to your brain getting confused. Ice cold water fills you up and increases your metabolism, so you eat less and will start to lose weight. If you really cant bear it then stick to an apple. Bananas may seem a good idea, but if you eat a lot they will not help you as they are FULL of sugar.

Finally, if you really want to go extreme, then replace your meals with soup. I recently had an operation which has meant I can not currently eat solid food. I have been eating soup for the last 4 weeks (ok I have also been shovling in ice cream, but my intention wasnt to lose weight) and I have lost half a stone. You can have all sorts of fun making soup from all kinds of meat and veg and spices, so you can have loads of variety, plus there are loads of fresh, not tinned, soups in the shops which taste amazing. It fills you up because of the amount of liquid, so you dont feel like you are hungry, but you are getting what your body needs at the same time. If you do this then still stick to a decent breakfast, like something I have mentioned above. Soup for breakfast would be rank!
 
Last edited:
Jaffa_Far said:
Major problem I can see is I always crave sweets/biscuits/chocolate, So I eat them, and a bag/pack at a time.
Click to expand...

Same here, I crave them more than you. Haven't had them for months. Ask my girlfriend, I'll walk up to the sweets section in Sainsbury's, stare at them, touch it, close my eyes and imagine the taste ... and walk away. It's enough for me.

You have to decide, do you want a sugary rush every day that's piling on the fat or do you want a good body? Just as addictive sugar and crap can be, the same addictiveness you can get from exercising and eating healthy.

It's getting past the first month, maybe even week. People just give up. It amazes me how weak they are. If you hit it hard, you can see results within 4 weeks. From there on your motivation should be adequate.

Eat what you eat now, but cut the sweets/biscuits/chocolates/crap. Go for walks 3 times a week, the first two weeks to get your body used to the forthcoming punishment. Start running when you feel ready. Come home after the walks and do as many push ups and sit-ups as you can for 5min. Rest only the bare minimum. It's not a perfect regime, but you have to get used to training. After you've done that for a few weeks, come back here for your next steps.

I can promise you, once you're used to it and accepted that you gotta train hard and eat healthy, it becomes a way of living. You don't even question it or moan about it, it's like breathing.
 
Read the bodybuilding sticky in sports arena (has good food advice)

Beware of "no fat" yoghurts usually they can be 12+grams sugar per 100g (a lot)

Stick to wholemeal sources of carbs (sweet potato, brown bread, basmati rice, couscous, quinoa)

Eating fat is not bad for you, nor is red meat.
 
SuperBOB said:
Also protein shakes are quite good for people that don't like/have time for proper breakfast. A little milk and a scoop of powder will keep you going till lunchtime, and it only takes maybe 20 seconds to knock up ;)
Click to expand...

Protein shakes should be a supplement to a good diet, not a staple.

ash_scotland88 said:
I am also now trying to drink water or squash when I feel hungry, I am not sure if this is beneficial but staves the hunger for a bit, I am only 13.5stone but aim to lose about 2stone. I need to due to doctors orders and a bad liver.
Click to expand...

You should never starve yourself or make yourself feel hungry as it will be counter-productive on your metabolism.

cHk4 said:
Do what I'm doing PSMF - 1,500kcals max consisting of 20g max of carbs rest protein/fat ( roughly 120 of fat and rest protein )
Great for weight loss! I've gone from 23 stone 8 back down to 22 stone 4lbs in under 2 weeks and that's with 3 take aways (cheat meals!)
Click to expand...

20/120/+ carbs/fat/pro is ridiculous. You need to take another look at what a healthy diet is.

BDEE said:
if you have a bit of time then scrambled egg on wholemeal toast is a good one for once or twice a week.
Click to expand...

Dietary cholesterol has little effect on body cholesterol, so eggs are fine to eat several times a week or even a day. I used to eat 3 eggs a day, i still eat many.
 
Last edited:
Break it down into 6 smaller meals and try to replace as many of your carbs with wholemeal versions as much as possible (bread, rice, etc) and things like chips are best avoided at all, although if you are going to cheat then it's best to do that well before evening. I struggle with a sweet tooth as well but you probably don't want to hear that I had to cut it down to a cookie once a week! Try replacing it with fruit but also bear in mind that while it is healthy fruit tens to pack a lot of calories in it so don't think it's guilt free either.

Things like pop, crisps and biscuits are pretty much "empty calories" and need to be cut in their entirety and even real juice needs to be watched as well. For snacking in between, various nuts are good in small handfuls and things like Greek Yoghurt.
 
Keep a log of everything you eat (I mean EVERYTHING) along with its associated calories and it'll help you realise where you're going overboard. It takes a bit of dedication, but once you get into the habit of knowing roughly the calorie and nutritional information of different foods, it helps you plan your day of eating.

Also, drink a gallon of water a day. You'll wee like a racehorse for a few days while your body gets used to it but should then level out a bit.

Do you have a bike? Do some low intensity cardio on it for an hour, 3 times a week. Alternatively, walk for an hour 3-4 times a week.

For snacking, I'll have a handful of nuts (pistachios, walnuts) but control the portion as they contain a fair few calories if you go crazy. They contain good stuff that your body needs though!

Aim to lose 2lbs a week.
 
cHk4 said:
It's hard to start with after that it's fine.

It's a form of TKD however just with reduced kcals. Not something you would do long term.
Click to expand...

Keto diets are not healthy, and really should only be done for someone looking to lean quickly (such as someone readying for comp). They shouldn't be undertaken by someone looking to lose weight healthily or as a long-term goal. They can also be quite damaging and stressful on the body.

Even so, doing a Keto diet with the ratio of protein/carbs/fats you suggested is beyond keto and absoloutely 100% unhealthy. Someone weighing about 14 stone should be looking to get about 60g of carbs in their Keto diet. you're over 21 stone and advocating 20g. You need to revisit your diet.

cHk4 said:
It's a modified version of the below -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_Sparing_Modified_Fast
Click to expand...

PSMF is for obese or morbidly obese people, and only to quickly get them down to 'heavily overweight' at which point their diet will be adjusted to a more sustainable one. It' often used when people are verging on dangerous levels and need to bring down their weight fast. Not recommended for someone looking to lose a couple stone and become a healthy weight.
 
Last edited:
Deific said:
Keto diets are not healthy, and really should only be done for someone looking to lean quickly (such as someone readying for comp). They shouldn't be undertaken by someone looking to lose weight healthily or as a long-term goal. They can also be quite damaging and stressful on the body.

Even so, doing a Keto diet with the ratio of protein/carbs/fats is beyond keto and absoloutely 100% unhealthy. Someone weighing about 14 stone should be looking to get about 60g of carbs in their Keto diet. you're over 21 stone and advocating 20g. You need to revisit your diet.
Click to expand...

You say they're not healthy but there are always two sides of the fence, those who say they're fine with studies and papers to back up their claims and those who say they're not healthy again with those studies etc to back up their claims.

I agree with you about the leaning out for a comp but at the end of the day what's more unhealthy staying at this huge pig beast weight I am or diet down hard core for 6 weeks and get down to about 18 stone then jump back on the carbs?

Currently not training due to a shoulder injury, I dropped weight eating 4,500kcals a day but that was when training.

Thanks for your concern though mate it is appreciated. When I did this before I had two of the top personal trainers in Europe design this for me. It was hard back then as I was doing MMA/Weight training but like I said not training at the moment so it's easy to stick to.

----
edit

Seen what you posted above about the PSMF - I agree with you about what you said, I believe I need to lose weight fast maybe not something for the OP but still it's an option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom