Evaluate My Diet

DcD · 1 Apr 2012 at 13:41

Hi guys,

If you haven't already read my first thread about weight loss, please check it out before responding, it'll put this post in context! http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18386654

(tldr version: I weigh 20 stone, and need to lose weight. I exercise by walking three times a week and play 5-a-side basketball on Tuesdays).

As asked by the guys who replied, I have noted down everything I ate over the past week. Some of the things I ate, I knew the calories, so I put it down.

Evaluation would be great, is this a good diet plan? Should I cut out something? Judging by online calculators I should intake about 2100-2500 calories per day to lose weight. By my maths, I'm eating no more than 1500 on this plan... I think?

Here goes...

TIME FOOD DRINK

MONDAY

08:00
08:30 Cornflakes & Milk // Cup of tea (no sugar)
09:00
09:30
10:00
10:30
11:00 Cup of tea (no sugar)
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30 Grilled chicken (half breast) Caeser Salad w/ Humous // Glass of Ginger Beer
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00 3 small grilled lamb chops w/peas, sweetcorn & baby carrots. // Orange squash
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00 Orange squash
22:00

TUESDAY

08:00
08:30
09:00
09:30
10:00 2 Oatibix & Milk
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30 Waitrose Prawn Salad (206kcal) // Small Bottle of Still Lemonade (130kcal)
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00 Grilled Tuna Steaks w/ Salad
18:30
19:00 Pint of Diet Orangina (30kcal)
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30 Diet coke
22:00 Single JD
22:00

WEDNESDAY

08:00
08:30
09:00
09:30
10:00
10:30 Coco Shreddies & Milk // Pint of Diet Orangina (30kcal)
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30 Fish Sushi (490kcal) // Lemon Water (30kcal)
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00 Stuffed Mushrooms w/ Crab, Onions, Low Fat Creme Fraiche & Salad/Grilled Peppers (300kcal) // Small glass of Diet Orangina (15kcal)
19:30 1 Apple
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:00

THURSDAY

THURSDAY
08:00
08:30
09:00
09:30
10:00 1 boiled egg + low cal french toast (152kcal) // Glass of orange juice (120kcal)
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00 3 crackerbreads w/ ham & Philly Cheese (120kcal) // Coke Zero
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00 Sushi (175kcal) (Left the shopping bag full of meat in the car the day before - has now gone off!)
18:30
19:00
19:30 Prawn Salad w/ Coleslaw (115kcal) // Coke Zero
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30 French toast, ham & Philly cheese (50kcal) // Half glass of milk (100kcal)
22:00
22:00

FRIDAY

08:00
08:30
09:00
09:30
10:00 1 boiled egg + low cal french toast (152kcal) // Cup of tea (no sugar)
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30 3 crackerbreads w/ ham & Philly Cheese (120kcal) // Coke Zero
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30 Chicken casserole w/ carrots, leeks, potatoe, cabbage(450kcal) // Coke Zero
20:00
20:30
21:00 1 330ml bottle of Budweiser (140kcal)
21:30
22:00
22:00 Half glass of milk (100kcal)

SATURDAY

08:00
08:30
09:00
09:30
10:00 1 boiled egg + low cal french toast (152kcal) // Cup of tea (no sugar)
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30 4 crackerbreads w/ ham & Philly Cheese (160kcal) // Coke Zero
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30 3 egg Spanish omelette w/ onions, peppers, spring onions, potatoe & diced lamb (380kcal) // Coke Zero
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:00

SUNDAY

SUNDAY
08:00
08:30
09:00
09:30
10:00
10:30 Bowl of Frosties // Water
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30 Coke Zero
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30 Spicy Pork Recipe from book (casserole type thing - 300kcal) // Water
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00 3 crackerbreads w/ ham & Philly Cheese (120kcal) // Water
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30 Water
22:00
22:00

DcD · 1 Apr 2012 at 14:09

Oh, forgot to mention, I'm going to show this to the practice nurse tomorrow when I go to see her tomorrow. She's a proper nutritionist etc so should give me even more insight.

DcD · 1 Apr 2012 at 16:35

Disco Boy said:
Compare that to apple juice which is full of vitamins and minerals.

Apple/Orange juice also has about 150 calories per 100ml. I'm going to drink it but not in any large quantities, a few glasses a week or something.

DcD · 2 Apr 2012 at 13:23

mrthingyx said:
The diet fizzy pop might not contain any calories but it does contain a bucketload of other chemicals that generally don't do your body much good overall, be it sugar substitutes, the colourants or just the acidic nature of the beast...

