Diet help!

Soldato
Joined
20 Sep 2009
Posts
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Location
Portsmouth
I'm sure you guys are bored of this now but would appreciate some pointers just to make sure I'm doing things right:)

I'm a big guy, 108kg but 6'2" so luckily it doesn't show too bad... I'm a bit of a foodie and weight has been due to indulging and eating too much rich foods rather than junk food, but my ideal weight would be about 90kg when I go back to Uni in October. I plan to diet and do some light exercise (brisk walking dog, cycling). Is this possible? Have I given myself enough time?

So, on to diet. I've already bought some stuff, would just like to know if it's the right stuff and if there's anything I can get to help me along!

I've had quite a big appetite over the last couple of years so my plan at the moment is to eat healthily and reduce portion size until october, then hopefully my stomach would have shrunk and I can enjoy smaller portions of the food my housemates will be eating (we'll cook together, getting my own stuff etc will be too much hassle/cost at uni, however we all do eat well, no junk food and I can omit things like white pasta, bread rice etc).

These are some typical things I've started eating:

Breakfast Options
  • Porridge with skimmed milk, raisins, honey, grapes, dried apricots etc
  • Kellogs optivita, skimmed milk
  • Couple of bits of fruit
  • Smoothie (fruit, low fat yoghurt, ice etc)

Lunch
  • Ryvita with low fat cottage cheese and green salad leaves
  • salad with some chicken, olive oil and vinegar/lemon juice to dress
  • Fruit

Dinner
  • Grilled chicken or small pork loin steak (with fat cut off) with stir fried veg (soy sauce only)
  • Grilled fish with steamed green veg and/or brown basmati rice
  • Small amount of veggie bolognaise (lentils/beans tin of tomatoes, herbs) with Wholeweat pasta.

    I'm going to avoid red meat for now.

Snacks between meals
  • Fruit
  • Fruity ryvita biscuit
  • Celery/Carrot sticks

Drinks
  • No sugar robinsons juice
  • Tea with sweetener


I'm also going to try to go to bed earlier and get up earlier (been getting up at 10-11 which kinda ruins breakfast/lunch plans)

So, what do you guys think? Please tell me if I'm doing anything wrong or if I can help myself by doing more, never been on a diet before so it's quite serious I've taken this step! It's not a whim, I do want to lose weight.

Cheers, Stu
 
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Why avoid red meat? Its one of the best sources of food for us!

Looks like a lack of fats, dont be fooled into the dogma that gets thrown around today, fat is essential and needs to be included in a diet, especially where fatloss is concerned. Typical sources:

Red meat, cheese, olive oil, avocado, oily fish, eggs and many more.

Some light cardio to get started is a good idea, its also important not to drop all your calories at once, they need to be slowly lowered over a short period of time to get consistent results. Dropping too many calories at once will help you to lose fat quickly at first and then your body will adapt and it will halt any fat loss and increase fat gain.
 
Thanks ben, not sure really just trying to cut down I guess! FWIW my diet before was cereal or two slices of brown toast+butter+jam for breakfast, lunch would be something like salad+bacon+cheese or meat/cheese/bread platter or sandwich. Dinner was maybe bbq'd chop + sausage with salad and bread/couscous, pasta dish maybe once a week, roast at weekends, risottos, stir fries. Snacks would be a couple of kit kat fingers, cheese biscuits with cheese sometimes.

So, in my opinion thats not a bad diet compared to some people, but I was just eating too much. I was hoping to significantly reduce calories/fat for a short time, then gradually get back to the diet above but with smaller portions, healthy snacks and wholewheat everything.

Sounds like I had the wrong idea though! Thanks for your help, I'll try and work in some eggs at breakfast.
 
Its not too bad at all really, good food choices - just needs some added fat and a little more protein at breakfast.
 
Grilled chicken or small porn loin steak (with fat cut off) with stir fried veg (soy sauce only)

I want to come for dinner at your house :p

Aye dont rule out fats they help a lot especially if your going to be doing some good exercise along with your diet. What about quitting the sweetners to? They are not good for you
 
You will find that just cutting down on snacks and sticking with regular meal sizes would provoke a change in your body. If you couple this with some light exercise, so you sweat, and change the meals you are eating, that you will loose weight quite quickly. You should try more pasta dishes as they provide large amounts of nutrients and can easily fill you up.
 
Add in some eggs, particularly the odd one or two for breakfast.

Protein generally will help to fill you up for longer.
 
Just an update;) Stuck at it and I'm now 98 kilos. Over half way woop, and feeling (and looking) better for it.
 
If your currently waking up at 10-11 I would set your alarm for 7-8 and aim for a 5k run before breakfast. Google "couch to 5k" (C25K).
 
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