Roger. I'll cut them down to perhaps one 2ltr bottle per week and just drink more water.

mrthingyx said:
To be honest, DcD, you don't look like you're eating anything at all. This might be fine for a while - and you'll get good weightloss out of it for a while - but you may well just be miserable, tired and achey from where your body just isn't getting the fuel it needs... leading to a 'relapse' as such. Not knowing much about your lifestyle/exercise regime/etc., I'd say it's generally (a very general concept) a good idea to go in for around 1300-1500 calories A DAY for steady-state weight loss that you sustain into perpetuity.

I've increased my exercise per week by a fair bit. As for the calorie intake, I'm actually feeling more energetic through eating healthy stuff than I ever did when I ate larger amount of crap stuff. This also probably has something to do with me altering my sleep patterns so that my metabolism is back in it's correct routine.

mrthingyx said:

And your breakfasts are full of sugar and carbs of easy virture: swap them out for something like porridge or another high-fibre, complex carb breakfast.

Click to expand...

Consider them gone. Bran Flakes from here on.

mrthingyx said:

Also, if you genuinely enjoy stuff like crackerbreads or whatever, then I won't suggest you change them, but there is nothing closer to the taste and texture of misery than that stuff (other than perhaps vegan food, but that's another discussion entirely). Whilst they serve a purpose (making boxes is one I can think of), I personally would be happier to get more exercise in and have something more along the lines of brown rice or whatever instead. But then, I don't like crackerbreads, and love my exercise.

Click to expand...

I actually quite enjoy the crackerbread things I have. They're somewhat crispier than the cardboard Rivita crap you're probably imagining. Different company and they're not as wheaty.

mrthingyx said:

And finally, I could - if I wanted - call myself a nutritionist, because it is not a protected term. Yes, I have a double honours degree in Sports and Materials Science, but that's it. Go to a dietician if you want 'proper' advice. I'm not going to say your practice nurse "knows naaaaaathing," but that you should be careful in who you place your trust.

Click to expand...

You know more than me. Thanks for your time.

DcD · 2 Apr 2012 at 13:28

wedgie said:
1300-1500 cal a day for pretty much any male would be classed as a very low cal diet, not something I would recommend here for a while at least, and even then it's something that should be taken into careful consideration before doing.

Cheers for the reply. I'm actually feeling more energetic etc from eating properly and sleeping properly. I have a fairly sedentry lifestyle other than the exercise I make myself do 4 times a week. Without that, I'd be sat on my arse working as a designer all day every day. I imagine because of what I do for a living in the daytime, my body isn't exactly screaming for calories.

What's more, with this diet i'm very rarely hungry, apart from say 30mins-1hr before i'm about to eat anyway. I'm actually enjoying that more than anything with this diet, I haven't felt hungry at the right times in a long time!

mrthingyx said:
Indeed (should have taken the '20 stone' starting weight into account). Which is why his current plan of circa 2500kcal/week is... somewhere left of centre.

What do you mean exactly?

DcD · 2 Apr 2012 at 14:57

wedgie said:
Hang on a minute, 2100-2500 cal per week to lose weight, that's insane!

What's your actual daily calorie intake? Should really be around 2000, 1700 minimum.

I meant daily, edited.

DcD · 2 Apr 2012 at 16:11

icecold said:
But on some of those days you're under 1000kcals...

I just ate when I was hungry, I didn't purposefully put off eating. Outside of the times I ate, I can't say I was hungry at all.

mrthingyx said:
What Wedgie, Icecold and myself are alluding to is that the amount of food you are eating may well result in a nutrient/mineral deficiency at some point.

Your diet will be great for weightloss as you are quite literally starving yourself. In doing so, your body's nutrient, mineral and vitamin levels are also going to be dropping unless you supplement them with something.

EDIT: took too long to make the post due to meetings... feel free to ignore.

I'm being pretty careful to eat decent stuff. I plan my meals per week with:

MAX DISHES
2 FISH
2 CHICKEN
2 VEGETARIAN
1 RED MEAT

In Excel, and then add 5-a-day fruit/veg onto that either in the meal or at some other point throughout the day. I'm not sure what other nutrients/minerals I need?

DcD · 2 Apr 2012 at 16:53

icecold said:
Why only 1 red meat?

From what you've posted, you'll be losing as much muscle mass as fat. This absolutely does matter even if you aren't a bodybuilder, or whatever, because muscle is what gives you your shape. Ending up at your target weight with no muscle will leave you looking a lot worse than you could be.

I was under the assumption I should cut down on red meat? Should I have red meat twice and a vegetarian dish just once?

DcD · 3 Apr 2012 at 10:37

Hey fellas,

I've gotta admit, this wasn't intended to be a vlcd, I just ate when I was hungry, and if I wasn't hungry I didn't eat. I'll eat a few more calories and keep making sure it's a varied diet with all the nutrients and minerals I need.